Meta Knight was a man of patience. He was a disciplined soldier that had the blood of the Star Warrior running through his veins. He could meditate in silence for hours upon hours, and not so much as shift his cape in discomfort. Meta Knight was level headed, calm, and understanding in all situations presented to him.
And right now, all of this was being tested.
"-I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D DO SOMETHING SO STUPID! You of all people should know better Meta Knight! You could've very well been killed out there! You could've gotten all of your friends killed! Why the hell did you think doing this in secret was such a good idea?! This is what the Galactic Star Army is for! I just can't believe this! I-"
"Sirica, if you'd just let me explain-"
"I don't want to hear your excuses Meta Knight! There are none! I just can't believe that-"
-He'd do something so stupid. Meta Knight felt his jaw tighten behind his mask. Sirica had repeated that phrase ad nauseum to the point Meta Knight could've been struck deaf on the spot and he'd be able to read her lips as she spoke. This entire tirade had been going on long enough that the guards fairy assigned to Meta Knight had been able to attend to another matter in another room, come back, go get some water, come back again, and Sirica was still screaming at Meta Knight. And seeing her face pressed up against the monitor could've almost been comical if literally nothing about this situation was funny.
Meta Knight's hands twitched ever so closer to the mute button on the console. This had not been part of the plan to begin with. In Dreamland, Meta Knight had asked Knuckle Joe to report this occurrence to Sir Arthur through Sirica if they had been gone a week, and to not say a word until then. They hadn't been gone that long, so Meta Knight was prepared to do it himself. First, he had to let Knuckle Joe they were back. And the moment the static faded and the com system was live, Meta Knight's ears had been blasted out of his blue body by Sirica's rant.
"Sorry Meta Knight. Sirica read me like an open book and made me spill the beans. She's been tailin' me ever since waitin' for ya to pop on." That was all Knuckle Joe had been able to squeeze in before Sirica returned to her shouting. Meta Knight didn't know how much more of this he could take. Sure, it was wearing down his patience quiet fast, but it was also wasting time they didn't have. The fairies working around him had all given Meta Knight a sympathetic glance at some point, but made it a point to keep their eyes on their terminals and their ears directed right towards Meta Knight's delightful conversation. They were as subtle as Marx.
"I know my actions were rash, but I don't believe now is really the time to-"
"Rash doesn't even begin to describe it! It was careless, negligent, dangerous, crazy-" Before Sirica could continue, Knuckle Joe gave her a firm shove on her shoulder. Knuckle Joe looked how Meta Knight felt.
"Oh will you give it a break! Do ya want information on Nightmare or not?! For all your talk on wastin' time you've just about murdered the last half freakin' hour in cold blood." Knuckle Joe glared holes through Sirica's head, just daring her to say something wrong. And by the stars, Meta Knight was certain Sirica was going to take that challenge. Her chest swelled and her mouth look ready to pop right open with more insults towards Meta Knight's intelligence. But in the end, all that came out was an agitated puff of air. She crossed her arms, and couldn't decided who to keep her harsh gaze on. She settled on Meta Knight because of course she did.
"Fine! But right after this I'm going straight to Sir Arthur." She said nothing more after that, and Meta Knight had to take a few seconds to savor the silence. It was like the room was a little bit brighter now. The air was cleaner. His ears had stopped ringing for the most part. Yes, this was mushin, he was sure of it. But this silence would be broken on his own, for he couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.
"Sir Arthur has certainly rubbed off on you." Perhaps the best idea hadn't been antagonizing Sirica, but the resemblance was just too uncanny to not bring up. Plop Sirica a few hundred years back, and she could replace Sir Arthur as a foot soldier and no one would bat an eye. Even now, the commander of the GSA still had his outrageous vices. In a way, what Meta Knight had said to Sirica was a compliment. But by the expression on her face, she wasn't taking it as such. Meta Knight knew when to cut his losses. "But an audience with Sir Arthur is exactly what is needed right now. I'm afraid the news I have to bring are...grave."
Things changed at that moment. All of the anger on Sirica's face morphed into something akin to shock. Her back straightened up and her pointed glare turned into an inability to look away. Knuckle Joe held a deep frown, and looked more confused than anything. "Grave...how?" He asked, going to rub his nose but forgoing the action halfway.
Meta Knight opened his mouth to speak, closed it, glanced at the eavesdropping fairy folk, then turned back to the monitor. "Nightmare has taken Kirby." His words were spoken low, and he moved closer to the mic so that only Joe and Sirica would hear his words. And hear his words they did. Their expressions, their posture, everything read just like someone who had heard that evil incarnate had taken away the only hope for salvation. Sircia's anger returned, and Meta Knight knew exactly where this was going.
"This is why you shouldn't've gone off alone Meta Knight! This is exactly-"
"We went into the Mirror World to retrieve him. He was already taken." Meta Knight's words not only came out fast, but they held a force to them that was akin to being hit by a steel pipe. They stopped Sirica's words right in her track, and by the way she could no longer make eye contact with Meta Knight, it was clear she was going back over her tirade before. Why had Meta Knight rushed into the Mirror World without any aid? She knew damn well why now.
And honestly, she would've done the exact same thing.
