It was the day after the Dyna Blade incident. A certain pink puffball excitedly rocketed out of bed and quickly ate his breakfast of eggs and toast. Kirby was giddy because he had planned to spend the entire day with his two best friends, Marx and Gooey. They would go to all the best places around Cappy Town, and it would be a great way for the two to get familiar with each other.
Kirby figured that they didn't have much time to talk at their sleepover, since Marx probably fell asleep quickly after taking refuge in bushes for the past few days. He was just so excited! Two of his favorite friends together having fun. Kirby had a feeling that today would be unforgettable.
The pink puffball stopped at the castle to tell Fumu and Bun his plans for today so they wouldn't worry, though it was more for Fumu's sake. Kirby bolted to Gooey's log cabin as fast as his red feet would allow. He knocked on the door and waited. Gooey opened the door a few seconds later.
"Hey Kirby! You're here earlier than usual." Gooey responded.
"That's because I planned for the three of us to spend the whole day together, poyo! How did the sleepover go?"
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"That Marx guy must be a real insomniac. He stayed up until four o' clock in the morning! Don't know what made him stay up so late, though."
Kirby stepped inside the log cabin and looked at Gooey's bedside clock. It read nine o' clock.
"Where is Marx, poyo? Is he still asleep?"
"I'm pretty sure. He's buried under that pile of blankets over there. He won't wake up!"
"Marx? Marx, poyo?" Kirby whispered, poking the bundle under the blankets.
The little jester didn't stir at all. He didn't even make a noise. Kirby moved the blankets from Marx's face. The lavender clown's eyes were tightly shut and his mouth was open somewhat, although he didn't snore.
"Marx, are you awake, poyo?" Kirby asked a little louder than before.
"Marx, are you getting up now?!" Gooey shouted.
"Myeeeh…" The little jester rolled over, facing the opposite direction of the two in defiance.
Gooey grabbed Marx's foot with his long tongue and dragged him in front of a window in the sunlight.
"Myeeeh…Weh…" Marx uttered several sounds of protest.
"Are you up now, Marx?" Gooey asked as the jester rose to his feet, leaning against the wall to aid him in this task.
"Yes, I'm up now…but I'm not happy about it." Marx said in a very tired voice.
The lavender child walked a few steps before falling on his face. He rolled over to the wall again and found his footing.
The jester sighed. "It looks like someone didn't listen to the warning that I don't like to be touched."
"But Marx, you wouldn't get up. You don't want to sleep the whole day away, do you?" Gooey asked.
"Well, you seemed completely fine with talking the night away, you know?" Marx grumbled.
Kirby turned to Gooey, who gave a nervous chuckle.
"So that's why you're so tired, poyo." Kirby said.
"I just want to sleeeeeeeep…" Marx drawled, almost falling onto the floor again.
"But Marx, poyo. We were going to spend the whole day together." Kirby said dejectedly.
"It's okay, Kirby." Gooey hopped next to his pink puffball friend. "We'll just stuff him full of sugar and I'm sure he'll get his energy back."
After a blueberry pancake breakfast, courtesy of Kirby, the three headed outside to start their day of fun.
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"So, what kind of things did you have planned for us today, Kirby?" Marx asked with renewed energy.
"Actually, I made a list, poyo." Kirby took out a folded up piece of paper from thin air. "The things that are extra fun are written in red!"
"Everything's in red." Marx observed.
"Yeah, I know, poyo!"
"That just means we'll have lots of fun today!" Gooey cheered.
"The first thing on the list is, 'Go pick berries from the bushes outside of Cappy Town'." Kirby read.
The three headed to their destination. Kirby had donned an explorer's hat and carried a backpack.
"Hey, Hey, Hey, how much longer will it be until we get there? My feet are getting tired, you know?" Marx asked.
"It shouldn't be too far from here, poyo." Kirby replied.
"You said that ten minutes ago! I'm starting to think you have no idea where you're going, nope nope!"
"Kirby knows what he's doing." Gooey chimed in. "You gotta have faith in the puffball, Marx! Have faith in the puffball."
"Fine. I'll have faith in the puffball for ten more minutes."
