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Chapter Text

Darkness.

Torment.

A voice.

A voice that kept blasting around his hearing through the chaos of pitch-black darkness. It told him, "Give yourself to me, little one." He didn't know what else happened when he couldn't see. He felt movement, but it is forced. All of a sudden, he is merely a puppet. A puppet whose strings are pulled against his will.

The voice spoke louder, nearly dampening the sounds of an aged voice, an adult's voice and a pair of squeaky voices. He felt blows. A blunt strike, a swiping slash, a piercing thrust... and the last one, it's hard to describe. But... it felt like the stars. It felt like pure star energy.

But that final blow, granted him vision in front of him. An interstellar plane with four others other than him. A rounded pink creature, a large penguin in some aesthetic clothing adding a fluffy robe and hat, a silver-masked... something that looked like a warrior but shares similar characteristics with the first one. And a orange creature wearing a blue bandana and having no visible mouth.

In desperation, his throat found his voice and he screamed.

"KIRBY!"

It hurts... It hurts a lot...

Everything... is fading...

Going... white...

Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveller

"..."

"..."

"....Nnn..."

A pair of yellow eyes opened weakly, looking at a worn marble floor in front of his vision. He felt dampness hit his surrounding body like light thumps around him. "Wh-where... am I...?"

The being looked around, registering the sight of moss-covered ruins, stone floors that had blades of grass growing through the cracked tiles. He looked up to see the sky…or rather, what should've been the sky, he saw that it was all green and in a vaporwave style.

"This is... Another Dimension? I... I don't remember this area..." He murmurs, mustering all he could to push himself up. As he did, he looked at his hands. A pair of gloved hands that are detached from his body. He realized something.

This wasn't what it looked like. And it wasn't just the gloves.

"Wh-what happened to me!?" The being gasped, looking at where his vision could show him from his spot. Dull, monochrome. It spread everywhere. His cloak, all tattered at the bottom with a tear. His belt, left as a worn-out knot. He felt rain hit his skin and touched it. Even a tear that left his right pointed ear exposed. He looked at a nearby puddle that could show reflection and took a look, confirming what he looks like himself.

This being... his name is Magolor. He had pursued an artifact called the Master Crown, learning that it could provide unlimited power. He tried to fight against a powerful guardian who protected the Master Crown, but failed. Retreating, his vessel was struck down and crashed in this world called Planet Popstar. It is when he met a group that happened to be there, and pleaded for them to help him return back "home".

Of course, they were all helping him. Helping him in his second attack against the guardian. He has seen that the group of four are quite skilled in battle while they reclaimed the various scattered parts of his vessel. They could do it together.

"What happened...? First, I witnessed them defeating Landia... Then I put on the Master Crown... And..." Magolor started to recall what happened. The Master Crown, unlimited power, a goading voice... Then, it became clear. He remembered his darkly warped words to rule the universe. He commanded his very own vessel to attack the group. When it fell, the voice told him to wish for more power and he felt more powerful there. And when he is pressured against their resistance...

He remembered it going all black.

"...I-I did all that?" Magolor's voice is cracking, shaking as he sees himself cry on the puddle. He did have that intention for power... but ruling the universe? That... could have been a wish as a result. But he knew... in his right mind, he would never have sent his own precious Lor Starcutter to certain destruction. He thought he had it all under control... but it is the crown. The crown influenced, or rather yet... controlled the darker sides of Magolor's nature.

It turned him into a monster. A monster who shouldn't be living right now. But alas, his body still has life in it.

"Why... Why am I still alive...?" He brought his quivering hands in front of his body, gulping as he thought about the powers he unleashed. It is when Magolor finally registered just how lethargic he is ever since he woke up. Between his palms, he generated a small concentration of magic.

Magolor started at the purple orb that dissipates right in front of him. 'Is this... the power that I have from the Master Crown? But it feels... really weak right now... No, I think these feels like remains of its power on... me...' Magolor analyzed. He looks at his dejected reflection looking back at him. Oh, he wished... He wished he could take everything back, if he knew the true potential of the Crown, he would have been wiser...

And most importantly... he wished they could forgive him for what he tried to do.

The shower of rain snapped Magolor back to look forward. '...I'd better find a place to get away from this rain before I catch a cold...' he murmurs. He felt another tear leak out of his eyes and quickly wiped it away. Magolor began to move, rather slowly as he hovers above the floor, up a set of stairs while he searched for nearby shelter.