"I cannot give explicit details at this time. I am traveling with a friend of mine who has a more private communication terminal. I need you two to get this message to Sir Arthur as fast as possible. My host wishes me to rest, and then she wishes I join her for breakfast, so in the morning afterwards I will contact Sir Arthur. Make sure he is prepared for my message." Sirica and Knuckle Joe offered their agreement, and Meta Knight read them out Magolor's ship number.
Of all things, Knuckle Joe smiled. "I'm thinkin' all we'll have ta' do is say the word Nightmare and Arthur will come a hop, skip and a jumpin' to the closest terminal." The only sign Sirica found humor in this was an irregular breath. Meta Knight tried to smile, but Knuckle Joe's statement was too close to the truth in more ways than one.
"Thank you my friends. I must depart now. My host is surely wondering where I'm at." With an assurance their task would be completed, the communication link was cut. Meta Knight held his fingers against the disconnect button for a few extra seconds, before letting out a heavy sigh he hadn't realized he had been carrying in his lungs. Everything just felt heavy. It was like he had held just enough energy within himself to complete this call and nothing else. The thought of walking back to the medical bay sounded akin to torture. The Queen had been right. All Meta Knight wanted to do was rest.
With a nod to the guards fairy, the duo made their way back to the medical bay in relative silence. She had tried to ask about the screaming girl on the terminal, but all Meta Knight could do was shrug his shoulders and say that was just who she was. The silence resumed after that, and Meta Knight was thankful for it. He felt his feet drag against the tiles, and his eyelids begged to close. When was the last time he or his friends had had a proper meal? It must've been at least twenty four hours. Star Warrior or not, Meta Knight wanted something sweet to fill his stomach and he wanted it bad. And if he was hungry, he couldn't imagine how famished his friends must've been. The excitement of the day surely made them forget their hunger, but by now it should've made itself known.
Meta Knight bit back a sigh. All thinking of eating was accomplishing was making him hungrier. But he wouldn't have to entertain his thoughts with something else for long before the guards fairy was pushing open the medical bay doors, and ushering Meta Knight inside. He thanked her for her service, and the guards fairy offered a nod. She closed the door behind him.
The party inside the medical bay had dwindled while he had been gone. All but Sword and Blade had vanished to parts unknown. But even then, Sword and Blade were asleep, pressed up tight against each other and snoring softly. Meta Knight was curious as to the others whereabouts, but instead chose to let Sword and Blade sleep. If it had really been that pressing of an issue, his faithful knaves would've stayed awake to let him know.
Meta Knight returned to the side of his own bed. He removed his bulkier pieces of armor, and laid them with care on the floor. Normally he just left everything on, but tonight he just couldn't stand the thought of trying to get comfortable surrounded by metal. He climbed into his bed after his pauldrons and shoe guards were off. Just as the blanket began to drape his form, the sound of the door creaking open a crack could be heard. A head poked inside and towards Meta Knight with an expression of curiosity. But at the sight of him, the face broke into a relieved smile.
"Goodness, if I would have known your affair would've taken so long to complete, I would have insisted harder that it wait until you rest." The Fairy Queen quipped. Her voice was just above a whisper, surely in regard to the sleeping forms just a few feet to Meta Knight's side.
Meta Knight laughed despite himself. "If I had known it would've taken so long, I would not have resisted your request."
Now it was The Queen's turn to laugh. A dainty little sound she hid behind her fingers. "Well, all that matters is that you are back. I have shown all of your friends their accommodations for their stay. Adeleine and Ribbon have gone off to play elsewhere." Her smile fell into something worried. "Your poor friend Magolor had fallen asleep looking over some repair plans. Poor dear had to be carried to his room. He was mumbling something about...bananas?" She scratched her head. "I really couldn't catch what he was saying."
Even though his mask, Meta Knight was certain the confusion on his face was clear to all. If not for the flash of green across his eyes. Though it vanished as soon as it came. Meta Knight had been daydreaming about sweets before. He couldn't really fault Magolor for dreaming about food either. So all Meta Knight could do was shrug. "None of us have eaten a proper meal for the good part of a day. I suspect that's why."
The Queen shook her head, her mouth forming a tight line. "Every detail I learn about you and your friends has my curiosity rise more and more. I will not ask what has happened at this time though. But please good sir, if there's anything I can do to assist, please just let me know."
Meta Knight offered a bow of his head. "Your generosity knows no bounds, your Majesty. You are doing more than I could ever ask from someone I met mere hours ago."
The Queen's tight lipped frown returned to its original smile. "Any friend to The King is a friend to Ripple Star. And any friend to Ripple Star will be treated as such." The queen glanced outside the window. The sun had just finished dipping below the horizon line, casting the world in a dark shade of pink that grew blacker by the second. "I shall let you rest now, good sir. I will have a large meal prepared for everyone in the morning, and after breakfast we can talk more about these next two weeks." She backed out of the door a few inches, but stopped once. "Is there anything else I can do for you before I depart?"
Meta Knight wanted to ask for something sweet, but bit back the request. "Nothing at this time, thank you."
The Queen nodded. "Very well. There will be a guards fairy stationed outside your door for your convenience and safety. If you need anything, or need to request an audience with myself for whatever reason, you just let them know. No desire is too small or petty." Courtesies were exchanged at that point. A thank you from Meta Knight, then good nights from both parties. The door was shut, and Meta Knight was alone.