The two looked around to see that Kirby had gone ahead of them. They caught up with Kirby just in time to see him trip and fall down a hole.
"Kirby!"
"Poyoooo!" The pink puffball yelled in surprise.
"How deep do you think that hole is? Go get help! I'll stay here in case Kirby needs something!" Marx said, his panic beginning to grow.
"Nobody got time for that!" Gooey yelled.
Gooey grabbed Marx by the foot with his tongue and jumped in the hole. Marx screamed in protest while Gooey just screamed.
-
An unknown amount of time passed. Kirby was just awakening from his deep slumber, when he saw his two friends face down on the cold cave floor.
"Marx, Gooey, poyo? Did you fall down too?"
Gooey immediately hopped up when he heard his name, but Marx could only twitch on the ground.
"Marx, what's wrong buddy?" Gooey asked obliviously.
Only muffled sounds could be heard from the jester. Marx managed to help himself on his feet after rolling to a rock and propping himself up with it. He walked over to the friendly Dark Matter.
"Gooey…I am going to ask this with great control and quiet restraint." Marx sighed then inhaled.
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"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" Marx yelled so loud, it startled Gooey into falling down.
"Ow, you don't have to shout!" Gooey winced.
"I have every reason to shout! You threw me down a hole, we're stuck in a cave with no idea where we are, and nobody knows we're here!"
"Marx, try to calm down, poyo." Kirby tried to calm the angry boy.
"Calm down? Calm down?!" Marx fumed, stepping closer to Gooey.
Then Marx suddenly collapsed on the floor. "We're going to die here! We're all going to die here! There were so many things I wanted to do in life, you know?! Then my life fell in the hands of an idiot! Weeeh!"
Kirby frowned. This wasn't how he had planned the day to go at all. Kirby stood next to the hysterical jester boy.
"Marx, we'll be okay, poyo. I promise, and you'll get to do all those things you want to do."
"You think so? Do you really think we'll be okay?" Marx looked at Kirby in the eyes.
"I know we'll be okay, poyo." Kirby gave Marx a slight pat on the head. Marx flinched, but he didn't growl at Kirby.
"Besides!" Gooey hopped in. "It might be a fun adventure!"
"I don't wanna hear any commentary from the peanut gallery! Nope nope!" Marx huffed.
Gooey frowned, but trudged along with his two friends as they walked further into the cave.
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The first area the three friends found themselves in was the Sub-Tree area. It was an expansive jungle like landscape with several species of plant life.
"Wow…how can something like this even exist? It's like an oasis, but underground, mhmm." Marx said with awe.
The three were walking when suddenly Kirby tripped again. The pink puffball stood up as Marx and Gooey looked to see what had caused the fall. It was a red and gold box.
"Ooh, what's a pretty box like that doing here?" Gooey wondered.
"Let's open it, poyo!" Kirby excitedly opened the box.
Inside was a gold medal, most likely worth a good sum of money. Their eyes sparkled with interest.
"Hey, Hey, Hey. Why would one box be sitting by itself? Maybe there's more, you know?"Marx hummed.
"Yeah, Kirby! Maybe this cave is full of treasure! Let's go!" Gooey cheered.
So the three friends continued on their way through the cave. A little bit away from where they found the first treasure box, they found a series of bomb blocks. Kirby inhaled a nearby Waddle Doo to become Beam Kirby.
"Heh heh, your hat looks like Marx's! But yours has nice pretty warm colors." Gooey said.
Marx frowned.
"I think your hat looks cooler Marx, poyo!"
Marx smiled.
Kirby waved the beam rod and destroyed two of the blocks. Just as he was about to hit the third block, a section of the ground opened up, revealing a treasure chest.
Kirby retrieved the chest and opened it. Inside was a whip.
"Well, I don't see how it could be considered treasure, but maybe it could be useful." Marx said.
Kirby stowed the whip and golden medal in his backpack, then set off again. They entered the next area of the underground jungle and saw a series of sealed off doors and switches. Kirby tried hitting some of the switches with his beam, only for them to close after a few seconds.
