"…Marx?" Kirby said quietly, his tiny voice laced with shock.
The jester looked into the clockwork comet NOVA's eyes as they began to close.
"OK. - 3...2...1...GO! -"
NOVA's eyes shot open and glowed a vibrant blue light, then slowly headed in the direction of Pop Star. The jester suddenly giggled in a carefree manner.
(watch?v=O1wP4vXvpHo)
"I did it! It all went according to plan!" He said cheerfully, not a trace of malice in his tone.
"P-Plan…what plan, poyo…?" Kirby asked with confusion and uncertainty.
"I got the sun and moon to fight! I got you to go into space…It was all according to my perfect little plan!" Marx burst into joyous laughter.
Kirby gasped, his arms flung to his mouth. "I-It was you? You did this, poyo?! But…but…why?"
"Why?" Marx chuckled. "Because…like I said before…"
Marx's gaze turned to the departing NOVA. "Being hurt over and over gets pretty tiring, you know…but that's all in the past. All those people…the ones who think it's amusing to bring pain on the weak…will be nonexistent…because I'm going to reshape Pop Star however I like! I'll never be the one to beg for mercy again!"
Kirby gaped at the jester before him, so calm within his own insanity.
"Heehee…isn't it wonderful? I'm finally strong in the real way, Kirby! And I couldn't have done it without you! For that, you have my greatest thanks. Without you, none of this would have been possible."
Marx tilted his body to the side, his wide smile unwavering. "What's wrong, Kirby? You look a little pale. It's alright. I haven't forgotten you! I won't leave you out of the fun!"
"What are you talking about, poyo…?" Kirby asked in slight fear.
"Join me, Kirby! We can rule Pop Star together! Just two best friends ruling a planet together! It's only fair, since you had a hand in my plan, you know. Oh Kirby, I'm so excited! It was so difficult keeping it a surprise…but it was worth it! Won't it be fun, Kirby?!"
The jester gave a loud squeal, then dreamily sighed. "I'm just so happy…"
Kirby looked into Marx eyes, finally finding his voice. He said in a soft shaken voice. "Marx…you've gone mad…"
"What? I'm not mad, Kirby! Now come on, aren't you excited? Isn't it wonderful?! Heehee! All those bullies…all of them…they'll know what it feels like to be on the receiving end! Hahaha! Break em into little bits!"
"Marx, listen to yourself, poyo! This isn't you! What's happened to you?" He grabbed the jester and began to lightly shake him.
"But Kirby…I went to so much trouble…for our new world…aren't you happy?"
"No! I'm not happy at all!" Kirby replied.
Marx gasped lightly, his lip trembling and eyes watering. "B-But…Kirby…I…"
"Marx, stop acting crazy, poyo…you're my friend. This isn't right…please don't do this…" Kirby spoke gently, trying to carefully talk some sense into the jester.
His lip trembled and his body slumped. "Oh Kirby…what have I done?"
Kirby gave a silent sigh of relief, glad that he seemed to be returning to sanity.
"I was so idiotic, you know…I spent so much time worrying about how I could be strong like you…but…I made a terrible decision…I don't think I can forgive myself. I was such a fool…"
"It's all right…we'll get this mess fixed up, poyo…Everything will be okay." Kirby said quietly, moving to embrace his friend.
"FOR EVER BELIEVING THAT YOU CARED!"Marx snarled, baring his fangs.
( watch?v=sLL0oeeEPQ0)
Kirby jumped away in fright, eyes beginning to water.
"I was an idiot to think that you actually cared about me for one second! To think that I actually offered the chance for you to rule with me! All this talk about me already being strong…that was your way of saying you didn't want me becoming stronger than you, wasn't it?!"
"That isn't true!" Kirby cried, but Marx vigorously shook his head.
"You lie! It's true! IT'S ALL TRUE!" Marx's body began to glow a dark purple. "You never were really my friend, were you?! If so, you would know how bad I needed this! You don't understand and you're not trying to understand! But now…it's too late…it's too late to understand…"
Kirby sniffled, then held back a small sob. A stream of tears ran down Marx's cheeks, his speech sprinkled with his little hiccups.
"Kirby…" The dark aura around him grew, he bared his fangs."…I hate you."
Suddenly Marx gasped, his eyes widening as a wave of pain shot through his spine. Fear began to rise within the jester, as his eyes began to sting and burn. The sensation in his back only increased in intensity as he flailed around in mortification.
"Ah! Why…why?! Why does it hurt?! AH! It feels like something is tearing me in half! AAAH!"
The young Star Warrior watched in horror as Marx's eyes suddenly grew in size, his purple pupils shrinking slightly into black beady ovals. The jester screamed in agony as two golden appendages burst from the middle of his back. Marx could feel his skin tearing open as they suddenly grew, claws appearing on what appeared to be wings.
"AAAGH! It hurts! MAKE IT STOP! AH! R-R-RREAAAAAH! REAAAHAHAHAHAHA!" Marx's pained screams soon turned into a demented laugh.
The golden objects that came from his back soon revealed themselves to be some sort of wings. Each one had two tiny claws, along with a heart shaped gem on both sides. Most surprising of all, the wings shimmered with every color imaginable from what seemed to be multicolored scales.
The glowing subsided, now revealing Marx's new form. He was far larger than before. Earlier he was smaller than Kirby, but now he was certainly bigger than Meta Knight. His new eyes were somewhat chameleon-like, facing different directions repeatedly.
"Hahaha…Heeheehahaha! Now I'm just as strong as you…now we can play fairly. So now Pop Star is mine! All mine! Now I can cause all the mischief I want! Haha! See you later!" He cackled, then flew away to join NOVA.
"What…what just happened, poyo…?" Kirby thought as he floated through space, tears beginning to form.
Kirby thought and thought about what he could have done wrong…he tried to come up for a reasonable excuse for Marx's behavior, but found none. He had lost his friend…Pop Star was doomed to Marx's new found power and insanity…
Then the beams of light from the surrounding stars suddenly came together to form a spacecraft. The Starship. Kirby climbed in the craft, then sped off towards NOVA and Marx's direction. Though his heart ached, he still had a growing hope within him…
He was going to save his friend Marx from himself.
-
(watch?v=8TIeThwXj2A)
Kirby was gradually keeping pace with the comet NOVA. The clockwork being was getting closer and closer to Pop Star. He was beginning to think that he wouldn't be able to do anything to stop NOVA. Then the sun and the moon suddenly ceased their battle, halting themselves in front of the comet. The two celestial bodies were keeping NOVA at bay.
Stopping NOVA was the first priority. Without NOVA to influence Marx, perhaps he could talk him down. That was the pink puffball's plan at the moment. He remembered the gaping hole over NOVA's right eye, then flew the Starship within NOVA.
He carefully maneuvered through the comet's internal structure, avoiding the small machines that flew at him. He assumed that they were part of NOVA's safety mechanism. Finally, the young hero found Galactic NOVA's Nucleus. The nucleus consisted of eight pillars that connected to the center of the heart. It was a cruel tactic, but it was the only way.
Kirby blasted the pillars with the Starship's small cannon, gradually wearing down the clockwork comet's defenses. When the eighth pillar was torn through, the nucleus began to glow a bright red, signifying that Kirby needed to evacuate.
He flew the Starship as swiftly and carefully as possible, escaping from the internal workings of the comet. An explosion resounded through NOVA, effectively stopping him short. His eyes were frozen into place, all the gears were frozen into place.
"Kirby…you're the worst, you know…" A voice growled from behind him.
(watch?v=sLL0oeeEPQ0)
The young Star Warrior turned around to come face to face with the newly transformed Marx. Despite how obvious it was that the jester was furious, his voice still sounded bright and cheerful. That was what made it so frightening to speak with him now.
Kirby tried to get closer to him, before gently replying. "Marx, you're important to me…I want you to be the Marx that's my friend, poyo…the one that was nice and wouldn't ever hurt anybody…"
"Oh, is that what you want?" He sneered. "That Marx, he was nothing…That Marx was a pathetic, weak, worthless waste of life! But now…I feel like I can accomplish anything…and I won't allow anything to stop me, not even you, Kirby." Marx grinned, revealing his more prominent fangs.
"Marx, please don't do this, poyo! You told me that you needed to be careful what you wished for! Think about that! If you don't, then you'll have regrets, poyo!" Kirby begged, trying to reach for any trace of sanity Marx may have left.
"Regrets? Kirby…how could I possibly regret this?! I have all the power I could possibly want! Pop Star is mine and only mine…heehee…hahaha…And you know what?! I do have one regret…that I didn't think of this brilliant little plan sooner! HEEHAHAHA!"
"I won't let you do this, poyo…I won't let you!" Kirby cried.
"Hmm? Are you going to stop me? Heehee…all right…" The transformed jester grinned, a gleam in his black beady eyes.
"Play with me, Kirby…"
(watch?v=dzMcDaHw1NA)
Marx suddenly took off for a small grey colored planet below. The young Star Warrior quickly gave chase, his Warp Star landing on the rocky surface below. He knew that Marx was going to attempt fighting him, and as much as he didn't want to, Kirby had to fight his former friend. He noticed a discarded sword lying on the ground, then swallowed it.
"So…you ready to play, Kirby? Heehee hahaha!" The jester laughed.
Kirby thought that this new laugh didn't suit him. The pink puffball's mission statement still hadn't changed. He was going to save his friend. He might have to fight with him to accomplish that, but he wasn't about to allow himself to lose him.
"Marx, poyo…please…you can stop this!" He pleaded in a vain attempt to reach him.
"But why stop when we're about to play a fun game, you know? Heehee!"
"Marx, stop! You don't know what you're about to do!" A voice rang through his head.
"Oh, it's you again…" He grimaced. "I don't want to stop…not now…"
Kirby gasped. "Marx must still have a conscience, poyo! He's still in there somewhere!"
"Heehee! So…let's play! Hahahaha!" Marx yelled, suddenly warping directly above Kirby.
Marx unfurled his wings, releasing four crescent shaped blades. Kirby shakily deflected each of them with his sword. Marx flew around in his own little world, happily humming as he dropped four strange green seeds on the surface below.
Vines covered in thorns shot from the ground where the seeds had landed, one narrowly avoiding scraping Kirby's side. Marx had suddenly disappeared in a void. The young Star Warrior looked around quickly, seeing no sign of the winged jester.
Then Marx arose from a void underneath him, knocking the pink puffball aside. Kirby picked himself up in an instance, staring at his former friend.
"Heehee! You're good at this game~! But there's still so much more fun ahead, you know! Hahahaha!"
Suddenly several light blue arrows were fired from his wings. Not expecting such an action, Kirby fell to the side from the attack. Marx giggled and spun around in the air.
"Hahaha! I feel so alive! I've never felt so happy to be alive!"
"Stop this nonsense! You need to fight this! This isn't the real you!" The voice screamed inside his head.
"I'm tired of listening to you…you're boooring~!" Marx hummed.
Kirby heard him. "He's not listening, poyo…I need to make him listen!"
