Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“It's dark outside.” You said. 

“The fog muffled the sounds of the wind.” I continued.

“Would you like to hear a story of mine? The lights will come back soon.”

“...Absolutely.”

“...”

“The Servant watches a comet fall, and he thinks it's beautiful but must continue with his job. Less the sadness of not being as beautiful as it will make his tears fall down his cheeks. A beautiful gift then falls into the forest, and yet, it has always stood there, waiting for someone to see it.”

“The Emperor sees how the sun rises, greeting him with a melancholic feeling in his heart. The day greets him, but he doesn't want to get up from his bed, knowing that the joy of good days is long gone, and only finds comfort in searching for dragons that don't exist. A beautiful gift then falls into a lake below a bridge, standing motionless as the train tracks prepare to carry along the passengers.”

“The Guardian witnesses the full moon, gleaming onto his tired eyes. He says he's fine, but the only thing that was voiced is a lie, one that tries to make it into reality, but the bars of entanglement prevent him from that realization; a sharp pain in his body then proceeds to happen, like the one of a sword thrusting into the flesh. A beautiful gift then appears next to a house from someone humble, and yet they take their time finding it.”

“The Pastor looks at the cards in his deck, full of fallacies and manipulative tactics, which he greets with a smile as they go into his pocket; who knows how much time he has spent with them since he took the clock hands for himself, and he intends to get more than that with a smile that showed the saliva of his teeth. A beautiful gift then appears, right below the bells that announce a new day, and to this day, there they stand.”

“The Animal stares at the other creatures, living in a fantasy world to which he was denied access; he was furious with that decision but deep down considered the idea that he deserved it. One day, though, he went as far as breaking the glass that covered this dream world from the outside world, as regretful tears appeared in his swollen eyes, ones that were too used to crying from frustration. A beautiful gift then appears, covered in ash and wooden scraps. This gift was long since found, but no one finds use in it.”

“The Angel glares snarkily at the mortals below the white clouds, living in a world full of unrewarded strife, where only black rain poured down on the surface; he was known by many things, but benevolence was not one of them, forever craving the sensation of the dark clouds above the doomed surface as if it were a cycle that would not budge, since fate made it that way. A beautiful gift then appears, soaked in blood and a dark feeling, being thrown to a place unknown by many and known by very few.”

“The Dream glanced at the stars above, below, and between him, happy that he was not alone, swearing on his own sweat, blood, and tears that he would always be there to make them shine, and he was truly a man of his word - sadly, this led him to feel empty when he saw no one did the same for him, only partaking in activities that would only be trivial, making the star dream of something more, something that would make him full again, but it was unknown if he got what he truly asked for. A beautiful gift then appears, landing daintily on the green grass, expecting the right person to come and finally get it under their grasp.”

“These beautiful gifts were one day reunited, and from there, a beautiful offering was made to the statue that oversees all, and the frown on his face, made of marble and gold, was gladly turned into the right direction.”

Chapter Text

“…Sigh…”

Someone was walking towards Waddle Dee Town, trying to ignore the heat and the puddles that were left thanks to the rain of the day beforehand.

“Oi! You’re here! Come on, we have work to do.” Another person seemed to have noticed them and tried to call out to them.

“I know, Chilly… Just… Let me relax a little, ‘kay?” Bugzzy said as he stretched left and right and prepared his hands to carry a piece of wood that was left on the grassy field. Chilly, on the other hand, looked at him with a disappointed face.

“...Another day, another disaster happens on Popstar, eh? It’s like we can’t catch a break. Even the most innocent of people end up being devils in disguise.”

“Seriously! Who would’ve thought a kid his age would end up causing so much damage!” Another person spoke up upon hearing the two of them. It was a Simirror, accompanied by a Bio Spark and a Pluggy.

“Welp, that’s what happens when you put too much of your trust in people.”

“Why do you think he took the Master Crown? Dedede never clarified us that…” The Pluggy remarked,"

“Who knows… Although, it was probably because he wanted to take over Popstar or something, as if we would kneel to a kid when we triple his age, hehe…” The Simirror kept on going. “Although, thanks to that, we have a lot of fixing to do… Kawasaki’s pretty sad that his restaurant is in shambles.”

“Daw, now where are we going to eat if the restaurant is run-down for now?” Bugzzy said jokingly as he looked at the sadly destroyed establishment.

Fylass’ ruckus had caused a lot of damage in Dream Land, as you can see. The forests were a mess, and the towns looked as if a great tornado went through them, so they floated to the sky, only to fall down and crash to the ground.

The day kept on as usual -or, well, as usual as it could be days after a great disaster—but most people were… at unease, for some reason.

“...Say, where are the Star Allies? I haven’t seen them in a while…”

“I saw Marx going towards the library, so something’s definitely wrong.”

“You mean Escargoon’s library?”

“Yeah, that one.”

Everything felt so bizarre. The mood wasn’t the best, after all… Dream Land was supposed to be cheery and tranquil, besides the frequent disasters that happen, but now, things felt different.

