"Really? That little purple kid with the hat? He made the sun and moon fight?"
"Mhmm, it's true. He did it to make a wish on NOVA to rule Pop Star."
"Wasn't he Kirby's friend? Sounds like a great pal, huh?"
"I knew there was something off about that kid."
"Kirby must be taking it pretty hard."
"Yeah, I heard that Kirby hasn't been the same since."
"It's his own fault. He should've known that the kid was weird to begin with. Why Kirby would want to hang around a freak like that is beyond me."
"First Meta Knight and then that Marx guy…what's gonna happen to us next?"
(watch?v=qRrVc5_dnMk)
Word spread like wildfire the day after the jester's demise. By afternoon, everyone on Pop Star knew the name Marx. Though the threat was over, panic still arose among the masses. The fact that Meta Knight's attempted takeover of Dreamland happened not too long ago didn't help matters.
Kirby wasn't doing much better. The pink puffball seemed to have fallen into a depression. He barely spoke, he no longer felt like eating, and he had spent most of his time staring at nothing at all trying not to burst into tears.
Even the king of Dreamland had become somewhat concerned with the young Star Warrior's behavior. Kirby had arrived early that morning, much to Dedede's annoyance. But the annoyance soon turned to curiosity, then a twinge of fear when he saw the pink child's eyes.
It had been like all the life had been sucked out of those blue orbs. He didn't have a trace of joy as he skulked down the halls of the castle. Kirby dragged his feet when he walked, when he once had a bounce to his step. Dedede immediately knew that something was disastrously wrong.
Kirby had resided in the castle for the day. He didn't want to go outside and hear the gossip, it would only make him feel worse. Though he saved Pop Star, he didn't feel like a hero at all. He felt like the worst friend in existence. He couldn't save him…
"I just can't take it anymore!" Fumu sniffled. "I'm going to start crying too! It just isn't fair to Kirby!"
"It's like he's a completely different person…" Bun frowned.
Memu sighed. "Poor Kirby…he hasn't been eating anymore. He's so heartbroken."
"It's understandable." Parm nodded. "He's lost someone close to him."
The family looked outside their door to see the pink puffball walking aimlessly down the hallways. It was obvious that Kirby wasn't even aware of where he was going, or why he was walking in the first place. The child didn't even look their way, to absorbed in his thoughts to acknowledge them.
"Ugh! We just can't let him sulk all day!" Bun said.
"Well what should we do? Tell him that he isn't allowed to feel grief?" Fumu crossed her arms. "I should have known that Marx…just what made him? Oh, I don't know…"
"Sis, we gotta do something for him. We just gotta…"
Meanwhile in the king's bedroom, Dedede was pacing around. He didn't know why he felt so concerned over his enemy…but he did. It just wasn't natural to see the little Star Warrior so downcast. Kirby had always been an endless source of energy and happiness…but now it was gone.
Suddenly, the king was aware that a blue knight had entered the room.
"…Meta Knight. It's just too weird. Seeing him like this, I mean…"
"Are you concerned for him, your majesty?" The blue puffball inquired.
"NO!" Dedede yelled. "It's not like that! He'll cheer up!"
The king of Dreamland stomped towards the window to look at the grey skies outside. He tried to convince himself that it wasn't worth it to get in the pink puffball's business. He didn't care about the child. Why would he? At least that was what Dedede was trying to convince himself with.
"…Your Majesty, Kirby's condition may be irreversible."
Dedede paused, then faced the knight in thinly veiled shock. "You mean…he might not ever be the same?"
"He has been deeply scarred. Such an accident would traumatize an adult easily, but one must remember that Kirby is still a child. Children can be very impressionable, and this event will stay within Kirby's memories for the rest of his existence."
The penguin's mouth stood agape as he tried to process Meta Knight's words. It couldn't be true. But it was. Dedede had never felt so conflicted before in his life. He was feeling sympathy for his enemy. The little jester had brought so much joy to Kirby, but now it seemed that all the happiness he had felt now equaled the amount of grief the pink puffball held in his heart presently.
"But…what will I do without an annoying pink ball of sunshine in my life?" The king sighed, before realizing what words had escaped from his mouth.
He noticed that it was no longer just him and the blue knight in the room. Escargon and Bandana Dee had entered the king's residence, both seemed just as distraught as he felt inside.
