Chapter 21: Bonus 1 – The Visitors from Afar
"Warning: we are entering a planet's gravitational field."
The man groaned upon being awakened by the feminine voice of his unit's AI. Upon processing what he heard, he gasped in shock. "W-what was that, Striker?"
"We will breach the planet's atmosphere shortly, Commander Kugel. Query: should I enter the atmosphere or break away?"
He looked around himself and could only see the blackness of space around him.
"You said…a planet?" Looking straight in front of him, he could see a giant star-shaped planet with two rings encircling it. It was unlike anything he had seen before.
"Matching data with existing celestial bodies…while there is data present that seems to deem its conditions similar to that of the third planet of the Sol system, Earth, it is not exact. This appears to be an entirely new planet."
"An…entirely new planet?! And it's habitable?! No way…" the commander uttered in surprise.
As Striker descended through the cloud cover of the atmosphere, Kugel began to slowly remember what had happened before he blacked out. The Human Galactic Alliance had engaged in a massive offensive against a Hideauze colony, which resulted in a majority of the fleet getting wiped out. If they wanted to live to fight another day, they had to retreat. During this retreat, he stayed back to hold off the creatures and allow his unit to escape, much to the dismay of a particular subordinate known as Ensign Ledo. The young man had tried to argue that the commander's actions were against military regulations, but he merely replied with the fact that allowing the young man to live would mean that more Hideauze could be killed. This was especially true based on the skills Ledo had displayed in combat before. The ensign relented and agreed to meet up with the unit, despite calling out for him one last time. Satisfied with that response, Kugel and Striker tried to give one final charge to slow the enemy down, but were overwhelmed by sheer numbers. A few of the attacking Hideauze had passed them and attacked the ensign. Before the commander could assist him, he was also attacked by the Hideauze. As a last-ditch attempt to save them both, a green laser shot forth from Striker and destroyed the creatures. Everything after that was a blur, but that was likely around the time he passed out. He surmised that he arrived in this current location due to an abnormality in the wormhole used for transport, but that was something he couldn't confirm.
After breaking the final layer of cloud cover, he could see several primitive ships tailing an even smaller ship. He found this to be quite unusual.
"I have detected the presence of life." Striker suddenly spoke.
"Can we contact them?"
"Attempting to establish communication." The AI pulled up a map that showed several heat signatures. They were suddenly attacked by several rounds of artillery. "I am unable to reach them."
Kugel gritted his teeth. "Damn…Striker, suppress them, but do it with a minimum of force."
"Roger." The beams fired from Striker instantly incinerated the ships, halting their attacks. "Counterattack complete."
"They're so fragile…" he couldn't help but be surprised by that.
"Correct, but there were no fatalities." He suddenly noticed a creature staring at Striker in amazement from the boat that was being chased. It was not like anything he had seen before. It was a blue ball-like creature with a yellow pin, faint blushes, and what seemed to be no visible mouth.
"Try making contact with them again." The man ordered as the machine approached the vessel.
This had to be investigated further.
The creature appeared to say something before covering the area where its mouth would be and collapsing.
When the ball-creature awoke, it looked around in confusion before noticing that there was something on it. It was a helmet with oxygen, which was immediately removed by Kugel.
"Do you feel any better?" The creature tilted its head in confusion. "…I believe we need an interpreter." He looked towards Striker.
"I am currently analyzing the language from recorded conversations."
The commander began to speak again. "We came here from space and were forced to land here on this unknown planet. We are castaways and are looking for information about our current location."
Striker then spoke "Mi biie miri fabiimi nii iimi rimi ri nii iimi ka manii. Mi biie biinowamee nii biie rayno ri faribiihoka biinii nii eso ribiihoka."
The creature seemed startled by the mech's sudden voice and looked around, as if searching for someone. Suddenly, it pointed questioningly at the mech. The man silently nodded back.
With a faint sigh of relief, the creature spoke with the voice of a young girl. "Ri nii ebii biie ta mihobii ri Nobai' ri ri…"
A holographic screen beside Kugel translated the words. "…what does she mean by the emissary of Nova's sky god?" he thought to himself upon reading it.
"Niinii nii ri tano mi." The creature spoke again.
"We were only protecting ourselves." He heard his words be translated by Striker behind him.
The creature hesitated for a moment before speaking again. Kugel quickly read the translation his AI partner gave him. "Um…Mr. Emissary, my name is Merla and…uh…I really need your help! My father's tribe is now mine and I want you to lead it!"
Upon finishing, the man gave an unamused towards the creature, who had a stance that was both confident, but also internally nervous.
Over the next three months, Kugel and Striker began to gradually learn the language and about Merla's situation. Merla was known as a "Waddle Dee" and is the heir to a tribe of not only Waddle Dees, but several other unknown creatures. This tribe was formed based around a certain prophecy her father had at a young age where he dreamed about a godlike envoy from Nova that would one day descend from the sky and bring peace and prosperity to the people. She came to believe that Striker was this sky god due to their appearance while she was being chased by her three older sisters. As for why her older sisters were after her, it was because they were angry about her being chosen as her father's successor instead of them, believing that she was too weak to lead the people. In exchange for giving them more information on this world, Merla begged him to continue acting as an emissary from the sky god so control of the tribe could become more stable and to prevent another conflict from breaking out between the sisters. But it was merely a stalemate, there was a chance that the sisters were planning something. The stalemate would inevitably continue until one of them broke.
"How much longer must we keep up this charade? You do remember our agreement, correct?"
Merla jolted, nearly dropping the pitcher of water she was pouring from. She did not expect such a question to come up during lunch. "Yes, but…uh…I already gave you some information, correct?" she tried to vaguely recall.
Kugel stared at her judgmentally as he took a drink of water. "This planet is Popstar and this location is Volcano Valley on the Popopo Islands, that's all you told me. I would like more information than that."
