It had been three weeks since Marx had almost run away from Cappy Town and Kirby. There were no more signs of wanting to leave from the lavender jester, but Kirby had to admit that Marx had been acting strange for the past few weeks.
Marx would leave for the library sometimes and spend hours there, looking at large books that were far too complex for the young Star Warrior to understand. Normally that wasn't so unusual, but something seemed a bit off about the way his friend would look at the words sprawled across the paper. As if his life depended on reading the book in front of him.
Lately, the young clown was also prone to odd bouts of laughter. Marx normally laughed, but it was usually for a reason. He would chuckle for a moment, then begin to giggle, and sometimes burst into full blown laughter while rolling around in hysterics. Kirby could think of no explanation for such behavior, and it was beginning to worry him.
Kirby had been keeping a good eye on Marx since those bullies had treated his friend so harshly. Despite Marx's odd behavior, none of it was violent or rude towards the pink puffball. The jester would still smile and talk with Kirby as if the fight had never happened.
Kirby had insisted that Marx live with him until they could find a proper house for the clown. Marx didn't have any objections to this and was a good roommate, but he would sometimes ask Kirby if he was bothering the pink Star Warrior. Kirby would reply that Marx was never a bother towards him, but he was worried for his increasingly odd behavior.
Such an incident occurred this night.
(watch?v=mCZyCFKa-2E)
The little jester carefully tip-toed back into the house, a smile on his face was visible. He opened the door to find his friend Kirby standing there awake with a frown and tapping his foot.
"Hi Kirby! How are you doing….?" Marx asked, noticing the tension in the room.
"Very sleepy, poyo."
"Well, why aren't you asleep? Sleep is important, you know?" Marx chuckled nervously.
"I can't sleep because I'm worried about you, poyo! You've been acting weird lately."
"Weird how?" Marx frowned.
"You've been disappearing, laughing at nothing at all, and you're the one not getting any sleep, poyo! Why? Tell me!"
"I-I'm sorry, Kirby…I've been having weird dreams lately…so I've been researching what they mean. I guess I've been so giggly because of the lack of sleep. You know that the lack of sleep makes people act crazy, right?"
"I didn't know about the dreams, poyo…why didn't you tell me?" Kirby said, feeling a bit guilty for being so suspicious of him.
"I was trying not to worry you…but I guess my behavior is what really made you worried. I'm sorry Kirby."
"It's okay, poyo. Just please try to take better care of yourself." Kirby sighed with relief.
Kirby finally fell asleep and woke up late afternoon. Marx was no where to be found, much to Kirby's frustration. He groaned, then headed to Dedede's castle. Fumu was sitting on the fountain with Bun playing ball nearby.
"Hi, Fumu! Have you seen Marx today?"
"No I haven't. Is he missing again?" Fumu asked.
"Yes…he's usually in the library, but I couldn't find him there, poyo…I'm worried…" Kirby looked at his two feet.
"Let's hope he's not going to plan an invasion with an airship…" The Cappy girl scowled.
"Sir Meta Knight already feels really bad about that, poyo…why are you still mad at him?"
"Kirby, I just don't think I can forgive him yet. He betrayed our trust. Why did you forgive him so easily?" Fumu crossed her arms.
"Because no one else will. The whole town is talking about it and he can't even leave the castle without someone reminding him of what happened, poyo…He feels bad because Sailor Dee got sick and he's working day and night…"
"Kirby, you're just too trusting…" Fumu shook her head.
"Uh, sis…Kirby…you might wanna look at this." Bun said, then pointed to the sky.
Above them, they saw the sky grow very dark. The moon had appeared in the sky, only to be knocked out of the sky by the sun. The moon flipped in the sky and attacked the sun with powerful force.
The sun and moon were fighting.
From within the castle, the three knights gazed at the scene before them.
"Sir…what's going to happen?" Sword asked.
"How could this have happened?" Blade's mouth dropped underneath his armor.
Meta Knight remained silent.