The Star Allies were missing during the whole day, not even bothering to check on the rest of the Dream Landers as they did all the work. Surely, this would offend them to some degree, but they gave them the benefit of the doubt and thought that they were just busy with other stuff.

…

The day passed, and the night was on the horizon - due to the number of houses that were destroyed, the Waddle Dees took advantage of this and made some sort of shelter so everyone could have a place to sleep.

It was hard to live like this for now, but they had hopes that most of Popstar would be back to normal again in the next couple of days just so they could celebrate the festival coming at the end of the month.

“...Say What are you planning to do after the festival ends?” Bugzzy said to Chilly, who was sleeping on the bed next to him.

“I dunno, the same thing as I always do? Just relax in my home…” Chilly responded nonchalantly.

“...Well, that’s boring…”

“What do you have in mind, then, if I am so ‘boring”?”

“I want to dream big! I want to explore other planets besides Popstar! Eat food I’ve never eaten before, become a wrestling star across the galaxy, things like that!” Bugzzy seemed to be in a good mood even after all of that.

“And how are you so sure that your dreams will come true? Being optimistic is one thing, but you’re an adult; at this point you should be focusing on how to live a peaceful life rather than wasting it on things like fame and such.”

“Hey, don’t be like that! I am sure you have big dreams as well!”

“...I am just not that sure whether or not they’ll become a thing, you know? That’s why I prefer to stay grounded in reality.”

“Welp, how about this? After the festival, what if we leave Popstar together so we can fulfill both of our dreams? We can bring our other friends as well! I think I remember you wondering what Shiver Star looks like—we can go there one of these days!”

“...Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn’t want to slow ya down…”

“Pfft, isn’t that what friends are for! Friends don’t mind silly things like that! You should know this!”

“I mean, I guess…”

“...Hehehe… Come on, let’s get some sleep; we should be prepared to fix more stuff tomorrow. Besides, I am sure some people are annoyed by us talking this late in the night…” Bugzzy said teasingly as his eyes closed.

“...G’night…” Chilly’s eyes closed again.

—

The next day came by…

The Star Allies weren’t present this day either…

“...I’d say that we should ask King Dedede what to do, but he’s completely absent for some reason. Should we ask the Waddle Dees?” Vividria asked a Waddle Dee about it, as the latter simply shrugged in response.

Vividria asked a Waddle Dee that was close to her about where Dedede was, but they simply shook their head, saying they didn’t even know something as crucial as the location of their king.

“...Well, this is bad… Do you think they’re in danger or something?”

“I doubt it… The disaster already passed, no? Perhaps they’re with Queen Ripple on Ripple Star? Or something like that…”

“We should ask one of the members of the Star Allies… I have no idea where they are, though… This will be hard…”

The day went as usual, or, well, as usual as it could be, but the days felt really lonely…

“Wait, isn’t that…”

Simirror looked at the distance, and he looked at something that put them pale…

“Isn’t that Dark Matter?!”

When he yelled that, the Dark Matter entity looked at them and quickly left, going towards the nearby forest next to Waddle Dee Town. That’s strange… Why wouldn’t they attack them first instead of fleeing?

Simirror immediately called their friends through the phone they had on their robes.

“C’mon! C’mon, answer! - There we go! Guys, we need to reunite fast!”

“Eughhh… What is it now? I just woke up…”

“I saw Dark Matter roaming around here! We need to destroy it before it possesses someone! They left towards Whispy Woods!” 

“H-Hu”h Alright, we’re coming!”

Simirror then hung up the phone and started running towards the forest, hoping to reunite with the others there when they got there.

The forest was extremely dense, and they could’ve sworn that the forest was darker and colder this time, perhaps due to that creature’s influence, and it was quiet as well… Hopelessly quiet.

“...This gives me chills... I have to get going, though; we can’t let that thing be around.”

All of a sudden, he felt he had stepped on something wet. Simirror looked at what they had stepped on and realized it was a dark puddle similar to tar.

“...Eugh… At least that means I’m on the right track if this is what I think it is…”

They kept on walking and walking, and suddenly, they found it…

The Dark Matter creature was resting on top of a big tree, leaking that strange liquid everywhere they went - they seemed tired, and pitifully so… 

This didn’t feel right, though… What was a Dark Matter creature doing here?! And why aren’t they attacking? They should be causing havoc everywhere, right…?

“...Yo”u Simirror pointed their wand towards the Dark Matter’s face, shocking them for a couple of seconds before making a nonchalant, dull expression. “Stay where you are and don’t move!”

“...Uh-huh, if you so want.” They… talked? They can talk?! This shocked Simirror to the core, making them step back for a moment but still determined to check what this creature’s purpose was for coming here.

“...So, what are you looking for here?! What kind of chaos are you wanting to commit here?!”

“...Can’t Dark Matter simply relax in the woods in solitude or something?”

“Don’t mess with me; I know you’re looking for something here! You’re one of those pesky parasites after all!”