"I understand that, but…" The Waddle Dee slightly averted her eyes. "My…my sisters…if my sisters take command, they'll create nothing but chaos! If you want, we can gather it from other places on the archipelago…"
He glared sharply, causing her to flinch. "By "get", I hope you do not mean to steal it. Thievery is neither productive nor efficient."
"Yes, but we're also pirates, it's all we know how to do…anyway, our efficiency has improved a ton ever since you arrived! Please, just hang in there a bit longer!"
He gave a sigh at her response. "Very well. I shall act as your figurehead a bit longer." He picked off part of the lobster with a slight smile. "You are the one leading this tribe, though."
She gasped, as if that response was not something she was expecting. "If…if I am, it's because of everything you've taught me! I've learned so much by working with you! But…it's…it's much more than that, I…" she cut herself off and shook her head. "Emissary Kugel… I am happy as long as I am of use to you…" the Waddle Dee began to stumble as if in pain.
"Merla!" The man stood up and was about to run to help her but was halted by a hand-stub.
"No… no… I'm fine…this is fine…this is fine… please…"
Kugel walked over to her and knelt to put himself more at her level. "For the rest of the day, I want you to get some rest."
"But…emissary…"
"Get some rest. That's an order." He repeated, a bit firmer in his tone.
Merla hesitated for a moment before replying with a bow. "…yes, sir." She then walked out of the room.
Soon came the evening, and during that time Kugel had been sitting in the throne room, reading a story from a book that Striker had recently translated. It was a book that Merla had dug up about the islands, specifically about a series of legends about a hero named Popopo, who this archipelago was named for.
"I know I told her to give me information about this world, but this wasn't the information I was talking about…" he seemed to groan internally.
As much as he wouldn't like to admit it, the stories were actually quite interesting. All of them were simple enough for a child to understand, yet novel enough for an adult to become engrossed into it. In the story he was currently reading, Popopo had arrived on an island to fight a dark orb with a singular eye. After a long and difficult battle, the beast was successfully vanquished, and its fragments were sealed within a crystal that had been sunk into the ocean. The story ominously ended saying that the crystal is still in that area, and the beast inside continues to wait until someone or something can set it free. The more Kugel read the descriptions of the area, the more they seemed to remind him of this current location. It was specifically a volcanic island that was part of an archipelago. But there's no way that could be anything but a coincidence, right?
"Striker, did Merla mention how long ago these stories were written?"
"Query: is this information necessary?"
"Answer the question."
"The book the documents are bound in is approximately ten years old by my estimation. No exact number had been given for the stories themselves. However, Merla has mentioned that the story itself is several centuries old."
"So it could just be a coincidence…"
"I beg your pardon, Commander?"
"Do not worry about it."
Suddenly, the door to the throne room slammed open and a pink Waddle Dee wearing a golden band entered. If Kugel's memory served correctly, this was Rosemary, the oldest of Merla's sisters.
The sister deeply bowed in front of the throne. "Sir, the conversion of the people has angered the god of the sea and sent its minions after us! Please save us, o great and powerful emissary of the sky!"
Kugel thought for a moment upon hearing that. "Allow me to confirm the situation." He turned to the machine behind him. "Striker!"
As his back was turned, the Waddle Dee in bowing before him hid a malicious look in her eyes.
Shortly after, Rosemary met up with another sister, who was watching the town square from the top of a building. The yellow colored Waddle Dee jumped a bit upon hearing her sister clear her throat to get her attention.
"Are you really that afraid?"
The younger sister stared back in silence before speaking up. "Rosemary, I've been thinking… do you really think this is a good idea? If that sky god is for real…" she fidgeted with her veiled hat.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Loire. You don't really believe anything that our father said, do you?"
"No, but…"
"I don't believe in any god of the sky. We already have our own god, don't we?" she glared at her smugly.
Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake.
"…it's about time."
A pillar of black blobs erupted from the town square. The door behind the sisters slammed opened, revealing a soaking wet green Waddle Dee with a tan hairband.
"Delma, you're late. I've already told the so-called emissary." The elder sister grumbled.
"HOW ABOUT YOU TRY TO SWIM AND RUN ALL THE WAY HERE FROM THE BOTTOM OF THAT PIT WHILE THOSE BLACK BLOB THINGS CHASE YOU?!" the Dee shouted at her in frustration.
"They are not just "black blob things", they are minions of the god of the sea!" Rosemary raised her arms in rejoicing.
"They're kind of scary looking to me…" Loire squeaked, receiving a growl from her elder sister.
"Hmph…do you really think that now that you have that so-called sky god, we'd yield to you so easily, Merla? Think again!" Rosemary thought, looking as noticeably smug as someone without a mouth could.
Just as a few of the blobs began to attack people, one of them was incinerated by a laser.
"Striker, what are these things?" Kugel questioned, surveying the damage. This was going to cost them big time.
"Spectroscopic analysis complete. This is an unknown creature."
"An unknown creature? It can't be helped…we have to take them all out!"
"Roger."
The intense fight continued, with the Machine Caliber clearly gaining the upper hand over the black blobs.
During this fight, Kugel's mind recalled something. "…black…one-eyed creatures…but they couldn't be…"
These creatures appeared to match the description of the monster that Popopo fought in that story he read! But why was there so many of them?! Wasn't there only one?!
"Either way…they seem to be too weak…" he continued his thoughts as he dove down into the water-like abyss in the town square.
This battle continued further until the last one was slaughtered, creating a pool of blackness within the water.
"That appears to be the last of them. Return to the surface." Kugel gave a sigh.
"Roger."
Upon his return, a group of people, including the three older sisters had gathered in the town square. The commander opened the mech's cockpit and removed his helmet.
"Are you injured?" he questioned the three Waddle Dee sisters, who were now hiding behind each other in shock and horror. Looking at the crowd below as well, they seemed to be equally horrified. Frankly, the man had no idea how to respond to this reaction. It was at that moment that the three sisters bowed down in front of the mech, with Rosemary being the one to speak up.