The moment Meta Knight laid his head down, he began to drift off. He had never been able to just fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, no matter how exhausted he was. His mind began to wander. Of course it tried and tried again to bring Meta Knight back to that fateful moment in the throne room. The moment Dark Meta Knight merged his being with Kirby. Meta Knight didn't know what any of this meant. Kirby's appearance had changed, but what else? He had no answers, and already he could feel this beginning to eat away at him. Meta Knight had to push this thought to the side, lest it consume his mind and rob him of any chance of sleep.
Meta Knight replaced these thoughts with anything and everything else. He thought of home. He thought of training. He thought of sweets. He stopped thinking of sweets. He thought of meditation. He thought of sweets again. He thought of bananas. He wondered why he thought of bananas. He then remembered because Magolor had been thinking of bananas. Which was honestly a bit weird, because Meta Knight didn't ever recall Magolor professing a craving for them in the past. What was his favorite food anyways? He knew the alien ate a lot of just-add-water meals while traveling in space, but he doubted Magolor would ever call one of them his favorite. Meta Knight knew he was thinking too hard into this, but he knew it was either guessing Magolor's favorite food, or try and unravel Nightmare's entire plan with an infinitesimal fraction of information to go off of.
If Magolor liked fruit, then maybe he liked pies? Magolor seemed like a pie kind of guy, right?
Did he like cherry pie? That was fruity for certain. Apple didn't sound right. Was banana cream pie fruity?
He felt himself sink into the mattress. Everything felt heavy.
No. Wait. Banana pudding. It had to be that. Meta Knight was certain.
His eyes began to shut
Curses, now he was really in the mood for banana pudding. How could Magolor do this to him? Talking about…
Meta Knight eye's went wide.
Not bananas.
Bandana.
Meta Knight slapped his mask with a groan he could barely keep down. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Half awake or not, it should've been obvious that's what Magolor was saying. The alien hadn't had a chance to even think for the last half day. His entire body must've been just focusing on surviving. The fact that he had been able to just about shrug off the Dark Matter must've been no small task either. Meta Knight still couldn't fathom how Magalor had been able to resist the Dark Matter as well as he had! Just as Meta Knight had been trying to avoid thinking of Kirby, so too had Magolor pushed Bandana to the side for his own sanity. But in his sleep, he could no longer hide from the darkest recesses of his mind. The fact that Magolor had been able to hold himself together as well as he had for the last few hours on Ripple Star was nothing short of staggering. He had seen men with more training break down in less time.
Meta Knight couldn't feel impressed though. All he felt was a deep worry for his friend. Meta Knight promised himself he'd speak with Magolor about all of this tomorrow.
But for now, he really needed to sleep.
He wondered if Magolor's favorite food was carrot cake.
-OoO-
Morning arrived much too fast for the likes of Meta Knight. It was as if his body had become molded to the mattress, and the thought of peeling himself from the warm blankets was just too criminal to think of. But as the nurse who woke him instructed, it seemed The Queen requested Meta Knight to meet her and his companions in the dining area. Meta Knight rubbed the sleep from behind his mask, and thanked the nurse for this information. She nodded and smiled, then fluttered away to continue whatever task she had been doing before hand. Next to him, his knaves had already started rising for the day. Sword was at Blade's side, trying to help her friend climb out of bed. It hit Meta Knight that he had not spoken to Blade since yesterday. Since…
"Blade, how are you feeling?" Meta Knight asked before he realized he spoke. Blade didn't seem caught off guard though, and only offered a shrug before answering.
"I can at least walk. The nurses said it's just a sprain. I've also got a really bad headache, but they said that'll pass too." Blade's feet made it to the floor, and he began to don his armor. Sword had finished with hers, and went to help Blade. "In all honesty, King Dedede did worse damage than you-" He froze, mouth agape as his mind caught up to what his mouth said. Though Sword's face was covered by her helmet, it was clear she wore the same expression just by the way her head whipped around to look towards Blade. "Uh…" He swallowed, then cleared his throat. "Than...you see here." Everything and nothing flashed through Blade's mind, and he sighed in defeat. "Sir, I didn't mean to-"
Meta Knight held up a hand before Blade could get too far in his sentence. He climbed out of bed, and began to don his shoe guards. "It is alright." Meta Knight replied, his voice just a smidge lower than what it usually was. "I hurt you, and for that I am sorry. I couldn't fight off the Dark Matter; and because of that, you were injured." Blade tried interjecting, but Meta Knight silenced him once more. Almost too fast. "Let us go to the dining hall at once. We mustn't keep The Queen waiting." He slipped on his pauldrons, and began to head to the door to the waiting guards fairy without waiting for his knaves. There was a slight metal thunk behind him, and a mumbled ow! from Blade. Meta Knight couldn't even bring himself to smirk.
The trip to the dining hall was uneventful, and eventually the trio arrived. The room they would be dining in was pleasant to behold. Though the castle surrounding them was more exquisite and sleek, the dining hall had an almost homely feel to it. It was a room where you'd invite guests to kick their feet up and talk about the weather or share a funny joke you heard. It was a small room, almost too small for a castle like this. Meta Knight had his suspicions that this room was for more personal guests of The Queen, though whether this was true or not made very little difference. The room was nice, and that was all that mattered.