“What, do you think all dark matters are the same?”

“W-Well, I mean…” Simirror didn’t find a way to respond to that.

Chapter Text

Kirby was looking at the window looking into space, as Popstar became so tiny that it blinked out of sight. Seeing as Bandee was next to him, he decided to initiate a chat.

“Hi…!”

“...Feeling good, pal?” 

“Y…Yeah! I am. I’m just a bit flabbergasted with everything that has been going on lately. It’s not the first time we have to save the world! But it has been a while since we had to do it on our own.”

"...Huh? What do you mean by that? I was with you the last time we had another adventure!”

“Ah, right… Hehehe, sorry. It’s just that… This adventure is different than the many others we had. At least we have preparation! But I don’t like it; it feels as if this is the biggest battle we have so far, y’know?”

“...Yeah, I get that.” Bandee looked pensive, which caught Kirby’s eye.

“Something happening?”

“No! It’s nothing…”

Bandee seemed to want to tell Kirby something, but they shut their mouth at the last second, so the pink puffball waited for whatever he wanted to say, but that thing never came, sadly enough.

Both were looking quite tired, maybe because they couldn’t sleep at all last night, but they needed to be strong and not waste a single second of their time, or else, who knows what might happen.

On the other side, Dedede and Meta Knight were talking with the Knights of the G.S.A., who picked them up back in Posptar to interchange some questions.

“...Ah, so that’s what happened. Didn’t have any idea the Ancients were still around.” Falspar said. “Still, do you believe his story?”

“We saw it ourselves—it was far too real to be a lie fabricated by them.” Meta answered, while Dedede raised an eyebrow.

“...Y’all still haven’t exactly told me who these “Ancients” are; all I know is that they’re… well, probably ancient!” 

“Sir, the Ancients are, or were, an organization specialized in both magic and technology, being able to create artifacts that could be used for the betterment of mankind. From things like fountains made of Dream Matter to the creation of artifacts like the Master Crown, they were responsible for most of the magical objects you may have seen, both in real life and in books. Sadly, after an unknown event, their civilization crumbled around the decade where the Heroes of Yore were sealed, killed, or went missing.”

“Wait, wait, wait, Dream Matter? Heroes of Yore? Do tell about that!”

“Hm… Alright.”

“ All in this world is made out of the four matters of the universe: Dream, Dark, Soul, and Heart. These four components are in every living being, but usually, when these matters are unbalanced, some people can be able to use them to perform magic. This is why some living beings can’t be able to make magic or have weaker powers than others. ”

“Gladly, we’re not like those guys! We can make magic out of our hands like if they were air!” Falspar bragged, but he was hit in the elbow by Dragato.

“ Although, there are some users that have only one matter available, making them even more powerful. Such is the magic that was in the blood of the Heroes of Yore, representing one per matter, like a four-pointed star. Although, they’re not the only ones. ”

“And that’s where we Astrals come into the picture!”

We Astrals have an absurdly high level of Dream Matter in our blood, which makes us  able to perform amazing feats, although to catalyze it, we usually reduce ourselves to one ability; this is the origin of what you call “Copy Abilities.”

Dragato and Falspar kept on explaining, to the point that Meta jumped on it as well, which left Dedede flabbergasted.

“Huh!? Why didn’t you tell me any of that! That would’ve explained a lot about you ever since we met back at the Fountain!”

“I feared that it would’ve given you a headache, so that’s why I refrained from saying anything to you, or anyone else, really. It’s not like you could die if you didn’t have this information in hand; it’s like a fun fact.”

“Hmph.” Dedede pouted.

Hours passed, and the ship suddenly stopped. Kirby and the others wondered what had happened, but they quickly got their answer when they looked at the main screen.

On the front view, there was a huge motherbase, with lots of ships going in and out. It looked like a giant ship in and of itself, really, like something you’d find in a sci-fi movie. It was wing-shaped, with lots of protruding turrets, seemingly in case of emergency, all of them emitting a pastel green light, and lots of entrances for the ships to go into.

“...Woah… What is this?”

“The Galactic Soldier Army Motherbase, but you can call it the G.S.A.M.,” Falspar commented as the ship got closer to the main entrance. This one opened, leading to a space pod big enough for the Green Lor to enter easily. After getting in, the entrance closes, and the one leading to the internal part of the ship opens, allowing you to see the inside.

It was very stereotypically futuristic, with neon green lights on the walls, decorated with aluminum and titanium, with some mechanics trying to fix some issue on one of the lights of the “Parking Lot” that was this space.

“We’re in; please, allow us to escort you to meet Sir Arthur and Sir Roul. They’re on the floor above.”

Everyone nodded, with Hyness taking the lead, being the only non-Dream Team member who accompanied them.

Walking through the motherbase was… kind of overwhelming, looking at the amount of not only Astrals but people of completely different species they haven’t even seen before, just living their own lives, not even paying attention to them. The ones that did pay attention to the new guests, though, made it feel as if they were prisoners due to being guided towards Sir Arthur himself.

