Kirby slowly opened his eyes as the mid-morning sun peeked through his window's curtains and onto his exhausted face.

With a small grunt, the teen shifted and pulled his blanket over his head, burying his face into the pillows. His wings, however, seemed to have minds of their own. They suddenly snapped open, the bottom half of his blanket flying upwards and folding onto his head, leaving his feet and lower body exposed to the cool air.

Kirby moaned in irritation, attempting to fold his wings back up, and failing. It didn't seem like they could fold at all, anymore… and that annoyed him to no end.

As he silently moped, he tossed around ideas in his head on how he could possibly get off the ground today. He had tried literally everything there was to try! Despite that, however, Kirby had no plans on giving up.

Maybe I just need more time… Meta's right. My wings may not be strong enough yet…

Kirby sighed and rolled onto his back, his wings sprawling out behind him as he stretched. It was about time he got up, anyhow. Learning to fly was more important to him than sleep. He had gotten a couple hours of sleep, and that was good enough.

Even though he wouldn't say it, his overnight flight practice was starting to catch up to him after a few weeks. He found himself dozing off when he didn't intend to, such as during Fumu's occasional writing lesson. Fumu insisted that he get more rest, but he didn't want to! All he wanted was to get off the ground, even once was enough! To feel the wind in his face and through his feathers during flight, oh how he longed for that feeling! And he wouldn't stop until it happened.

After a few more moments of laying down and staring and the ceiling, Kirby decided to get up. He hastily smoothed down his messed up blanket before leaving his home. He glanced at the cherry tree that was a few feet away from his home. The blossoms hadn't come yet, but he knew they would within a month or two. At the thought of the blossoms, Kirby thought of Lily and frowned slightly. He knew that the young girl was not doing very well and was stuck with the doctors for the time being… and that saddened him. He loved all the Cappy children, but Lily… her optimism and bright smiles helped brighten his days, especially lately, given he still couldn't fly. He dared to say that he loved that small child, maybe like a brother she didn't have.

Today, however, he couldn't visit her. She was undergoing an operatIon to try and help heal something… growing inside of her? Was that it? What it was, he didn't know, and he wasn't too keen on finding out. Surgery and illness, to say the least, scared him.

So instead, Kirby decided to take a small stroll around town before meeting up with Meta Knight for his training.

As it was early in the afternoon, the villagers were out and about, filling the streets with their laughter and gossip. Kirby picked up two Cappies talking about the Cherry Blossom Festival and what they hoped to bring to it when it came.

Kirby frowned a bit at the thought of the festival. Normally he would be over the moon in excitement for the yearly festivities revolving around one of his favorite things, but… would Lily be able to see the festivities like he promised her she could? The thought of the young girl lowered his mood even more than it already had been.

"Hey, Kirby!" Kirby looked up when he heard someone greeting him. It was Chief Borun, the village's one and only officer. The officer seemed to be on the watch for something, but what it was, Kirby didn't know, and frankly he didn't care too much either at the moment.

"Oh, uh… hi, Chief," Kirby murmured, not really in the mood to socialize. "You seem busy today."

"Yeah, we had a small scare last night in the office, I've been searching the town for what Doron described to me."

Kirby raised an invisible eyebrow, lifting his gaze from his feet. "You mean there's something bad out there? Is Doron hurt?"

"No, Doron is fine," Borun responded with a grunt. "He said he saw some dark shadowy thing, said it had a single eye or something…" He sighed and scratched at his mustache in frustration. "I feel he was just spooked by some critter, but it still unnerved me. Did you happen to see anything like that before, Kirby?"

The teen shook his head. "Nothing out of the ordinary, sir."

"Ah. Bummer. Well, let me know if you do find anything, young man! Any sort of shady character isn't going to get away from Chief Borun-!" He groaned and broke into a coughing fit, much to Kirby's surprise. He was about to go to the elder's aid but he was stopped by a hand. "Don't worry, boy, I'm fine." Borun cleared his throat and straightened himself back up. "I've just gotta tone it down a notch. My lungs aren't what they used to be…"

"Okay…" Kirby frowned. It seemed like those around him were growing older and older by the day, while he didn't feel too much older himself. Meta Knight had told him it was because their kind lived much longer lives than most others… It was strange and hard to grasp, really. And quite sad to think about.

