Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kirby opened his eyes and stretched. He yawned loudly, which echoed throughout the area. After a long nap, he had a clearer head. He realized he could always just go back to Dream land from here if he can reach his warp star, but from the looks of it, the rest of his friends didn't end up so lucky.

The portal in front of him glowed brightly. The cyan glow lit Kirby's face.

Something told Kirby he'd find his friends if he entered it, but what if he was wrong?

Maybe he could stick just his head in?

Kirby punched the floor, leaving a small crater. He picked up a small piece of the rubble and put it in his mouth.

Now with the stone ability, Kirby anchored his feet on the ground by turning them into stone. He brought his face closer and closer to the portal until he saw the other side.

It was similar to the last portal they were sucked into. He looked around the mess of colors until his eyes landed on a blue bandana.

Bandana Dee!

Stone turned back into flesh as Kirby threw himself into the portal. He pushed off with enough momentum to go in the direction of Bandana Dee.

Soon enough, he reached them.

He brought them into a hug, they twirled around from the impact.

"You're okay!" Kirby exclaimed. He kept hold of Bandana Dee, scared they'll drift off if he let go.

"You're here!"

"How long have you been in here?" Kirby asked.

"Just for a second. We probably won't be here for much longer, but look up there!" They pointed.

Kirby looked upwards to see Marx. He gasped. Why was he here? Was that a cane by his head? And why were his eyes closed?!

"Is he passed out!?" he shouted, now panicking.

"I think so!"

"You need to throw me to him!"

"What?" Bandana Dee furrowed their eyebrows.

"Quickly! He can't be alone while he's passed out. What if he gets hurt? Or worse!?"

"But then we'll be separated," Bandana Dee mumbled.

Kirby clenched his teeth nervously. They were right, he didn't want to leave Bandana Dee alone either, but they were running out of time. In the spur of the moment he decided to go with a last second option. He shifted his grasp on Bandana Dee to their arm and threw them upwards over to Marx.

"Kirby!?" Bandana Dee yelled in shock. They floated right into Marx. A second later there was a blinding white flash.

They exited the portal.

Their eyes flickered open as they found themself on yellow glowing soil. They stood up, grabbing their spear that fell next to them while blinking multiple times to adjust to the light.

The sky looked like space–or more like there was no sky and there was only space to look at. The whole place was jumbled, with bits of ground floating all over the place with no rhyme or reason.

They had no idea where they were.

Kirby was alone in this unknown place.

The thought hit Bandana Dee with anxiety. Their grip on the spear tightened.

They'll find Kirby, they declared silently.

A groan from behind startled the dee. They relaxed once they realized it was just Marx.

Marx...He ended up in the same place as them. If it wasn’t for him, they'd be with Kirby right now instead.

"Oh greaaat, you are here," he slurred. He blinked his eyes and struggled to keep them open. He stumbled closer to them and met Bandana Dee's eyes. "Where am I?" he asked. After a quick look around his eyes widened. "Wait, Another Dimension!?"

"You know where we are?" Bandana Dee questioned.

Marx paused as he registered that he and Bandana Dee were the only two people here. This felt like a fever dream. "Of course I do! What kind of nut doesn't know about Another Dimension?" He answered harshly. His entire demeanor changed.

"I've been there before but it wasn't this colorful! It was all gray and—" Their stomach dropped as they looked around in a panic. As fast as they tensed, they relaxed once they made sure there was no cosmic wall coming in to crush them.

"Oh drown your fear! I mean, this place is kind of dangerous—but I'm here and nothing gets past me!" he said with a cocky attitude.

"How do you know this is Another Dimension?"

"Ugh, you ask of too many questions!" Marx turned and began to strut away.

"Wait!" they called after him.

"Blah blah blah blah blah!" Marx said in a high pitched tone, trying to mock their voice. He continued walking without any signs of stopping. "Your voice is annoying, has anyone told you that? Because it is!"

Bandana Dee was speechless, which was just what Marx wanted.

They flung their spear at Marx, intentionally missing. It landed right next to his shoe.

Marx paused mid-step and turned around, looking at them with a slight scowl.

"Kirby is alone somewhere in this confusing place because he didn't want you to be alone! I am not leaving you. I am going to stick by your side to make sure you don't get hurt whether you like it or not!" Bandana Dee swore.

Marx tapped the spear with his shoe. "Really not doing a good job in the 'don't get hurt' department." He couldn’t help his interest pique at the mention of Kirby. What did they mean he was alone because he didn’t want himself to be? "Besides, I'm able to take care of myself, thank you very much. I don't need you. I'm stronger than you could ever be. Y'know, you being a simple dee of course you would be," he shrugged as if he didn't mean any offense with those words and was just saying it because it was a fact. They both knew that wasn't true.

They ignored his clear insult as they walked over to their spear to pick it up. "Funny you say that you're so strong yet in the portal you were knocked out cold."

"I was just resting my eyes!" he lied through his teeth.

"We both know that's not true."

"We do?" He cocked his head teasingly.

"Yes."

"Well you're wrong, because I really was just resting my peepers. All the super-duper bright colors hurt them really, you see." He pouted.

"Aw, you poor thing," they deadpanned. "If that was true I would've skewered you with my spear. I'm not gonna let Kirby's sacrifice be in vain." Bandana Dee could've sworn that Marx's expression softened a little at the mention of Kirby. Maybe he was just seeing things.

"And exactly what did he sacrifice?"

"While we were in the portal he managed to get over to me—which ensured we'd end up in the same place, but you were also in the portal and far away. Kirby threw me over to you just so neither of us will be alone wherever we ended up. Now Kirby's alone," Bandana Dee explained.

Marx's shoulders slumped at the explanation. “What a dumbass,” he mumbled loudly enough for Bandana Dee to hear. He looked around the area, ignoring the dee’s furious expression at his remark. 

Most of the place was just the vast sky of stars. There was hardly any solid ground around here, but with what little ground there was they could probably get around without having to fly. The ground was a weird bright yellow color with a faint glow to it.

“‘Dumbass’?! Urgh! You wretched little—grrah!” they sputtered, unable to find the words to express their anger. They opted to point their spear at Marx’s head. They squinted their eyes, brown irises almost looking red from all the hatred sparking from the dee. “You are unbearable! Why can’t you just-just shut up!? Shut up for once instead of rudely insulting people!”

He cackled, “How’s about you don’t listen to Marx’s inner thoughts that he is voicing out loud and mind your own business.” He moved the spear away from himself with his foot. “Anyways, cya.” Wings emerged from his back, unzipping the back of his shirt. The rainbow hexagonal feathers flickered into existence once the wings were unfurled all the way. He leapt up and flapped his wings, but he wasn’t able to get in the air.

Bandana Dee snickered as Marx’s cockiness evaporated and was replaced with confusion.

“What the donk?” he muttered. He flapped his wings again, the air going right through them like the first time. “Ohhoho, you’re kidding!” he groaned. “Hellooo? What’s going on with my magic?”

“Wow, you’re right! You’re so much stronger than me, noddy,” Bandana Dee complemented sarcastically.

“Do not call me that!” he snarled. His wings were gone in an instant. “Groddammit I forgot you knew about that. Whatever! Fine! Let’s just look for Kirby. Go lead the way because you’re sooo devoted to keeping me safe.” He could practically see their smile under their mask and it annoyed him.

Bandana Dee gladly walked in front of him. With no further words, they began walking aimlessly.

Their path was linear as there wasn’t much ground, ironic considering how vast the sky made the area seem. There wasn’t much life around besides the occasional sphere doomer high in the sky, but they weren’t any issue as they never got near them. It wasn’t until they reached an area with much more ground to stand on that they started seeing other creatures which were much more of a problem. It wasn’t anything they haven’t faced before when dealing with the dark hearts, but they still had to be careful. Especially in an unknown area.

Due to Marx’s current predicament with his magic, he fought mainly with exploding beach balls he was getting from who-knows-where. Bandana Dee thankfully didn’t have to do any heavy lifting as he was quite skillful at fighting with beach balls. Although, it was somewhat concerning to think about what other seemingly harmless items Marx could weaponize.

As they kept going, their path became more labyrinth-like. Which meant they had to start making decisions on where exactly to go.

At the first fork in the road, Bandana Dee carefully thought over this decision. However, the amount of time they were taking to choose was getting on the other’s nerves, who was tapping his foot on the ground the entire time, and at that point created an indent on the ground.