At the head of the table were already a few occupants. Of course The Queen occupied the far end of the table. She waved a jovial hand back and forth to the trio, beckoning them to sit down. To The Queen's right was Ado. She looked to have one foot in death's door already, and it wasn't hard to see she had only been awake for a few minutes. Despite this, she too smiled and waved at the trio. And to The Queen's left was Ribbon. Though she looked more awake than Ado, she certainly did not look healthier. There were deep bags under her eyes from either lack of sleep or just her poor health in general. It could've been both really, one feeding into the other. Still, Ribbon was smiling and talking with The Queen and Ado, and when the trio arrived she offered her own wave. Last but not least was Magolor, who was too distracted running his finger up and down the grain of the table to notice his friends had arrived. A light bump from Ribbon caught his attention and made him jolt, but when he realized what had happened, he finally offered his own wave to the group.
Not soon after Meta Knight and his knaves took their seats did King Dedede enter the room. To describe how he looked would be describing how Ado looked all over again. He took his seat without a single good morning, and somewhere along the way muttered something about royalty needing their beauty sleep. His seat was next to Ado, and the moment he plopped down, Ado tried to fall asleep on his arm. The King pushed her back upright with a single finger. She just fell asleep against that instead.
Pleasantries were exchanged as the last touches of breakfast were surely being finalized in the kitchen. Heavy topics were left on the wayside as everyone just tried to wake up and keep themselves awake. Some were faring better than others as Ado and King Dedede looked ready to fall asleep against each other at any moment. The light woosh of the kitchen door broke through the chatter, followed by the intoxicating aroma of maple syrup, fresh fruit, and sizzling bacon. A few servers brought out multiple plates of breakfast foods, and all chatter ceased as everyone looked upon the richest and best smelling foods they had seen (and smelled!) in a long time. While King Dedede and Ado had been falling asleep before, now they seemed ready to fight each other for the first bite.
The Queen could sense this it seemed, for she waved her hand over the banquet. "Dig in, dig in, please! Help yourselves!" The occupants didn't need to be told twice. The chatter from before continued, though it was slower going as everyone focused on eating and not talking with their mouth full. Minus a certain penguin of course, who used the bare minimum effort to keep his meal from flying out of his mouth while talking. But as breakfast continued, the conversations began to shift to more topical things.
"What happened to you guys anyways?" Adeleine asked, almost choking on the pancake in her mouth. She took a large swig of water before continuing. "The last run in I had with Dark Matter was when it broke the Power Crystal and went to Dreamland. Nooot a good day that was."
Most of the Dreamlanders tried not to show any unhappiness from Ado's question. Meta Knight and his knaves were more successful, but the soured feelings could be seen clear as day on Magolor's face as he poked around at his food. King Dedede scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Now I don't know what happened to these guys, but let me tell you, I've had the worst few days of my life!" He shouted with a dramatic hand to his forehead. "Gettin' possessed by the Dark Matter all over again and bein' forced to do things! I should've been the one givin' orders darnit!" He dug his fork deep into his pancake, and crammed an angry bite into his beak.
"You were possessed again?!" Ado asked. "Come on, Triple D, you gotta get that sorted out! It's kind of embarrassing." King Dedede retaliated by snatching Ado's bacon and scarfing it down before she could grab it back. Ado tried to grab something off of King Dedede's plate, but couldn't reach as soon as he shoved his hand in her face and kept her at arm's length.
"If I may ask a question, dearie-" King Dedede pulled his hand back the moment The Queen spoke up, causing Ado to slam her face into King Dedede's side. The King didn't seem to notice or care. "-but you mentioned someone made you do things?" She left the question there, looking towards Dedede with creased eyebrows.
"Yeah, it was this little purple jerk Marx. Always bossing me around! It was the worst! I mean, who does that?!" King Dedede finished off his drink, then leaned back and grumbled. Everyone shared a look, but no one spoke against his words.
"Hey, Triple D." Magolor mumbled, not looking up from his plate. He was picking at the food he hadn't even touched. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about this stuff right now." If words could sound ill, then Magolor's words were sporting a high fever. King Dedede snorted.
"Why not? This was traumatic! I spent days trapped with those freaks and wasn't even allowed to talk to nobody! It was cold and dark and scary and nothing that nobody should ever have to go through." King Dedede leaned towards Magolor, and shook a threatening finger at him. Magolor didn't pick his head up to see it. "Why don't you think I got a right to complain about it bub?!"
"Cause you got to walk away from it."
Not even an Ice Dragon would be able to cast a chill to match the one that blanketed the group. Magolor's tone and what was implied from it left everyone shifting in their seats and avoiding eye contact with one another. Whatever food or drink left in front of someone was forgotten for the moment. Magolor himself seemed unaffected by this, and plopped a small piece of pancake behind his scarf. Not once did he look up. And though King Dedede didn't seem as uncomfortable as everyone else, he did hold an air of confusion. Of someone walking towards a cliff they didn't realize was there.
Meta Knight tried to stop him before he-
"The heck you talkin' about?"
-jumped...