I need to get my head out of the gutter. Being sad isn't going to help anything…

Kirby strolled around town for a little while longer, gently mingling with the villagers before he decided it was time to get going. Meta Knight said he had something important to review today. What it was, Kirby wasn't sure, but he was still interested. Did it have to do with him learning to fly?


"Meditation?" Kirby was quite disappointed in what it was he was reviewing today. "But I-"

"Kirby, you've spent the past two months training to fly, and especially lately, it's been very rigorous. You need to spend a day relaxing, do you understand?" Meta Knight knew that Kirby was pushing himself way past the normal limits of training. It was a good time to intervene before Kirby got himself hurt.

"Meta, you don't understand! I-"

"I understand quite clearly that you wish to fly. However, you have been pushing yourself way too hard lately. You'll sooner damage your wings beyond repair than get off the ground."

"But I-"

"Let me finish." Meta Knight sharply glared at his student, making the teen immediately shut his mouth in a pout. "Kirby, I've seen you up during the late night hours trying to fly. The amount of pressure you're putting on your wings and yourself is, to put it lightly, unacceptable. You will be taking a break today, and you will be easier on yourself, do I make myself clear?"

Kirby's pout faded under his mentor's impatient glare, his tired gaze shifting downwards in defeat. He wasn't used to seeing his mentor so stressed out. "...Fine…"

"Good." Meta Knight's gaze softened a little. "Kirby, I just don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I… I know…" Kirby stared at his feet, closing his eyes tiredly. "but…" He sighed, deciding not to finish his sentence. He had no arguments left to give.

"Sit down, Kirby." Meta Knight gently ordered, getting himself settled on the ground. He gently patted the grass in front of him, making the teen sigh in defeat and plop down on the ground. "Thank you. Now, we haven't touched upon meditation in a long time, but I will remind you that it is a very important exercise."

Kirby slowly nodded, his tired gaze staying fixated on the ground. He just wanted to get this over with… Or perhaps he should pay attention? He wasn't sure what he wanted, other than to get off the ground.

"I want you to close your eyes…" Meta Knight soothed softly.

Kirby nodded again, his tired eyes slowly drifting shut as his mentor gently soothed him into meditation. The process was quick; and the longer he sat trying to clear his mind, the faster his consciousness was fading. His wings began to feel immensely heavy, and the small feathered limbs went limp at his sides. Before he could even think about fighting it, he found himself falling forward and landing face first into the cool, soft grass, his tired body and mind finally giving in as he fell asleep.

Meta Knight wasn't surprised when his student fell asleep, sighing gently as the young teen laid face-first on the grass. He knew Kirby was tired, but he also knew how stubborn he was, refusing to sleep until he took to the skies…

If I hadn't intervened, Kirby would never have slept again…

Meta Knight felt that familiar ache in his heart as he stared at his student's wings, which laid limp at his sides. Each day they seemed to grow slightly more twisted than the last, which in turn made the knight lose more and more hope for his student's success in flying. What was Kirby going to do, when he found out that his wings would never get him off the ground? Why was this so hard for Meta Knight to think about? Denial?

Kirby will be devastated… That much was true. Meta Knight knew he needed to tell the child at some point, but he couldn't bring himself to. However, he also knew that Kirby would hurt himself more than he already had if he kept his lips sealed any longer. It was a double-edged sword; no matter which way he swung, Kirby would get hurt. He just couldn't bring himself to decide which way to swing.

The elder shook his head, standing back up with a grunt and gently lifting Kirby into his arms. The child barely stirred in his grasp, mumbling softly as Meta Knight slowly made his way to Kirby's small dome home.

Without a sound, Meta Knight entered the house, frowning at the messy interior. Kirby was usually much more neat, seeing his bed unmade and feather pins scattered about the floor concerning the knight. Regardless of these concerns, Meta Knight gently placed Kirby onto his bed, covering him up in his blanket. The child stirred slightly, inhaling sharply as he adjusted himself before going completely still once more, his soft breaths filling the quiet room.