“Just flip a coin and choose one!” he impatiently shouted. He glanced at both paths and then stepped towards one.

“We should be careful with which one we choose,” Bandana Dee argued. Kirby could be down one of these paths, they didn’t want to make the mistake of choosing the wrong one. They didn’t want to make a rash decision.

“Okay, smart on paper, but! Have you considered even that there is not a single anything to go off of?!”

“Well they aren’t identical—“

“Yeah but there is exactly not an indication that one is the ‘correct’ path—just, they’re both paths!”

Bandana Dee bit the inside of their cheek, taking a look at both paths again. After a beat, they sighed and walked down the path Marx wasn’t going towards.

Just glad they finally made a decision, Marx followed behind without protest.

The path behind them warped and moved until it no longer looked the same. The area they were in was definitely not stable.

Bandana Dee looked owl-eyed at this revelation. How were they going to find Kirby in a place that changed all the time?

“Drab…all those minutes wasted that were over that decision of yours that needed to be careful,” Marx teased. He acted as if he expected this, or at the very least unbothered by how much harder this makes their quest.

Bandana Dee continued on, not letting this deter them from looking for their friend. They noticed Marx has been walking a tad closer to them ever since they saw the path change, but they didn’t comment on it.

They both had a vow of silence while walking around, mostly so that they could forget the other was here and also because it helped them be more alert.

Up until this point, they encountered no enemies, but once they got deep enough in their path, they were attacked left and right. At some points, portals would open up and enemies would appear from them to stop them in their tracks. Marx didn’t question this and defeated them and moved on without a second thought. Bandana Dee, however, was confused by this.

“They’re coming from portals too,” they remarked.

“Uh-huh,” Marx replied with no interest.

“Why are they just attacking us like this? I thought defeating Void Termina got rid of the Jamba heart’s influence on everyone.”

“Try thinking not about it. Yet better, let’s go back to the silence I so dearly prefer.” He walked ahead of them dismissively, like he didn’t care if Bandana Dee fell behind and got lost. 

They furrowed their eyebrows at Marx. Their hatred towards him was undeniable, but even they knew that they needed to communicate and at least pretend to get along if they wanted to make this expedition to Kirby as smooth as possible. They weren’t just going to stay silent the entire time. Besides, a prodding question bothered them too much to do so.

“Why are you talking like that?”

“What ever you do mean?” Marx slowed down his pace, letting Bandana Dee catch up.

“Yeah, you’re talking weird. Like the order of your words are off sometimes and it’s been getting worse. You haven’t talked like this before.”

Marx’s face twisted into a frown. “Fine. I’m fine! Just think not about–don’t think about it.”

Looking at his face now, he looked like he was in pain. Something was wrong. Was the landing from the portal rough? “You sound like Kirby. Your magic isn’t working right, of course you aren’t fine.”

“Kirby!” Marx exclaimed. Wings emerged from his back once more. “Stupid place, he’s all alone in it!” He tried flying in vain, not even able to get his feet off the ground. He then howled in pain, suddenly crumpling his body to the ground with his forehead firmly pressed against it.

Bandana Dee winced at the sight. They were shocked and confused at the sudden turn of events.

Marx was in pain, that much was clear. But he didn’t seem to have any injuries from what Bandana Dee could see.

“Argh! I thought this shit was healed already!” Marx shouted.

“Stop exhorting yourself! It’s only making it worse! You need rest.”

“Hhhh but Kirby is–“

“He wanted us both to be okay. So he wants you to be okay. Rest,” they ordered. “I’ll keep watch.”

With no further protests, Marx changed the position he was in on the floor to get more comfortable, as comfortable as he could get on this solid ground. “It might be a concussion,” he said slowly. “Similar, or something–ugh wording hard.”

“A concussion? Was your head hit in the portal or something?”

“Horn…” he corrected.

“Your horn?” Bandana Dee didn’t know how a hit to the horn could cause such pain, but they never had horns and never will, so what did they know about horns? Then it hit them, one of Marx’s horns was already broken. Further damage to it and now he’s like this. Thinking about it now, did Marx ever get proper care for that injury?

Judging by how it’s affecting him right now, and that he’s kept it secret for however many weeks, he probably didn’t.

Marx had already fallen asleep, so they couldn’t pry further.

Seeing him sleep made them jealous, they haven’t slept since Kirby took over Castle Dedede. They’ve lost sense of time here but it felt like at least an entire day since that happened. They were tired and rightfully so after everything that’s happened.

Still, they stayed awake. They had to. To keep both of them safe, in case another portal opened up with enemies pouring out of them. As long as they have their spear in hand, they’ll stay awake and alert.

“Yoo-hoo! Little waddle dee!” A voice called out, causing Bandana Dee to jump. The voice revealed himself. With a swish of the cape and tip of the hat, Daroach introduced himself. “Do not worry, it is I, the leader of the Squeak Squad and finest thief there is: Daroach.”

They sighed in relief. Daroach, he was a part of the Star Allies and Kirby’s friend. But wait, why was he here too?

“I’m Bandana Dee and that lump on the ground is Marx. We’ve never formally introduced ourselves to each other, huh? Not the greatest place to do it…but I’m relieved it’s just you. I didn’t really want to fight more people. How did you end up here?”

“Oh it was awful!” he said dramatically. “A portal suddenly appeared and dragged me through, the other Squeaks must be so worried for me! Alas, I have yet to find an exit. And you, Bandana Dee?”

“Same as you.”

“And the lump?”

“He came through the same portal as me, actually. We’ve been wandering around together for…I don’t know how long at this point.” Bandana Dee looked down. Even if they did find Kirby, how were they getting back home? Another Dimension was an unstable place and if they learned anything from Magolor, it was that nothing was certain here.

“Ah-ah, chin up, little dee. Even if we haven’t found an exit, we’ve found each other. That’s progress! Maybe there’s even more people here to find.” He stroked his chin.

“We’ve been looking for Kirby, actually. Oh! King Dedede and Meta Knight are probably here somewhere too! I was so worried about Kirby I almost forgot.” They put a hand on their head.

“Good good, we have a more doable goal now. We’ll find those three.”

“And then what?”

“One step at a time. We needn’t worry about that now. Now then, you seem tired. Do you want to join the lump on the floor? I’ll keep watch for you,” Daroach offered.

They brightened up. “Oh really? Thank you so much, Daroach! Just make sure we don’t sleep too long. I’d feel bad leaving you to fend for yourself that long.”

“Worry not, I’ll wake you when you’ve gotten a sufficient amount of rest,” he gave them a smile.

Bandana Dee bowed their head in gratitude before lying down. They rested their spear next to them and used their hands as a pillow. They closed their eyes and attempted to nap.

Meanwhile, Daroach scanned the area for a bit, once sure that no one else was near, he looked over the two.

Bandana Dee didn’t have anything of note on them, besides the spear. Marx, on the other hand, wore an ancient artifact on his head. It wasn’t the most fashionable, but for the power it holds it was almost worth stealing. Until you remember who the wearer is. He wouldn’t want Marx to have a grudge against him. That would make life much harder.

Marx’s eyes snapped open, meeting his eyes and causing Daroach to flinch back in surprise. They narrowed dangerously. “And what are you looking at? Wait a second…” He sprung up. “You! You’re the jackass that hit me in the head!”

“I beg your pardon?” Daroach took a step back. He doesn’t remember doing anything like that. He hasn’t even seen Marx since they were dealing with Void Termina.

“Ohoho, you’re gonna beg alright. Once I tear your face apart!” He lunged at Daroach, only for someone to hold him back by the collar.

“Bandana Dee, Let go!” he yelled. He wrenched himself out of Bandana Dee’s grasp.

“What are you doing?! I nap for a few minutes and you’re already up to no good!”

“He’s the one who hit me! Why my head hurts so much!” he argued.

“I did nothing of the sort,” Daroach challenged. “Besides, what would I have hit you with? I don’t even have my cane on me right now. I lost it in the portal.”

“You dipshit, that’s exactly what hit me!” He hacked out a fully intact cane from his mouth. It clattered when it hit the ground. “See?”

Bandana Dee and Daroach cringed at the sight.

“You…ate it?” Bandana Dee questioned.

“This is your cane isn’t it?” Marx asked, ignoring Bandana Dee.

