Kirby the Star Warrior awoke in his humble abode like any normal day in Dreamland. He finished his normal routine in the morning, but he couldn't help but feel that something was off. He looked out the window. It was another perfectly sunny day, so why did something feel so wrong?
The young Star Warrior suddenly heard rustling outside of his house. Kirby ran out the door to inspect the source of the noise. It was coming from the trash can next to his mailbox. The pink child cautiously opened the lid to the trashcan.
Inside was a very familiar jester, only he looked absolutely petrified. His already large eyes looker much wider than usual, and he was shivering all over. Concerned, Kirby immediately lifted him from the garbage can and set him on the ground.
"Marx?! What's wrong, poyo?"
"K-K-Kirby!" Marx said, eyes somehow even wider than before. "There's there's this…this punk kid in town! He says he's looking for you! So I decided to hide in your trash can on lookout because I knew you had the cleanest trash can on Pop Star. You never throw any food out, you know."
"A punk kid, poyo? What did he look like?" The pink Star Warrior asked.
"Well, he had this fighter get up, and blonde hair. Kirby, I suggest both of us get out of town until it all blows over!"
"Knuckle Joe!" Kirby said with glee, immediately grabbing Marx and ran towards the town.
"Kirby! You're going the wrong way! You're dooming us both!" The horrified jester screamed.
The pink puffball and reluctant jester finally stopped on the outskirts of the town, noticing a blonde boy standing by a tree. The kid seemed to notice them, grinning widely.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it Kirby?"
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"Knuckle Joe! You're back, poyo! I've got so much to tell you!" Kirby ran to his friend, setting the little clown on the ground.
Knuckle Joe blinked in surprise. "You can speak now? Last time I saw you, all you could say was 'poyo', but now you've got perfect English. I have been gone a long time haven't I? At least now I won't have to hold up both sides of the conversation."
"So much has happened, poyo! A while after Nightmare was gone, there were these things called Dark Matter and one possessed Dedede, then they came back a while later and then they came back a third time, poyo! Dedede stole all of Dreamland's food and got hurt and Dyna Blade got mad, then we fell in a cave and got lost and-"
Knuckle Joe covered the rambling pink puffball's mouth. "Whoa there. It sounds like a lot happened in the past months, but you don't have to tell me all of it here. I'll be staying in town for a while, so you'll have plenty of time to explain yourself."
Marx gaped, his mouth dropped to the ground and his eyes bulged. The punk kid was going to be staying. The lavender child suddenly felt very sick to his stomach.
"Hey Kirby, is that your friend? He doesn't look so good."
"Are you okay, poyo?" Kirby asked, concerned for his friend's suddenly pale complexion.
"Uh…Kirby? Are you two…friends?" Marx managed to ask.
"Yes. Is that all?" The young Star Warrior asked, slightly confused.
"Okay. That's all I needed to know." The little jester responded as he stood up.
"AAAH!"Marx suddenly screamed and surprisingly ran up a tree. He hid in the leaves of the tree and peeked out from his hiding spot.
"Kirby…does he do this often?" Knuckle Joe rubbed his nose with his index finger.
"No, he usually runs and hides in a bush."
"…You're friend's weird."
"Nah, he's just shy, poyo." Kirby smiled.
"So…how long will he be up there?" The Demon Beast Hunter asked.
Kirby shrugged his shoulders, then climbed up the tree. Knuckle Joe heard a few shrieks of protest, then saw the pink puffball climb down the tree with the little jester in tow. He set Marx on the ground, but the moment he tried to return to the tree, Kirby grabbed Marx again.
"He's usually not like this, poyo." Kirby said, confused by his friend's behavior.
"What's your name?" Knuckle Joe asked the little jester.
"…Beef... Wellington?" The purple eyed kid said.
"You're name, poyo."
"…Marx."
"Marx. Kind of like Mark." Knuckle Joe said.
"My name is nothing like Mark!" Marx barked.
Knuckle Joe raised an eyebrow.
"Uh…but you can call me Mark if you want…" He said quickly, trying to avoid raising anger in the young Demon Beast Hunter,
"So, do you live here? When did you two meet? I don't remember seeing you before." Knuckle Joe asked.
"We met a while ago. Marx was a traveler, but now he wants to live in Cappy Town, poyo! He's really talented and funny too! He's a jester!" Kirby said excitedly.
"So he travels around…this might actually be good…" Knuckle Joe murmured, much to their confusion.
Noticing the lost look on his company's faces, he decided to cut to the chase. "Sorry I didn't get to the point, Kirby, but I'm actually here on business too. I was wondering if you knew where Sir Meta Knight was. I need to talk to him."
"Uh…" Kirby made a face.
"What's with that look? Come on, Kirby. Where's Sir Meta Knight?"
"Uh…well…you see…" Kirby rubbed the back of his head. "Sir Meta Knight…kind of ran into some trouble some time ago, poyo…and…"
Knuckle Joe's face suddenly turned to shock. He grabbed the pink puffball by the shoulders, startling both Marx and Kirby.