"Enough, both of you. This is not the time to be talking about such things." Meta Knight gave both King Dedede and Magolor stern looks, though neither reacted to it. Magolor didn't even seem to notice it. The atmosphere in the room had been destroyed, and if everyone had been avoiding eye contact with each other before, now they hoped to just not be noticed at all.
Or well, almost everyone.
"Wait, did someone die?!" Ado shouted, dropping her fork on the ground and only paying it half a glance.
"No." Meta Knight realized his choice of wording too late. He couldn't take it back fast enough before Magolor flinched. There was that cliff again, and Meta Knight seemed hell bent on following King Dedede down. "I mean, that is not what Magolor is talking about."
"So someone did die?!" Ado was now leaning forward, a look of terror on her face.
"Adeleine, that's enough!" The Queen scolded, waving a stern finger in her direction. Ado shrunk back, flinching at the sudden tone The Queen used.
The servers and guards fairy around them began to whisper. The tension in the room was crushing everybody. Everything spiraled downward. Spiraled out of control.
"I don't remember nobody dying while I was there." King Dedede challenged, glaring holes through Meta Knight. "Are you just tellin' stories, Meta Knight?"
"This is not the time to be discussing this, Sire." Meta Knight replied, trying to keep his voice level but not being able to hide all the venom in his voice from the added Sire. Stop talking, stop talking, please stop talking.
"No, nobody died back there! That wasn't part of the plan!" King Dedede slammed his fist on the table, sending a plate crashing to the floor. "You're lyin'!"
"What plan?!" Sword and Blade barked in unison, each of them earning a sharp look from Meta Knight. They both shrunk back down with a mumbled apology.
King Dedede was silent for a few moments before blanching. "Th-the…" He fumbled for words like a bar of soap. When he found them, he regained all of his gusto in seconds. "The plan Marx had for Kirby!"
Ribbon gasped, jumping out of her seat and floating a few inches in the air. The Queen and Ado held their own horrified expressions. "Kirby?! Is he okay?! Wh-why isn't he here?" All eyes were on King Dedede, who crossed his arms and turned away.
"I don't know! It's none of my business what he does." He barked back. Tears started to well in the corner of Ribbon's eyes.
"You don't know?! What do you mean you don't know?! Is he hurt? Is he-"
"Everyone settle down NOW!"
The Queen had risen to her full height, slamming her hands down on the table and causing those closest to her to jump in fright. The look she wore on her face wasn't just unpleasant, but downright disgusted with what she had just witnessed. She looked each guest in the eye, daring them to challenge her. When nobody rose to meet it, she swept her sharp gaze across her employees.
"I want everyone out of this room. And by the stars, if I catch anyone eavesdropping, there will be dire consequences!" Nobody had to be told twice, and the room was barren in a matter of moments. Though when King Dedede began to rise, The Queen couldn't help but run her hands down her face with a long groan. "Not. You." He sunk back down.
When it was certain that everyone in this room was alone, The Queen lowered herself back into her seat. Her demeanor had shifted something fierce in just the last few minutes alone. It was as if she was addressing a group of politicians in a meeting. She folded her hands on the table and sat straight. "Now then. It's clear something has happened to you lot. Dark Matter is involved. Someone has died. Kirby is missing. I will not rescind my offer to have you all as my guests, but we need answers if this is going to work." She let a short silence linger. If anyone had any comments, they kept them to themselves. She nodded. "That being said, I'm certain there are things that we don't need to know. Am I being fair in my assumption?"
"Yes. Very much so." Meta Knight stood up, tightening his cape around his form. All eyes were on him now. "I want to apologize for the way we've all just behaved. It is inexcusable." He offered a deep bow. His knaves were quick to follow. Magolor mumbled his apology and King Dedede just grumbled something incoherent. "Not only do you three deserve answers, but I believe it's imperative you all know what is going on as well. As the Queen, the Crystal Keeper, and the…" His mind blanked when he looked towards Ado. Did she...have a title?
As if reading his mind, The Queen placed a hand Ado's. "Adeleine is my Royal Painter, and a hero to Ripple Star. She is just as important to me as Ribbon the Crystal Keeper, and Ribbon the friend is."
Meta Knight nodded. "Very well. I will not bore you with the details of our escapade, and instead just share the important facts. Is that acceptable?" The Ripple Star residents nodded. "I will start with the most important fact. Nightmare has returned."
The Queen was out of her seats within seconds, sending her silverware to the ground. The calm and powerful demeanor she wore before had been eviscerated. "You must be mistaken!" She proclaimed, her voice catching in her throat. "It had been declared that Kirby destroyed him with the Star Rod! He should be gone for thousands and thousands of years!"
"I am afraid that is no longer the case." Meta Knight replied, his eyes taking on a green hue. "Nightmare has found a way to revive himself. He has allies and is raising an army with the Dark Matter as we speak. He has also taken residence inside the Dreamland Mirror World at this time." He paused, catching what he was saying next on his tongue and wondering if he should keep the next detail hidden. But he knew he couldn't. It was too important. Meta Knight sighed. "He has taken Kirby from us as well." His voice was just above a whisper.
A whimper from Ribbon caught everyone's attention. "H-h-how?! Kirby defeated him! Wh-what changed?!"
