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Most of the group gasped and backed away from the crying blue blob. Kirby looked down in utter shock, not sure how to respond.
"I knew there was something suspicious about you!" Fumu growled at Gooey, who was now sobbing in hysterics.
"You've been helping Dark Matter along this whole time, haven't you?! You've been using Kirby to gain his trust so it would be easier to defeat him!"
Kirby stepped in front of Gooey protectively, staring at Fumu with a determined look. Dark Matter looked on with faint interest, then returned to the cloud above.
"Why are you still defending him?! He's part of Dark Matter! The story about his family abandoning him was a lie!"
"NO! You don't understand!" Gooey wailed.
"No, I've had enou-"
Meta Knight interrupted Fumu. "Let the blob speak." He nodded to Gooey.
"I'm…I'm nothing more than an unwilling pawn in this sick game of cruelty!"
Kirby patted Gooey and nudged him to continue.
"I didn't want to take over universes and have everyone hate me! So they threw me on Popstar! I'm just a pawn! A PAWN!" Gooey cried into Kirby's arm stubs.
Meta Knight stepped over to Gooey. "You are familiar with Dark Matter, so you should know more than any of us what it's strengths an weaknesses are."
Gooey sniffed. "Positive emotions. He hates positive emotions of any kind."
Fumu tilted her head. "He?"
Everyone looked up at the cloud and saw an unexpected sight. There was not only one Dark Matter, but dozens. Dark Matter was not a single entity, the entire dark cloud itself was made of Dark Matter. They began their descent onto Dreamland, fully intending to take over the land in it's entirety.
Suddenly, all thirty obtained Heart Stars began to glow, joining together to form a powerful weapon. The 'weapon' was a red and yellow striped wand. The wand began at a point and ended in a flat surface topped with a golden heart. Somehow, just by holding it he knew everything about this strange legendary item. It was the Love-Love Stick.
Rick scratched his head in confusion. "That's supposed to be the legendary super weapon?"
Kirby gave Gooey an expectant look, wanting Gooey to join him.
"No Kirby, I…I can't. I can't fight anymore…" Gooey looked down in shame.
Meta Knight stepped in front of the group. "We only have a few minutes until the Dark Matter descends into Dreamland. We must defeat as many as possible to prevent them from getting any further. Kirby will go into the Hyper Zone and face the source of the problem."
Everyone except Gooey nodded and prepared for battle. Gooey felt too disgusted with himself.
Kirby took one last look at his friends before floating into the Hyper Zone.
"Watch out! Here they come!" Bun shouted.
The Dark Matter swarmed the tower. Everyone fought in their own way. Rick and Nago grabbed a Dark Matter and body slammed them together. Coo and Pitch aimed for their large eyes. Kine flailed around, causing the Dark Matter to collide. ChuChu used her tentacles to smack and grab them, throwing the enemies to the ground.
Meta Knight, Sword, and Blade fought with their swords, taking down several at a time. Sailor Dee used the car's various gadgets to fight off the malevolent entities. Fumu and Bun were behind Sailor Dee, working the vehicles weapons as well.
One Dark Matter had cornered Gooey, ready to finish him off.
Gooey gulped. "Go ahead, do your worst. I deserve it. No one will care anyway..."
Gooey squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself, ready for the finishing blow to be dealt. Suddenly, the Dark Matter was struck by a large hammer. Gooey opened his eyes to see King Dedede wielding the hammer, standing on top of Dark Matter.
"Now kid, that's no way to act." The king said, looking at the blue blob before him.
Gooey looked at Dedede in shock, before wrapping his tongue around Dark Matter and sent it hurling into the wall of the tower.
"That's better. Now stop moping and help us get rid of these freaks." Dedede whacked another Dark Matter into oblivion.
Gooey, though still not quite composed, joined the fray against Dark Matter.
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Kirby entered the Hyper Zone with the Love-Love Stick in hand. The Hyper Zone itself was a mass of blue with black spots swirling around endlessly. Several black blobs joined together, forming the Dark Matter from before. The same that Kirby had fought wielding the Rainbow Sword.
"So…you could not leave well enough alone…and chose to fight me once more…"
"Dark Matter hurt Gooey, poyo! Dark Matter hurt lots of Dreamland!" Kirby shouted.
"As insolent as ever…at least I can distract you…for now at least…but I will give you the option…to flee the battle…it would be the easiest option…"
"Poyo, maybe the easiest but not the best!" Kirby retaliated.
"Very well then…even if you make it past me…you will not defeat him…"
Before Kirby could even react, a small laser beam came from Dark Matter's eye. The black colored beam hit Kirby, who uttered a small squeak in shock. Kirby swung the Love-Love Stick, a golden heart beam was sent to Dark Matter. The malevolent being took damage, closing his single eye in pain.
Dark Matter released another series of laser beams. The pink star warrior dodged them with ease and determination. He waved the wand once again, injuring Dark Matter with it's immense power.
The orange spheres on Dark Matter's body began to detach, floating around Kirby in an attempt to hold him back. He hit every one with the Love-Love Stick, causing the spheres to return to Dark Matter.