There was an elevator right next to the medbay, which was big enough to carry a whole cargo truck, and so, they used it to get to the highest floor where the leader of this organization was. It took a few minutes, but soon, the elevator went to its destination, and upon opening its doors, a well-decorated hallway with paintings of apparently some memorable moments of the story of the G.S.A.

“Jeez… What is this interior design…?” Bandee wondered to himself, but they didn’t want to say their discomfort out loud.

Falspar tampered with a four-digit code number pad, inserting a series of numbers.

“1485”

Upon introducing that, the metal door opened, revealing a well-decorated control room, which honestly looked more like a throne room than anything else, just with the throne being replaced with an ornate chair and desk.

“I was expecting you.”

The voice of someone in that exact chair echoed within the room, and so, all attention that could’ve gone into the room went towards him instead.

He wore fabulous golden armor, with more pale yellow patterns in it, along with his sabatons, and a green ponytail protruding from behind his green body.

His purple eyes pierced Meta Knight and Hyness instantly, and in a matter of respect, they bowed in front of him, like a general meeting their king. The rest bowed as well in response, including Dedede, even though he wasn’t that up to bowing to someone else.

“...What a kind gesture. I appreciate it.”

“Long time no see, Sir Arthur. It seems your faction has grown pretty well ever since I last saw you in the Ancient Era. I am pleased.” Hyness said, almost condescendingly.

“The pleasure is mine… Although, it is surprising that you of all people would come here to congratulate me, since we all thought you were dead and gone for good. I am very glad that wasn’t the case, though.”

…

…

…

There was an eerie silence not long after Hyness and Arthur spoke up, which was soon to be interrupted by Arthur himself, almost as if he was testing them.

“Dragato, Falspar, have you figured out the strange magic we were detecting?”

“Yes, sir! It was a false alarm, sir!”

“...Hm. What a shame; it would’ve been a wonderful experience to experiment with that strange source.” Arthur chuckled, but no one else but the members of the G.S.A. seemed to laugh with him. 

“...Who are these people, though…? I knew about your presence back with my call, but I am yet to figure out your identities; no one but Hyness seems familiar to me. Are you from a different faction?”

“If you refer to a super awesome kingdom, then, of course!” Dedede joked. “I am the King of Dreamland, and your guys made quite a scene when they got to my planet!”

“Ah… A king. Nice to see one after a long while. I apologize if my members caused you some dissatisfaction.” Arthur said. “What may you be doing here, though?”

“...We have a couple of things we want to ask.”

“Then ask away. Time is money.”

Everyone pondered on what to ask first, until Arthur focused on one person specifically.

“...You, the Astral Knight. Do you have something to say?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

Their eyes met again, but this time, Meta didn’t bow.

“I, Meta Knight, want to meet Roul Ichizo Niono.”

“...!”

Arthur was shocked upon hearing that. Although, when he heard that, it seemed that something clicked in his head.

“...I’ll call him right away.” Arthur’s professionalism seemed to fade in an instant as he pressed a button on his desk.

“Sir Mordred, please present yourself in my space of work immediately.”

A couple of minutes later, the sound of the elevator was heard in the distance, and the door slowly opened.

“Greetings, Sir Mordred here! Is something the matter, sir?” A serious yet upbeat voice came from them, and their appearance was revealed: 

They were an Astral, like Kirby or especially Meta Knight, with wings similar to the ones of a nightjar and a mask similar to his, and a visor looking like a silhouette of a bird. His skin was dark purple, and the armor itself looked dashing silver, and his left pauldron had the symbol of a golden bow and arrow.

“...Who may these people be, sir…?” Mordred asked.

“...Sir Mordred, don’t you remember?” Sir Arthur answered with another question before chuckling in shame. “Then again, it was a while ago since you met them, but… apparently, he wasn’t gone, after all.” Afterwards, Arthur looked at Meta Knight, which slowly approached the new knight in the room.

“...Are you really Roul?” Meta Knight asked, still keeping his serious tone.

“...! How do you... know my name? I thought I had abandoned that name long ago.” 

“I would never forget that name, although it seems you did forget me.”

Meta Knight raised his hand in a way that would indicate he’s asking for a handshake, but Mordred didn’t respond at all, just standing in place without moving a single muscle, frozen as a statue.

“...I know this might be a shock to you, but I am not—” Meta Knight suddenly was tackled with a hug from Mordred’s side, as the other was… sobbing?

“You BASTARD!!! How DARE you leave me all alone?! I thought we were going to stay together forever! We’re family; we’re BROTHERS!”

Everyone but members of the GSA stood back, due to the shock of hearing such a thing. Brothers? Did they hear that right? If so, how did Meta never tell about this? Speaking of Meta Knight, he didn’t return the hug at all, perhaps due to the shock, but it was still weird that he didn’t even want to hug them back if they were family at all. He just stood there silently.

“I tried to reach out to you, but I thought you were dead. I didn’t think they would’ve let you live.” Meta Knight remarked.

