Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Black clouds swirled around the paranormal arena. The air wooshed around the two beings not dissimilar to the cold rush of outer space. Kirby’s knuckles were white with how tightly he was gripping his weapon, the Love-Love Stick. He choked out a wheeze as he swung his arms over and over, landing hit after hit on the massive white monolith of a figure before him. Its blinding red eye barely blinked as the slices on its face opened wider and spat out acidic blood onto the star warrior. Kirby yelped in pain as the hot iron on his skin burned. He was getting lightheaded from the heat and the dizziness his surroundings were causing him. His vision swam, blinking the pain away and continuing his swings.

Zero cast its arm toward its foe, its sleeve bubbling and blistering as little Dark Matters were shot at the hero. Kirby squeaked, dodging their trajectory and trying to keep his eyes on Zero. He huffed. This thing has to be close to death, right? I’m so tired, he thought to himself, I just want to take a nap. I want this all to be over so I can just nap. 

“What’s your deal anyway, hah?” Kirby coughed out, blasting Zero in the shoulder, “Can’t you go bother another planet or somethin’?”

The figure did not respond, at least not with its words, instead flying deeper into the clouds and attacking Kirby from afar.

“Hey, not cool!! I’m the one riskin’ my life here, at least gimme the courtesy and answer me!!” he groaned, thrusting himself out of the way as Zero breached through the clouds again and sent out another wave of Dark Matters. To be fair, Kirby wasn’t even sure if this thing was able to speak. He couldn’t tell if it was a mask over his mouth or some gross fleshy thing. 

“I mean, what’s so great about Popstar anyways? Like, it’s great for me!! And my friends!! But what’s a big ole’ guy like you see in it? It’s like, way too happy for you!!”

“Precisely.”

Kirby gulped, Zero’s voice sounding all around him, so deep and bassy it rattled him.

“Your planet is so ripe for the picking. The Rainbow Islands simply weren’t enough…We realized how fruitful the entire world you lived upon was. Much resulted from our field test.”

“Field test-!? You sending out that swordsman creep to steal the Rainbow Bridge was just like, dipping your toes in the water!?”

“It clearly didn’t seem like a challenge to you. You’re at least working up a sweat this time around.”

“Yeah, ‘cuz my whole planet’s in danger!! I have all my friends to save!! So why don’t you quit spitting blood at me and just get outta here already-!!”

Kirby yelled as he swung the stick a final time, its beam landing a clean hit to Zero’s eye. The figure screamed out, for the first time sounding like it was in genuine pain. It coiled in on itself, digging its nails into its face as it contorted around in agony. It gasped for air as it blinked its bleeding eye, peering right into Kirby’s very soul. It couldn’t let this end yet. It was far too close to victory to let this be its undoing. In a last-ditch effort, it shrieked out as its eye dislodged from its socket, the force tearing Zero’s face apart. The pulsating eye chased after Kirby endlessly, Zero’s husk draining quickly of more blood than planned. It was completely blind now and couldn’t even see the fight to completion. Its mangled socket throbbed, the pain too much to bear as its body fell through the clouds. All sounds began to muffle as it fell deeper and deeper, only the vibrations of the wind sinking into it. Zero could only use the rest of its strength to curse itself out.

“Damn it all… I was so close…!! I was so…close…” it choked out, the darkness swallowing it whole. Blood rained down on the Hyper Zone. 

—-

“Oh…oh, dear…”

Zero’s corpse landed gently, its head cupped by a mysterious figure. Their fingers brushed against Zero’s bloody cheek, letting out a soft sigh.

“It’s alright….everything will be alright, I’ll get you somewhere safe…” 

—-

Zero was finally awakened by the beating of its own heart.

It tried to open its eye, finding nothing to open and something tightly wrapped around its face anyways. It felt slightly scratchy around its head and almost disgustingly damp at the front of its face. It groaned, attempting to move its arms only to find them restrained in some way. They sparked and tingled at its wrists- the shackles must have been made moreso of magic rather than material. Where the hell was it? It growled, struggling harder against its restraints and trying to feel around to clue it in on any of its surroundings. Its legs seemed to be in the same bind as its arms, only stressing and enraging it further. It thrashed as much as it could but it was far too weak to keep up the pace. 

It panted, trying to even recall how this happened. The last thing it remembered was… fighting the star warrior, right? It had used its eye to attack, leaving that massive hole in its face… that would explain why the fabric over the wound was so… damp. But then, it remembers falling down through the clouds… but where in the world did it fall to?

“Hello-? Where am I?” Zero called out, its voice reverberating a much shorter distance than it was expecting. It must be contained in some sort of capsule. It tried stretching its leg out to see how confined it was, but the bands around its ankles didn’t have enough give. Zero scowled. Its ears did happen to pick up on something, however- muttering and shuffling, Indistinct chatter between seemingly two different people, much farther away. Shoes scuffing against the floor, a quick thud, the minute clinking of metal on metal. A massive door then creaking open, as clattering footsteps entered the room. Zero’s heartbeat quickened. The sound of the footsteps on what sounded like tile echoed through the room. Wherever it was, it must be some sort of large sanctum housing the pod Zero was trapped in. It grit its teeth in fear of the unknown. 