Dark Matter released the lasers from it's eye. A golden heart beam was sent into it's eye, dealing a sufficient amount of damage.
Dark Matter tried to fly into Kirby, his final trial against the pink puffball. Kirby waved the wand one last time, successfully wounding the dark creature.
It's body dissolved into a black substance, leaving only the eye to glare at Kirby.
"You may have defeated me with ease…but the true nightmare has yet to come…" The eye exploded in the black mess.
The entire Hyper Zone trembled and quaked, then was enveloped in a blinding white light.
When Kirby regained his sense of sight, a strange being was before him. What appeared to be a large white sphere with a single red eye floated in front of the Star Warrior.
The white eyeball continued to stare at Kirby until the pink puffball finally broke the silence.
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"Why is Dark Matter taking over Dreamland, poyo?!" Kirby asked.
"Because I commanded them to." The white eyeball explained simply.
Kirby decided he didn't like that answer. "Why, poyo? Dreamland is unhappy!"
"I am Zero, creator of all Dark Matter. I cannot feel such emotions as….happiness."
That was the saddest thing the young Star Warrior ever heard. Someone that had never felt happiness before…this was unthinkable to the pink puffball when there was so much beauty and love in the world.
"Poyo…Kirby didn't know…Is Zero just sad?"
The eyeball scoffed at Kirby. "Your sentiment means nothing to me. I cannot feel any sort of positive emotion, so why should anyone else?"
This statement confused him further. Fumu had told him one of the best feelings in the world was to make someone happy and bring a smile on their face. Why would Zero want to cause the opposite?
"Why…why, poyo? Why would Zero make Dark Matter possess Dedede and the rest of Dreamland? Why not make Dreamland happy, poyo? Then Zero will be happy too!"
The creator of Dark Matter stared at Kirby. "You do not understand. You are nothing but a child." Zero slowly floated around the Hyper Zone, rotating around Kirby.
"Emotions are fleeting. The positive emotions you feel will only bring momentary happiness. Leaving pain, fear, and hatred to fill the empty space."
The Star Warrior had never been so confused in his life. If Zero truly was an enemy, he wondered why he was listening to him anyway. However, he felt compelled to listen to the ruler of Dark Matter.
"The friends that you have could leave you at any moment. Deceive you, betray you, creating grief and anger. The ones that are closest may be the ones to plot your downfall."
Kirby tried not to listen, but he couldn't block out Zero's words. They were painful and poisonous. It was as if his monologue was hurting Kirby physically.
"Imagine a universe without that pain. With Dark Matter possessing the entire population, there will be no emotions. The lie that is love and happiness will no longer cloud the minds of others, allowing a new reality to be seen."
"NO, POYO!" Kirby shouted. "If that is Zero's plan, then Kirby will fight Zero to the end!"
"Foolish child…you know nothing of the cruel reality that must be faced."
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Zero floated into Kirby, ramming the pink puffball. He nearly dropped the Love-Love Stick, but kept a firm grip on it. Kirby and the wand were Dreamland's last hope. The Star Warrior swung the wand, releasing the golden heart beam on Zero. This seemed to cause far more damage on him than Dark Matter.
Zero whirled around the Hyper Zone. A red substance was sprayed near Kirby, but he managed to dodge the strange liquid. Kirby hurled the Love-Love Stick again, a golden heart striking the white being.
Zero summoned four smaller Dark Matter. They proceeded to make a beeline towards Kirby, who managed to dodge all but one of the dark fiends. Kirby was punted further into the Hyper Zone, still firmly grasping the Love-Love Stick.
Zero crashed into Kirby again, but the Star Warrior would not give up.
"Child, surrender this strife. Your opposition was doomed from the beginning." Zero's red eye was analyzing the pink puffball's every move, his every expression, as though he was trying to peer into Kirby's mind.
"No, poyo! Kirby will never give up! Kirby won't let Dreamland give up happiness!" Kirby fired his weapon at Zero, who reeled away from the attack.
The creator of Dark Matter revolved around the Hyper Zone, spreading the red substance once again. Kirby moved out of it's way and attacked Zero once again. He flinched from the impact and sent another wave of Dark Matter.
Kirby danced out of their line of attack, focusing on their master instead. The Love-Love Stick was flung once again, this time seemed to gravely injure Zero. Kirby didn't want to fight him, but it was necessary. The Star Warrior hoped that the Love-Love Stick could use it's power to help Zero understand positive emotions and convert to a benign being. Zero had a completely wrong concept of emotions, and Kirby wanted to change that.
The master of Dark Matter was about to slam himself into Kirby, then the Star Warrior swung the wand again. The golden heart beam hit Zero in the eye, causing him to spiral in an erratic fashion. The Hyper Zone swirled faster, while the red liquid was flung again.
Zero returned in front of Kirby. Three red markings appeared around Zero's eye, three above and three below. The red substance was fired at Kirby from the six markings. He dodged and continued to attack with the Love-Love Stick.