Meta Knight avoided eye contact with Ribbon. "His allies are powerful. Worse, they are former enemies of Kirby. They took Kirby from his home." Another long pause. He didn't want to continue speaking. He knew he had to. "Kirby...has been compromised."
Ribbon's hands flew to her mouth, and it was clear she was shaking. Ado had jumped out of her chair and approached Ribbon's side, offering her gentle words that were unlike her usual boisterous attitude. "Wh-wh-what do you mean compromised? Is he...is he d-dead?"
There was a long silence, the entire time Meta Knight refusing to meet the fairy's eye. His own eyes had dimmed. "I don't know." His voice was so quiet that they blended into the air around them.
"What do you mean you don't know?!" Ribbon shrieked, slamming her shaking hands on the table to keep herself upright. She had to return them to her mouth when a coughing fit suddenly shook her body. She fell back against her chair. Ado whispered something to her, but Ribbon just shook her head at it.
When Meta Knight did not respond right away, Blade rose to his feet. "Nightmare has discovered a way to merge souls. He had Kirby's soul merged with the Mirror World's Meta Knight. A vile, evil creature of hatred. And after that…" Blade's hands balled into fists, and he slumped forward. "One of Nightmare's allies took him away. We don't know what happened to Kirby." Another silence, but this one didn't last long, for Magolor of all people spoke up.
"He's not dead." The alien whispered, clinking his finger against the base of his glass. It sounded more like he was talking to himself than anything. "Nightmare wouldn't've gone through all that trouble of merging Kirby's soul with Dark Meta Knight's if he just wanted to kill him. So he's alive." Magolor mumbled something else, but no one was close enough to hear it. No one except Ribbon, that is, who creased her eyebrows and looked towards Magolor with confused eyes.
"Wh-who's Bandana?" She asked, wringing her hands together.
Magolor didn't answer her for the longest time, instead just continuing to tap his finger on the table. He focused on the spot his finger touched with great attention. "My friend."
"You know that Waddle Dee squirt that helped us find the crystal pieces before?" King Dedede added, gesturing wildly with his hands. Ribbon and Ado nodded. "That one."
At that, Magolor's ears twitched up. He threw his gaze towards Ribbon and Ado with surprise. "W-wait. You two knew him?"
"Heck yeah we do!" Ado added, a smile growing on her face. "He helped save Ripple Star! He's as much of a hero as Triple D is!" Ribbon gave her a light tap on the shoulder, and Ado rolled her eyes. There was a cheeky grin to go with it. "And I guess I'm a hero too." Ado began to bounce on her toes. "Is he here? Did he tag along? Where-..." She froze, the features on her face falling in an instant. Something inside her clicked, and she didn't like the outcome. "No…"
"He's dead." Magolor finished her thoughts, returning his eyes to the table. He clenched the wood until his hands hurt then clenched some more. "He was murdered by that stupid ninja and I couldn't do anything about it." Magolor started to curl in on himself. "I held Bandana as he died and he gave me his bandana and I dropped it and now I don't even have that anymore." Magolor pushed his chair back and rose to a hover. He started for the exit. "I'm going to go check on my ship."
Someone called out to him, but it was obvious Magolor ignored the voice. He left the room with little fanfare. After that, the conversation ended. Any questions that the Ripple Star residents held had been sidelined for the time being. And none of the Dreamworld natives made a move to go after Magolor. It seemed nobody would. It was clear that Magolor needed time to sort this out for himself for now.
The Queen sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I am...so sorry. For everything you have all gone through." Her voice cracked, and she looked as if she was fighting back tears. "If I had known how bad it all was…" Would she have never asked? Could she afford not to? The Queen couldn't answer this for herself. All she could do was sigh again. "Rest assured, if you need anything within these next few weeks, it will be done."
"Thank you, your Highness." Meta Knight replied with a light bow. "Please understand. I never had any intention of keeping this information from you for long. I was just hoping to share it with you at a more...opportune time."
The Queen tried to smile, but it came out crooked and broken. "I understand."
"U-uh, excuse me. Mister Knight?" Ado chirped, climbing onto Magolor's vacant seat so she could see Meta Knight better. Her face was red and her eyes were glassy, but her cheeks were dry. "The alien guy-"
"Magolor." The Queen corrected.
"Magolor, right." Ado repeated. "He said that he dropped Bandana's bandana. Do you know where?"
"I…" Meta Knight thought back, trying to recall when the item might've slipped out of Magolor's grasp. Right after he got it, Marx had come in and attacked. They escaped to Whispy Woods. Magolor still had it at that time. He didn't recall Magolor dropping it when he battled against Marx under the portal. He knew Magolor didn't have it when he boarded the Lor Starcutter though. "...believe he dropped it somewhere in Drawcia's dimension." Realizing the Ripple Star residents might not know who Drawcia was, Meta Knight opened his mouth to elaborate. But before he could speak, Ado slammed her hands down on the table. Her face was the picture of awe.
"You got to go to Drawcia's world?!" Ado screeched, a twinkle glittering in her eye. "The painting that gained sentience on its own and came to life. That Drawcia?!" An uncomfortable beat of silence passed. Someone cleared their throat.
"Yes?" Meta Knight replied, unsure of how to take Ado's reaction to the paint sorceress' name. "How do you know of her?"