“Who goes there-!? Where are you keeping me!?” Zero hissed, struggling against its restraints once more.

“Zero, Zero. Calm down, it’s only me. You’re safe.”

Zero untensed its muscles ever so slightly. That voice, how oddly familiar it sounded...

“It’s only… who?”

The figure chuckled.

“It’s me, Zero. Dark Nebula.”

They did a little spin and held their hands under their chin, knowing full well Zero couldn’t see them in the slightest, “That was a close one back there. You were awfully lucky I happened to see you. Things might’ve turned out much different had I not intervened…” They spoke softly, lifting up the black scepter they held. The fuscia gem atop it flashed, and with a wave, the metal locks at the side of Zero’s pod loosened, the thick lid lifting up and gifting the entity with some fresh air. 

“What do you mean, where am I?” Zero questioned, tensing what was left of the fine muscles around its eye socket. It winced unnoticeably. 

“Well… the underworld. Purgatory, to be specific. You’ve crossed the threshold, Zero. You’re dead.”

Zero’s black heart skipped a beat.

“ Dead-? No!! No, that can’t be right!! Let me out of here, I was so close-! I had the star warrior in my hand, I could’ve killed him-!!” it cried, thrashing even harder. Its feet and head banged against the back of its container like a trapped insect. Nebula sighed.

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea, Zero. You’re beaten to hell and back and your eye hasn’t even begun to regenerate. Going back now would be yet another death wish. In addition, I cannot guarantee that I’ll catch you next time. Fate may not be so merciful.”

“ SILENCE-!! SEND ME BACK!!”  

“Has the beating made you daft? I can’t. Unless you want to lose immediately, I’m refusing to send you back.”

Zero strained its right arm against the bands with as much force as it could muster, grinding its teeth to a painful degree. Nebula’s feet shuffled.

“Zero, quit it!!” they hissed, stepping forward.

The magic around its wrist seemed to snap like elastic, its arm jerking free violently as it swiped out and managed to grip a clump of fabric in its fist. It yanked whatever it had gathered upwards towards its face. Nebula yelped at the force, being tugged up off the ground by the collar of their cape. They were honestly amazed at how much strength Zero had already regained this quickly- but this was not the time to be amazed.

“ZERO-!! PUT ME DOWN, L-LET ME EXPLAIN!!” Nebula choked out, Zero snarling and clonking foreheads with its brother. 

“You don’t understand how SEVERE the mistake you are making is,” it growled, its bright red teeth bared like a cornered animal, “He could be up there RIGHT NOW, still floating about in the Hyper Zone! I could take him out in an INSTANT! Now send. Me. Back. Or so help me, Nova…”

“He’s not, Zero!! I’m 100 percent positive! You’ve been out for hours, Kirby’s already returned back down to Popstar! If you’d just listen to me then I can explain what’s going on!”

Zero panted, the muscle fibers in its arm burning as it finally gave in under pressure, finally dropping its brother to the floor. Nebula landed ungracefully, quickly sitting themself up and readjusting their hat and dusting themselves off. Zero weakly reached its free hand up to its face, feeling the now-cold blood stained against the bandages. The phantom sensation of its eye lingered and began to drive it up the wall. But, as much as it hated to admit it, Nebula was right. Even the little energy it had exerted still exhausted it. Even the star warrior at his weakest could take it down…

“... Listen. If you’re going to have any chance of defeating Kirby, you need to regain your strength. Your time will come again sometime, but not anytime soon,” Nebula hummed, pacing circles.

Zero coughed. It felt a dribble of blood drip down its lips.

“... But… that simply gives him the time to strengthen his own defenses…”

“Sure. But you don’t think we can do the same, if not tenfold?”

“... I suppose.”

Nebula gave Zero a small pat on the leg. It flinched.

“Relax. I’ve taken care of things for the time being. While you’ve been resting, I made sure that Dark Matter had safely retreated. Kirby hadn’t completely killed him, fortunately enough. He’s managed to form a temporary base of operations, existing outside of Kirby and his friends’ reach so we’re safe to continue,” Nebula explained, waving their scepter about. A projection of a mysterious black cloud manifested above the tip of the scepter. They turned it around in their hands, “In addition, in your absence, Miracle Matter will be taking the role of second in command.”

“ Miracle? Do you want us to all be killed?” Zero snapped. It almost shuddered at the thought of that creature running its empire in its wake. 

“Oh, come on! He’s not that bad. Sure, he’s a bit of a jackass, but he knows how to get things done when he wants to… sometimes.”

“When he wants to, that’s the bit I’m worried about…”

“Lighten up,” Nebula assured, giving Zero’s leg another pat. The flinch was not as jarring this time, “Things’ll be fine. At the very least, if you don’t trust Miracle with carrying out the task, do you trust Dark Matter to keep him in check?”

“...I do.” Zero replied softly. Nebula smiled.

“Wonderful. I’ll be checking in with them every now and then to make sure the plan is running smoothly.”

Zero hummed, yet paused, processing what his brother just said.