Magolor's attempts at levitating are affected as well: whenever he tried to stay in the air higher than average, he would quickly plummet down and hit his face in the fortunately softer grass beneath him. Getting up after another forced attempt to hover, Magolor bounced up the ledges in front of him. As he reached the highest point of the ledge, Magolor looked at the spherical object in front of him. He has been collecting these along the way, in the manner that they have entered his body when he came into contact with them. It didn't feel dangerous, but it felt like his strength is gradually restoring... but not instantly.

He touched the red colored sphere and watched its body disperse into a gaseous form that directed itself to him. As Magolor blinked, his eyes widened at something standing ahead of him. Pink, round, stubby arms and red shoe-like feet...

"...Kirby?" Magolor croaked out.

To be continued...

Chapter Text

Magolor couldn't believe it. His eyes blinked once, and then twice. The pink roundness still remained at its spot, facing him with his back. Many questions flooded Magolor's mind. Is this real? Is this an illusion? How did he get here?

But... Will he forgive him?

"Kirby?" Magolor speaks, his voice growing timid. He felt... scared. He doesn't know what usually goes on in Kirby's head other than helping... or food. Definitely the latter stands out - Magolor has never really witnessed himself Kirby being full for hours, he would get another whole piece of food with a powerful vacuum from his mouth.

Magolor felt more nervous when Kirby never gave him an answer, he didn't turn his body nor did he respond verbally. Magolor gulps, should he speak again? A conversation suddenly became so hard for him...

"... Kirby? Is that... you?"

No response again... until the next few seconds, where Kirby climbed up the nearby ladder from his position, still not facing towards Magolor.

"Kirby!? Wait!" Magolor called out. He started to move to attempt catching up with Kirby...

"He will never forgive you."

Magolor stopped. His body felt a shiver run across it. He knows this voice and Magolor instinctively ran his hands over his head, confirming he could just feel only the rounded top of his head between his ears.

The Master Crown. But... it should have been destroyed after the fight...

"You used them, you only thought of them as your leverage for Landia. They are nothing but mere stepping stones to be discarded once you no longer require their services." The voice gloats.

Magolor went to cover his ears. "N-no... You're wrong..."

"Oh? Am I? All of a sudden, you want to deny the darkness that you have in that heart of yours? Don't delude yourself. You know you wanted this." The Master Crown's voice speaks.

Magolor could still hear the voice crystal clear. "No... I don't... You don't know me..."

The dark laugh unnerved Magolor as he hears it. "Don't know you? I have sampled the darkness in you. I can see very well the dark side you kept hidden until that opportune moment. That's what you really are, and you know it."

"Shut up... Shut up..."

"A devious, little, scheming, liar. Forever, alone. Like you have always been from the very first day you opened your eyes."

"I SAID, SHUT UP!" Magolor screams. Magolor felt like his voice echoed in the vast space surrounding him, desperately wanting nothing else to do with this malicious artifact. He heard a laugh. "Fine, then... I will leave for now. But know this: This realm is dangerous. You will have to use these powers to fight. And sooner or later, you will be mine again."

Seconds passed as Magolor wheezed out, a fearful expression spread across his face. He didn't want that again, but the Crown... it sounded confident. Is it just a ruse? These powers were weak enough, but time will pass and Magolor will be back to normal, he hoped.

Breathing out lightly, Magolor focuses back in front of him... Back to what he had seen just now... He hovers cautiously to the ladder, looking up at where it led. He had already spent some time frozen up with this sudden event, but he wanted answers. Magolor still felt his levitation isn't working well, so he opted to grab on the bars, huffing as he pulled his detached body upwards to 'climb' up to the top.

"Haah... Ahh..." Magolor pants as he reached the top of the ladder, pulling himself up onto the surface. "I never thought... I'd feel so winded climbing a ladder..." He takes a look around him, there are a lot of stone buildings that surrounded the floor he is at. More ruins... Though the space of the floor is wide, he couldn't find the smaller-sized pink puff.

"Where has Kirby gone..." Magolor murmurs, worried that Kirby could probably have ran off, but it wouldn't have made sense at all. Why come here if you were going to run away anyway? Magolor looked back forward, he then noticed the shift in the fabrics of space, seeing rifts open up in front of him and out came purple spherical beings with yellow eyes, feathery wings by the sides and some sort of wispy "hair" on the top.

