At last, here we are. The finale. I'm super happy with how well this story has performed and I'm endlessly thankful for all of you who liked it! It means so much! Besides, today is my birthday, so here's my own present to you! See you in the next story!
-With Love, Joost
Out There In The Dark
Chapter 15: Sparkling Star
Kirby, looked out into the lonely, endless space. The pink puffball sniffed, rubbing the tears from his eyes. He rarely got emotional, but seeing some of his dear friends fall into the darkness, it was different. It just got to him in a way nothing had before.
The terrible evil that Hyness had spoken of. The one of the Astral Birth. Void. That name seemed oddly similar to Zero, Kirby thought, wondering of any possible connection.
"You sure this is it, Kirby?" Dedede complained, trying to spot anything in the vast darkness that might help them know where to go.
"Poy-poyo," Kirby replied, his tone stale and rash. The others just looked at him, perplexed.
"Kirby, you are absolutely, positively sure?" Adeleine was the only one who built up the courage to question Kirby. Oddly, he didn't react, just keeping his eyes straight as he steered the small vessel.
Something felt off about all this, though. Kirby didn't expect Hyness to pause and seemingly change his own script. It felt unplanned, and now that they were chasing after this 'Void', something unknown welled up in the pit of the Star Warrior's stomach. But one thing was for sure. Hyness mentioned the names of the four things that made up everything. That alone got him worried.
Heart, Dark, Soul, and Dream Matter were the four materials that made up everything, at least to Kirby's newfound knowledge. It felt almost like a history lesson of everything in existence, all the information a little hard to keep up with.
The Star Allies Sparkler raced after the multicolored cloud, flying through the cosmos at blistering speed. From afar, one could've mistaken them for shooting stars, looking no different from the ones that commonly darted across the night sky. But then, at last, the cloud the Jamba Heart was within slowed down, parking in the center of a massive, crystalline structure, an arena of some kind. The Sparkler trailed right behind it, circling the cloud and resting just meters away.
The cloud, scarily reminiscent of the Hyper Zone, started to swell. It grew taller and taller, Kirby, Gooey, Magolor, Dedede, Ribbon, and Adeleine watching with strict opposition. When the cloud ceased its expansion, it towered over the heroes, the whisps of color fading away, giving light to a hulking behemoth.
The True Destroyer of Worlds, Void Termina.
The beast slammed its lumbering fists into the ground, sending shockwaves rumbling towards the Sparkler. The device leaped into the air, evading expertly, but it fell back to the ground. The dark aura around Void Termina seemed to hinder the power of the Star Allies Sparkler, keeping it from flying higher.
Then, the harbinger of doom hunched forward, growling, then lurched back, emitting a mighty roar. As it did so, a set of four eyes materialized around various parts of its body, their gaze oozing a threatening devotion to madness. They all focused in on Kirby and his friends, the pupils appearing feline, narrow with hate.
"There! Kirby, the eyes!" Magolor knew a weak spot when he saw one. Kirby nodded silently and started firing stars from the Sparkler, the projectiles careening towards the eye placed on Void Termina's chest.
The eye squinted but was unable to fully blink. It just reoriented itself and kept staring at Kirby. Its veins grew bloodshot, bodily fluid rushing to try and keep the organ energized. Void Termina jumped up in retaliation, bringing all its weight down onto the ground, sending raw power rippling through the reflective surface of the arena.
As the Sparkler dodged all the shockwaves, Kirby finally took out the chest eye. It popped in a wretched fashion, its juices squirting out and splattering all over the floor. Kirby, exhausted, let Dedede take control of the Sparkler, the stars the king launched now being the of the same shade as his own hammer.
"Yea-ha! Eat it, ya oversized bird!" Dedede's crude voice brought some relief to ease the fierce tension. The king saw Void Termina's mask as somewhat bird-like, so he embraced the idea. When the next eye being targeted was destroyed, on the left shoulder, the monster started to speed up.
Dedede was able to manage just one more eye before needing to take a breather, the Star Allies Sparkler being surprisingly tough to control. It took a stupendous amount of energy to utilize properly. Magolor was up next, and he wore a hidden, prideful smile as he pummeled away at Void Termina.
When the fourth eye went, a fifth and final appeared on the mask and the creature born of nothing took things a step further. Its hands vanished, making way for fearsome swords comprised of electricity. They took on a jagged shape, crackling with each swing.
"Uhm… Adeleine? You think you can take over for a bit?" Magolor's hands were weak, strained from the stress of trying to steer the vessel they all rode on.
