WARNING, THIS FAN FICTION CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE PLOT OF THE GAME "KIRBY'S RETURN TO DREAMLAND". DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU WISH TO PRESERVE YOUR EXPERIENCE OF THIS GAME'S ENTIRETY.
Quick authors note to apologize about the late posting of this chapter. This was up on my deviantart since New Years, and I seem to have forgotten to crosspost it here as well. Feel free to inwardly scold me, but I beg you to keep it out of the reviews.
Dunno when the next chapter will be out, as I have to find the binder this is in. It happened to jump into the crazy place that is my room, and my room is akin to Kirby's stomach. Wish me luck, guys. Starting the chapter and shutting up now.
Kirby stretched softly as he awoke from his slumber at home. Stomach rumbling as always, he shifted out of bed from the path of the morning sun- his alarm. A faint reminder of an old, long passed adventure drifted to the pink puffball as he found a stray maximato. He picked it up to nibble on, deciding it would be better to eat and travel today. On the way out of his home, he grabbed a piece of paper off of his nightstand.
As he walked, he recalled last night's conversation with Magolor, concerning energy spheres.
"Alright, Kirby, here's the map of the general areas where energy spheres were still missing." Magolor spoke as a map pulled itself onto the computer. "There are two energy spheres in Raisin Ruins, from what old scans say."
"Alright poyo!" Kirby responded with a cheery tone.
Magolor smiled a bit under his scarf as he stifled more coughing. The royal blue alien brought a hand to the console of his ship and took a sheet of paper which had printed itself out.
"Just in case you need help with navigation, take a map with you." He spoke as he took the black and white paper from the keyboard's printer. "The Lor can't exactly print in color, especially since we're so low on power, but she's got effective black ink, and her cartography should still be both legible and up-to-date!"
"Poy-ok!" Kirby beamed as he took the map from Magolor. "I'll be back faster than a sleeping Dedede can wake up!"
"Huh?"
"It's a joke about Dedede's sleeping habit~ Poyo!" The pink puffball giggled a bit.
The Lor whirred behind Magolor upon understanding Kirby's joke, leaving her captain the only one who didn't understand Halcandrian simply blinked.
"Well, good luck, I guess." Magolor spoke quietly. As Kirby nodded, the Halcandrian quickly spoke one last thing as loud as his little lungs could manage. "And stay safe! Watch out for any Sphere Doomers!"
The door shut behind Kirby as he left the blue ship and its captain, sealing the fading sunlight of the day away from those inside the Lor.
Kirby whined a bit in hunger as he realized that he had finished his maximato. He was awake and rejuvenated, but he was still hungry! And in the Raisin Ruins now! Where would he find food here?!
The little star warrior brought his gaze to the map Magolor gave him. Two energy spheres, and they looked like they were deep in the ruins.
"Poyo…" Kirby quickly found a Whippy and absorbed it, gaining the Whip ability. He would need it for where he was going.
The pink puffball slipped the map into his hat and ran a hand over its rim as he dashed for the entrance to the ruins.
Mr. Dooter had never been considered a spirit of any sort of malice, nor had he ever been considered to be someone who would hold a grudge. He enjoyed occasionally juggling, as well as every once in a while movie binging. Mr. Dooter was, simply put, a pacifistic spirit.
That was, however, only when he was not confronted by the face of evil itself: Kirby. The last time the pink puffball had shown in in Mr. Dooter's ruins, it had not been a pleasant meeting. The puffball, along with three accomplices, had wailed on the poor juggler mercilessly, even after the spirit had displayed a friendly juggling trick. Afterwards, the pink ball had the nerve to steal a shiny wing that had crashed into Mr. Dooter's ruins quite unpleasantly, where he kept the asps!
To see the murderous maniac return horrified and sent rage through Mr. Dooter.
"What are you here for this time? And don't think I'm not onto you this time either, thief!" The blue spirit spoke, glaring at Kirby and tightening his vest. He still had injuries from the last time Kirby had rampaged through the ruins!