"Kirby, tell me it isn't true! Tell me Sir Meta Knight isn't dead! He can't be!"
"No no, poyo! He's alive! He just…got into some trouble…and he's paying for it…"
"Well, that sort of explains the looks I got when I asked the people in town about Meta Knight…what did he do?" Knuckle Joe crossed his arms.
"He tried to take over Dreamland, poyo. It was for a good cause…but well…maybe it would be better if you heard his side of the story…"
"Yeah, I think I need to hear it from Sir Meta Knight…never thought he would be the takeover type…" The fighter mused.
"He feels really bad about it, poyo…Fumu won't talk to him, the town's whispering about him, and Dedede put Sir Meta Knight, Sword, and Blade on three months of punishment…"
"Thanks for giving me the info. I'll catch up with you later, Kirby!" Knuckle Joe rubbed his nose, then dashed off towards the castle.
Kirby turned toward Marx, about to ask about his behavior, when he noticed Marx's facial expression. He stared at the young Star Warrior.
"Kirby…we need to talk."
-
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The young fighter roamed the halls of Castle Dedede, looking for the blue knight. He couldn't find the older Star Warrior anywhere, and he had been searching for a while. Then a pungent smell hit his nostrils, making his eyes water.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to follow the repulsive smell. He stopped at a wooden door, held his breath, then entered.
Inside, he found a catastrophic room with every type of junk imaginable. The blue knight he was looking for was cleaning the garbage dump of a room, along with Sword, Blade, and an orange Waddle Dee wearing headphones.
"…Knuckle Joe?" Meta Knight looked up from his work.
"Sir Meta Knight, I've been trying to find- GASP!" Knuckle Joe pinched his nose. "How can you stand this?!"
"The masks help block the smell somewhat." The Star Warrior answered.
"It smells like a dead rat soaked in rotten tomatoes and rotten milk, that got sprayed by a skunk that was tossed into a sewer! UGH!" The blonde grimaced.
"I can see that you're busy. I'll just wait somewhere else…" Knuckle Joe coughed.
"Sir Meta Knight…you can go." Chris the Janitor spoke up.
"We'll handle things here. This seems rather important." Blade said, Sword nodded.
"You two go to the break room. King Dedede is playing golf outside, so he'll be busy for a while." Chris the Janitor said.
"Thank you." Meta Knight bowed.
The blue knight and young Demon Beast Hunter sat down at the coffee table in the room, thankful to be free of the stench for the moment.
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"Sir Meta Knight…what's happened? Why does the town suddenly not want to talk about you? Don't they trust your decisions?" Knuckle Joe asked after a moment of silence.
"No…not anymore…"
"Tell me what happened. I need to know."
"…Very well then."
Meta Knight spent the next half hour explaining his reasons and motives for the takeover, and his eventual fall from grace in the eyes of the residents of Dreamland.
"So…almost everyone in Dreamland knows about it?" Knuckle Joe inquired.
The blue knight nodded, somewhat solemnly.
"Well…I think you would have made a much cooler king than tubby out there." The blonde grinned.
There was a faint sign of amusement from Meta Knight, but it was gone in an instant. "However, the fact still remains…I am now an outcast among the people of Dreamland. I am not to be trusted in their eyes, and I understand that fully."
There was another moment of silence between them.
"Knuckle Joe…you arrived here to speak with me. For what purpose?"
The young Demon Beast Hunter remained quiet for the moment, then sighed.
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"Sir Meta Knight…I guess nobody told you…about what was found…"
Meta Knight didn't seem to understand what Knuckle Joe was trying to say.
"Have you gotten any calls from the GSA? Any visits or information?" Knuckle Joe asked.
"No, I haven't. Why so?"
The blonde rested his arms on the table. "A few days ago…a few remaining GSA soldiers found something. It was an old abandoned lab in space that apparently belonged to Nightmare. Inside they found something. A small journal written by an employee of Holy Nightmare Corporation."
"What was in this journal?" Meta Knight asked, intrigued.
"It was information on something they were working on years ago. Apparently it was some sort of super weapon. Something that was stronger than any other Demon Beast. Far stronger than Masher 2.0. Something that could live on even after Nightmare was gone…"
The blue knight gave a small gasp. "Did it specify what sort of weapon?"
"That's the strange part. You see, the pages started out simple enough, but then whoever was writing them must have gotten frustrated. There were pages torn out and on the last one, it said they sealed it away on some planet…"
"What planet could that be?" Meta Knight inquired.
Knuckle Joe looked to the side before resuming eye contact.
"Pop Star."
-
"What do you mean he's a bad guy?" Kirby frowned.
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Kirby and Marx were sitting down on a grassy field. They would roll Marx's ball to each other as they spoke, although the conversation was quite tense.
"Kirby…he just seems dangerous, you know? Don't you think that in the slightest?" Marx asked.
"Well, I thought that at first…but then he showed me what a great friend he was, poyo."
"But didn't you say when you first met him he beat you up? Some friend."