"We are so sorry. We shall worship you from now on, o emissary of the sky god!" the crowd began to follow suit, bowing towards the commander.
Kugel looked down at the pit of darkness. "Did these people really worship such vile creatures as gods?" he thought, turning back to the crowd.
"Do these people have no dignity? How could this have happened?" he placed his helmet back on his head and closed the hatch to the cockpit.
"Fine then…I will be their leader!"
A month had passed since that incident. Thanks to Striker's search capabilities, the tribe was able to thrive on discovering various relics and machines from around Volcano Valley. Merla had been observing the citizen's efforts when a Beanbon handed her a phone.
"Lady Merla, it's for you."
With a nod, she took the receiver. There was no doubt about who it was.
"Yes?"
"We've discovered another settlement. Let's absorb it into our tribe." Kugel replied from the other end of the phone.
"Understood, sir." She hung up and turned on a microphone, preparing to relay the message to the other citizens. "Everyone! The emissary has issued another divine proclamation!" she gave a deep sigh of exhaustion before continuing on with her work.
It felt tiring, but the happy feeling she got knowing that it will ultimately help the whole tribe made it worth it in her mind.
Meanwhile, Kugel had been reading over some reports that Merla submitted about the annexation of several new areas to the city. However, the man had also been thinking about that encounter with the black blobs he had. Could they really have been the same creatures he read about in that Popopo story? He was broken out of his thoughts by Striker.
"Review complete. Recommendation: owing to the acquisition of some individuals with some expertise, the tribe's total productivity has increased. However, the suffering of common residents has increased as well. Patients infected with communicable disease are on the rise."
"Endemic diseases were an unforeseen problem." The commander responded with a sigh, as if slightly irritated by the sudden interruption.
"76% of the infected have a weak constitution." That made him turn his head towards the mech.
"What are you getting at?"
"In the Galactic Alliance, it is a fundamental rule to dispose of personnel whose physical condition is below a specified value."
"The Alliance, huh?" he turned to face the mech with an unamused chuckle. "But this is Popstar. Those people are part of this island. We're here to help them."
"In order to maintain the collective, efficiency must be the highest priority…"
"Circumstances are different here. The Alliance's rules don't apply and mean nothing now. If your observational data is correct, it is impossible to return to Galactic Alliance territory. Because we are cut off from the main fleet, I am in command as the highest-ranking officer on site." He stiffened his stance and delivered a final statement firmly. "I plan on leading the people of this planet as I see fit. You will not argue with me, understood?"
Before Striker could respond, he heard a harsh cough from behind him. The man immediately turned to see that it was Merla, who nearly stumbled from how bad it was.
"Merla! Are you ok!?" he raced over and grabbed a hand stub to help her keep balance. "Can you walk? Do you need help?"
"Uh-huh…" she gave a weak nod as she shifted to her feet.
"You're done working for the day. Please rest."
"Yes…emissary Kugel…" the Waddle Dee seemed to gently smile with her eyes.
Seeing that allowed the weary man to feel… relieved, even if it was for a tiny moment.
The next day, a strange gift was delivered to the throne room by a group of Beanbons as tribute. It was a large, gold mirror with two wings on either side. According to the sender, it was discovered washed up on one of the island shores and it was deemed too beautiful to not give to the emissary. Something about putting it in the throne room felt strange, so it was immediately moved to the large dining room. Even then, something about it seemed…off.
"Say…Striker…"
"What is it, commander?"
"…do you remember when I said this weird mirror looked like it would really bring this dining room together?"
"Affirmative."
"…I take that back."
The mirror gave off an atmosphere of malice the more he stared at it. Not only that, but he began to get a vague feeling that his reflection was staring at him. He didn't know where the feeling came from exactly, but it was there.
"Commander, you are requested to return to the throne room at once." Striker broke him out of his thoughts.
"Is it Merla?" he questioned.
"Affirmative. She would like to discuss plans for the expansion of our territory."
"Very well. Tell her I'll be over in a bit."
"Roger."
Upon hearing that response, the commander took a brief look back over towards that gold mirror. For a moment, he thought that there was something else in there other than his reflection. Not only that, but the eyes in his reflection appeared to be following him. He shook his head and chalked it up to him just imagining things. He had heard people hallucinated when under a lot of stress before.
The meeting with Merla was fairly short. It had been a simple discussion of where he would like to expand to next, simply replying that he would like to take control of this island before heading to the others in the archipelago. There was also the matter of that tacky resort, but he decided to worry about that place when he got around to invading it. Adding to this, he wanted to focus on increasing productivity and funds by gathering relics from the various warzones on the island. Using that logic, Merla recommended that the next target be the desert island, a suggestion that gained the approval of both Kugel and Striker.
Upon the conclusion of the meeting, the Waddle Dee returned to her room to rest while the commander finished reading through the submitted reports. Throughout the while, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. He constantly looked around the room. There was barely anywhere to hide in the throne room, so if someone was there, he would have seen them. Even if they didn't, Striker would have caught them on its radar. For a moment, he heard some faint breathing and the tinkling of glass beside him. Understanding how unfamiliar these sounds were, he instantly withdrew a laser dagger, stabbing whatever was making the sounds.
"AGHHH! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" the commander quickly shot out of the throne and pulled out a pistol, aiming it at a strange grey, black, and red bird-like creature that was clenching its now bleeding arm.
"Wow, you say you can do anything, but you can't even do stealth? Man, you're pathetic…" a black and grey Waddle Dee appeared on the opposite side of the throne.
"How 'bout you try it before you complain!"
"At least I know my limitations and don't try to hide it."
"Eat shit and die, Shadow Bandana!"
"Eat shit and live, Shadow Dedede."
While the two were distracted by their arguing, the commander had his own conversation. "Striker, why didn't you tell me there were intruders?"
