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Hope y'all had a happy Christmas season.
Now here's some more Kirby. Enjoy.
It was another picture-esque day in Dream Land. Yep. Another one. Why wouldn't it be?
If one couldn't already tell, Kirby wasn't exactly in the best of moods today. And for good reason, too.
A few days ago, the puffball was minding his own business when he caught the glimpse of an ominous-looking ship in the distance, flying straight toward the location of Castle Dedede. He, being Kirby, and egged on by his best friend and accomplice, Marx, did what any proper star warrior should; he pursued and infiltrated the vessel.
At first, things seemed up to par with the sorts of antics the pink warrior expected with these sorts of adventures, save for initially failing to get on board thanks to a robotic lobster-like thing that guarded the helm of the ship. But after that hiccup, Kirby did all in his power to ensure the ship wouldn't remain in the air for long, not to mention reach its destination.
Then the leader of the ship revealed himself. It was Meta Knight, Kirby's mentor. To say it was a shock was an understatement. It didn't make the pupil refrain from harming his teacher, though. Clearly, Meta Knight was performing an evil deed in trying to take over Dream Land, right? W-Wasn't he?
With the warship now crashed into the depths of Orange Ocean, Kirby was now left with this existential crisis on his mind. Meta Knight, the mysterious protector Dream Land for so long and with such loyalty, had tried his hand at conquest? And from the looks, the veteran star warrior didn't seem to feel any sense of wrongdoing in his attempt to establish a military dictatorship. Was he really as trustworthy as everyone thought?
Now the mentor had disappeared. As in he was completely gone. This only made things even more terrifying. Was his plan still underway? He could be anywhere, for all Kirby knew. It's one of Meta's trademarks, after all.
Kirby was supposed to have a training session today. It should be obvious why the puffball isn't bothering to attend. He has instead spent much of his time as of late with Kabu and the Fountain of Dreams, begging for some semblance of answers for his questions. But Kabu only responded vaguely, and the Fountain, as always, remained silent.
So here he was. A pink puffball lying on a hillside in the shade, thinking about what his mentor's betrayal truly meant.
Were all the star warriors like this during the height of the GSA? If so, they seemed no better than the likes of Nightmare!
N-no! That couldn't be it, could it? He was a star warrior, too, and these ideals...they were intrinsic, weren't they? To protect those who couldn't protect themselves? To defend the light from the clutches of darkness? To ensure all were happy and free?
It didn't seem right! It didn't make sense!
It was like he was going crazy! And these sacred sites won't tell him what's going on!!
Kirby yelled wordlessly into the open air. It wasn't a long screech, but it was enough to vent out the anger that had built up inside him, leaving nothing but a sense of dread in its wake. Clutching his head and squeezing his eyes shut, he fell to the ground and wept. He had no words left to describe his feelings toward his former teacher.
After wiping some tears from his face and rubbing his eyes with his stubs, he stood up again. This endeavor had been nothing but a pointless trip. It was time to head home.
He looked up at the sky. Funny. It seemed as if only minutes ago it was daytime. Now it was the dead of night. He had spent the day getting no answers, loathing the actions of his father figure, and growing his hatred of himself. Just like he had spent every other day since the ordeal. How pathetic.
He started heading toward the main road, which, honestly speaking, functioned more as a trail than as an actual road. He wouldn't want to be marauded by any Poppy Bros or worse — Meta Knight — by taking the more direct, unlit route home. His eyes were stuck starring at the ground, full of gloom.
In spite of this, he managed to catch a rather sudden change in lighting. Curious, and wanting a distraction from his growing doubts toward his career, he looked up at the sky again.
His jaw dropped. Everything that was on his mind was dropped.
The Sun and Moon. They were fighting each other. As if they were in disagreement over what time of day it was. At some points, like now, it was daytime. At others, like now, that it was night. It was disorienting, and potentially disastrous.
"Hey, Kirby!"
He turned around. A Bronto Bart, Waddle Dee, and Poppy Bro has approached from right behind.
"Hello." he said nervously.
"Do you know what's going on?" the Dee asked.
"I-I don't know!" he admitted. "This-this hasn't really happened before, poyo, now has it?"
"Really is strange..." the Poppy Bro chimed in. "I thought the Sun and Moon liked each other."
"Or at the very least were indifferent to each other." added Bronto.
The group all continued starting up at the sky fight, the belligerents continuing to slam into each other and occasionally gaining supremacy for all but a few seconds before the cycle continued.
"It's quite the spectacle to behold, I'll admit." said the Dee.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Kirby turned again. Now that wasn't a voice the puffball was expecting to hear. What was Marx doing out of the house, let alone here?
He was bouncing on his favorite ball, too. Something was up.
