Kirby awoke groggily in the same comfy bed that he always woke up in, but as he opened his sleepy eyes, he found a familliar face looking over him. "Rick? Is that you?" Kirby mumbled.
Kirby's vision cleared to reveal the face of Rick, looking over at him. "Kirby, are you alright?" Rick asked.
Kirby sat up. "Of course I am," Kirby said, "Why wouldn't I be?"
Rick looked puzzled. "What happened to you yesterday?"
Kirby returned Rick's confused gaze. "What do you mean?"
Rick blinked twice. "You don't remember what happened yesterday?"
Kirby looked down. "Well, yesterday I went to the lake," he said, "then to Starfoot Mountain, and then to-"
"Kirby, that was the day before yesterday."
Kirby looked at Rick, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean you obviously don't remember your fight with Meta-Knight yesterday."
"Meta-Knight!" Kirby gasped, "Where?"
"Calm down, buddy," Rick said, "Meta-Knight is gone."
"I fought Meta-Knight yesterday?" Kirby murmured. Rick nodded. "I would have remembered that."
"Well, I remember it," said Rick, "And so does Gooey and Pitch."
Kirby rubbed the back of his spherical body. "What happened? With Meta-Knight?"
"Meta-Knight came here looking to pick a fight with you yesterday, Kirby," Rick said, "Pitch said it was something about Meta-Knight wanting to deal with you once and for all."
Kirby suddenly looked pale. "Rick," said Kirby, "Could you tell me something?"
Rick hesitated a bit before he answered, "Okay."
"Rick, have you ever gotten the feeling that someone else is, well, connected to you, somehow?"
Rick blinked, confused. "Well, if you mean like friends are connected to you, yeah," Rick replied.
"No," Kirby murmured, "I mean, connected, like you see someone you've never seen before, and you feel you're, well, like them, somehow."
Rick paused. "Are you saying you're connected to Meta-Knight?"
Kirby's eyes dimmed. "Nevermind, Rick," Kirby said, "Maybe it was just a bad dream."
Rick snorted. "Kirby, this is Dream Land. Maybe on those other planets you've visited get some, but we never get nightmares. Kirby, I don't know if you know it, but, yes, you did fight with Meta-Knight yesterday."
"No, I believe you, Rick," Kirby said, "And I'm beginning to believe it as well," said Kirby, "But, don't you find it a little odd that we both look so alike?"
"Well, he's short and round," Rick mused, "You're short and round, you both have large feet," Rick said, "But Kirby, we've never seen his face."
Kirby was about to blurt out that he had seen it in many of their numerous battles, but felt he should keep it to himself. "I don't know, Rick," Kirby murmured, "We do seem so alike..."
******
The sun was shining brightly in Dream Land, just as it always had. A day like this would have made Kirby happy, but now he was anything but delighted. The sky was a clear blue, yet Kirby's insides burned red. Kirby tapped the small button on the device that Rick had given him from Meta-Knight once, looked at it one last time, then threw it to the ground, immediately dispelling it from his thoughts.
Suddenly, Kirby felt a chill in the air. And as the giant shadow of Meta-Knight's ship suddenly plagued the skies above him again, Kirby grimaced. "This ends now."
Kirby's vision cleared to reveal the face of Rick, looking over at him. "Kirby, are you alright?" Rick asked.
Kirby sat up. "Of course I am," Kirby said, "Why wouldn't I be?"
Rick looked puzzled. "What happened to you yesterday?"
Kirby returned Rick's confused gaze. "What do you mean?"
Rick blinked twice. "You don't remember what happened yesterday?"
Kirby looked down. "Well, yesterday I went to the lake," he said, "then to Starfoot Mountain, and then to-"
"Kirby, that was the day before yesterday."
Kirby looked at Rick, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean you obviously don't remember your fight with Meta-Knight yesterday."
"Meta-Knight!" Kirby gasped, "Where?"
"Calm down, buddy," Rick said, "Meta-Knight is gone."
"I fought Meta-Knight yesterday?" Kirby murmured. Rick nodded. "I would have remembered that."
"Well, I remember it," said Rick, "And so does Gooey and Pitch."
Kirby rubbed the back of his spherical body. "What happened? With Meta-Knight?"
"Meta-Knight came here looking to pick a fight with you yesterday, Kirby," Rick said, "Pitch said it was something about Meta-Knight wanting to deal with you once and for all."
Kirby suddenly looked pale. "Rick," said Kirby, "Could you tell me something?"
Rick hesitated a bit before he answered, "Okay."
"Rick, have you ever gotten the feeling that someone else is, well, connected to you, somehow?"
Rick blinked, confused. "Well, if you mean like friends are connected to you, yeah," Rick replied.
"No," Kirby murmured, "I mean, connected, like you see someone you've never seen before, and you feel you're, well, like them, somehow."
Rick paused. "Are you saying you're connected to Meta-Knight?"
Kirby's eyes dimmed. "Nevermind, Rick," Kirby said, "Maybe it was just a bad dream."
Rick snorted. "Kirby, this is Dream Land. Maybe on those other planets you've visited get some, but we never get nightmares. Kirby, I don't know if you know it, but, yes, you did fight with Meta-Knight yesterday."
"No, I believe you, Rick," Kirby said, "And I'm beginning to believe it as well," said Kirby, "But, don't you find it a little odd that we both look so alike?"
"Well, he's short and round," Rick mused, "You're short and round, you both have large feet," Rick said, "But Kirby, we've never seen his face."
Kirby was about to blurt out that he had seen it in many of their numerous battles, but felt he should keep it to himself. "I don't know, Rick," Kirby murmured, "We do seem so alike..."
******
The sun was shining brightly in Dream Land, just as it always had. A day like this would have made Kirby happy, but now he was anything but delighted. The sky was a clear blue, yet Kirby's insides burned red. Kirby tapped the small button on the device that Rick had given him from Meta-Knight once, looked at it one last time, then threw it to the ground, immediately dispelling it from his thoughts.
Suddenly, Kirby felt a chill in the air. And as the giant shadow of Meta-Knight's ship suddenly plagued the skies above him again, Kirby grimaced. "This ends now."