"There was no detectable presence until 1.2 seconds before they appeared."
"How is that possible?!"
"Called mirrors and manipulating light, ya dolt!" the one addressed as Shadow Dedede replied, managing to pull out a hammer enough to wince a bit in pain.
"You just go take a break. No way you're gonna be able to fight properly now. Even though you already couldn't in the first place." The one called Shadow Bandana commented.
"PISS OFF! I CAN HANDLE THIS MYSELF!"
"For what reason did you come here?" Kugel's response sounded more like an order than a question.
"Oh, we just wanted to see what the newbie's copy was made of! Don't mind us…"
The man gritted his teeth at the darkened Dee's response. "You came here to fight for no reason…?" he uttered. "YOU ABSOLUTE FOOLS!"
The shout seemed to reverberate throughout the room, startling both mirror copies. The Waddle Dee in particular looked shell-shocked. Cracks began to appear on his arms and feet before his body completely shattered once a massive one shot down his face.
"…well, I'll be damned…" Shadow Dedede uttered, staring at the pile of glass in shock as his arm also broke into fragments.
"What are these things?" the man uttered in concern. While the Waddle Dees he has seen and the Beanbons are not that ordinary by standards he had before, they were normal compared to…whatever these were. They mentioned something about a newbie. What could that mean?
"Hmph. How amusing."
There was a tinkle of glass before the commander turned his pistol to another grey and black ball-like creature that had suddenly appeared, sitting on the upper part of his throne. This one stood out due to his slashed mask and his red sabatons. The being stared down at him in an almost mocking way, befitting the condescending and malicious tone of his voice.
"I didn't know you could shatter them with just your voice…"
"OI! HOW LONG WERE YOU SITTING THERE?!" Shadow Dedede shouted.
"About five minutes, maybe."
"And you didn't think to help?!"
"Why should I help you?"
"WHO CARES WHY?! IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA HELP, THEN PISS OFF!" the masked being slowly raised a hand, and a giant sword shot out of a mirror, forcing the other to dodge it. "THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT…?!" before he could finish his sentence, a laser shot him in the back, shattering him into a pile of mirror glass.
"You have my thanks…he was really starting to get on my nerves…" just as the darkened knight said that he summoned a wall of mirrors to reflect a laser that had been shot at him. "Trigger happy, aren't we? At least allow me to introduce myself before we fight."
He hopped down to the arm rest, giving Kugel a chance to notice the tattered cape on his back.
"My name is Dark Meta Knight, a warrior who lives in the Mirror World. Unfortunately, these two wastes of space are also from the Mirror World." He pointed to the two piles of glass on the floor. The commander continued to stare at him, ready to shoot. "Chill out. I didn't come here to fight you, unlike these dumbasses. I just came here to see what the newbie's copy was like."
"…what do you mean?" Again, it was more of an order than a question.
"You're the one who looked into the Dimension Mirror, didn't you? Doing that creates a copy of yourself for the Mirror World."
"The Dimension Mirror…what are you-?" Kugel cut himself off upon remembering the mirror in the dining room.
"Ah, it seems you were." The knight gave a faint chuckle. "You see, the moment you looked into that mirror, it created a copy of you." He twirled a bit on the armrest, as if playfully ignoring that he was being held at gunpoint.
"But not just any copy, it created a copy based on all your dark little secrets, as the Dimension Mirror only reflects the worst traits of a person." His eyes seemed to smirk mockingly as his spinning slowed down and his cape unfurled into wings.
"The hell did you just do?" the man did his best to hide his slight surprise of the sudden change.
"Oh, this is magecraft that my counterpart can do. Quite handy. I can also change my colors to match him if I wish." Upon halting his slowed spinning, his colors were a much brighter blue, purple, and yellow. "It's quite difficult to cover up the slash on my mask, but it works overall." The colors faded out.
"This can't be all that you're here for. Explain." Kugel ordered, his stance still firm.
"What are you, a conspiracy nut? I only came here to meet the original. Well, it was also to watch these two morons inevitably get shattered due to their stupidity." Dark Meta Knight shrugged with a sigh.
"Shattered?"
The dark warrior took a seat on the armrest again. "You see, when us mirror copies are "born" we're created from several glass fragments formed in the shape of the reflected person. In other words, our entire body is made out of glass, except this glass is several times sturdier than normal glass. It actually takes a lot of effort to beat one of us. When you do manage to defeat one of us, we shatter into those glass fragments we were born from." He gestured over to the piles of glass on the floor.
"Generally, that's how you defeat us. The fracturing is brief and over with. But. If you manage to do something that hurts our very soul, we'll experience a more painful kind of fracture. This particular type is long and excruciating. We call it a large fracture."
"Why are you telling me all of this?"
"You asked, didn't you?" There was a brief moment of silence. "That's what I thought. I'm the oldest of all of these mirror copies, so you're lucky to have an expert like me explain everything!"
A mirror close to the entrance began to ripple, and out walked a grey ball wearing a bandana and carrying a broom. However, it was the figure that was following the puff that startled Kugel. The figure was almost like he was staring in a mirror, if his colors were shades of grey and black.
"Took you long enough, Shadow Kirby." The knight grumbled.
"You don't really care for them anyway…" the puff seemed to sigh.
"Yes, but it's a courtesy to pick up the trash before leaving, right?"
"Whatever…"
That was when Shadow Kirby noted that the copy had locked eyes with his counterpart, who still had a pistol drawn on him.
"You…who are you?" the dark copy spoke with a stoic voice, making it a sharp contrast to the other voices, which had been infused with so much emotion and malice.
"Identify yourself!" Kugel ordered upon processing his thoughts.
He received no response.
"Oh, that's Dark Kugel. He's the newbie I was telling you about. He doesn't talk much, so don't really bother speaking to him." Dark Meta Knight explained, before shooting up with a quick flap of his wings.