"Can you make peace between the Sun and Moon?" the jester asked, his voice in a somewhat exaggerated tone.
Oh. That's why. Marx wanted to joke about how Kirby always saved the day. Touché.
The puffball smirked. "And hello, Marx." The jester remained undeterred, though. Clearly, he was looking for Kirby to play along. Resigning to his fate, he added, "Is that really a question, poyo?"
"W-well, I think I know how I can help you!"
Oh did he now? "Go on..."
"I think I've read about it... Like it's happened before, you know?" Marx said. He still remained bouncing on his ball.
"Yeah...?" Kirby and the onlookers leaned in.
"So...since you can't exactly, well, talk to them, you'll need wish for them to stop. And to do that..." He directed Kirby's eyes toward a bright dot in the sky, even managing to be somewhat visible when the Sun was up. "You need to ask the giant comet Nova for help!"
It definitely seemed as though Marx had done some homework on the matter. Gracious, Kirby said, "Th-Thank you, Marx-poy! That's actually very helpful on your part."
"Yeah...about that."
Kirby raised an eyebrow. Marx stepped off the ball and paced toward his friend. "I was thinking...of joining you in this adventure...?"
Everything froze. He...he didn't...
He did. Oh yes he did.
He finally did. He's finally asking to accompany him...
He could feel tears of joy filling up his eyes. He could feel his face as it heated up and tinted itself red.
For Kirby, it was a deep desire of his; to see Marx grow into a hero just like him, for the two of them to experience adventure together as friends. Perhaps even...as more than friends...?
He squeezed Marx into a tight embrace. The jester couldn't help but chuckle at the puffball's antics.
"Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes!" Kirby said. "Yes please!"
"Ha! Then it's settled!" Marx responded. "But first!" He pulled away to be able to continue talking. "B-but first, there's something we need to do."
"Wha-What is it...?" Kirby slurred. He was barely able to even talk.
"To ask Nova, we need to gather power from all the stars around us."
"Mm-hm..."
"It will be difficult, Kay, but...I know we can do it."
"Marx—"
"Yes?"
The two of them were by themselves, surrounded by nothing. It was just the two of them.
Tell him, Kirby.
"Marx...I..."
"Well? Spit it out, ya weirdo."
Tell him what you want him to know.
"I just...Poyo, I just wanna say..."
"Hello? Are you gonna finish your sentences?"
Tell him that you love him.
"I wanna say...th-that I'm glad you're coming with me. I'm...very excited, poy..."
They were back beside the Fountain of Dreams again. Kirby had forgotten about that...and that there were witnesses behind him. He was too caught up in...other things.
"Thanks." Marx smiled. That smile...
"No problem." Kirby replied.
"So...let's go."
"Let's go, Kirby, let's go!" cheered the Dee.
"Quiet, you." scolded Bronto. "We know he'll do a fantastic job, won't'cha Kirby?"
Kirby stopped to take a deep breath before answering. After that, he needed to gather his footing. "I will." he told them. "I know I will. And so will he." He pointed at Marx, who was left somewhat flattered as a result. "We'll get the Sun and Moon to stop fighting. Don't you worry!"
Before the duo left, the Poppy Bro wished them good luck. Kirby called for his Warp Star, and within a few seconds, they were off.
The two of them were seated atop the Warp Star, the jester unable to hold on to it like the star warrior usually would as he lacked the arms or hands needed to grab on in the first place. As they flew higher and higher into the sky and ultimately into space, Kirby couldn't help but feel blissful. Here he was, in space, with no one but his best friend, with nothing to stop him from—
He didn't know when or why he started to develop romantic feelings toward his friend. Maybe it was how helpless the purple one appeared when they first met. Maybe it was a natural evolution of their strong friendship. Maybe it was how vulnerable he was around Marx at home. Regardless, by now, he was nearing a breaking point. He wanted closure, yet he, just like what happened not long ago, would never manage to follow through. All it accomplished was to eat away and deepen the hole in his heart that so desperately wanted to be filled, and with everything that had happened with Meta Knight...
You're alone now.
He covered his face in embarrassment.
Go on. Tell him.
"Kay, what's wrong?"
Tell him what's wrong.
"Pretty please?"
Tell him.
Kirby shook his head as he buried himself deeper.
"C'mon. Tell me! I want to help!"
You know he'll help. He's the only one that can. Because you love him.
"Is it because of Meta Knight? L-Like I need to know what's going on if I'm gonna help!"
"I can't..." Kirby muttered.
"Huh?"
"I can't, poyo... You wouldn't understand..."
"But...but I want to. C'mon. We're friends."
That's the problem. I want us to be more...
He looked over the edge of the Warp Star. Beneath him was Popstar, blurred and out-of-focus. It always looked so peaceful from up here...
