Star's Allies

Extra - Blind HEART, Dull MIND

Marx was back in the base. He had just been teleported in after he forced the half hearts into the knights. He had another chance to form a plan… and to hope that they won't be paying as much attention to him compared to the captive pink puffball.

In front of him was a pleased Hyness. "Good jester, yes? You've done well. Er, what was your name again…? I know Flamberge and Francisca, with… uh… Zat Parmesan, and the sacrifice… but can you tell Hyness your name?"

A long sigh. Play it out like you're used to it. "It's Marx."

"Hum… Mark, eh? Very well, Mark. You did good job today. Hyness pleased."

"Ah, alright, I see. Mind if I head on my way now?"

"Sure, sure… Byebye!"

Old hag.

Marx bounced his way to Kirby's cell. As he peeked through the window, he noticed that Francisca was in, seemingly conversing with Kirby, who had a smile…?

I thought this is a captor and hostage situation, not some sort of old-time friend stuff.

"So… I managed to hop off the ship… and flew into the wings of the mechanical beast… Right as I encountered multiple enemies in my path!"

Francisca followed, as she listened to Kirby's story.

"And then… the captain, a valiant knight, swooped in and offered me a battle! I was like, 'Seriously, again?' because at this point…"

Kirby kept on telling the story of when the puffball sank the Halberd into the ocean.

"So the knight fought you, Kirb?" Francisca asked.

"Well, yeah!" Kirby smiled. "He swooped down with his wings, and we dueled!"

"But, he's a friend too, right?"

"Of course he's a friend!" Kirby confirmed, laughing slightly. Francisca giggled at that too.

Kirby changed the topic as she shifted

"Have I ever told you of the time when I went on a journey against the pirates for some cake?"

"Oooh… a cake story! Please tell me!"

The two went on like friends should be.

Marx witnessed this as he peeked through the glass.

Maybe I should leave Kirby to it for today.

He instead left the cell door and went back to his room.

Door open, door closed.

In the room now.

Some of the room had been… well… torched. Worry began to slip into his face. He checked the piece of clockwork hidden in his desk. Still there.

A desire to talk to himself came over him. "No, no… not now… Not that form again…"

By this time, he had known the feeling, suppressing it under his multiple false masks. He did not want to turn into the abomination in space, the one who split open black holes, split in half as an attack, and eventually sliced in half.

As he stopped the pressure enacted by his soul, he took a look down memory lane as he did so, pushing against the soul every step of the way.

Space. A vast, lonely expanse filled with nothing. One might say that it is a beauty, but all Marx saw it as was his graveyard.

His soul was split in half. It was confusing and very uncomfortable, an alien experience he did back when his lust for power reached its climax.

"Well, I want to control Planet Popstar!"

Oh, how those words backfired on him.

As soon as Kirby blew his soul to hell, he had smashed back into Nova.

…

"nOoOooOoOooO!"

Marx flew as he split in two towards the galactic body, Nova.

The pain was immeasurable. In a sudden, your nerves light on fire, and pain was all you can feel until your nerves are gone.

I'm gonna die i'm gonna die i'm gonna die help help help help help

"last_wish granted; saving-grace"

What?

Marx looked around him, a chain of clockwork as he did so. Light flared around him as he was encased in the machine. He made no more sound as Nova exploded, leaving a small circle of debris lying around, floating forever in space.

Nova had saved his life, by creating an eternal prison for him. Marx was trapped, unable to move, and even if he did move, he was sure that space would kill him. He was content being in this tiny space, healing, blocked from all harm as he remembered, reminisced, and cried.

His power was too strong. He was too greedy. All of these things added up. He was ashamed of himself.

First for failing at world conquest, the next for betraying a friend he'd made.

"Hey, can you stop the sun and moon from fighting?"

Maybe he really should have built an honest personality.

He pondered this in that day, losing sense of time as all he saw was the wall of Nova's remains. A year has passed. At least, that's what Marx thought. He'd gotten over it, at least partially. He somehow didn't need food at all, discovered on week 1. Thus, his time was dedicated on practicing his skills, and trying to at least be nice. Keep his wit and cunning personality, but not backstab everyone he sees, just as an advantage to a goal.

The endless cycle was just starting. Ponder, do something, sleep. The cycle repeats. It got boring, quick. Marx entertained himself. He was doing well. He had acquired many masks, many personalities to hide in, all to mask his weakest self; his soul, his body, and who he once was.

A feeling of power, a feeling of calm rushed over him. How long was it now? He had lost the urge to conquer Popstar… that's funny.

His soul urged him to go, to use this power for his conquest, but no. Marx was done. He failed, and he'll never do it again. He had gotten his resolution, and that's fair to him.