"It looks like we'll need some speed to get through those doors, mhmm." The little jester mused.
Suddenly a Birdon passed by, then Kirby and Gooey grinned.
"Hey, Hey, Hey. Is there something I'm missing here?"
A few moments later, Kirby transformed into Wing Kirby. Kirby held onto Gooey with one arm.
"Marx, I know you don't really like being touched, poyo. But I'll have to hold you with one arm." Kirby explained.
Marx made a face, but allowed himself to be carried by the pink puffball. Before Marx could question why, Kirby hit the switch and rocketed through the doors at a breakneck speed. The little jester could only scream the entire flight in alarm and panic.
The moment they reached the end of their flight, Marx jumped out of Kirby's grip and kissed the ground in relief.
"Ground! Sweet glorious ground! How I've taken you for granted!"
"What was that Marx?" Gooey asked. "That screaming sounded so unnatural!"
Marx inhaled, gritting his teeth in slight anger.
"Uh, look over there, poyo! A treasure chest!"
The jester and blob turned their attention to the treasure, the treasure chest was opened to reveal a Crystal Ball.
"That's more like treasure!" Marx's eyes sparkled.
They eventually found themselves at a body of water. Unfortunately, it was also their only way of continuing. The three swam through the water, taking a break on a small strip of land and finding a treasure chest there. Inside was a Lucky Cat figurine.
They continued to swim until they entered the next area. There were a few small rocks in a pond of lava, they also had to cross this to continue.
Kirby grabbed both Gooey and Marx, much to the jester's discomfort.
"Kirby, please please don't drop me…I don't wanna become cooked to a tender golden brown, you know?"
"I won't drop you Marx, poyo." Kirby assured Marx in the most sincere voice.
"Uh, don't drop me either!" Gooey suggested.
Kirby flew quickly but carefully over the lava pond, safely reaching the ground.
Suddenly, another treasure chest dropped down from the ceiling and onto one of the rocks. The pink puffball skipped across the stones and opened the chest. Inside was a Seiryu Sword.
On their way, they found another chest with a Screw Attack inside, as well as another with a Phanto Mask. The three eventually came to a stop to rest.
"I think we're doing pretty good so far! When we get out, we'll be rich!" Gooey said excitedly.
"If we get out. We don't exactly know where we are, you know?" Marx reminded with a touch of bitterness.
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Suddenly, a scream was heard by the three. Kirby raced to the direction where the cry was heard with his friends following behind. Once they were there, they saw a Bonkers holding a Waddle Dee upside down by the foot.
"I thought I told you that if you came back without treasure, you were gonna get it! You've come back empty handed, so now you face the punishment!" The Bonkers snarled.
"Just give me one more chance! Please!" The Waddle Dee begged.
The Bonkers took out his hammer.
Marx gaped in horror, his eyes started trembling.
"Please don't do this! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
"HEY!" A pink puffball called out. "Let him go!"
The Bonkers grinned. "Let him go, eh? You want him, you can have him!" The Bonkers threw the Waddle Dee in their direction, the four cried out in pain.
"Now I'm mad, but I have four weaklings to take it out on instead of one!" The Bonkers approached the four with a menacing grin on his face.
Marx whimpered and the Waddle Dee tried to hide behind Kirby.
"Show that guy who's boss, Kirby!" Gooey yelled.
Kirby dashed using his wing power, barreling into his opponent with great force. The Bonkers was struck so hard, he left a crater in the ground.
"Quick! Let's get out of here, poyo!"
The four quickly scurried away and didn't stop until they were sure they were safe.
"Are…are you okay, poyo?" Kirby asked the Waddle Dee, slightly out of breath.
"Yeah, I-I'm fine now…since you saved me, that is. I can't thank you enough…" The Waddle Dee tried to calm his pounding heart.
"Why was that guy going to hurt you anyway? Or was he just the routine jerk picking on some innocent?" Marx asked, curiosity growing.
"A-ah! Well, he was after the treasure here. I was smaller, so he wanted me to reach some treasure that he couldn't get. The space was narrow and high up. I got scared and I couldn't do it. It was over a gorge and I…" The Waddle Dee trembled.
