"I'm calling you out, Meta Knight!" The evil Marina shouted. "I'm not done with you yet!"

"Well then, looks like I no longer doubt your story about being from another dimension." Meta Knight said, but Marina couldn't take her attention off of the other Marina. "It's weird."

"Weird, yes. I'm also disturbed at the idea of there being an evil me, but yet I'm curious."

"I don't have all day down here, you know! Or would you rather have me come to you, and kill all your guards on the way up, like last time?"

"All right, that's it. I'm going down there." Marina then charged toward the window, breaking the glass and dropping down to the deck. Sonic then followed, but Meta Knight was furious.

"Oh, come on! We have a door!"

Down on the deck Dark Marina looked at the falling figure with anticipation, ready to fight. But as she got a good look at who it was, she was overcome with both fear and confusion.

"What…who…why do you look so much like me? Who are you?"

"Marina Liteyears."

"No! I'm Marina Liteyears! Did the Captain make you and not tell me about it?"

"Captain? You mean prof? No, look, I'm from a different dimension. A different world where, apparently, I lived a different life than you."

"A different…dimension…?" Dark Marina's fear then gave way to intrigue. She kept her sword, a silver-colored cutlass, pointed towards the other Marina started to circle her. Marina, in turn, turned with her, both of them inspecting each other. Now that she was closer, Marina could see that Dark Marina also had large gold earrings in both ears, and that she had larger, partially exposed breasts.

"So, a different dimension. That would explain the ridiculous getup."

"Ridiculous? What about those gaudy earrings? And why do I get the feeling that the prof is a bigger perv in this dimension?"

"Ha! You wish!"

"What?"

"But I have to admit that the more human-like legs actually looks good on you. I'll have to ask the Captain about that modification." Dark Marina's concentration on Marina broke when she caught a glimpse of Meta Knight, now on the deck as well. "Ah, Meta Knight, the reason I'm here. Look, I'm busy now but I'll get back to you after I'm done with her."

"You already took the Star Rod, what more do you want?"

"Ah, but the Star Wand was merely payment to Kirby, now I'm here for myself. That sword of yours looks pretty nice, so I think I'll take that."

"So you're a pirate then? I still don't see how I could ever do something like that." Marina said.

"Oh, and so you're not? What, are you some goody-good then?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Well then, we look similar but our personalities are different. What I'm most curious about though is how well you fight." Dark Marina said with a smirk. Marina then showed a similar smirk.

"That's a good question. Besides, there's no way I can let an evil version of me running around hurting people." They then stopped circling each other. Dark Marina held her sword at the ready and Marina held her fists up. Meta Knight looked concerned, his eyes darting back and forth between the two Marinas.

"Sonic, I'm not sure how this will play out." Meta Knight whispered. "If you take her from the side, then I'll…"

"Don't sweat it, man. Marina can handle herself. Besides, this is something she needs to do herself."

Dark Marina, with sword in hand, lunged towards Marina. Marina ducked to the right, then tried taking a swing at her, but Dark Marina jumped back beyond her reach. They continued fighting, Marina with her fists and Dark Marina with her sword.

"What, is that all you've got?" Dark Marina mocked. She then swung her sword horizontally towards her stomach, but Marina used her rockets to jump above the sword, and over Dark Marina. Marina then used her rockets again to speed up her punch. Dark Marina then threw her sword into the air and used her hands to block Marina's blow. Marina's fist collided into her palms with a force then sent a shockwave through the air, but Dark Marina held her ground.

"So, I'm just as strong when I'm evil."

"Please, you make it sound like I'm such a horrible person." Dark Marina then pushed her away in time to grab her sword as it fell back down.

"You're a pirate; you plunder and murder!"

"Gotta make a living somehow. It pays off pretty well, too."

"You hurt people and yet have no remorse? How could I ever become someone like that?"

"You know your attitude is starting to annoy me. You think I should actually care about other people? Caring for others only makes you weak, and only the strong will survive."

"No! Caring for others gives you a purpose for being strong, and pushes you stronger! To protect those you love!"