"Wait, where are you going!?" Shadow Kirby yelled.
"I'm taking a look to see where we are right now!"
The man wanted to warn him about Striker, but he just shoved the thought to the back of his mind. The main concern was this so-called copy. The longer he stared at it, the more he began to notice one particular detail. There were several tiny cracks throughout its body.
"…probably just a result of being newly formed." He thought as he continued to watch the one called Shadow Kirby clean up the glass fragments.
Upon reaching the glass pyramid roof, Dark Meta Knight could see an amazing island view. "Ah, I think I read about this place before. They call it the Popopo Islands, so I heard." He shielded his eyes from the sun to get a better look into the distance.
"Query: For what reason are you up here?" the dark warrior turned towards the mecha that was behind him.
"The hell are you?" he questioned, not really seeming to care about the answer.
"I am Unit X3752 Striker. I am commander Kugel's Machine Caliber."
"Never heard of it." The knight tried to ignore the machine's presence but failed. "So, you perform whatever tasks he tells you to do?"
"Affirmative."
Suddenly, his mind recalled how easily both Shadow Bandana and Shadow Dedede were shattered. "…would it be worth it if I was to join you both in an alliance?" he questioned.
"I believe it is the reasonable course of action for both of our sides."
The dark knight only chuckled. "Then you better get used to having me around here."
"I do not understand how that could be considered a problem if we are now allies."
"Oh, shut the hell up!"
Not long after his encounter with the inhabitants of the Dimension Mirror, life seemed to return to normal. Well, at least as normal as it could be for someone pretending to be an emissary. More territory was claimed. Productivity continued to increase. The people were thriving. Kugel would occasionally return to talk with the mirror world denizens, but usually Dark Meta Knight would enter the throne room through a mirror that had been left there to talk to him. Frankly, the commander didn't really understand why the dark knight came to visit him so often, but it felt a bit more productive talking to him than the occasional argument with Striker. Hell, it was actually quite comforting having someone else to talk to instead of the AI. However, this would all soon be shaken by a particular event. One day, Kugel had again been reading through the stories about Popopo that Merla gave him.
"Commander, while the productivity of the tribe has increased further, the number of people infected by communicable diseases is also rising. I recommend taking action against it."
"That's enough. I already told you about this, Striker. Do not make me repeat myself." He sharply replied.
"Geez, you two really are something…" the man turned his attention to the mirror warrior, who had been hanging upside down from his usual upper-right corner of the throne spot.
"What?" the commander responded.
"Who the hell makes the decision to pair up AI and their pilots in wherever you both are from?"
"There is no real "decision" to it. They're an artificial intelligence that is designed to assist the pilot in combat and provide support."
Dark Meta Knight stared skeptically at Kugel, who had gone back to reading. "Are you sure about that? You two just remind me of a married couple that's still together only for the sake of their kids…"
The moment he finished that sentence, the commander gazed at him in such a shock that he dropped the book he had been reading.
"…what are you saying?!"
"I do not understand what that means. I would like further elaboration on this subject…"
"Do not worry about it, Striker."
The knight gave an annoyed sigh as he turned himself back up again. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure a bag of bolts like you wouldn't understand a thing about it anyway."
"Please explain."
"Ugh…I know that…you're just gonna pester me until I do, aren't you?" he stood up and unfurled his wings. "I'll be back in a bit…" he jumped into the air and glided to the top.
Just as Kugel was about to pick up the book, his attention was directed to a harsh sounding cough coming from the stairs to the room.
"Dammit…Merla!" he ran over to see the Waddle Dee leaning weakly against a step, coughing even more hoarsely than before. "Are you alright!?" the commander questioned, taking one of her hand-stubs, staring in shock as he saw the blood that had been coughed up.
She began to seem faint.
"Just…hang in there!" he grabbed her and carried her out of the throne room.
When Merla awoke, she noticed that she was in bed and hooked up to several neon-colored wires. It took a moment for her to recognize that this was from his pilot suit. She turned her head to see Kugel sitting next to her.
"You're awake…good." He heaved a sigh of relief before continuing. "All you need to do right now is rest."
She blinked in silence before speaking again. "…emissary Kugel, could I ask a favor of you?"
"Anything." The man immediately responded.
Merla gave a smile that was obvious through her eyes. "Will you…help me to die?"
The commander gasped in shock hearing that.
"I'm too sick to be able to get up from this bed again."
"Don't be ridiculous…!" he shook his head in response, still startled by her words.
"Thanks to you, our tribe was able to prosper again…and I…I'm a priestess. That's my role to play and my duty to the people."
"Then leave all of that to me for now. All you need to do is rest."
"But you're the emissary of the sky god. A presence that should be feared and worshiped from afar. My role is to announce your proclamations and see to it that they are carried out." As Merla continued to speak, tears began to form in her eyes, streaming silently down her face. "But now I can't carry out that duty in my current condition…"
"So you can't be the priestess anymore? But why does that mean you have to die?"
"It's for the greater good of everyone else and the happiness of the tribe."
Kugel seemed to have a vague realization but continued anyway. "What do you mean?"
"I have dedicated my life to both this tribe and you, Emissary Kugel. The only thing I can do now that I am too ill to perform my duties is to pass from this world. Otherwise, chaos and discord will brew about the tribe…the quicker the better…so this tribe can continue to prosper…even while I am gone."
"What do you mean? You deserve to be happy, too!" he attempted to reason with her, only to get a nod in response.
"But…emissary Kugel, don't you see? I am happy!" she held out one of her hand-stubs, which was slowly grabbed by the man. "I'm happy because I met you! And…I was able to find a purpose because of you!"
The commander nodded. "I am greatly indebted to you, Merla. I would not be alive today if it wasn't for you."
The Waddle Dee gave a faint squeal "I'm…honored…!" she looked towards the outside.