"Poyo…" The hat-equipped puffball pulled out the map he had been given and showed the small picture of an energy sphere it possesed to Mr. Dooter.
"So you're here to steal more of my things, then!" The juggler huffed a bit.
"Poyo!" Kirby nodded a lot, the accusation Mr. Dooter was saying not completely clicking with the pink ball. "Do you know where they are? Poyo, it's really important that I find them!"
"Of course I do! I'm so glad you asked!" The irritation in Mr. Dooter's voice was obvious as he tightened his hat. "Are you going to take them from me too, like you did that wing of mine?"
"Poyo- it wasn't yours though!" Kirby pointed out with a big frown.
"You could have asked for it then! Or perhaps specified such a thing!"
"Poyo…"
"Well, if you want them, you'll have to give me something of equal value." Mr. Dooter said as he juggled the two energy spheres he had in his possession. "How about fixing the items you destroyed in my ruins? That seems like a fair deal."
"Poyo! That's not fair! I don't have enough time for that! Poyo!"
Mr. Dooter simply glared at Kirby with malice the pink puff ball thought impossible from anything that wasn't possessed or made of dark matter. The star warrior shivered and pulled his hat down a bit.
"Poyo… can I repay you later, please?"
The blue spirit seemed to contemplate the idea for a moment as he looked at the energy spheres he had. He might have had a bit of spite for the pink ball, but Kirby seemed to have learned his lesson.
"Alright…" Mr. Dooter spoke quietly. Kirby cheered prematurely only to be interrupted by the undead juggler. "But! You have to leave something of worth to you here so I have your guarantee that you repay me!"
"Poyo…" Kirby nibbled on his lip a bit. The only thing he had on him was the Warp Star, his copy ability, and a couple hundred stars. The pink puffball blinked and held back a smirk as he thought of a cunning idea. He only hoped it would work.
Dark Matter churned around inside the Lor's hull in a very slow manner. The mass was numb, courtesy of the energy being expended on it. The shadowy stuff sluggishly sloshed itself around its pen.
The Dark Matter felt without purpose. All it was doing was causing havoc in its prison, draining energy from it and torturing its warden. It was bored.
Shlorp. A bit of the Dark Matter that had gotten into the pipes dripped from the ceiling. The collection of shadowy stuff had recalled hearing some rather intriguing information up in the last lit room of the Lor. Something about energy spheres.
Drip drop.
The Dark Matter really wished it could find a host right now, and get out of this accursed dampening field. It turned its attention boredly to the powered-down doors around it. One of its many eyes happened to run across a door reading "Scope Shot".
If it could have, it would have smirked.
Magolor had been in the middle of a nightmare-ridden nap when the alarms had gone off. Red flashes met Magolor's yellow eyes as he blinked away his bad dreams, stepping into an even worse one.
The Lor frantically hummed and screeched around the Halcandrian.
"Wha- What do you mean it's in the Scope Shot Room-"
Magolor was cut off by another screech from the Lor. A display popped up on the monitor and Magolor observed it to the best of his ability. A map of the Lor diagramming the position of Dark Matter showed up alongside the alarms.
BOOM!
Magolor brought his frightened gaze to the darkened halls, meeting it with glowing red eyes.
Kirby happily beamed as he carried the two energy spheres he had procured from Mr. Dooter, heading for his parked Warp Star. The pink puffball was actually pretty surprised his trick had worked. Sure, it had shorted him a good 100 stars, but he could easily make those up after all of this was over. For now, he had a pair of energy spheres to deliver!
The glowing vehicle of Kirby's choice quickly sped off for the center of Cookie Country, and the pink puffball quickly stashed away all items of value into his Copy Palette for safe keeping. Soon enough, Kirby was back in the lush, crisp breezes of the rural area. But something was amiss.
The happiness drained itself from the star warrior's face as he saw half the country up in smoke.