Soon after they awoke, Kirby and Marx were discussing which planet to search next. Marx had spread the map across the ground as he explained their plan of action.
"So, we should go to Cavius, the Cave planet, then go on over to the Machine planet Mekkai. Then all that's left is the Eternal planet Halfmoon." Marx explained.
"Then we get to see NOVA?" Kirby asked.
Marx nodded. "Are you ready, Kirby?"
"Yeah, poyo!"
(watch?v=kOTtr0W7scM)
Kirby and Marx hopped on the Warp Star and took off for Cavius. They landed a short while later on the planet, then descended into it's depths in search of the Dream Fountain. The little jester and pink puffball spent some time walking in the caves, wondering if they were making any progress.
Suddenly, they were ambushed by what looked like Kawasaki, but was much darker in color. He suddenly took out a few dishes, then tossed them at Kirby and Marx. They dodged the dishware, then Kirby inhaled a Bio Spark to gain the Ninja ability.
Kirby started the battle with a knife throw, then followed with a Ninja Kick. The Kawasaki look-alike jumped and hurled more dishes at the pink puffball. Kirby used a Dash attack, then finished off his opponent with an Air Drop.
Continuing onward, they ran into another foe. A blue Ju-Kid began to approach them. Marx quivered, instantly being reminded of the bully Ju-Kid on Pop Star. Kirby noticed that their foe was eyeing Marx with ill intent. The pink puffball frowned. He released his Ninja ability, then inhaled a GIM for the Yo-yo ability.
The young hero used a Yo-yo Throw first, then tried to do a Gazer Spiral. The Ju-Kid suddenly grabbed the Yo-Yo and hurled Kirby with it. He gave out a cry of alarm as the Ju-Kid grabbed him again, then violently threw him on the ground.
Marx gasped, then swallowed. He could feel himself shaking, but he knew what he had to do. He ran towards the Ju-Kid, then kicked him in the side. The force was enough to knock the enemy on his side, leaving Kirby with an opening to attack. Kirby threw his Yo-Yo at the Ju-Kid, knocking out his opponent, but losing his ability in the process.
"Move! Move! Before he wakes up!" Marx nudged Kirby along the cave's path.
"That was really brave, poyo. If you hadn't helped me, I might have lost."
"Well…I don't know about that…I couldn't just stand there and watch you get hurt over and over, you know."
"Thank you for saving me." Kirby smiled.
The two walked a little further, then were ambushed once again by a green colored Mr. Frosty. Kirby inhaled a Sir Kibble, then gained the Cutter ability. He rushed towards his opponent, then used his Cutter Boomerang. Mr. Frosty chucked an ice cube in their direction, which they managed to avoid.
Kirby jumped into the air and attacked with a Sweep Cutter. Mr. Frosty jumped back, then tried to tackle the pink puffball and jester. They moved out of the way, resulting in Mr. Frosty hurting himself from the fall. Kirby ran forward, then finished off the battle with a Cutter Drop.
"Amazing work again, Kirby!" Marx praised.
"Thanks, poyo. But I think there's more." Kirby pointed at an approaching Poppy Bro Sr.
The dark pink Poppy Bro Sr. bounced towards them, the tossed a bomb in their direction. Kirby inhaled the bomb to become Bomb Kirby. The enemy dashed towards Kirby. He moved aside, then tossed a bomb at the attacker. The Poppy Bro Sr. was defeated.
"Where do they keep coming from, poyo?!" The pink puffball said with frustration as a Bonkers came into view.
"Oh no…they must have seen the Warp Star as we flew in. They were ready for us." Marx said, feeling dread well up within him.
"Then we'll just have to take all of them on, poyo! We have to find the Dream Fountain!"
Kirby rushed into battle throwing bombs at the yellow Bonkers. The hammer wielding enemy stomped a few times before throwing a few exploding coconuts. The young Star Warrior dodged the explosives, then attacked with his own. In minutes, the Bonkers was defeated as well.
"Hey, hey, hey! I can see an opening!" Marx yelled.
There was an opening in the cave wall before them. Suddenly, a Bugzzy hopped down from the ceiling. Kirby quickly took care of the enemy, then they headed through the entrance. Kirby and Marx walked down that path without any other disturbances.
"The map says that we're getting close. It should be in the room after this one." The jester put the map back in his hat, then tossed his hat in the air. It landed on his head perfectly.
"Doesn't this room feel really familiar, poyo? Like that last room when we were in that cave with Gooey and Armin?"
"I'm trying really hard to forget that experience, you know…" Marx frowned.
"AH! Marx, look out!"
Marx turned around in time to see a large rocky hand reach towards him. He dropped to the floor and rolled away from the hand. A face of a statue appeared from the darkness, it grinned at the two in an unsettling manner. It raised it's hand once again and tried to hit Kirby.