"It's odd…how Kirby's damper mood is affecting us all." The snail said.
"Kirby…" The bandana clad Waddle Dee sniffled. "I wish I could do something…"
"Ugh! That's enough!" Dedede shouted, pounding his fist onto an end table beside his bed.
The penguin king crossed his arms. "I want that kid being an annoying ball of sunshine again so I have an excuse to hate him again! ...Don't just stand there! Get out of here!"
The small group immediately did as the king ordered, except for a Waddle Dee with a blue bandana. Bandana Dee toddled to the king of Dreamland.
"You do care…" The Waddle Dee would have gave a small smile if he had a mouth.
"Yeah yeah…but don't tell anyone, all right?" Dedede sighed.
"Of course, great king."
-
A certain artist had returned from her long trip. The young girl's name was Adeleine, and her return to Dreamland went unnoticed due to the immense amount of gossip. She had heard the name Marx at least twenty times that day, but she hadn't the slightest clue who that was.
The pink puffball named Kirby would have been playing outside normally, but the artist found him nowhere. When she asked the residents, they would shake their heads and sigh or ignore her entirely. She didn't appreciate that. If none of the residents were going to tell her, then she would find Kirby and get the truth from him.
A while into her search, she found a familiar blue blob by the name of Gooey. The friendly Dark Matter seemed downcast, quite unusual for the normally upbeat blob. She sat next to Gooey, who didn't acknowledge her presence until she gently poked his back.
"Oh…hi Adeleine. You sure showed up at a dark time…"
"Gooey, what's going on? Nobody is telling me anything, and I can't find Kirby anywhere." The artist asked.
"Oh Kirby…" Gooey sighed. "Adeleine, you won't find him outside for a while…he's been hurt bad."
"Hurt? Oh no…what happened to him?! How long will he be bedridden?" She asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Not that kind of hurt. The kind of hurt in here." Gooey explained, his long tongue pointing to his chest where his heart was.
"So, he's heartbroken?"
The blob nodded. "While you were gone, he made a friend. A jester named Marx. The two grew so close during that short time…they were like peanut butter and jelly. And then…the sun and the moon fought. Marx was the one that made then fight because he went crazy. He tricked Kirby into making a clock comet appear to grant a wish."
The artist gasped. "You mean…that Marx was the one that tried to rule Pop Star? He was Kirby's friend? Poor Kirby…how did he stop Marx and bring him back?"
Gooey sighed, more serious than he ever had been in his entire life. "Adeleine, he didn't bring him back. Kirby fought Marx…and there was an accident."
The girl covered her mouth with her hands, finally understanding.
"Adeleine. Marx is dead. Kirby killed him."
"It's just too awful!" Adeleine exclaimed.
"Kirby hasn't been eating, sleeping, or even talking since. I miss him…" The blob looked at the grey skies above sadly.
"But…there must be something we can do. Anything!"
"I don't know if anything can be done…" Gooey sniffed. "My best buddy's been broken…I want him back…"
The artist and the blob sat in silence, the only sound heard was their occasional sniffles.
-
After much persuasion, Fumu had managed to convince the young Star Warrior to go with her and Bun outside. The Cappy children played as if it was any normal day, but the pink child no longer felt carefree and playful. He just wanted to be alone with his thoughts.
"I thought that he might have cheered up a little if he was back outside with his friends." Fumu sighed. "He's turning into Meta Knight…"
"Sis, shouldn't we be trying to make Kirby feel better instead of downgrading Meta Knight. Step off of him. We don't even see him anymore anyway."
"Meta Knight isn't in public anymore because he knows that everyone will reprimand him for his actions." She huffed. "He betrayed everyone's trust."
"Sis, you're missing the point. Kirby is in pain over losing his friend." Bun crossed his arms.
"His friend?! Marx tried to take over Pop Star and you think that he still deserves to be called Kirby's friend?! He was evil from the beginning and we should have known!"
"That's not what Kirby thinks. He still believes that Marx was his friend."
"I don't know why he would still want to be seen as a friend of that psychotic child…"
Suddenly, they could hear a commotion in the middle of town. The siblings immediately rushed to the town square to see what appeared to be a riot in progress. Several residents of Dreamland had gathered and were shouting accusatory sentences towards the pink puffball.
"This was all his fault!"
"We could have died because of Kirby!"