“You tell me! I thought you had died in front of me! But you survived! You… are alive!” Mordred, or well, Roul, hugged him tightly, with Meta still not returning the hug.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Excuse me, but… who is this guy?” Dedede asked.

“Hmph, I apologize for not telling you about this before, but it’s time for you to know. This is Roul, or well, how they apparently call him here, Sir Mordred, my brother. We were separated when we were kids. We thought we would never see each other again ever since that conflict.”

“Y…Yeah! But that doesn’t matter now! We’re here, together!”

“...Indeed.”

“...Have you found Mom or Dad, by the way? If you’re here, they should probably be here too!”

“...” Meta Knight didn’t say anything, but… that seemed to be enough for Mordred to get their answer.

“I see… Well, that doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up, haha…” Mordred hung his head. “Don’t be so ungrateful, Mordred. I already got my brother back. You don’t need anything else.”

“...Why didn’t you tell us this?! How many more secrets are you hiding?!” Dedede asked in rage.

“I didn’t think it was necessary.”

“What?! You didn’t tell us because you didn’t think it was necessary?! This guy is your brother apparently, and you didn’t even tell us?! How insane is that!” 

“...Meta, who are these guys?”

“These are my friends and significant other. Kirby, Bandana Dee, and King Dedede. They are grateful to meet you, I’m sure…

“...Man, you seemed to have your whole life ahead of you while I was gone! Or well, when you left, but that doesn’t matter now.” Roul decided to approach the three and offer them a handshake, which they accepted.

“...Glad I managed to make this reunion come to fruition.” Arthur said, as if he had done anything to make these two reunite. “I guess this makes the end of the meeting, yes…?”

“...Not actually.”

“Is there something else you want to ask from us?”

“...We want help and funding for an upcoming catastrophe that will affect the entire universe.” Hyness’ statement made every member of the G.S.A. present raise an eyebrow, but they quickly got intrigued.

“...Does this have anything to do with the strange frequencies that are starting to appear all across the galaxy?” Arthur asked.

“From what we know, it is the case.”

From there, everyone started to explain the situation to Arthur, from how they met Fylass to the strange occurrences that happened from there and how everything would end once the month ended. Arthur… couldn’t believe it at first, but as they kept explaining, more and more things clicked.

“...This is preposterous! How could any of this happen in our presence?!” Arthur demanded to know the answer before quickly regaining their composure. “...Are we sure that we’ll be able to stop this calamity if we’re able to get those Heart Spears? I have heard of them, but I doubt I would be of much service towards your quest besides giving you funding and my members to help search for them.”

“That’d be more than enough, actually, since… well, I may have an idea on where we can find hints on where they are.”

“...Ah, that makes sense. You’re one of the Heroes of Yore, after all.”

“...You’re WHAT?!” Dedede was even more flabbergasted by this but quickly gave up on making any of this make much sense.

“...We need to go to Planet Lucifino.”

“...Meta and Mordred’s home?”

“Indeed. You know who lived there as well. That’s our first clue on how to search for them.”

“...Understood.” Arthur said as he pressed the same button he used to call Mordred.

“I ask for the Logistics Unit to make the bed for a room full of guests in the Special Unit Dorms. An urgent situation has presented itself that affects not only this organization but the entire universe as a whole, so I ask for you to be quick and wary. Once you’re done, come to this room to get new instructions.” Arthur announced before clicking off the button.

“...What was that for?”

“You need rest, and besides, Lucifino is very far away from here. It might take a whole day for us to get there officially, and we need as many people as we can to find hints about the location of these spears. From what you tell me, you need as much assistance as you can get, and so, we’ll do our best in aiding you.” 

Arthur continued. 

“In the meantime, you’ll get assistance from some of my most special units in training, those being Dragato, Falspar, and Nonsurat, who is in the research facility. Mordred will also come with you due to the connection you have to the location. Understood?”

“Sir, yes sir!”

“Sir, yes sir!”

Dragato and Falspar agreed.

“That’s great; please accompany our guests towards the Special Unit Dorms.”

“Sir, yes sir!”

“Sir, yes sir!”

The door opened behind them as both knights left, with the Dream Team, Hyness and Mordred following suit, as they left Arthur on his own, pondering about what strategy might be useful for this situation.

The elevator ended up going to the second story, which was dedicated to things like the dorm rooms, cafeteria, and training and supply rooms. It was full of people doing their own thing, but they quickly diverted their attention towards the new “guests.” Strange looks were here and there, but they didn’t want to say anything without Falspar or Dragato’s permission.

After walking some more, another metal door opened automatically, leading to the dorm rooms. They looked well taken care of, albeit a bit generic, so they would do just fine.

“You’re very lucky! These rooms are reserved for special guests! Thanks to you, we can also rest here, so I must thank you for it!” Falspar said.

“Falspar… Don’t be rude. These people are going to “save the universe.” Which I doubt, but still, those are orders from Sir Arthur.”

Soon enough, Falspar and Dragato left, but Mordred wanted to say something first.

