Dark Matter started to feel worse the further he went into the cavern. His body ached, and he noticed that he couldn't stop shivering. He'd hoped that there weren't any enemies to deal with up ahead, because he might not be able to help Gooey next time should things go wrong.

The further the duo went into the cavern, the cooler it was. There were glowing crystal in the walls, as well as the ceiling. It was as if they were crawling under the night sky somehow.

Dark Matter had stopped for a moment to gather some of his strength back. Gooey crawled over to his side and leaned against him.

"...Thank you," Dark Matter said as he formed a single arm and placed it over Gooey's back. Ever since they got away from the Fire Lion, there was something off about Gooey. He hadn't said a word, and though he kept an eye out for Kirby, it seemed liked Dark Matter scared him pretty badly back when he yelled at him. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to talk to him? Even if it was something small, it could ease Gooey's mind a bit.

"You know...I don't think I've ever seen anything like this, before."

"Like what?"

"The crystals...they're a bit like stars, don't you think?"

Gooey nodded, though he didn't want to say anything else.

"...Is something wrong?"

"No," Gooey replied. "I was just thinking that...we've been trying to find Kirby for a while now. And the more we keep going, the more hurt we are. I wanna tell you what I wanna tell you, but I just...I dunno if you'll believe me."

"...Well whatever it is, I'm willing to listen," Dark Matter replied. "And if we can't find Kirby, then maybe he'll find us soon."

"Yeah...maybe."

There was a large crescent-shaped crystal up ahead. It glowed many different colors of the rainbow. It was pretty, but Dark Matter couldn't help but feel uneasy around it. It reminded him of the incident where Kirby attacked him with the Rainbow Sword.

"...It looks kinda like a moon," Gooey said with a hint of amusement. "There's even a big hole through it."

"But isn't the moon always crescent-shaped on this planet?"

"It wasn't always like that," Gooey replied. "Before I got here, Kirby had a fight with someone called Nightmare. He blew up a chunk of the moon after that."

Well that didn't sound good. However, given how strong Kirby was, it shouldn't come as a surprise to Dark Matter. But even with the crystal's resemblance to the moon, Dark Matter didn't feel safe around this thing. He felt that if it would paralyze him somehow, should he touch it.

"I...think I'd rather have the moon like this than to be all round though," Gooey admitted. "Otherwise, it would it like-"

"...It would look like Lord Zero?"

Gooey nodded, though he didn't want to admit it.

"...If you don't mind me asking Gooey...Do you hate your creator? Or perhaps you hate your own kind?"

"No, I could never hate our kind!" Gooey said bluntly. "Our...my siblings weren't very nice, but I could never truly hate them."

"And what about your creator?"

"That...I dunno how to answer that," Gooey replied as he looked down. "I wanted to please him, I really did...but he wanted nothing to do with me."

"So he banished you?"

"Yeah...he did. B-But he...YOUR creator must think you're amazing if you could attack Popstar on your own!"

"...But he didn't!" Dark Matter said as he dragged himself towards one of the walls. "I was only asked to gather information on this planet. When I told him what I had done, he...he inhibited my ability to switch into Blade Form. I could switch back after Lord Zero had died, but...I'm certain he would've killed me had he survived that fight."

It was difficult for Dark Matter to speak, as this wasn't something he could talk or think about without crying. Gooey noticed the distress in his voice and crawled towards Dark Matter, he sat beside him before he flattened himself against the floor.

"Going to Popstar wasn't easy for me either, you know?" Gooey asked quietly. Dark Matter gave him a curious look. "How so?"

Gooey looked down timidly. Dark Matter expected him to change the subject like usual, but the young blob took a breath as he tried to explain everything to the elder blob.

"Before I got banished, my brother told me to look for a new home. I flew by several different planets until I got too close to Popstar, so it dragged me in and I crash-landed. That's when I got to meet everyone, including Kirby. But once you reached the planet, I thought that you were angry because of me. I thought it was my fault."

"I don't understand," Dark Matter asked, confused. "I barely knew you back then, so how could it be your fault?"

"Because Dedede told me you were hurt, so I thought I was the reason you were so angry," Gooey replied. "After I came to Popstar, I grew a mouth and turned blue. you didn't even recognize me once you came to Popstar."

"...What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that YOU'RE my brother," Gooey finally told him. "I wanted to tell you, I really did...But since you didn't recognize me, I...I thought you wouldn't believe me."

"...So it really was more than just a coincidence, hm?"

"YOU KNEW!?"

