Another chapter, this time sooner? Yep! I'm mighty proud of this one, but one gripe I have is how the exponent thing for 02's name didn't display correctly. Regardless, enjoy!
-Joost
Out There In The Dark
Chapter 5: Everything Will Fall To Zero
They had done it! Miracle Matter's hidden crystal shard was the last on them. Finally, they recovered all 74. The door sealing Kirby off from the others lifted, and the dark lair that he stood within returned to normal, revealing itself to be the throne room.
"Kirby! You did it!" Ribbon was the first to meet up with Kirby, embracing him passionately. She squeezed his round form and nuzzled her cheek against his, making the star warrior feel a strange emotion well up inside.
Then, Ribbon realized what she was doing and parted from Kirby. Both shared the same red coloration in their cheeks as they averted their eyes from each other.
"I gotta hand it to ya, boy, you did a number on that there Dark Matter!" Dedede rejoiced at the defeat of Miracle Matter, seeing the small remains of its white form scattered across the floor.
Kirby, with a mad blush laden across his cheeks, looked at the floor bashfully. He thought it was all in a day's work, but a small part of him had a feeling it wasn't completely over yet.
Meanwhile, outside, the dark clouds flew away from the castle, and the whole of Ripple Star. They gathered outside of the planet's atmosphere and exploded, sending the cowering residents outside into a cheering celebration. All the fairies turned their attention to the castle and applauded whoever finally freed them from Dark Matter's invasion.
"Guys! Look outside!" Adeleine called the others to the window and pointed to the town. Kirby, Ribbon, Dedede, and Waddle Dee joined her and smiled at the joyous crowd.
"Looks like we did it!" Dedede was arguably the happiest about the defeat of Dark Matter. For far too long he had felt trapped, unable to look happily into the sky, fearing the beast with just one eye.
The group left the castle, receiving the most praise ever from the fairies. Their faces were gleaming with admiration, for they had thought they'd never be freed from the dark cloud. Ribbon excitedly flew ahead, and it took the friends a minute to weave their way through the crowd to get to where she was.
"Everybody, this is the Queen of Ripple Star," Ribbon, as soon as the others caught up with her, introduced them to her idol.
"G-Greetings!" The Queen's voice spoke nasally, as if she was just getting over a cold. She bowed to the heroes, her crown accidentally tilting. "I cannot begin to thank you all enough!"
Everyone had differing opinions on the Queen. Kirby looked at her with a curious, yet serious expression. He could sense something was a little off. Adeleine thought the Queen looked just fine. Waddle Dee was happy to meet another monarch like his own king. And Dedede, he was taken by surprise. The Queen's lacy, black hair, coming out into two pigtails, and her adorable, freckled face intrigued him. She looked wise and like she was a comforting woman, and a crimson blush grew along his beak.
While Dedede stood awestruck, Waddle Dee quickly jumped forward and shook the Queen's hand. She smiled at him, but her grip on his paw felt odd. A little limp for a queen, but he decided to overlook it. Once he returned to his friends, he finally noticed the look on King Dedede's face.
"It's a great pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Adeleine said formally, being the next to shake the Queen's hand. She too thought her grip was a little strange.
Dedede took a moment to register that he was up next to greet the queen. He shook himself out of his trance and did his best to casually waddle up to her. The others stifled their giggles as he tried to act cool in front of the regal woman.
"You must be the king, hm?" The Queen asked, shaking Dedede's flipper.
"Ahem, w-well, I guess ya could say that, eheheh…" Dedede sounded unbelievably flustered. His normally brash and loud voice seemed to finally find its weakness, and it devolved into incoherent stutters.
"And that just leaves…" The Queen's voice halted as soon as she laid eyes on Kirby. He had purposefully stayed behind the others, keeping the Grand Crystal safe.
Suddenly, like it was reacting to the Queen's acknowledgement of Kirby, it floated out of his paws and into the air. Then it fired a beam of light from one of its upper facets and right at the Queen. It struck her, and she was instantly knocked out.
"Hey! Kirby! What do you think you're…" Ribbon was at first furious with Kirby, but from behind her, she felt a large shadow growing. From the Queen's body, out poured darkness.