"But that was over a misunderstanding!"
"I'm just saying…I don't think I could be someone's friend if they hurt me like that. All I would be able to do is think about was how much it hurt…" Marx suddenly sniffled.
"Marx, poyo…there's something more to this, isn't there? Talk to me. I'll understand."
"No you won't…"
"But I'll try to!"
The little jester sighed. "It's just that…he reminds me of someone that I really want to forget…someone that hurt me…that's all I can say…"
"Well…you don't have to worry about that someone anymore, poyo. You're here now and I promise you won't ever be hurt like that again."
"Thank you, Kirby…" Marx's eyes began to well up as he smiled.
Then Marx's ball began to roll down a hill. The lavender child followed behind.
"Stay here! I'll get it!"
He raced down the hill, tailing after his beach ball. His toy finally stopped rolling in a small wooded area. As he stopped to retrieve his ball, he heard mocking laughter behind him. He turned around to see a Ju-Kid, a Waddle Doo, and an Iron Mam snickering.
"Hahaha! How did you get to be friends with Kirby?" The Waddle Doo chortled.
"Yeah, what did he see in a loser like you?" The Ju-Kid laughed.
"I…I'm not a loser…"
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"Where's your arms, freak? No hands either?" The Iron Mam giggled.
"So, what'll happen if we do this?" The Waddle Doo suddenly shoved Marx down onto the ground.
Marx struggled to get up, but the Ju-Kid placed his foot on the little jester to keep him in place. He wiggled and squirmed to get out, but it was futile.
"Marx, poyo? Where did you go?"
The Ju-Kid suddenly lifted his foot from the lavender child, then placed him on his feet. Kirby appeared from out of the bushes, apparently he didn't see what had occurred. Marx scurried to Kirby in relief and anguish.
"Marx, how did you get so dirty, poyo?" Kirby asked.
"He fell down. Luckily we were here to help him up." The Iron Mam smooth talked.
"Oh, thank y-"
"Kirby, those guys pushed me down!"
"No we didn't! Kirby, you have to believe us." The Waddle Doo said.
"They did! I fell down because of them!"
"Are you sure it wasn't an accident, poyo?" Kirby asked, genuinely confused.
"Yes! That one held me down with his foot!" The little jester seethed.
"But…that seems so untrue, poyo…"
Marx gaped. "K-Kirby…you don't believe me?"
"I'm not saying I don't believe you! It's just that it seems so unlikely-"
Kirby gasped when he saw tears rolling down Marx's cheeks. "I thought you were my friend…you said you weren't going to let anyone hurt me again…you're a liar!"
The pink puffball tried to comfort his crying friend, but Marx dodged away from him. "I don't know why I thought you would be any different! You're just like them! You would rather have popularity, huh?!"
The three bullies grinned with glee as they saw the conflict unfold. Marx's tears only came faster, he started hiccupping every few words.
"Y-You know what, Kirby? I've overstayed my welcome…bye…You won't have to worry about ever seeing me again…I'm going and I'm never coming back!" Marx sobbed, then broke into a breakneck speed sprint with his ball.
"Marx, poyo! Wait! Please come back!" Kirby called out.
Kirby then heard the cruel laughter of the group behind him. They snickered and guffawed, rolling on the ground in their giggles.
"Hahaha! Good job, Kirby!"
"Yeah, we thought you would never dump that loser!"
"Nice to know that you know who the real cool people are!"
Kirby stared blankly.
"They…they lied, poyo…" Kirby thought with horror.
The young Star Warrior felt tears sting his eyes, then the grief was replaced by anger.
"How could you?! Marx never did anything to you!" Kirby growled.
"Whoa there. We were doing you a favor. It seemed like you didn't know how to tell him to leave you alone, so we did it for you. No need to thank us." The Ju-Kid replied.
"Y-You're awful, poyo!"
"Kirby, get real. Do you really want to be seen with someone like him? A freak? Why waste your time on him when you could have fun with us?" The Iron Mam chuckled.
"Marx is NOT a waste of time! I don't want to be friends with you, poyo! I want Marx back, poyo!"
"Ugh, fine. Be that way. But when you decide to be cool, give us a call." The Ju-Kid scoffed, then left with his lackeys.
"I don't think I will, poyo! You guys are jerks!" Kirby stomped.
"Marx…"
Kirby bolted off in the direction his lavender friend took off, running as fast as his feet would allow. Then he inhaled and began floating in the air, trying to get a birds eye view. The little jester was no where in sight. He searched everywhere, high and low. Evening soon fell and there was still no sign of Marx.
Kirby sat on the top of his house in defeat, trying to hold the tears in. He had looked in every possible place he might decide to go…except for one.
Swallowing his nervousness, the young hero ran to the area he first met Marx, then continued in that direction. He eventually found himself at the border of the most terrifying place on Pop Star…
The Broken Village
The pink puffball ran, looking for any sign of his missing friend. Was this place always so cold? He didn't think this place was as cold the last time he was here…
The wind whistled through the abandoned buildings, causing them to creak. Kirby shivered, but continued to look for Marx. The sun was sinking low beyond the horizon, casting off the shadows of the dead trees. The abandoned town seemed even more sinister than the first time.