"Well I DID feel that something was off after that Whale attacked us." Dark Matter said quietly. He felt like an idiot! What other reason did Gooey have to be kind to him? What other reason was there for Gooey to protect him? At this point, Dark Matter wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear, preferably forever.

"Are you mad at me?" Gooey asked as he noticed his brother's frustration. Dark Matter let out a long sigh. "No...I just wish I'd known sooner. I was a horrible brother, and I did horrible things, I don't even know how you could stand to forgive me, let alone sit WITH me."

"Well...because even after everything, I still dun like to see you hurt." Gooey said as he wrapped a pair of nubby arms around Dark Matter. "You're still my brother after all."

Dear sweet Void was Dark Matter stupid. He was still processing that his brother and Gooey was the same person. And to think that he would hurt and threaten to KILL his own brother, it made him feel sicker than he already was.

Gooey wasn't the same helpless blob that he was on Dark Star, but perhaps that was a good thing? He found his own strengths while he lived on this planet, and he'd even fought Lord Zero and survived. Regardless of how much Dark Matter wanted to beat himself up over this, he was happy to know that his brother had grown stronger since he left Dark Star. He wasn't even sure if it was possible for him to feel upset AND happy at the same time.

...All of this was starting to make him feel a little dizzy., he could barely keep his eye open.

"...You're getting worse, aren't you?" Gooey asked with a look of concern on his face. He held onto his brother as if his life depended on it. "You know...I got really sick when I first came to Popstar. Kirby found me and took care of me, and we've been friends ever since. I just wish I could find a way to take care of you right now."

Of course, because Gooey didn't want to lose him again. It was strange, but Dark Matter felt as if he'd gone back to Dark Star with Gooey. There was a familiar sense of joy that he hadn't felt in a long time, as he didn't want to lose Gooey again either.

"...Gooey!"

Gooey jumped as he heard a voice call out to him, he could see Kirby and Dedede running towards the duo. Gooey ran towards his friends with a worried expression "Kirby! Dedede! I need your help!"

Dark Matter started to feel tense as Gooey's friends looked at him. He watched helplessly as Kirby walked closer to him, though his body refused to move no matter what he did.

"What...happened to you guys?" Dedede asked as he picked up Gooey gently brushed the bruise above his eye. "Did you get into a fight or somethin'?"

"No, I asked Brother if he could help me find you guys." Gooey explained. "But then we got attacked by the whale, we had to get through spores, and I rammed into a Fire Lion."

"I guess that explains the claw marks."

"What about you?" Kirby asked as he placed a hand over Dark Matter's eye. "How'd you end up like this?"

"I..." Dark Matter couldn't say anything. Even if Kirby's concern was genuine, part of him was scared of interacting with the puffball.

"He spooked one of the Waddle Dees after he bumped into me," Dedede explained. "Though I gotta say...he gave you a pretty nasty gash."

"I...didn't intend to scare anyone," Dark Matter said quietly.

"Do you guys think you can help him?" Gooey asked. "I promise he won't cause any trouble!"

"Sure thing," Kirby said without any hesitation. He grabbed a bandage out of his bag and placed it over Dark Matter's wound...though it was too small to cover it. "You could ride on Dedede's back, it's kinda fun."

"Uh...Why don't you carry him, Kirby?" Dedede asked while he rubbed the back of his head. Kirby tilted his head in confusion, "Why can't you?"

"Well...you know..."

"You were the one that wanted to talk to him, right?"

"Yeah, but...You know what, forget it!" Dedede said bitterly as he released Gooey and threw Dark Matter onto his back. "Just don't try anything funny back there, got it?"

Dark Matter let out a hoarse growl, but he quietly settled into the back of Dedede's robe until only his eye and a pair of small arms were visible. As harsh as Dedede sounded, it seemed he was just as worried as the others. Meanwhile, Kirby placed a couple of bandages over Gooey's wounds. Again, they didn't fit over the wounds, but Gooey didn't seem to mind."

"Are you able to keep going, Gooey?" Kirby asked. Gooey replied with a nod. "I'll be fine. Just make sure you guys keep an eye on Brother, OK?"

With that said, the group started to move forward. Dark Matter watched as they got further away from the moon-shaped crystal. He had to wonder how far they were from the exit. Perhaps if he and Gooey had taken another route, they would've found Kirby and Dedede a lot sooner? That way, he wouldn't have to be carried around like he was a Waddle Dee.

...Well, as long as the group made it out of here, then Dark Matter didn't really care. He was just happy to finally leave this place.