"He should have left that jester kid alone! Leave it to Kirby to bring in an outsider and ruin everything!"
The mob pointed towards the pink puffball, who cowered in fear.
"Leave him alone! He saved you all so you should be grateful to him!" Fumu shouted at the crowd.
"We wouldn't need saving if he wasn't the problem in the first place!" A Bronto Burt shouted.
"No, the problem is that you're all just stupid!" Bun shook his fist.
The mob only grew worse with each passing second as the siblings tried to keep Kirby out of their reach. Insults were passed and voices were raised. In a matter of minutes, everyone in town was in the square, the king of Dreamland included.
"Now you all stop it!" The penguin yelled. "I'm the king and I command that you all just go home and-"
The king's sentence was cut short when a boot flew from the angry mob and hit him in the mouth. Parm and Memu hurriedly grabbed their children to get them out of harm's way.
"But Kirby! Where's Kirby?!" Fumu struggled against her parents' grip.
"I see him! He's over there!" Bun said loud enough for his sister.
The young Star Warrior was faced with hateful glances and harsh language from every direction. They pushed him and screamed at him, all the while he was too weak to fight back or even defend himself. Fumu and Bun's shouts were drowned by the noise.
"Kirby, you've been trouble the minute you arrived on Pop Star!"
"You couldn't leave well enough alone. You had to be friends with a psychopath and bring him to exactly what he wanted!"
"And then you cry over the freak! What's next Kirby?! What disaster are you going to bring us next?!"
Suddenly, Kirby let loose a loud sob. The mob paused for the moment, giving the puffball an opportunity to run away. Tears streamed down his face, his choked wails could be heard as he dashed away from the crowd.
"Kirby! Don't run away!" Fumu called out in vain.
"Get out of here! Good riddance!"
"What's wrong Kirby? You're troublemaking stunts finally catching up to you?"
"Get back here! We're not through with you yet!"
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!" A voice broke through the noise of the mob. And it wasn't Fumu's.
(watch?v=7x4I_fDoLTk)
Everyone turned to the source of volume, revealed to be a certain blue blob. The normally upbeat Dark Matter wore a deep frown on his face, his cheeks red with anger. Such a look didn't seem possible for the friendly little blob, but there was clearly rage in his expression.
"What…what's happened to you all? Have you gone completely nuts?!" The blob continued.
"Hey you, shut up!" Someone in the crowd threw a boot at the blob, only for Gooey to chuck it back at the rude wild Waddle Doo. Gooey then smacked him with his tongue across the face.
"I'll be doing the talking here! So all of you stand there and none of you better step out of line…." The Dark Matter growled rather uncharacteristically, making several yelp with fright.
"Aren't any of you ashamed? Treating Kirby that way? He's our friend, our hero…and how do you thank him? You run him out of town with tears in his eyes…"
And then it was almost like a spotlight appeared over the blob. Thunder rumbled in the distance as a few raindrops began to fall. Gooey still had that angry frown on his face as he glared at all of the residents in the crowd.
"I am Gooey, a member of Dark Matter. The same Dark Matter that tried to possess everyone and take over Pop Star. Kirby found me by the river homeless and I probably stunk like smelly garbage. Actually, I think all garbage is smelly if you leave it out long enough…Anyway, do you know what he did? Not two minutes, or maybe it was five minutes…"
The crowd waited for the blob to sort out his thoughts.
"Anyway! Not an hour after I met the guy, he offered for me to stay at his house. He didn't know who I was or where I was from, but he saw me as a friend. When Kirby found out what I really was, nothing changed. I was still his friend and I still am his friend. He completely looked past the fact that I was a member of Dark Matter."
The rain began to pour faster, as Gooey looked up at the sky with a small smile on his face.
"He could barely talk then. Sometime later, he got to meet my…'father' or creator. Zero. Zero couldn't feel happiness, and lived a life of anger and hatred. Kirby saw that and tried to make it better, but he couldn't. He tried twice. Finally, Zero disappeared along with the rest of Dark Matter. And still…Kirby felt sympathy for them. Kirby felt sympathy for the enemy. That makes him bigger than any of us."
Thunder rumbled throughout the land, yet still no one moved from their spots. They ignored the rain soaking them to the bone.