"Emissary…?"
"What is it?" he leaned closer.
"Can you help me? I'd like to look at the city one last time…" she stared at the horizon beyond.
Obliging Merla's wish, Kugel carried the Waddle Dee out onto an overlooking view from her room.
"We're here."
The Dee had briefly fallen asleep on the trip there and awoke to see the coastal city, standing proud on the shore of the island.
"Can you see it?" the commander asked as she slowly turned her head.
"Yes…" she whispered. "It's so…beautiful…" Merla's eyes slowly closed and her body became limp.
"Merla…!" Kugel uttered, surprised at the sudden lack of life.
Desperate, he knelt down and placed an oxygen mask over where her mouth would be.
"S-Striker is…is her heart still beating?" he was too much in shock to notice his hands were slightly shaking.
"She has no pulse."
"Defibrillate her!"
A pulse of electricity was sent through the Waddle Dee's body, creating only a faint twitch that timed with the shocks.
"No response."
"Then do it again."
"Chance of revival unlikely."
"Damn! Why…!?" he grumbled under his breath before slowly pulling away the oxygen mask. For a moment, only the wind was present as Kugel tried to process his thoughts. "I've led all these people…been worshiped as an emissary from the sky god…but I can't even save one girl…?!"
"Even on this planet, your duties as a commander require you to continue…"
"ENOUGH!" he shouted, shaking his head. "You don't understand…!"
Striker was an AI. Of course, it wouldn't understand.
"I'm a priestess. That's my role to play and my duty to the people." Merla's voice emanated from Striker's communication device, startling the man.
"Striker!" a holographic image of the Waddle Dee manifested from a projector from within the device.
"The only thing I can do now that I am too ill to perform my duties is to pass from this world. Otherwise, chaos and discord will brew about the tribe…the quicker the better…so this tribe can continue to prosper…even while I am gone…" Kugel stared in shock at the hologram.
"Merla's words on the happiness and betterment of life on this planet are quite similar to the guidelines established by the Galactic Alliance. Conclusion: what is best for all lifeforms regardless of being in space or terrestrial remains the same."
The hologram of Merla started up again. "I have dedicated my life to both this tribe and you, Emissary Kugel. I am happy!"
"Stop it!" the hologram suddenly disappeared, leaving the man to think alone.
From behind a wall, the eldest sister Rosemary gazed at the entire scene in wordless amazement before giving a condescending glare.
"You sure you're fine with standing? You know you can just take a seat, right?" Dark Meta Knight stared down at Kugel from the top right corner of the throne where Striker now sat.
"…" the commander continued to gaze silently at Merla's lifeless body situated now in a casket.
"Ah, my bad…" he averted his gaze and scratched part of his mask, as if slightly embarrassed by that comment. He twirled the shiny and glass-like rose he held in his hand, many of which had been placed in the casket. The dark warrior had brought them over from the Mirror World as a sort of parting gift.
"Emissary Kugel…"
He glared in the direction of the voice to see that it was Rosemary.
"What do you want?" he remarked sternly.
The Waddle Dee walked towards him, hands in front of her. "My little sister is dead…she died the most honorable death for a priestess…"
"What do you really want?" he turned towards her.
"She selflessly laid her life down for you and everyone in this fleet…I wish to follow her in her footsteps…" the Dee knelt down in front of him. "It'd be a great honor to give my life…for the sake of you and everyone in this fleet, it would be a great honor to serve you."
The commander continued to stare skeptically.
"…all right." He began to walk over towards Rosemary, also drawing the attention of Dark Meta Knight. "The fleet certainly does need a new priestess." He knelt down and reached out a hand. "I leave it to you."
"Thank you, Emissary Kugel…" just as he was pulling the Dee up to stand, he stabbed her with a laser dagger.
"You can die as a priestess." The commander replied coldly.
Upon withdrawing the weapon, the Waddle Dee stumbled back a bit before fainting.
"…I have disposed of an agitator. Tolerating weakness and dissent will not help these people. Drastic measures must be taken…" The man said.
In the background, Dark Meta Knight could only stare at him, flower fully clenched in hand and his eyes completely white.
Outside, a large crowd of people began to gather in the center square.
"I am the emissary of god!" Everyone's attention turned to the massive building as Kugel's voice was heard. "I, and I alone shall bring peace and prosperity to this tribe and its city!"
As if on cue, Striker activated a hologram projection, showing Merla.
"Ah! It's the priestess!" a person shouted from within the crowd.
"For the happiness of everyone in this tribe, I must act. It is my duty, as the priestess, to fulfil my role and do what is best." The projection said as the Waddle Dee sisters Loire and Delma arrived on the scene. "My last act is to pass from this world, the quicker the better." If the Dees had visible mouths, their jaws would have been hitting the ground. "The tribe and city will prosper because of my sacrifice. I'm honored to finally have a purpose and very happy…"
Upon Kugel's collection of the final mirror glass rose from the casket, it was sent careening down the building and into the watery pit that was in the middle of the square.
Before the crowd could react further than several name shouts, another hologram, this time of Rosemary appeared.
"My little sister is dead. Her death was an honorable one as a priestess's should be. I wish to follow in her footsteps."
"Wait, is she really!?" Delma uttered.
"NO WAY!" Loire shouted.
"It would be an honor to give my life both for the sake of this tribe and for its people." The hologram turned off, and her casket was also thrown into the murky depths.
There was a jarring silence to let what happened sink in before Kugel began to speak again.
"It is the duty of all citizens to serve me! It is a great honor to be useful! The weak will become strong, and the strong will become even stronger!" a hologram of the commander himself then appeared in front of Striker. "These priestesses gave their lives and souls for this tribe and city. Their sacrifices will not be in vain, I promise you! We will have peace and prosperity!"
Loire fell to the ground in shock.
"Even the weak shall too be happy, as they will sacrifice themselves."