"Are you kidding? I'd do anything to meet her! Or to even see the world she created! A painting creating it's own world?! That's amazing! That's-" Ado choked on her own words when Ribbon elbowed her in the ribs. Not enough force to hurt the girl, but enough to grab her attention. "Right, right. Sorry. So, uh, there's no way of getting it back?"
"Not at this time. Magolor's ship is our means of traveling through space and dimensions. And even if we could travel, I do not think we are welcome in her world. She tried to destroy us." Meta Knight hopped off his chair, and bowed to The Queen. "If her Majesty allows it, I need to contact an old friend to discuss our plans against Nightmare. When I am finished, I will return to you post haste." Sword and Blade were right behind Meta Knight, both of them offering their own bow.
A small smile and a dainty handwave would preface her reply. "Of course. I will be waiting in the gardens. When you are finished, just ask one of the guards fairy to take you there." Another bow from Meta Knight and his knaves, and they exited the room. The Queen rose to her feet a few moments later. She rubbed her eyes, and took a shaky breath. "It's not everyday that...you hear a hero to your people has died." The Queen choked on the last word, her voice breaking into a sob. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain neutral. She turned to Dedede. "Would you care to join me in the gardens for a morning walk?"
King Dedede scoffed before rising to his feet. "Well, if you really need a big and handsome King to escort you around, I suppose I can spare some of my precious free time." Not a hint of sarcasm was found in his voice, and The Queen regretted her request the moment it came out. She giggled all the same as to not seem rude, then turned to Adeleine and Ribbon.
"What about you two? Care for a morning walk?" Her eyes were desperate. Ribbon opened her mouth to answer, but Ado spoke up first.
"Sorry ma'am, but Ribbon's got a doctor's appointment today, remember?" Ado nodded, as if confirming her own thoughts. Ribbon swiveled towards Ado, a confused look etched onto her face. So too did The Queen, though hers was not as deep.
"Oh, I could've sworn that wasn't until tonight." The Queen hmmed to herself before shrugging. "Very well. I'll leave you both to it then. Come find me whenever you're both finished." With that, King Dedede and The Queen exited the room. A few seconds later, servers began to flood the dining hall, clearing dishes and cleaning up the mess. During this commotion, Ribbon bore an accusing eye into Ado.
"My doctor's appointment isn't until tonight, Ado." Ribbon crossed her arms, a deep pout on her lips. She and Ado stared each other down for a few moments. Ribbon could see something growing on Ado's face, and she raised an eyebrow at it. "What're you thinking about?"
"We should go get the bandana!"
"What?!" Ribbon shouted, prompting Ado to lunge forward and clamp a hand over her mouth. Ribbon barked some muffled words behind her hand, but Ado kept her grasp firm. A few servers looked at them with suspicion, but Ado waved them off with her free hand. But this lapse in attention allowed Ribbon to rip the hand off her mouth. "What on Ripple Star makes you think that's a good idea?" This time she kept her voice to a loud whisper, lest she get another hand on her face.
Instead of replying right away, Ado lead Ribbon off to the side and away from eavesdropping ears. As they walked, she talked. "Because I think it's the right thing to do." Ado replied. "That Waddle Dee helped saved all of your butts! And then he died trying to save Kirby's butt! We may not be able to save Kirby or Bandana, but we can at least get his little bandana namesake thing!" She clasped Ribbons hands in her own, trying to sport the biggest smile and widest puppy dog eyes she could. "Also it'd make the alien guy really happy and I reaaaally wanna see the paint world." Ado knew there was no point in hiding her desires. Because she desired it very, very much.
Ribbon groaned, trying to pull her hands free. Ado didn't budge. "How do you even plan on getting us there?"
Ado began dragging Ribbon towards the exit. A sing song you'll seeee was the only response she gave. Ribbon groaned once more.
-OoO-
Before reaching their final destination, Ado had pulled Ribbon up to her private studio. She kicked down the door and strolled inside like she owned the place (which she did.) The room itself was covered in art material's as far as the eye could see. Which wouldn't be very far, since the room wasn't much larger than an apartment. It was messy, but at least the floor could be walked on. Ribbon waited by the door while Ado gathered up whatever materials she insisted she needed. This would be her eisel, a blank canvas, and her paintbrush. Ribbon noted right away it was her magical one with the endless rainbow paint, and already Ribbon didn't like what Ado was planning. But try as she might, Ribbon couldn't get Ado to spill the beans.
When Ado insisted she had what she needed, she once more snatched Ribbon's hand and lead her to their final destination. One hundred steps away, and Ribbon could already tell they were headed towards the Power Crystal. It was at this point Ribbon tried to pull away once more.
"Whatever you're planning Ado, it's a bad idea!" She insisted, trying with all her might to flutter backwards and slow her friend down. It was to no avail though.
"No way. It's a great idea." Ado gave the guards fairy by the doors a wave before entering the Power Crystal's chamber. Ado released Ribbon's hand only when she heard the doors click close behind them. At that point she began to set up her easel. "Ok, here's the plan." She started, clicking the legs into place. "The Power Crystal teleported us around before, right? Zapping us to whatever planet had the next batch of shards on it and all that." Ado set the spine of her easel straight, locking that into place as well. "So here's what I'm thinking. I'll replicate the Drawcia painting. Then you use the Power Crystal to have it open a portal to teleport us there. Then all we have to do is look around for the bandana! Easy enough!" Ado set the canvas on the easel, and nodded at her work. All the while, Ribbon looked upon her like she had admitted her entire life had been a lie up until this point.