"Sure, no problem!" Adeleine replied quickly, swapping places with the mage. She started to regret her decision, finding it difficult to focus between steering and shooting.
"Hey, need help?" Ribbon asked, recognizing the overworked expression the painter wore just a minute later.
"It'd be nice, yeah!" Together, Adeleine and Ribbon operated the Sparkler, with the artist steering, the fairy shooting. Things grew heated when stray sparks whizzed past the ship, but they remained composed.
Thankfully, it wasn't long until the eye atop the mask was no more. The mask itself spun around, disintegrating, with Void Termina collapsing onto the ground. Adeleine brought the Sparkler closer to the monster's lifeless body, trying to see if there was anywhere else to shoot. A vortex formed right where the mask had come from, sucking the heroes up and into the vile, sickening body of darkness personified.
Deep inside the revolting mass of matter, Kirby and the others found themselves lying on what looked like a man-made platform. Above them hung a disgusting ball of flesh, veins, and tendons, pulsating slowly.
"Ugh… this is…" Adeleine couldn't even finish her sentence, trying not to puke at the nauseating sight.
Kirby didn't hesitate to attack the ball of organic atrocity. It had to hold something inside of it, something they had to vanquish. Behind them, the team could see the bodies of Hyness and his three generals, hanging upside down, coiled up by muscles and ligaments.
Magolor used his magic to summon a weapon similar to the Ultra Sword, which he used to slice apart some of the leads supporting the flesh that Kirby started to attack. Gooey cut another with his lightning, and Dedede finished the last one with his bare hands, his hammer having no effect on them. The entire space rumbled and the orb started to shake violently.
When the skin tore, a harsh, white light could be viewed for just a moment, before an unseen force pushed Kirby and his friends out of Void Termina's body and back to the arena, Hyness and the three sisters being sent along with them as well. The Dark Lord no longer needed them, already having mastered their magic. Such useless puppets were deemed garbage, which must be dispelled.
Outside, Kirby and the others were swooped up and saved by the Star Allies Sparkler, and the pink puffball helped the device glide away from some of the other fleshy debris being ejected from Void Termina's body. The monster itself, its mask having regenerated, called on a new form, one that originated from another creature of darkness. Long, segmented wings, that were immediately recognized by Kirby and Ribbon. 02.
Void Termina soared through space, flapping its wings gracefully. When it stopped, another set of four eyes grew on its body as it prepared to attack. This time, bows forged by light, belonging to heroes long gone, were used against Kirby and his comrades. They strung gigantic arrows, empowered by the same three elements that the three mage sisters used.
After the volley of arrows finished, Void Termina dove and flew down for a flyby, allowing Kirby to fire a mass of stars at the eye on its back, destroying it with ease. Angered even more, the darkness brought an axe into existence, holding it by the talons, dragging it across the arena.
Crystals, stone, and rubble flew around the arena, mucking the plane up with extreme damage. The darkness finished the attack with a massive, three swing blitz, sending endless shockwaves and dust up for the Sparkler to dodge.
Two more eyes were taken care of, and now Gooey was in control of the ship. He took a moment to get the hang of the Sparkler, but when he figured it out, he was almost a turret, sending spitballs of stars at Void Termina. The Dark Lord knew it was reaching its climax, and it employed a move that shook Magolor to his very core.
A huge object formed in front of Void Termina, looking suspiciously like the Master Crown when it was fully in control of Magolor. The traveler's eyes widened with horror, and he had to look away as Gooey kept the Sparkler away from the wide beams the crown fired. Then the crown split in two, causing even more trouble.
"S-So it is the source… the author of all our pain," Magolor whispered, everyone but Gooey looking to the damaged traveler gloomily.
Finally, when the last eye was vanquished, Void Termina faltered while in the air. It almost stumbled before crashing down, its mask falling off and the vortex at the base of the neck reappearing. This time, the heroes didn't dally, going right in and falling into the abyss of innards.
The fall was longer than last time, and much, much darker. Shadows traced along the walls but had no sources. Pure darkness was at play, and it took joy in seeing Kirby, the Hero From the Stars, amidst in the chaos.
When the puffball landed, he heard the grunts of his allies. Everything was pitch black, but a light soon came. An orb of blinding white, descending from above. The orb shifted from white to black, leaving things it darkness for a second before returning to brightness.
"Poyo!" Kirby called out.
"We're here, don't worry!" Ribbon's reassuring tone was nice to hear.
"Yeah! Don't count me out," Dedede said.