“... The plan?”

Nebula’s eye lit up.

“Oh-! Right, I forgot to mention! Yes, we know how hastily you like to work. We’ve already found another target for our invasion. An inconspicuous little planet called Ripple Star, populated by fairies and housing an all powerful crystal.” The projection on their scepter switched to that of a heart shaped planet, orbited by smaller heart and bow shaped moons with a glittering teal crystal shining in the center of the celestial body, “Our plan is to invade Ripple Star and take the crystal for ourselves, granting us unspeakable power… it sounds like something right up your alley, now doesn’t it?” Nebula smirked, twirling a lock of their hair around their fingers.

“... Indeed…” Zero muttered, the gears already turning in its mind.

"Plus, on brief inspection, the fairies inhabiting the planet don't seem to pose much threat at all. It can be a swift and painless takeover, should Miracle's plan be seen through to the end."

"Again, you worry me with Miracle… he can be a competent leader and adversary should it be in his interests, but… his interests typically lie elsewhere." 

"And you are right, but again, I'll keep in close touch with him and Dark Matter to make sure things don't go awry. I'm sure Miracle can understand the severity of the punishment coming his way if he doesn't comply." Nebula chuckled, Miracle's multifaceted head reflecting in their scepter.

"He'd better."

"Indeed, indeed…"

“...I do think that’s enough chatter for the night, though. You’re beat and need to get some rest. I’ll be back in the morning to change out your bandages and we can discuss things further, alright?” the ruler asked, ending the course of energy running through their scepter and holding it at their side, heading out of the room. Zero's toes curled and it strained one final time.

“... Before you go, one last thing.” 

Nebula turned their head back with a hum.

“... Why do you have me restrained?”

The wizard snickered.

“Because I knew you were going to try and break free. I really didn’t need the headache of a bloody feral man running around my castle.” 

The softest murmur of a smile crept inside of Zero.

They quickly waved their scepter one final time, tapping the end of it on the tile below. The remaining magical shackles on Zero fizzled away, letting it finally move its stiff joints. The capsule itself also jerked a bit, leaning back to rest flatly for a more comfortable sleeping position. 

“... Alright then. See you in the morning, Nebula.”

“Sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite.” Nebula joked as they creaked the door shut, the thud of it locking reverberating throughout the room. 

Zero stretched itself out, muscles still in atrophy but grateful to be free of the restraints. It sat up in its capsule, patting its hands against the surface. Now that it wasn't bothered by a hundred other things, it realized how plush and soft the backing was. Same going for the area resting behind its head, but stuffed slightly like a pillow. Slipping it's hand further across its surface, it found the edge of the pod and ran it's hand along it, seeing just how large the space was. The outside of the pod felt much colder, almost metallic. Not unpleasantly so, but it was already rather cold as it stood, it didn't want to worsen that. Not to mention the floor, as far as it was aware, sounded hard against shoes so cold tile or concrete was also not the most enticing thing. It wished its eye wouldn't take too long to regenerate at this rate.

It finally gave up its short objective of 'exploring' in favor of gently readjusting to put its head on the pillow and curl up into itself. It was getting too tired to care about closing the lid of the pod. It simply tucked in its legs as much as it could and shut an eye that wasn't there.

Chapter Text

“Well, are we ready to go or not?”

“Sir, you’re the one in charge here. It’s your call on whether we strike now.”

The icosahedric being groaned in his seat, spread out very casually. All twenty eyes on each face scrunched shut, pinching where his brow would be. Standing politely before him was Dark Matter, followed closely by his three Matterlings. They were all patiently awaiting the word from Miracle to commence with their invasion of Ripple Star. Miracle was just being a problem as always.

Their faux castle was black and amorphous, like a suggestion of a building rather than a true sturdy one. It was only temporary, of course. Miracle had been fantasizing about the takeover of Ripple Castle for days now, picturing himself atop the throne, the Fairy Queen trapped in the dungeon for all eternity, and all the fairy residents serving him as their king… it sent a shiver up his spine. 

“Ok, yeeeaahh, I know it’s my call. But like, are we set? We got all our men gathered up?”

“Sir, they’re right here.” Dark Matter sighed, gesturing to the three shorter matters behind him. 

“Only three? How are you gonna take over an entire planet with just three guys?”

“Five guys.”

“ Four guys. This is all on you, I’m just going to take my seat at the Fairy Queen’s throne. You guys get to do all the dirty work.” Miracle chuckled, crossing his arms, “You should still have more though. Can’t you just make more of them?”

“...No, sir. I can’t just ‘make more’ of them.”

“Why not? Use your little hocus pocus magic powers, what’s so hard about it?”

Dark Matter looked between the Matterlings. One rubbed their face in annoyance. Dark Matter let out a hefty sigh.

“Sir, we have what we have. Can we go or not?” 

Miracle rubbed his theoretical chin in thought. Had he had a normal face it’d be more than certain that he’d have a shit eating grin plastered on it.

“...Perhaps.”

Miracle swung his legs off the chair and stood, getting out a long and loud stretch and cracking all of his joints. Dark Matter blinked slowly waiting the thousands of years this was going to take. 

