Stardust in the Spectrum: A Story About Kirby

Chapter 9

The princess immediately dashed to the side, her pale hand reaching to grasp the handle of a weapon strapped to her back. As if I hadn’t fought opponents with this sort of fighting style before. With a click of my tongue, I reeled my shoulders back and dodged her attack. Wait, is that an umbrella she’s using? Interesting choice of weapon, but alright. To each their own, I suppose. I noticed her eyes narrow as I kept dodging her, sky blue hues flashing as if daring me to make my first move. Yeah, sorry princess. But I don’t waste my energy on those who aren’t a real threat. She grit her teeth, lips pursed as she continued to swing her umbrella as I blocked it with my sword. Then the blonde decided to speak. “Usually you always try to end the match as soon as possible…” Her gaze hardened as I searched for a strategy to knock her umbrella out of her tight grip. “So why the sudden change of mind?” I ignored the inquiry as I struck my blade into the ground. Brows furrowed in confusion, she paused in her movements for a brief second. To which I hurled my body upwards, gripping the blade as I flipped myself over her. Her acute gasp was barely audible as I landed behind her, doing a tuck and roll as she spun around to face where I supposedly was. I was quick to take a hold of her pink and white umbrella and fling it across the room into a shadowed corner away from the platform. While her fingers splayed out as she clutched thin air, I stepped back whilst she turned on her heel to face me. My face was akin to a stone statue, not an ounce of emotion in my tinted blue eyes. Voice monotone, I piped up as she continued to stare with a shocked expression. “I believe this match is over, have a good day.” Right as her jaw fell partially open, I turned to make my leave. “Wait!” I halted in my tracks at the high-pitched voice of the princess. “You’re not the Kirby I know.” Unsurprised that she realized I’m not who she originally thought, I turned on my heel to face her. “No worries, I’ll be out of here and hopefully back into my own universe shortly. As soon as I leave this universe, the friend- or foe, that you know will be back. Farewell, it was nice meeting you.” My breath held still at her unexpected inquiry after I finished speaking. “What do you mean by ‘hopefully back in your own universe’?” At her emphasis on the word ‘hopefully’, I cast her a half-hearted shrug as I gazed at the curiosity within her gaze. “The portal that brought me here is on another planet… although it’s a portal that takes you to four different universes. One of them being my own. I’m just… not entirely sure which timeline graph is the correct one to go to. So I’m traveling to each universe to see which one is mine. Still have three more to try out.” A thoughtful expression lingered on her face as I tapped my foot awkwardly. Why am I always bad at social situations? Oh right, because of how many times I’ve been betrayed by those I thought were trustworthy. Her next words however, caused a flicker of shock to take presence in my eyes. “Why don’t you come with me back to the mansion where all the match contestants stay? I think I may know of a few people who could help you figure out which timeline is your universe.” My eyes widened slightly, a look of surprise taking over my features. Nobody has actually ever tried to genuinely help me unless the entire universe was at stake. She barely even knows me, so why…? My mouth opened and closed like the awkward star warrior I am before finally managing to get an answer out. “Uh, are you sure…? I mean, you’d probably want to get the me that you know back in their proper universe as soon as possible, right? I wouldn’t want to cause any disturbances or-” A semi-deep voice interrupted my nervous rambling, to which I became mentally grateful for. “Kirby.” I turned to face Meta, who was apparently sitting on the bleachers this whole time. “It is not a problem, we can help. She wouldn’t have offered if she knew that none of us would want to.” I nodded slowly, trying to send a small smile in their direction and failing to do so. “Alright… thank you.” With a sharp nod, the masked knight continued to speak. “We can take Star Fox’s spaceship to the planet where that portal and timeline graph is, so he and a few others can take a look at it. They know about machines that deal with matters like space traveling and timeline rifts.” Huh, Mags is the only one with any knowledge in that subject that I know of. With a hum of acknowledgement, I prompted him to lead the way as we walked out of the arena. “How does anyone even afford a mansion like this..?” I breathed out as we stepped in front of the mansion. Meta replied with a simple answer. “The government pays for it.” Nodding, I asked one last question. “How did you manage to make a