He was a selfish, greedy bastard, taking Nova's wish for himself. With no way to reverse this, he had kept the gift for ages. Funny, how Nova's wishes work. When he asked to conquer Popstar, the machine gave him the power needed. When he required protection, he was encased in a small prison.

It was wish-granting in a whole nother level. Nova gave the way, but never fulfilled the bearer's wishes.

Marx chuckled at the dawn of this realization.

Nova was faulty.

"Ah… too bad I can't undo the damage… wonder what'll happen to Kirby if he manages to make his wish…?"

Would the sun and moon cease to exist?

Or would the sun and moon become still, never to move again?

Nova's wishes has a weird way of granting it to its wishers.

Maybe he somehow saved Kirby when he took the faulty wishes for himself, by chance?

Don't push it, Marx. Kirby was a good friend.

"Shut up, soul."

I am you. You are me. Shouldn't we have the same opinion?

"You tried to conquer Popstar. I'm the pure one here."

You're playing it this way. Alright. I see. Well, you'll be pure no longer…

"What?"

CRASH!

"What th-"

The prison thrashed around, as Marx rolled on the spinning mass of clockwork. He was being pulled somewhere. Or was it pushed?

He didn't even know at this point.

As the clockwork kept spinning, he soon went black after gravity suddenly turned on, taking him by surprise.

"Yes… yes… the child of tricksters has come… After months of searching…! Kekeke!"

Hyness approached the clockwork ball, along with the mage sisters.

"Hyness, you sure this is the guy?"

"Oh, I'm very sure, Zan Part… Parm…"

"Partizanne."

"Partizanne! Of course I'm sure."

Zan Partizanne cocked her head. "Well. You're confident today," she mumbled as she lead her other sisters to the ball of clockwork.

"A crack here… another there…"

Hyness kept on smashing the clockwork from the outside using multiple methods.

"Ooh! Zanne, whazzat?"

"Fran, that's A PRISON!"

"Huh?"

Partizanne went on to entertain her fellow sister as Flamberge help Hyness, trying to earn the cult leader's worth.

"And… there we are!"

The prison shattered. In its place lay a small ball with shoes and an oversized jester hat.

"Is he alive, Zanne?"

"YES! I think."

To prove her point, Marx woke up and tried to stand up.

"Ngh…. who are you…? What are you?"

Hyness offered a hand.

"Hello. My name is Hyness, Leader of Jamba. Pleased to meet you. Now, come with us, child of tricksters."

Hyness turned and walked in the opposite direction. The sisters followed.

Marx, confused, simply walked with them as they travelled to the Jambastion base.

…

"Welcome to Jambastion Base. This is our home. Enjoy yourself here while you can, child of tricksters."

"Cut the child of-" A cough came from Marx. "-tricksters, my name is Marx, not some child of bullshit."

Francisca heard that. "Child of bullshit? Flam, what does that mean…?"

Flamberge was steaming red. "Marx! ...or whatever your name is, I don't care; DON'T SWEAR IN FRONT OF FRAN!"

Francisca gasped. "Wait, that was a swear? Is that true, Zanne?"

"Yes," Partizanne calmly replied.

A long "Ah" of understanding came from Francisca. "So, 'bullshit' is a bad word?"

"Yes!" Flamberge insisted, as Marx had kept his mouth shut after that.

"Right, so this'll be your room."

Without notice, Hyness had toured him into his apparently new room.

As he looked at the facilities, he promptly swung his bed and fell asleep.

Flamberge went in to scold him some more, but Hyness stopped her.

"He needs his rest."

Flamberge grumbled as the four left, leaving Marx in the base. As he tossed and turned, Marx coughed up a piece of clockwork, ticking, ticking, ticking…

His dreams were filled with ticks and tocks, as he floated in the middle of nowhere, facing Nova.

"hello_world protocol initiated."

"Uh…."

"expository_mode activate."

What?

"Hello. I am the heart of Nova. As a final ditch, I save my heart with you. You have the heart now."

Dead silence.

"WHAT!? I didn't want this!" Marx exploded, after being informed of having the heart of Nova.

"Relax, tiny one. Nova's heart can calm your soul… as per your last wish to live."

"Oh. Huh…." Marx gave it a thought.

"All that's left is the final clockwork. It's the remnants of the heart. Save it. It might be useful one day."

At this point, Marx was lost for words. The information was staggering. He had Nova's heart? His soul is quelled?

What sort of black magic is this?

"Well… thanks, I suppose," Marx thanked the imaginary Nova.

"Final thanks to you. shutoff_forget_dead execute"

Nova collapsed like glass as pieces of the machine littered the dreamscape.

Marx stood there, blank as he processed his newly acquired information.

Hyness came into Marx's room. Marx was wide awake.