"Run me through the plan one more time. Just so I know that you know what's up."

Dark Matter rolled his eye. 

"We're to strike quickly and efficiently. The Matterlings will cover the planet in darkness while I swoop in and take the crystal. Should anything happen to the crystal and it gets out of our hands, the Matterlings will try to retrieve it, and if all else fails, shatter it into pieces so any heroes will have trouble collecting it all together. You…will come in once the Queen is subdued and assume position of the throne."

Miracle laughed and clapped his hands.

"Wonderful! Exactly how it should be."

"Are you not worried, sir?"

Miracle squinted.

"Why should I be?"

"Are you not at least the slightest bit nervous about the star warrior's return? He's bested us twice before, are you prepared for him?"

He scoffed loudly, pacing over to the group and towering over them. Dark Matter peered up into Miracle's many piercing red eyes. 

"You think I'm scared of that little puffball of a boy? He only won due to sheer dumb luck. He just stumbled upon those dumb little drops and those dumb little heart-stars. He probably thought they were candy, he didn't know any better! He's a worthless little nimrod. I'm not scared. I'll take him down in one shot." he scowled, crackling his knuckles. Dark Matter blinked. 

"...You're sure of that?"

"Uhg, who do you think I am, some sort of pushover baby-!? Of course I'm sure, I'm always sure of myself!" he yelled, fists clenched, "I'm a miracle. I can copy all the same abilities he can. He's nothing special, I've been honing my skills my whole life, you think I can't kick in some stupid kid's head!?"

Dark Matter's gaze finally broke, peering down at the floor, his face furled under his mask. 

"...No, sir. I'm sorry to have doubted you."

Miracle huffed, rubbing a hand over his frontal faces. 

"Whatever. Let's get this over with." Miracle hissed, brushing past the group and down the dark corridor. The other matters looked up at their superior, worry in their eyes. Dark Matter could only sigh and steel himself as they turned on their heels and followed suit.

—-

"Alright, I'll be gentle, don't worry…"

Nebula squinted a bit as they held up a tiny pair of clippers, slipping the blades between a section of bandage around Zero's head. They snipped, cutting the piece in two. They began unraveling the rest, the hard caked on blood sticking to the other layers of fabric and to the other's face. It took a bit more snipping to fully remove.

Left behind was the ugly gash, the little tendons and cartilages beginning to reform. The muscle was still exposed and would stay that way until the rest was healed enough to grow new skin. At the center of the hole looked almost like a red flower bud, but in reality being a tight bundle of nerves that would soon become Zero's new eye. 

"Well, you're regenerating quickly. You've got some growth around the wound and your eye has started reforming, too. I'd give it less than a week before you can see again," Nebula explained, rummaging around in the kit beside them for a soft washcloth and their bottle of water, "Let me clean off the dried blood and we'll wrap it up again."

 Zero sat ever so patiently. 

Nebula dabbed the now wet washcloth gently around the area, making sure not to go too close to the exposed muscle. The water was sharp and cold on Zero's skin. Its cheek muscles tensed at the sensation.

“So, in addition to nursing you back to health, I was thinking… We could make some sort of… modifications for you,” Nebula hummed, wringing the bloody water out of the rag into a bucket and wetting it again, “To better your chances, you know?”

“What… sort of modifications do you have in mind?”

“Well… for starters, we should make you some kind of shield to cover up your eye. It’d be preferable to not have that pop out again.” they chuckled.

“The choice was deliberate.”

“To shoot your eye out?”

“I had no other choice.”

“You had a multitude of other choices, honestly. That’s like the last thing you should do.”

“It was the last thing I did, you swine.”

“Hey, hey, it’s all good. Let’s tone it down. Ok, fine. Still, we should cover it up so you at least don’t have to worry about getting things caught in it, y’know?”

Nebula took a dry towel in their hands and pat away any remaining moisture. Zero was quiet. 

“Was there anything you particularly had in mind? It’s your body and your outfit, after all.”

“... I want to be an angel.”

Nebula threw up their eyebrows, hidden underneath their mask.

“Come again?”

“Think about it… if what you say is true and I’m trapped here in purgatory, then by coming back to the world of the living, I’ll be reborn, like… an angel.”

“An angel… I like the sound of that.” 

They dabbed a cotton ball with a bit of antibacterial ointment around the edges of the wound.

“This may sting a bit.” 

“I can picture it so clearly… a gleaming golden halo, ivory white wings soaked in the blood of my enemies… it’s all so beautiful to me.”

Nebula agreed, picturing their own version of Zero’s vision in their mind. They’d definitely need to get to work sketching something up…

“I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me, then. I’ll make sure your garb is just as regal and biblical as you want it to be.”

Zero only hummed. 

“I… was also thinking of some more… bodily modifications, if that’s something you’re open to.” they added, focusing on Zero’s mouth to gauge its emotion. Its lip twitched, teeth seemingly grit.

“Again I ask, what do you have in mind? That’s an… awfully broad suggestion.”

“Weeellll… if it were up to me… “ they started, poking around Zero’s body, “... Well, I don’t know. Maybe not. The concept fascinates me but it’d take a lot of… surgery.”