Zero grunted in pain. "It hurts…It hurts…"
Kirby wondered if he had broken through Zero, that maybe the battle was over. Zero slung more of the red substance from the markings as an attack towards Kirby. Zero was still unwavering on defeating Dreamland's hero. Kirby managed to elude his attack and swung the Love-Love Stick once more, the beam hitting Zero directly in the eye.
His eye was opened wide in trauma, a stream of red liquid leaked from it.
Zero could only scream in misery. "It hurts…it…hurts…"
The red marks around the eye began to increase in size, tearing through Zero's skin. The red substance was pouring out endlessly through the openings in the surface. Kirby realized with horror and disgust that it wasn't some strange liquid, it was blood.
The tears through the skin continued until Zero's eye burst from his body, the blood spurting in every direction. Zero's discarded body drifted away, being ruptured by the Hyper Zone until there were no remains left.
Kirby wailed in horror at the monstrosity before him. Zero's disembodied eye approached him while the frightened Star Warrior desperately tried to create a distance between them.
"I can hear your heart beat in fear, child. I am what you fear, and I shall use your fear to full advantage." The eye of Zero circled around Kirby.
Kirby waved the Love-Love Stick, sending the golden beam of hearts at the eye in defense. The pink puffball had never been so scared in the entirety of his life.
The eye of Zero began to spiral out of control, severely hemorrhaging and exploded in a burst of blood. The Hyper Zone was falling apart, light banishing the darkness that once floated above Dreamland.
Kirby gently floated down to the surface, lamenting Zero's defeat. A small tear escaped his eye. He thought if Zero could feel love from the Love-Love Stick, then maybe he could understand the emotion. Yes, Zero did try to take over Popstar, but the pink puffball couldn't help feeling remorse for Dark Matter's creator. He wanted Zero to feel happiness, he didn't mean to kill him!
Kirby carefully landed on the ground, in front of Dedede's castle. Kirby's friends looked on in confusion at how they had been transported home, but decided that Kirby's well being was more important.
"Kirby! Are you hurt anywhere?!" Fumu asked. Nothing but Kirby's heart had been wounded.
"Kirby…Kirby is fine, poyo…"
"What's wrong, Kirby?" Fumu asked, worried for Kirby's miserable appearance.
Kirby made his way over to Gooey, ignoring the bewildered looks.
"What's wrong? Are…are you still mad about me…being a Dark Matter?"
Kirby shook his head and placed one arm stub on Gooey. "Kirby is sorry…Kirby couldn't save Zero…" Another tear escaped the Star Warrior's eye.
"So…Zero…he's…?" Kirby nodded to Gooey quietly.
"Kirby…who is Zero?" Fumu asked followed by Bun and the rest of the group.
Kirby explained in the best way he could his experience with Zero, while Gooey would cut in when Kirby needed a moment to collect his thoughts. Meta Knight approached the upset Kirby.
"Sometimes in the struggle for peace, lost lives are an unpreventable necessity." Kirby nodded to Meta Knight, not feeling much better.
It wasn't fair. Kirby had made so many Dreamland residents happy, but the one that needed happiness the most couldn't understand the concept and died in a terrible way. It wasn't fair!
Kirby's friends decided to go outside in the sunshine and relish in Popstar's returned light. Kirby stayed inside his house, mulling over the day's events.
The pink puffball decided that being holed up in his house wasn't good for him, so he ventured out into Dreamland. Under a tree stood his animal friends, Gooey, Dedede, and a familiar face from their journey.
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"Ado, poyo?" The artist smiled at Kirby.
"Hey, I don't want to see such a sad face. I want to see this." She pulled out the painting of Kirby and Gooey that had been created at Cloudy Park. The painting had a cheerful expression on Kirby and Gooey's face.
ChuChu grabbed an apple from the tree above and pushed it into Kirby's face, but not forcefully. "We've missed you for the past hour."
Dedede blushed a little. "What we're trying to say is, it's not normal for you to be so sad. So get happy!"
Kirby smiled a little at his friends's efforts to cheer him up. Ado then handed him a picture with Kirby and all of his friends together. Kirby smiled wider.
"Thank you, Ado poyo!"
"Adeleine. My full name is Adeleine." Adeleine grinned at the joyful Kirby.
It had been an eventful day. Gooey had been completely forgiven by everyone for hiding his secret of being a Dark Matter. Rick, Coo, and Kine returned to their respective lands. Pitch had returned to Ripple Field's islands where his mother was thankful to see her son's return. Nago had decided to move into Grass Land. ChuChu had decided to live around the ocean close to the town. All in all, everything had returned to normal.
Almost everything. Kirby still grieved in his heart for the demise of Zero, but knew that it was inevitable. However, Kirby knew that with his friends by his side, he could conquer anything. Kirby looked at the framed picture gifted to him by Adeleine before going to bed for the night.
If someone had been looking at Popstar in space, they would see the planet's newly restored rings glowing in their vibrant beauty.
Author's Note: Zero is truly one of the most frightening yet sympathetic Nintendo characters. He can't feel positive emotions, yet he most likely wants to feel happiness and affection. All he has is Dark Matter and the void of space. Truly a tragic villian.