"There we go…! That should do it!" Magolor exclaimed as he tightened one more bolt. He stepped back and adjusted his hood, his yellow eyes glowing proudly as he admired his handiwork.

On the Parlor Car's wall was a circular clock shaped like a stopwatch with a sun design. In the center of the sun were two squinted light purple eyes with a red shooting star above its right eye, and lips curled into a cat-like smile.

The magician giggled to himself as he tossed his screwdriver into a nearby portal as Himeko and Welt Yang walked towards the clock. Welt smiled as he saw her frown. The design of the golden clock clashed with the rustic feel of the Parlor Car. However, she did give Magolor free reign over the design of the AD-D (Another Dimension Detector), so she shouldn't really be surprised given his… eccentric personality.

"And you're sure this will be able to help detect a piece of Another Dimension?" The elder Nameless asked. Magolor nodded excitedly as he leaned against the wall of Car.

"Of course! And besides, if it breaks or starts malfunctioning, you'll also have Kirby to fall back on!" The magician said, a bright smile hidden underneath the shadows of his cloak. "Speaking of, where's the little gumball anyways?"

"He's in the cafeteria with March," Welt mentioned, "but Stelle is in her room, resting. But given her… new condition-"

"It's fine, for now. As long as they aren't further than three miles apart–" Magolor quickly turned around and whispered "that's roughly 4.82 kilometers for everyone else," before turning back to the duo and smiling, "–Stelle should be fine. Though, somebody should probably tell her about the fact that her battery is in a perpetual state of instability."

"Speaking of which… how did that happen in the first place?" Himeko asked. "Stelle was only inside the Nesting Doomer's stomach for a few seconds. How was that enough to destabilize the Stellaron to such a degree?"

Magolor only shrugged, much to the two's disappointment. "Kirby threw that Friend Heart, which seemed to have healed her. I thought that was going to be the end of that, but I should've expected Dreamland's typical brand of weirdness to show up at some point. If you're worried that something may be wrong, you can always come to me about it. I'll be staying in this reality for a while, after all."

"Of course," Welt nodded. "Will you be staying on the Station?"

"Yes, but I'll also be spending time in the Lor and finding my own abode somewhere in this reality. Just shoot me a text whenever Stelle is going to die a horrible death. And be there as soon as I can!" Himeko crossed her arms under her chest as she started a mental countdown. "Probably."

There we go.

"In any case, that means my work here is done!" Magolor exclaimed as he clapped his hands together. "Welt, Himeko. It was mutually beneficial to meet both of you. I wish you all have the greatest of adventures as you travel the galaxy to fix all reality before it collapses in on itself! Or worse!"

"Ah… right…" Welt said awkwardly. He extended one hand, and Magolor reached out to shake it playful. "Good luck on your endeavors. And thank you for all your help today."

"Thank you, Magolor," Himeko said as well, extending her own hand as well. Magolor shook hers as well, and soon a portal opened on the floor.

"Goodbye, members of the Astral Express! May our paths cross again!" He said he fell backwards and landed feet first in Herta's office. The puppet working on the Simulated Arena groused as he walked, the head turning around 180 degrees to glare at him.

"What do you want this time?" Herta growled as Magolor playful sauntered towards her.

"My, my… so aggressive!" Magolor teased as his eyes glowed darkly and flicked her forehead.

"You ruined my project," Herta sneered.

"Again, everybody else agreed and accepted the changes. You're the only one being a sourpuss about it…" Magolor crossed his arms as he leaned in close. "Our perhaps… a certain tree is making you rethink your entire life's purpose?"

Herta said nothing and she narrowed her eyes at him. The advanced camera inside the puppet's eyes tried to look past the shadows of his cloak, but it was like peering into an abyss that stared right back at her.

"Shut up," She ended growling. That only got a giggle from Magolor.

"Perhaps you might change your tune if I find a way to prove myself to you… Anyways, on an unrelated topic, I plan on joining the Genius Society!"

"You can't simply 'join' the Genius Society," Herta huffed. Her head turned to its normal position and locked in place, her hands furiously working to untangle the mess of wires plugged into the Simulated Arena. "I put in centuries to even be noticed by the Erudition. Do you really think that you, a clown from an alternate reality, can become recognized by Nous!?"

"You didn't let me finish…!" Magolor said in a sing-songy voice. "I couldn't care less of Nous! Once you've seen one all-powerful god, you've seen them all. I meant that I want to be recognized by your peers. And to that, I'll have to do something bigger, better than anything any of you nerds have done in the last couple centuries!"

"And how, pray tell, are you going to that?" Herta groused.