Suddenly, Delma spoke up. "Emissary, please pass on your teachings to me!"
"Y-yes, allow us to take the place of our older and youngest sister!" Loire continued.
"Very well. I expect you to work hard to serve me." With that, the holographic image vanished, leaving an astonished crowd to process what happened.
"You think this is a good idea, Kugel?" Dark Meta Knight questioned, popping a green lime candy under his mask.
"There is no other option. We must cut out the weakness and dissent if we wish to prosper." The man replied, examining one of the mirror-glass roses.
"That so?"
"Affirmative."
The knight only replied with a shrug.
"If you disagree, you can just return to the Mirror World." The commander seemed to glare at him.
"Ultimately, it's up to you. I'm just throwing in my two cents. I'll come and go as I like." He ate another candy. "Be a real shame to ruin our good alliance now, don't you think?"
"Uh-huh…" the response seemed more absentminded than anything.
That was when Dark Meta Knight began to feel a familiar presence. "Dark Mind…?" he thought. "No…Dark Mind has been long dead, but…this feels so familiar…" It was the feeling of negative emotions, and it was suspiciously close by. He slowly gazed towards the man. "Of course…" he kept his thoughts to himself.
"You're awfully quiet right now, Dark Meta Knight." Kugel turned his head towards him.
"Ah, it's nothing. I was probably going to check in on the Mirror World." He transitioned his wings into a cape and flew towards the mirror.
"You mean Shadow Kirby?" the man replied, forcing the knight to freeze in his tracks.
"…maybe."
"Give him my greetings."
"Sure…if you happen to see your own "Shadow Kirby", tell him my own greetings as well…" He jumped in without another word.
The moment that Dark Meta Knight left, Kugel began to ruminate on those words. What could they possibly mean? He barely remembers mentioning his own "Shadow Kirby" to him. Suddenly, he began to harshly cough. To his utter shock, he saw that he had started to cough up blood, just like he had seen with Merla.
"That's right…I will lead all the species on this planet…to peace and prosperity!" he said to himself, raising his throne through the room and onto the roof.
"That is my mission as commander…no, that is my mission as god!" The throne stopped just in front of the Machine Caliber.
"Isn't that right, Striker?"
"Hey! Bolts-for-brains! Did you hear what I said?!" Dark Meta Knight shouted at the Machine Caliber.
It had been a few months since Kugel's proclamation and he barely had the chance to speak to him since. The commander had usually been so busy with running the city that he didn't even notice that he was there. In fact, Dark Meta Knight became so angry that he returned to the Mirror World and didn't return for a week the moment that the man began to shut himself up inside Striker.
"Query: What are you talking about, Dark Meta Knight?"
"You know what I'm talking about! What's that birdbrain doing? I've been waiting for you to answer for days!" he yelled. Tired of waiting, the mirror warrior returned and had been practically camping inside Striker's pyramid dome for an entire week.
"He has isolated himself to his cockpit due to illness."
"…illness?" this was the first time the knight had heard of that!
"It is an endemic disease that I am further analyzing."
"Well, if you're so smart, can't you just cure him?"
"I cannot."
"Wow, what a hunk of junk you are!" he sneered, only to briefly feel stupid because he did it in front of a machine that couldn't care less about it. "So, can I speak to him?" He tapped a foot impatiently.
"Negative. The commander needs his rest and to focus on maintaining order."
The knight gave an angry huff. "Fine, he can have it his way then!" he flew back down into the throne room.
He was about to enter back into the mirror when he was stopped by a priestess.
"Excuse me, are you a Mister… Dark Meta Knight?" she read an envelope.
"What's it to you?" he growled.
"Oh…uh…the emissary gave us orders to give this to you before you returned." The envelope had his name clearly written on it.
"Yeah, sure, whatever."
Unamused, the mirror warrior grabbed it and stepped back through the mirror.
"What the hell is up his ass to make him act like that?" he grumbled as he stared at the paper.
Well, now wasn't the time to think about that.
Dark Meta Knight returned to the castle the copies were using as a home to find it being strangely quiet. Usually, it was quite chaotic thanks to Shadow Dedede and Shadow Bandana mixing as well as oil and water, but things were strangely different this time around.
"HEY! I'M BACK!" he gave a shout, only to receive no response.
Slightly irritated, he walked up the stairs and into one of the hallways.
"I SAID I'M BACK!" he yelled again. Still no response.
As much as he would have hated it, he would have even taken one of Shadow Kirby's tackle-hugs right now, because at least it would have been some form of acknowledgement. He shook his head and walked down the hallway towards his room. That was when he began to hear a panicked voice coming from one of the rooms.
"…I believe that would be Dark Kugel's room…" he thought as he went to go investigate.
"THE HELL'S GOING ON IN HERE?!" the knight slammed the door open, startling Shadow Bandana and Shadow Dedede, but strangely not provoking a reaction from Shadow Kirby on the floor with a pile of glass shards in front of him. "All of you! What the hell is so important that you don't notice that I'm home!?" the knight snapped at them.
"Probably because it was a lot better when you were gone." Shadow Bandana grumbled before needing to dodge a sword from the ground. "HEY! WATCH IT ASSHOLE!"
"THAT WAS A WARNING, NEXT TIME I WON'T MISS!"
"Say that when I have my fist embedded in your face!" Shadow Dedede yelled.
"Please…just…stop fighting!" a teary voice shouted. The entire group turned to Shadow Kirby in surprise. The puff was in tears as he was desperately trying to put the pieces of glass back together, only for them to instantly fall apart.
Upon noticing this, Dark Meta Knight cleared his throat and leaned against a desk, as if trying to hide his lack of care. "…so what's this about?" he questioned.
"I don't know how or why it happened but…" the grey puff started to sob. "A few days ago… Dark Kugel shattered and…" he flinched upon accidently cutting himself with the glass.