-
In a short while, everyone was gathered in the center of town. There were panicked cries heard among the crowd, as nothing like this had ever occurred before. Sir Meta Knight and his knaves hid in the background, trying to avoid being seen by the townspeople. They went practically unnoticed because of the crisis at hand.
"What does it mean?! What does it mean?!" One Cappy yelled.
"We're all gonna die!" Another yelled in the mass confusion.
"Now everyone, please settle down!" Mayor Len tried to reason with the crowd, only for his voice to be drowned out.
Fumu held Kirby protectively, while Bun could only marvel at the chaos spreading before them. Lady Memu and the Cabinet Minister Parm stood by their children. No one had any clue as to what was happening, and no one showed any signs of calming down anytime soon.
"Why would the sun and moon suddenly begin to fight?" Parm asked.
"Perhaps the moon grew tired of only being seen at a time where everyone was asleep?" Memu suggested.
Kirby looked into Fumu's eyes with worry. She softly squeezed his hand for comfort. Suddenly Memu perked up.
"Isn't that Kirby's little friend with the hat?"
Fumu, Bun, and Kirby saw Marx among the crowd step into the center.
(watch?v=hAng9F0xo10)
"Hey, Hey, Hey!"
Everyone soon stopped their quarrels to listen, the jester being unusually loud. All eyes were on him. Normally such a situation would make him so nervous, he would run for the nearest bush. However, this time was different.
Marx looked towards Kirby among the crowd. "Can you make peace between the sun and moon?"
Kirby blinked in confusion.
"I know how we can stop the sun and the moon's endless battle!"
"Yeah, well, why should we listen to you?" Someone from the crowd shouted.
"You're just a kid! What could you possibly know that we don't?" Another chimed in.
Marx frowned. "Okay, let's not listen to the kid that's been studying astronomy since he could read at the age of two! Let's not listen to what he has to say! Let's just watch as the sun and moon's fighting eventually causes the entire Gamble Galaxy to fall into ruin and despair!"
Several of the Cappies froze. Everyone grew quiet, now ready to listen.
"Okay, now that I have everyone's attention. There is a clockwork comet in space called NOVA. This comet can grant the wish of anyone that can find NOVA! Money, power, even something beyond the impossible!"
The Cappies murmured excitedly, completely interested in the jester's words.
"But there's something that must be done first. To ask NOVA, we must gather power from all the stars around us. It's a difficult task, but I know the perfect guy for the job. Isn't that right…Kirby?"
"Sir…something seems suspicious about this…" Blade said.
"The sun and moon have always been at peace…" Sword added. "Why would that suddenly change?"
"…There is another force involved."
"What do you mean by that sir? Are you saying someone convinced the sun and moon to fight?" Sword asked.
Meta Knight nodded. "Who would convince the sun and moon to fight and for what purpose, I'm not certain. However, Kirby may very well have an enemy waiting for him."
Sword and Blade grew quiet, then glanced up at the two celestial bodies's seemingly eternal struggle.
(watch?v=qpyEdSU0Phg)
"So you're gonna do it? Go to space, I mean?" Bun asked the pink puffball.
"There's no other choice, poyo…but something feels so wrong…"
"I agree…but we can't just let them fight, the galaxy couldn't survive…" Fumu sighed.
"It's alright, Kirby!" Marx jumped to the young Star Warrior. "It'll be difficult, but I know you can succeed! The entire galaxy is counting on you! I'll be with you every step of the way, you know!"
Kirby's mouth dropped. "You…you're going with me, poyo?"
"Of course I am! I even have maps that have the shortest route to each of the stars's fountains!" Marx pulled out some maps from his hat.
"But Marx, this could be really dangerous." Fumu pointed out. "Aren't you scared after that incident with the cave?"
"You know what, a long time ago I would have been a bit scared. But Kirby has taught me a lot about courage and bravery, you know. I've studied a lot about the other planets, so I can actually help instead of just dragging him down!"
"You've never dragged me down, poyo!" Kirby protested.
"Heehee! Truth be told, I've actually always wanted to go into space! It'll be a dream come true!" Marx wiggled with glee.