"D-Doomers!?" Magolor gasped. He should have known they would still roam this realm, but he wasn't prepared to meet them so soon. No doubt they would look for sustenance - things like him. He fell backwards and felt his body hit the floor, scratching the ground in a panic as he thought of heading back to the ladder and run away from them.

Only to find a shift in space sealing the hole into the floor as if it was never there.

"No!" Magolor gasped. He quickly turns back to the flying Darpas. "N-NO!" Magolor cries as the Darpas dove towards him, striking his body with full-body tackles from the left, then the right, and then the middle. Magolor wheezed from the final hit, coughing weakly afterwards. That... really hurt!

The Darpas circle around Magolor while he pushes himself back up from the tackles. Magolor looked at them, and then he looked at his gloved hands. Panic rose higher with the attention he gave to his hands, more when the Darpas went back in to him. "Ah!", Magolor pushed his hands forward, creating sparks of electricity that shocked one out of commission. 

As it plummeted and hit the floor, its other two compatriots are surprised from the attack and they turned to Magolor. The two Darpas dove down towards him, which Magolor responded with a cry, his arms moving by instinct in front of him to fire off more bolts to electrocute the struck targets. Magolor looked as he lowered his hands as the pair fell and bounced off once and rolled to the sides. He looked back at his hands, he did it again. He is using-

Magolor's attention was hooked on the portals that appeared. One opened from in front and behind him. Green rounded Doomers with orange feet, three stalks of hair on the head and a jagged mouth appeared from those rifts. They landed on the dusty ground before charging towards their target between them. Magolor jumped, but the one that is behind him jumped as well, opening its mouth and clamped on him. Magolor shrieked, struggling to get that blasted Dupa off him while his movements allowed him to dodge the other Dupa's tackle.

Finally, Magolor did a violent shake and he threw the Dupa off from him and shot lightning at it. As it fell back with no consciousness remaining, Magolor darted back and shocked the other one that was about to attack him. Magolor lowers his hands, flinching at the bite on his back.

Alas, one more portal opens near Magolor and he witness the emergence of a Darpa... or at least it looked really similar to those Doomers. It's larger, red in color, four feathers for each wing and three tufts of "hair" on the head falling forward. After all those attacks, Magolor wasn't sure he could take anymore hits before... before...

He didn't want to imagine the things that the Doomers would do to his unconscious body.

Magolor dropped forward to avoid the dive made by the Dippa. He turns and shoots a bolt at it, but the Dippa curves to the side and avoids it. It then comes at him again and Magolor dodges it by a dive to the side, firing another lightning bolt that which it evades again. He huffed out, if the Dippa dodges his attacks consistently, he would run out of stamina first...

He did have an idea at the thoughts of it, but he truly has only one chance at it. He knew what he has to do.

The Dippa dives one more time at him, but this time, Magolor did not move. He floats, in a stance to brace for impact if his hands positioned are an indication. He felt the Dippa impact his hands as he grabs onto it, watching it open its mouth to try and bite him. It failed to realize that it had stepped right into a trap as Magolor's hands begin to generate electricity.

"Aaaaah!" Magolor released as much electricity as he could, sending it through the Dippa as it screeches in pain. Magolor fell back as he felt his energy wane. The Dippa dropped back in front of him, spasming from the shock. It stops for a while before it jerks and spits out... an large piece of... something. The Dippa looks back at Magolor...

...and it flees, flying as fast as it could to get away.

Magolor pushes himself up. "It's... finally over...?" He murmurs. His eyes take a look at what the Dippa released from its body... It looks like a large piece of sliced apple, at least the 'flesh' looked like it. The skin is more of a blue-green in color and the texture looks hard, like crystal. At the top of the skin is a green protrusion like a leaf. It felt... warm, Magolor felt warm towards it. What could it be? He carefully approaches it, taking the large apple slice carefully...

...it doesn't look edible, actually. Despite what it looks like. That reminded Magolor that he hasn't eaten anythi-

Then he felt something sucking him in.

"Wha-AAAAAAH!"

"Gaaah!" Magolor hit the floor- or factually, the apple slice he hugged when he was suddenly pulled into a rift not long after picking it up. It felt harder than stone. He looked around. "...What is this..?" He looks at the stone pedestal near him, situated with five torches behind it. It seems to be the remains of a building with an altar inside... if what the nearby inscription that Magolor could at least read out told him.