"It's okay now! You're with us, and we'll get you back up on the surface where you belong!" Gooey said cheerfully.
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"The surface? I've never been to the surface…"
The three were suddenly very confused by the Waddle Dee's words.
"Huh? You mean that guy didn't kidnap you and drag you down here?" Gooey asked.
"No…I've lived down here all my life. That…that…thug with the hammer…only showed up yesterday." The Waddle Dee explained. "Is it true? Will…will you really take me to the outside?"
"Sure, poyo! If that's what you want, but what's your name?" Kirby asked enthusiastically.
"Armin…My name is Armin."
"Hahaha! Armin's a weird name!" Gooey laughed.
"And like Gooey is the most creative and magnificent name in existence, you know?" Marx rolled his eyes.
"And Marx isn't too far from Mark!" Gooey retorted.
"My name is more original than Mark!"
"Guys, stop it, poyo! What's gotten into you?"
"Oh no…they're getting cave madness…" Armin sighed.
"Cave madness? What's that, poyo?"
Armin sighed. "There are tales…tales passed down by many Waddle Dees from before…that this cave was cursed by something…the treasure left here only makes it worse…the longer an outsider stays inside the cave, the more crazy they get…"
Kirby gasped. He looked toward Marx and Gooey, the two suddenly realizing the weight of the situation.
"So…how long does it take for this 'cave madness' to hit full effect?" Marx asked.
"It could be anywhere from a few hours to a few days…maybe that's what happened to the guy with the hammer…"
"Come on team!" Gooey sprung up, suddenly upbeat. "We're not gonna let some curse split us apart, are we? We can do this!"
"Gooey is right, poyo! We'll get out, and Fumu says curses aren't real!" Kirby followed.
"So I was right! I knew there was something unnatural about this place!" Marx declared.
"Don't worry Marx! Besides, we've got Armin to help us through the cave, poyo!"
"Yeah, Armin should know the way around this place, so we can get out easy! Right, Armin?" Gooey said.
"Uh…" Armin stuttered.
"You know…You do know the way out…right?" Marx asked, uncertainty growing with each passing second of the Waddle Dee's silence.
"Uh…well…I've never been out of the jungle area…so…"
"So we're lost, right?" The little jester was beginning to sweat.
"Well…I suppose that would be correct…"
"You mean we only have a few hours to get out? And we have no way out of here…" Marx sat on the ground, trying to stay calm.
"I guess we should get moving then…" Armin trundled along, the other three following.
"It'll be okay, Marx. I promise, poyo." Kirby smiled reassuringly in his direction.
Somehow, the way Kirby was looking at Marx made the clown child believe him. It made him believe that they would be okay, that they could still do all those fun things that friends are supposed to do together. That there would be more days that the two could laugh and have fun. Kirby's calm constant reassurances was what drove Marx to have faith, that maybe Kirby really was a hero and he could get everyone out of this mess.
-
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The team of four walked passed some ladders and noticed a treasure chest on a high ledge. The three wanted to get it, but…
"Hey Armin…" Gooey asked slowly. "The treasure itself isn't cursed…is it?"
"No, not that I know of. Cave madness only makes the treasure bad, as anyone with it becomes desperate for the treasure…" The Waddle Dee answered slowly.
"So there's nothing for us to worry about! We won't let treasure cloud our minds, right?" Gooey asked.
"But if we get the cave madness, then it's bad?" Marx asked.
"Pretty much." Armin shrugged.
Kirby flew up to the treasure chest and opened it. Inside was a Star Stone. The pink puffball flew back down. In another place with two Gordos, another treasure chest was found with a Beast's Fang inside.
They found themselves at a gorge, mentioned by Armin. It was a large gap that seemed to never end. If they fell, it was very likely they would never see the light again.
"Okay, I've got a plan, poyo. I'll carry Marx, and Armin can ride on Gooey's back as he swings over the gorge with his tongue."
Neither Marx or Armin liked this plan, but they didn't seem to have any other option. Armin clung to Gooey's back, while Kirby was carrying Marx in his arms.
"It'll be okay, poyo. Just don't panic, and don't look down." Kirby reassured.