The young Star Warrior couldn't help but feel a bit paranoid since Marx had told him about the past occurrences others experienced here. As much as the little jester insisted that nothing had ever harmed him in this village, Kirby still felt a hint of danger in The Broken Village.
Still, he pressed onward to find his friend, despite the overwhelming sense of unease gathering within his body. He needed to find Marx. He wouldn't stop until he found him. The possibility of him being in danger was too big to ignore.
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Then, Kirby heard it. A small distorted noise echoed around him. The pink puffball's heart rate increased, feeling an indescribable feeling upon having heard such a thing.
"M-Marx?" Kirby said, his feet began to shake.
The noise warbled again, only louder. It sounded closer than before…
"Marx! Where are you, poyo?!" Kirby cried, feeling frightened.
Then he heard a small shriek. It definitely didn't sound like anything the Star Warrior had ever heard before. It sounded unnatural. Otherworldly...
Kirby broke into a sprint through the village, but try as he might, the noise continued to follow him. He heard what seemed like something sobbing, then transitioning into maddened hysterical laughter. The laughter then broke into small giggles and small breaths.
Still, the young hero couldn't see anything that could be producing such sound. He continued to run, finally seeing something green in his line of sight. Kirby ran faster, still hearing the garbled speech from every direction.
He dove into the grove, then all noise stopped. All that could be heard was the trickling of the stream nearby. The blue fireflies seemed just as calm as before, and the belladonnas were just as beautiful. He pulled aside some of the bushes and saw the crystal in the center.
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Next to the crystal sat a small lavender child, his back facing Kirby. His cheek was resting against the crystal as little tears flowed from his eyes. Marx rubbed his cheek against the cold surface of the beautiful gem, as if it brought him comfort.
"I know you're there Kirby…and I'm sorry…I overreacted…"
"No you didn't, poyo! They were mean to you! You have nothing to be sorry for!"
"Yes I do…I said such terrible things to you…I'm no better…I don't deserve your friendship…"
"Don't say that! It's okay…" The pink puffball sat by Marx, then gently pat his back.
Marx tensed for a moment, then relaxed somewhat. He rested his cheek against the crystal again, more tears flowed from his eyes.
"I'm such a crybaby…and I hate it, you know! I don't know what I do…what do I do that makes people hate me? I try and I try…but I'm not as confident as I look…"
"Marx, poyo…when I said it seemed unlikely, I didn't mean that I didn't believe you…I meant, why would they want to bully someone as great as you, poyo…You're so nice and you never hurt anyone…it just seemed too horrible to be true…"
"This isn't the first time…I've been bullied all my life…that's another reason why I travel. So they can't find me. So they can't hurt me everyday…"
"I promise I won't let it happen again! Please don't go Marx, poyo! You don't have to run anymore!"
"Kirby…aren't you worried? Won't people make fun of you for being friends with the weird kid with no arms?"
"If they can't be nice to you, then I don't want to be around them, poyo!"
"T-Thank you Kirby! I-If it's alright…am I still welcome to stay in town?"
"Of course, poyo!" Kirby hugged his friend with relief.
"But Marx…why did you come here, poyo? Weren't you…afraid?"
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"Afraid? Of what?" Marx asked, confusion evident in his tone.
"The noises! There was this strange noise, and screaming, poyo! Then I heard crying and laughing! It was so scary!" Kirby explained, making wild gestures with his arms.
"Kirby, I didn't hear anything like that. I haven't ever heard anything like that in the years that I've been visiting the grove."
"What makes you keep coming here, poyo?" He finally decided to ask.
"…If I could…I would spend all of my time here. This is the place I feel safest. Nothing can hurt me here…but as much as I would like to stay here, I can't. I would have to leave sometime, you know."
"You feel safe here? But it's in the middle of the scariest place on Pop Star, poyo!"
"I know it seems odd…but it's true…I love every little thing about this place. Everything."
"Marx…it's late. Let's go home, poyo." Kirby gave a soft smile.
Marx returned the smile and followed his pink friend with his ball. He gave one last glance at the crystal and the grove, before heading out of the grove.
Kirby didn't hear any more noises from The Broken Village. It was silent, save for the occasional gust of wind. He was dumbfounded. No wailing or shrieking…nothing. The young Star Warrior briefly wondered if he had imagined the entire ordeal.
The two eventually arrived at Kirby's house. The two got ready for bed, with Marx sleeping in his bundle of blankets on the floor. In a while, they were both fast asleep…
-
Marx opened one eye, observing the sleeping puffball on the other side of the room. He was out cold. Marx carefully tip-toed out of the house and into the night. He ran down the hills and to the wooded area that he first met Kirby. A while later, he arrived at the place he adored.