"Then one day, Kirby found a little kid named Marx. The two became inseparable. They were like two peas in a pod, peanut butter and jelly, plusle and minun. And then…something went wrong. Marx started acting weird, and he went crazy. Kirby had to fight his friend and he tried to save him. Something was eating away at Marx's mind. But Kirby was too late…the friend he knew was gone."
Gooey started sniffling. Little tears started to run down his cheeks.
"Kirby was forced to do something that no one should have to do. He had to put down a friend…and he's being blamed for calling him a friend! He's cried and cried, and none of you are making it any better! The last thing Kirby heard from Marx was him screaming as the explosion from the clock in space killed him! And all of you gathered here today, not to comfort him, but to make him feel worse?! You should all be ashamed!"
The mob shuffled around nervously. Some looked at the ground while others looked towards each other. They looked at everything besides the blob speaking in front of them. Perhaps they were embarrassed by their earlier behavior, maybe they knew their actions were heinous but were too proud to admit it.
"Guys, think about what your lives would be like if Kirby didn't exist. Nightmare could have won, Dark Matter could have succeeded in taking away all happiness in the Gamble Galaxy…how many times has Kirby saved you from Demon Beasts in the past when Nightmare was in control? Is this how you're going to thank him?"
Everyone remained silent. Not a sound came from the crowd.
"Well?! Don't you have anything to say?! Aren't any of you sorry?!" Gooey cried. "You know what? I've done a lot of stupid things in my life, I made a lot of mistakes…but Kirby saw past it all and always forgave me, or forgave anyone that was sorry. So…can't we at least repay him by treating him with a little kindness?"
The blob turned around and began to hop away. He turned around to face the crowd once more. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a friend to find."
Gooey was soon joined by Adeleine. "I'm going with you."
And then he was joined by Fumu and Bun, then Parm and Memu, Bandana Dee, and surprisingly Dedede and Escargon. Together, they walked in search of their pink friend. The crowd behind them slowly dispersed. Some feeling quite guilty, others conflicted, and a few still holding the same feelings as before.
The blue Dark Matter knew that he couldn't let anger overcome him. That's what they would have wanted. Right now, he was going to try and be the best friend he could be. He felt truly blessed to have met someone as kind as Kirby, and he wasn't going to let anyone talk badly of his friend.
-
(watch?v=o_SChDmSedM)
The young Star Warrior named Kirby ran to the only place he could think of to hide: The roof of Dedede's castle. His feet seemed to be on autopilot, he didn't know what made him go there. It just seemed like the best place to be at the time.
He sat down on the isolated top of the castle, ignoring the pouring rain and occasional rumbles of thunder far in the distance. He was so tired of crying, but the tears just kept coming again and again throughout the day. Kirby would think he was feeling better, only to wind up feeling far worse a while later.
But this was too much for the pink puffball. There were many times in the past where he had been blamed for several incidents, most of them being damage on the town caused by an attack from a Demon Beast or some other creature.
The time Dyna Blade had attacked the village when she was looking for her lost chick certainly counted. They had been angry at him for some time due to collateral damage. How many times has he been scorned, only to come to their aid when he was needed? Nearly countless.
He would normally forget their harsh words and simply brush such resentment aside. But today was different. The pink child was at a low point already, but to hear such words today…it made his heart sick. He also blamed himself for allowing these events to happen in the first place.
"If I had refused to let Marx go with me, poyo… maybe he wouldn't have been tempted. He would still be alive…" The youth thought with guilt festering within him.
He had never felt so miserable before. He wondered if this was what Zero had felt like. To have such pain in your heart that it never seemed to end. Kirby didn't feel like a hero at all. How could he call himself a hero when he failed to save his friend, and everyone he did save hated him?
But what hurt the most was that he felt Marx's death was entirely on his hands. The lavender child never mentioned having any relatives, and Kirby had settled on the thought that Marx was an orphan. The jester said that he didn't have any other friends, and it was quite likely that Kirby would be the only one to mourn him.
Marx couldn't even have a funeral. Nor a proper burial. His body had been lost to the expanse of space. NOVA had survived the explosion, the comet was a machine and could rebuild parts of itself when needed. Kirby couldn't help but feel a twinge of grief towards the clockwork wish granter for existing. If Marx had never known about the comet, he wouldn't have concocted his plan to rule Pop Star in the first place…
The pink child knew he could spend an eternity thinking of 'what ifs' but it wouldn't have made a bit of difference. Marx was no longer alive and there wasn't anything he could do about it.