"Is everyone okay?" Magolor helped Adeleine stand up, as she had fallen right next to him.
A shrill, gargling roar answered Magolor's question. The orb of light wobbled, three red blotches swarming its center. For a split second, the cloud of the Hyper Zone flashed before everyone's eyes, marking the coming of the Astral Birth, Void.
"So that's Void…" Adeleine mumbled as the sphere drifted around the arena. She was going to speak again, but all words were silenced by the face Void wore.
A face uncannily like Kirby's, staring down on them not with hostility, but curiosity.
"Bad!" Gooey chirped, jumping up and striking Void with his tongue. The battle began, Void taking no chances. It started with a relentless flurry of pellets, putting everyone on guard, unable to fight back.
Void's expression contorted with limitless ability, going from a very Kirby-like neutral expression to something that didn't even resemble something alive. Only a few hits were exchanged before they had to guard against Void, laser beams firing out from all directions.
Magolor, cupping his hands, summoned a black hole to hopefully suck up and repel anything else Void threw at them. Using a cutter attack, the hole vacuumed a few of the blades up, which then sliced at Void.
Dedede threw his hammer at the living horror, smacking it upside the face. Everyone cheered, but Void flew back into the distance, charging up something.
"Here, eat up, guys!" Adeleine prepared a quick banquet of food using her 'Al Fresco' technique. The others took their fair share of food just in time, Void splitting into four and bouncing around the body cavity, pounding the ground with unbelievable force.
"Watch out!" Magolor warned, knowing that there were an infinite amount of tricks up Void's sleeve.
Void, exhuming the essence of Miracle Matter, gathered its three clones and flew upward. There, they started to laugh, with needles emerging from their underbellies and stabbing the ground.
"AGH!" Dedede cried, his right arm being pierced by one of the needles. When the spikes retracted, Adeleine only had seconds to grab Dedede and pull him aside, hiding behind a painting canvas as the Voids laughed again, sending their needles up this time. "Ugh… they did a number on me…"
"Hey, hey, you'll be fine, I promise," Adeleine consoled Dedede. Gooey abruptly showed up, dodging Void's needle attack with his rock form, landing right beside the painter. "WAH! H-Hey, don't do that! You scared the living daylights out of me!" Adeleine berated Gooey, who just looked down shamefully.
Void and its doubles reconnected as Adeleine, Dedede, and Gooey still hid behind the canvas. When they rejoined with the others, they all got a look at Dedede's wound.
"It's not that bad, right?" Magolor asked hastily, watching as Void started bouncing towards them.
"Nah, I'll be alright-AAAAAAAAH!" Dedede jumped out of the way, Void coming crashing down right where he stood. Water, or at least a very water-like substance rose from the abyss beneath them, half-way flooding the room.
Void kept bouncing around, the water splashing up and into Kirby's face as the others evaded the attack. When it all finally drained, the madness returned, gazing down at its enemies with a scarily cute glint in its eyes. It went for the cutter attack again, but didn't hit anyone, instead just getting a face full of paint courtesy of Adeleine.
Swinging around to get the paint off, Void shed its cutesy, appealing form and morphed into one more familiar. A single, red eye, with ten spiked protrusions coming from its back. It was a bitter sight to see after all this time. Dark Matter. Gooey even flew up, with his orange pedals, and let Void gaze upon him. It stopped, for just a moment, before the influence of something unknown washed over it.
Somewhere, deep down in the pit of terror what was the soul of Void, came a new feeling. An emotion. A dream. The final battle at hand, Void takes his first steps toward a new age. In place of tyrannical rage, will he find…naptime? Gentle, spring breezes? Treats? He may even dream again… A dream of friends reunited! Such a conflict was hidden away, Void still fought wildly, keeping this friction of faith a secret.
Void called on the power of the variant of Dark Matter, Dark Mind. Twin mirrors orbited the ball of chaos as it fired a laser from its eye, the beam bouncing off and directed towards Kirby and his little friends. The pink hero almost wished he had the Master Ability, the all-powerful sword being very useful during the battle in the Mirror Dimension.
Once the mirrors faded away, Void's body turned black, and he started to drift slowly along the battlefield, as hot as a blazing, deadly sun. Kirby and Ribbon got a few hits before they had to get out of the way, Void not stopping for anything.
The Dark Matter nearly reconsidered the entire battle, the conflicted emotions dwelling inside of it. He shot lasers as he thought, the electrical screams harmonizing into a loud song. They spread long and far, and they were all successful in hitting the Star Allies. Kirby, Gooey, Ribbon, Dedede, Adeleine, and Magolor were brought to their knees, stunned by the pure energy.