"Kirby, remember what happened last time! Swallow the rocks!" Marx called from a safe distance.
The pink puffball nodded and inhaled one of the rocks. He turned into Stone Kirby, then stood in front of the Wham Bam Rock's face. It lifted it's hand; then Kirby jumped into the air and slammed his Stone form on the golem's hand.
Wham Bam Rock shook in pain and anger, then raised his hand again. The hero of Pop Star repeated the process, injuring the statue's hand once again. It shook, causing debris to fall from the ceiling. Kirby maneuvered around the falling rocks, then jumped into the air and finished off the golem.
The stone statue's face crumbled away, leaving Kirby and Marx the opportunity to run into the next room. Just as predicted, the Dream Fountain was in the cave's room with an opening to the sky. Kirby touched the fountain, sending a beam of light out into space.
"Kirby…we're so close…" Marx stared at the beam of light in wonder.
"We're gonna see NOVA and get our wishes granted, poyo!"
"Huh? 'wishes' as in plural?" Marx tilted his head to the side.
"We only get one wish?" Kirby asked.
"There is no 'we', Kirby. There is only one wish that can be granted, not one to each of us. Only one wish." Marx explained.
"Oh…I thought that we would each get a wish, poyo…that's not fair…" Kirby drooped.
"Kirby, you have to understand that granting a wish takes a large amount of energy to make possible. NOVA is special, because NOVA can turn energy into what the wisher desires. However, you need to think about what you want to wish for, you know."
"We're wishing for the sun and the moon to stop fighting…did you forget, silly?" Kirby giggled.
"Yeah…we're wishing for the sun and moon to stop fighting…"
-
(watch?v=LrfjWUizb94)
Kirby and Marx soon landed on the planet of Mekkai. The planet did indeed live up to it's title as the machine planet. All around them, something was ticking, whirring, or spouting steam, all the while there was metal everywhere.
"Kirby…you sounded surprised when I said that we only got one wish between us, you know…Were you planning on wishing for something else?"
"Well, I thought that both of us would get a wish, poyo…but I guess I could gather the energy again and make another wish!" Kirby suggested.
"It doesn't work that way."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Kirby asked.
"I believe that NOVA will grant only one wish per person. Even if you gather the energy again, it would be for a lost cause."
"But…why, poyo?" The pink puffball was confused.
"Because, consider it this way. If someone made a wish, that's already amazing. But coming back again and again to make wishes…it would take away the meaning. That's why you need to word your wish carefully. Think about whether you really would be willing to deal with all the responsibilities that come with that wish…"
"But Marx, we're wishing for the sun and moon to go back to normal…how could that be bad, poyo?" Kirby said.
"Uh…I mean, only one of us will be making the wish…so maybe one of us may…you know, come back and gather the energy again and get their wish…" Marx stuttered.
"Marx…I know I asked this before, poyo…but, if you could make a wish what would it be?"
"Well…that's a secret…"
"So your wish has changed! Don't you want the answer to that important question, poyo?" The pink puffball got closer to his friend.
"Of course I do, but…if I made my wish…then…" Marx began staring off into space with a smile.
Kirby waved his arm in front of Marx's face. The little jester immediately snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Kirby.
"Yes? Did you say something?" He asked.
"Marx…you've been acting a little weird, poyo…Why?"
"Uh…well…that's because…Oh, look! I think we're getting close to the fountain!" Marx said quickly, jogging ahead of the young Star Warrior.
They stopped in a large factory-like room, whirring noises were heard all around. Suddenly, a large robotic crustacean fell from the ceiling in front of them. The silver sea creature robot almost looked like the Heavy Lobster Kirby had fought on the Halberd.
The pink puffball swallowed a Sir Kibble to become Cutter Kirby. He started the battle with Cutter Boomerang, then dodged as the Heavy Lobster charged towards him. Marx quickly got out of the way and decided to watch from a safe distance.
Kirby ran in the machine's direction, then used a Cutter Dash, followed by a Sweep Cutter. The Heavy Lobster stepped back, then stomped around the room. The young hero jumped into the air and finished off the mechanical crustacean with a Cutter Drop, leaving the machine in pieces on the floor.
The pink puffball and the lavender jester walked out of the room through the second door, finding the Dream Fountain resting on the top of a spire. Kirby touched the fountain, and like the others, it sent a beam of light out to space.
"All that's left is Halfmoon, Kirby…are you ready for it?"
"I have to be, poyo…there's no other way." Kirby replied.
"Have you felt scared at all? Being away from home in places unfamiliar to you, you know?" Marx asked.