"I've come to recruit you for a specific reason..." We're going to revive an old god named Termina. We need your help to gather and provide information as well as power, preferably using soul…"

On the instant of hearing Hyness utter the word 'soul', Marx refused.

"No. I'm done with that form. Done with my ambition. Got anything else, old hag?"

Hyness cackled.

"So you wish to play this way… very well, child of tricksters… I shall play by your game. You will be severely limited in whatever you'll do, under my supervision."

"Fine by me, asshole."

Marx's slightly rude words echoed in the room.

"Tsk. I really wish you hadn't denied. Know that you'll have a bad time coming to you in the future."

Hyness exited the room, closing the door behind him. A sigh came from Marx. Suddenly, a thought came to his head.

Where's that piece of Nova's heart? It's by your bed, idiot.

Marx looked around his room for a while to see it slightly covered by his bed, allowing no one to see it upon first glance.

"I need to hide this…"

Marx slid the clockwork in the desk. Not very secure, but it works for now.

"Okay… Perfect!"

Hidden, out of sight.

They weren't going to find it anytime soon.

A shriek came from the hallways of the base.

"Marx! I have a task for you!" It sounded like Hyness's voice.

Finally. The hag called me by my name but my name is not my name.

Shut up, soul.

Marx ignored the further comments about him as he made it to Hyness in order to carry out whatever task he needed to carry. In actuality, he had no intention of doing it.

Hyness approached him, face-to-face.

"I will kill you if you fail this. I have a very hard standard, you know. Now, identify the child of the stars..." Hyness plopped a piece of paper down in front of the jester, as well as some writing materials.

I'm gonna be killed? Isn't that good? No it isn't.

Anyway, child of the stars… the only person Marx could think of that correlates to this is Kirby… but he didn't want to cooperate at all. What are they going to do with Kirby, if he leaked the information?

He drew a circle and named it Kirb.

...

"I tell you, he's a circle and his name is Kirb!"

"Complete lies! His name is Kirby, and while you've gotten at least seventy percent of it correct, you're inaccurate!"

"I was locked up in a mass of clockwork, what did you expect?"

Hyness sighed and let that pass.

"Alright, trickster, I'll let this abysmal work be sufficient for today… Next time, it won't be so easy."

Marx teleported into his room. He really needed to play this much more loyal… He'll get caught at not helping at this rate. That had been way too obvious. Hyness still pieced it together though.

I drew the worst I could! Evidently, the witch still found out. Not my fault…

Marx stood there as seconds passed by, the machine ticking and tocking. He'd just kidnapped Kirby. He wasn't ready to see the puffball in such a peaceful state.

"Oh, Kirby…"

Too bad Hyness actually did see his actions.

That'll mean that he actually has to do those awful things…!

Hyness came in to congratulate him to his capture of the 'the child of the stars'.

Marx acted on his fake congratulations and went to the back of the room, practicing his well-thought personalities.

Kirby has to see my pity face, otherwise he'll think I'm working for these morons... Will it work? Maybe, soul.

Right. On the ready.

Ready.

Kirby awoke, tied to the pole, as the three mage sisters soon came into the room to look at 'Kirb', as Francisca now calls it, based on his drawing.

Marx had found the box again. He had dragged it into his room, and left its contents back in the closet. That was a few days ago, at least in Marx's eyes.

Another step to freedom for Kirby and Marx.

He'd need to prepare supplies… and the time frame between his next mission allows for that. After he stuffed the Jamba heart into Susie, he had gained a mission and after that, a break, and in that break, is when he'll start to enact his plan.

Marx went to Kirby to tell the good news. Well, Hyness dampered his spirits a bit, but it didn't prevent him from talking with Kirby.

…

Kirby saw the door open. It was Marx.

"Hey," Marx began, as he closed the door behind him.

"What're you doing in here? Is it about the plan?"

Marx beamed a smile and nodded, sitting down on the floor.

"I've got a box from the closet… that'll be the escape route. It's a box, the best hiding spot, I tell you!"

"...we're serious about this?"

"Yep."

Kirby questioned the jester further.

"What'll we do when we get in, then? What can make our escape a success?"

Marx did an 'aha!' as he stood back up.

"So, we'll get in the box…"

"Uhuh…"

"Then, we can ask one of the mage sisters to throw the box out saying its a pile of trash!"

"Yeah…"

"When we're out, we can start to make an escape vehicle!"

"I've got the star, can that help?"

"That star? Well, it's possible. How are you going to get it here though?"

"With my phone, of course!"

Kirby pulled out a phone with a star as its antenna.

"...they forgot to confiscate that?"

"I hid it quite well, you see!" Kirby smiled at his advantage.

"...I don't even want to know where you hid the phone."

"It's a secret, and it'll be that way until the future!"

"Well, keep it a secret… I think we can head out in a few days up to a week or so… Just, make sure you do you and I'll do me, alright? I can inform you once we're on that day."