"Kirby, we would like to speak with you."
Kirby turned to the direction the voice came from to see Meta Knight and Knuckle Joe.
Kirby toddled uncertainly to them, curiosity rising.
"We know that you've been in space before, but this time is going to be different." Knuckle Joe said.
"Unlike the planets you have visited last time, these stars are known to host far more hostile life." Meta Knight continued.
The young hero tilted his head. "What do you mean, Sir Meta Knight?"
"The stars you will see are some of the very same stars I encountered during the war. Most of the natives do not appreciate outsiders, and have no qualms with harming others who trespass through their lands." The blue knight explained.
"Also, the environment and brutal in some places. Hotbeat is basically a volcano, and Mekkai is a dangerous factory planet." Knuckle Joe added.
The pink puffball felt uneasy exposing Marx to such dangers, but he knew the little jester wouldn't take no for an answer. Kirby could only hope that their travels would be smooth, instead of the rough experiences Meta Knight most likely went through.
Speaking of which, where was Marx?
-
The little jester walked past the run down buildings of The Broken Village, long abandoned by their owners. Marx skipped to the grove as usual, planning to see his secret friend. He reached the grove in record time, then approached the vibrantly glowing crystal in the center. Had it been waiting for him?
(watch?v=yV-i4OY_5Wk)
"Hello…I wanted to visit you one last time…because I'm leaving for space with Kirby. I'm not leaving for good though! I'll be back soon!" The little jester bounded to the large gem.
S̎͐ͯͪ̅͗̕͜͏̲͖̬̲̜o̸̜͇̘͒̋ͨͪ͘o̶ͭ̓҉̦̱͖͟ñ̢̮͍͎̰̆̉̍ͮ̌̊ͫ̀̀͝ͅ…ͥ̈́͒̾ͭ͒ͦ҉͙͎̬̻͔͚̙̦̰?ͧ̍͗̂͏̢̙͉̳͎͘ ̮̬̠̽ͧ͐́̈́ͬ̄S̢̳̿͂͟ǒ̋́̔̆ͥͮ͏̸̛̼̫̦͙o̧̻͕̹͖̽ͬͬn̈́ͯͫ͆͏̨̳̣…̯̪͖͍̯͕̝̯͗͐ͪͬ͜.̬̠̪͕̺̦̼͔̈̔ͧͣ́͡
The crystal gave a soft warble.
"I just wanted to say…thank you for always being there. And when I come back, you might not even be able to recognize me! I'll come back something great, you know!"
S̢̭̭͚̰̦ͭ̑ͤ̿͌̆c̖̖̳̻̟̤̯͙͉ͧ̑̎̿͐͡ȑ͎͎̯͈͑ę̷͈̟̐ͦͦͭ̋̿̚ẽ̶̛͍̦̟̳̦̖̓̅̊͐ͤͅ!͐̿̕҉̣̫̻͢ͅ ̵̵͍̦̥͆̚͢Ş̶̘͖̤ͫͫ̃̔̈́ͥͅc̺̺̪͕̻ͥ̑ͮ̐͡͡r̡̘̖̔͂ͪ̽̀e̪͙̲͓̻ͪ̊̀͆̇͗͂ͦ͢e͎̝̦̲̓̈́̔ͥ͗̆̉ͮ̕͠!̨̻ͣ́̔̂̇̾ͪ͛͝͡
A few excited shrieks resounded. Marx giggled.
"You sound so happy. The only time you usually make that noise is when you're trying to make someone leave…you're not trying to get rid of me, are you?"