“Will it give me a better chance to defeat the star warrior?”

“... Most likely.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

Nebula blinked.

“... Well. In that case…”

Nebula got to work rewrapping its face, padding over the majority of the wound with layers of gauze and keeping it all in place with the bandages. As they continued, they began rattling off a laundry list of additions and enhancements that could be tacked onto the soon-to-be reborn god. Functioning wings that could be installed in its shoulder blades, growing new muscles and nerves to connect them together, injecting various serums and potions intravenously to enhance transformative and offensive abilities. Genetic modification to allow it to regenerate its wounds at a much faster rate than a human could. All things invasive and dubiously ethical. Yet through it all, Zero listened intently, giving short nods when possible to any and all ideas suggested. To it, it didn’t matter. It valued its raw power and physical wellbeing on two very different levels. As long as the star warrior would die, it didn’t matter the toll it took on its body. It simply needed to succeed.

They clipped the end of the bandage together with a clasp and gave Zero a small pat on the shoulders.

“All done! That feel any better?”

Zero’s head was too swarming with its newfound ideas to reply. 

“... Zero?”

Its head twitched to face Nebula’s voice. The ruler grinned.

“Let’s get you something to eat, my crew should be just about done making breakfast.” they chuckled, taking Zero’s hands and standing it up, “We can talk a little more about your… ideas a bit later, alright?”

“... Alright.”

—-

It was all over in what felt like seconds. The bright, sunny surface of Ripple Star was soon terrorized as the matters invaded. The fairy residents panicked, scrambling and hiding in their homes to wait out the storm that may never come to a close. Ripple Castle was swallowed whole by darkness. The ditzy Fairy Queen was swiftly subdued. However, mere moments before the planet was fully consumed, she had ordered one of her subjects to take the crystal and fly as far away as she could. The little fairy rocketed out of the castle and into space, the crystal tight in her grasp. She quickly turned her head back to her home planet, almost entirely coated in a thick new atmosphere of matter. Her heart panged. 

The one second she took was too long, though. The Matterlings split off from the planet and trailed close behind her. The fairy’s wings fluttered as fast as they would let her, but it wasn’t enough. One of the Matterlings reached out and swiped at her, landing a hit on the crystal as well, a massive crack beginning to split it. The fairy gasped for air, her wings and body in utter fatigue. All three matters dashed towards her, the force of the collision shattering the crystal into what seemed like hundreds of pieces. Each fragment shot in a different direction, cascading throughout the solar system. As for the fairy, she plummeted down into the swirling pool of space. The Matterlings looked between each other, making their journey back to Ripple Star to reconvene.

The planet was bleak and lifeless now. It smelled of smoke and ice. The Matterlings peered up at the castle before them, barely even recognizable as a structure of authority now. It felt decrepit and hollow as they walked its barren halls.

To their dismay however, not all was quiet. Miracle’s booming voice quickly reverberating through the corridors. 

“Man, wouldja’ look at this place! These fairies sure had it good…” he chuckled, sprawled out on the Fairy Queen’s vacant throne, “Good job on the invasion, by the way.”

Dark Matter, off to Miracle’s side, blinked back.

“Ah! And you three, what’s the story?” Miracle called to the group entering the room. Dark Matter stepped over to them, hands folded under his cloak. The smaller matters looked amongst themselves again.

“The… crystal is broken.” one informed, voice soft. Miracle’s many pupils constricted.

“What-!? Really, you guys couldn’t get it back in one piece?” he hissed, sitting up in his seat. The matters looked down at the floor. 

“We’re sorry, the fairy… she almost got away. We didn’t have any other choice. Breaking the crystal was better than her escaping with it…”

“...They’re right, sir. That was part of the plan.” Dark Matter chimed in, turning towards him.

“You could have tried harder,” He inspected his overgrown fingernails, “She’s just a little fairy. Really, three of you, together, couldn’t stop one little fairy?”

“She was a very fast fairy.”

“ BULLSHIT!! ” Miracle snapped, slapping his open hand on the throne’s armrest, “Then tell me why you returned HERE instead of going AFTER her!?”

The Matterlings jumped, quickly gathering and scurrying down the hall and out of the castle once more. Miracle groaned, slouching down on the throne. Dark Matter clenched his fists.

“...Sir, you’re being needlessly harsh on them. I think you need to lighten up a little.” he muttered, his eye staring holes into Miracle. The de facto king stared back. 

“Well, you know what I think? I think you’re going soft, Matter. You’re getting sloppy. Lazy. You’re too forgiving now. I don’t see that ruthless swordsman in you anymore. I see a washed up tumor in my side. Do you really think Zero would be proud of you after that display?”

Dark Matter gulped.

“...Zero…isn’t here.” 

“So that gives you the right to slack? Just because it’s busy getting its makeover in hell, that makes you think it’s ok to half ass this? This isn’t just Popstar anymore, buddy. This is an entire solar system. A lot of effort is going into this to make sure everything goes right. So with you out here being so kind and forgiving to your little elves for fucking things up, you’re jeopardizing everything. Especially with something as important as, oh, I don’t know, THE CRYSTAL? Shattering that thing was our absolute last case scenario, and now it’s broken into a billion different pieces. You’re making the work harder.”