The young Star Warrior jumped at him, then sliced at his wings. Marx made a cry of alarm, then kicked him to the side.
"My wings!You could have hurt my beautiful wings!" He screeched, then spat out a ball of ice.
Kirby rolled out of the way of the attack. "Marx, those wings aren't a part of you! Please wake up!"
"I am awake Kirb-" Marx stopped short, then began to choke. He gagged, and spewed a large laser from his mouth.
Kirby jumped away from the laser's path, the rock in front of it completely obliterating with rubble as it's only traces. Marx turned around to see that the pink puffball was nowhere in sight. Kirby hid behind a rock as he desperately tried to think of what to do. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life…
"Hide and seek~! Hide and seek~! You can't hide from me forever, Kirby! I'll find you soon!" He called out cheerfully, almost as if they were playing an actual game of hide and seek.
Kirby's breath was caught in his throat.
"And when I do…I'll cut you up into little bits! Heehee! Hahahaha!"
"Marx, stop this at once! You're scaring Kirby! You don't want to hurt him! He's shown nothing but kindness to you!"
He seemed to waver a bit. "But…he's going to hurt me…"
"He wants to be friends again just as much as I know you do too. Stop the violence…for your sake…"
Marx gritted his teeth. "But…I…I can't go back now…it's too late…"
He was beginning to sound like his old self, his eyes looked less beady and more soft. He seemed to be pondering the situation quite seriously, a small frown on his face.
"It's not too late for you! You can end this! I know within your heart that you can!"
Marx trembled, unsure of what to do. He could feel his conscience urging him in the right direction…but was it truly right? He wasn't sure what to believe, but that was consistent with his old self as well. Marx couldn't even believe in himself. The only one who he had complete and utter faith in was…
Kirby suddenly jumped from behind the rocks and slashed quickly at his wings. The jester tried to distance himself from his attacker, the pain within him immense. The pain…was bringing back dreadful memories…
"Kirby, you're hurting me! Why would you do that?" Marx whimpered as he flew higher.
He was beginning to sound like himself. The young Star Warrior attempted to get closer to him, but Marx evaded him with all of his might. The little jester now feared for his life, silently begging that it would all end soon.
"This wasn't what I wanted…I wasn't supposed to be hurt…"
Then images began to flash through his mind. He could see himself so long ago, huddled into the corner of an abandoned house in fear. Next he could see his younger self with dark bruises on his body, limping away in pain.
"Stop it! Stop it stop it stop it!" He yelled, trying to screw his eyes shut.
"Marx, don't pay attention to those images! You're being used!"
"I'm…so tired…of hearing your voice…" He growled.
"That's right, Marx. Don't listen. Do whatever you like now! You don't have to listen to anyone anymore." His darker conscience said with delight.
"I-I don't understand…what am I supposed to do?" Marx asked quietly.
"Marx, don't listen! Don't do anything he sa-"
"Isn't it obvious?" The voice whispered with glee. "Crush him."
"It's so simple…" Marx said in awe. "But so…favorable."
Marx suddenly dove down at a breakneck speed into Kirby. The pink puffball was tossed around effortlessly by the winged jester, who had began to laugh excitedly throughout the entire process. Then he slammed the young Star Warrior onto the cold unforgiving grey ground.
"Hahahaha! Come on, you can do better than that, you know!"
Kirby weakly stood up and glanced at Marx, not a trace of anger or resentment on the pink puffball's face.
"Hmm? Why aren't you fighting back? Afraid?!"
"Marx, poyo…I don't want to fight you…"
"You're afraid. Afraid now that there's someone stronger than you! You can't control me, and it scares you! That's it, right?!" He grinned, his fangs showing and his eyes unnaturally wide.
"This isn't something you want to do!" Kirby cried out.
"No Kirby…this is what I've been waiting for!"
Marx warped around Kirby repeatedly, before choking and gasping. A large laser was released from his mouth, hitting the pink puffball with full force. He fell to the ground, then weakly attempted to stand once more.
"HAHAHAHA! HEEHAHAHA!" Marx shrieked with delight.
He tried to slash the young Star Warrior with his crescent shaped blades, only for Kirby to block each one. He ran towards the transformed child, then slashed at his wings once more. The blade had slashed his side, prompting a loud wail from Marx.
The winged lavender child paused, every shining scale on his wings suddenly froze with the rest of his body. His eyes slowly shifted to the freshly bleeding gash on his side, the same spot where the Scarfy had bitten him. Then his black beady eyes returned to glance at Kirby.
It was as if someone had hit a switch.
Marx gave an inhuman screech, then dove for Kirby. He slammed him against a boulder, then repeatedly kicked him with as much force as his body would allow. His beady eyes wider than ever before as he breathed grunts of anger and disgust. His hisses grew longer with every pained yelp from the hero.
"Marx…what happened to you, poyo? We used to be friends…" Kirby choked out, trying to ignore the pain.
"Marx, please listen! Stop what you're doing!" The voice chimed.
"He's so weak now…finish him. There's nothing stopping you."
"Don't do it! Marx, you're hurting you're friend!"
Marx froze, his eyes suddenly returning to their original purple color. He gazed at Kirby, then slowly released him. His eyes never left the pink puffball as he distanced himself from his former friend. Neither uttered a single sound, their eyes focused on nothing but the other.
Marx gave a shaky breath. "He's…not…my…FRIEND!"
A slit suddenly appeared in the middle of Marx's body. Then he slowly separated into two halves. A large gaping black hole materializing between his two halves. Then a large gravitational pull began to gradually drag Kirby closer to the vortex.
He held onto a rock with all the strength left in his body, but it wasn't enough. The pink puffball was being sucked into the black hole, fear consuming every muscle in his body. What would happen to him if it swallowed him up?
-
(watch?v=RqVGlE8AkxQ)
Kirby was dragged into the void that was Marx's inner dimension. What occurred next was like a slideshow of sorts, as he saw a young lavender boy with a jester cap. Far younger than Marx's current age, and with none of his transformation features.
The pink puffball could have said that it looked exactly like his friend, only the lavender boy before him looked as if he had been drawn in a children's storybook. The storybook Marx, despite looking like a drawing, seemed so full of life. His eyes shined with not a trace of anger or hatred, and his laugh filled with genuine joy.
He bounced on his colorful beach ball as the void around them changed to a grassy field. Trees and flowers covered the landscape with birds chirping in the distance. It truly seemed like something that would come from a book Fumu read to him.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Can I play with you?" He said in such a light cheerful tone.
His voice had somewhat of an echo effect, but it was definitely Marx's voice. The storybook Marx frowned suddenly, then burst into tears. Three tall shadowy figures stood over him, their features indistinguishable but all held large grins on their silhouetted faces.
The once beautiful grassy field began to change around the pink puffball. The grass suddenly sunk back into the soil as the flowers and trees withered up and perished. The sun above cracked and dissolved into dust, leaving the land around them dark.
The jester backed away with fear in his eyes, only for one of their large black hands to violently grab him and lift him into the air. The distorted cruel laughter of children could be heard as the dark hand suddenly tore the storybook Marx apart as if he was paper.
The three shadows slowly ripped him into small pieces as if they were trying to draw out his suffering. The Marx copy was howling through the entire process. Kirby gasped in horror. He didn't want to see anymore, he couldn't bear to hear him cry out in agony. He was seeing his friend get mutilated and tortured, and he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't move.
Once the lavender body was no more than torn pieces of paper that once resembled him on the ground, the shadows gave a roar of applause. Kirby had never felt so disgusted in his life. He wasn't sure why he was seeing these images, and as upsetting and repulsive as they were, he couldn't tear his eyes away.
The silhouetted figures' movement was halted, in a similar manner as if something had restrained them. The shadows' laughter was immediately replaced with frightened screeches of pure terror and revulsion. The three silhouettes shattered as if they were made of glass.
Then a white light appeared in the darkness above the remains of storybook Marx. Two large white glowing hands gradually descended, carefully picking up his pieces. The hands began to gingerly assemble the jester once again. Once he was complete, he now resembled when Kirby first met him, older and still in that children's storybook style.
The young Star Warrior couldn't help but feel a chill go down his back. The disembodied hands faded away, and a falling white star appeared from the light above Marx. The star landed in his eyes, and screamed aloud through the void. The fallen star had fused within him.
Beautiful white flowers bloomed around them as a blurry image began to approach Marx. Kirby couldn't see any features in the figure the same color as the flowers, but he felt that something was very unsettling about it. The way it's body seemed to drag itself across the void, how it seemed so unnatural…
Then Kirby began to hear it's voice.
He had never heard something so horrifying in his life. It sounded like a choked gurgle accompanied by a few distorted shrieks. It continued to utter those horrendous noises as it crawled towards Marx. Kirby wanted to do something, anything to get Marx away from that abomination.
And yet…Marx showed no fear.
The jester boy gazed at it with curiosity, and an expression that could only be described as adoration. His distance from the thing only grew smaller, he quivered with excitement much to Kirby's utmost confusion and fear.
The creature suddenly rose, then exploded into a flurry of white petals. As each petal fell, in their place was a small blue crystal shard, which then formed a larger crystal in the center. A small light came from the gem, then gently floated to Marx's chest.