N̥̲͎͚̝̞͊̒̕͟͝ŏ̸͖͇͔̲ͣͥͬ̏̊̒̓͟n̵̛͙͓̹͙̹̪̲̬͓̔͌ͯ̓̃̓o̓ͫ̆̔̏̈́͌ͬ̒҉̞̦̝̳n̴͚̥̊̿ͬ͊̍̀͟ơ͍̟̮̤ͪͨ̒͌̌̍ͦͧ͜…̨͉̺̼̟̩̰̔͗́̏͛̂͂̀ͅņ̶̸͉̜̆́̂̆͛̽̂ͅe̅ͫͬͦ͛͏͔͟eͨ͏̺̦͙̥͓̠̘͉d̨̞͈̯̜͇̯̾͆́̎̕ ̡̽͌̚͏̯͓̺̪y̸̧̥̺̜̜̖̥ͩ̑ͦ̚o̬͕̙̪̘̥̟͕̫̐ͭ̊̎̒̈ͥ̀͜u͊̄̓̓̾͑̚͏̟͕̦.̴̷ͮ҉͖̦ ̧ͣͫͯ͏̠̖̭͚̪̖̭̭C̳̱̟̙͔͖͌̀̂̐̅͐͑a̾̐̀͏̸͍̟͕n̛ͯ̄ͣ̎ͨ͒̋͏̸͓̯̣̟̦ͅ'̠̳͋̄̀t̜̦̲̞̯̱ͣ̽́͌̓͛̒̆̇́́͟ ̢̼̠̝͇͇͐ͮ̾͐w̺̪ͫ̒ͮͤ͘͜͞í̶̝̭̲͎̑̅͘tͧͦ͆͒̈́̓̂͐̋͞҉͇̤̝̭̱͎̭ĥ̷̤͔̻͇̮̆͊̽̈́̈oͦ̊̐͗͏̬͉̺̱͚ͅu̠̰̥̞̝̱̫͎͒ͤ́ͪ͐ͫ̆̈t̷ͪ̄̎̆́҉̤͓̞̺͓̤͙ ̇̃͊ͥ̄ͪ҉̨͎̳͚̙͔͉̥̩͟y̽́̌͏̭̝̣̥͎̫̲͓o͖̤̳̹̪͚̫͋ͧ̄ͦuͤ͂̒̊͊͒͛҉҉̘̫͢.̲͉͍̲͙͂ͣ͂ͅ
Another warble escaped the crystal. It almost sounded like it was disagreeing.
The little jester laughed again. "I was just making sure. I think I've gotten a bit better at understanding you. Maybe one day, I'll know everything about you…"
H̎ͯ̔͠͏̸̣̮͙̳̙̬m̧̛̙͈̜͍̜̮͖͊̎͆̂͐̇̀͠h͆͗̀̂́͏̴͏̟m̷̡̦͉̩̭̮̋ͣ̑̑͐͊̄͟ͅh̬̀ͯ̀͠m̸̷̖͔͖̞͑̓ͣͨ̑̓…̷̦̤͈̼̗̩̗̳͎ͬͨͨ̋͑ͭ͂̅̾k̷̷̘̺̭̲̻̥̱̼ͬ̓̉̾̄ͮ̍͑ͬn̵͇͉͙̠̱̮ͪỏ̡͍͕̯͙̣̹͒ͮͫ̕w̡̛̩͓͍̝̎͂̒ͪͩͯ̓ͤ ̫̻͈̗͊a̼̖͐ͭ͑͒b͉̹̠̊͘͡ő̮̜̬ủ̸̸̈́͗͂҉̣t̸̨͔̝́͂̊̊ͭ̿ ͈̥̬̹̥̭̰̱̿̒ͤ̏ͬ̚y̦̞̺̬̳͑͞ͅo̫ͦ̆͋̐̈̌u̷̷͉͇̽ͬ́ͧ̃̈́̊̽̎̀…͚̤͉̻͒͊ͥ
"Hey…did you always sound like this? I mean…not that there's anything wrong with the way you sound, but did you have a different voice once? Or is this just how everyone perceives your voice?" Marx asked, genuinely curious.
The crystal began to glow rapidly. The fireflies danced about in a circular motion around the gem. Marx's eyes widened, they changed into the same color of the crystal.
Then he heard it.