The Broken Village seemed even more vibrant than before. He giggled as the dead trees swayed in the wind. Marx skipped cheerfully along the worn and run down buildings, a large smile on his face. The lavender child delighted in the landscape, while others feared and loathed it.
The little jester came upon the grove, exactly where it was before. He dove into the bushes and laughed, feeling lighthearted seeing the little fireflies dance around. He gazed at the crystal, it's unidentifiable shade of blue fascinated the eye.
"I'm here, I'm here!" Marx chuckled, sitting down by the stream.
"I'm sorry I left so suddenly. I can't tell Kirby about you just yet…it's not that I don't want him to know, it's just that he's not quite ready for you., you know."
To anyone else, it would have seemed that the little jester had finally lost his mind. He was speaking with thin air, trying to carry on a conversation with nothing at all.
Marx laughed. "Stop being so quiet! You have no reason to hide."
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"H̖̗͓͙͙̩̽̄̾i̷͓̠͇̰͓ͭ̏ͥͫ̓̋̋̿̈́͘d̙̹̘͈͋͊̄̔ͥ̈́̏̅͠è̶̖͖͐ͯ̄͐̎ͦ͒͘͡ ͚͍͕̜̪̣̦͙̃̉̾̀̔ͣa̶͉̠ͪ̂ͧ̌̊̃͠ń̶̨͓̥͇͙̤̙ͩ͗ͧ͋ͯ̚ͅd͉̳̪̜̭͍̲̾̓͟͞ͅ ̗̜̥̩̽͂ṣ̞̞̭̊ͨ̈̓̾͞ȩ̜͕̙̮͖̩͕̩ͤ̒͞ḙ̶̸͇̼͖̼̃ͥ̍̽̌̍̔̊k̛̖̪̱̩̬̲̾ͯ̐̔ͯ̕͝!̃ͪ̏̀ͦ̈́̌͠͏͈̦̠̫̺̼̹ ̸͕͈̞̭̬̲̗͓̔͛̓͂̚H̬̩̞̬͚̰̯͆̑ͤ̀̚ĭ̶͈̪͍̟͎̹̤̖̥ͭͫ̿͢͟d̪̪͈̻̣̞͈̯̈́͘ȩ̴̲͖̦̻̮̘̥̏̎̾ ̷̧͍͎̹͚̅a̢͉̝̣͓̠̠̗͔͂ͬ̆ͦ͛ͭ͛ͪ͛̀ṋ̼͇͕̜͚͉̃͗ͧͩ͛ͦ͒ͬ͡d̠̠̬͖̱̭͈̍̅ͯͧ̕͠ ̯̟̤̏̈͊̅ͣ̉̚s̨̬̗̿ͭͫͩ͆́̋ͩe̴̥̻̗̰̤̓͑̍͐̈̉͛͋͊ĕ̡̱̮͌̀̾̄̚k̷̺̖̗͚̟͇̻̦ͩ̃͜!̲̯̪̤̜̗̫ͭ͆̏̽͛ͩͤ͢ͅ"
The distorted voice seemed to originate from the crystal. As the voice was heard, the crystal glowed brightly. To anyone else, the garbled noise would have been the spawn of nightmares. To Marx, it sounded angelic.
"You spoke to me! I thought you might have been mad at me! But you sound happy, even though I don't understand a thing you're saying." Marx gave a happy squeal.
"S̭̼̻͕̟̟̻͆͐́̒͋̇ͩ̓c̬̹̹̭̱̹͈ͩr̼̬ͯ̌ͬ̈ȇ̥͉͈̭͎̼̌͒ͫͧ͗͡ḛ̴̯̲̠͇͉ͧ͒ͥ͂̅̉!̎̎̿ͣ͏̟̩̹͞
The voice made a squeal quite similar to Marx's.
"I'm glad that you're still here. You've always been here since I've been visiting. How long have you been here though, I wonder?"
"̩̭̟̭͚̭̜̔̀͑̇̑̄̈͠…̟͎͓̼̅̌͌ͪͬͪͩ͑V̸̤͎͈ͫ̀̏ͪ̅ͤͬ͋͞e̴̙̣͖͍͈̰͎̬͚̾̋̄ͬ̂̒͊̋̕͘r̢͍̥̫͙̺͕̃ͯ̂̑̀͢ͅy̋͗ͫ͏̨̞͙͎̻̹̲͔ ̵͌̆̾҉̨̺̼̟l̷̯͓̥͎ͫ̎ͬͨ̃̐̈͗͢͝ö̵̘̫̯̤̹̥͒̔̄͜n͔̭̬͚̔͑̂́ͩ͒͟͟ͅǧ̶̘̣̳̼͍͍͟ ̗̹̠̠̝͎ͬ̓̿̑̐́ţ̗͓̹̫̪̹̤ͨ̍́ͧ͋̕͟i͚̟̖ͭ̎̄̉̚̚͝m͎̖̥͙ͬ͌ͦͩ̓ẽ̀̔ͧ͆̆̍̓҉̥͕̱͖…̘̩̮͓̩̥ͦ̿̑́͋̒ͅlͨͯ͏̴͖̲̜͞ͅǫ̼̘̳̭̭̌͋͌͒͌ͮń̷̠̯̭̠̗̝̥̠ͦͬ̀ͦ̓̏ͪ͞g̖͊͂͆̍͗ͪͤ̓͂͠e̛̊́͏̘͕r̨̼̗̳̫͙̮͇ͨ̊ͧͦ͌̑͟ͅ ̶̣͉͙̳͎ͩ͂͋͛͂͌̽ͯt̷̰̜̟̄ͭͬ͂́̚h̷̢̤̭̩͖̫̹̓a̢̡͖̳̗̐̏͢nͬ͑͏̳͇̝̯̮̼̬́͞ ̨̹̥̯̙͉̈́͐͞ý̗͇͓̫̹̌̎o̶̙̘̪̳̭̹͑͆́̑̓̆̆͝͝ů͎̗̮͍̗͊́ͥͅ…̢̳͙̥̹̦̽ͨ͘͠
The crystal's light grew dimmer. The voice sounded lower, more downcast.