"̶̧̖͍̝̝̙̯̤̗͖̙̝̱̻̣̞̟̺́̒͗̾̐̐͑ͥ̓͟͠ͅŢ̥̜̯̖͇͇̜̳̤̹͍̜̯͖ͮ̃̽ͧ͠͡ͅr̬͙̘̹̳͓̪̳͆ͣͥ̈̐ͫͯ̉̉ͨ̉͌̍͐̈̂̚͟͝͡͠u͐̈́ͩ͌ͭͤ̀ͯͪͤ̏̉̀ͯ͗̓̈́̈̆͘͢͝͏̰̞̟̝̩ȩ̸̶̵͊̀̓͑̇ͮ̇͒ͧͭ̏ͤ͋̎҉̻̯̻̩͇̝̗͙̗̤̪ ̵̡̞͉̤̼̟̤̩̤̬͓̠̤̺͖̯̦͐̽͗ͥ̕͘t̡̛̗̖̼̜̪̜̖̯̠̟͖̜̹͈̎̿̂̎͗͑ͬ̇͂̃͆̂̄̌͑̋̓̐͘̕oͨͩ͑ͩ͆̓̿̾ͯ͂ͨ͊ͮ̏̓ͨͮ҉̗͍̯̥̳͈̳̦͢͞͞ ̜̲̘͇̠̫̰ͭ̀͑ͣ͋̾͌͊̕͟͢͟͠m̃ͩͪ̆̔ͦ́ͬ̓̃̓͡͏̴̴̻̗͚͚̰̙͖͍̜̜̞̮͉̖̪̬͠y̵̛̙͖̳̲͇̩̯̙̠̗͂̇ͯͧ̽̓̓ͮͭ̓̈̅ͨ̊͢͠͞ ̡̪̣̳̫̦̤̭̇̈ͦ̃͐̇̋̅ͣͭ̿ͯ̚̕͢ͅn̶̨̢̲͚̣̰̼̿́̄͛̏̌̇ͭ̒ͯ͂̈̈́͡a̧̛̙̥̰͓ͫ̈́̾̆ͤ͛ͤͤ̿̎̐͊ͤ̆ͩ̄̑̕m̶͇̼̫̺͎̥͍̺̰̟̦̓̿͊ͦ̋̈́̅͌́́̀͝è̵̴̛̮̰̹̙͙̟͇͔͕̘̦͚͚̊̔̇̐͌͒̓̀͑̃ͤ͌̀ͫ̒ͭͤͥ́̀ͅ,̡̑̉ͬ͛҉̴͕͉̭͖̩͚͉ ͚̤͖̦̰̈ͩ͊̐̾͆͂́͜I̷̷͈̮͖̖͖̰̳̮͈͙̔ͧ̋̔͑͋̃̆̏ͬ͐͛ͭ̄ͬ̊̈̋̚͡ ̡͓̞̻͔̼̗͚̺̦͕̑͆̍̉ͤ̾̋͑̀͂̔̈́̆͊̅̀͢͟͞a̷̶̭͔̩̖͉̻̟͍̅̔̂̈́̍ͦ̆ͫ̋̋ͯͫͮ͐̒m̩̗̗̠͖̗͈ͣ̇̇͌ͦ̀̈͑̏ͥͨͥ̄͠ ̷̢̢͗͊̄ͫ̿̊̍ͤ͏͖̗̲̟͖͙b̶̭̱̯̫̳̳̠̺͔͉͉̘̬͎̞̜̙͐ͨ̃ͮ͂̋̾ͦ̽͌̿̐̐̎̆͆̌͢͡ͅu̡͕̟̗̼̺̥̬̠͖̤͙̺̼̳̮̤̖ͪ̎ͫ̓̿̍ͩͮ͒ͨ̽ͯ̑̈̿́́̕͞t̴̴̃ͯ͂ͧ̿ͤͩ̉ͫ̈́̍ͨ́͜҉̣̞̖̞͚̙̲̮̞̹͍͕̞͕ ̵̵̶̡͎͎͔̠͖̲̹̗͚͇̻̟͓̳̗̝̙͍̐̊̀ͫͪ̃ͨ͂ͫ̚͘a̵̼͕̬̓ͣ̿͐ͯ̌̇ͤͭ͐͗ͫ̍̀͌̃́͡ͅn̴̼͓̤̫̭͇̼̣̱͑ͣ͌̂̽͊͊ͯͦͭ͒̏̆͛͊̊́̀͢ ̷̬̲̖̞̪̄̋̃̽͐̄ͩ̋ͯ͢e̡͕̱͈̼̳̦ͯ͂ͪ̎̐ͨ̓ͬ̚͡n̸̴̛̥͚̮̪̰̜̫͚̺͎̹͎̰̗̙̞͓͐̿̌̑͗͗͂ͨ͋ͮͯͩͣ̉̀̚͡ͅt̵̤̠̥̠̯̺̺͕̱̻͍͓͉̜̤̍̌ͨͩͭͮ̑̂̾̾ͪ̋̃ͯ̂̽̉̕͜i̴̢̢̟̲̻̗̭͙͖͎̳̖̮̬ͪ͂ͥͤͪ͘t̸̵̀̉̐͊ͮ͗̆̋͑ͭ͆́ͦͧ҉̵̙̱̫̱̞͙̪̪̬̮͙̯̜͇̻͉̟y̮̞̪̤̦̻̯̰̦̖͓̬̰̼̥̰̦̹̝ͥ͑ͫͨ̓̈́̀̕͠ ̷̪̻͉̺̼ͮ̏̏͗̊ͭ̅ͧ͗̃͋͌͛̑ͦ̽̎́͢͡͡ͅt̅̿ͨ̌͞͝͏̸̛̯̩̺̠͉̭̜̗͙͔̻͇ͅh̨̫͍͖͔̉̈ͦ͋͊̋̑͗ͪ̿̑̿ͯ͒͜aͪ̉͂͌̀ͮ͒̉ͪͬ̚͏̷̖̣̲̮̗̗͖̩͙̩͚̰̰̘̭͙ͅt̢ͬ̾̒͒̒͒́͊̾̈́̋͟͏̗̮͔̙̭̻̼̪͖ ̛̮̺̜̪̣̥̰̺̘̬̺̝̓̓̿̈́̈̓ͨͯͯͦ͛͢r̸̸ͧͩ͊̀̾̽̈̈̄̑̓̑͢͏̜̹̼̮̱̯̬̯ͅe̡ͭͣͣͮͯ͂̊̽́͞͏͈͇̟̞̜͕͎͡ṡ̵̢̫̠̬̗̞̭̪̪̜ͤ̊̎ͅi̷͊̊̑̃ͨ̾ͮ̉ͭ͏̧̞͈̩͈͍̯̘͔̪̻͈̝̙͚d̷̖̣̦̠̫̲̭͓ͩ́͋̉͋̓͌̿ͥ̈̍̀̚͜͠͠e̢̛̩̝̻̹͍̘͖̺͍̗̺̬̥̭̖̬̗͍̜͑͌̉̐̂̎͝͝s̛͇̱̤̲̤̯̻̺͖̰͔̺̣̱̅̊ͦ͆̀̈́̔͂̒ͫ̀͜͝ ̲͚̫̺̬̇̀̌̆̅̈̂͂̑̈́͒̏͗ͮ́̚̕̕͜ͅį̣̲͕͇̜̳̰͉ͫͤ̋̏ͤ̐ͬͪ̔ͫͩ̈ͣ̐͑̈́ͬͪ̓́͟͜͡n̷̷̡̛̝̗̣̙͉̉̄͂̔̂ͣͪ ̷̶̢͓̝͔̟̭̳̺̌̇ͪͦ̒ͯ̏̚t̵̡̨̠̮͙̝̬̰̱͙̭̬͍͒̅̊̌͋̒ͬ͗ͭ̓̅̋̑͒͂h̨̢̩̥̗̞͔̟͙̟̪̞͓̲̱̖̿ͩͬ̐̑̾̊̒ͧͪ͋ͮ̔̑ͤ͒͗ȩ̳͓̳͔͍̝̳̝̳̯̘̜ͬ̈ͨ͊͆̀ͨ̏͗̍̅͑̑ͯ̈̓͡ ̸̷̠͙̳̮̆͒̍̏͆́͝͞m͕̘̻̭̗͖͚͈̝̼͕̝͌̎͊̍̾̒ͪ̀̚͠͞͠ḯ̴̡̡͉̦̳̜̒͌̅̅͆̏́̆̽̆ͥ́̚n̢̪͓͍̮ͩ̽͋͆͒ͬͯ͌̉̏͟͞d̶̛͍͍͉̞̘̫̘̠̪ͯ̎̍ͥ͗s̴̤͙̝̟̑̍̓ͥͮ̀ͨ̌͌ͮ̎̉̄́ͅ ̵̶͚͓͚̘̘̟̙̙̠̱͎͕͎͉͕͕ͫ͒ͪ̾̈͂̽̊ͦ̍ͣͮ́͟͝ͅͅọ̴͕̖̥́̋͌̀̽ͯ̿́͝ͅf̸̶͎͖̖̤̤̲͕̲̙͇̳̦̤̺̗̐͋̄̌͗ͪͧͦ̇̎ͮ̊ͩ̃̚ͅͅ ̷̵̢͈̬͎̝̩͎̇ͦ̏ͧͨ̎͒̾̽̓̂̽́͢͡m̶̹̩͉͖̮̯̬̺͙̪̻̊ͪ̊͂ͮ͗̓ͧ̽̅̇̔ͫa̡̫̗͔͙͌͐ͫ̒̈̓͂̿̿ͮ̀ͬͮͅn͈̰̼̩͇͚̟̰̊͛̇̐̚͟.͓͓͚̣̲͙̝̳ͮ̑̐̾̊ͤ̆ͬ͊͛͛̚̚͜͠ ̄̓ͨͣ̓̈ͦ͊̂̿̾ͤ̓ͮ̽͑ͥͥͬ҉҉̨͏̞̠͇̯̩̟̘̣̜̰̞͎̦̞̭̮T̛̼̪͍̖̹͕͔̱͒ͧ́̒ͮ̋̔̒ͩ̐̽ͬ̉͒ͦ̊̐͛h̶̵̛͎͙̹̪̹̼̝̟̮̣͇̟͎̽̾̈́̽̅ͫ͗͂̇̽ͯ͐͌ͮ̐ͤ̀̅́ễ̹͙͎̼̱̯̦̠̜̥̦͒̓̑́̀̕͘͟͝r̶̡̟̞͖̜̰͚̳̞̼̳̲̜̲̗̱̗̦̍ͫ̏ͦ͂͛̐͌̀͢͡ͅę̶̼̣̻̯̤̺͎̦͓̟͍̪̭̣̊̄̃̿̓̒̒̅ͤͦ̓̚͢f̩͈͍͇̲̤̘̝͈̹͒͛̀͒̓͑́ͦ̈ͥ̇̈́ͨͤ̌ͪͣͨ́͘͟o̻̟̦̖͈̫̣̻̙̘̙̳̎̐ͯ̉̓ͭ̾ͣ̊̌͆̈ͪ̉͢͠͠r̷̢̙̺̩͙̹̲̻̥̤̖̘̭̟͈̺̬͐̆ͮͬ̇͞ę̷ͮ̆̏́ͦͩ̍͗ͦ̒͂͑̏͑ͨ̓̚͏̡͕̭̘̘͖̤̼̖̣̲͢,̡̝͎̠̫͍̮͈̫̺̊͆̿ͬ͑̓͗ͥ̍ͤ̑̾ͯ̏̒̽͡ͅ ̸̡̡͖̥̙͎̭̰̫̯̎͌͌̊̿͆ͨ͆͑͊ͣͤ̄̑͒͊ͣ̑ͨ͜͞I̦̞͕͕͈̖͎̹̫̝̰̖͔̯̝͈͓̮̳ͬ͊̎ͪ͜ ̨͔͕͙̦̜̒̌͐͒͆ͧͮ͋͆̓̄̂͋ͩ̚͡a̸̡̺̪̰̯͚̪̦͈͍̝̭̠̖̮̲̣͇̱͐͒̈̽ͨ̓̎͐͌̓̿͑̄̇̚͠m̛̬̝͚͈̤͎͍̘̲̠͔̱̮̫̲͋͌ͬͥ͑ͧ͘͟ ͖̟̻̠̬̱͎̙̜͔̯̆ͮ̊̎̽̀͜͟b̴̛̞͉̤̼̼̝̼͔͚̙̤͉̗̖̺̱̳ͩͫ͗ͩ̈́̂̆͂̍ͫͥͨ̇̍́̏̌̾́̀ͅò̸̸̻͍̦̱̣͍͍̩̱̝̻̠̲̊̄̈̉͝u̢̳̹̬̼̗̜̦̥̙̗̤̥̝͇͓̱̻̮̰͗ͦ͊ͩ́̃ͯ͆̑̾̀ͭͯͨ̿ͩͣͥ͡n̄̀͗͆͊ͤ͂ͦ̃̔̉̾͛͌͏̨̮̳͔̪̠͉͙̲̥̝͉̻͚͔̯̕͟͞d̡̼̞̹̪̼̙̲͎̻͙̺͉͇̖̙͐ͪ̏͊͂̐̾̾͐͂ͩ̔͂ͨͩ͜͞l̡͐̓̐̂ͪ̓͊́ͣ҉̢̠͓̜̭̱̞͈͎͔̮̣̞̻́͝ͅȩ̸̦̺̗̫̥̟̮̬̖̜̪͍̺̟̮̩ͧͯ̒ͤ͊̿͋̈ͦͥͅs̴̛̲̖̘̳̟̲̼͔̹̥̝̭̼͍ͧ͗̓͌̒ͬ̐̀͊ͮͮs̖̝͎̙̜̗̜͖̦͍͉̤͕̳͍͈͖̲͖͊ͮ̅ͧ̈́͌͐ͩͥ͐̏͑̕͘͢.̴̛̖̩͙̝̤̮̳̠͓̥̻̙̦̖̤ͪͦ͋̊ͬ̔͋̽ͤ̂̇̑͛ͧͮ̒ͤ̚̚͘͘͠ ̶̣͕̺̬͇͔̙͇̩̻͖͊̆ͦ̾̋̿ͪ̎̓̈̋ͮ̍͗ͯ̈͂̾̀͞ͅĻ̸͉̳̲̞̙͙̻̥ͧ̄͂ͥͨ͒̓͝ì̶̢̮̼̙̦̳̤͔̓̔̋̎ͨͅv̈̃̂̔͑̄̑́̄͐͏͉̠͔͔̯̲̼̩͓͔͚͔̤̼͟i̸͙̯̹͙̻̟̜̥̪̹̻̩̳͒̄̓͋͌̋ͯ̾͊̈́̄̂̔̈̿́̑̏ͤńͫ̾̔͌͜͏͈̻̭͈͔̜̙͚̦g̖̟̰̰̹͙̠̖̍̇͌̿ͯͭ͗̍̒͌ͦ̓ͧ͆̌͛̚̕͟ͅ,͗̋͊ͧ̅̓̓̈́͗̓̑̉̚҉̴̷̢̤̘̝̫͖͖͚̥̦̖̹̜̝͔̜̼͟ ̡̲̻̣̜ͭͭ̔̀̂̆͋̒̌͐̉̐̔̉͑ͣ̚̕y̆ͨ͆͗̆̇ͤͬ̒ͪ̃̂͒͗ͦ̓͊ͧ̚͏̖̼̪̼̤̖̯̲͇͚͓̀͡ę̷̳̜̼̭̩̥͚͙̞͇̦͖͓͕ͯ̂ͪ̈́ͨ̚ͅṱ̸̸̴̗̣̳͚̊̌ͯ͋̓̽̿ͦ̐̃ͪ͊́ͅ ̛̍̇́̉͆̀́̓̈́ͤ҉͇͉̳̝̠̥͇̖̜̝̘̗̳̳͡ͅd̷̟̥̟̑̄ͥͪͧͧ̑ͣ͛ͭ̎̚̕͠ḙ̸̢̣̹̭͈͔̼͎̟̜͈̇̿ͯ̑̔ͥͥ͐ͭ͑̚̕c̶̸̢͇̻̹͉͈̺̩̦͈̻̘̳̩͈͔͍̓̓͑̿̉̿ͤ̀͂͘e̢ͧ͊͌̑͊̾ͫ̎͆̈̿̔͏̴͙̤̜͔͍͝͞ȃ̵̢̧͉̞̹̞̞̞͎̬̹͓͎̜̦͕ͨͦ͌̊ͩ̓͡s̡̺̯̘̹̙͈̮̙͉̙̖̦̫̠̝̟̰̞̭̏͊̀ͨ̓ͫ̀ę̷̶͉̝͇͓͈͕̟͋̐͂ͮͣ̽͡ͅd̢̩̖̫̫̼̦̱̹̳̬͔̳͓̣̥̳͔̱̘̋̆̋̃͗̀̎̚͢͢,̈́̂̑̃̑͛̔̇̈́ͬͬ͗̍̍͘͏̩͚͖̩͓̥̤̼͙͍̯͍̤͞ ̡̖̦̺̖̲ͯ͑͂ͧ̄͘Į̖̯̖̥̣͕̬͎͔͕̭͇͍̹͚̟̍͗ͤ͋̈͋͐̓͂̂͌ͯ͂̿͋̄ͯ̔̽ͅ ͯ̈̓͛̉̅ͪ̍͏̧̧̹͖͕̭͈̱̲̤̣̯̪̻̪̞͎̜͠ͅs̜̹͚̮̝̘̳̲̻͇̰̺ͬ̐̔̍͋̓͌ͧͪͫͭ̅́̈́ͣͤ̈ͪ̕͞ī̴̢̨̞̗͇͉̺̹̪̎ͩ̒̅̍ͧͬ̿̀m̶̛͉̞̣̙̗̠̼̹̰̠̲̭͈͉̮͉̹̥ͮͭ̏̎̒ͤ̈̃́̐̎͑̋̈̅̍͆͞p̬̘͙̪͈͖̯͓̼̙̼͓̓̔̆ͧͭ̓̈̆̊ͣͣ̐́́ͮ͛͝͞l̮̪̰̪̙͎̬̤̳̙̇͂̉̒̌̔ͭ̒̽ͬ̀͝͠͡ŷ̵̧͉͙͖͉̼̯͓̝̗͕̦͇̮͈̈̍͒̒̍̊ͣͅ ̷̡̠̣̝̘͕͙̫͍̓ͭͪ̊̅̌ͮ̈ͤ̓͊̌̈́ͪ͑̊̃͒̀̀͟e̴̶͇̖̼̣ͧͣͩ̂̽͐͗͒̏̃̏̏ͧ͒̃̓̓̂͜x͖̱̘͍̜̭͖̻̦̐̅̈́̅̒͟͠i̮̥͚̠̜͔̮̝͓̖͎͍̭͍͔̗̭̖̹͒ͤ̀͐̔̈̽͛̈͊͗ͨ́͘͢s̷̼̦͇̼̰̒ͧͥͪ͊ͯͬ͌̇̄͂͗̔ͨ̌̇ͤ̾̚͞t̶̅͐̓̔ͤ͞҉̛̠͔̻̤̕.