"A little, poyo…but I was more scared for your sake. I was afraid that you might get hurt, and you have…I can't help but feel that it's been my fault."
"None of that's your fault. I'm just weak. That's all there is to it." He replied blandly.
"But I know that you're getting stronger, poyo! Before you know it, you'll be as strong as me!"
Marx smiled, a small glint in his eye. "I certainly will be…"
-
(watch?v=NRyncWtetws)
Kirby and Marx soon traveled to the Eternal planet of Halfmoon. The area around them was slightly grassy with a few trees here and there, but it was also quite windy. However, this time Marx didn't lose his hat. The two marched onward as they soon came to a space-like area filled with small glittering stars.
They eventually stopped in front of a mine cart, much to Marx's displeasure. But surprisingly, this mine cart ride wasn't like their past experiences. The cart didn't go flying down the tracks, but instead smoothly rode down the little star path. It was actually quite relaxing.
"Isn't this nice, Kirby? According to the map, this mine cart should take us directly to the Dream Fountain in a while. I could sleep…" Marx yawned.
"You wouldn't be so sleepy if you didn't stay awake all night, poyo."
"Kirby, you know that I can sleep as long as nothing bothers me! How much I stay awake doesn't factor into it! I'm not a little Marx! RAH!" Marx kicked his feet in the mine cart as if he was trying to look threatening.
Kirby giggled at his friend's antics.
"Besides Kirby, how am I supposed to sleep when you snore? You don't snore like a Grizzo, but it's up there on the loudness scale, you know."
"O-Only sometimes, poyo!" The pink puffball blushed in embarrassment.
The two remained silent once more, so silent that Kirby thought that Marx may have fallen asleep. He gently poked the lavender child, causing him to slightly jump up.
"Huh, wazzma? Are we there?" Marx said groggily.
"You were asleep, poyo!" Kirby pouted.
"Whaaaat? Can't I sleep just a little? It should be some time until we're there…" He said quietly, his eyes threatening to shut once more. Kirby poked him again, eliciting a groan of annoyance from the jester.
"No, we need to talk, poyo." Kirby said in a final tone, something very unusual for the normally happy-go-lucky pink puffball.
"Alright. What you wanna talk about?" Marx drawled sleepily.
"About you." The young Star Warrior said, snapping the clown out of his daze. "Is there something wrong, poyo? I know you've been disappearing to places at night…and it's been scaring me, poyo…There's something wrong."
"There isn't anything wrong with me! I'm fine!" Marx barked suddenly.
"No, there is something wrong, poyo. You've been acting weird since…" Kirby gasped. "Is it because…is it because of those bullies?"
"…No…what would make you think something like that?" The lavender jester avoided all eye contact with him.
"Because I know that must have hurt you, poyo…nobody should be treated that way…especially someone like you. You didn't do anything to deserve that, poyo. But…still…I should have done something more. I feel like I'm a bad friend for taking this long to know that was what was wrong, poyo…" Kirby sniffled slightly.
"Kirby, don't be upset! I've just been too sensitive-"
"They pushed you on the ground and wouldn't let you get up! That's awful, poyo! And you must have been so scared…"
"Oh Kirby…if only you knew how familiar it felt…" Marx thought.
Marx sighed. "Do you ever wonder…what it would be like if there weren't people like that? If there weren't any bullies to hurt others because everyone knew how it felt to be hurt? I think it would be a much nicer world…"
"…I didn't know it hurt you that bad, poyo…but…I won't let that happen again! I'll show everyone what a great friend you are! When we get back, when people see Marx they'll say 'That's Kirby's friend, Marx. You better not mess with him!" and then everyone will get the chance to see how I see you, poyo!" Kirby said excitedly.
"Kirby…thanks for not giving up on me…you're my best friend…" Marx smiled, a little teary-eyed.
"I can't do it…not now…"
-
(watch?v=6VzttOIV5JY)
The mine cart had taken them close to the fountain. The room they were in now was covered in crystals, making the little jester feel somewhat homesick for the grove. Suddenly, a textbox appeared before them.
"A Magician appears!"
"Oh great…it's The Great Cave Offensive all over again!" Marx grumbled.
Kirby inhaled a discarded hammer, then attacked the magician when it exposed itself.
"Kirby attacks!"
"You beat the Magician!" The textbox stated.
"An evil Knight appears!" A humanoid knight clad in purple armor wielding a sword appeared from the textbox.
"Kirby attacks!"
"The Evil Knight takes 136 damage!"
"The Evil Knight throws knives!"
"Kirby takes damage!"
"Kirby, are you all right? Don't let that piece of junk push you around!" Marx yelled.
Kirby rose up and waited for the knight to leave the textbox, then rushed and hit the opponent with his hammer.