Meta Knight was relieved that his student stayed asleep, backing away from the bed slowly before making his way out of the house, closing the door gently behind him.

It was then that he decided he would tell Kirby about his wings as soon as the child was well enough rested. Kirby needed to know this predicament, he wouldn't hold it back any longer.


Kirby found himself floating, drifting in his dreamscape, alone. His eyes slowly drifted open, recognizing his dreaming nearly right away.

I fell asleep…? When did I do that?

"Kir… by…"

The foreign voice startled him, and he immediately straightened himself up and tenses heavily. "W-who's there?" He asked nervously, unsure how to react to the foreign voice inside his head, in his dream…

This was a dream, right…?

"Kirby… I finally found you…"

"W-what are you talking about? Who are you?"

"It's been so long… I finally found you…" The voice was soft and sweet, it seemed to comfort Kirby in a way he couldn't describe. "I've been searching for so long…"

"Why won't you answer me? Who are you? Why were you searching for me?" Kirby felt a slight panic rise in his chest as the soft, beautiful voice chuckled, the harmonious sound gently reverberating across the dreamscape.

"I promise the answers will come with time…"


Kirby's eyes shot open, his throat choking up a gasp as he sat up. A few beads of sweat ran down his body as he stared ahead. It took him a few moments to collect himself, realizing he was in his bed, in his home. It was late at night, as moonlight filtered through the curtains and onto his bed.

What… What happened…? The teen wiped the sweat from his brow, straightening his wings before folding them against his back to the best of his ability. I was… dreaming… and I heard a voice. Whose voice was it? They said… What did they say…?

Kirby shook his head, trying to shake the scattered thoughts out of his head. It was just a dream. Don't think too hard on it, Kirby...

Despite him attempting to reassure himself, Kirby couldn't shake the thoughts away. The voice sounded so familiar to him, and yet it also felt foreign, so far away…

Eventually, Kirby found his eyes drooping once more, exhaustion wracking at his body, begging for him to go back to sleep. And for once, Kirby chose not to fight it. He slowly laid back down, staring out the window with half-closed eyes. Perhaps getting some sleep was needed, he didn't want any more dreams of hearing voices in his head, it made him feel like he was crazy.

I'm not crazy… right…?


Popstar… it's just as beautiful as I was told.

He sighed, staring at the large, yellow star-shaped planet with slight remorse. Of all planets that were being infested with Dark Matter, why was it this one? It was strange, to say the least. Dark Matter only gather where there is negative emotion, and according to his readings, Popstar was one of the most peaceful, happy planets out there, next to Ripplestar. Why would it come here?

He shook his head and grabbed the mic connecting him to his home base. "Hey, I've made it to my destination."

"It's about time you got there! You should have been there sooner, the Dark Matter is spreading like wildfire down there!" An annoyed voice came out of the mic, making him cringe and pull it away for a moment.

"My apologies sir," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I'll be sure to clean this place up quickly."

"You'd better! We cannot afford to have Dark Matter tainting the important lives down there!"

"You have nothing to worry about, sir. No Dark Matter will escape my grasp."

"I sure hope you're right! Be sure to keep me updated on the planet's status!" with that, the radio cut off, leaving him in silence.

He sighed, stretching out his arms before turning back to the ship's main control pad, turning on the invisibility cloak and making his way towards the surface of the planet. He hoped that this planet wasn't as badly infected as his commander made it seem.

Without a sound, his ship slowly landed onto the ground, hidden by the trees of a forest. After a few moments of waiting for his ship to shut down, he unlatched the door and opened it, greatly relieved to breathe in the cooler, fresh air once he stepped out. It was chilly, winter must have been drawing to a close, he thought.

It was night; Popstar's moon shining brightly and filtering through the trees and onto his form. His lavender feathers and platinum armor seemed to glisten in the moonlight as he made his way out of the forest, met with the ocean's calming waves in the distance. He could see a castle far in the distance atop a cliff, casting a shadow over the moon. So far, not a sign of Dark Matter was to be seen…

He narrowed his eyes, watching the scenery for only a few moments longer before unfurling his massive wings and taking to the skies. Wherever it is… the Dark Matter better prepare for the wrath of Galacta Knight!