"Oh no! Did I make you sad? I'm sorry! I know I keep repeating that question, but I make you sad every time!"
"I̖̹͚̪̎̊̅̇ͥ͗͛̍t̝͙̘̩̞̺̳̤̺̓ͤͣͣ̆̉̎'̲̯͓̭͖͌ͫ̎ͧͦ̽̐s̽ͧ̎̈́̒̑҉̭̝ ̥̟̝͖̖̤̹̜ͦͯ͂ͬ̏̅͒͌̚a̘̠͖͗ͩ̃͆̇́͐l̰̱̆r̝̙̯̺̃͐ͧ̏̈́i̶̐̄̃̑ͣͩ̃ͣͬ͠҉̰g̫̥̙̞̅ͯͩ̄h̶̪̥͖̠̰̮̳ͦ̈̐͞t͚̤͉̣̓ͮ̓̓͝͡…̵̹͓̪̞͈̟̰ͥ̅̋̋ͮ̃́i̸̛̜̪̙̤̤͉̯̘̾ͫ̑͢t͖̭̲̅͝'͐͂̈̀͒͛̏͋҉̟̝̯s͎̙̙̺̣̯͍ͨ̿ͤ̐͛̚̚ ̸̶̠̤̻͙̆͊ͥ̽̀̈́́aͣͣ̆̓҉̧̞̻̦̲͓̬͕͎l̍ͩ̍̈́͠͏̢̳̯̤̫̩̮̥r̡̟̤̭̥̞ͩͩ͞į͎̮̦̙̬̙̂ͩ̓ͩ͐͊̀̚g̴͎͔̑̿ͭͪ͢͝h̰͙̩̥͛̓̑̑t͔͓̰̘̦̔ͤ͗̍͂ͯ…͓̣̏́̏͗̾̓̓ͩ̚ͅs̛̬̠̥̤ͮ͑͡h̸̜͕͆ͬ̏̿͘ú̞͇̜͕̏̂ͨş̦͓̳̙̠͚̫̐̏̃ͣ̀͒͢hͮ̒ͥ͏̶̖̠̱͕̠̩̦́ͅ…̤̹̘̹̳́̊̈ͮͭͮ͑ͧͪ
The voice grew calmer, almost in a cooing tone. Marx smiled and scooted closer to the crystal.
"If those bullies had been here instead…they would've been sorry…"
"M̸̖͚̲ͫͣ͌͢͡a̶̹̪̼̦̲̎ͫ́̕k͕͓̖͗͛ͭ̑ę̛͖̱ͥ ̠͖̝̲̗̃̑͘͜ţͭͮ̅̆͂͏̫̼̠̦h̗̖͉̹̳͍̽̍̈̍͌e͍̦̘͍̰̖͙̘͌̋͆͌̎m̷̗̰̫̰̎͗̓͗̅ͤ͡ͅ ͈͉̎̇̈́ͣ͋ͧͫ́̀p̎ͫͭͦ͒҉̵̙̰̟̞̰̞̙͟a͓̩̱̬̯̓ͭ̍̌̆̄͡y̬͎̥̬ͨ̿̎͑͛͆͟ͅ…̸̡͕̘͈͚̭͖̍̾̊ͧ͘m̠͈̦ͯ͛̀ą̧̲͚͗̈̚ͅk̵̡̪̦͍̬̹̯͙̯͒ͭ̒̀͑͒̃e̛̯̺͕̖̟͚̠̮̭ͥ̋ͦ͐ͪ̍̔͟ ̢̞̱̲͆ͨ͋̑̀t̴̮̫̘̑͛͆̚͘h̢̽ͬ̎̒̔ͪ̏̚͏̙̠͈͖ę͈̹̎ͧy̢̥̤̘̭̐̄̓̄̆ͮ͊̚͜ ̵̞͖͖͙̟̺̓̒̂ͪ̇͌p̢̝͎̻͍̦̭͓ͧ͗͑͑ͧ̔͋ͬ́́a̶̧̭͔̙̥̥͈͈͓ͣ̍̑ẏ̪͇̆͌ͧ̕͢…̵̸̤͇͚̖̳̠̝̭̗͌ͧͤ̄͡"
The voice sounded slightly angry, a guttural growl emanated from the mysterious blue colored gem. Marx giggled.