"Kirby attacks!"
"You beat the Evil Knight!"
"A Great Dragon appears!" A large orange colored dragon appeared in the textbox, it's size was rather intimidating but not to the level of it's eyes or teeth. It's gleaming eyes were set on the pink puffball and the jester, as if challenging them.
Kirby waited for the right moment, then attacked with the hammer.
"The Great Dragon takes 102 damage!"
"The Great Dragon spews fiery breath!"
"Kirby raised his defenses!"
The moment the opportunity arrived, Kirby ran and tossed his hammer. He lost his ability, but defeated his enemy.
"You defeated The Great Dragon!"
"Kirby defeated all the enemies!"
"You gained 221 EXP! (Not that it matters.)"
"Your Puffiness went up by 3!"
"Your Softness went up by 3!"
"Your Spirit went up by 5!"
"Your Maturity went up by 1!"
"Your Eye Sparkle went up by 2!"
The textbox closed itself, but strangely didn't explode like the last time. The two continued to the next room, it was eerily calm around the final Dream Fountain. Kirby gulped, then touched the fountain. The final beam of light reached into space, then a giant orb of light formed.
"Kirby, that must be NOVA! To the Warp Star!"
-
Kirby and Marx hopped on the Warp Star, then took off for the source of the golden light. The light suddenly turned into a strange clockwork being before them. The clockwork creature was golden in appearance and resembled a closed pocket watch. Mechanical parts of every magnitude protruded from this odd creature's sides.
A light bulb, telescope, several gears, a weather vane, a wind up key, a large pocket watch, a dial, what appeared to be several piano keys, and a large assortment of other objects clung to the golden entity's sides. However, the pink puffball couldn't help but notice that there was a large surface missing just above the right eye, revealing some of the entity's inner workings.
The mechanical creation had two large half lidded eyes, a mystical light blue in color with a darker blue center. Quite fittingly, this clockwork being had a whimsical cat-like smile.
This was the wish granting comet NOVA.
"READY. -" NOVA spoke in a low whispery male voice.
Kirby jumped from the Warp Star and began to float in front of the clockwork comet NOVA. He stared in awe as those mystical blue eyes suddenly focused on Kirby.
"I WILL GRANT YOU ONE WISH…-"
The pink puffball wondered how to word his wish, meanwhile the little jester on the Warp Star watched closely with his large purple eyes fixed on NOVA.
(watch?v=xnezQVvUDdY)
"Do it." A voice echoed within his mind. His own voice.
"But…I don't want to…not anymore…" Marx whispered.
"Both of us know that isn't true…you want to. Do it."
Marx tried not to listen to that side of his conscience, a task that proved to be quite difficult.
"No Marx! Don't listen!" A second voice cried. "Don't allow yourself to be deceived!"
"This is your chance, Marx. This is your chance to finally be something extraordinary! All you have to do is make a wish…"
"But…I don't want to…" The purple eyed boy said quietly.
"Yes you do!"
"You are extraordinary Marx! Don't allow yourself to be deceived!"
"Don't you remember what you said? That you would come back to Pop Star as something great? Don't you want that?" The first voice whispered sweetly.
"…but…what about Kirby?" The jester murmured.
"Yes! Remember Kirby! He's your friend!"
"If you make your wish, you could have all the friends you could possibly want! Make a wish, Marx."
"No! Don't do it, Marx! You're being deceived! Please don't do it!"
"I…I…" Marx stuttered, then began to shake.
"This is your only chance…"
"Marx, please remember! Remember your true self!" The second voice pleaded.
"Yes Marx, remember." The first voice sneered. "Remember the times you hid away in fear that they would find you…the times they found you and the pain didn't seem to ever stop…the times that you feared for your life…the horror, the cruelty, the grief…remember it, Marx?"
Marx gave a small gasp and froze, eyes widened in shock.
"But you can change it, Marx…"
"No! Don't listen! Marx, please remember who you are!"
Two sides of his conscience were fighting for dominance. If anyone could have seen the jester in this state, it would have seemed like he was trying to endure unimaginable pain. Tears began to leak from his eyes as his entire body shook. Small choked sounds escaped his throat.
"Stop…please stop…" Marx said in a strangled voice.
"You can make it stop." The darker side of his conscience said. "You won't ever have to feel fear again. With one wish, that world could be yours to shape. Yours and yours alone…whichever way you like. All you have to do…Is. Open. Your. Mouth…and say it…"
"No! Marx! NO! Please snap out of it! This isn't what you want!" His conscience screamed in vain.
"Well…" Marx said quietly.
Kirby opened his mouth, about to make the wish.
Suddenly, the young Star Warrior was flung out of the way. He heard a pained voice scream.
"I want to control Pop Star!"