"N-No! We can't-!" Ribbon pleaded with herself, trying to get her wings going again. She looked at Kirby and Gooey helplessly, watching how they too tried to get up.
Void ceased fire and hovered above the downed heroes. It invoked 02 for a second with its long, stretched smile and beady eyes, but quickly broke out of it and reverted back to the Kirby-like face. Void somehow brought every single form of Dark Matter with it. Zero, 02, Dark Mind, Dark Nebula, the Master Crown, and Dark Crafter, making an amalgamation of madness.
Then, out from the shadows of the body of Void Termina, came Galaxia, and it fell right on Void, driving the blade into his spherical form. Meta Knight, alive and well, arrived, landing on Void's top and tearing his sword from the orb of light and holding it triumphantly.
"M-Meta Knight?!" Dedede gasped.
"Sorry for the wait, the Warp Star wasn't as fast to retrieve all of us," Meta Knight said, leaping from on top of Void and helping the king stand. Behind him, Bandana Waddle Dee came and whacked Void in the eye with his spear, buying them all a bit more time.
"Poyo! Poyo poy-poyo poyo!" Kirby was overjoyed with the rest of his closest friends, back together. The Squeaks, Rick, Kine, and Coo were finally back, reunited with the rest of the team.
"Yeah, yeah, we missed you too, now don't we have a fight to win?" Daroach wasn't eager for a lengthy get together, eyeing Void as he gradually recovered from the strikes from Galaxia and the spear.
"Come on, Darry, can't we have a tender moment?" Kine snapped, accidentally revealing Daroach's new nickname that he was given by the Animal Buddies. The rat just cringed at everyone else's attention.
"'Darry'?" Ribbon commented, a smile forming.
"Kine! I told you not to just blurt it out!" Daroach flushed, showing a rarely seen softer side to his normally prickly demeanor.
"Yeah, we had some time to connect with them while Meta Knight and Bandana Dee searched for us, so what?" Rick was quick to defend his newfound friendship with the thieving mice. He'd taken an almost brotherly liking to them.
"Yes, that's nice and all, but we don't have time! Look!" Adeleine pointed to Void, back in his Dark Matter form, bringing out the mirrors again.
"Let us finally finish this terror-coated heart of darkness," Meta Knight cheered, sounding shockingly energetic. His rose Galaxia high and Kirby led all his friends to attack Void.
Gooey fired lightning, Adeleine painted a picture of the Ice Dragon, and the Squeaks worked in unison as a front to the fray. Dedede and Meta Knight followed, swinging their weapons and clobbering Void, with Coo flying towards and scratching the darkness with his own claws. Lastly, Magolor readied a projection of the Lor and let Kirby, Ribbon, Bandana Dee, Rick, and Kine climb aboard, sending it crashing into Void's body. They struck Dark Matter with a sincere determination to win.
Kirby jumped out of the Lor's projection and personally gave the finishing blow. An uppercut from his Fighting Ability. Void reeled back, his face swapping from all the various expressions he'd made during the final battle. He then rested on one, one that everyone looked on with slight confusion as light started to burst from his body.
A sweet, gentle smile, just like Kirby's. Void smiled at his own defeat, ready for a new beginning. A veil of acceptance reigned along his face as everything was engulfed by blinding white, and then all was silent.
Two Weeks Later…
A small grasshopper enjoyed the fine, summer day. Dawn was only a few hours ago, and the insect chirped happily on the leaf it sat on. Then, a small rumbling became present, and the bug hopped from the leaf and into the grass. There, it saw Kirby stroll blissfully down the recently repaired brick road across from it. A small flutter of wings followed close behind, but its source was too high up to see.
Ribbon, right by Kirby's side, held his paw as they went for a visit to Castle Dedede. She smiled warmly at her best friend, and he returned the gesture. Things had finally gone back to what felt like 'normal' by now, and the pair wanted to enjoy it.
The humorously handsome couple passed by a few friends, giving them a friendly wave. Rick, Coo, Daroach and Spinny were all playing Go Fish, strangely without Kine. Adeleine, trying to depict the scenery on her canvas. They even met with Magolor, who was picking a few apples from a tree. The far-flung travel had made himself at home on Pop Star for a little while, not quite ready to head back to the Dream Kingdom yet.