"Kirby..."
The Warp Star was, at the moment, still. It was awaiting a new destination. He saw the opening and he took it.
"Kirby!"
He stepped off the Warp Star, leaving himself to drift away back toward the planet, where he would most certainly crash into the ground and die.
Marx, dumbfounded, jumped after him, bumping into the adrift puffball. He would have caused the two of them to head off in completely different directions had it not been some quick thinking on the jester's part, grabbing on to Kirby using his shoes.
"You idiot! What are you doing??" he screeched.
His eyes full of tears, the pink one responded, "I'm not good enough for you, poy..."
"Wha-What?? What're you talking about??"
"You wouldn't want to understand! I'm sorry!"
Marx, by now, had had enough of Kirby's ignorance. "I'm going to help whether you want me to or not!" he yelled. "Y-You're sending me mixed signals up in here, Kirby! At one minute you're excited for being on an adventure with me, the next you're totally entranced-looking, and the next you're trying to kill yourself!! How isn't there something wrong??"
"Marx, I..."
"Please! I-It's what friends do! Just...let me help you..."
He was sniffling. Oh no...
Great. He had made Marx sad, too. Well done, Kirby.
Look what you've done.
He looked around him. They were certainly still falling down towards Popstar, no doubt, but certainly not at any fast speed. He might as well just freeze up here in the vacuum of space. That's all he deserved now.
Don't hesitate now. Tell him...
Kirby raised his left foot, the one Marx was attaching himself to, in order to bring the two of them face to face, before grabbing hold of the jester with his stubs. There was a weary look in Marx's eyes, of absolute uncertainty and fear. He could see his reflection in them, and what he saw was a grey, lifeless body starring back at him through his friend's pupils.
They've never seemed or felt closer. Sad, Kirby thought, how they'd only be this close in death. But that didn't really seem to matter at this point.
"Kirby..." Marx whispered.
After much internal struggle, the star warrior took the initiative and closed the gap between them.
It wasn't anything too special. It was a somewhat light peck on the lips, but it served its purpose and served it well.
Marx's face seemed to have turned into a raspberry in response to what had just happened. He was left completely speechless.
"Come with me..." Kirby said quietly.
"Wh...Wh-What?" Marx barely managed to reply.
"I want us to be together when I die." he said. Their embrace tightened. He wasn't going to let the other go.
"K...Kay... P-Please..."
"Let me have this at least once..."
"I-I appreciate the gesture, Kay...b-but this is crazy! We haven't even started our adventure yet, and you're..."
He stopped himself before he went any further. He had barely managed to catch a glimpse of blood leaking from the puffball's eyes.
"Let me die, Marx."
"No!"
"Let us die, Marx."
"Let go of me you—" He struggled as hard as he could to break free from Kirby's grasp, but as he did, he couldn't help but grow weaker.
Kirby wasn't just holding on to Marx for dear life. He was strangling him to death. He couldn't breathe. His circulation started to feel as though it was blocked off. Everything...
"We. Need to...stop..." His eyes squeezed themselves shut. "Meta...Knight..."
He was waiting for it. The moment he would go limp. The moment he'd go unconscious. It never came. He had been panicking.
"What?"
He opened his eyes again. Kirby appeared puzzled.
"Wh-What do you mean we need to—"
"I-I mean...it makes sense, doesn't it?" Marx said. "He's been gone since you downed the Halberd. The Sun and Moon fighting can't just be a coincidence, especially since it's so soon after that whole ordeal...right?"
Kirby blinked. "So you're saying...that Meta's going after Nova?"
Marx nodded, albeit slowly. He was still somewhat scarred by what had just happened. Or what he thought had just happened.
"I can't believe it... He's gonna try and take over Popstar without even having to fight." Kirby said, awe-stricken. "He's just gonna wish for it and it'll be his..."
"You see why I told you about what was going on?" Marx said. "I know you don't want Meta Knight to get away with this and I...I just wanted to help..."
Kirby looked into his friend's eyes again. "You already have." he said.
"O-Okay...b-but now what?? We're stuck floating our way back home!"
"Not exactly."
He could hear something in the background. It was...
"The Warp Star. But..."
"Well, I'm a star warrior. Need to be able to summon it on a whim, even if I lose it."
The star positioned itself beneath the two of them, allowing Kirby to gracefully land upon it. He let go of Marx afterwards.
"Look...I'm sorry about all that." Kirby admitted. "I...I should've just focused on the task at hand."
"It's fine." Marx said. "If anything, it's made the journey more interesting."
Kirby nodded. "Yeah."
"Right, Kay. Let's do this."
"Let's save Dream Land, poyo!"
Save it, indeed.
And they were off.
To be continued