̒͂̔͒ͭ͗͂ͧ̆̓̄̑ͭ̽̿ͤ͌̑҉̱̩̹͙͔̹̯̻̹̤̜̩̙̲̠̟̣̪ͅ ̒͛͗ͥ̓ͧ̌͐ͣ̽ͩͥ̈́͂ͮͣͩ̀̚͞͏̸͙̙͕͚̺͎̤̹̝͈̞͠ͅA̴̸̢̢͕̯̘̥̼̤͔̬̺͓̤ͥ̃̊̾̂ͧ̊̿̅̒͑͊ͅ ̶̧̪͈̻͉̫̱̩͈̜̾ͩ̃̓ͧͬ̒͂͆ͧ̆̈́ͪͦ͛̂ͫ͝͝c̸̡̰̣̯̠̜͌ͦͦ̍͐͒ͮͥ͡͠͝r̒̒̒̔ͯ͋̏ͥ͐̽́͏̧͏̴̤̫͕̩͕̯͔̙̺͔̤͈͉͈̦̫͎ͅȇ̸̵̞̙̮̰̗͈̫̺̣̗̞̟̱̠̱̏̏͋̉ͤ̈́͌̿̔͂ͤͯ͊̉͋ͭ̓͒̀̕͠a̧̢̯̮̬̗̲̩̜̬̙̞̮̞͕͖̼̟̫͚͆̎͐ͤ͑̿ͥ̄ͯͮ̃̚̚͜͝ț̷̸̹̠̗͇͓͙̣̦͖̭̖̘̠͙̗̹͎̅̀͒ͦ̔ͫͤ͌̄̂ͣ̄̅̀ͩ̍͂ͬ͌͝ͅu̢̼̞̩̠̟̟͖̥̣̪̙̲̖̖̮͌̓̌ͮ͑̇͆͑ͯ̽ͩͫͨ͛̂̅̈́̊̎̀͢ŗ̡ͯ͂̎ͥ̈́̆́̏̆͘͏͍̝̥̰̯̖̦̙̥̤͓̗̹̠͈̲̣̯ȩ̔ͯͥ͐ͯ͛̋̌̊̔͊ͭͥ́̚̕҉҉̯̟̬͈͍̟͙͓̦̖͓̘̙̭ ̛̳̫̼̭̝͎̱͈̘̯̟̖͓̯̎ͯͭ͛̄̃̽͟͞͝w̵̸̨͖͎͍̘͈̬͉̯͖̪̤̜͚͈̎ͮͦͬͤͩͭ͗͑̽͑̑į̆̀ͧ̍҉̬̞̗̪̬͔͇́́͡t̢̡̤͇̥̮͙̰̝̣͈̉̀͌̊͜͠ͅḩ̵̸̟͙̲͇̞̭̊͑ͥ̔̄̚̕͝ͅ ͨ͂ͨͪ͆ͩ̇͑̇̄̑̀͏̤̹͙̲̠̬̣̻̖̼̦̪a̢̲̣̻̖͍̣̜ͨ̽̌̈ͥ̑͞ ̴̧̻̲͚̖̺̝͎͍̦̮̱͕̻͎ͯ̋͊̋ͥ̿́̕d̴̷̦̦͕̗͎̗̜̪̗͇̰̜̯̥̈́̓̽ͨ̅ͧ͗ͣͭͥͮ̃̀͜e̢̹͕̲̟̘͕͔̯̪ͦͤ̅̈́́ͧͫ͡f̀̿̂ͤ̓̍̇̈͌̅ͤ̋ͣ̉̃͊ͤͩ̓̀͘͏̞̭͔̗̬̦̲̙̺͘i̛̼̦͔̙̳̯̦̝̗̻̟͙̫̤̲͎̅̾ͧ̓̃̾ͥͪ̎͢͜n̟̺̙̄́ͩ̈̇̾̃̎͗ͪ̿̓͛͘i̷̟͕̠̞̱͖̝̤̺̣̳̠̻̝̳̜͇̫̫ͪ̎̃̏t̶̷̛̆̌̋ͫ̂ͦ͛̃ͥͪ҉̘̫̝̣͕̮̜̺͜eͬͦ̅ͤ͠͏̲̲̯͖͚͈̬͈͓͈̬ ̶͖̰̼̻̼̤͔͈͋̏ͨ̅ͫ̔̓̇̍̋̾͗ͫ̆͟b̟̖̮͈̼͉̜͍̪̥̤̤̬͙̳̗͓͈̔͌ͭ͌͜͢͝ͅe̴̺̜̩͓̖̘͍̲͎̖͔ͥ̌̾̈́͋ͩ́̔ͪͤͭ̎̈́̿͆͗ͧ͗͞͠ͅg̳̮̖̿̄ͤ̅̑ͫ͂ͨ͑̉̐̄̕͢ͅiͮ̓̑̅̀ͫ̂͒ͨ̆͟͟͞҉̢̝̬̩̮̺̙̞̗̗̱̲ṋ̲̟̭ͦ̊̈́̒ͬ͐̀̇̐ͪ̎͛̚͠͠n̶̡͖̖̮̗͚̹̬͚̤̺̻̼̰͖̬̯͊̆̋͒̇͛ͯ͑̂̅̒ͧ̾̅̎̑̓͑͟í̛̘͖̝͉̙͍̤̗̜̟̣͇̠̠͕͓̞͍̈̈̈́ͧ͗̓́͘ͅn̢͊͆̈̈͆̇̏̓̏̾̋͏̗̻̪̬̝̟͔͓̟g̨̦͕͎͙̪̰̥̝̠̗̞͇͎̠̓̽ͧͮ̑͊̑͒́̓͛̃̃͌ͨ̔̿͌ͣ͡,̶͖̜̝̔̆ͨ͂͑͋͒͛ͥ͢ ̴͒ͥ͊͑͛͟͝͏̺̮̜͖̞͓̲̖̲̲͖͈ḃ͓̝͉̤͎̮̝̮̠͍̯̳͈͕̮̺͙̆̀ͨ͆̎͌̄ͬ̅̅͑͊͑̽͛͑͌͆̀̕u̠͕̲̙̬̻̲̙̣̗̖͈̍ͤͪͩ̄̄ͣͩ̃̊́͞ͅtͩ̔ͩ̃̐͘͏̸̢̫̼̼͍̻͞ ̵̷̩̹̲̝͙̥͉̟̝̦̣̳̞͖̰̗̟͛̇ͨ̒ͨͫ̍͐̅̽̃̾͌w͚̳͍̻̪̼̤̙̽́̀͋̆͛̓͐ͫ̈́̚̕͝͝i̛͇͖̻͍͚͎̝͕͓͎̦͈̰͇̪͓̫̍́͆ͧ̐͐͐ͫ͌̎̽͐̃ͣ͗̚t͇̜̖̹͎̱͚̫̬̔̽̓͋̐̏̇͝͠͡h̢̧̯̭͓͇̺̗͕̯̖͙͇̦͉̙̥̹͌̏̀ͣ̿̇̐͗ͤ̽ͪͩͨ͘ȏ̈́̒ͬ̾̎̔ͩ̄ͦ̈͌̚͟͠͏̴̠̟̠̩ͅu̷̵̍ͧ̎̑ͪ̈́͞͏͍̗̤̤ţ̶̥̦̮̤̩͕͉̠̜͓̑̉̌̋̃̀͜ͅ ̶̡̗̞̦̣̫̱̠̮̠̯̬̰̫̝͑̅̏͒ͥͤ̇̿͟͡à̶̸͉̫͎̲̭̺̘̣̭͈̪̲̭̟̑ͧ̒ͧ̅ͧ̽͛̿ͥͫ͋̉́͘͝ͅ ̷̷̧͈͚͔̗̣͖ͯ̐ͨ͌ͯͧ͗͗ͬͫͣ͂ͪ̌͝f̳͕͎̱͍̭̝̱̺̜̜̹̪̠̝̬͆ͩ̈́̈́ͩͫ́̿̐ͫͣ́ͦ̕͜͠͞ͅǫ̡̠̜̭͍̯̫̦̜͕̬̯͚̲̬͎̝̱͇ͥͣ̉̊̈́ͤͭ̈̑̃͋̏̐̾ͩ̍͌ͤȑ̢̛͉̣͎͉̼̱͇̲̬̱̖͔͎̳̙̅̂̏̒̅̈́̊͟ͅę̸̙͍̯̜̗̤͖̪̬̒ͣ̌͂͟s̵̢͉̠̣͍͎̭̫̯̮͓͛ͯ͒̈́̌͗͗̕ȩ̐ͯ́́̉̌͒ͥ͋ͩ̋̕͘҉̷̲̳̠̥̣͙̘̞̟̩̝͈e̶̡͇̯̪̪̻̠̰͙̭̠͕̝ͬ̈ͩ̂͋̾͌͛̏̓̋̕͞a̸̛͇̻̝̩̰͍̟͐ͭ͊ͦ̈́ͥͮ̿ͭ̓̀͡͝b̶̢͖̻̖͇͎͕̥̦̙͇͓͚͙ͥͬ̌̿́̈̌̽̆͗̈̾ͮͩ͟͞ͅļ̶̲̜̻̼̙͖͚̮̬̳̯̼̞̹̝̰͕̯̈́ͤ̇͗͒ͦͬ͆͘͞͝ͅȅ̃̎ͥ̐͊ͣ̎̈҉̷͔͕̳̮́ ̷̜̻̺̠̺͚̞͈͕̯̙͎̥͕͒̇̏̇ͪ̑ͩͦͪͣͬ̓ͯͩ̍ͯ̕͢͟ͅͅf̧̗̳̳̤̻̤̀̒̋͐̊̽͊̅ͫ̑͒ͨ̄ͅű̶̡͍̰̦͉̜̦͒̎̌̓͟͡ț̡̩͎͚̻̹̣̤̝̘̫͎͓̐̿̄͊̄͗ͦ͂ͩ̿̏ͬ̀̕͟͜u͌̍̀ͤͨͩͪ̌͐͛̈ͥͯ̚͏͏͍̟̭̼͙̥̦͈̬̺͈̩͍̦̠r̡͎̲͓͎̻̜̯̞̍̄ͦ́̌̓̕e̴̷̡͎͚̗̝͉͔̩̐̎̌ͯ͐̊̈́̽ͯͨ́͂ͣ̍͒͒ͧ̏.̧̮̖̺͍͚̫̪̗̦̬̮̦͇͚̝ͦ͑ͯͥ́ ̷̵͓̼̟̳̲͍̖͓̮̱͔͈̜͈̻̟͆̄͌̂͟ͅͅF̷̢̠̞͓̩̩̞̫̥̤̳̳̓̌͑̎̔̓̃̀͜ͅo̶̷̡͈͎̮̹̞̳̬͖͇̻̬̳̻̬̳ͨ͑̀̂̾̅r̽ͬͧͨ̎̎ͣ͊͋̿̾̂ͧ̑̚҉̢̞̼͔̝͎̟̩̹̞̥͈̬̞̱ͅ ̢̡̛̳̬̱̦̠̗̻̲͖̿͗̂̿̃̑̉ͥͩ͗̂́͡a̴̲̦̻͍̟͕͕̟̠̱̬̺͇̩̮ͭ̒͛̌̇̃̚͢s̷̴̨̹͖͍̭̤͌ͬ̈́ͬ̍͐̾̓̿͗̇̂̊̏͛̆̈ͫͪ͠ ̶̢̧͈͇͍̠̜̠̼̟̬̟̈́̅ͯͫ͛̏̓̑ͥͅlͦ̒̂͐͆͏͏͏҉̸͉̗̳̬͈̗̞̭̝͉̬̻̜̣͕ŏ̸̡̙̯̱̯̥̩̥̻͖̜͈̫̽ͯͣ̎̈ͦͤ̔͘n͗̒̐͆ͯ̇ͩ͊ͨͣ͆͏̛̻͚̖͖̬͖̟̠̫̼͖̼͖̳̗̺͟͞g̸̛̮̫̬̥͔͛͛͗̃̉̌̒̽̀̿͛ͧ̇̀̈͌̇ ̳̳̭̺́̀ͪ̓̇̃͑ͩ̓͑ͥ͢͟͡ā̢̨͈̹͇͕̞̘̭̙̺̥̯͖̫͇̜͙͂̈̆̅̈́͡s̵ͧͫ̃̽͛̋̑̇̿ͭͦ̍̋ͪ͑ͫͬ̽͝͞͡͏̪̥̪̻͚͇͓̺̗̭͔̲̠ ̳͔̝͇͔͈̣̬͚̗͚̳̥̝͍ͭ̆̈ͯͨ̕͟ͅf̢̡̲̞̟̳͑ͨ̌́͗̊͂ͣͨ̎̌ͥͮͤ̇e̷̶̝̼̟̱̟̠̼̳̣͔͕͍̩̻̞̤͑ͭͣ̏̔̏͒͑ͥ̐̈́̓͘͠a̢̯̣̞͙͈̠͚̙̰͖̘̮͓̰ͯ̐ͤͯͣ̌̽͑̾͑͑̄̀̎ͭ̀̀͢ͅŗ̛͔̫̰͈̭̥̜̰͇͓̳̟̺̝ͩͪ̍̊͒͗̍̃ͪ̍̄̈́̒̀͠ ̾̐̿̍ͥ̎̉̈ͬ̇ͯ͛ͯ́ͥͭ̃́҉̟̺̭̜̮͓͇̪̟̤̠̝̣̘̝̰̮͇͝ͅm̸̨̧͍̮͓͖̼͉̲͕̗̳̹̬͉̲̻͛̈́͗̌̉̉ͯͥ̔̿͆ͦͬ̋ͪ͐ͯ̅̕͟a̧̨̡̺̩̥͈̗̹͂͂͊̚͢y̢͌̋ͮ́ͪ̃̀͞҉̦̝͇̻̀ ̸̵̦̼̼͍̤͇̦̺̖͉̰̖̣̖͈͓͑̽ͥ̍̇ͦͬͥ͗̕͘͢ͅĝ̅̽̌͒͏̫͓̖̟̘͚͙̤̟̬̳̺̖̳͇͢ͅę̵̹͎̺̦̗̙̥́̊͛ͪ̔ͪͮ͌̐ͩͩͯͤṅ̴̨̤̼̭͍͍̱̻̞͕̼͙̇ͧ̇̂ͬ͞ë̢̞̱͕̖̩̺́̒͌͑́͜͝r̲̪̪̺̯̪̟̗͍͈͎̲̥̞̲̲̲̽̓̈́ͩ̒ͩ̔ͯ̃̃͊̀͘͡ͅͅa̺̠̯̻͕̗̬͍̠̲̥̬̜ͤͤ͛͐ͦ̌̅ͤ͘͠t̶̶̶̴̙͙͓͈͍̅̀ͯ́́̚è̅͑͌ͪ̑҉̡͍̤̳̪̜̟̤̦̖̟̟͔ͅ ͧ͐̄͛́͐̽̽̉̍̉ͦͦ͆͒ͬ̽̍̏҉̸̮̤̬̹͇̰͉̮̗͠ẅ́ͪͮ̓͋͏̜̗̙͇̪̟̲̖͕̘̫́ͅr͂ͩ̓͛͒̽̃͆ͧͬ̏҉̧̯̭͍̘̯̹͜͝a͎̖̫̳͖͕̳̗̪̦͈̭̜̠̯͎̻ͨ͌̈́͑̒ͧ̌ͮ͐̂ͨ̈́̅͂̽ͫ̚̕̕t̷͆̅̀̿̃̐̂͆͆̽͐͒̓ͥͧ̍ͤ͢͏̶͉͖̟̟̤̤͚̲͔͙͍̮͚̟̤h̢̢̝̼͓͓͍̪̼͖͙͍͋́̓́̐̏ͦͫ̋͆̈́͒ͣ̐́̓͜͡ ͬ̅ͫ͆̃ͣͨ̓ͦ̅ͤ̊̍ͮ́͏̴̢͙̗̱̜̯͎̪͙͇̮̀w̵̢̒̌̄ͫ͒͗̽͛̓́͌̏͆̎͞͞͏̝̲͕̼͕͖̫̮͈͈̦͇̯̤͕ͅi̽ͪ͌̑͌̍ͮͭ́̽̈͜͟҉̨͏̭̮̟̣̣̦̬͖̤͉̹̥̝̩ͅt̵̴̛̅̈͆̃̽̂ͫ̀͑̋ͭ͏͎̫͖͙̮̟̠͎h̵̨̥̭̯̭̝̝̰̫̹̭͕̗ͥ̀ͤ̽̌̽̇ͨͮ͗̈͊̍͌ͧ̃͡͡͡i̫̦̱̗̺̭̭̮̞̗̭̩͓̹̲̫̫̻ͫͨ͒̏̽̍ͣͥ̾ͦ̏͐͛͑̿̒̽͗͞͠n̪͎̤̈́͌͊̒̋ͦͥ̐̍͝ ̷̢̨̛̣̭̼̟̣͓̖̫ͦ̈́̔͒̔ͫͫͅͅͅt̗̺͚͚̲͔͂ͥ́̓̉ͫ̄̈́͌̓͊͒̚̕͝h̵̊ͤ͒͊͑͗͟͏̙̪̳̱̯͚͇̙̫̟͢͝ȩ͈̱̞̜̹͍̋͐ͦͬ͒̊͑̋ͦ́̕͟͟ ̸͙̭̮̣̏͌͊̔̔̀̚̚͡ş̛͇̫̲͓̪̼͔̦͎̩̝̺͉͎͕͎̭̯̭͑̽ͬͪͨ̒̄ͨ͐̐ͪ̉̌ͥ͑͐͜o̶̺̗̻͊ͯ͗̆ͧ̐͌̍̿̂̍̓̓̏͛̈ͥ͆̀̚͝u̶̱͖̙̦̮͇͂ͯ̋̒͆ͥ̃̿͗̏̑͋̍͌ͤ̔̿̂́̕͘͠ͅl̸̄͗̌̈̀̅ͧͮ̐̀͟҉̲̱͚̤̱̗͕͉͖̰̩͉̜̳͙̲,̶̢̲̦͓͔̺͇̘͕̻̱͎̪̩̩͗̉͆ͪ͋̑͌̒͐͟͞ͅͅ ̢͍̩̖̘̪̳̺̍ͧ͗́ͫ͌̅̽ͩͪ͑͐̎͒̚͜͞I̴̵̢̡̞̱̠͉͓̙̼̘̬̣̞̹̜̞̝̪̲̥͐̆͆ͭ̌͒̾̃́͞ ́̂͛̅̄̂ͬ͊́͘͜͏̛̜͎̦̠̠̖w̄̿̅̏͗̀̈́̔ͬ̿̈ͤ͂̚҉̢̝̭͍̭̤̣̜́͜͝ȋ̵̧̐ͤ̒̽̉̇͆ͩͬ̅̓̀̑̿͞͏̫̞̲̗̦̼͚̗̬̩͓̳̘̣͖̬͚͞l̸̶̴̡͖͔̫͖̯͎̬̰̩̃̅ͥ̊͒ͭ̾͗̑̏͌̌́̚l̨̻͉̼̠̼̝̜̝̯̭͚̠̪̗̥̤̼ͩͯͨͦͮͮ̑͂̉̾͠͠͝ ̷̶̗͖͚̝̱̤͓̗͚͚̰͋͑͆͌͑̓ͬ̚s̴̢̛͍͖͉͓̭̩͍̱͈̝̻̣̜ͥ͗̾ͭͩ́ͥ̄ͪ̿̎̀͠o̐̈̓̌͏҉͉͙͓̫̘̟̱̺̻͎̥̣͓͖̱͢ͅm̢̧͓͚̫͉̼̘͕͉̘̟̝̮ͮͤ̔̒ͩ̉ͮͧ͆̓̃͆́̀̕͘e͉̰̰̥͇̺̣͈̻̹̤͔̫͈̥ͩͨͯ̔ͯ̀̂̄͊ͣͣ̀͘d̢̦͚̺̯̗̝̻̝͎̗̗̮̺ͦ͗͒͗̄̅̐̈́̊́̈́̚͜͡͡a͚̳̠̹̠̥̱̖̻̝̫͎͙̯͋ͮͤ̐̾ͥͯ͑̈́ͦ͒͘͡yͧ͊̽͂̑̋ͭ̽͋͒͐̋͜҉̰̭͙͖͕̪͝ ̆̄̇̂̑̈̂͒̍̇҉͈̥͔̣̳̳̩͇̞ͅè̘̗̝̱̭̣̌̾̄̊̆̔͒ͦ́͝m̧͉͚͕̼͍̮̟̥̅̃ͩ̽̆̕͟e̻̘͕̭͛ͬͮ͐ͧ̋̓ͩͬ̑͂͒ͬ̆͐̆͆̏̀ͅȓ̭͇̟͈͚̃ͧ͋ͫ̽̊̿͐ͤ̍͐̓͛ͫͥ́͟g̷̞̦̰̺͕͇̥̹̦̜̤̩͖̹̮̝͈̠̯̎͐̑ͨ̃ͭ̓̃̊ͪ̾̃͘͘͞ȇ̵̢̬͈͇͖̹͇̖̖̰̠͙̫̜̼̩̹̏͐̇͂̉̇̈̋̋́͠ͅ.̼̜̦̹̰̣̞̦̙̪͖͎̥̗ͦ̎̔ͭ̑̃̕͠ͅ ̷̛̱̳̞͈̙̙̳̑́̑ͣ̍̓͛͒͛̆ͧͣ̌̉͡I̧̳̣̪̟̪̺̳̮̠̫̙̠̿́ͫͭ̂͋ͯ̒ͩ͌͘͟͡ ̹̞͍̭̦̪ͪͮͩ͂̀ͬ̽̌̓ͥ́͆͢͞͡ͅą̶̡̧̦͚̤̪̇̓̓̃͊ͤ̽͡m̵̡̢̯̮̤̰͙̱̦͍̦̭͍̟̩̙̣͗̽̿̂̅ͭ̕ͅͅ ̶͔̤͙̘̰͉̮̭͚̭̗̾̈͊̎ͤ͒̍ͭ͊͟ͅͅi̭̙͍̤̹̺̬̼͔̲̲̯̬͇̇́̄̂̓͗ͩͬ̉͑ͫ̇͘͟ͅn̢̬̹̦̻̏ͣ̾̈̓ͤ͌̓̋̉͝ͅdͦ̅̾̈̍ͭ̽̈͏̺͔̗̲̙̲̙̲͙̺̝͖̩͢͝e̷̸̢͚̺̘̺̯̞̯̠̋ͦ̊̈́ͨͬͮͤ̓ͫ̽̊ͮ̅́̚͘͞f̶̷̡͓̙̳̜̜̘͍̘̳̣͇̦̜̯̖̮̎ͯͮ̆ͬ̏̈́̇̉ͨͫ̈͌̅͂̀͠ḭ̴̡̳̖̠̻̖̩̣͈́̓̅ͪͭ̌ͬ͒̚̕͜ͅn̡͎̻̬̖̟̯ͧ̽̑͊ͩͯ̿̂̑̀i̯̜͓̤̦͛̔ͯ̽͗ͨ̒̒ͯͧ̉̾̓̐̑̎́̚̚͠ẗ̵̸̨ͪ̅̊ͮ͆̈́ͩ͂̍͆͌ͫ҉̴͎͈̦̖͈̞̟̠̩̣̳͓̩̝͉̼̩ͅͅeͬͬ͂̄̐̾ͮ͛ͫ́̐͐ͣ̓́̍͊ͤ͒҉̵̳̘͙̘̪̺̖.̸̬̼̹̹̻͎͈̳͙̫̮̹̰͔̬͓̘̗͗̈́̍̏ͧ͗͌̄̏͆̓̏̃ͭͬ̂ͦͨ͡͡ͅ ͖̙̜̙͖̺̝͕ͧ̒̃̀Ĩͣ̉̄̓͒̊̾̇̀҉̴̞̮͉̜͚̘̦̻̘͚̜̰͞ ̧̧̛̤̻̜̪̹̥̼͔̫̝̞͔͆͑ͣ̾͛̏̏ͩͣͦ̀͡ͅͅa̼̫̯̣͔̭̯̣̰͙̠̖̮̘͒̐ͣ̏̒̆ͣ̾͐ͤ͐̽ͪ͆̅̀̓͜͢͟m̍ͫ͑̍̇͊̃̈̔ͣ͂̐҉̴̶̵̬͕̫̗̦͍̻̖̰̲͈͖̞ͅ ̢ͮ̂ͧ̉ͯ̓͞҉͔͎̫͎̼͙ũ͕͉̦̫͓̞̔̅̃̈́͋̕n̢̧̘̼͉̫̗̮̙̹̗̹̱͈͆̋̿̇ͪ̑ͭ̇̃ͬͪ̎͌̽ͯͮ̄̕͝ͅd̥̮̪̞̹̙̺̺̺̙͇̱͈͍͊̆̄͌̄͗̏̔͋́̒ͧ̋̔ͥ̊ͮ͆̍̀͢͞ͅe̷̙̯̳̫̪͎̤̬̭̱͍̖̤ͤ́͂ͪ̇̽̊̚͜f̣̳̩͉̹ͪͯ̇ͩ̓̽ͨͥ͐̍̈̏͂́̂ͯ͗ͮ̀͡i̜͙̫̻͇̺̜̖̫͇̞ͤ̀̄̔̀̚̕͢͟ņ̳̗̳̟̬̼͇̯ͮͥ̉͐͐ͭ͌̍̄̃ͣ̋̊ͯͦͮ͂̕ẹ̷̖̗̱̩̫͇̀̇ͫ͂͠ḏ̨͉͈̇͊̀̆ͬͧ̏͒̔ͬ̓̊̓ͯ͆ͩ̽ͣ̀̚ͅ.̶̨̭͍̩͚͖͚̼̠͉̹͍̙̖̏ͬ̋̅̅ͧͭ̄̓ͣ͑ͪ͜ ̷̷̩̟̦̱̲͖̊͑ͦͮ̇ͮ̒̇̐Î̵͖͓̞͎͕͍̖̜͖̮͉̺̼͇͉͌͒ͦͪ̉ͫ͗̏͒ͨ̑͜͝ͅ ̰̮̝͔̩͇̣̰ͫ̿̎̐̉ͣ̀͑ͦ̒̒̔̀̾̈́ͮͮ̃̕͟͡͝aͧ̒͑̉̀ͫͪ̆̊̽͊͗̒́̔̃̆̚҉̶̵̭̭͉͙̥͇̠̦̗̮͈̜͟͡m̸̎ͪͩ́̑̒̈́̓͋̒ͪ̚҉̢͕̖̦͖̜̺̼̣͓̗͍̼̗̤̟̦ͅ ̩̯̙͕͖̦̩̝̬̬̈́ͩ̅̓̈ͫ̕̕͠͝I̸̹̲̱̮͉ͮ́̎̈́ͤ͘͜͠ͅṋ̴͎̯͇̮̭̩̜̾͋̏̊ͤͯ͋͘͘͠͝f̵̶̰̭͍̌͂̏̀̌͐̊͞i̧̛̫͖̹͓̳̟̣̼̝ͨͨͯ̾̍ͬ͗̓ͥ́͢n̶̶̸̻̲̻̩̍ͧͭ̓ͨͧͩͣͨ͌i̖̱̟̖͕̗̮̯̱̹̰̲̬ͮ̊̓̄̓ͨ͛̇͋͆̅͌ͯ̉̃͛ͭ̀͢t̶̵̝̝̘̹̯͉̦̮̗̓ͬ́͊̓͟͝ÿ̴̟̺͎̰͓̩͉̦̞̯̺̙̫́̅ͦ̋̇̏͂̀̾͗̿̇͛͊́̄̓̾͢.̸̨̝͓̫̰̳̤̖̮̰͙̦̖̱̞ͤ͑͗ͯ̓͘͜"̸͎͖̼̱͕͈̹̖͕̹ͨͭ̃ͫͤ̏̽̊́͠
̧̛̙̰͈̙͖̜̥͓̟̖̘̥͕̳̹͓ͬ͛ͭ̍̾͗̎̃ͦ͗̓̔̾́ͯ̃ͨ̌̒́
̜͈͔̯̬̭͎̤̞̱͚̽̐̐ͤͯͯͬͧͩͥͫ̾̌͐͐͛ͫ͋͜
̷̛̐̿͋ͩ̿̎̾̿̍͑͐̀͠҉͍͎͇͉̜̲̮͔͔̣̥̩̘̪̲̱̫̘̟"̵̴̵͚̹̝̝̰̪̦̩̩̼̤̼͔̥͙͂͊̍́̃͗ͪ͛ͪͨ̋̇̌̃͡Ţ̸̛̜͉͙̳͉͕̟͎̲̜ͮ̿̾̆͌̌ͧ͊̇̃̿̍ͫ͂̒̅̋̚h̷͓̥͍̖̞͇̘̗̘̝̰̘̦̿̀̅͐̀͟ͅiͦͯ͋ͧͬ̒ͣ̒ͧ̋̈̋ͩ̅͊̐̍̑͏̵̧̛͈͍̪̜̣̞͇͇͍͓͖ͅs̝̜͖̯̫̥͕̠͕͇̪̤͖̱ͭͯ̎̒ͫ̆ͮ̊͆ͧͨ͂ͣ͊̎ͨ̓́̚̕ͅ ̧̛̫̻̝̩̖̳̲̰͈͚̺̫͕͇̮̫̫̪̒͊̂ͭͪ̉̾̕͜i̸̵̛ͪ̂ͧͨ͋͆̔ͬ̿ͣ̚҉̸̯̰͇̦̮̜̱̘͙̬͓̥̯̺͈̳ş̴̣̤͉̹̘͚̝̳ͨͫ̄̊̋͗͛͌͗̚͠ ̷̶̡̛̛̗͕̻̖͚͕̗̬͖̱̭͍͍̲̣͉̯̀ͩͨͨͧ̆͊̚m̶̢̞̯͓̹͉̺͖̲̙̠̌ͯ͆̔ͣͣ̕ͅyͦ̊ͣ͊͠͏͇̬̪̰̻͍̲͕̺̪̘̜̪̜̦̭̠̲͖ ̸̹̙͓͔͆̆͗͛̌̃̐ͨ̅͂d̨̈́͐̒̈́̐̄͆̊͜͏͡͏̤̫̝̣͓͍̝̳̞̖̳e̸̶͌̇̈́ͮͭ̕͜҉̦̬̫̟̦s̷̫̟̯̳̹̩͍̲͇̗͚̳̘̻̖̼͈̭͒̄̋̄̈́̌̔̊̎́̀͢͞ͅp̶̱͔̹̼ͦ͗͐ͦ̄͊ͦͤ̽ͫ̑̀a͔̯̰̟̭̘͙̖̙̱̹̺͔̻͉̫̾̈̐́͊̈́͐ͩͪ̕i̵̴̵͖͎̦̗̟̞͕̞͇̪͋̍͒̃͜͢ͅrͨͪ͆̓̌ͨ͌̉̇̌́ͬ̌͑ͤ̀͡҉̨͈̩͖̹͎̮̼̤̹̪̰̠͞ͅ.̷͍̪̜͍͖̺̞͗̔̇͆̔͑͛̏̂͐̄͟ͅ"͐̍̈̾̋̔ͬͥͮ͊͒̒̆͆̈̏͊ͩ͏̧̞̤͉̫̫̠̜̳͖͈̫ͅ