Finally, Kirby and Ribbon made it to Castle Dedede. Waddle Dees stood on tall scaffolding, working vigorously to repair the outside walls that had crumbled due to Dedede's rampage.
Bandana Waddle Dee, now promoted to captain of the Waddle Dees, was the one to greet his friends at the drawbridge. He squeaked, signaling for the guards to let Kirby and Ribbon pass. Chains rattled as the bridge was lowered, jangling profusely from the weight.
"Poyo?" Kirby stepped aside and let Ribbon go first.
"Aww, thank you, Kirby," Ribbon smiled at her friend's politeness.
The duo, with Bandana Dee coming along, walked casually through the castle, looking around for King Dedede. Knowing him, he was probably in his chambers, but lately, he'd actually been tending to things around the castle, overseeing the repairs.
"Poyo!" Kirby said when he finally spotted the king.
"Oh, Dedede, look who's here!" The Ripple Queen had heard Kirby's voice first and tapped the king on the shoulder.
"Hm? Wha? Oh, hey Kirby!" Dedede was a little absentminded at the moment, but he came back to the present and looked around for his puffy, pink friend. Dedede wore a sling around his shoulder, supporting his right arm. It had still been healing, especially after he tried going without the sling and just hurt himself even more.
The king and the Star Warrior embraced, smiling at the presence of one another. After coming from the hug, Kirby shook the Queen's hand, always making sure to keep it formal.
"So, whatcha doin' here today?" King Dedede put his hands to his hips.
"Yes, to what do we owe the pleasure?" The Queen added, making sure to counter Dedede's usual way of talking with a more royal tone.
"Oh, we just wanted to say 'hello'! It'd been a while since we had taken things easy," Ribbon chimed in, Kirby smiling at her every word.
"Ah, that's mighty kind of ya, but- Hey wait a second," Dedede noticed Bandana Waddle Dee standing next to Kirby and Ribbon. "Yo, Waddle Dee! Ain't you supposed to be workin'?"
"Oh, please, dear, he's been working enough these past couple days," The Queen scolded Dedede, making the penguin blush. He relented, saying nothing more about Bandana Dee's break.
"Yes, I do think a break is in order," A voice came from the right. Meta Knight, having simply snuck up on the group, spoke with his familiar accent, startling everybody.
"AH!" Dedede recoiled at the start. When the others just gave him a funny look, he recomposed himself. He huffed and rolled his eyes, ignoring the baffled smile on the Queen's face. "Boy, we need to get you a bell, Meta Knight."
"Sire, that would defeat the entire purpose of my craft," Meta Knight said plainly, knowing that he took a bit of pleasure in sneaking up on folks. Kirby and Ribbon just snickered at Dedede's annoyance.
"Ya know, I think someone's calling me. Gotta go!" Dedede quickly left the conversation, the Queen following him. The pink duo burst out in laughter, never failing to get a smile from the king.
"So, how are you three holding up?" Meta Knight asked.
"We're alright, finally all settled after the craziness," Ribbon replied, grabbing Kirby's paw again. The two smiled again, a very common habit they'd been forming.
"Good, very good. How about you?" Meta Knight turned to Bandana Dee. He just nodded punctually. "Splendid. Well, I must be off. I gave Sword Knight and Blade Knight one month's leave, but I still like to keep an eye on them." Meta Knight bowed and then walked off, leaving Kirby, Ribbon, and Bandana Waddle Dee by themselves.
Then, a shadow passed by the rear stained-glass window. It was only a blob, but Kirby had a hunch on who it was. He sped off, Ribbon and Bandana Dee right behind him. The pink hero raced up the winding stairs, coming to one of the castle parapets, where he saw his old friend, Gooey, sitting, staring at the sky.
Kirby didn't make a peep, just walking up and sitting beside Gooey, sharing the view of the light blue horizon. Ribbon and Waddle Dee caught up, both out of breath, even though only one was actually running up the stairs. Kirby gave them a quick glance before facing the sky once more, reaching over and patting the side of the wall for his two friends to join him. They gladly did, the four sighing simultaneously.
"Poyo poyo…" Kirby said vacantly, admiring the blue.
Gooey smiled, thinking about his friends. For so long, he'd been lost, but now he'd finally discovered what it truly meant to be himself. He was happy with his heritage and the murky past he previously attempted to hide from. Even if he was now, truly, the last of his kind, he was content with that. He was alright with the possibility that he was all that was left of the dark legacy.
"You're right, Kirby," Ribbon said, laying her head on Kirby's shoulder. "It is nicer than the dark."
The End.