“Why, yes, but I didn’t hit you on purpose. It slipped out of my hands.” Daroach raised his hands in defense. “Besides, it shouldn't have done that much damage. If I recall, you were allowed in for your strength. If that weak little tap hurt you so much why were you ever let in?“

“Are you calling me useless?” Marx slunk closer.

Daroach broadened his shoulders. “I’m saying that you are a burden.”

“That’s enough!” Bandana Dee yelled. The volume of their voice startled the two. Usually they were more on the quieter side, even when yelling, but not this time. They needed to make sure they were heard. They pinched the bridge of their nose through their mask. “How are we ever going to get out of here if we can’t get along? Daroach! You don’t know the full situation with Marx and you shouldn’t mock him over a mistake and Marx, you shouldn’t immediately set out for revenge. It was an accident and no one was to blame for it, so quit fighting!”

To their surprise, Marx backed down and nudged the cane over to Daroach with his foot. “You’re lucky there’s someone with morals here.”

Daroach kicked up the cane into his hand, wincing at the saliva coated on it. It was a good thing he was wearing gloves. He sighed, “Bandana Dee is right. We should be getting along, at least for now. Let’s call a truce until then.” He held out his free hand to Marx.

Marx just stared at him with a look that screamed “really?”.

Daroach jerked his hand back upon realizing. “Oh right, no hands…wait I thought you did have hands?”

“They come and go,” Marx said. “Just pretend I shook on it.”

“Okay…”

“We should have one of us lead, like back when we formed groups when the Star Allies were together,” Bandana Dee said.

“How are we going to choose?” Daroach asked.

“Just say out loud who you think it should be on the count of three. Ready?”

Seeing a nod from both of them, they started counting down.

“One, two, three! Daroach.”

“Myself.”

“Bandana Dee–what? You can do that?”

The three of them said simultaneously.

“Well they didn’t say anything against voting for yourself,” Daroach remarked.

“Yeah, well, I thought that was a given not to do that?”

“It’s fine, Marx. At least we didn’t all vote for ourselves,” Bandana Dee said.

“So he’s just the leader now? From a self-vote?!” Marx exclaimed.

“Oh don’t be sour that no one voted for you,” Daroach taunted. “Come along now.” He walked ahead and began leading the way.

“That’s not what I’m bothered about,” Marx muttered under his breath. He followed him, albeit reluctantly.

The three of them wandered aimlessly around the place. Everywhere looked the same and it was hard to tell if they were making progress.

The soil was the same bright yellow, there were weird floating cubes everywhere, and the ground they were on moved often, sometimes bringing them higher up or down.

Daroach stopped in his tracks, alerting the other two.

“What’s up?” Marx asked.

“There’s a pink heart here. Like the ones that Kirby threw. It’s called a friend heart right?”

Bandana Dee gasped and recoiled.

“Oh…coool,” Marx shared an anxious look with Bandana Dee. “Hey, don’t pick it up!”

Daroach cupped the heart into his hands. It dissipated immediately, but as far as he could tell nothing happened. “How odd,” he commented.

Bandana Dee sighed in relief when nothing happened. “Oh look, there’s a door up ahead!” They pointed to a door with a gold heart-like arch above it.

They approached the door cautiously.

“Should we even go inside? It’s probably a one-way door,” Marx remarked.

“I’m not quite sure,” Daroach answered.

“‘Not quite sure’ isn’t going to get us anywhere,” Marx said.

“Hmm…I think we should.”

“Hm?”

“We should go through the door. If there was a friend heart so close to it, maybe Kirby is there?” Bandana Dee said.

“Well you’ve got me convinced,” Daroach said. He walked through confidently.

Before Bandana Dee could follow, Marx tapped their leg with his foot.

“Do you think it’d be funny if we just stayed here and left him to get lost?” he asked slyly.

“No! This is serious, Marx. There’s no time for tricks like that.” Bandana Dee crossed their arms and furrowed their eyebrows, before their expression suddenly softened. “Is…is your head doing fine right now?”

Marx’s eyes widened ever so slightly, a detail that could be missed in a blink of the eye. “Yeah, the nap helped. For now. I’ll need food soon, probably.” He shrugged as if getting food was going to be an easy feat.

To be fair on their previous adventure, they came across a lot of food, and Bandana Dee has found food in Another Dimension, although that was a long time ago.

“Tell me when you need to rest again.” They said before walking through the door.

Marx looked amused. They must care about Kirby a lot if they were softening up this much. In any other circumstance, he’d be left for dead.

Kirby…

He bit his lip, unfortunately with his sharp teeth, the action drew blood. The small sting didn’t compare to the creeping guilt he felt, however. “Dammit, Kirby,” he swore.

Was him standing here right now proof that Kirby hasn’t learned anything? It should be Kirby here with his friends. Why was he so stupid?

To have another adventure so soon. Why was fate so cruel to him?

He just hoped that friend heart was from him and that he was past that door.

He licked the blood off his lips and stepped through the door as well.

First thing he saw upon entering the door was, of course, Daroach and Bandana Dee, but that wasn’t the concern here. The second thing he saw was the major change in scenery, the grass was dry and golden and the sky was orange and gray, which made sense.

Because the third thing he saw was fire.

Chapter Text

Today was their birthday. They were now considered an adult, indicated by their long, white hair that reached all the way down to the ground if they didn’t tie it up in some way and their big horns.

Being a prince, their birthday was a huge deal. Not only were there many people to celebrate with them, they were one step closer to becoming king.

This day was going to be great!

Or so they thought.

When they got their “birthday present” they couldn’t be more disappointed.

Before them stood a person in white armor that was lined in gold. It matched their cape which had the royal sigil on the back. Their head was mostly covered in that bulky helmet of theirs. There were two slices across the mask, one horizontal and one vertical, which crossed each other perpendicularly around their eyes. The prince could only see their magenta irises that pierced through the open sliver of their helmet as well as their, rather messy, hair that matched the color of their eyes. Like the prince, they had horns. However their horns were much sharper, yellow and pointed upwards. In their hands was a long lance in one hand and a huge circular shield in the other.

The prince cleared their throat, “Excuse me…but WHAT IS THIS?! This is the gift?! I told you I don’t care for a suitor.”

Their royal advisor shook his head, “This isn’t a suitor, sire. This is your personal knight. They are to stay by your side and protect you. And, they just so happen to be one of the best warriors.”

The prince made a face of disgust, but shook it off. “Okay, thank you, I guess. You can leave now.” They dismissed their advisor with a brisk wave. Though he left, the knight stayed by the doorway. They looked up at the prince wordlessly.

The prince sat on their bed with a loud sigh and let their hair down. It draped all over the bedsheets as they flung it back and got comfortable. “So, ‘one of the best warriors’ huh? What’s your name?”

The knight did not reply, as if they didn’t hear them at all. They simply stood by the door, like they had no free will of their own and had to be ordered to take a seat.

“Ugh, formalities,” they muttered too quietly for the knight to hear. “You can relax, by the way, come here.”

The knight walked over to them. Though they didn’t seem to relax at all as they were still standing and holding their weapon and shield.

“So are you just going to stand there all tense all the time? Don’t be like a machine, sit down.”

They met the prince’s eyes and looked around the room. Any other place to sit down was pretty far away, but the bed was right here. They pointed at the bed unsurely.

“Don’t you speak? Yes, the bed!” they exclaimed. “And put your weapons down–just on the floor. I don’t care. Just no weapons on the bed.”

The knight placed down their things and sat down on the bed. With all their armor on they sunk down into the mattress.

The prince abstained from talking for a moment. They wanted to see if the knight would fill the silence. A moment became a few minutes, but their waiting was paying off.

The knight looked awkward. They were fidgeting with their hands and looking around the room.

The room was lavishly decorated. The large windows on one of the walls had a view of a garden, with purple curtains that matched the flowers outside. On the walls without windows were huge stained glass murals that trailed up to the ceiling. In the middle of the ceiling was a chandelier made out of lustrous glass. They took note of how everything in the room looked as good as new. They must have a maid.

When there was nothing else to look at, they cleared their throat. “What is your name?”

The prince gawked in shock. First of all, their voice was shockingly loud and guttural. Honestly they were expecting it to be deeper and smooth. Second of all, “How do you not know my name?!” They were the prince! How could you not know their name?

“I just never caught it. You’re only a prince. It’s not like you have that big of a presence,” they said nonchalantly.

The nerve!

They scoffed, “You must live under a rock then, peasant. My name is Void! So call me that from now on instead of prince or sire.”

Peasant?

The knight straightened out and crossed their arms. “Hmph, it doesn’t fit you. I’ll call you brat instead,” they deadpanned.

Void crossed their arms as well and pouted. “What?! Oh I bet your name doesn’t fit you any better!”

“I assure you Galacta Knight is much more fitting to me than Void is to you,” they said.

“Aha!” Void exclaimed victoriously with a smile. They pointed at Galacta Knight, causing them to move back slightly. “You just gave me your name!”

Galacta Knight didn’t say anything in response to that.

“Ugh, your name does fit you better…booo.”

“For a prince you’re pretty…unruly.”

Void gasped in offense. “Unruly?!”

“Your movements as you speak are eccentric and exaggerated. Usually rulers are more reserved. And you’re having your knight sit down on your bed.”

Void lied back on the bed with their hands behind their head. “So I’m not formal, whatever. That doesn’t make me any less of a prince. Besides, I don’t think it’s nice to treat a person like a machine.”

“Yet you’re fine with calling others ‘peasants’.”

“But I don’t treat them as inferior. Call it a term of endearment.”

“Alright, brat. What are you going to do for the rest of the day? Just sit around in here all day?”

Void pushed themself upright. “Well, I’m pretty tired from all the partying I did earlier and by partying I mean ‘standing around all day greeting people I don’t know’.”

Galacta Knight snorted. “Those people you don’t know are your subjects and you should get used to doing things like that.”

“I’ll worry about that when I’m king–anyway! I just got the greatest idea. Have you been shown the garden? It’s a very tranquil place. We should go there to get some fresh air.” They sprung up from their bed and grabbed Galacta Knight’s hands to pull them up.

Galacta Knight stood for Void, as they were nowhere near physically strong enough to lift them up, causing them to stumble back.

They rushed over to the doorway and jumped up and down. “Come on, let's go!” they shouted enthusiastically.

“You’re so impatient.” They shook their head. They walked over to Void, not bothering to match their pace as they left the room and entered the halls.

The ceilings were tall and there was no one else but those two here. Cheering and parle was heard from the ballroom. It was funny, they were celebrating for someone who wasn’t even attending their own party. Void wasn’t interested in celebrating because really, they all just wanted to flaunt their riches.

Void skipped and twirled around as they made their way to the garden. Their hair sometimes hit their own face as they spun, getting a suppressed chuckle out of Galacta Knight.

“And here we are!” Void exclaimed. They threw their hands in the air as they gestured at the entrance of the garden.

There was an arch made out of purple and golden flowers. Past that it looked like an untamed forest that was barely contained by a net ceiling. Plants of many varieties grew all over the place. As far as Galacta Knight saw, there weren’t any pots to contain them. They were all given free range to the entire garden.

“Just past the entrance is where my favorites are.” They walked through the arch and took a right.

“Who tends these plants?” Galacta Knight asked.

“That would be yours truly.”

“Somehow I suspected that. It matches you.”

“Haha, thanks!”

“That was not a compliment.”

“Your perception skills are lacking,” Void retorted.

The garden was a mess, although they would be lying if it wasn’t pretty. All of the plants were healthy.

Void stopped walking once they got to a specific plant.

In front of them stood huge stalks with pink flowers. The tips of the petals had yellow heart-like shapes on them.

Void walked away from their side and in between two of the stalks with their arms spread out wide. “These are dreamstalks! My favorites,” they announced.

“They’re very tall,” they remarked.

“Oho, if it wasn’t for the net it’d be much taller.” They placed a hand on the stalk of one of them and patted it. “The tea made from its flowers is said to bring good dreams, hence the name. Unfortunately because of this the plant is pretty rare due to so many people uprooting them and trying to make a profit from them. I’ve never had trouble with rotten people like those but if anyone tries, well I guess that’s one job I’ll give to you.”

“You’d kill people over a plant?”

Void gasped and removed their hand from the plant. “Of course not! I never said kill them. Just scare them off or something. You probably don’t have to worry about that anyway, no one goes to my garden except me. And you now too, I guess.”

How naive were they? Scaring them off is only a temporary solution.

“You’re a warrior, right? What exactly do you do?” they asked.

“I fight in battles, of course,” they replied simply.

“What kind of battles? I wasn’t aware there were any.”

“You, the prince, weren’t aware of these conflicts?”

Void frowned and casted their eyes downward for a beat. Then they looked straight at Galacta Knight again. “They’ve always told me that my kingdom was peaceful.”

“Who is ‘they’?”

Before Void could respond, a low rumble shook the area.

Void stumbled. Galacta Knight merely tensed their posture.

As fast as it came, the rumbling stopped.

“What was that?” Void asked.

Footsteps approached. Guards came in from the entrance. “Prince Void! You must come inside the castle while we figure out what caused those tremors.”

Void nodded. “Could this be one of those battles you were talking about?” they asked Galacta Knight.

“Perhaps.”

They were escorted over to Void’s room. The previously happy voices heard in the halls were fearful. Once they got to Void’s room, Galatca Knight retrieved their lance and shield.

“You should stay here, sire,” the lead guard suggested. “However Sir Galacta Knight needs to come with us to survey the area outside castle walls.”

“Shouldn’t Their Majesty’s personal knight stay by their side?” Galacta Knight questioned.

“They’re orders from the king. Besides, you’ll do more protecting if the attackers are prevented from breaching the castle in the first place.”

“So the tremors were caused by attackers?”

The guard snuck a glance at Void, “Dark Matter. Now no more delays.” They gestured for the others to head out.

Galacta Knight glanced back at Void before taking their leave.

The door was shut behind them, leaving Void no room to speak. 

Some prince they were. They were never told anything.

Void made way to their bed and sat down.

They were told their kingdom was peaceful, but Galacta Knight must’ve fought often in order to earn the title of one of the best warriors. The guards were so prepared as well. Maybe it was only peaceful inside the castle walls…

Outside castle walls there was pandemonium between the soldiers and peasants. People were being told to stay calm when there was no reason to be. There was begging to enter the castle, begging to get away from the Dark Matter. Their pleas were rejected even as people were being killed left and right.

The soldiers weren’t even protecting the people. They would only attack the Dark Matter that got too close to the castle.

Galacta Knight, along with the guards exited the castle to see the horrific display. Unlike the guards who kept their composure, Galacta Knight felt a rush of anger.

Their muscles went taut. Their cape was thrown off to reveal a huge pair of angelic wings, a little over double their arm length.

With a fiery cry, they leapt towards the Dark Matter.

They didn’t need any help from the other knights. One slash from their lance was enough to take out one of them.

They went all throughout the town, hunting down any foe they could find.

Like blowing away smoke, the Dark Matter was pushed away from the village.

Once the attackers were driven away, Galacta Knight landed.

They stood in the middle of the village.

The villagers cautiously appeared from their hiding spots. It was silent, as if a sound would bring back the Dark Matter.

Galacta Knight looked around.

The sudden movement caused the people to shrink away. Were they afraid of them?

They were whispering to each other.

“They’re unscathed.”

“They don’t even look tired.”

“What is that?”

“Look at those wings and horns.”

Galacta Knight tucked their wings in slowly.

The other soldiers came over to them.

The lead guard spoke, “Galacta Knight. We’re heading back.”

They turned to the villagers. They shook their head. “They still need help. Some of them are hurt–“

“That does not concern us. The prince is waiting.”

“It wouldn’t have concerned you if you and the others had protected them.”

A hushed gasp was elicited from the villagers.

“We’re going back to the castle.”

Galacta Knight huffed defiantly. “I’m not going back until they are tended to.”

“The king ordered us to–“

“I don’t care about the king’s orders if it means leaving these people injured and vulnerable!” Their wings flared out like a threat display.

The villagers around flinched back and hid behind the nearest object.

“That’s enough of your defiance, Galacta Knight. We’re going to the king. You can give him a piece of your mind, directly. Maybe you can even convince him to help these lowlifes.”

Galacta Knight kept their stature straight. “Fine.”

Reluctantly, they made their way back to the castle. Once inside, the other guards dispersed, leaving the lead guard and Galacta Knight in the halls.

“They’re afraid of you,” the guard muttered.

“I was helping them,” Galacta Knight grunted. “They have no reason to be afraid.”

“Are you sure?”

Galacta Knight side-eyed the guard. “They have real threats to be afraid of.” In an instant, their wings were covered by the cape once more, which seemed to appear out of thin air.