Speaking of the apple slice, it began to emit a powerful glow, forcing Magolor to close his eyes. He holds it away from his vision before making sure he could at least try to see without that sudden burst of light. He looks at the inscription again. "...Place the Fruit Fragment on the Altar?" he reads. Fruit Fragment? Is that what's it's called? It just started reacting all of a sudden, so he assumed his guess is right.

Magolor moved slowly and he puts the apple slice on the pedestal. He went back to shielding his eyes when the glow intensifies for seconds until it wanes to a dim glow. Magolor lowers his hands and notices a flame produced at the leftmost torch, glowing a vibrant green. The flame majestically... shot at him without warning.

"Ah-" Magolor felt an impact, but he didn't feel hot. It didn't even have any cold on it either. In fact, he felt... invigorated. He felt something rising up inside of him, strength regained inside his body. Magolor looked at himself... Did that Fruit Fragment... restore his powers? Does that mean... that collecting more of these would give him the remainder of his strength?

"Magolor! You're finally here!"

Magolor flinches and he swerves back. Shock and surprise filled him once again.

Chapter Text

Magolor looked at the direction of the voice that called him over, his yellow eyes expanded well to their limits to express his shock. He knew that voice well, and the appearance of the individual didn't help his case. There he is again...

"...Kir...by?" His voice croaks at the feeling of surprise and confusion. He has a lot of questions he wanted to speak of right now, too many that seemed to have their priorities clashing and rebutting the other. His eyes wasn't seeing things, it's no illusion.

Kirby... is here. And again - how did he get here? And wouldn't he have been accompanied by reliable partners? Maybe not, he also took advantage of them, so it's likely they aren't brought along to create more fuel to the fire. But... that didn't make sense either...

Just why only Kirby?

"Magolor? Is something wrong?" Kirby calls out, steps taken to close in the distance between them. Magolor felt conflicted, 'something wrong'? How could he just say that... after a dimensional threat!? Does that time not even faze him that much?

Yet, regret seeped inside Magolor's heart. He felt more hurt at this supposed ignorance. Just because of their encounter, he 'pleaded' for their help, knowing well of their capabilities. He made use of them, and that couldn't be changed. Where would he start off, though? Can he really just say... he's sorry and that they will take it without question? What would that make them? Forviging? Fools?

Magolor gulped loudly. "...Kirby, I-"

"You're hungry, aren't you?"

Magolor stopped and shook his head. "That's not what I wanted to say-" A rumble came out from Magolor. His hands touched his stomach. "...I am hungry, But-"

"Magolor, you won't look good with an empty stomach, we should get something to eat. Come on! There should be something around here..." Kirby turns and runs down the steps towards the ruined buildings. Hurt hit Magolor harder, Kirby still wants to help him after that? He looked at a shaking hand and brought it over to his head. Once again, fabric on a rounded surface.

...Maybe, if he had someone with him through those years of loneliness... Maybe he could be different. He sighs, he still hadn't come up with anything to start off as a conversation. But he is hungry, so he could fill himself up at least. Though, he does question that while on his journey, Kirby and his friends are always picking up food along the way to recover their stamina, perfectly edible food. Either that is some maddening amount of convenience or it is some kind of law of the world beyond comprehension.

Magolor sighs lightly, following after the pink ball. He looked at the settlement in front of him. Many of the buildings are deprived of doors, shelters... Cracks spread around the moss-gathered stone surfaces. By all logical means, Magolor felt that he shouldn't expect some food to be able to be salvaged and be ready for consumption.

"Magolor! Magolor! I found food!"

...Does logical means even apply in Another Dimension?

Magolor followed the sound of the calls, meeting Kirby waving his arms over beside an aged tree, bearing darkened shades of fruit hanging from its branches. Based on the small number of fruits beside Kirby, he must have already went ahead to pick some off before informing him. Kirby picked up an apple, waddling over to Magolor with it held above his head.

"Here you go, Magolor!" Kirby encouragingly ushers the apple to Magolor. Magolor quietly looks at the apple personally, it at least passed off to be able to eat, no signs of rotting... He reached for the apple slowly...

"Go on, eat."

Magolor's eyes widened in horror, raising his head to look at the tree behind Kirby. The eye... from the hollow hole in the trunk, a fiendish colored eye is looking directly at him.

"Magolor?" Kirby's voice speaks.