"The only person I love is the Captain, and that's all I'll ever need, and I'm all he'll ever want." Dark Marina then brandished her sword towards Marina.

"You…I…I can't be evil, there's no way I'd do that!" Marina then rocketed towards Dark Marina again, but Dark Marina sidestepped her and swung at her face. Marina screamed in pain and stumbled forward. She wiped her left cheek, seeing that it was bleeding. It didn't seem to be too deep so she shrugged it off, but Dark Marina was taken back.

"Blood? Wait…human-like legs…blood…are…are you human?"

"Yeah." Marina said with a stern face.

"So the conscious-filled version of me isn't a Cybot?"

"Well I was, until after I saved planet Clancer."

"Clancer? I remember that place. So there was something there that could have turned me human? What a shame."

"What's a shame?" Marina raised her voice. Without an answer Dark Marina then rushed at her again. Marina tried dodging but couldn't outpace her, and got a cut on her left arm. Dark Marina seemed to be moving even faster, and it was taking all she could just to avoid her. Another slice took off her bangs, another slice nicked her knee, followed by a deep gash to her stomach. Dark Marina's sword then came straight down towards her head, so she reached out and clasped her hands with the blade. Marina successfully caught the blade between her palms, but Dark Marina was trying to break it free. Marina held tight, and using her rockets to pull herself back she broke the sword free of Dark Marina's grasp, quickly tossing it overboard.

"Argh, I liked that sword!"

"I liked my skin." Marina said while regaining her breath. Dark Marina then rushed forward with her fist at the ready. She tried a right hook, but Marina dodged and gave an uppercut to Dark Marina's jaw. Dark Marina stumbled back, but as she regained herself Marina already came at her with a punch to the stomach. Marina swung again but this time Dark Marina grabbed her punch with one hand and used the other to punch Marina where she was cut on the face. Dark Marina then jumped and kicked her in the stomach where her gash was, deepening the wound. Dark Marina continued to pummel her, and Sonic was starting to get concerned. As Marina slowly backed away from the beating they were headed towards the edge of the ship.

"Marina, look out!" Sonic shouted, but it was too late. Dark Marina swung at Marina's head, and as Marina stepped back to avoid it, stepped right off the ship. As she began to feel herself falling, she used her rockets to give a boost up. It wasn't enough to get her feet back on the ship, but she managed to reach out and grab onto Dark Marina's left foot. Dark Marina immediately tried to yank her foot out of her grip, but her right foot slipped in the process. She fell backwards, hitting her head on the edge of the ship, and was then dragged down with her.

"Marina!" Sonic ran after them, but it was too late. They both fell through the clouds, and Sonic could no longer see them.

Both Marinas quickly fell through the clouds, and once they were through began to get wet as it was raining heavily. The ground below was covered in green grass, with soft rolling plains and a few rivers. The ground was far below, but it was approaching fast. Dark Marina grabbed hold of Marina, shaking her.

"You idiot! Now we're both going to die!"

"Not if I can help it." Marina then used her rockets to propel herself upwards. Her rockets could only give short bursts of propulsion, but with several blasts she could slow her descent. Dark Marina continued to hold on, however.

"So what, you're going to save both of us? I don't think that'll work!"

"You got any better ideas?"

"Yeah, you can give them to me!" Dark Marina then tried to reach towards the small rockets on Marina's back to pull them off and use them for just herself. Both Marinas tussled as they fell through the air with neither side gaining ground.

"Stop, or you'll get us both killed!"

"Just give them to me!" Dark Marina then head-butted Marina in the head, knocking her away, leaving them to fall their separate ways. The ground was close now, but there was a river close by, so Dark Marina aimed for it. She hit the water like a boulder, causing a massive splash, but otherwise landed safely. Marina, however, was dazed for a bit from the hit to the head. She came to before hitting the ground, but she only had a few seconds. She fired her rockets in quick succession slowing her decline, but she was still falling too fast. The moment her feet hit the ground, she tried to slow the rest of her body down with her legs, but she was off-balance and fell face-down. Her hands instinctively reached for the ground to stop her fall, but her momentum carried her stumbling to the ground.