Their trip to the throne room was disrupted as Galacta Knight spotted Void running towards them.

“You’re alright! Wow, it doesn’t even look like you fought at all. Was it a false alarm?”

“I assure you Galacta Knight did more than they should’ve. We were about to talk to the king regarding those matters.”

“Nonsense! If they helped my people then there’s nothing to talk about.” Void grabbed Galacta Knight’s arm and brought them over to their side. They shooed the guard away. “Now go back to your post.”

“I need to escort them to the–“

“Call it a change of plans. Now leave,” Void said sternly.

The guard marched away with a grumble.

“So you do have power,” Galacta Knight remarked.

“Don’t patronize me,” Void bantered. “Now then.” They began walking with Galacta Knight back to their room. “You are going to tell me all about what happened out there.”

Void’s hold on their arm remained, but the grip was delicate and could easily be broken.

“Are you interrogating me?”

“I’m just curious. What did they mean by you doing more than you should’ve? Why would that get you in trouble?”

“Your guards weren’t doing anything to help the villagers,” they replied bitterly. “They simply stood around like idiots. All they cared about was keeping the Dark Matter away from the castle.”

“And you helped them? The villagers, I mean.” Void pushed open the door to their room and stepped inside with Galacta Knight following in after to close it.

They set down their weapons by the door. “Yes. I was able to drive back those detestable beings away from the village.”

Void smiled warmly. “I’m sure the villagers are grateful.”

“It was only a temporary solution. More will come and more people will die. And I doubt they were grateful. They all stared at me like I was a thorn in their side.”

“Well, I’m grateful you helped those people,” Void declared. “Keep doing what you think is right, I’ll keep the king off your back.”

“I don’t think your father would appreciate you letting your knight do as they please.”

Void laughed and spun around the room before landing on their bed. “Oh the king isn’t my father.”

Galacta Knight remained standing. Their eyes widened. “Then how are you prince?”

“Well I guess I’ll let you in on the secret since you are my knight.” Void stuck out their hand towards them with their palm up. On their hand was a vague star marking. “This star symbol here means that I am destined for greatness. I was chosen by gods. And since the king didn’t have an heir, he chose me to be next in line.”

“He chose you because of the star on your hand?”

“Well it’s not like I drew it on there. It’s a birthmark.”

“Hmm, odd.”

“I know it’s unique but you don’t have to call it odd.”

“No, it’s just that I have one too,” Galacta Knight said. “It’s on my chest.” They placed their hand over where the marking was. Of course it was covered by their armor so Void couldn’t see it, however it appeared that they didn’t even need to see it to be convinced.

Void’s face lit up. “So that’s why you were chosen to be my knight! You’re like me!”

“Star child. That’s what I was called.”

“Right. The horns. The long hair. I should’ve known sooner. Oh this is wonderful! I didn’t know there were other star children.” They practically leapt onto Galacta Knight and locked them into a hug, startling the latter.

Void laughed at the stunned knight.

Galacta Knight stood there dumbfounded as their arms wrapped around their shoulders.

Void unwrapped their arms from them. “However, I wonder why you’re so short in comparison to me. My feet didn’t even leave the ground at all.”

Galacta Knight was stunned at the sudden shift in their tone. “I’m not short!”

Void smiled slyly. “Oh and your hair is so unkempt, how could I be of the same as you?” They touched their magenta hair. It was as coarse as they expected it to be.

They smacked their hand away. “You brat! I thought we were having a moment!” they sputtered.

“Maybe that’s why I’m prince and you’re knight. You’re too unruly to be a prince but perfect to be a knight.”

The knight threw their hands up. “I could strangle you right now! You’re infuriating!”

“And I thought you were the stoic kind when you first entered my room, but nope! What a temper!”

Galacta Knight let their hands fall to their sides as they balled their hands into tight fists. They turned their head away with a “hmph”.

They were going to be best friends, Void just knew it.

Chapter Text

The entire area looked different. There was an actual sky rather than space. Actual grass rather than blindingly bright yellow soil. However, smoke filled the sky and fire burned the grass.

Marx, Daroach, and Bandana Dee were surrounded by the flames. But none of them felt the heat.

“Where are–“

Marx shushed Bandana Dee.

To the average person, it would seem that they are no longer in Another Dimension. However, that door they went through was only a door. To leave Another Dimension they’d have to enter through a rift. Something was off about this place.

Marx stuck his foot out into the flames.

“Are you crazy!?” Bandana Dee shouted.

“I said shush!” Marx replied. He walked further into the fire. They didn’t spread onto him, it was like walking through a hologram.

“Hm. The flames aren’t spreading,” Daroach noted. He walked through the flames as well. He passed Marx, wanting to survey the area first.

Bandana Dee hesitated. They didn’t seem convinced that the flames weren’t dangerous. 

Marx and Daroach didn’t bother waiting for them. Not wanting to be left alone, they finally pushed themself to take a step forward.

It was almost like the fire wasn’t even there.

They caught up to Marx shortly, who stopped suddenly.

He was looking down at something. “There’s a kid here.”

“Huh?!” Bandana Dee leaned over Marx’s shoulder.

“Didn’t I tell you to shush?!” he snapped.

“But you’re screaming right now and let Daroach speak?!” Bandana Dee replied in confusion.

“Yeah and? There’s a kid here,” he repeated.

Right in front of Marx was a little girl on the ground. She was curled up in a ball with her face to the ground, obscuring her expression. Unlike everyone else, the fire was burning the kid.

“Oh geez!” Bandana Dee gasped. They instinctively reached out to pick the kid up but their hands went right through her. “Huh?!” Their eyes widened. “Marx don’t just stand there–“

“This isn’t real,” Marx interrupted, unfazed. He kicked his leg through the girl, but it only phased through her. “I don’t know what’s going on, but we’re definitely still in Another Dimension.”

“It’s a dream!” Daroach called out. He approached the two, appearing out from the flames.

“Where have you been?” Marx asked.

“A dream?” Bandana Dee tilted their head.

“That door must’ve led us to some dream area. Hence why everything looks so drastically different and why the flames aren’t burning us alive right now. The world also ends if you walk far enough. It’s like we’re in a box surrounded by nothingness.” He swished his cane around the fire. “This girl is probably a part of the dream.”

“This seems more like a nightmare to me…” Bandana Dee mumbled. They kept their gaze on the poor child who was screaming in agony.

“Well if it’s just a dream then this kid’ll be fine. I’m more worried about getting the flip out of here,” Marx said.

“Hang on. There’s someone else here.” Daroach looked off in the distance and squinted his eyes. “Who’s there?!”

Marx and Bandana Dee turned around.

There was a hooded figure approaching from behind. They quite literally appeared out of nowhere. Behind them was total darkness rather than a continuation of the sky and ground. As they got closer, the three recognized him.

White robe lined with gold, and a veil. With those piercing yellow pupils.

“Hyness!” Bandana Dee was first to react. They pointed their spear at him, prepared to fight, but they were completely ignored.

“I think he’s also not real,” Marx remarked. “So you can chill out, buddy.”

Bandana Dee sighed and put their spear away on their back. “I’m not your buddy.”

Marx shrugged, “Sure thing, pal–whoa what’s he doing?” He turned his attention to Hyness and squinted his eyes.

He was now looking down at the burning girl.

At this point she couldn’t even whimper in pain because of the suffocating smoke. It’s a wonder how she’s held on so long in the first place.

Runes wrapped around his sleeves as he lifted them towards the kid.

An unnatural glow enveloped her. The flames no longer burned wildly, but in a controlled manner as it circled her.

Her hair, previously dark umber, turned bright red.

It was like the flames were being contained, with her body being the vessel.

Soon enough, the fire around was gone.

Although she was saved from being burned alive, the girl wasn’t unharmed by this process. Prominent burns as red as her hair slashed down from her eyes. They could be passed off as eyeliner, if seen from a distance.

The girl stood up with some assistance from Hyness. He was talking to her, but the words were muffled and even then they were speaking Jambandran.

“That’s…that was one of the Mage sisters!” Bandana Dee shouted in shock. “Are we in a dream of hers or–“

“This must be a memory! Not a dream,” Marx deduced. “We’re a memory of Flamberge’s.” He quietly noted that Hyness was a necromancer. How interesting. Those other mages must’ve gone through the same process as Flamberge. Her scars were a lot smaller than his, just how powerful was Hyness?

Hyness and Flamberge faded away as the memory ended.