"But it's okay! Kirby sent them packing! I feel really bad that I yelled at him like that…" The lavender child sighed. "I wish…I wish I could be more like Kirby…you know why he gets respect? Because he's a hero. If I was as strong as him, nobody would pick on little Marx anymore!"
"N̴̑͋ͣ͊͏͕̺͕͢oͩ̍̉҉͍̝̲͙b̛͚̞̱͔ͧ͐͐ͣ̏ͧ̿ó͍̇̒͑ͨ̒ͣ̽͘̕d͖̼̍̆̋̓̆ͧ̎͟y͇͍̣͇̺̙͔̑ͯͣ̾͒ ̫͔̊͛ͭͣ͐́̕n̶̸͙̟͕͙̬ͨͤ̈́̑ͦ͑͐̚o̶̢̪̳̮̠ͧͣ͋͗̓̾̈́̂ḃ̡̥͉̰͚̲ͪͦ̎͆̄̅o̮͓̳̬̹̙ͪd̨̡̮̲̞͇̑ͮ̀̊̿́ͩ͂y̨͇̖̪̹͍̠̞̆̍̓̚͘͝!̟̩̱̿̅ͧ̐̍ͮͤ̀͢͞ ̫̩ͩ͊M̡̠̰͔͚̜͍̃̂͆͆̕a̛̺̗͂ͭ͌̉ͪ̊̚͘k̷̊̃͂ͬͤͮͮ̀҉̫̻̟̠̹̜e̅͌̓̊̍̀̌͛̓҉̟̜̯ ̰͍͈͙͛̔̈́͗͆̒̿͟t̢̛̪͎̠͈͎͖ͧ̓ͣh̨̜̮̜̜ͮ̇̏͋̏ͮͣę̡̭͎͔͓̰̋̚ṁ̵̵̹̤͂̏̑̔̈ͬ͟ ̸̶̗̭̮͍̮̳̻͛̐̈̽p̨̱̥̩̼̝̆̽ͥͪ̃͡a̢̻ͥ͗͝ÿͯ҉̡̫͍͎!͈̘̋͂̋͂̏
"But…I'll never be like him…I wish I could do things like you can…you're the one who keeps everyone out, right?"
The voice warbled.
"Do you…want to be here? Do you like being in this spot all day every day? Would you still be here if you could move?"
The crystal glowed, then made another noise.
"L̛͖̞̼̊̌͌̀͘e̢̪̺̪̦̘̭͈̰ͮͦ̌ͬ̍ͭ͒t̷͕͕͎̮̹̆́͢͠ ̛ͮ͐ͬͮ͗̐̚҉̘͍͚͇̜̣̖m͒҉͇̝͔̣̝e͉̫̞̤̦̋ͨ̊ ͗ͦ͏̳̲g̜ͦͪ̓ͤ̔̾͂͜ö͍̭̯͙̻͍̹́̅̅́͞!͉̻ͫ́̌̏ͩ̍͋͊ ̩̖̮͍̪̰͓͎̀ͤ̈̔͑͒̉ͦL̏ͭ̍ͧͣ̆҉̢̟̙͈͎̹̪̜͞ͅĕ̶̝͙̦ͮ̄̅̎̈͂͜͞t͔͔̰̝͈̘ͮ̋̿̂̓̐ ̣̫͓͍͖͇̎͋͠m͈̳̪̭͒ͣe̘͋̀̾̉̾̓͐́͢ ̷̭̲ͭ͊͂͊̑͂͠g̳͉̟̤̰͋̏͌̎̂͘͢ͅo͖̰͕̭͑ͩ̆͢!̡̱̤͓͚̗͍̅͋̅ͪ̐͟ ̡͔̣͇̰̍̎̉́͢Ĩ̪̣͕̖̓ͮ́ͮ ̴̡̹̱̄̇̑̔ͭͧ͌͐w̛̪̘̝̲̣͚̠͉̾̈́ͧͬ̃ͫ̋ā̖͔̮̘̙̭͇̽ͨ̕͠n͎̞̼̫̝ͧ̋͡t̞̝̝͖̙̔̆̓ ̟͇̰͔͖̭̪ͮ̍̈ͅt̡̟̪̮̹̺͐͑͢͟o̳̻̲͇̙̗͑͌ͩ̔ͪ̈́ͤ ̛̥͔̏̒ͤͨ̿̉b̠̱̳̼̙̭̱̉͊ͮ̌͜ͅe͖̰̞̹͈ͫ̅͜͝ ̛̲͖͓̙̰̠̭͓̅ͪͨ̈́́̚͘͟f̧ͮ́̀҉͔͓̣r̠̓ͧ͠͝e̴͎̪̽̋̆̿̋͂ͅe̎ͫ̆̑̆͑ͦ҉̨͏̣̗!̟̳ͯ̐͑͐͐̀ ͇̲͎̞͔̬̮̒ͨ̈́ͫ̍ͩ́Î͕̬̤̦̪̝ͯͤͪ̋͛͛͟ ̤͍̬ͩ̓ͨͤ̔̎̕ç̶̉ͪ̃̏҉̮̯͎̺̞̬͎̫̭ẫ̲͓̖̰̯͕͂̀͛̌n͉̺̾̃̊ͧ̇͞'̱̲̲̝̘̭ͩ̓t̖͖̠̯̖̮͊̓̃…̸̘ͧͦ̍ͬ̃̑ͯ͊̒
"You know what? I think the real reason there are so many bad people is because there's no one to control their behavior. Whenever someone walks into your territory, you make them see things. Make them feel bad. Make them pay…" Marx chuckled.