He could no longer hear the distorted warbles, but a clear voice. It began to sing a hauntingly beautiful melody with it's new vocals. Marx had never heard something that sounded so lonely, yet so beautiful in all of his life…
Marx gasped as he began to see faint images in his mind. He saw a tall man with a cape, it had a pattern adorned with galaxies on it. The man had a malicious grin on his face.
Then the little jester saw a blurry silhouette, he couldn't quite make out any features. The silhouette suddenly began to turn frantically in his vision, then watched in horror as the figure suddenly began to scream in agony.
In the silhouette's place was now a cluster of blue crystals. Surrounding the gem was several round silhouettes, who were shown rejoicing.
"…What? But why…?" Marx gaped, his eyes returned to their normal purple color. "Aren't Star Warriors supposed to be heroes? Why would they do that?"
The crystal's voice returned to it's distorted wails. It glowed softly, no longer vibrant and rapid as it was when the little clown first arrived.
"But…why would they…?" He gasped as the leaned in closer to the crystal. He could see a darkly shadowed figure for a moment before it faded.
"No…oh no…" His suspicions were confirmed. "That was…you?"
The crystal warbled as if confirming the jester's words.
"This…this whole time…isn't there anything I can do for you? I know, I'll get Kirby! He can help you!"
N̶̡̙̪̰͕̩̬̥̰͖̲̜͖̽̑̽̅͞O̷̬̝̣͚ͧ̽͐̽̃͛͆ͦ̅͑ͮ̊ͯͦͥ͌̚͜Ọ͈̗̬̦̱͍̲̅̈́̔̆́̚̚͠Ő̷̰̘͉͔͚̫͓̬͚̭̺̺̩̓̉͆̅ͫ̌ͫ̐ͥͯ͑ͮ͒̉̀͘͝Oͯͤ͑̓̎ͩ̈ͩͣ̎ͣ͆̏͏̵͖̻̱͈̳̱̬̘̘̟̱̳͠Ö́ͬͧ̑̇̉ͭ͌̆ͨ̚̚͏̷̷̞̥̲̱͎̫̬̝̲̪̹̝̀Ö̸̩̺̱̮̀ͧ̂ͯͪ̑̋͋͌ͧ͋̈̇ͯ̏̚͜O̢̨̡̭͙͍͔͈̹͉̥̘ͬͩ͆̂̐̅ͥ̇ͣ̇̄ͫ̒͗̇̀͠ͅ!̨̛ͧͤͦͮͣ͐̄̽̉͝͏̨̮͔͍̞̝̲̳̼͇̲͈͓͍͇̩̙!̶̨̮̹̩̥̱̘̟͉̙̗̞͙͖͙̯ͮ͒ͣ̒̋̅ͣ́̈͌̔͢͞͡!̓ͯ͐̄̕͢͞͏̷͕͉̮͈̺̦͎̤̖͈̞͙̠̼ ̨̦̹̬̼͔̫͌̆͋̎̔̓̎̀̈ͩ́̀̚ͅN͊̓̎͗ͦ͌̆̾̆̐ͬͤ͆̔́͏̷̵̺̲̟͚̜̤̥͇̱͈̤̪͇̞̦͢ͅǪ̵̗͓̟̘͔̲̣̺̯̭̯͒ͦ͋̃̏͗̃̑́ͮ̏̓̀͟͢O̜̯̭͉̫̽̏̒ͬͩ̔ͮ̎̾̊̔͒ͥ̽̀͂͟Ö́̍͗̑̾ͯͩͤ̆ͪ̄̓̒ͨ͝҉͎̮̤̮̙̤͚O̵͔̥̘̮̯̙̪̹̼͎ͦͫͫ͊ͧ̓͂̽̂͌̂ͥ̍͘̕͢Ȏ̢̡̧͎̗̙̳͈̘̘̳͈͔̥͖͓̩̲̟̋͆̈́ͩ͂͛̅͛̆̓͊͆̆͋̎͝͞Ǒ̵ͫ̆̉̾͊̔̏͛̈͂̋̄ͧ̍ͧͣ̈́͏̣̭͇̟̝̞̭̲̯̬͔̘̫̰̱̞̱͎͈͟Ó̡̢̡͈̬̥̹͔̜̰̠̠̫̜̩͚̺͙̻̱͙̈̈ͅOͪ̓̎ͯ̔ͣͦ̊ͣ͋͏̶̠̰̮̝̺̲̗̗̩̦͓͇͕͚͖̟͟!̛̥͕̻̤̰͙̮͇͇̟̲͉̫͛̈ͥ͌ͭ́͒̅̆͐̎̏ͭ́͘͢͟!̤̭̼̩̻̦͇̜̲͈̹͎̾̈́̇̿̾ͫ͛̒̓̄̏͘͡!̶̲̰̬͈͈̘̼̭̼̯̖͖̺ͬͮ̈ͣͧ̃̑ͮ͒͗ͮ̃̚͠͠ͅ
The crystal began screaming louder than Marx had ever heard before.