"Well, he can be put back together good as new, can't he?" Dark Meta Knight attempted to subtly cheer him up.
"He can't."
His eyes turned white upon hearing Shadow Kirby's response.
"I'm trying my hardest but… no matter how much I try, I can't put him back together!"
The knight froze upon hearing that. If someone from the Mirror World was shattered, they can be resurrected as many times as they want as long as someone can put their fragments back together. If their fragments can't be put back together, then…it's the same as death. It was no wonder why Shadow Dedede and Shadow Bandana seemed so off in their insults today. It was almost like they were desperately trying to go through the usual motions to feel like their usual selves.
"Oh, don't worry, he's probably still just stunned from a large fracture! Just give him a few days!" the knight waved off the glass's condition.
"Are you sure?" Shadow Kirby gave that puppy-dog eyed look that the warrior always dreaded.
"Um, yeah! Of course! Well, I gotta go now, see you later!" he immediately rushed out of the room and into his own, locking it behind him.
"YO! WHERE YOU GOING!?" he heard Shadow Dedede yell.
"WE'RE NOT DONE WITH YOU! HEY!" Shadow Dee followed up.
"Oh yeah! Well, screw you, too!" the shadow monarch huffed, turning back his attention to the tearful Shadow Kirby.
Knowing that he was secure in his room, he carefully took out the envelope the priestess had given him.
"To Dark Meta Knight" it read.
He immediately opened it with his sword and pulled out two sheets of paper and began to read it.
"To Dark Meta Knight. I hope that this letter finds you well. By the time you read this, I will have already passed from this world."
"…what?!" he continued in surprise.
"I know the past few months our relationship has mostly deteriorated, but I hope that you understand that it was for the sake of this city."
The knight scoffed at that statement.
"I wasn't sure when I'd properly be able to talk to you again, hence why I am putting all my thoughts into this letter. At this point, we have known each other for several months. You have known me for about the same time I had known Merla before she passed. Quite a strange, yet twisted fate, I believe. Despite how I may have acted, I enjoyed our talks. It made the throne room a little less lonely and made me feel a lot more at ease, especially after arguing with Striker so much. I am eternally grateful for the happiness that you have brought me and hope you can share that with others. From, Kugel.
P.S. As for my own "Shadow Kirby", please be sure to treat him well in the miraculous chance you happen to meet him on Popstar."
Upon finishing that letter, Dark Meta Knight began to feel a sensation unusual to him. He didn't exactly know how to describe it. It was like something was missing inside of him and there was no way that he was going to get it back. He laid on his bed and raised his mask as he tried to process what he had read. There was another strange sensation.
"Why am I…?" he put a hand under his eyes and noticed that it had become wet.
"What is this…?" he read the letter again, and the unknown feeling only grew stronger.
"Why do I feel so…empty…?" he stared at the opposite wall in silence.
So…that's what happened. That was why Dark Kugel shattered and couldn't be put back together. It was something that had only been a theory, but now…
"…when our original dies…we'll die, too…" the realization hit him like a truck.
All that time he has gone out of his way to fight his original, he would've died as well if he killed him?! Now what!? Was he just going to drop dead the day that blueberry croaked?! What's the point of it all?! What was the point of anything if his entire life was tied to that damn original?! Could he really be as superior to the original as he constantly said that he was!? What should he do now!? What can he do now?!
"…damn it all…!"
He really wished he was able to sleep right now, if only just so he could to forget about everything.
"Still sitting in front of the mirror portal after only a few months? Wow, you're pathetic…" Shadow Bandana said.
Dark Meta Knight gave no response. He only traced crude drawings on the floor of the castle.
"…I really thought that would do the trick." The shadowy Dee shrugged before walking off.
"Hey, Dark? Are you okay?" Shadow Kirby sat next to him, only to be ignored.
"Dark?" No response.
"Daaark!" he shook him to no reaction.
"DARRRRRKKKKK!" Even when he yelled and shook him even harder, there was nothing.
"Yeah, I already tried clobbering over the head. Ain't no way you gonna get a thing out of him." Shadow Dedede commented.
"I thought I'd at least try! I'm starting to worry about him! It's just so weird to see him act like this!" the grey puff responded.
"Yeah, but there ain't nothing we can do right now. Just gotta hope he comes outta this funk on his own." The shadowy monarch replied before heading out with the shadowy Dee.
Shadow Kirby followed them out, but gave one last look back towards Dark Meta Knight, hoping that he would say something, to no avail. A few minutes passed and suddenly, the knight's attention was drawn by several glass fragments creating a humanoid form in front of the mirror.
"A new copy is forming…" he grumbled under his breath.
The humanoid cluster of glass fragments was mimicking the movements on the outside of the mirror as the rough shards began to melt into a smoother, more life-like form. Suddenly, it stopped mimicking movements and began to move slowly on its own, as if trying to get used to the very idea of being able to move. Dark Meta knight cut off his attention and returned to his crude drawing. He wasn't that good of an artist, but he enjoyed randomly doodling whatever came to mind. There was a brief crash as the new copy attempted to get used to walking, seeming stunned that it had already lost its footing. The knight tried to suppress a laugh, as if trying desperately trying to not let go of his depressed state. After a brief moment, the newborn copy made it to its feet and began to walk towards the warrior. The figure finally stopped at his location and crouched to his level. The shadowy warrior did not look up.
"Excuse me…" a stoic voice spoke.
Dark Meta Knight only moved his eyes for a moment but was surprised enough to move his whole body to look at this new stranger. This new Mirror World copy strangely resembled a much younger version of Dark Kugel but had enough details about himself to make him clearly a different person. Specifically, the person that he had gotten a brief glimpse of from the other side of the mirror.
"Are you…" the young man began to speak again. "Are you my superior officer?"
There was an earnest look in his eyes.
It was an image that the mirror warrior would never forget.
A chapter primarily influenced by the second special episode for the Gargantia anime.