deal with the government?” The princess responded this time as she turned the silver doorknob. “They wanted an idea for a new sport, and we offered to pitch in. Before you know it, we made it happen.” Upon stepping inside, there was a yellow rug that appeared to be more of a golden color with a black logo in the center. The logo design in itself was simple, a circle with two lines drawn unevenly across it to make four different sized corners. The hardwood floors had chips within the grooves of the chestnut planks, a clear sign of the mansion’s age. Not to mention, the current argument taking place in the kitchen. The princess sighed upon the sight, whereas I stood still- unsure of what to make of the scene. “For the last time, I did  not take a single mushroom from the cupboard! Nobody even likes mushrooms except for you, Mario!” I flicked my sight back and forth between the two arguing males, as Meta stepped forward to deal with the nonsense. “Well, someone had to have made mushroom ravioli last night!” A scoff followed from the other, as he adjusted his long forest green hat. “Ask Kirby then, they’re always trying out all sorts of recipes!” The latter shook his head, completely ignoring the caped swordsman drawing near as he huffed- arms crossed against his blue denim overalls. “Kirby promised me that they wouldn’t take any of the mushrooms I bought. Besides, they always buy their own groceries whenever they decide to cook or bake!” Meta cleared his throat to grasp their attention, as the two males whipped their heads around to face the annoyed knight. “Oh, hey. Sorry about the commotion. We were just debating on who took Mario’s mushrooms.” I took a glimpse at the shorter male with the red cap and blue overalls. So that’s his name… what about the one who looks like a woodland hunter? Meta heaved a quiet sigh, whilst I pondered just how many times a situation like this has occurred before. “I believe there is a more significant matter at hand than a can of mushrooms.” The one in red- Mario, raised a brow as the caped knight continued. “There is an alternate version of Kirby here, and they need help getting back to their own universe. Once they return to their home, then our Kirby will automatically switch with them again.” The green one nodded as Mario flicked his gaze towards me and the princess. Soon enough, the rest of the contestants who lived in this mansion were all gathered in the living room. Meta explained the situation to them, and not a moment later questions came barreling out one by one. “Wait, so do you know any of us?” Before I could respond, another voice chimed in. “How did you get here?” My sight flicked back and forth between everyone as several different voices piped up. I cleared my throat, raising a hand to try and silence the room. “I’ll answer the first two questions, since they seem to be the biggest ones.” Not to mention the most reasonable. Everyone settled down, curious gazes set on me. I’ve never once liked being the center of attention. With a silent sigh, I spoke. “The only ones I know are Meta and King Dee.” I ignored the whisper in the back in favor of continuing. “As for the second question, I arrived here from a portal on an abandoned planet near the center of our galaxy.” Other than another whisper or two, including the same one from before, everyone was quiet. “This Kirby gave them nicknames? I wonder how close they are...” What’s up with everyone questioning my relationships? After clearing my throat, whoever whispered that abruptly stopped and didn’t speak another word. Well then. “So should we start with introductions?” I nodded at the male with the long green hat, who looked very much like a woodland hunter. He cast a nod my way, speaking with a lighter tone. “Well then, my name’s Link.” I managed a faint smile, turning to the next voice who piped up- who happened to be the princess that offered help. “My name is Peach, I suppose I should’ve told you that sooner.” I nodded, as everyone else began introducing themselves. The name-sharing ended up lasting until dusk befell the land and smothered the sky with shades of orange and blue. Meta spoke after a moment of silence passed. “Since it is already late, we should turn in for the night. You can sleep in the room at the end of the hallway upstairs, if you’d like- or rather, your alternate’s room.” Casting him a nod and a simple thanks, I wished everyone good night and went to the room he mentioned. I found a pair of dark gray joggers in the dresser, the cotton as soft and warm as the baggy red shirt I wore with it. I’ll be sure to wash them before I take my leave. After setting my day clothes aside in a folded pile, I bundled myself up in the navy blue sheets on the bed. The world turned dark as I listened to the hushed whispers on the other side of the wall and the whistling of the vents.