All in view of the scene gasped. Ribbon and Waddle Dee immediately tended to the Queen as the others looked to the sky. The dark cloud fled, soaring away from Ripple Star and settling into orbit. There, it began to swell, growing larger and larger before it started to partially obscure the sun.
Kirby's eye narrowed. His hunch was correct, Miracle Matter wasn't the source of the darkness. Dark Matter had instead possessed the Queen, and with the Grand Crystal fully reformed, it detected the true source of the chaos. By now, the dark cloud that had escaped from the Queen had formed into its own plane. The second Hyper Zone, Dark Star.
Kirby quickly whipped out his cell phone and made a call. Adeleine and Waddle just glanced at each other before the call ended. Within seconds, the Warp Star returned, Kirby excited to see it. Unfortunately, he had stepped just a little too close to its landing spot, and the puffball was sent flying when it crashed into the ground.
Waddle Dee, Adeleine, King Dedede, and even Ribbon wasted no time in hopping onto the Warp Star, with Kirby just barely making it on before it took off. They waved Ripple Star goodbye as they flew away, heading to Dark Star.
The clouds of Dark Star were thick. Heavy with dense elements, it was a miracle that Kirby and his friends could breathe. They touched down on what they assumed was land and departed from the Warp Star.
The surface was seemingly procedural, hexagonal plates making up the floor, only going in one directed. The view wasn't much, the planet feeling anathema to light. The sky was a tense mixture of darkness and deep red, all surrounded by a perpetual storm.
"Alright, time to finish this! Dark Matter's made a monkey out of us for too long!" Dedede pumped his fist into the air, and Waddle Dee followed.
"Yeah! Me, Dedede, and Waddle Dee can go on ahead and scout it out and pave a path for Kirby!" Adeleine held her paintbrush and wooden pallet with determination, ready to paint anything Kirby would need.
"That sounds great! Kirby, would you be…" Ribbon turned to Kirby, but was silenced by what she saw.
The little, pink hero just stood, facing away from the others, staring thoughtfully out into the distance. His eyes inspected the land and his head worked out the full circumstances of why he and his friends were here. Could this be the end of all the torment at last? Could he finally exterminate Dark Matter from the universe, and all the bad things that came with it?
"Kirby? Is everything alright?" Ribbon floated down to her friend and placed her hand on his back. Kirby just looked down and sighed.
Dedede, Adeleine, and Waddle Dee exchanged looks. None had seen Kirby so lost in thought. The hero was so close to being face-to-face with the author of all his pain, but was he ready to face the danger? They watched as he plopped himself on the ground and looked at his feet.
"Hey, Kirby," Dedede beckoned. Kirby sat up and looked at the king. "Come here."
Kirby did as he was told, walking up to King Dedede. The royal penguin put his flipper on Kirby's side, next to his little paw, and looked him in the eye.
"You have fought this darkness in order to save me and all of Pop Star twice before. I know that there look in yer eyes. Yer not sure if this is it, right?" Kirby, in response, nodded slowly. "Now you might be a pain in my side, but yer also my friend. I can tell you that this is gonna be it."
Kirby perked up at last. He felt solace in Dedede's words, and he hugged him for it. The king at first was shocked that Kirby went in for such a gesture, but he quickly relented and returned the favor, wrapping his flippers around the hero's squishy form. The others already noticed the tender moment and decided to join in, all hugging.
Soon enough, Kirby felt much better, and he was more than ready to face Dark Matter for hopefully the last time. Dedede, Adeleine, and Waddle Dee went on ahead, clearing a path for the star warrior.
Dark Star didn't seem to be inhabited by much. There were no Dark Matter troopers soaring across the sky, but only little creatures known as 'N-Z'. They were grey in coloration and trotted around like a normal Waddle Dee back on Pop Star.
Kirby and Ribbon came to where Dedede stood, his hammer in his hands.
"Alright, Kirby, I think this is it! Go get 'em!" Dedede said as he heaved his hammer upwards. It crashed down on a plate and another that was connected to it sent Kirby and Ribbon flying into the air and into Dark Matter's lair.
"WAAH!" Kirby cried as he went into freefall. Before he could plummet back down, Ribbon caught him. Using her wings, she held Kirby protectively as they waited for the source to appear.
