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Shady spun their staff out in front of them. Blocking and shattering the mirror projectiles that were just launched at them.
They looked up at their opponent: Dark Meta Knight. His cape moved around in the faint breeze that was always present in the innermost part of the Dimensional Mirror.
Shady couldn’t lie, they were exhausted. They shook off a bit of the tiredness and lunged for Dark with their staff.
Dark jumped back, easily avoiding Shady’s attack. He moved his sword behind him and began to charge it up. Preparing to launch a beam at Shady.
It took a moment for Shady to register what was happening. They held their staff up in front of them, attempting to block Dark’s attack-
SNAP!
Their staff broke, they heard their ability discard.
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Dark scoffed. Turning away from Shady, “What was that.”
Shady didn’t respond.
“That was not your best.” Dark continued, “You were unable to land a single blow on me.”
Shady remained silent.
“Say something. Explain yourself.” Dark turned back around.
Shady looked like they were going to cry. Dark didn’t intend to make Shadow Kirby cry (for once).
Dark sighed, walking over to Shady and allowing his sword to vanish into blue light, “Look, kid.” Dark waited for Shady to make eye contact, or at the least look at him, “There is clearly something on your mind right now. Spit it out.”
“Kirby.” Shady looked back at the floor the moment Dark wasn’t demanding their attention.
“What about them?” Dark was… confused. Kirby wasn’t usually the type to make someone sad when thought about.
“They’re missing, I- I haven’t seen them in a week!”
Dark turned away, thinking.
“... I’m sorry, Dark, I-”
“There is no need to apologise, Shady.” Dark paused, “Come to think of it, I have not heard from Meta Knight either.”
Shady appeared by Dark’s side in an instant, “Then what are we waiting for?!”
“What-” Dark could barely get out a word before Shady forcefully grabbed his hands in theirs and attempted to drag Dark away.
“We have to find them!” Shady smiled.
Dark pulled his hands away, wrapping himself in his cape, “No, we do not!”
Shady’s smile fell. They hated to make Shady sad, they were their little sibling after all. But for once, this was a necessary evil.
“We are not responsible for their actions.” Dark glared at Shady, “Chances are it is something simple that Kirby can handle-”
“And what if it isn’t!” They were infuriated.
“... then the rest of the Star Allies can handle it.” Kirby wasn’t his responsibility. Even if there was a pain in his soul at the thought of something happening to them.
“Well I’m going.” Shady turned to leave. Floating their way up to the Dimensional Mirror above them.
That didn’t bother Dark at all.
It didn’t bother them that Shady could be risking their life for nothing.
It didn’t bother him that both Kirby and Meta Knight were missing.
It. Didn’t. Bother-
“Wait.” Dark closed his eyes. It bothered them.
Shady stopped next to the Dimensional Mirror, leaning against it with a knowing smirk. This happened often, and Shady knew to just wait a little longer for Dark to give in.
“When was the last time you saw Kirby?” Dark looked up at Shady.
“Hm…” Shady thought for a moment, “One week ago, I think. We were-”
“One week. That lines up suspiciously well with Meta Knight vanishing…”
“So you’ll help!?” Shady’s face lit up.
“Shady. I have a favour to ask of you.”
“Yeah?”
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Dark threw their cape at Shady’s face. Shady barely had time to get it off before Dark landed beside them, “Stay behind in the Mirror World.”
“Why?! It’s my counterpart too, you know!” Shady glared at Dark, he was unbothered.
“I know.” Dark’s eyes showed something genuine for a moment, “But you are the rightful protector of our world. You are stronger than me, Shady.”
“Wh- HUH?!” Shady stuttered, they blinked once, twice. Confusion swallowed them whole, “Stronger- you? ME?!”
“Indeed.” Holy Mirror they were being serious. Dark meant it.
“...” Shady didn’t know what to say.
The words slowly formed, “... you really think so?”
“Mm.” He smiled. He genuinely smiled.
“Alright.” Shady brought their hand up to a salute, “I’ll stay back here! You better find those two soon!”
Dark let out a small, almost inaudible, laugh. “Understood.”
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Dark stepped through the mirror. Immediately, they began to conjure a shard. Central Circle wasn’t a place they enjoyed hanging around.
“Hello? Dark?” Magolor’s voice came from the shard. That was quick. Usually the mage took a lot longer to answer his calls.
“Hey.” Dark didn’t have time to prepare… words. How were they even going to explain this.
“Why in Void’s name are you calling me?” Magolor tilted his head, the image on the shard showed him perfectly.
Well, here goes. “... My counterpart, has he-”
“Meta? You actually want to talk about him?” Of course Magolor cut him off. What else did he expect.
“- Let me finish.” They glared at the mage.
“Sorry, sorry!” Magolor raised his hands in surrender.
“Has he left the dimension with you?”
“Nope! The Lor is parked firmly on Ripple Star.”
“Ah, well-” Dark paused, “... Why in the Mirror are you on Ripple Star?