“Falspar, Dragato, can I talk to Meta for a moment outside?”

“...I don’t see much issue. Come on. Do it quick, though…”

Soon enough, Meta and Mordred left, leaving Hyness, Dedede, Kirby, and Bandee in the dorm room.

“...Hey, Kirby… Look at this.” Bandee said, pointing at a calendar. Today was April 4th.

“...We don’t have much time, huh…”

“We’ll win, I’m sure we’ll win. We’ll make a happy ending, I promise!” Kirby said enthusiastically, but with some doubts.

“...I’m sure.”

…

…

…

“So, what did you want to talk about, Mordred…”

“...How did you survive?”

“...”

27 days left.

Chapter Text

“...Look, I am just trying to find someone; leave me alone.” The Dark Matter creature said. It seemed that they were walking for a while and got tired enough to rest inside the forest, so no one could see.

“...? Who?” Simirror asked.

“Oh, you know, that kid. Fylass, and such.”

“Jeez, of course you’d search for that guy! What are you planning to do?! Take over the world?! Destroy it?! Do tell; I’m intrigued.”

“Oh, trust me, if I ever wanted to take over this world, you wouldn’t have a chance against me, especially since that pink puffball isn’t here to help you. So don’t mess with me or that kid.”

“Oh wow, sooooo scary.” As the Simirror and the Dark Matter talked, the rest of the Dreamlanders in the call went towards the forest and found both, bringing their weapons.

“Phew! Good job at capturing this guy! He looks as tired as I on a tomorrow morning!” Bugzzy looked at the Simirror and the Dark Matter, who looked… somewhat amused, as if he found it all funny.

“Oh, my… Yeah, you got me… C’mon, send me to jail; I’ll be playing my harmonica in the meantime.” It spoke sarcastically, which made the Simirror facepalm. 

The Dark Matter was surrounded by the Dreamlanders, who had taken out their powers and weapons, ready to strike, which made the creature sigh and just look nonchalantly at everyone in the area.

“................................”

A long silence seemed to erode and annoy them, just waiting for something to happen, but in the end, it never did, for some reason.

“...Er… Guys, maybe this guy isn’t a problem? We’ve been standing here for five minutes, and they’re so quiet and still that I’d believe they’re a statue of some sort.

“Are you crazy?! They’re clearly doing this just to trick and play with us! The moment we move away from here, that’d be when it strikes, and we don’t even have Kirby with us to save us from danger. We ought to be the new heroes.”

“...Nova, you’re delusional. I’m leaving.”

When the Dark Matter stood up, they tried to attack them, but they didn’t land the strike when they used some supernatural strength to toss them at the nearest tree. It felt so quick, with a hand appearing through the darkness and tossing them to that same tree, breaking it in half neatly.

“ACK! Wait!” Chilly coughed up melting snow as the Dark Matter slowly left the forest, leaving them behind, but not before saying something out loud.

“Don’t look for me.” 

After leaving, the rest quickly entered in a panic; who knows what might happen now that there’s one of those parasites outside! Especially if they’re with Fylass! That’s what they thought, at least. Nothing good could come from Dark Matter and someone who almost destroyed Popstar.

“Everyone! We need to warn everyone!” Vividria went towards the village to warn everyone of this recent threat, and so, the rest followed her.

It took a couple of minutes to get to the village, but with that amount of time, who knows how much chaos both could’ve caused!

…

…

…

The village, in fact, was intact (ignoring how run-down it was thanks to Fylass’ doing) and peaceful as ever, not a single moment of chaos in sight, and rather, just some disappointed faces were shown on the team, who expected at least a great fire, apparently.

“...Huh… Maybe we were wrong?”

…I dunno man… Maybe? I still can’t trust that guy, though! We know how it ended up last time; the only one I trust is Gooey! He’s adorable; the rest are just creepy!” The Waddle Doo walked away to a nearby wall to ponder, and that’s where he found something odd on that same wooden wall.

“...Eh…?” It seemed to be a sheet of paper, like those wanted posters you’d see in big towns, just that instead of that, it was a missing poster. Waddle Doo didn’t remember someone going missing—they had released everyone from the rubble, mostly unscathed.

“Wait, isn’t that…?” Just like any other missing poster, a picture of the missing person was displayed, but it was crude and melty, as if someone had drawn it with melting tar. Even though it was clear who it was, the bird's body and the bat's wings made it clear.

“Yep… That’s him, alright.” Fylass’s missing poster was front and center, and not even, because there were even more posters on the rubble nearby, all of them having comically badly drawn pictures, even though it was still clear who it was.

“Who would’ve made this?”

“Well, duh! The one actively searching for them was that Dark Matter we found earlier! Who knows what they might do together!”

“Oh, come on… At this point, we might need to find that kid before that other guy does.”

Everyone thought that out and started to consider if it was even a good idea to get close to a clear threat, as young as they might seem.

“...Alright, alright. We should probably ask someone from the Star Allies if they know where he is - at least from the ones that are still on this planet.”