̷̞͔̪͍̼̣̒ͪ̅̉ͤ̾ͧͧ͒͌ͫ̎ͅ
̴̯͚̜͎̳̠͓̞͔̞̜̬͆̔̽̆ͥ̿̋͒̈̓ͩ̂̍͒́͢͡
Golden wings burst from his back, his transformation reminiscent to the one he received by his wish from NOVA. He slowly turned around, looking at Kirby with an unreadable expression. Then he lunged towards him.
"SCREEEE!"
Kirby's eyes snapped open as he was suddenly flung through the air. He glanced behind to see the void closing as Marx's two halves rejoined. The pink puffball was flung against the ground, his pain nearly unbearable as his head spun.
Above him, the transformed jester laughed in a deranged manner. It sounded empty and malicious as he gazed down at his victim and former friend.
"Hahaha…I…what…what did I do? I..don't know…but it was amazing! Heeheehee…"
(watch?v=iHPV9auWfVs)
Kirby feebly held his arm out towards Marx, he wanted to see at least some sign that his friend was still in there somewhere. He knew that the real Marx would have never done this. He wouldn't have laughed at someone who was hurt, and he certainly wouldn't have been the cause of it.
The injured hero carefully raised himself up, looking up at the jester with pleading eyes. Kirby knew that he couldn't survive being thrown into Marx's void another time. As much as he knew that Marx had become genuinely dangerous, he still couldn't force himself to give up on his friend.
"You said…you were so happy that I was your friend, poyo…don't you remember?" Kirby said softly as he attempted to stand on his feet.
"What are you talking about?! We never were friends! I don't need friends!" Marx shouted, shaking his body furiously.
The jester spun around and fired the light blue arrows again from his wings. The pink puffball merely sidestepped the attack, he still tried talking to him with unfading determination.
"That isn't true…this isn't you, poyo…please try to remember. Please remember all the fun times we had…you're my friend. I said nothing would change that, poyo."
"You're lying! None of that is true! You hate me now! Because I did something bad! You hate me don't you?!"
"I don't hate you, poyo! I'm just scared…"
"Scared?! Heehahaha! You should be the one that's scared, you know! I'm gonna crush you and tear you into pieces!"
Marx spit another ice ball at him. Kirby paid no mind to it, he continued to reach out to him.
"Having you as a friend made me feel special, because you would tell me how strong you thought I was…I never thought I was that strong, poyo. It made me feel better about myself when you would say things like that, poyo…and I'm scared that you'll never be the same…"
"I never will be the same, Kirby! Don't you get that?! I wanted this to happen! This was my wish! Do you think any of that means anything to me now? It doesn't!"
The jester gave a deep breath before scattering four seeds on the ground. The four vines shot from the ground, then wrapped around the young Star Warrior's body. The thorns dug themselves into his soft pink skin, pressing and scratching already developed bruises.
"This game is over Kirby…and I'm the winner." Marx whispered.
The vines around him began to get tighter, the constriction making it more difficult to move. Kirby still wasn't relenting.