"Right, sure. Okay… that's it?"

Marx nodded. "Yep, that's it."

Kirby began to talk with Marx about a range of topics, as the two conversed like acquaintances.

…

"Right, thanks!"

"Yep. See you again."

Marx headed out and into his bedroom.

He slept off his worries.

The next day, was his last mission for the foreseeable future as his 'well-earned' break was coming up soon.

Sleep was still in order.

Marx lay his body onto his bed as the voice silenced out and Nova's clockwork stopped ticking. After a few moments, it began to tick again. A sign of quelling.

Guess Nova wasn't lying after all.

Marx decided to end his last day of missions on a good night's rest, as always.

Francisca was very intrigued at Kirb's story. She had a connection to the puffball's adventures, and sounding like fiction, it became fantastical as tales of rat pirates and multiple knights were mentioned a lot. A king was in there too. It's like Kirb's world was full of dreams!

"Ooh. Well, sorry Kirb, but I gotta go! My sister's gonna get mad at me if I sleep too late! Bye bye!"

"Bye…!" Kirb answered, out of breath.

Francisca turned and left the room. She had some work to do, after all. Who wanted to go to sleep?

She entered her bedroom shared with her sisters.

"Fran, can you sleep, now?" Flamberge asked her sister nicely.

"Okay, okay… I'll be there in a sec, sis!"

Francisca turned her attention to the empty book in front of her. As she grabbed a simple pencil, she pressed on the paper, and began writing.

"...and the pink hero raised her sword against the knight of dark…! Yeah, that's good!"

Francisca brainstormed for ideas as they flowed onto the paper, creating a story slowly but surely.

Using the moonlight, she wrote down her character, a brave pink ball named Kabi, and the tales she ventures through. Every sentence, Francisca would stop to think about how to revise what she just wrote. A small detail to a very nice story, she thought.

Francisca closed her book. It is now very late into the night, and she was tired. She hid the book and stepped into her bed as her sisters had already fallen asleep waiting for her.

That night, she dreamed of more fantastical stories, of ideas never thought before, and she stored it all in her mind.

Kirby slept on the warm pillow Marx had offered her the two weeks before. It was nice and fluffy.

Definitely a contrast to the dark and slightly mossy floor Kirby had to sleep on otherwise.

He definitely appreciated Marx's help, and Kirby was thankful for this gift.

Even with the pillow, Kirby's eyes could not sleep, and instead wandered over the small 'window' to the outside world. Stars of multiple sizes roamed the night sky, and even though he was away from home, the sky still seemed as beautiful as it was in Popstar.

A good way to remind Kirby of the home he'd had to protect in order to save the planet from multiple threats…

Good times.

It was hectic, but it was also good fun. Good fun indeed…

Kirby travelled all over Dreamland in his quest, sometimes with friends, other times with himself. It was intriguing, battling against Magolor in Another Dimension or when he had made friends with the people of Ripple Star.

Tales he all experienced, as Kirby recounted them with Francisca at her request. It had been a nice trip down memory lane, and quite great when he would add suspense or make Francisca laugh.

Days went by and Kirby didn't feel like a prisoner anymore. She felt normal, as if they were friends and not enemies.

As Kirby slowly drifted off to sleep, the puffball thought of what the next day will hold for him. Will it be another storytelling session or just Marx?

A good question to end off another day, Kirby supposed, as he fell into a deep sleep.

Daroach sat on his captain's seat as he charted the seas. Daroach, after (multiple) considerations, decided to move to the sea, seeing how many airships roam around Dreamland nowadays. Plus, he'll get to explore secret islands, so with the agreement of his crew, he equipped his now normal ship with diving equipment, providing the ship with treasure.

As he drew, the cabin door opened, with a round figure shadowed by the night sky.

Daroach rose from his seat. "Hello. What business do you have here?"

"I come to speak with you. About the world."

Meta Knight stepped out from the shadows.

"I see. Come, and we'll discuss…"

Daroach gestured invitingly at his table.

"Very well." Meta sat down on the opposite seat, as Daroach sat back down and began the discussion.

AN:

Extra, with a few things. Actually canon this time.

We get to see more of Kirby and Marx, along with a small snippet of Francisca.

Marx is now also much more fleshed out. Nice!

Another thing to note is that Daroach will be making an appearance. He's moved to the sea, because there was too much competition in the air. (The People of the Sky, Magolor's ship, Planet Robobot stuff, etc.) It'll serve as a transport for Magolor and Taranza plus their introduction with Daroach.

Meta Knight be discussing.

icanwrite13: He's "Da Roach!" in Dedede terms. Silk Moth Taranza's more like his soul form, considering that Sectonia somehow turned from a spider into a bee. Also correlates with his title.