Kirby would never see those large purple eyes again. Kirby would never see that smile that never seemed to fade or hear that joyful yet mischievous laugh again. Kirby would never hear the sound of the little jester singing or humming a tune on a sunny afternoon again. They would never share sweets with each other, go on picnics, or play together ever again…
The last moment they shared was fighting each other in space on a barren planet. The last thing he had heard from the lavender child was his scream of pain as he died in the explosion. After he declared that he would never be hurt again…
Kirby would give anything to have one last day with Marx. To let him know how important he was to the pink puffball. He wished he could talk to him again, not in his transformed state, but prior to his wish. Before their friendship was torn apart. He wished he could have one last day with him…
He wished…it had been himself instead of Marx.
The young Star Warrior heard soft footsteps behind him.
"Kirby…shouldn't you be indoors during such weather?"
The pink puffball turned around to see a pair of golden eyes watching him. Kirby knew that Meta Knight was aware of the reason why he was here. It made him wonder why the older Star Warrior didn't get straight to the point and chide him for running away crying like a helpless child.
"Then why aren't you inside, poyo?" Kirby questioned softly.
The blue knight stepped closer to him, remaining silent.
Both of them knew the truth.
"You saw what happened, didn't you? You're upset that I ran away, aren't you poyo?"
To Kirby's surprise, Meta Knight shook his head in disagreement. "No. You are at a vulnerable time in your life. It was only natural for you to react in such a way."
Kirby sniffed. "Sir Meta Knight…I don't understand, poyo. Why were they so angry?"
The pink Star Warrior was rather surprised when the knight sat down directly next to him. Though Kirby often tried to get closer to his mentor in the past, it was quite a surprise that the older Star Warrior seemed to be emulating that now.
Meta Knight turned to look at the grey sky. "During times of disaster, some are quick to blame others for their misfortunes. Even if the one accused is their protector. Kirby, you were affiliated with Marx. They see it fit that you are to blame for the chaos that he caused during the sun and moon's duel."
"But…but that isn't fair! Marx is gone…and now I've lost my friends, poyo! It's not fair!" He sobbed, burying his face in his small stubby arms.
"That is the fate of us Star Warriors…our race in general receives this sort of treatment. We fight not for riches or fame, nor self gratification. We expect nothing in return. We fight to protect justice. Something that the galaxy had almost forgotten when Nightmare reigned…"
Kirby slowly looked up from his pink arms. "So…you expected this to happen, poyo?"
"I had hoped that you would have been immune to this cruel cycle, but it seems that was not meant to be. However, soon their anger will subside. After they have had time to cool, some might seek your forgiveness. Then they will most likely call for your help in the future once again."
"You sound like you know what you're talking about, poyo…" The pink puffball said, feeling slightly better.
"The residents of Dreamland have turned on you before, only to seek your help when danger arrived. They are dependent on you. Many will not fight for themselves, some cannot fight for themselves…and others can, but will only fight for their own gain."
"It sounds so harsh when you say it like that, poyo…but I don't regret becoming Pop Star's hero. I want to help people, even if I won't get anything for a reward. They were just angry and I was there at the time. But it wasn't just about me, poyo. They were saying mean things about Marx too…"
"…Kirby, do you still consider Marx as your friend?"
The young Star Warrior stood up and looked at his mentor in the eye. Kirby wiped the tears from his eyes and spoke in a calm voice.
(watch?v=y_hggi5Avg0)
"…Yes. Marx was still my friend. He always will be, poyo…It hurts now, but…I'll always have our memories together…with us as friends, poyo. I want to remember him as the friend he was…I'll always keep our times together close to my heart."
Meta Knight rose to his feet as well, his eyes glowed a vibrant blue. "You're growing into an exceptional Star Warrior, Kirby…"
The blue knight began to walk away from Kirby. He turned to face the pink puffball. "They're waiting for you, Kirby."
The older Star Warrior departed, leaving Kirby in confusion. Rain no longer fell from the grey skies above, and the sun peeked through the departing clouds. Earlier, it seemed the rain would never end, almost as if the clouds above were crying with Kirby. Now the bright yellow sun revealing itself held promises of happiness, that his heart would begin to heal.
The pink youth decided to head inside the castle. He returned to The Cabinet Minister's living room to find his friends sitting there looking worried. The moment they noticed his presence, they immediately swarmed him.