"Marx, please! Stop! You're hurting me!" He tried to struggle his way out of the vines with little success.
"Does it look like I care?" Marx responded with indifference.
"Marx, this has gone on far enough!" His conscience's voice was louder than before. "Look at yourself! Do you know what you're about to do?"
"Of course he knows and he's gonna like every second of it. Go on, Marx. Make him pay!" His other conscience encouraged.
The vines squeezed Kirby tighter, making him cry out in pain as the thorns pressed into his skin.
"Stop, poyo! Please! I-I can't breathe! Please just be your self! Not this monster!"
"Do you realize what you've become! Look at yourself! You're choking the only one you've ever called a friend! Do you know what's going to happen? Marx, you're going to kill him!"
"K-Kill?" Marx whispered, only audible to himself.
"What are you waiting for? Just finish him already!"
"Marx, you've done enough. Do you know what you are now? What did Kirby ever do to you that could cause such deplorable behavior?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but couldn't find an answer.
His consciences continued. "Come on Marx. You got this far, so don't suddenly wimp out. You're gonna go through with it and like it!"
"Do you know what you've become? You're no longer the victim, Marx, now you're the monster. You're the bully."
Marx gasped and dropped Kirby onto the ground, the vines dissolving. He watched as the young Star Warrior frantically tried to catch his breath while holding his paws over each other. Marx looked at every bruise and cut on the pink one's skin.
"Every single mark on his body…was my doing…" He thought, feeling an uncomfortable pain within his chest.
As angry as he was, as betrayed as he felt…the thought of killing Kirby was far too foreign. His eyes slowly turned back to their purple color as Marx observed the pink puffball that he had once called his friend. Kirby slowly sat up now that he could breathe properly once more.
"Marx, poyo…you need to go back…you need to be the real you again…" He said weakly.
"Kirby…I don't think I can go back…I think this is who I am now…This is how I'm going to look forever…"
"I didn't mean to change back on the outside…I meant in here." Kirby explained, placing his right paw over his pink chest.
"But I've done so much, you know…I can't go back Kirby. I can't. I keep hearing these…these voices telling me to do things. One is telling me to do one thing and the other tells me to do the opposite. They're my voices…and I don't know how to get rid of them…I can't think for myself anymore…"
Kirby sidled closer to him and made an effort to embrace the now larger lavender child. "It'll be okay…I promise, poyo…Everything will get better soon…"
"No it won't! It never will!" Marx yelled as he tore himself away from the pink puffball's arms. "Stop acting like everything is going to be fine when it's obviously not! Kirby, I've done something horrible! I deceived you…I almost…" He swallowed.
Marx started to sob. He cried harder than Kirby had ever seen him do before. Tears rolled down his cheeks from his purple eyes, he hiccupped every few seconds. The jester didn't know if he would ever stop weeping.