The entire area turned black, though it wasn’t necessarily dark as the three of them could still see each other.

“How in the world did we get here?” Daroach asked.

“Another dimension is weird. Get used to ending up somewhere different every two seconds. The last time I was there…” Marx trailed off. His expression shifted from perplexed to realization. “Hang on! You, me, Bandana Dee–we seem like a completely random group but we’re all part of the Star Allies. Everyone was dragged in, weren’t they? It’s gotta be that old fart’s fault!”

“I thought Hyness died?” Bandana Dee said.

“Nah he’s probably alive. The Mage sisters managed to survive, or at least their bodies were intact when we were fighting Void Termina’s core. They might be here too, actually.”

“And how would you know this?” Daroach asked.

“I’ve spent a lot of time with the guy who lived in Halcandra, you pick up a few things about the messed up confusing ruin of a dimension that this place is.”

Soon enough, the scenery changed once more. Now it was back to what the three considered “normal” for Another Dimension with the yellow ground and no atmosphere.

Bandana Dee blinked their eyes to adjust to the bright surroundings. “Okay, to sum up everything, we’re here because Hyness is alive and for some reason decided to bring us here, how?”

“Another Dimension is an extremely unstable place. While it does change on its own all the time, with enough psychic energy, it can be influenced to create things like that memory we saw. The same psychic energy can also rip holes in space to drag us here. Judging by Hyness’s ability to break a seal on something as important as the seal for Void Termina and necromancy, he’s strong enough to do both. And we’re here because he wanted revenge, maybe? We didn’t exactly leave on good terms with that cult. I mean, we killed their ‘god’,” Marx shrugged.

“Okay, that makes almost no sense to me if I’m being honest. But are we going to talk about what we just saw? Hyness just saved that girl like it was nothing!” Bandana Dee said.

“Uhhuh, as I just said he’s strong.”

“And Flamberge is undead! Or something. Why was she even burning in a fire and where were we? It didn’t look like Popstar.”

“So am I! She’s not special! And there’s plenty of inhabitable planets other than Popstar. I’m not surprised you don’t know that because you spend all your time on the most peaceful one.”

“Would you two quit barking at each other? I’d appreciate it if we at least moved as you two speak.”

“Okay Mr. boss man, shouldn’t you be leading the way?”

Daroach rolled his eyes at Marx before walking along the path towards a tall wall the same color as the ground.

“You’re undead?” Bandana Dee asked Marx as they followed Daroach.

“What? You think this purple on me is just a super late birthmark or something? It’s a scar, dummy.”

They furrowed their eyebrows. “I don’t have much knowledge on magic, okay!? You don’t have to be so condescending all the time.”

Now close to the wall, they see an opening right at the bottom of it that they can walk through rather than climbing over it.

“And you don’t have to pry on my life–or I guess in this case my lack thereof.” Marx bumped into Daroach as he came to an abrupt halt. “Hey! What’s the hold up?”

“There are metal blocks in the way,” Daroach replies.

“And there’s a button on the ground. Oh how I wonder what that does!” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Yeah but pushing a random button isn’t the smartest thing to do–“

Marx cut Bandana Dee off by stepping on the button.

The metal blocks promptly blew up, but the ground began to rumble as well.

Bandana Dee looked behind them, seeing that the floor was rising up but quickly registered that it was them that was going down. “Move!” They shoved the two into a run.

They hastily climbed their way out, kicking a kabu out of the way they did.

Daroach exited the falling section of ground first with Bandana Dee scrabbling out after.

They looked back to Marx who couldn’t reach the stable ground without arms to pull himself up. 

“H–help me right now!” Marx screamed.

Bandana Dee used their spear to hook his suspender and hoist him up before the ground he was on plummeted down into the depths of space.

He collapsed to the ground as Bandana Dee dropped him. He drew out a sigh. “Oh thank the stars you’re stronger than you look.”

“A ‘thank you’ would be nice,” Bandana Dee said.

“Thank you…Daroach. For doing nothing as I almost died!” he shouted at the squeak.

Daroach tipped his hat to Marx as if the thanks was genuine.

Bandana Dee turned their back to Marx and walked onwards. “I’m gonna let him fall next time,” they muttered quietly enough so that only Daroach could hear.

Daroach chuckled. “Ah the pettiness of children.”

Marx stood up so that he wouldn’t fall behind. “Psh. I’m not a child,” he said.

“Yeah you are!” Bandana Dee contended.

Marx frowned.

“You are! You’re younger than me.”

“Probably by like, a year. Calling me a kid means you’re also a kid.”

“ It’s three years. I’m an adult.”

“SINCE WHEN?!” Marx shouted. He shook off his surprise. “Okay whatever! Marx is a little baby to you and the middle-aged squeak over there. I’ll spit on your graves for you.”

“You know, I think it was a gaffe to let you in the Star Allies,” Daroach said.

Marx narrowed his eyes. “I don’t even know what that word means you dillweed.”

“It means that it was a noticeable mistake to add you to the team,” Daroach taunted.

Bandana Dee facepalmed and tuned them out. So much for the truce. None of them could hold a conversation without it devolving into arguing.

Luckily a door was in sight, giving Bandana Dee a way to change the subject. “Look! Another door.” They pointed with their spear.

“And you’re a dirtball ding wad piece of–Oh hey cool, a door.”

Just as Bandana Dee hoped, Marx immediately switched his attention off from insulting Daroach to the door.

“I’ll see you on the other side, losers!” He ran past the others and through the door.

“Hey, hold up!” Bandana Dee shouted.

Daroach put a hand on their shoulder, stopping them from running after him. “You don’t have to babysit him, you know,” he said.

“Yes I do! Kirby is counting on me to keep him safe.”

“So what? He’s not glass and Kirby would be a hypocrite if he got mad at you if Marx got hurt. Really we should just ditch him.”

Bandana Dee shrugged off his hand. “I’m not ditching Marx. He’s a Star Ally whether you like it or not. Kirby let him on the team because he wanted him on the team.”

“And what about what you want?”

“I want…to be with Kirby right now, but that’s not happening until we get moving.” They stepped towards the door.

“I do wonder, why did you pick me to be the leader?”

Bandana Dee pretended not to hear the question. They went through.

“Wow, you two sure took your time! Seriously, I thought you were planning to abandon me. What part of ‘see you guys on the other side’ don’t you understand?” Marx said while tapping his foot on the ground. He was right in front of the door, Bandana Dee and Daroach almost bumped into him when going through.

“Did you wait in front of the door the entire time?” Bandana Dee asked.

Marx backed up to give them space. “Uh, duh! Why would I not? It’s almost like we decided to stick together.”

“You were the one that went ahead of us.”

Marx paused and clicked his tongue. He looked away from them. “Yeah okay true, but you took a concerningly long time to follow me.”

“You’re so sensitive. There’s no need to dwell on such a thing, really. Is someone hungry again?” Daroach chided. “Do you want to try to take over Another Dimension too? Maybe Kirby will appear to stop you.”

Marx’s eyes darted over to him dangerously. He frowned. “Me being hungry is not the problem here, and I do not appreciate it when people think it is,” he stated. “Let’s just go.”

Daroach walked ahead to lead, “As you wish.” He pushed his cape back, letting it drag behind him.

Bandana Dee and Marx kept their distance from him to avoid stepping on it.

This area of Another Dimension was a lot flatter than the previous one. The ground was more stable too, luckily. However, it was a lot more populated. Previously they could simply avoid any enemy because of how sparse they were. Now they were everywhere and being surrounded wasn’t uncommon. The three were forced to work together to take them down. Even though the chemistry between them was horrible, their individual strength was almost enough to make up for it. Almost.  

They were too spread apart. Too many foes were bunching up near Marx, the current weakest link with no magic.

Daroach was doing perfectly fine against his batch of foes, but he was too far away from Marx to help him.

Marx didn’t want to need help. He wanted to fight too. He wanted to decimate these weaklings before him, but he couldn’t. He was so powerless. He could do it so easily before. Before…

Bandana Dee impaled a blade knight in front of him. “What are you doing? You were almost stabbed!”

Marx growled in anger. Pushing himself past his limit, he conjured up rose seeds and threw them around himself. Thorned rose vines violently shot up and attacked the incoming foes, but it was hardly effective as they wilted in mere seconds.

He doesn’t have any magic to spare. All of it was being used to keep the nova running. His injured horn wasn’t the reason his magic was acting up. He was too low on energy, he needed food to replenish but this godforsaken place didn’t have any. So his body chose the next best thing.