“Then why don’t you chip in for once?” Dark Matter hissed, scowling under his mask, “If you want things to be so perfect, then it wouldn’t kill you to actually help rather than lounging around all day. If anyone’s the lazy one here, it’s you by a landslide, sir.”

Miracle stood solemnly, stepping up to Dark Matter and grabbing him by the scarf and collar of his cloak and hoisting him up off the ground. The smaller man strained.

“I don’t ever want to hear those words out of your mouth again. You have no right to question me. Your job is to listen and obey. Nothing less.”

Miracle pulled his index finger away from Dark Matter’s throat ever so slightly, quickly shifting it into a bright orange needle that sliced a clean gash in the side of the other’s neck. Dark Matter let out a short scream of pain, black inky blood spurting out from the laceration. He kicked his legs weakly.

“Now go make sure your minions are doing their job this time.”

Miracle reered his arm back and threw the smaller matter down the hallway, him crashing and skidding across the floor.  He coughed and gagged on his own blood, clutching the gaping wound in his neck. Blood loss was a lot less of an issue for black-blooded matters, as they were privy to stronger regeneration powers, but nothing pleasant nonetheless. He groaned as he forced himself to stand, looking back once more at Miracle before shuffling out of the throne room and shutting the hulking doors behind him.

 Miracle flicked the blood off the needle and returned his hand to normal before resuming his position on the throne. He hummed.

He’d need to clean that gunk off the floor before it stained.

Chapter Text

Nebula readjusted in their chair, tapping the eraser of their pencil to their chin. They kept a close eye on Zero, who was perched over the balcony of the castle. Not that it could see how beautiful it's hell was, but the warmth of the ethereal stars around them somehow soothed it. It was the most at peace Nebula had seen it. They grinned softly under the mask. 

They peered back down at the paper, flipping the pencil around in their fingers and roughly sketching out a figure. The topic of Zero's new garb had been plaguing them for days now. They wanted something befittingly angelic as Zero had suggested, but its standards were so high it seemed that they worried that anything wouldn't be enough. Its previous outfit was awfully simple, just a long white coat with an appropriately matching face mask and head wrapping. Perhaps it enjoyed the simplicity, something seemingly bland, but intimidating in such a particular way… 

Nebula scritched out Zero's coat on the figure. Square, basic, almost deathly plain. It needed that flair, that… spark that Zero had envisioned. They changed the flat bottom edge of the coat into something sharper, each overlapping flap ending in a point. The cuffs of the coat were given the same treatment, with added red tassels, simulating the blood soaked wings it had mentioned. But, they thought, I can’t forget the real wings we had considered… 

A golden harness across the chest and connecting at the shoulder joints, branching out in the back into a pair of geometric wings with the same scarlet tips. They added a smaller sketch off to the side, detailing how the wings would connect to the harness to allow for optimal movement and energy flow. Them staying static wouldn't have the same impact. Clasps in similar shape to the wing tips were placed across the front of the coat too, giving it the splash of color it was in desperate need of. Its boots would stay essentially the same, only going up higher on the leg than its older ones did.

That only left the head. The eye piece, the head wrapping, the halo. Nebula tucked their hand under their mask to rub their face in thought. Their eye drifted back to Zero, still leaned over the railing. It stared out into nothing but darkness. Such steady breathing. The setting body that floated in the sky- not quite a sun, not quite a moon- framed it so perfectly, forming a glowing halo of its own around the deity's head. Nebula's eye widened at the sight. Truly biblical. 

Focusing on the sketch again, they scribbled out the vague shape of the halo design. Sticking up from the base of the ears, curving around the front in a semicircle, connecting at the middle of the face to the new eyepiece. It wrapped around the edge of Zero's eye, ornamented at the lower eyelid with a single bloody tear. A covering would be added to the front for safety purposes, as was mentioned prior. As fashionable as it is functional, Nebula noted. 

They held the sketchbook at arm's length, inspecting the look as a whole. Holy, intimidating, sleek and flexible. Terrifically seraphismic. 

Bare feet shuffled across the stone tile floor. Nebula glanced up to see Zero following the railing towards them.

"You need something, Zero?" 

"What have those… scritching noises been? They're bothering me." it mumbled, turning its head more towards the sound of Nebula's voice.

"Oh! Sorry about that, I was working on… your new outfit. For when you return. I think I'm pleased with the results." 

"... Ah. What does… it look like?" 

"Well… would be a bit hard to just describe." 

Nebula uncrossed and recrossed their legs in the opposite position. Zero seemed to think for a moment, soon holding out one of its hands. 

"Let me… feel around it. Trace my finger against the lines. I want to see it." 

Nebula's lips slowly curled into a smile. 

"Sure, I can do that. Here, take my place in the chair," they offered, quickly standing and gently placing a hand on Zero's shoulder to guide them over. It wasn't as physically negative towards touch as it was a few days ago… 

Zero slowly sat down, Nebula shifting to its side and setting the sketchbook in its lap. 