She didn't move for a few seconds, but she slowly placed her hands in front of her in the mud, trying to push herself up a bit. Her arms shook, her body dripping with muddy water, and her breath heavy. She then rolled herself onto her back, facing the rain. She then noticed that a sharp pain was spiking across her stomach, and as she looked at it she could see that the gash she received from earlier had open up further, and blood was now dripping down both her sides. The water rinsed her wounds, but kept the blood flowing. She needed to stop the bleeding, but she started to hear footsteps in the muddy grass. Looking ahead of her she could make out in the darkness the silhouette of Dark Marina slowly walking towards her. Marina tried to push herself up, but fell back down as she winced in pain. Dark Marina then started to laugh.

"Caring for others makes you stronger? Ha! Look at yourself! You're beaten and bleeding to death, while I on the other hand still have some fight left in me!" Dark Marina was now standing by her feet. "At first I was curious what a goody-good version of me would be like, but now I see that I was right all along. Only the strong survive!" Dark Marina threw her right fist down at Marina to make a finishing blow. Marina then raised her left hand and caught her punch. Dark Marina then swung her other fist but Marina grabbed it as well. Marina tried to push Dark Marina back, but she was slowly inching closer to her.

"It seems the only thing we have in common is that we've both been to planet Clancer. You said you saved it, but you want to know what I did?" Dark Marina said with a wide smirk, her face now only three inches away from hers. "I killed them. Every. Single. One." Dark Marina said each word with satisfaction, rubbing it in Marina's face.

"What? Why?"

"They deserved it! They kidnapped my Captain, so they had to pay!"

"But not everyone was involved! What about Geold? And Blockman?"

"Blockman? Ha! He was easy! Took him apart like a bunch of building blocks!"

"And Celes! They're all good people!"

"Celes? The little girl with the hat? Little girls are the easiest to kill, you know."

"You…you monster! There's no way I could be like you!"

"Sure you could! If I can be then so could you!"

"No! I saved planet Clancer! I protected Celes and Teran!" Marina began to push Dark Marina back. "I fought against the most powerful race in all dimensions! I helped to free countless planets from years of tyranny!" Marina managed to slip her feet behind her, and now began to stand. "I fought alongside renowned heroes. People who are brave. People who are strong yet kind. People who protect those that are oppressed." Dark Marina was losing her grip on the soft grass, despite putting all her strength into pushing Marina back.

"I am the protector of the good! The liberator of the captive! Justice to the unjust! I! Am! A hero!" Marina then jumped and crouched in the air and, continuing to hold onto Dark Marina, launched her feet into Dark Marina's chest. With such a force against Dark Marina's body going in one direction and her arms in another, Marina tore Dark Marina's right arm off. Electricity violently sparked from Dark Marina's shoulder as the wires were severed from her arm, filling the air with aloud crackling sound. Dark Marina was thrown to the ground, and Marina then dove her fist into Dark Marina's face. The impact tore off part of the skin of Dark Marina's left cheek, exposing the metal frame of her skull behind it.

Dark Marina laid motionless on the grass. The torn wires continued to make some sparks in the rain, her clothes were muddy from Marina's kick, and her face was battered. With the fight over, her strength was gone. Marina fell back, no longer having the strength to stand, and blacked out.

"…rina? Marina, speak to me!" Someone was talking to her. Marina slowly opened her eyes, and saw a blurry image of something blue in front of her. "Hey, you're awake! Are you okay?" Marina then snapped out of her daze. She rubbed her eyes and tried to sit up, but a sharp pain from her stomach kept her from getting up.

"Eh, Sonic? How long was I out?"

"I don't know, but we found you about half an hour ago. Are you okay?" Sonic asked. While still lying down, Marina tried feeling where her wound was, but felt some fabric that had been wrapped tightly around it.

"It still really hurts, and I'm kinda dizzy, but I think everything else is fine."

"Well, that's good to hear. Man, passing out twice in one day? I think you're setting a record for injuries."

"I guess…every once in a while you get…pushed beyond your limits. I think this was one of those days."