“Marx!” Bandana Dee shouted as they watched him collapse to the ground. They spun their spear above their head, to get the attackers to back off. When they looked closer to see he was simply napping, they calmed down.

Luckily, Daroach finally bothered to get near the other two, freezing over the rest of the foes. “What happened to him?” he asked, though he hardly sounded worried.

“I’m not sure, I guess he was tired?” Bandana Dee replied. It was usual for noddies to fall asleep randomly, but Marx wasn’t a usual noddy. 

“He really is just dead weight,” Daroach scoffed.

“He’s not,” Bandana Dee grumbled. They confronted Daroach with a straight posture. “And I’m tired of you valuing someone based on how useful they are. I thought you would be a good leader because you already lead your gang, but now I just feel bad for your crew.”

Daroach’s eyes widened, but he said nothing.

Bandana Dee stood by Marx’s side until he woke up, which luckily was just a few minutes.

He woke up with a twitch, like he was shocked to life. “I’m up!” he announced. His eyes blinked open and he shrieked, “Who put the sun in my face?! Oh right, Another Dimension.” He stood and stretched his legs. “How long was I out?”

“Not too long. You’re not going to fall asleep like that again are you?” Bandana Dee asked.

“He better not,” Daroach muttered.

Marx kicked a ball in his direction without warning, causing him to duck. The ball ended up hitting a stray bronto burt behind Daroach. “Hopefully not, no promises though.”

“You cheeky little demon! You tried to hit me!”

“I was aiming at the bronto burt and you happened to be in the way,” Marx shrugged innocently.

“You couldn’t even see it!”

“Nevermind that!” Bandana Dee interrupted. “There’s one of those hearts again!” They pointed. 

Marx turned his head with an intrigued look.

The heart sat on the ground like an enticing reward for defeating all the enemies, but Bandana Dee dared not go near it.

Marx inched close to it and knelt down to scrutinize it. 

Yeah, it looked exactly like the ones Kirby would use during their adventure to defeat Void Termina. Wherever they came from is probably what gave Kirby those powers in the first place.

He touched it with his foot, and like last time with Daroach, it disappeared. He felt a sharp rush of energy go through him. These things were potent with magic.

“I think we should collect all of the hearts we find.”

“Why?” Bandana Dee said, rather aggressively.

“Just a gut feeling. They shouldn’t be left lying around here anyway.”

“They don’t really seem all that useful to me, but do whatever you want. I’m not going out of my way to grab them,” Daroach said.

“I’m not going near them,” Bandana Dee asserted.

“Sounds good to me.” He could use the extra magic, even though he was finally starting to replenish some. It’ll take a bit longer until he can actually use it without immediately running dry, however, because of the lack of food.

They set off once more. Luckily there weren’t more swarms of enemies, just puzzles consisting of hitting this with that, pulling the right levers, finding and pushing buttons, or bringing a key to a gate.

It was getting a bit exhausting doing puzzle by puzzle so Daroach decided to call for a break.

There weren’t really any places to sit but the ground so Daroach did just that. He sat right on the ledge to let his legs dangle in space.

Bandana Dee rested next to Marx against a weird yellow rock-like structure, away from the edge.

“I personally think it would be hilarious and useful to science if I shoved Daroach off right now and saw which direction he’d fall,” Marx whispered to Bandana Dee.

“Do not do that!” they shouted in turn. Their reaction getting a giggle out of Marx. “What is your problem with him anyway?”

Marx sat up from slouching. “I don’t have beef with him. It’s a joke, of course I won’t actually–ugh whatever nevermind.” They were so serious all the time and thought the worst of him. It was so different from what he was used to. Kirby always saw the best in him and Magolor humored his jokes, but Bandana Dee? What a wet blanket.

Never in his life would he willingly choose to be with these two.

After a bit, Daroach called off the break and they continued on.

Their scenery seemed to change as they walked forward.

Marx marched ahead while looking all around. “There’s trees around here! Weird. You don’t see that often here…”

Daroach’s ears flicked around. “Do you two hear the humming noise?”

“No, you’re going insane,” Marx deadpanned.

“Uh, yeah. It’s kinda creepy.” Bandana Dee surveyed the trees and then to space, catching sight of the planets. They kept their eyes on the star shaped one.

“That’s not Popstar, if you’re wondering.” Marx appeared right next to Bandana Dee, startling them.

“Ah!” They flinched back. “When did you get there!?”

Marx shrugged and giggled.

Bandana Dee frowned, only indicated by the slight wrinkles in their mask. “Why do you know so much about this place?”

“I told you. I’m friends with the nut that lived in it.”

“But Halcandra isn’t like this. I don’t know all about Gamble Galaxy despite living in Popstar. You’ve traveled here before, right?”

“I had to get to him somehow. How would we hang?” Marx answered while looking away.

“Fine. You don’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry for prying.” Bandana Dee turned their head away.

“Hey, you’re getting better at reading my room! Good on you.”

As they got closer to the door. The mystical humming silenced.

There were many more trees around the door. A few roots grew around it. This one was wider than the average door they’d come across and had three stars above it.

They entered cautiously.

“Aw nuts, are we in another memory?” Marx asked while surveying the area.

They appeared to be in some forest. The trees around were twisted and dark purple, greatly contrasting the previously yellowish trees prior to entering the door. They stood on a dirt path that led right up to a huge tree.

“Is that Whispy Woods?!” Bandana Dee exclaimed. “Don’t tell me the rifts can move trees too!”

“Calm yourself, that clearly isn’t the same Whispy Woods we know. Like Marx said, this could just be another memory,” Daroach said. He walked ahead of the two, approaching the tree carelessly.

The tree began to shake. Eyes and a mouth appeared on the trunk. Upon noticing the three, Parallel Woods blinked a few times before letting out a roar.

Apples, gordos, blados all rained down from its leaves. 

One of said apples fell straight onto Daroach’s head and dented his hat. “Ow!”

“It is NOT ANOTHER MEMORY!” Marx shrieked. He swiveled away from oncoming blados and gordos.

Immediately after the shaking stopped, the tree spat out air bullets towards all of them.

Daroach and Marx managed to dodge them.

Bandana Dee tried moving out of the way of one, but it followed. Normally air bullets weren’t that harmful but these ones exploded! They let out a cough. “They’re bombs!?”

“Don’t just stand there waiting for it to attack again!” Marx kicked a few exploding beach balls at Parallel Woods.

Bandana Dee grabbed their spear, but immediately retreated upon seeing Parallel Woods open its mouth. “RUN!”

It began to inhale.

Daroach did as Bandana Dee told and tried staying far away from it. Despite running as fast as they could, they were hardly a foot away from the tree.

Marx struggled to get his footing right after he kicked a ball at it and tripped with a yelp. 

Before he could be dragged into the tree’s mouth, Bandana Dee planted their spear into the dirt and grasped one of Marx’s sleeves.

Parallel Woods grew tired and stopped inhaling to catch its breath.

Marx didn’t waste time getting up to attack it alongside the other two.

Bandana Dee chipped away at the bark of the tree with their spear.

Daroach froze off some of its branches.

It shook once more, this time huge fiery fruits fell down and hung from vines.

Acting fast, Daroach extinguished them with his staff.

Bandana Dee grabbed one and briefly put down their mask to take a bite from one. “It’s edible. Marx, take some!”

“Can’t exactly grab it right now!” he retorted.

They ended up shoving it at Marx’s mouth instead. He devoured it quickly. “Oh I am so glad you didn’t do that mouth-to-mouth thing Kirby always does.”

Bandana Dee visually gagged at that thought. “Never in my life would I do that with you. Do you need another one?”

Instead of replying, bird-like hands appeared out from Marx’s sleeves. He grabbed a few freshly extinguished fruit himself and practically inhaled them with how fast he ate them.

Finally, some food in his system!

Parallel Woods grew angrier and uprooted itself.

“It’s gonna jump!” Bandana Dee yelled.

The tree leapt high in the air and smacked down in the middle of the dirt road. The force of it was great enough to knock the three of them apart.

Marx was separated from Bandana Dee and Daroach, who were at the other side of the tree. Huge roots prevented them from reuniting.

“Marx!”

He could hear Bandana Dee yell from the other side of the tree. “I’m alright!” he replied. Now with food and rest, he should be able to generate enough magic for this fight.