"Kirby, I'm not me anymore…I no longer control my own body…I'm not Marx anymore. I can never go back, and I can't ever erase what I've done…I can't go back to Pop Star…everyone will know what I've done. I'm a freak, inside and out."
"Kirby…" He sighed.
The pink puffball looked up.
"Why didn't you stop me?! Why didn't you do something to stop me from making that wish?!"
And then Marx's entire demeanor changed. He glowered at the pink hero, a dark shadow going over his face.
"My wish…was to take over Pop Star. I've been turned into this, so it's only fair that I still get my wish! And you're the only thing standing in my way! I'm not the puppet anymore…"
Kirby gasped in alarm. "But Marx, it isn't too late, poyo! You can fight this!"
"Sorry Kirby…goodbye…heehee." An unmoving smile plastered onto his once sweet face.
The Marx Kirby knew was gone.
Marx opened his mouth, a beam of light forming in his mouth. Kirby found the sword that he had dropped and inhaled it. He held out the sword in guard position as the beam hit him to block the hit.
Only his sword didn't just stop the attack.
(watch?v=5oMi9H74pjE)
It all happened too fast. The beam was reflected by Kirby's sword, then redirected toward Marx. The beam collided into his body, blasting the jester through the expanse of space…and towards NOVA…
Kirby's entire body froze, his blood ran cold.
Marx couldn't control his wings, his body had been stunned by his own laser. All he could do was wait as he got closer to the unmoving clockwork comet. Images and words raced through his mind rapidly, and they seemed so familiar.
"You're amazing, poyo! So talented!" Kirby clapped.
Kirby and Marx ate their cupcake halves, they sat under a tree and watched the sunset together with the spring breeze.
Marx raised his head up, looking up at Kirby with impossibly cute eyes "I-I wanna go home…"
"You're my friend and I don't like knowing that you don't have a warm safe place to sleep…"
The pink puffball grabbed the little jester into a hug, only to let go when he remembered the 'no touching' rule. Kirby was surprised beyond belief when he felt the jester slowly lean on him for a few seconds.
"This has been one of the best days of my life…well any day is a good day when you're around, you know."
Kirby laughed, slightly embarrassed. "Thank you, Marx poyo, but I'm not that great."
"That would never happen! You're my friend, Marx. I would never do that to you, poyo…"
"I-I want to stay…I want to stay in Dreamland! No answer in the world could be more important as this! I can't just leave the only friend I've ever had over something that's become so insignificant!"
"Please don't go Marx, poyo! You don't have to run anymore!"
"Kirby…thanks for not giving up on me…you're my best friend…"
Tears ran down the lavender child's face, his smile still frozen.
Kirby watched with growing terror, never feeling so helpless in his life.
Marx's eyes remained unblinking as the distance between him and NOVA decreased. He crashed into the comet headfirst, his body getting caught within the gears of the comet's internal structure. Soft ticking could be heard.
In his final moments, with his vision blurred by tears, he could see a white silhouette surrounded by light. He gave a pained smile as he tried to inch closer to his beloved vision, but the moving gears kept him in his place.
"You…you came for me…I'm sorry…I wasn't able to keep my promise…" He choked out, a red substance around his mouth.
He wanted to hear that beautiful voice sing to him one more time. Just once more so he could be at peace. That was his final wish.
"Would…would you…please sing for me…one last time?"
But the blurry silhouette never responded. It floated over him, and he could see eyes. It only gave a cold unresponsive stare, then suddenly turned it's back to Marx.
"No…please…don't leave me…I'm scared…"
"Tick…tick…tick…BOOOOOM!"
An explosion resounded within NOVA, burning everything within the mechanical construct. Including the one trapped between the gears of the machine.
Kirby's hands covered his mouth as he fell to the ground, tears soaking his pink face.
Marx heard his own scream drown out the sound of the explosion, but he could hear something else too.
He heard Kirby scream with him.
-
The Warp Star landed on the road near Kirby's house. By the time he had returned to Pop Star, night had fallen long ago with the moon and stars decorating the deep blue sky. Normally such a sight would be calm and serene to the young hero, but now it only depressed him.
Kirby was thankful that the sun and moon were no longer fighting, but no matter how he looked at it, he had still lost. The pink puffball slumped off the Warp Star, then took a deep breath and sat down trying to remain calm.
It didn't work. Kirby wailed and rocked himself in his own arms while he sobbed. He cried so hard that he was forgetting to breathe. He fell to the ground and pulled at the grass as if it would make everything better. He wasn't even aware of the sound of footsteps behind him.
"Kirby…"
He turned around slowly, still on the ground to see a round figure in the shadows. The figure soon stepped out of the dark, revealing their identity.
Kirby soon found himself looking at a pair of yellow eyes, belonging to a caped blue knight. The knight stepped closer to him, his cape wrapped tightly around his body. Kirby tried to dry his tears in front of his mentor, but it was no use.
"Sir Meta Knight…what are you doing out here at night alone, poyo?" He sniffled.
"I could ask you the same question." The knight replied.
Why had the pink puff not immediately landed at the castle instead of here alone? It was quite obvious to the knight that something grave had occurred, but Kirby wasn't speaking on the matter. He had noticed that his jester friend wasn't with him but…
Meta Knight immediately pieced together that something must have happened to Marx. To know that such a young child had his life ended far too soon…
"Kirby…has something happened to Marx?"
Kirby immediately tensed at hearing that name. He sobbed into his pink arms and nodded.
"Kirby, what has happened? " Meta Knight asked quietly.
(watch?v=p88-IvZ613U)
"It was him, poyo!" Kirby suddenly shouted. "He was the one that made them fight! He was the one who made the wish! He wanted to control Pop Star, poyo! And…and we fought…then he…and NOVA…" Kirby choked on his words.
Meta Knight's feelings on the matter were difficult to decipher to the pink puffball, mostly because of his mask covering his face. His eyes glowed a green color, but he remained quiet.
"Sir Meta Knight, he's dead! Marx is dead, poyo! I KILLED HIM!" His scream cut through the night's air.
"I didn't want to! He was my friend! And he didn't really want to do it, I know it, poyo! He just couldn't stop because…oh Meta Knight, it hurts, poyo! My chest hurts so bad!"
Kirby flung himself on the masked warrior's shoulder, ignoring the feeling of his shoulder guards. Meta Knight felt uncomfortable by such behavior, and tried to gently but firmly pry him from his body. The moment he did however, Kirby looked up at him with eyes filled with hurt.
The pink child fell onto the ground face down. He wailed and screamed, repeatedly hitting the dirt with his tiny fist with each sob that escaped his throat. Kirby continued this for a few more moments when the blue knight decided to say something.
Meta Knight had never been exceptional at comforting someone. Normally when the blue knight felt upset he would spend his time in solitude, but Kirby was a child that was used to having someone there for him. And Meta Knight was the only one that could be there for him at this time.
"Kirby, this is not how a Star Warrior is supposed to act…I know that it may seem unbearable in the present, but it will eventually pass…Using NOVA to grant his wish forced him to relinquish everything in exchange for his own single selfish desire… I suggest that you forget about Marx."
Kirby's body suddenly shot up with an unreadable expression. Such a blank stare with empty eyes didn't suit the pink child at all. Meta Knight quite honestly felt a small chill go through his body. He picked himself up from the ground, never breaking eye contact with the knight.
"Just…forget him? How could you be so cold?" Kirby whispered. "Am I always supposed to be serious, never supposed to cry or feel sorry for someone, poyo? Just like you? Is that what you want me to be?! Someone that isn't allowed to be happy or show love?! You're so coldhearted, poyo…"
The blue knight was quite used to hearing about his 'cold' personality from others. He heard everything they said about him, and it seemed that he chose to ignore it. However, hearing such words from Kirby…
Meta Knight sighed. "Kirby, I am only thinking of your best interest. To help you grow stronger."
"If being strong means that I can't cry for a friend, then I don't ever want to be! You were in the war, didn't it make you sad when you lost your friends, poyo?! Did you just forget Jecra when he died?!"
The older Star Warrior gave a loud audible gasp. Kirby knew he struck a nerve in the masked knight, and for the moment it felt good. He turned his back to Meta Knight and began to walk off, but then what he had said to the masked knight began to echo in his mind.
Kirby slowly turned around, expecting the knight's eyes to be a fiery red in anger. Only that wasn't true. Meta Knight's posture slackened, his gloved hands at his side. He stepped a bit closer to the blue knight and saw that his eyes had turned a completely unfamiliar color. They were a dull lifeless grey.
The pink puffball had never seen such a reaction from him before. Meta Knight looked like his entire world had been crushed, and it made guilt creep into his body. Kirby played with his hands nervously as he stood in front of the unresponsive knight.
"Sir Meta Knight…I-I'm-"
Meta Knight held up his hand. "No. You have no need to apologize. I said something very insensitive, and for that I should be the one to apologize."
Knowing that he was forgiven so easily made the pink puffball begin to cry all over again. He was surprised when he felt Meta Knight gently take his hand and walk towards his house. He looked up at the blue knight, his eyes still that haunting grey.
"Come along. You need to rest and your wounds need to be patched up. Tomorrow is another day."
Kirby sniffled, he was confused but complied with the masked knight's actions. Meta Knight knew that his apprentice needed to rest for tomorrow, as there would likely be a large uproar over the entire ordeal when everyone knew who the true culprit was that made the sun and moon fight.
And Kirby would be directly in the middle of it.
He tended to the child's injuries from his battle, made sure that he ate properly, then sent him off to bed. After a while, Kirby's sniffles and sobs eventually gave way to quiet breathing.
Meta Knight was aware that what Kirby had said earlier was due to impulse, but it still affected him within. Both of them had lost a friend by their own hands. He remembered it so clearly when that final strike ended Jecra's life…his hand reaching out to give Meta Knight the amulet with a picture of Jecra's beloved son Knuckle Joe inside.
He would never erase that grim image from his mind, and Kirby would never be able to just forget Marx either. He really didn't intend for his advice to come out so cruelly…
Meta Knight gazed at the sleeping puffball that would occasionally whimper in his sleep, clutching onto the covers in an iron grip. The truth was, he felt like crying too.
"Kirby, this sort of situation is not something one can easily recover from…but I have confidence in you. You were brave enough to cry for your friend…"
The blue knight returned to the castle and to his room. His knaves were already fast asleep, but the blue knight lied awake throughout the night. He certainly wasn't getting any sleep tonight.
Author's Note: This took such a long time to right, but the fact that it's a long chapter makes up for it, right? How many hearts have I broken? It just wasn't meant to be. This might have been unnecessarily cruel, but it makes it even more sad by the fact that Marx was set for failure the moment he was introduced...
It made sense for Meta Knight to be the one to comfort Kirby, because he knows what it's like to lose a friend with your own hands. It may not seem like it, but he was deeply affected by losing people in his life. The next chapter is the last one for this arc where we see how Kirby's going to cope with his conflicted emotions and the residents of Dreamland.