“Well, that reduces our search, at least.”

Everyone agreed that they should find someone who knew where Fylass was before someone else found them - someone dangerous at least. 

“...I think I got an idea on who we should ask.”

It was not clear who they were talking about, but soon enough, they also got the memo. The one that would be the most specialized to get to someone who is being searched by Dark Matter would be Dark Matter itself.

“...Gooey, correct?” Bugzzy asked.

“Well, do you have any other option?”

“...Fair.”

And so, this little group headed towards the place they knew Gooey would be - ever since the incident a few days ago, he had never separated from the Animal Friends and Marx, and they knew they were in the local library at the capital. 

“Good thing we’re close to Croissant Capital… Man, I’d like a croissant right now.”

“Can’t you focus on the matter at hand right now?”

…

As the group walked towards the capital, they felt… oddly tired. Not mentally, but physically on their feet - it felt like they were walking for hours on a hot day - they looked up to see the sky and realized that the sun was still as stone.

“...Odd…”

Eventually, though, they ended up getting closed to the ruined capital -  it was as run down as the Waddle Dee Town, with cars broken and on the floor, houses with missing tiles, broken buildings that used to be restaurants, etc - but most buildings seem to be… mostly fine, including the library, it didn’t close due to the little amount of damages, it just needed reorganizing some books, and the Animal Friends just so happened to volunteer to do that.

“To think Escargoon was one of the lucky ones, ha.”

“...Ah, there he is.”

Bio Spark pointed at the library, and there he was - Gooey was trying to open the door to the library, but thanks to his short build and some odd stiff force, the door just wouldn’t open - maybe the ruckus did cause the door to have some issues as well, who knows.

“Gooey! My man, how’s it going?”

“Awh…” Gooey looked somewhat sad. “Gooey can’t open this door? They promised Gooey that they would be there inside, but Gooey can’t get in…”

“Man, that’s bad… I’ll help you open the door, but first, can we ask you something?”

Gooey tilted his head upon hearing that. 

“What do you want to ask Gooey about?”

“...Have you seen Fylass? We’re trying to look for him.”

“...Fylass? Oh, he’s at the beach of Orange Ocean!”

“...Really…? Huh, that was easier than I thought.” Chilly thought to himself.

“It’s odd… This is the second time Gooey is asked about it - the other person was putting missing posters on the wall, but they could’ve just spoken to Gooey about it!”

“...” Everyone was at unease upon hearing that - they knew who he was referring to.

“...We need to get going now. Er, see ya, Gooey.”

“Wait! Can Gooey go with you?”

“...Huh? Weren’t you supposed to meet up with the others here? We wouldn’t want to bother you on that at all.”

“It’s fine! Gooey is sure they understand. Besides, Gooey doesn’t wanna go in there… He’s scared to go in.”

“...Riiiiiiight.”

The gang walked towards the beach - it’d take a while, but it could be done, anything for that Dark Matter not to find Fylass first.

Who knows for how long they walked, but it oddly seemed shorter than the last time they walked to get to an actual location; they could feel the salt in the air, and the warm sun was completely different from the one they had to put up wih, but upon touching the sandy beach, they were able to see their objective, looking at the ocean sitting on the sand.

“...There you are.”

Fylass didn’t turn back, even though it was clear he tensed upon figuring out there was someone else here - or a few, even.

“...I thought this place was more secret.”

“I mean, it’s the local beach - why this place, though?” Bio Spark spoke sarcastically.

“...This is Kirby’s favorite spot. I think at least… I don’t think I know anything now. Ever since he left, I resigned myself to thinking I don’t know anything, regarding anyone.”

“Can you stop speaking in riddles? It’s giving me a headache.”

“What’s the point in that anyway? Both you and I are going to die the moment Kirby does, and I set him up for that…” He said with regret. 

“...Excuse me?! What did you do?!” Everyone brandished their weapons, well, everyone but Gooey.”

“...Nothing really. I just told the truth, or at least parts of it. Kirby and the others left the planet with that knowledge, and knowing how this all ends, they’re not going to come back. Haha…”

“...What did you even tell them?”

“...The truth,” Gooey said out loud, but it was odd - it looked like another person was speaking at the same time as him, which… turned out to be the truth, as that Dark Matter they encountered before finally got here.

“Oh, come on!” Everyone looked at the new guest with disdain, as they just looked at them with disappointment. “How did you get here?”

“I mean… following you from the shadows was very easy. I don’t know what to tell you.”

Everyone just sighed, not knowing what to do, until they remembered that thing Fylass mentioned - the truth. What was that? And how did Gooey seem to know about it?”

“...Well, if that truth was so insurmountable that they had to leave the planet, what if you tell us too? Maybe that way we’ll leave you alone with your thoughts, it’s not like we wanna be close to you after what you did.”

“...Are you sure?”

“Kid.” The Dark Matter said. “If you weren’t able to tell the Dream Team the whole truth, at least someone might need to know, because if they don’t, they might not be prepared. I know you don’t actually care all that much about others that aren't Kirby or the other three, but you still need some responsibility.”