Gooey stepped forward. "Kirby, are you alright?! Oh, I tried to calm them down and I think it worked, but I'm so sorry that happened and-"
Kirby gently covered the blue blob's mouth. "Hey Gooey… would you like to go fishing with me?"
His recovery wouldn't be instantaneous. The sight and sound of Marx's fate would always haunt him, but Kirby couldn't let that poison the sweet memories of his friend. He would cry over the loss of his friend several times in the future, he knew that. But Kirby would always hold the time they spent together close to his heart.
If he could have one more day with Marx, Kirby would tell him how much he cherished their friendship. He would spend the entire day with him, and try to give him the best day of his life. If there was any way Kirby could have saved him, he would have done so without hesitation, no matter what the cost was.
Because despite all that had happened in space, Kirby still remembered him the same way he was when they first met.
As his friend.
-
Kirby had returned from his day fishing with Gooey, Adeleine, Fumu, and Bun. Evening had arrived and the pink puffball was toddling around the castle looking for the blue knight.
He searched in the kitchen, the knight's bedroom, the hallways, and even the dungeon. Kirby decided to go to the roof in a hope that he could spot Meta Knight from the higher view. Instead, he found the older Star Warrior staring at the orange and purple sky above, lost in his own thoughts.
(watch?v=EyfHEtL_23g)
"Sir Meta Knight, poyo?"
The knight turned around, hearing his apprentice's voice.
"I wanted to say…that you really helped me feel a bit better, poyo. You helped me remember who I was…and that I couldn't let such a bad thing mess up my memories of my friend. So…thank you."
"Kirby, I have done nothing. You found that on your own."
"Don't be so shy, poyo! You've taught me so much about fighting, being a Star Warrior, and other things! You were in the GSA, right? Did you teach other soldiers how to fight, poyo?"
Meta Knight felt somewhat overwhelmed by the excited puffball. If his mask had been removed, Kirby might have seen a faint blush across the older Star Warrior's face.
"Yes, I taught many. Before I began to instruct others, Sir Arthur was my mentor."
"Sir Arthur is your teacher, poyo? The teacher to my teacher? Why don't you ever talk about the GSA?" The pink puff asked.
"Well…the GSA disbanded so long ago, and there really is no need to mention it now that Nightmare is no longer in control of the universe…" The knight replied, secretly somewhat flattered that Kirby was taking such an interest in his heritage.
"But you know what I really want to know, poyo?" The child held his pink arm stubs together with a cheerful smile.
"What's that?" Meta Knight asked, a little bit amused by Kirby's eagerness.
"About you and Jecra! You only mentioned him a few times, poyo! You said he was your friend, but you never talk about him! I want to know about Knuckle Joe's dad!" Kirby said cheerfully.
Meta Knight's entire body froze. His eyes glowed white, a sign of fear or shock. His cape was tightly wrapped around his body, yet he pulled the sides of the garment so roughly he was sure it would leave marks on his arms.
"Sir Meta Knight…is something wrong?" The pink puff asked innocently, confused by his mentor's sudden behavior.
"I…I'm alright. I just need to…rest…" The knight replied, visibly at unease.
Before Kirby could ask any more questions, the knight immediately headed to his room. His knaves were absent at the moment, much to his relief. He crawled into his bed and buried himself under the covers, not bothering to remove his armor despite how uncomfortably warm he felt.
Meta Knight tried to think of something, anything besides what Kirby had said. The mere mention of the name…was enough to bring back memories to him.
And those memories…brought nightmares to Meta Knight.
Author's Note: Well, that's a wrap! This arc is finished! Now I know, but what about Revenge of the King and those others? They'll come later, I promise. This plan was well thought out and just trust me on this. Now Kirby won't instantaneously recover from this experience, he'll have flashbacks...and things could get a bit worse, but he has his friends (and Dedede) by his side to help him cope.
You're probably wondering about the next arc. I'll post an author's note detailing what to expect from the next arc soon, and I think you won't be dissapointed...
Also, for you readers, I recently created an official The After Story forum where you readers can swap ideas around and converse with each other about the fanfiction You can find the link to the forum on my profile, or search for it manually here in the forums section. I'm looking forward to hearing from you all.
Until then, keep Kirby in your hearts. Kirby is shaped like a friend.