Marx squirmed slightly, not having any enjoyment out of physical contact, but stayed quiet on the matter.
Gooey swung to the small cliff with Armin becoming quite pale. Marx tried not to look down, but his body betrayed his mind and couldn't stop from looking. He felt faint, on top of his displeasure of being touched.
The moment they landed on the cliff, Marx took a deep breath of air and tried to think of happy thoughts. The four noticed the treasure chest, but both Marx and Armin were too nauseated to care. Kirby and Gooey opened the box to find a Bandanna.
They flew and swung over one more gorge, much to the little jester and Waddle Dee's chagrin. They found one more treasure chest in a ditch containing a Seasons Heart. As soon as they were about to enter another part of the area, a strange hooded creature, commonly known as a Tac, suddenly approached Kirby and somehow stole his ability.
"Hey, Hey, Hey! We need that, you know!" Marx shouted. "Kirby, don't just stand there! Go get it back!"
Kirby tried to chase the thief, but the Tac got away. Kirby came back without an ability.
"Where there are treasures…" Armin started.
"There are thieves trying to steal those treasures…" Marx finished.
They entered the small leafy doorway to thankfully find three copy abilities. The one on the left being Jet, the middle Mirror, and the right Sword. Kirby decided to go with the Jet ability.
"Kirby, how many of these abilities do you have?" Marx asked.
"Umm…" Kirby thought for a moment. "A lot of them, poyo!"
"We gave up trying to count a long time ago!" Gooey responded.
"That…that many?" The lavender skinned child gaped.
"Mhmm, I'm sure there are some I haven't even discovered yet, poyo!" Kirby replied cheerfully, unaware of Marx's astonishment.
"Hee hee…Wow…you're so strong…and all you need is an ability then you're all set, you know?"
"Wow, look at this guys!" Gooey said, getting everyone's attention.
They entered the doorway to see a room filled mostly with water. Stalagmites grew on the ceiling, and the water was a crisp blue. As the four walked across the path looking at the sight, suddenly the cavern rumbled.
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Something flew up in the air. This something looked like a giant blue whale with a pipe in it's mouth to the group of four. The whale, known as Fatty Whale, hit the water, sending a monstrous wave in their direction. They were soaked, but that was the least of their problems. Large rocks fell from the ceiling, nearly crushing Kirby's friends.
"Marx, Armin! Let us take care of this, poyo!" Kirby shouted over the roar of the water.
The Waddle Dee and little jester ducked out of the way of battle and ran to the entrance they came from.
Kirby powered up his jet, then propelled himself into Fatty Whale. The enemy seemed to have taken some damage from the impact. Gooey wrapped his tongue around a large rock and chucked it at Fatty Whale. The whale jumped into the air again after the attack, sending another large wave over them.
Kirby and Gooey were sent flying into the air, but they landed safely and continued their offensive tactics. The pink puffball used his jet dash to land another blow, while Gooey continued to use Fatty Whale's own arsenal of rocks against him.
Marx watched in awe as the two fought back, it was as if they had known about the ambush and had planned a counterattack. The young Star Warrior and the friendly blob had defeated their foe with ease, both received little to no damage.
For about the hundredth time that day, Marx had been amazed by something about Kirby and his friend. No matter how you looked at it, the two were well prepared for these kinds of situations. Gooey and Armin were already heading to the next area of the cave, Kirby tured and smiled at Marx.
"See, I promised you would be okay, poyo! And I never break a promise to a friend."
Marx walked behind Kirby as they were catching up to the rest of the team. He wanted to believe the young Star Warrior's words were true, and after witnessing some of Kirby's heroism and courage today, maybe, just maybe, they were true.
Maybe Marx could have faith in the puffball.
Author's Note: I know that Marx and Gooey don't appear in the Great Cave Offensive in the game, but this is a great opportunity! We can make a game out of it. See how many references and memes you can spot by the end of The Great Cave Offensive. Marx and Gooey together in a cave, both being hilarious. Think about it, think of all the potential humor this can bring. This was a very fun chapter to write, I barely had any trouble writing it.