"Alright, here," they said softly, taking Zero's left hand in theirs and curling its fingers into its palm to make its index finger point. They pressed the tip of its finger onto the neck of the drawing. 

"Here… are the shoulders. There's little hexagon shaped pads on top of them," they began, tracing Zero's finger accordingly across the page, "Down the sleeves… it's like your old white coat, but with sharper cuffs and red tassels at the ends. Back up… to the neck… the coat folds over past the collar, clasped together with long, red pins… The end of the coat… is similarly pointed, like the cuffs…"

Zero was silent apart from its breathing, picturing every detail as well as it could. 

"Across the chest… is a wide, gold harness. Sprouting from the back of it… is your new pair of wings. It starts… sticking out from the gold bone, a white polygonal plate… connected to three, more rectangular plates… and tipped with almost diamond shapes, colored as red as blood."

Zero's fingerprint shined silver as the graphite transferred onto it. 

"And the head… a curved, shining halo… starting around the ears and shaped like a crescent moon… it meets at the middle of your eye, protected with a layer of thick glass and ornamented with a bloody tear… your face and head covered with the same white fabric as always. And don't worry, I'll make sure everything fits perfectly and comfortably. No use in having such a lavish outfit only for it to be a pain to wear. Only the best for you, o powerful angel of darkness," they teased, letting go of Zero's hand and giving it a pat on the head. 

The matter simply curled up its hand and rested it on the edge of the sketchbook. Nebula cocked their head. 

"So, what'd… you think? Did I do a good enough job of showing you?" they pondered, their brother's face nigh unreadable. 

"... Just make it as good as you make it out to be."

Its lip twitched in a snarl for an imperceptible fraction of a second. 

"... R-right, of course. You can count on me." Nebula replied, unsure of the thoughts coursing through Zero's mind. It was such a complicated beast that not even they could begin to understand how its neurons clicked together. 

Zero abruptly got to its feet, the sketchbook slipping from its legs and clattering on the floor, pages fluttering about. It seemed unphased and simply stepped over it and waltzed to the patio doors, feeling around to find the edge and head inside. Nebula scooped the book up, flipping back to the page and inspecting it a final time. 

The graphite was smudged across the figure's lone eye. 

—-

Dark Matter's steps were quick down the hall, opting to float halfway through a stride and simply glide down the corridor. He pushed open the doors to the throne room, their creaking weight echoing as they always did. 

"Sir, there's a- " he started, freezing in place and slowly descending to plant his feet on the floor, "... problem." 

Gathered around Miracle were the Matterlings, one with a giant leaf in hand, fanning him. Another held a plate of grapes as one of the triangle faces on Miracle's head pried open. The matter took the grapes by the stem and hovered them over the triangular cavity. The face snapped shut and took a grape with it. The third Matterling sat at the step beside the throne, a deep vermillion crystal ball resting in their hands. 

"...What's going on in here?" Dark Matter questioned, shocked and perplexed right out of his panic.

"Oh! There you are. I was waiting for you," Miracle chimed, snatching another grape, "We're waiting on a transmission from Dark Nebula. They're supposed to check in on us today and see how things are going. I can safely assume it's all smooth sailing, right?" 

Dark Matter's eye flicked about. 

"Um, well, not… really."

Miracle's eyes blinked in a wave-like motion.

"What is it now?"

"... The fairy and the star warrior have landed on Neo Star. We're running out of time." he explained, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple, "Sending the Matterlings after them would be pointless, before you suggest it. We tried that and he defeated them with ease."

 Miracle sat himself up completely, shooing the two Matterlings away. 

"Maybe you shouldn't have made them so weak then. The only thing they're good for is being my maids." Miracle grumbled, rubbing a section of faces. 

"... That's not their fault, sir." he muttered, squeezing his eye shut, ''Our best bet now is going to be reinforcing the castle walls and making sure the star warrior is unable to breach them."

"I don't like that idea."

"... Wh-why not?"

Miracle cracked his wrists.

"'Cuz then I wouldn't be able to beat the pulp outta that kid." he sneered, his eyes squinted in delight. 

"Ok, but sir- "

One of the Matterlings squeaked, the orb in its hand beginning to pulsate with a scarlet glow.

"Ah, shit-! We'll finish this talk later!" Miracle hissed, standing and snatching the ball out of the matter's hands. He held it out towards the center of the room, a vivid beam shooting out onto the floor and knocking Miracle back a few steps. The projection grew from the feet up, forming a hologram of the underworld's ruler.

"Nebula! A pleasure to see you again." Miracle greeted, grinning with his eyes. 

"And you too, Miracle. You seem to be doing well. Dark Matter, Matterlings, you as well." the apparition hummed, hands folded behind their back, "How has everything been going over there?"

"Oh, great! Yeah, just peachy. You know, Dark Matter was here just telling me that… Kirby is TOTALLY getting his shit wrecked. He just landed on Neo Star and woo is he getting clobbered out there! Right Dark Matter?” 

Dark Matter gulped at the sudden attention pointed at him.