“...” Fylass sighed before standing up and looking at everyone, being faintly surprised upon seeing everyone who was looking for him.

“Fine… Listen well… I’ll tell you the truth.”

It is said that long ago, there existed a being above the stars who carried 

“The Original Sin”.

But thanks to the whims of fate, it was soon broken and divided into seven pieces. 

Gluttony, Sloth, Envy, Pride, Lust, Greed, and Wrath. Those were the pieces, known as the Seven Deadly Sins.

It is said that on the day every sin is reunited, the universe will meet its end, for we have lived too long in an expiring world, but once it all ends, one of the seven chosen by their respective sin will be able to form the new world after this one.

Those chosen by sin will become demons, who must overcome their temptations or fall to the deepest insanities.

Once the final demon appears, the skies will shudder, with storms the size of hurricanes, and earthquakes that will shatter the stars and planets, and everything will eventually wither into a dying singularity. Still, as said before, hope will bloom for a brighter future. 

And yet… this won’t come without unknown consequences.

Rise! Oh, Dark Lord of Despair!

Crush the stars! Lay waste to care!

Rise and cover the land in sorrows!

May your symphony of emptiness

bring the end of all tomorrows!

Rise! Oh, Dark Lord of Despair!

May your resentment make it all end!

Rise and let the sin be known

For you were doomed to always be alone!

And the universe will know where you’ve gone!

Let the Festival of the Apocalypse come undone!

…

…

…

Fylass was doing a praying position all along as he was talking, but once he was finished, he stood up and opened his eyes, looking at the shocked, yet confused crowd.

“...What… does that mean?! You mean the world will end?!” Bugzzy grabbed Fylass from the collar in a panic. “When will that be?!”

“...In less than a month, for I am the last demon. The Demon of Wrath.”

He left Fylass fall to the sandy ground with shock, upon letting go of his collar, and looking like he had just seen a ghost.

“...Is there any way Gooey can stop it?” Gooey said in a calm but shaken way.

“I doubt it… The only way to delay the inevitable would be to kill a demon for another one to rise in a couple of centuries. If you’re going to kill me, sure, go ahead, I don’t mind.”

Everyone was shaken and doubtful about what they could do right now. If what Fylass says is true, everything will end if they don’t do something against Fylass… Would they be able to kill a child, though?

“No, that’s not the way!”

…

Everyone looked at the source of the voice. It was Gooey again.

“If we want a happy ending, we need to stay together, not trying to destroy each other! Gooey knows Fylass doesn’t like us, but Gooey thinks the best course of action would be to let the other Star Allies know! There’s strength in numbers! Gooey knows it!”

As Gooey was talking, he seemed to… shine, almost? It was almost unnoticeable, but… something was changing.

“Gooey won’t let this world turn into one of bloodlust! Gooey will fight for a happy world, a nd you should too! Do not let your hopes down! Gooey is sure Kirby and the others are fighting for us, so we should too! We should protect everyone from this disaster if it comes to pass! Who is with me?”

As Gooey was saying that, Fylass felt something in his feet; a little plant that had sprouted from nowhere, and didn’t seem to stop. What was happening? 

Fylass looked at Gooey in shock, as he seemed to catch on to something.

As Gooey finished his speech, he simply plopped down with a headache, or something of the sort.

“...Owie… Gooey’s head hurts.”

“...G…Gooey! Are you okay?! What was that?” Chilly asked.

“...Eh? What was what? Gooey just heard a little voice in their head for him to keep going! Gooey doesn’t want all of you to despair; he wants you to be happy and fight! Like how we always did. Fylass… Gooey believes you’re not tricking us again, so please! Lend us your strength and let us contact the other Star Allies, just so they know too! They must know!”

“...” Fylass stood quietly and looked at the sea for just a moment before making his decision.

“...I am not sure if this will work, but like you said, Kirby is fighting for us; we must fight too.”

“Yay! Gooey is so happy!” Gooey bounced left and right upon hearing that and quickly went to hug Fylass.

“...”

Fylass accepted the hug. 

The others weren’t as convinced as Gooey was, but… maybe something could be done - they still don’t like Fylass, so they had the idea that he could be kicked off the planet once the world was safe. Yes, that was the best choice.

“...Mind if I accompany you?”

The Dark Matter creature that was looking at all of this spoke up, making the others a tad bit distracted.

“...Mistle…” 

“I don’t really want the universe to go awry, y’know? Might as well join ya and help.”

“...Okay. We’ll let you help.”

“...Yeesh, this is awkward…” Everyone agreed - by how they were acting, they looked pretty… Rude. Especially since they were willing to help as well - maybe they just weren’t used to Dark Matter besides Gooey helping them. They look far less friendly, after all.

…

“So… What do we do now… We’ll join all of you in your adventure, so we need instructions. We’re gonna tell the Star Allies the truth, yes? Who do we start with?”

“...I have an idea.”