Kirby took out the Grand Crystal and held it in his paws, and it sparked an idea for Ribbon.
"Hey, Kirby, why don't you try inhaling it!" Ribbon suggested. Kirby was hesitant at first, thinking that the crystal that they spent so long putting back together would get lost in the pocket dimension that was his stomach, but the confided look Ribbon wore convinced him.
Kirby inhaled the crystal, and suddenly, his and Ribbon's powers combined. Now he held a peculiar looking weapon. A gun formed out of crystal shards. It had a trigger, and each time it was pulled, it fired a disposable shard. Whatever the weapon was, it would have to do, as what the heroes could only describe as angelic floated down to greet them.
It was a snow-white creature, with short, segmented wings and a golden halo floating above its head. Just under the halo was a large bandage, something that sent Kirby's mind racing. It turned to face them, showing off what looked like tiny, beady eyes and a partially opened mouth.
Kirby and Ribbon didn't know what to make of it at first, but when the creature decided that it didn't need to wear this false face, it opened the 'mouth' and revealed a blood-red eye, the false eyes vanishing. The wings sprouted further segments, all the same color as the eye.
It was the divine reincarnation of Zero, 02.
Kirby and Ribbon stared at the fallen angel for some time, and it stared back. Both parties seemed to be hesitant of the other.
"Kirby…" A voice said. There was no doubt it belonged to 02. But unlike its predecessor, it wasn't a malice-ridden tone. It was calm, relaxed, and almost eerie. "It's been some time."
Kirby didn't respond, keeping his determined eyes on 02. The One From Nothing Born just watched as the star warrior and his friend glared at it. They were ready to settle the score, for both invasions of Pop Star and Ripple Star.
02 knew why they were here, and it just looked down with shame. While its thoughts remained unknown to the pink puffball and his fairy friend, the cosmic terror didn't quite want to leave it at that.
Kirby fired a shard from the Crystal Gun, and when it collided with 02's eggshell-white hide, it just dissipated. In response, 02 fired a cluster of light from its bloody eye, which exploded near Kirby after a short delay. The fight was on!
The star warrior, with help from Ribbon, fluttered around the battlefield, trying to hit Dark Matter. Each time a crystal hit 02's hide, it did nothing, leaving the hero unsatisfied. Eventually, he found a weak spot, the eye. When a shard hit it, 02 squinted in pain, blood drops flying out and into the depths of Dark Star.
"Kirby, you who stand, blessed under starlight… Look upon me… Do you fear me?" 02 asked. It did not sound like a rhetorical mockery, but a genuine question. Since their last bout, the leader of Dark Matter, due to Kirby's influence, started to feel something unnatural.
Neither Kirby nor Ribbon knew how to answer. Deep down, the puffball didn't fear Dark Matter, but a part of him did. It was scared of what it could do, and what it truly wanted out of the universe. Ribbon was at first gravely scared of the darkness, but ever since she met the little boy holding onto her, she grew confident.
"Hm, no matter…" 02 said, taking its opponents' silence as an answer. "Now, the ichor leaks from our broken hearts, so come, warrior of the stars!"
After many strikes to the eye, 02 shuddered violently. Its eye slammed shut and it worked to heal, unknowingly leaving its halo, the shield which helped hide its true weak spot, vulnerable. With each hit from a crystal shard, the hale changed color, before settling on a red, and then breaking apart. The sensitive bandage, which covered the wound from where Zero's eye hemorrhaged out of, was left defenseless.
Just one hit from the crystals was enough to send 02 into a frenzy, its weak spot, a green, barbed root from where its tail was, now open. The very tip spewed a gaseous vapor in an effort to poison Kirby and Ribbon, but to no avail. 02 flapped its wings, trying to ward off the pain from the bandage.
Kirby went for the wings first. He launched volley after volley of shards at 02, and after a couple of hits, the rightmost wing exploded. Now the leader of Dark Matter was left with considerably less maneuverability. Wasting no more time, the star warrior attacked the root, sending pain coursing through the darkness.
"Kirby!" 02 exclaimed, recovering, its root receding back into its body and the halo reforming. "The abyss… It is ever lurking. There are still things beyond your understanding…"
The two heroes stopped and looked at 02, confused. What more could there be? What could Dark Matter be alluding to? The angel's eye gazed painfully at its enemies, shedding bloody tears.