"What part of that sounds easy to you?!" Ribbon asked, running her hands down her face. "For one, you don't even know where the bandana fell, and there's no telling how big Drawcia's world is. And for another, I can't hold the portal open while going in with you! Someone has to maintain the connection!"
Ado shrugged, tapping her paintbrush against the canvas to get its juices flowing. "Well then I'll just go by myself and you can hold the portal open for me." Ado brought the bristles down on the canvas, and began to paint. Her paintbrush created whatever color paint she needed at that moment, allowing Ado to focus on her strokes and paint placement. Not a single drop of paint was wasted, courtesy of the care and detail Ado put into every single one of her paintings. It wasn't until she was halfway done that Ribbon finally spoke up again.
"Why are you doing this for a scrap of fabric, Adeleine?" Ribbon asked, her voice sounding defeated. "I know it belonged to the Waddle Dee that saved us, but this all seems a bit much."
These words stopped Ado mid stroke, and she turned to Ribbon with a glint of something dangerous in her eye. "Because that bandana is who that Waddle Dee is, Ribbon. It's like if I lost my paintbrush. Or Dedede lost his ability to make people run screaming with a single breath. It's part of who we are!" Ado returned to her painting. "This isn't going to be something I can just leave alone. And I'm sorry Ribbon, but even if you don't help me, I'll find a way to get there on my own. I just figured this would be the fastest and easiest." Was it the safest though? Eh, details.
With one more long stroke, Ado finished up her painting. She smiled down at the replicated image with a broad grin. "I think that should do it!" She declared. Ribbon took her own turn to look at the painting, and she couldn't understand where Ado found the will to smile while looking at it. Something about the painting subject matter seemed...off. It was an angry painting. Maybe even something that shouldn't exist. Broad strokes and sharp curves and an aura that screamed beware, beware. Ribbon turned away from it, and let her eyes rest on Ado. Ado was looking at her expectantly, and Ribbon knew very well why.
She sighed. "Fine. I'll hold the portal open for you. But just...make it fast, please. And if you get in trouble, promise me you'll come right back! We can find another way to get to Drawcia's world later."
Ado made a high pitched noise of glee, and hugged Ribbon right. "Ooooh thank you, thank you, thank you Ribbon! I promise I'll be quick! I just really need to do this."
There was no doubt in Ribbon's mind that Ado had taken Bandana's death to heart. And once Ado got an idea in her mind, she would stubborn her way through until it was complete. Ribbon knew that sometimes it was better to let Ado do things Ado's way, lest she hurt herself trying it with some secret method. At least by involving Ribbon, she knew that if things got bad she had the details of Ado's plan and could get help. Ado released Ribbon from her hold, and the fairy approached the crystal with trepidation. She placed her hands upon its cool surface, allowing the power of crystal to begin to gather. Once it did, the Power Crystal would act on its own.
Just as expected, a blue beam of light shot forth from the Power Crystal mere seconds later, attaching itself to Ado's painting. The easel and canvas began to shimmer and morph. Ado took a step backwards to avoid the energy ripple. The fluctuating energy calmed itself as fast as it had erupted, and from the disruption of space and time opened a small star shaped portal. Beyond its blue edges was a world made entirely of art supplies. A canvas ground with a spray painted sky caught Ado's eyes first. In the distance was a large castle that had seen better days. There was debris lying around here and there, and a large splotch of paint off to the side of the ruined castle. Ado felt herself began to shake, but she kept a determined smile on her face nonetheless.
"Remember. Make it fast." Ribbon warned. Her features couldn't stay harsh for long, and they melted into something sad. "And please stay safe."
Ado nodded, offering a bold thumbs up with her paintbrush still in hand. "Don't you worry about a thing, Ribbon! Art's my shtick! This world's got nothing on me!" With that, Ado stared down the portal with a firm and unwavering gaze. She counted to three, and then to five, and finally to ten before plunging deep into the portal.
She had to find the bandana.
She had to see this world.
And she just had to meet Drawcia!
Talking chapter I'm so sorry but it needed to happen one way or another forgive meeee.
Also I know I mentioned this chapter would only take two weeks to write, but I've actually just gotten a new full time job that has been eating up all of my free time. I've only been able to write a paragraph or two every day for the last few weeks. I'm hoping once I get used to my schedule I'll be able to manage my time a bit better. Until then updates will be a bit slow.
Also gotta say, but we're creeping closer to the parts that I am reaaaaally excited to write. I think stuff is gonna get pretty good soon, and I hope you guys will agree when everything is written!
One last thing! I've joined the Kirby Amino and Kirby Discord. If you see me around, feel free to say hi! I'm My5Cookies on the Amino, but in the discord I'm VoxRobotics. I'm looking to make some new friends that like Kirby, so feel free to hmu whenever.
And as always: Review, comment, follow, favorite, nibble, dress up as, teach french to, play golf with, and ENJOY this chapter!