"What…but why? Don't you need help?"
Oͭ҉͔̭̬̠̦̹̹n̶̨͚̞̱͈͌̑͂̄̓͊̈́l͉̥͎̱̗̈́ͬ́̌ͥ́y̮̻̲̙̰̬ͮͅ ̨̼̰̦̬̳̗̘͇̿ͥ͊y̘̠̘̘̪͔ͭ͞o̡͉̬̠̘̤̟ͣ̐̀̄́͂̍́͋u̵̹̠̫̹̳̖̾̿̒̃̿ ̶̛̼̱̺̯̘̩̖ͯ͐̈̂̀̎̓̏̍́ͅỏ̷̧͇͓̳̩̩̗͌̐̌ͬ͠n̨̨͉͇̯̣ͤ̑̍̃ͮ̐́̓ͬ́l̴͒ͧ̓ͦ̊̓̽͏͚̣͇̪̳y̩̰̤̝̹̝̬ͤ̕͡ ̨̽̓ͤ̉͑̎̓̓͞͏͙͇͈y̢̮͉̹̜̹̔ͨͫ̇ͦͮ͞ò̵̴͚̩̺̳̖̹̞̋ͣ͒͘ͅu͈̰̦̼̼̻͒̔ͮ͗̚…̑̓̍͐̔ͦ̈҉̺̹̫
The distorted voice warbled something. The lavender child strained to listen.
"You just want…ME to help you? I'm glad that you have so much faith in me, but why can't Kirby help?"
The wails suddenly increased in frequency.
Suddenly, the crystal glowed again. A scream echoed from it, only it was far different from before…
It was Marx's scream.
"But Kirby's my friend…he…he wouldn't…would he?"
S͖̺̺̜͓̖̺̉̉̒ͥ̆͂̑ͫ͞͠t̮̲̱͕̭̜̙̄́̇͌͠a͊̏͌͗̚̚͏͏̱͉͡ͅȓ̤̥̥͎͔ͭ̇ͣ͐̐̍ͧ̔͟ ̢͎̀̄̀̈́ͅW̼̞̫̹͖̻̳͔̽͋́̀͟a͓̰̥̼̳͌̕͠r̷̔̓͠͏̤̖ͅr͍̞̾͌ḯ͔͔͉͉͕̈́̾͒́͡o̷̩̩̱͎̳̫̊͐ͮ̌ͣ͢͞r̻̅͗̇̓̑̚…͙͖̤̹̳̥̈͊̓̈́́̔́͟ͅh͎̦͇̠̼̄̓̃͐͒̄û̵̹͇̓͐ͩ̉͛̔͞r͔̲͇̲͇̿͢ṯ͎̝͍͌͗̍͂͗ͥ̄͘ ̷̨̩̝̺̞̞ͫ͗̾ͨ̏͑y̤̤͉̦̙̤̞͙͈̑̉̉ͤo̢̟̥͔̖͗̎́̈ͪͫ̈͒͠u̧̪̞̱̳̹̻ͭ̓͐̀…̒̊̆̑͒̒̂͝͏̭̮̰̭͈H̵̙̽̓̀́e̽̓̿ͅ'͎̣͕͔ͤ͋ͤ͠l̗̥̼̻̪̍ͫͫ̓l͓̻̺̮̱̿̆̅͞ ̢͙͔̥̱̳̹͚ͭ͒̃̾ḩ̷̜̬̓ͮ͗͘ȗ̧̺͙̩̄ͦ͂̀ͣͅr͔̞͈̺͇̂̓ţ̵̫̗̘̘̞͈̽͛͐̏ͧ̈ ̡̱̞̠̲̼̣̔̈́͛ͧ̌ͦ̓͊ͨy͐̌̔ͤ̚͞҉̫̰͙̰͔̞o̟̩͉̿ͯ̀ͤ̈́ͯ͌͟ụ̢̟͖̮͊̃ͫ̃̇͊̒…̯̼̊͢͢
Marx giggled. "You're just being silly! It's nice that you're worried for me, but Kirby's my friend! He wouldn't do something so awful."