"For as long as there is fear, our creeping shadows shall draw near." 02 stated, its ominous words almost paralyzing Kirby and Ribbon. It sounded like a warning, like there was something about the nature of the Dark Matter that even 02 feared.
Kirby pushed the inquisitive thoughts away and focused on the battle. He aimed for 02's eye again and continuously fired, making the red fluid leak from it. Dark Matter was forced to squint again, and the halo was brought down yet again. The toxic gas that ruminated from the barbed root reeked of a terrible scent, making Ribbon's nose flared.
Electing to ensure 02 wouldn't be able to dodge forever, Kirby stopped shooting at the root and set his sights on the other wing. The support was brittle, and it exploded quickly, just like the other. Dark Matter didn't cry out in anguish, pain, or anything. It just groaned and pressed on with the fight.
"Rise… and fall. This is our call." 02 said, still trying to take Kirby and Ribbon out of the sky with its eye light. "We weep, and we scream. We dare… not dream."
"Our chariot, awaits, Kirby."
02 was at a snail's pace in the air. The destroyed wings of its angelic form struggled to flap, but little pain flowed through them. Dark Matter viewed it as what was meant to be, its fate already clear. It kept fighting, the iron will of its former consciousness still present in the bleak and dreary eyes of the new Zero. It inwardly wished it could cling onto life, but Kirby already proved that he was the true dispeller of darkness.
"Across the endless eons, we have come so far!" 02 shouted, knowing it was nearing death as its root was exposed for the last time. "We have seen a life reflected in the crystal shards!"
It yearned for a peaceful life, but as one last snap came from the root, it saw light. 02 slowly faced Kirby and Ribbon, eye closed, silently happy to be out of its own misery. The misery of endless loneliness could finally be over. Holy light flooded Dark Star as the leader of the Dark Matter Clan perished at last.
On the outside, Dark Star rumbled. Troopers made attempts to escape and flee into outer space but were forced back in by their adherence to 02. Just before the planet could collapse, the Warp Star appeared. On it rode Kirby, Ribbon, Dedede, Adeleine, and Waddle Dee, their mission an inherent success.
Dark Matter, at least the main clan, had been completely eradicated from the universe. Dark Star exploded in a fiery fashion, leaving nothing left of the species.
Hours later, at nightfall, more celebrations erupted from Ripple Star. All across the galaxy, the inhabitants of every planet celebrated. They knew that a great darkness had been cleared, the universe cleansed.
At Ripple Star castle, a very special ceremony was taking place, all in commemoration of the far-flung heroes who saved their home. Kirby, Waddle Dee, King Dedede, and Adeleine were hailed as saviors. Fireworks were sent to light up the night sky, and cheers could be heard from the busy streets.
In the castle, the Queen, now fully to her senses, gifted the heroes with their own small crystal shard in place of a medal around their necks. King Dedede kept swapping his gaze from the shard to the Queen, trying not to seem flustered. Adeleine already saw new inspiration for a painting when she looked at her shard. Waddle Dee's shard didn't quite fit around his body, but he thought no less of it.
Finally, Kirby. His medal was perfectly fitted to him, hugging his round body comfortably. He smiled from ear to ear as the Queen began to make a proud statement in honor of the four of them.
"Today has been quite the busy day for Ripple Star!" The Queen began. As she spoke, Ribbon flew down and to Kirby.
"Poyo?" Kirby asked quietly, careful not to interrupt the Queen's speech.
"Here, K-Kirby… I just wanted to personally say…" Ribbon tensed up and blushed. Kirby peered over to her and gave a welcoming smile, just like when they had first met.
"…Thank you." Ribbon finished, and then she gave Kirby a quick kiss on the cheek.
Kirby's eyes widened, and his face became pinker than usual. Ribbon covered her face with her hands and shielded herself, completely embarrassed from her own action.
The little star warrior just swayed about bashfully, swooning over Ribbon's kiss. He was unfortunately unaware of his available footing and tripped, starting to fall down the short staircase of the altar that he and his friends stood on. The others tried to catch his fall but failed miserably.
Once Kirby stopped blushing, he just started chuckling, happy to finally have a reason to smile.