"Maybe if I had that kind of power…I would do the same! I would make them see the error of their ways! I could change Pop Star into a kinder place! That's what I would do…"
Marx stood up, looking at the sky.
"The sun's going to rise soon…I better go before Kirby realizes I'm gone."
The little jester began to walk away, when suddenly he felt himself trip. Vines suddenly shot out of the ground, startling him. He felt himself being pulled into the air, then gently placed on the ground before he could fall into the stream.
"Oh…you…you caught me. Didn't you? Thank you." Marx smiled, then continued to walk out of the grove.
"I'll be back soon! Just like I always do!"
Marx took one last look at the crystal, then went on his way. The distorted voice wailed once more before fading out, having no more reason to continue speaking.
"Ḑ̹͙̹̞̝̝̤͆́͗̅̋̿̇e̲̦̋̍̿ͧͯ͝a̘͓͖̹̯̅ͣ̕͢t̡̳̙̬̫̒̑̀͞ͅͅḥ̬̹̙̯̜̞̼̏͗̒̉ͨ̈́͢ ̰̼̣͇͔͎͇̙́̌l̷̶̬̥͇̥͛ͯ͒̉͆̚̚̕i̬̜̒͒ẽ̴̜̬̠ͦͮ͘s̴̡̮͉̊̄͌͒ͤͅ ̵͚͑̉̕b̥̳̦͕̮̝̠̃͢eͣͩ҉҉̹͇̻̩̰n̸͔̲ͭͩ͠ë́̉̓͊͛ͩ͐̚҉̧͍͢a̵̢̝̞͙̪̿ͥ̔̄ͩ̀ţ̜̒̔̈́͡ḩ̖̭̩͉͕ͮͣͫͯͩ͋̉ͦ̀ ̂ͭ҉͙͇̜̟̻͍̣t̳͇̠̾̌ͥ̃̋̐ͥ̋h̸̛͙̘̻͆͑͞ͅe̵̘͇͔̱̓ͭͨȋ̃ͮ̓҉̵̳̻r̵̢̜̯̳̲̻͗̿̓ͦ̈́͐͒ͣͅ ̣̞ͮ̅ͩ̚͘f̧̫̭͍͎̥͑̈́̋ë̳͕̺͖̺͎͉͍̯ͬ̎ę͆̃̓̃͜҉̫̬͉̯̬͕̯ţ̤̙͍͙̻̠̜̺͒̑ͧͧͭͪ͗…̓͑͛̀҉̼̹̣̠̼̲͜ͅI̷̳̥̜̜̙̰͕ͮͤ͆ͥ̏͞ͅ ̱͙̰̻̇ͥ̐a̧̰̤̳̤̘ͨ͑ͨ͞͞m̘̙̼̖͚̦͎͗̒͡ ̅͑ͪͨ̐͋͏̲̺e̊̏҉̷̙͕͓̰̦̻͚̠m̛̥̰̗̜̞͓̬̗͛̌̾ͤ̾͝e̱͇̮̜̦͔ͣr̙̅ͮ̋ͬ͛͑͘͞g̪̦̫̗̪̍̐͊͊͡͠į̵̪͉̯͑ͣ̍͌̂́n̨̖͈̺̖͈̍͟͞g͔̦̪̠̻̱͙͇͊̈ͪ̅̀͠ͅ…̱̩̝̫̟̖̝͌́̂͛͂̊ͧ̐̕͜͠
"
Author's Note: Well, plot twist! It seems the crystal in the grove is sentient! Who would have thought? Also, the first appearance of Knuckle Joe in The After Story, but far from the last. This chapter answers a few questions, but raises so many more. The Broken Village is getting more mysterious, and more likely to induce Nightmare Fuel!
Great news everyone! It turns out someone wrote a Fanfic Recommendation for The After Story on TVTropes in the Kirby section! And I've got a page on there(even though my page doesn't have any tropes yet...anyone want to help with that?) Also, I'll be on break for a few weeks, so that means I'll be able to write more. So I might finish up this arc by the end of the month maybe.