The little jester stared at the white belladonnas surrounding the grove's centerpiece. "I want to be strong like you and Kirby…you can do so many amazing things…and Kirby never has anyone to make fun of him…If I was like both of you, I would never be scared."
The voice chuckled, then it turned into a sob.
"Both of you are incredible…I don't know what you are, and I really don't care what…you've always been there…I think that if you gave him the chance, Kirby could be your friend too…"
The distorted voice made a certain noise as if it was accessing the situation.
"When I come back, I'll be something that you'll be proud of…something great…and we'll all be friends forever…"
The little jester sat up, then began to walk out of the grove. He gave one last look at his secret friend, determined that by the time he came back he would be of some use. It made his heart beat with anticipation imagining what his adventure with Kirby would be like. What they would be like when they returned….they would return even closer friends than ever before. He was certain of it.
-
"Marx, where have you been, man? Kirby's been looking everywhere for you." Bun crossed his arms.
"Sorry I'm late. Are you packed up, Kirby?" Marx asked his pink puffball friend.
"Yeah, poyo. Are you sure you want to go?"
"I'm ready for anything, Kirby…I don't have to be afraid as long as you're around. You'll keep my lazy butt safe."
"You're not that lazy, poyo…" The young Star Warrior laughed.
"Kirby of the Stars, are you ready to depart?" Meta Knight asked.
Kirby and Marx both nodded.
"Please keep in mind that many of the stars in the Gamble Galaxy are not as friendly as Pop Star. I trust that you have the necessary supplies to survive the various conditions of each star?"
"I'm ready! I'll have Marx with me, so I have nothing to worry about, poyo!"
The Warp Star then settled on the ground in front of them. Kirby and Marx climbed on and it began to lift in the air.
"Kirby, please be careful! We'll be thinking of you!" Fumu called.
"Bring me back something cool!" Bun shouted, only to get elbowed by Knuckle Joe.
"The fountains on the stars will probably be guarded by something! So get ready to fight when the time comes!" The blonde shouted.
"Kirby, you better not die out there! I'm supposed to be the one to clobber ya!" Dedede yelled with enthusiasm.
"I'll be waiting for you two to get back!" Gooey bounced. "We can go fishing with my new boat and…oh wait…I crashed that boat. Never mind then! Just focus on staying alive!"
Kirby and Marx smiled as they took off for the stars above, encouraged by friends from below. The entire galaxy was counting on them, and they didn't have much time to dawdle. Kirby knew that they could accomplish this task, because he had his friend by his side.
Author's Note: The time of reckoning is upon us. Is it close to the end of the arc? Yes? Will this arc end in tears? Who can say? I'll try to get this arc finished up by the end of my break with luck. A lot of luck. We have about three or four more chapters to go until the end of the Super Star Ultra Arc.
Readers, did you know that Kirby of the Stars: The After Story now has a TVTropes page? It's very own page. With tropes! It's a small page, but perhaps with your help it can grow to be something great! ...Who started the TVTropes page for it in the first place? Well, whoever started the page and those that have contributed to it, I want to sincerely thank you.
Until next time.