Parallel Woods grew triple its size and began to shake again.

Dread washed over Bandana Dee’s and Daroach’s faces as they saw a multitude of apples in the leaves about to crash down on them.

Marx only saw this as an opportunity.

Okay it’s been a good while since he’s done this, sure. Was it a dumb thing to try when he was so low on magic? Yeah definitely, but he’ll pull it off.

Wings emerged from his back and miraculously they worked for once. He was able to get off the ground. The wings curled around his body before they unfurled with a snap.

His body split in half with turquoise blood forming a barrier that kept his organs from falling out. In the middle of these halves a black hole formed and sucked up all of the apples as they fell. He immediately reassembled himself once the last apple was gone.

The tree jumped up again, trying to crush Marx, which he easily avoided by vanishing into the ground. 

Switching targets, it went towards Bandana Dee and Daroach. Apples fell down as it landed, but those would only leave bruises. It was the blados and gordos that they had to worry about.

Marx was still sectioned off by the roots and couldn’t see how the other two were doing. Deciding not to worry for now, he simply tried his best at dealing as much damage as possible while avoiding the falling objects. He got hit once or twice on the shoulder and back, but luckily it was only by the apples.

Parallel Woods planted itself down in the middle once more and spat out bigger air bullets at both sides.

Again, Marx had no problem dodging it by going into the ground. 

Daroach unleashed the final attack by blasting a beam of ice at it.

The tree shrunk and its roots retracted. A tear hung from its closed eye. It was defeated.

Without the tree or roots to block the way, Marx could reunite with the other two.

He rushed over to the other two, picking them up with one hand each and spinning around as he flew before landing a second later on the grass. He was laughing loudly. “Oh buddy I thought we were going to die!”

“Let go of me!” Bandana Dee yelled.

Their harsh tone took Marx aback. He was quick to realize that they were injured. Their leg was bleeding and had a huge gash on it. They had to use their spear to prop themself up.

Daroach gave them some support as well.

“Oh,” he sounded and looked more worried than they expected him to. “Oh shit!” he gasped.

“A blado landed on their leg,” Daroach said. There was a hint of worry rather than that usually cocky tone he had. His ears were folded back.

“Well then we’ll make a tourniquet, dumbass! Don’t just let them bleed out!” Marx rushed over to the trees to rip out a branch and hastily returned. He ripped off some fabric from his sleeve with his teeth. “Sit down!” he ordered Bandana Dee.

They complied, landing rather harshly. They’ve gone silent since they yelled out.

Marx crouched down next to their leg. He carefully wrapped the fabric above the wound. With the help of the stick, he tightened it enough to cut off circulation and tied it. “Okay,” he sighed. “Don’t–don’t move, you have to stay down. Daroach, can you see if there’s any more food nearby?”

Daroach nodded and immediately went searching.

“I’m sorry for picking you up. I didn’t know you were injured.” He talked quickly like he was being timed. “I wouldn’t have if I knew. I should’ve checked first–”

“Ugh idiot…” Bandana Dee grasped their head with their hands and shook.

At first Marx thought those words were targeted at him, but they weren’t even acknowledging him at the moment.

“I can’t even dodge a stupid blado even though I was warned. Now I’m slowing us down while my friends are somewhere in this messed up place probably alone. Who am I kidding about helping them? If I found one of them now I’d just be a burden.”

“Shut up!” Marx yelled. As soon as it slipped out he covered his mouth.

Even Daroach, who was in the forest, could hear Marx from where he stood.

Bandana Dee snapped their head towards him, eyes furious.

He moved his hand away and spoke again. “What was that you told me? Kirby wanted both of us to be okay because he cares about both of us. You’re his friend and friend’s aren’t burdens. If anyone thinks of you as a burden, you’re certainly not friends.” He pointed a finger at them sternly. “How about you be a friend to yourself and quit calling yourself a burden?”

Daroach returned from the forest. He had a few apples in his arms.

They no longer looked angry now, just exhausted. “You’re gonna tell me this,” they gestured at their leg, “isn’t burdening you two right now?”

“Yeah,” Marx said nonchalantly.

Daroach sat down next to the other two. He handed an apple to them. “...It’s an easy problem to fix.”

They looked at the apple in hand, they could see a vague reflection of themself in it. They brought their mask down to their chin to take a bite.

For a moment they just stayed on the grassy ground together as Bandana Dee ate, looking up into space and admiring the cosmos.

“You know, Marx, I’m surprised you’re competent enou–…I’m surprised that you know how to apply a tourniquet. Who taught you that?” Daroach asked.

“Meta Knight did, actually. Good thing I remembered how to actually do it. He taught me when I was very young.”

“Now that’s an entertaining notion, did he teach you when you were a toddler?”

“Yeah actually! I might’ve been that young.”

Daroach laughed. “Oh that old bat couldn’t raise a child if it killed him.”

“You’re telling me!” Marx cackled.

Bandana Dee finished eating the apple and put their mask back on. “I’m pretty sure great King Dedede spent more effort in taking care of you.”

Marx removed the tourniquet once a scab formed over the wound and threw it away. “Hey, how would you know about that?”

“I was there at the castle! I didn’t have my bandana yet so you probably couldn’t recognize me.”

“Still, Dedede wasn’t exactly open about all that. And it doesn’t matter if he ‘spent more effort’ he hates my guts.”

“He talked about you a lot, actually. Right before the Halberd incident, he was considering getting a proper room for you so you didn’t have to share with Meta Knight. Of course that idea was out of the window once Meta Knight tried taking over. Doesn't help that the next time he saw you after that was when you tried to take over the world .” They furrowed their eyebrows. “And then he thought you died after that. He never really hated you, at least, back then.”

“Psh, if he really didn’t hate me he wouldn’t have exiled me like Meta Knight.”

“But, he didn’t exile you or Meta Knight. You two did that yourselves” Bandana Dee said.

“Well I might as well have been with how all the Dream landers treated me,” he hissed. “I mean, I guess it wasn’t so bad living with Kirby.” But he was still a lonely outcast. He looked at the depths of space. “Kirby…I hope he’s okay right now.”

“Yeah, he’s been through too much,” Bandana Dee sighed.

“Right? Ugh! Why’d this have to happen right after he had a breakdown?”

“A breakdown?” Daroach chimed in. He raised his eyebrows. “What in the world could cause such a thing for Kirby?”

Marx and Bandana Dee looked at each other, both looking nervous.

Marx stood up. “Well that’s a long story and we should probably get going now!”

“I thought we were taking a moment to rest for Bandana Dee?”

“Nope! I’m fine now. We can go,” Bandana Dee assured. To prove their words they stood up by themself, though they leaned on their spear.

“Yup, no need for a tiresome story right now when we just got Whispy Woods defeated! That always means the first chunk of our adventure is over!–Oh what the shrimp is that?” Marx turned his attention to the tree.

Daroach stood up as well, brushing his cape off. “Oh sure, change the subject. Just say you don’t want to talk about it.”

“No seriously what is that?”

The other two looked as well, surprised to actually see something there.

There was a pink heart with a hilt and long sharp part that extruded from the bottom of it. It was glowing and floating inside of a faint magenta sphere with light whisking around it. Chimes could be heard from it. It was an ethereal noise, almost like it was singing.

Bandana Dee squinted at it. “It looks similar to a friend heart…”

“It looks like a weapon,” Daroach remarked.

“I’m gonna be honest with you guys, I think Magolor told me something about this before but I wasn’t listening. I’ll take one for the team, I’m touching it.” He walked towards it recklessly.

“Wait what!?”

Marx reached his hand out towards it, only to find out the sphere is solid. He grabs the sphere with both hands instead.

The three waited for the sphere to do something. 

“Huh,” Marx lifted it up then down and shook it a bit. Nothing.

And then a rift appeared.

Rather than sucking everyone up, someone appeared out of it. Too fast to see, they sped by, snatching the object out from Marx’s hands.

Marx did a double take. “Whuh? Oh come on!”

“There’s a trail of fire!” Daroach exclaimed .”Let’s go!” He ran off blindly, but as he neared the edge of the ground they were on, he found that the trail led to deep space.

“You heard the squeak!” Marx shouted.

Daroach heard Bandana Dee screaming from behind and turned to see them on Marx’s back, who was beelining straight to him. He let out a scream himself as Marx practically tackled him off the ground.

They didn’t fall, however.

Huge wings with many crystals for feathers spanned out and carried them along the fiery trail.