Magolor only stood by her smugly as a portal opened up above him. A mass of papers flopped down, creating a loud thud as they cracked the floor of the 83rd Genius' office.

"To start, I feel like reigniting a black dwarf for funsies!"

"So… you're telling me that I'm an even bigger problem than before?" Stelle muttered as she sat cross legged on March's bed. Her throat felt dry.

Pretty quickly, Meta Knight and Welt informed her of her current predicament. March was sitting next to her, rubbing her shoulder gently. Dan Heng was outside the room, kneeling against the wall of the bedroom. Kirby was sitting on her lap, her chin on top of his fluffy head as she slowly took in the information.

"No, of course you're not!" March immediately reassured her. Stelle's golden gaze lazily met her fellow amnesiac's.

"I was already a ticking time bomb before. Now, I'm a nuke who isn't blowing up because somebody is holding the pin," Stelle huffed, burying her face into Kirby's hair. He blinked silently as she squeezed him tightly.

"That is accurate. For now," Meta Knight, his own golden eyes boring into the depressed Stelle's. "Rest assured, the rest of the Star Allies will do our best to figure out how to help you. But until then, you cannot allow yourself to stray too far from Kirby. Do you understand?" March huffed and glared at Meta Knight, unimpressed by his blunt tone, but Welt placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Right…" Stelle muttered. She squeezed Kirby again, and he let out a small squeak, like a dog toy.

"So, I guess that means you'll be Stelle with you?" March asked quietly. Meta Knight regarded her briefly, eyes turning into a glittering green. He made eye contact with Welt, and the older man nodded.

"...What's with the look?" March asked, confused. Stelle perked up somewhat.

"Meta Knight and I have been talking about Stelle's arrangement for a while now, and we've come to an agreement," He revealed, causing all three of them to their heads in unison. "Stelle can go to Dreamland. There, she will be cared for and housed as they work to figure out how to stabilize the Stellaron." Stelle frowned slightly. Her eyes glanced towards March, who liked she was about to burst into tears.

"...On the other hand, both Kirby and Stelle can join the Astral Express Crew while we look for a way to stabilize the Stellaron ourselves," Welt finished.

"I… We can…?" Stelle asked, dumbfounded. March gasped beside her, and Kirby's expression remained a confused and blank stare.

"Of course," Meta Knight agreed. His eyes warmly, turning into a shade of sky blue. "It's up to decide your destiny, however. We are merely offering paths you will ultimately travel." Stelle blinked again. She turned to March, who was positively beaming. Welt offered her gentle smile. At the doorway, she can see Dan Heng's arm giving her a thumbs up.

She looked down at Kirby. The Stellaron howled in fear inside, trying to get her to pry her arms off him and run away. However, her Soul hummed gently as Kirby's Cosmic Blue eyes beamed at her, a collection of galaxies and stars and nebulas glowing bright as he smiled at her.

"You… you aren't worried about what might happen if the worst comes to be?" Stelle asked, her voice cracking slightly.

"Stelle, we are the Nameless, the last followers of Akivili the Trailblaze. We face our destiny head on. We may tolerate the Unknown, but we will never bow to the Unknowable," he told her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two golden tickets that depicted the Astral Express. "Should you decide to accept this path, then we will happily accept you with open arms."

Stelle's eyes widened as the tickets glistened in the fluorescent light of March's room. It was like a halo hovered around them. She tentatively reached out to grab one of her but pulled back slightly. Underneath her, she can sense Kirby frown.

She replayed the events of her first couple of hours (months?) in her head. Her first meeting with March and Dan Heng, her fight with Snow bowl Kirby, the Nesting Doomer's eating her whole and meeting Hyness and Void at the Divine Terminus, and strange woman holding her gently as she talked.

She imagined what sort of life she would lead if she went to Dreamland. She would make friends with Kirby and friends, play with them, and eat and play with them. But once the Stellaron was stabilized, and even possibly removed from her… then what? They'd most likely take her back to Station Sundae. Without the Stellaron, she wouldn't be able to join on their adventures. She'd be a civilian.

The Astral Express crew wouldn't be able to take her in. They'd most likely be long, long gone by the time she got back. She wouldn't be able to journey with them, or with Kirby and his friends. She'd most likely be a scientist on the station, another person for Herta to overwork and undermine. Stelle would probably live a long life. But would it be a satisfying one?

She replayed the events of her first couple of hours in her head. She… liked it? Most of it anyways. She was dying half the time, but she had… fun. It was exhilarating, breathlessly exhilarating. It hurt, definitely, but she's never felt more alive than when she jumped all over Another Dimension, stabbed the Rainbow Sword into the Nesting Doomer's head, ran from waves of monsters that would eat her alive at the first chance they got.

