Hey all! A much shorter chapter this time around, but at least it didn't take long. I wasn't gonna do the entirety of Planet Robobot, as most of that game doesn't have to do with Dark Matter. But this little part, which is canon in my eyes, does. Besides, it helps me lay out the groundwork for my next project, after this one wraps up soon. Enjoy!
-Joost
Out There In The Dark
Chapter 12: Reproduction of Darkness
Kirby, with another victory under his belt, decided to take a break in the interdimensional rest area. The sky was a deep purple, the building resembling the Haltmann Works Company offices still as boring as ever.
Kirby was hot off the heels of another adventure in Dream Land, this time to stop a technological terror organization from mechanizing his home of Pop Star. The Haltmann Works Company had invaded the planet with ease, taking over in a matter of hours, all the while Kirby slept under a tree. When he had finally awakened, he immediately set off to find out what was going on and how to stop them.
Along his way, Kirby had met Susie, the executive secretary of the enemy company. She gave off an odd vibe to the pink puffball, and when the truth about everything was revealed, he held only sympathy for her.
But now, Kirby was deep within Another Dimension, facing multiversal variants of the most powerful foes he had fought during the invasion, all in an effort to stop their siege across other, innocent realities. He had done this several times in the past, as almost every time after an adventure, a portal for him opened up, leading him to stronger versions of the monsters he had previously defeated. His limited understanding of parallel universes just led him to confusion, but he knew he had a responsibility to stop them.
Kirby still sat just across from the door separating him from the next battle. This arena-like world he constantly found himself crusading through at least had the courtesy to let him rest between fights. He was thankful for some kind of mercy from this ravenous dimension.
Eventually, he stood up and continued on his way, expecting to be taken to the battle against Star Dream. Instead, he discovered the next foe he'd be facing would bring back a wave of memories.
"L…O…A…D…I…N…G…" Star Dream said, much to Kirby's surprise. The Star Warrior was still in Haltmann's office, facing the Mother Computer. The mighty machine paused, analyzing Kirby. "You must be… the new admin…"
"Yes, you possess incredible power… OK." Kirby titled his head, befuddled by the computer's words. Unbeknownst to him, in another reality, Meta Knight was given this exact same speech from the machine. "As a new admin, you must supply your credentials…"
There was a long pause.
"…to the strongest warriors of this reality." The last word differed from the speech granted to the variant of Meta Knight.
"Executing Sword _ MASTER . EXE ," Star Dream stated ominously. Suddenly, a heart-shaped portal opened above Kirby, and from it a containment unit exited. It looked just the same as the one that held that clone of King Dedede.
Kirby tensed up as the portal closed, getting a terrible feeling deep within his bottomless gut. He held his sword up defensively and waited for the canister to open. It was done in a violent fashion, the mixture inside alive and ready to fight. The purple goo swished and gurgled, taking on a dreadful form.
An imperfect clone of the vile Dark Matter, more specifically, the Dark Matter Swordsman who first attacked Dream Land and shattered the Rainbow Bridges. Kirby's eyes filled with horror as the swordsman's hair blazed with black flames, and the silver cloak gleamed in the light of the lamp fixtures.
It can't be, it's impossible, Kirby thought. His eyes did not deceive him, though. He was faced with a clone of the swordsman who sent him on this age-long quest to purge his universe of Dark Matter. The warrior held a familiar sword and roared at the hero.
Meanwhile, in Kirby's home universe, designated ADK-1995, the rouge piece of Dark Matter known as Gooey, froze. He was previously flying through space, still on his journey back home to the planet Pop Star. But now, he was petrified, sensing the presence of one of his own.
But, something was terribly wrong. The feeling he had was far too distant and weak. Like it was somewhere that he couldn't comprehend. Memories of being stuffed in that bag, being found by a certain pink fellow riding an owl, and venturing out with new friends all came flooding back to him.
First the fond memories came and went, but then the fears arrived. Gooey recalled how he felt when he stared upon the Dark Castle for the first time. When Dark Matter peeled away from Dedede after Kirby and Rick kicked him to the curb of the castle parapet. His uncertainty when Kirby was lifted up into the sky by that mystical sword.
The lightning and sounds of battle from the clouds stuck to Gooey like nothing else. He often thought about what could've possibly gone on up there, his imagination at times going wild. When the lone Dark Matter finally snapped out of his trance, he realized he'd been just sitting still, drifting in space for a couple of minutes. He shook his head and wiped his face clean of all emotions, continuing on his way back to Pop Star.
As Gooey traveled, his mind wandered to something more comforting. His friends. He wondered if they missed him, would greet him with a warm welcome, or if they even remembered him. That last possibility he pushed to the back of his mind.
The Dark Matter Clone waved its sword wildly at Kirby. The pink hero didn't believe it, but the darkness was wielding the legendary Rainbow Sword! But how? That was the weapon that defeated the shadow all those years ago! Kirby didn't waste too much energy thinking about it, working instead to dodge the flurry of swings.
"RAAGH!" The clone screamed, summoning the power of colors with ease. Each time Kirby struck the shadow, its entire body flashed a tint of purple, the material the clone was made out of struggling to keep up.
Star Dream, still sitting just behind the two warriors, watched the battle go on. Creating the dark swordsman was no small feat, pushing the Mother Computer to the limits of its abilities. While the cloning process was a success, only a partial data analysis was possible. As such, the clones' true form had yet to emerge, if it even could. The dark mystique of the matter was too much even for the wish-granting machine to comprehend.
There was one aspect of Dark Matter that Star Dream did get right, however. The ability to manifest its memories into flesh. From what little remains of the Dark Matter Blade that the Haltmann Works Company recovered, they were able to fully replicate its power to bring forth objects from its past to life. The power was identical to how Dark Mind was able to create mirrors from its own, shrouded past, although the scientists had no knowledge of him.
Kirby performed a particularly devastating blow to the swordsman body, and its rage was almost fully unleashed. It drew its cloak back and rolled its eye forward, letting its round lower body display a piece of its true form. That sickly, orange eyeball.
From there, Dark Matter attacked just like it did in the clouds above the Dark Castle. It spun around, then fired black lightning from its eye in all directions. It did so a few times, before flying back and sprouting orange petals. They detached and orbited the beast as it flew over to Kirby, preparing to launch them at the Star Warrior.
Kirby swung his sword, slicing the petals apart as they neared him. They dissipated into nothing, and Dark Matter then swung around the arena to the opposite side, charging up.
When Dark Matter fired the long beam of lightning from its lower eye, Kirby pondered why it was doing these attacks while not in its true form. The petals flying about, the lightning, all these moves used to be done in its more circular form, not the swordsman. Something was wrong about the clone.
Finally, after a long hardship of battle, the clone was defeated. Dark Matter screamed one last time before its elastic, malleable body started to contort. Its purple coloration returned, and it slowly became a blob of messy darkness. Before it exploded, it quickly took on its real form.
Kirby froze when he saw it. The round, charcoal-colored body. The egg-white sclera. And the orange petals. They were all there, but only for a fraction of a second. The whole thing exploded, getting gobs of matter all over the place. Kirby huffed in exhaustion, his mind in a frenzy of emotions. It was over, but the image of the Dark Matter Swordsman remained in his mind for the rest of his adventure through Another Dimension.