Stardust in the Spectrum: A Story About Kirby

Chapter 2

I paused for a moment as I heard voices draw near me. Cautiously, I peered down from the branch I was sitting on, picking up on some familiar voices. I saw the girl from earlier, as well as her brother speaking with someone while walking. Who are they talking to…? Wait, is that- “I see, have you tried speaking with the king yet? Perhaps he has seen Kirby around.”  I know that spanish accent and mask. The girl spoke, her ponytail being swept in the breeze as her brother nodded along at her words. “We’ve already tried that, Sir Meta Knight. Nobody in the town knows where Kirby is!”  Her brother piped up as he kicked a small rock with his shoe. “Yeah, we asked everyone!” Well, Meta from this universe doesn’t seem to appear very different. He still seems to carry that calm and level-headed personality, too. The masked knight himself hummed in acknowledgement to the children’s words. His usual bright amber eyes glowed a vine green, remaining silent for a brief moment as if pondering something. “Have you heard the news yesterday? Perhaps that bright flash of light in these woods could be the reason why Kirby is not here.” A small gasp came from the girl, as the boy beside her whipped his head around in suspicion of the strange light. Do they not know that the strange light came from a portal? “But… how- why? Kirby can’t disappear yet, he’s only just defeated Nightmare two days ago!” The boy’s sister seemed to be getting upset, if the worry laced in her words and the water in her eyes were anything to go by. My fingers gripped the branch, eyes widening as the last words churned in my head. Wait, the me from this universe defeated Nightmare just two days ago?  But I’ve defeated that guy so many years ago! My eyes narrowed, knuckles gone pale until I loosened my grip as I breathed out slowly. So that means Meta hasn’t tried to take over Dreamland with his halberd and crew yet… this is gonna be awkward. Has Marx even arrived on this planet yet? Meta seemed to choose his next words carefully, as if trying to console the two kids while also getting the truth across. “Unfortunately, that may appear to be the case- if you truly have checked everywhere and asked everyone.” This of course did nothing to calm down the girl, who’s voice only grew louder in worry as her brother looked down. “But then how are we supposed to get him back?” The swordsman shook his head, tossing a sympathetic look over his shoulder at the anxious children. “I’m afraid I do not know, Tiff.” I blinked at the girl. Huh, so that’s what her name is. My gaze was set on the group of three as they stood still in a moment of tense silence. Should I jump down and introduce myself and explain the situation…? Would they even believe me? I mean, they saw the flash of light, although that’s the only evidence there is to back up my explanation. I let out a silent huff, deciding to take a leap of faith- in a literal sense by jumping down from the tree branch. The grass felt wilted underneath my feet as I stepped towards them. The young boy was the first one to introduce himself, as Meta eyed me wearily. “Oh, hey there. My name’s Tuff, are you new here?” This caused his sister to glance at me, and for the masked knight to glare slightly. Just as cold as ever, aren’t you Meta? Even when the me from this universe hasn’t even stopped that mistake you made in the past. I released a breath before speaking, carefully thinking over my words. “Yes, I am new here. It’s a pleasure to meet you, my apologies if I interrupted anything.” The girl tapped her foot on the ground while Meta seemed to barely relax his tense posture, eyes glowering at me. “Well, my name’s Tiff, and Tuff is my brother.” I nodded, saying that it was nice to meet her as well before the lone knight himself piped up. “I’m assuming that you are not from around here. Where did you come from?” I resisted the urge to raise a brow at him. Really, Meta? You could at least try to act less suspicious. I decided to answer him as truthfully as possible without immediately giving away the situation. “I’m from this planet, I was just traveling around to different places.” The boy tilted his head at me as he inquired. “So you’re a traveler, huh? What’s your name?” I paused for a brief moment, as Meta immediately narrowed his eyes at my hesitation. “My name is… actually- why don’t I explain exactly how I got here?” All of their eyes flashed in confusion as I continued. “So you might have seen a burst of light come from this forest yesterday... “ I cleared my throat while they nodded, the swordsman still not bothering to even try and hide his suspicion. “Well, that light came from a portal. A portal that led to my universe… which I’ve discovered is actually a parallel universe to this one.” The children’s eyes were quick to light up in curiosity and excitement as Tuff barreled out a question. “Woah, really- you came from a parallel universe?” I nodded, smiling slightly at their enthusiasm. Meta was the one to bring up the next inquiry. “So, do you know any of us?” My line of vision flicked to his unyielding stare as I replied. “I only recognise you, actually.” He cast a sharp nod in my direction. The more