Stelle's Molten Gold orbs glowed as they stared at the tickets, her expression looking back at her expectantly. Despite the danger, she wanted to go on more adventures. Discover planets in March. Fight monsters with Dan Heng. Collect treasures with Welt Yang. Stare out into the endless abyss with Himiko.

She wanted to find that strange woman that created her, with Kirby by her side, to matter what happened, no matter what truth they found about her existence. She wanted to reach the end of her journey with the Astral Express.

After all, she may tolerate the unknown. But she will never bow to the unknowable.

"I'm in," Stelle said, a nervous smile crossing her face as she reached out and snatched the ticket from Welt's grasp.

March cheered and crashed into Stelle, knocking them both onto the bed. The older men looked on with smiles on their faces as March laughed joyously, practically bawling.

Welt then turned to Kirby, who had jumped off Stelle's lept when he saw March begin to lunge. He leaned down and handed the boy his ticket as well. "It's great to have you on board, Kirby." He said. Kirby smiled back at Welt as he looked at the ticket.

Kirby promptly opened his mouth and ate it, stuffing half of Welt's arm in the process.

"Kirby!" Meta Knight chided as Kirby pulled away and swallowed the ticket in one big gulp, leaving Welt's arm slathered in saliva. The puffball began to glow, with a spinning flourish, he transformed once again.

Once the light died down, Kirby now wore a stylish red outfit with white ascot and black collar. A golden chain ran down his body and was tied to a small golden stopwatch at his side. Covering his fluffy hair was long with a black rim and a large spotlight in the center of the hat.

Conductor Kirby cheered, tipping his hat playfully he spun on his heel.

"Oh my Aeons, he's adorable!" March cooed, standing up on the bed and extending her arms. "Come over here! Let's make it a group hug!"

Kirby jumped up with you as he bounced on top of the girls, March and Kirby laughing happily while Stelle smiled brightly.

Welt smiled at them, and turned around to see Meta Knight looking fondly at Kirby. He placed his hand on Meta Knight's pauldron. "Don't worry. We'll keep him safe."

Meta Knight scoffed at the Herrscher's reassurance. "I'm not worried." Meta Knight's gaze hardened soon after as he raised his arm and snapped his fingers. Kirby straightened and jumped off the bed, getting a disappointed.

"Kirby. I'll be heading back to Dreamland now." Kirby frowned at Meta Knight's words, his conductor's hat cast a dark shadow over his pure eyes.

Meta Knight let a huff at the puffball's expression. "Don't give me that look. You know we both have our responsibilities," He said, looking at Stelle. Kirby turned around and followed his gaze, locking onto Stelle's. His frown turned into a thin line, before morphing once more into a bright smile. He turned back to Meta Knight and nodded.

"Good," Meta Knight said, taking off his gauntlet. Stelle cringed somewhat at his scar-ridden, discolored and deformed skin that ran across his uncovered hand. However, Kirby only cooed as Meta Knight took off his Conductor's and ruffled his pink hair.

"If you want to see me just call, Magolor, alright?" Meta Knight told Kirby. The puffball nodded. "And be sure to call at least once a week, alright?" Again, Kirby nodded. "And eat whatever they prepare for you as well, even the vegetables." Kirby nodded once more.

"What… what's going on?" Stelle whispered.

"He's worried about his kid," March whispered back, jabbing at her side with her shoulder.

"Don't eat too many sweets before bed, and be sure to ask for Welt or Himiko's permission if you want to leave the Express for a while. And be sure to continue practicing with your sword. You're getting rusty. And…"

"Poyo," Kirby interrupted. He wrapped his arms around the knight's armor, holding him in a tight hug that caused the metal to creak. Meta Knight didn't mind, and returned the gesture without as much strength. After a short while, Meta Knight pulled away and stood up, a portal opening up behind him.

"Be good, okay?" Meta Knight said, ruffling Kirby's hair again. Kirby nodded as Meta Knight. Before he left, he regarded Welt one last time.

"We will have some of our allies join you for a short while," He mentioned. Welt nodded in response as he extended his hand.

"We will await their arrival. Take care, Meta Knight," He said. Meta Knight shook his hand, a much tighter and sharper grip than Magolor's.

"Likewise," Meta Knight responded. He nodded to March and Stelle, and looked down at Kirby. His eyes glowed sky blue again before he hoped inside, the dimension hole closing behind him. Kirby waved goodbye as Meta Knight disappeared. He frowned quietly as the portal closed, standing as he stared blankly at where it once was.

