So, before we begin chapter four, I would like to thank everyone for reviewing and following my works. You've really inspired me, and I am happy to continue this until the end, as well as all the other episodes. You guys rock!

Chapter Four: Helper To Hero

Fumu was confused and shocked. She had no idea that the little puffball who she wanted to be friends with was somebody so dark and evil.

Wanting to collect more information, she went to find Marx. Only, when she came up to his room, he was nowhere to be seen.

Rushing down the stairs once again, she almost knocked a little yellow bird out of the air.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Fumu was panting from all the running and needed to rest for a moment before she could answer.

"I...I'm sorry, Tokorri, but I'm looking for Marx. Have you seen him?"

"Who?" the bird was genuinely confused. "I can't say I know anybody with a name like that!"

Fumu groaned with annoyance and frustration.

"Purple puffball, red and blue hat, fangs?"

"Oh, him!" Tokorri smiled. "Last time I saw him, he was headed towards the party room."

Fumu gasped. The party room? That's where Kirby's party was being held! If Marx was there, he might destroy it all!

Without another word to the little yellow canary, she bolted in the direction of said room.

"Hmph. Some people have no manners..." Tokorri muttered.

As soon as Fumu came to the door, her heart almost stopped. Again, that creepy, chilling tune was being hummed, and she hated it.

Taking a deep breath and making sure her heart was beating, she slowly opened the door, similar to the way she opened the door when she first met Marx in the tower.

Marx apparently didn't hear her arriving, because when she stepped in he paid no attention to her. He was looking at a picture on the wall, a photograph of a bunch of people with the title "Helper To Hero" engraved below on the frame.

He sighed at the photo before turning around, only then noticing the young girl.

The first thing Fumu noticed was how tired the puffball looked. His eyes were grey, as if all the colours had been drained out of them, and somehow the colour of his fur and his clothes seemed to have faded too.

"Marx!" Fumu smiled, walking further into the room, "I've been looking all over for you!"

The response she received was not quite what she had in mind.

"I'm sorry."

Fumu was taken aback, and didn't know what to say.

"…P-pardon?"

Marx took a deep breath.

"I… I'm sorry for yelling at you, back there. I don't know what came over me, and I just… I just got a bit emotional, I guess."

Fumu blinked at him for a bit, surprised, but then sighed and smiled.

"It's alright, really."

There was an awkward silence for a moment, before Fumu decided to speak up.

"Marx… Meta Knight told me a legend earlier today. I think you would like to hear it."

Marx was skeptical.

"A legend?"

"Yes. I want you to hear it, because I think it is rather important."

Marx nodded and sat down on a chair nearby.

"Go on…"

Fumu took a deep breath, her heart ponding, as she repeated what Meta Knight had said.

With each sentence, Marx's eyes grew greener and greener. Fumu kind of wondered why, until she remembered Meta Knight and his colour changing eyes. Maybe this was the same thing; eyes that changed colours with his emotions. They did turn red when he was angry. But what was green, and what was grey?

At the end, she took a deep breath and a long pause, letting it all sink in.

"Sounds familiar?" She asked after a while, putting her hands on her hips.

Marx was silent for a moment, before whispering something to himself.

"What was that?" Fumu asked, leaning in to hear what he had to say.

"It's nothing." Marx snapped. "Nice story, but I really have to be going now…"

Fumu blocked his way out.

"Tell me. I want to know."

Marx didn't answer.

"Marx, I know the boy in the story is you. I know who you are."

"No. You don't." Marx corrected. "Because that wasn't me."

"Why would Meta Knight lie about something like this, huh? Why would he say something that's not true?"

"He's hated me from the beginning, just like everybody else." Marx said through gritted teeth, once again trying to walk out on her.

"MARX! Listen! I know who you are, the monster you are. If you really want to be forgiven, then behave!"

"Enough!" Marx yelled. "Can't you see that this is a touchy topic for me?! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The next part happen so fast, Fumu almost thought that it didn't happen at all. Marx suddenly grew big, golden, heart decorated wings, just like Meta said he did when he first got his powers. He rapidly fired a flurry of arrows in her direction and, although none of them hit directly, some of them brushed up against her, leaving scratches.

Fumu dashed out the door, screaming in fear of being hurt. She slammed the door behind her, panting hard as she ran to find somebody to tell.

"META KNIGHT!"

She was caught off guard as something grabbed her and covered her mouth. It wasn't until she saw that it was not gold wings, but orange paws that were holding her that she calmed down a bit.

"Bandanna Dee, what are you-?"

Bandanna shushed her and, letting her go, started walking away, beckoning her to follow.

"I've got something to tell you…"

She followed him cautiously, wondering all the while what was so important that he had to tell her in secret.

Once they reached the throne room, which was empty, Bandanna Dee told her to sit on the floor, sitting next to her as she did so.

"Listen," he told her, "I know what you've been told about Marx, and it's all true, but there's something they missed out, something that they don't know.

"They might have told you that Marx is monster with a black heart, but that's a lie. I know Marx well and, when he was little, he wanted nothing more than to join the greatest competition in Dream Land, the Helper to Hero competition. He wanted to be able to help Popstar, to be a hero.

"But the other competitors laughed at him and teased him because of his small size and lack of hands. The bullying then got larger, as they started to tease him out of the competition, and then they started beating him up every week just for fun.

"Kirby and I found him, one day, being beaten up, and we scared the Helpers away. He became our good friend after that, and in return for his protection, he gave us knowledge that we wouldn't be able to learn anywhere else.

"Marx was always a bit of a bookworm, you see. He had his own secret library, and every day we would meet there and hang out.

"One day, though, his love of books led to his downfall. He told me about how he had read about a wish-granting comet in the sky, and how he would use it to make Popstar a better place.

"I wasn't very keen on his plan, and tried to stop him, but he locked me in the library. By the time I got out, he had already sent Kirby up into space to find NOVA, and there was nothing I could do.

"When I found out that he had died… I didn't know what to do. I was devastated. I knew that he meant well, but Kirby had no choice but to kill him. That's why I was so excited when he came back. It would be a chance for us to hang out, maybe read some books together, just like we did before…"

Fumu suddenly felt giddy as Bandanna fell into silence. She didn't know what to think anymore, and her head was spinning. What Meta had said… and what Bandanna told her… and how Marx was acting… It was all very confusing.

"Thank you Bandanna." Fumu smiled, hiding her worry and confusion. And with that, she slowly walked off to her room.