"Well it looks like you pulled through it, because you certainly did a number on that evil Marina." Sonic said as he motioned his head to the right. Marina turned her head to see that Dark Marina was still lying on the ground, motionless. Marina sighed with relief and looked to the sky. The clouds had passed, and the sun was now shining brightly. Marina then heard two others walk towards her.

"I owe you a great deal of gratitude. Dream Land is no longer in danger from your evil counterpart, thanks to you. I should also apologize to you for misjudging you earlier." Meta Knight said.

"Yeah, thanks for helping us! If there's anything I can do for you at all, just let me know!" Dedede said. Marina then noticed that Dedede wasn't wearing his coat. It seemed strange, as he had always worn it before.

"What happened to your coat?"

"Why, it's what we used to bandage your wounds, of course! Didn't have anything else on us to use."

"You…you gave up your coat for me?"

"Well of course! I'd give up anything to help you out!"

"Heh, you really are the good version of Dedede."

"My Halberd should be coming back for us soon. When it does, you can rest there until you are ready to depart."

"Thanks, though I'm still not sure where we'll go, since we're not sure how we got to this dimension in the first place."

"Hey, I know what might help!" Dedede said. "The Star Rod has some special powers, so if you had that it might help get you where you're trying to go! Kirby has it right now, but I'm sure we can get it back from him. You could wait around if you want."

"Speak of the devil." Meta Knight said, looking to the Eastern sky. Everyone looked in the same direction, where they saw a warp star headed in their direction.

"Uh oh, stand back you two, this might get ugly."

"What, from Kirby?" Sonic asked mockingly. The warp star came fast. It then stopped about a hundred feet from them, and Kirby hopped off. The warp star whisked itself away, and the pink puff-ball stood there with a cute smile. Sonic tried to see any difference between this dimension's Kirby and the one he knew, but could only tilt his head in bewilderment.

"This is the evil Kirby? He looks as happy and harmless as the one from our dimension."

"Don't let his looks deceive you. He is pure evil." Meta Knight said. Just then they heard Dark Marina's voice.

"Please…help me…." Everyone turned around to see that Dark Marina was still alive. They weren't sure if Dark Marina was simply unconscious this whole time or whether she was faking death to avoid confrontation, but either way she was alive, though barely. She was slowly crawling on the ground towards Kirby. Using the one arm she had left, she feebly reached out for Kirby's aid.

"Help…please…." Marina's voice was more mechanical now, and her jaw wasn't moving. Kirby's happy smile turned to a frown as he walked towards Dark Marina. Kirby stood in front of her as she reached for his hand.

"Thank you…." Dark Marina said. Then in an instant, Kirby's face turned from sad to rage. His mouth went wide open, and his eyes seemed to ooze fury. The air around them started to be sucked into Kirby's mouth like a hurricane, and Dark Marina was being pulled in. She clawed her hand into the ground, trying to hold on, but even the grass was being sucked in. Dark Marina then lost her grasp. She kept trying to snatch the ground, but was instead pulled through the air and into Kirby's mouth.

"No! No! No!" Dark Marina's shrill robotic voice cried out. Just before she was pulled all the way in she managed to grab Kirby's lip. As she hung on tight she looked inside Kirby's mouth. Instead of seeing, or feeling, any sort of gut, she instead saw the deep reaches of darkness. There was nothing but darkness, like a starless sky. An intense fear came over her of being thrown into nothingness, so she struggled to pull herself out. She used what strength she had left to pull her body out of Kirby, but as she looked forward, she saw her dismembered arm hurtling towards her. The arm whacked her in the face and she lost her grip. Dark Marina was pulled in, and Kirby closed his mouth. The air finally calmed still.

Having swallowed Dark Marina, Kirby drew out her powers and transformed. Kirby now had green hair and a bandana, and most likely her strength.

"So that's the end of her." Marina said quietly. Thankfully they were not in the direction of Kirby's inhalation. Sonic then stood in front of Marina with his back to her.

"Marina you stay back and rest, we'll handle this."

"This is our fight, Sonic." Dedede said. "But if you want, we'd welcome the help."