He flinched when I felt a cold hand on his shoulder. Looking up, Conductor Kirby saw March looking up at him, her eyes glittering as she smiled.

"Say, today's been a really long day, hasn't it? Why don't we go to the kitchen and make something to eat?" She asked.

Kirby's eyes brightened the moment March mentioned a kitchen. He jumped in joy and grabbed her wrist, and then jumped towards Stelle and grabbed her wrist. Both girls yelped as they were dragged off their feet, taken by Kirby to find the nearest source of food.

Welt chuckles to himself as watches the trio run off. He can only imagine how much more chaotic their lives will become.

"Luka, behind you!"

Seele teleported behind a spherical demon bird and slashed downwards, her scythe stabbing into the monster's skull and slicing it in half. On another floating island. Her red-headed companion thrust his mechanical fist forwards, the engines in his prosthetic arms roaring to life as he punched a hole into another demon bird's face.

Well, their entire body was face, but–

Luka gasped as another bite into his metal arm, ripping into the metal as it clamped its jaws around the battery. He jumped up and drove his arm into the ground, squashing the monster against the flower field.

It's only been a hot minute since those star-shaped portals first started to appear in the Underworld. Oleg had been doing his best to manage Wildfire when the demon birds started invading the towns, eating up all the Geomarrow they could find before rushing back into the portals.

Already, it's gotten ten degrees colder.

And predictably, the Overworld doesn't give two shits.

"Seele, up!" Luka warned her.

Seele craned her neck to see a much larger demon bird above her, glowing dark red as flames licked its body. She gritted her teeth and teleported away, her body disappearing in a sea of spectral butterflies. She reemerged behind the beast, spinning her weapon wildly as she knocked it towards Luke. The boxer stepped forward and punched as hard as he could, the demon bird's feathery body disappearing in a flash of fire. As it let out a dying shriek, the grayscale terrain transformed into a color wash appearance.

Seele paused as the grass and flowers regained their color.

"Huh…" She muttered. She's never seen green grass before. Or… grass ever. She took in a deep breath, the tension rolling off her body in droves.

"Hey, Seele," Luka said, snapping Seele out of her thoughts. "You might wanna see this?"

"I swear, if it's another– What the fuck?" She cursed.

Luka was holding somebody in her hands. A young woman, by the looks of it. She was dressed in a black leotard underneath white and purple bodice, as well as tight black leggings with golden designs. Most weirdly of all, however, was the woman's black and red horns, which lay above her light blue hair.

Her clothing was torn, and her hair was in complete disarray. Some of the clothing looked like it was glitching in and out of existence, but unlike Seele' short-range teleportation, the effects looked corrupted, deadly.

"She popped out of the thing when I killed it," Luka explained.

"Why, though? Those beasts were only after Geomarrow. What could they want with a girl?" Seele muttered, letting her scythe disappear.

Luka opened his mouth to speak, but the ground started to rumble underneath them. The duo looked behind them to see the dimension they were beginning to break down. Seele clenched her jaw as the lightly colored grass cracked, dissolving into the warped space behind them.

"Let's get out of here. Then we can start wondering about her," Seele grunted as she ran towards Luka and helped him support the horned girl.

"Right," Luka nodded. The two hobbled their way to the white portal and jumped through, just as Another Dimension collapsed in on itself. I lone flower lingered in the empty abyss of space before it dissolved in the gap between dimensions.

STATION SUNDAE
Level Clear

CONDUCTOR
Cosmetic / Kirby

Appearance: Kirby now wears an outfit that is practical one-to-one with Pom-Poms. Whenever Kirby gains a Copy Ability, the spotlight on his head glows with color that corresponds to that Ability's element.
Character Introduction: When friends combine their powers, they can become a full-steam train! It choo-choos over walls, charging full-speed ahead. It's the Dream Friendship Express! Hop on!
VA: Makiko Ohmoto ["Poyo" Language] | Emily Sun [English] (Kirby has no major voice differences between outfits.)

(Attacks will have different names and animations, but have the same effects as described earlier. If an attack is not present, it has not been changed.)

TALENT - Powers on the Express: Instead of transforming, Kirby gains the weapon of his Copy Ability as the light on his hat glows. He can utilize the full extent of powers (except for his Super Abilities) while cosplaying as Pom-Pom!

ULTIMATE - Friend Train Trampler: Kirby jumps to the front of the party and initiates a Friend Train. Together with his pals, they race forward and stomp the enemies underneath their feet!