“Adeleine needed a ride. You were saying?” Magolor leaned on his desk.
“Right.” Dark had gotten sidetracked, “My counterpart is missing.”
“M-missing?” Magolor sat up, looking a little worried.
“Mm. I have not been able to sense him in a week.”
“Well, maybe he’s just off planet, or-”
“Kirby is missing too.”
“... oh my Void.” Magolor’s face went blank momentarily.
“You see the problem now, yes?” Dark glanced at the shard, making sure that Magolor could see their annoyed look.
“So why are you calling me? I can’t exactly do much at the moment…”
“First of all, I had no idea you were on Ripple Star.” Dark glared even harder at Magolor. Magolor, who had been friends with them for a few months now, was used to their glares, and knew not to take them to heart.
“Second of all,” He continued. “I was hoping they were with you, and I would not have to bother with heading outside.” Dark could feel himself shudder at the word.
As much as Dark hated everything (which they were aware got annoying to be around), they hated Popstar’s sunny skies the most. Everything felt so… happy out there.
The Mirror World was never like that, at least, not in Dark’s lifespan. He was jealous.
“Calm down,” Magolor rolled his eyes, “A little sun won’t kill ya!”
… There was another reason he hated Popstar.
“... Dedede might.” Dark looked at Magolor. They were genuinely afraid of that King. Dedede and them hadn’t met until Kirby formed the Star Allies, but Dedede had heard the tales, and knew better than to trust them.
Magolor’s expression softened, and he wrung his hands together, thinking. “If it helps… I could stay on the line with you? Explain to the King if you get in trouble for existing again.”
As much as Magolor played off his last sentence as a joke, it was far from it.
“... I would greatly appreciate that.”
With that, they spread their torn wings, and took to the skies. They used a little bit of magic to keep the shard trailing behind them.
He landed next to the Dimensional Mirror.
They felt themself hesitate.
“You can do this, Dark Meta Knight. I’ve got your back!” Magolor smiled.
Dark turned towards the shard, prepared to make a comment about Magolor sounding like a terrible motivational speaker…
But all he could do was smile back.
Dark left the Mirror World, and was immediately greeted not by Popstar’s perpetually sunny sky, but a raging portal.
“By the Mirror-”
Dark could feel themself get pulled in, slowly.
Just to his right, he could hear the sound of the shard… cracking.
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When Dark Meta Knight left the Mirror World, the video cut out mysteriously. Magolor tried to fix it, hitting buttons and switches on his desk, but whatever the issue was, it was on Dark’s end.
At least the audio stayed.
“Magolor! Magolor! I-” The genuine fear in Dark’s voice was something Magolor rarely heard from the dark knight.
“Dark Meta Knight?! What’s going on?” Magolor could feel the panic set in.
“You have to listen to me! There’s- Gah!” Magolor could hear the sounds of strong winds, just what was going on?
“Dream Land isn’t safe! There’s-” Dark kept… pausing. The audio wasn’t cutting out, but he seemed focused on something else.
“Portal, in the sky!” He sounded out of breath.
“Please, Magolor, tell Shady not to leave the Mirror-”
Dark’s voice stopped. He was gone.
Magolor got up from his desk, and started to pace.
“No, no no no.” He put his hands to his head, pulling down on his ears as hard as he could. Trying to block out the reality of what had just happened.
“If Dark got pulled in… then surely everyone is…” Magolor could feel himself spiral.
What could he even do-
“Right. Shadow Kirby.” Magolor moved the call that used to hold Dark Meta Knight’s voice to house half of his screen. He pressed a few buttons on his desk and called Shadow Kirby.
“... Hey?” A still image of Shadow Kirby’s face appeared on Magolor’s screen. The kid didn’t have a camera on their phone (at least they used one, unlike Dark).
“Shadow Kirby! Listen to me, kiddo, please.”
“Magolor?” Shadow must’ve heard the panic in his voice.
“You can’t leave the Mirror World right now, okay? Dream Land isn’t safe, and-”
“Dream Land is in danger?!” Shadow Kirby’s tone picked up.
“Well- Yes! But-”
“Then I’m going! Kirby needs my help!”
“Kid, Wait-!”
Click!
“... Voiddammit.” Magolor let his head hit his desk. He had failed.
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Dark tried their best to avoid all of the rocks and debris flying towards them. There were so many, and they were all coming so fast-
One nearly hit his wing. He couldn’t try reaching for the shard anymore, it was too risky.
They kept their wings flared out, trying to catch wind and buy more time to dodge.
Unfortunately, that only made him a bigger target.
CRACK!
Dark’s vision blurred, white hot pain coursed through his wing, he could feel every miniature crack burn as chips flew off of his wing.
Everything faded to black.
All Dark Meta Knight could do…
Was hope that Shady was okay.
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A blue-green energy, a piece of something larger than they could know, began to swirl around Dark Meta Knight.
It made its way to his soul, and connected.