energetic one of the three repeated his question from earlier. “So, what is your name?” Holding back from biting my lip, I figured it was best to give a direct answer rather than beating around the bush- despite my earlier hesitation. “Well, I suppose you would find out eventually… my name is-” My sentence was cut off from a loud voice as two people came up to us. “Are ya still investigating that bright flash o’ light, over here?” The king spoke up in a demanding voice- which was different than the casual tone I was used to from him in my universe. Tiff was the one who explained their newfound knowledge to the king and… whoever the green-haired guy next to him was. The male next to him scratched his chin as he replied. “So…” He darted his sight to my own. “You’re from a parallel universe, from which you apparently recognise Meta Knight. The portal that brought you here disappeared after that flash of light- and you were about to say your name until we got here.” I nodded to his statements as the king prompted me. “So, what is your name then- and do you know either of us?” My reply was simple as I cut straight to the point, tinted blue eyes looking at the king. “The only people I recognize and know so far are you and Meta. As for my name… it’s Kirby. Kirby of the Stars.” I ended the last line in a smaller voice, breathing out a sigh as everyone’s eyes widened. The king was the first one to holler out. “What? No way! You can’t be Kirby- the Kirby I know is like-” He straightened his palm and lowered it to around half my height. “This tall!” A look of confusion graced my face now as well. Even Meta seemed shocked, whereas the two kids’ jaws have dropped rather comically. The masked knight was the first to speak after King Dee’s… bold reaction. “So, you are Kirby from a parallel universe... that would make sense considering the Kirby we know is currently missing. You must have swapped places with him.” I sent a nod in his direction, before looking at the girl’s meadow green eyes when she spoke. “Our Kirby is in your universe right now…? But the portal is gone- how are you going to get back to your universe and how is he gonna return to us?” An empathetic look crossed my features as I replied in a quiet voice. “I’m afraid I haven’t figured out a solution to that, quite yet. Not to worry though, I’ll work something out.” I offered her a small smile, my eyes soft as I tried calming her down. The green-haired guy next to the king ruined the moment. “Huh, you’re better at comforting others than Meta Knight is.” The swordsman in question shot a glare at him, whilst I cleared my throat awkwardly. With a huff, the king next to him drew my attention towards him as he declared. “Well, what are me and Meta Knight like in your universe?” My shoulders bunched up and fell back down in a shrug. “I can’t really say the differences since I haven’t really gotten to know what you both are like from this universe yet. Although your appearances and accents are very similar, from what I can tell so far.” After they both nodded, I prompted him. “So what am I like in this universe? I walked around the town yesterday after landing in the woods, and nobody seemed to recognize me.” Meta spoke up this time, a thoughtful expression plastered on his face. “That wouldn’t be surprising at all, considering in this universe you are a toddler.” My eyes widened momentarily while he continued. “You don’t even seem to act like the Kirby we know. You appear to come across as much more mature and experienced. Tell me, how many battles have you been in?” I scratched my neck, sight flicking towards the ground before returning to meet his gaze. “Honestly, I lost count quite a few years ago. One too many battles, if I had to say.” I gave a half-hearted shrug, keeping my voice light as an airy chuckle slipped through my breath. Empathy clouded within the masked knight’s eyes as he nodded solemnly in understanding. “So what is your relationship like with the parallel me?” I inquired. The king answered this time, the guy next to him glancing up at him along with me. “Meta Knight is sort of like a mentor to ya, and I’m uh... “ I tilted my head as he trailed off, hesitance strewn across his face. “I’m sorta like an enemy, or a rival of sorts to ya.”  I blinked before replying. “Alright. I suppose I should share what my relationship is like to your parallel selves.” Everyone settled their focus on me, curiosity gleaming inside their eyes. “Both you and Meta are similar to frenemies to me in my universe. Sometimes I have to fight you guys in order to save the universe. Other times, we team up with each other to save the universe. Although I will admit, the latter of the two is more seldom.” Meta nodded slowly while King Dee darted his eyes to the side, an unknown emotion settled on their features. Everyone else had a similar reaction. After a moment of silence, the swordsman looked at me and nodded. “Thank you for telling us.” I cast a silent nod to him in return as the group either looked at me with an unknown emotion or kept their gazes fixed somewhere else. I clasped my hands together, pondering what to do next. Distant chatter from a town in the meadow carried on as the sun climbed down from its highest peak.