"Eat, Magolor. Eat and regain your strength. You need to live for your 'friends', don't you?" The Master Crown's voice tauntingly speaks.

Words couldn't leave Magolor this time, he has started to panic. The eye's gleeful stare is facing him. He has to eat, but... If he gets better... Then...

"Eat. Become stronger. And when you do... you will be mine."

Those memories that were now dreaded to him flashed back into Magolor's vision. The darkness, the empty void, only able to bear witness to what he could only see, just... being... used... Like a puppe-

"Magolor!"

Magolor gasped from the sudden shout, looking back at Kirby, a light frown from his face. "Magolor, you're spacing out. Are you okay?" He asks. Immediately, Magolor looked back at the tree, seeing just the entire body wth no supernatural deformations around it.

"...I... No, you are right... I'm not okay, I'm..." He gulped. "...hungry..." Was it the best to not tell Kirby about what he saw? Or what he has felt just these few minutes ago? This malevolent spirit that started to haunt him?

Kirby's frown lightens to a smile. "...Well, that's good to hear, Magolor." He says. "Here you go!" Magolor held the apple on his gloved hands. It felt light... Unlike how heavy his heart has been.

A minute later, he and Kirby rests on a block of stone. Magolor continued to look at the apple, Kirby is swallowing fruit after fruit, all disappearing within his cast-iron stomach. A rumble reminded Magolor he shouldn't keep on staring. He brought the apple close and took a small bite of flesh out of it.

Magolor felt... well, he couldn't just describe the apple's taste fully... It at least has some crunchy feeling. There was some juice inside while he chewed. It wasn't a very good taste, but it still is salvageable to keep the stomach full... it felt real. Magolor took more seconds as he answered fully to the call of his hunger, eating more of the apple until he reduced it to it's core.

He never felt quite filled after one simply large apple... Magolor felt surprised at that, but he at least sated his hunger...

"Magolor? I don't think you're really a bad guy." He hears Kirby speak. Magolor took a number of deep breaths. Why did Kirby say that all of a sudden? Was it out of pity? Forgiveness? A ploy? Friendship? He felt confused at the claim. How should he answer? He still has to say something...

But as he turned to meet Kirby, Magolor saw no one beside him. Just the rest of the rock and the buildings ahead.

"Kirby? Kirby? Kirby!" Magolor's calls are left unanswered while he moved around. He wondered when did Kirby have the capability to just move around that fast. Still, Magolor had to search around to give an answer.

Minutes passed in this quiet settlement, and Magolor's search is left fruitless. He couldn't find any trace at all of where Kirby could have gone off. He held his head at the front. He knows Kirby can handle himself well, so he shouldn't be worried... But he still hasn't gotten his answers at all. Magolor guessed he would see Kirby in due time, so he needed to think what he can do...

...The Fruit Fragment.

It was just a slice, so there should be more of those, right? Maybe he could focus his search on those Fruit Fragments in the meantime. Though, the road ahead may be difficult with how dampened his powers are... Magolor is then reminded, what was that new surge specifically from the Fruit Fragment? He looked at himself and browsed through his mind, looking for a clear image of what he was capable of.

A spherical shape... It could be matched akin to his sparks of magic... But unlike it, it appeared to be more of a solid form... Also crackling sounds...

With that image in mind, Magolor held his hands forward, focusing on projecting its shape in front of him. Spherical... solid... crackling sounds... Something managed to form and take shape in front of him and it dropped down, rolling over to its' sides. Magolor looked at the appearance of the object... it's a bomb. A bomb, it could be used to blast through some breakable walls with its explosion. 

"Come to think of it... I never gave any names for these..." Magolor mused to himself. "I'll just call these electric bolts I can fire... Magic Sphere. Yeah, that's good... And here... Magic Bomb. I'd say it gives these more flair to it." He turned around while he heads back to the altar.

Magolor looked the Fruit Fragment floating in it's brilliance. He nods silently to himself as he sees a rift nearby after a stone bridge. Heading there, he could see from the gap of space, the view of lush greens spread throughout the land. "...Okay." Magolor breathes in and he jumps into the rift. This jump through space felt like he is being guided, a flow specifically directing him towards the next destination.

As he disembarks from the portal, landing lightly onto fresh grass before floating back normally, Magolor looks at the Doomers he could see ahead. They hadn't taken notice of his presence yet.

Taking one look at himself once more, Magolor begins moving forward.