“U-uh- yes, Miracle is correct. I’ve been keeping a close eye on the star warrior and his trek through Neo Star is giving him quite a struggle.”

Nebula grinned and tilted their head, little sparkles whisking around the hologram as it moved.

“That’s wonderful to hear. Keep up the pace.” they praised, Miracle seeming to really beam at that. One of the Matterlings raised their hand.

“How is… Zero doing?” they asked, having to look up a considerable amount to meet eyes with Nebula.

“It’s… recovering quickly. I would give it about three more days before it’s able to join you all again. I’m sure it’ll be… happy to see you.” they shared, picking their words particularly. Dark Matter was not completely pleased but swallowed it down. 

“Heyyy that’s great! Can’t wait to see that friendly fellow again,” Miracle chuckled, lying through his teeth, “But hey, we gotta skedaddle. Y’know, evil devious matters to attend to. You get the idea. Thanks so much for checkin’ in we’ll talk later have a great day byyyyyeeee- !!”

He quickly scooped up the orb and chucked it down the hall like a bowling ball. Nebula’s form yelped and crackled as the projection fizzled away. The ball gently tapped a column as it went. Dark Matter turned to him, eye reasonably squinted.

“... Ok, now that they’re out of the way, you need to do something about that pink freak. Do you know how many shards he’s collected?” Miracle asked, his voice having quickly shifted from the chipper tone to much deeper and serious.

“About 38, I believe.”

“Shit, that’s like, all the ones he could have possibly obtained anyways…” Miracle began pacing and biting his thumb with a parted triangle face, “And how many… are left?”

Dark Matter roughly counted on his fingers.

“Around… 36.”

“ Dammit, he’s over halfway there-! You gotta do something about this. If he gets all the shards then everything’s gonna go under.”

“You’re… not scared of him, are you?” Dark Matter mused. Miracle whipped around.

“Hell no!! I’m not scared of that thing, didn’t we have this conversation already? I’m gonna grind that bastard to a pulp when I get my hands on him. I’m worried about the regime. Zero’ll be pissed if he gets all the shards. You really want that, huh?” he snapped, standing over the shorter matter once again. Dark Matter wasn’t phased this time around. His gears were turning.

“Think of it… this way. We didn’t want it broken in the first place, right? If the star warrior fixes it, we can just snatch it from him at the last secod and be home free. Doesn’t that sound like a more suitable plan than dirtying our hands?”

Miracle blinked lopsidedly, pondering the idea.

“... You know… That ain’t half bad. Look at you, havin’ a good idea for once! Yeah, we’ll let the thing do all the dirty work for us, then knock his teeth in and snatch the crystal! Ha, it’s flawless! Smart move, Matter.” he laughed, patting his younger brother on the shoulder. Dark Matter’s face remained plain as ever.

“... Right.”

“See? We took care of that easy-peasy! You gotta stop getting so worried. Now, I’ve got things to attend to, if you don’t mind me,” he hummed, strutting back over to his throne and tossing the crystal ball roughly at one of the Matterlings. They wheezed as it smacked them right in the chest. Miracle resumed his leisurely position upon the throne and crossed his legs, snapping his fingers at the other matters to continue with their fanning and feeding. Dark Matter’s teeth grit. He whisked himself around, storming out of the room and crashing the doors shut behind him. He was going to pop if he couldn’t blow off some steam.

Dark Matter found himself aimlessly pacing the castle before stumbling upon a balcony, cracking the glass doors open and stepping outside. The air was cold but welcome. He gripped the railing tightly, eyes locked on the black swirling sky above. A horrid sight for a horrid heart. 

He hopped up on top of the railing and stood, the winds throwing his cloak in all directions as it rapidly shifted. The matter launched himself off, sailing through the air like a crow. He circled the castle before taking off the the south, whisking between the gnarling trees and brittling bushes. The landscape grew darker and deader. It seemed whatever remaining energy the crystal had left behind the castle was just barely keeping the flora alive. The farther Dark Matter went, it all turned to dirt and dust. He began to slow his roll and gently land in the center of a completely barren field. Any grass that remained was so loosely held together that a tap of his foot crumbled it. Every ounce of life had been sucked out of this planet in such a short amount of time. It was almost depressing. 

However, he almost reveled in it. It felt like the first time he had truly been alone since the invasion began. The matter knelt down and carefully laid himself flat on the ground, shutting his eyes and letting the winds surround him. It sounded like the cold vacuum of space, planetary winds spiraling around their celestial body. As if the winds could carry him and his dust away like the grass, his heartbeat slowed. Blurry, swirling tranquility. He wished upon the wind like a shooting star, hoping that things wouldn’t stay this way forever. He had endured too much and wanted nothing more than something to give. The Rainbow Drops, the Heart-Stars, now the Crystal Shards… the star warrior had done everything to stop his spread. What did he think about me, the matter thought, Did he see me as nothing more than a contagious plague choking out the life of his planet, or a living, breathing being? How much humanization was he willing to give, if any at all? Are we creatures to him or humans?

The stars above the clouds twinkled without a care in the world. Popstar was in retrograde. The moons hung low.

Perhaps it was time to go home.