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A cloudless day. In the now-peaceful daytime halls of Dedede Castle.
Beneath a brilliant blue sky, the castle stood quiet and still.
The presence of Dark Matter that had covered the place just moments before had vanished without a trace. Pale sunlight streamed softly through the stone corridors, illuminating each joint in the floor with clarity. The wind was gentle, and from far away came the peaceful scent of Popstar's grasslands.
Despite the scars of turmoil remaining throughout, the castle now possessed a surprising stillness. As if breathing out a long sigh, the entire structure was slowly reclaiming its composure.
"Hey there! King Dedede, glad you're okay!"
"Oh, o...?"
Faced with the small, round visitor, King Dedede shot up from where he'd been sprawled on the floor. Still struggling to comprehend the situation, his large eyes darted around the room.
Gone. Neither the black shadow nor the white one remained anywhere—
"Huh?! Where'd those white Dark Matters go!?"
"Dark Matter? Oh, Gooey and I took care of them!"
"S-So... Dream Land was saved by you again, huh?"
"That's not right—I said Gooey helped! And everyone else pitched in too, so it wasn't just me!"
"Haha, yeah, you're right. 'You guys' saved us, I guess."
Kirby bounced cheerfully, his round body swaying with energy. Meanwhile, King Dedede kept his arms crossed, a thin wry smile on his lips, but something complex flickered in the depths of his eyes. Relief at being saved, mixed with the bitter taste of his own helplessness.
"Kirby, have you seen Meta Knight anywhere?"
"Meta Knight? Nope, haven't seen him since I brought down the battleship, that's it!"
"I see. Well, I guess he managed to get away."
King Dedede let out a relieved breath, but immediately narrowed his eyes and pressed a hand to his broad forehead. A long silence seeped into the castle's air.
Whether thinking or searching for words, his mouth remained unusually reticent.
"Man, I gotta talk to that guy again... I said some pretty harsh stuff, even if he did nail me on it. But he's hard to deal with—where the heck did he go anyway?"
"I don't really know. Um... does that mean you want to apologize?"
"Eh, w-well..."
King Dedede adjusted his crossed arms and turned away. His large body seemed to shrink slightly. This uncharacteristic hesitation spoke louder than any further words. Kirby studied King Dedede for a moment, then his face suddenly brightened.
"Then leave it to me! I'll find him and deliver your message!"
"Wh-Whoa!?"
"See ya!"
"H-Hey! I never said—never mind, do what you want!"
By the time King Dedede's voice echoed through the hallway, the round figure had already disappeared. The king stared after him for a while, then let out a sigh that was part exasperation, part amusement.
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
A star on the periphery of Popstar—Floralia, the planet of seasons. True to its name, passing through each door takes you from spring to summer to autumn to winter in an endless cycle.
The spring space Kirby had entered was covered with flowers of every color under soft sunlight. The breeze carried sweet hints of pollen. On a small hill, cherry-blossom-like trees spread their branches, their petals drifting lazily through the air. In the midst of this peaceful scene stood Meta Knight's army. A Warp Star descended in an arc from the sky, and riding it was a small round figure waving energetically.
"Meta Knight! The Meta Knights are all here too! Finally found you—I've been looking everywhere!!"
"Lord Meta Knight!? Wh-Why has Kirby come all the way to Floralia...?"
Axe Knight, who had been in the middle of training with his axe, froze mid-motion, his hollow eyes widening. The crew members and the Meta Knights alike all stopped what they were doing. The sudden arrival rippled through the calm spring air with tension.
"T-This is terrible! What do we do!?"
"What's the meaning of this!? Have you come to pursue us!? Could this be a finishing blow—!?"
While his soldiers erupted in chaos, Meta Knight alone remained calm. He fluttered his cape-turned-wings and rose silently into the air, landing soundlessly right in front of Kirby. His yellow eyes, visible through the mask's openings, fixed directly on Kirby.
"Kirby. If you have business with me, we can speak elsewhere."
"Huh? Sure, I understand."
The two departed from Meta Knight's army to a spring clearing set with blooming flowers. In the distance, Twizys hopped lightly from branch to branch. The gentle spring light enveloped them both, and a soft breeze caressed Kirby's round cheeks. In a place almost surreally peaceful, the two faced each other. Meta Knight's yellow eyes watched Kirby quietly.
"What do you want? Have you come to judge the great sinner who nearly invaded Dream Land?"
"What are you talking about?"
"........"
The silence from Meta Knight was brief but heavy.
Struggling with Kirby's completely unexpected response, Meta Knight seemed unable to find the right words.
"King Dedede wanted to apologize for saying mean things to you. That's all!"
"...What?"
The yellow within the mask wavered faintly. That monosyllable, stripped of all intimidation and wariness, sounded almost helpless coming from that usually aloof knight.
The spring breeze carried flower petals along without a care. Kirby, unbothered by Meta Knight's reaction, continued cheerfully:
"So I delivered the message. Oh, and those white Dark Matters? We took care of them, so everything's fine now. Come back to Dream Land with us!"
"Are you serious?"
It was a merciless question. Yet Kirby merely tilted—or rather, swayed—his entire round form with that same carefree smile.
Meta Knight continued in a cool voice:
"Why are you so casual about this? Have you forgotten what I did?"
"That's in the past. Besides, you're not really an invader or anything. You were just worried about Dream Land in your own way, right?"
"........"
Meta Knight said nothing. He started to object, but words wouldn't come, and only the edge of his cape trembled slightly.
His eyes narrowed behind the mask. Whether it was exasperation, resignation, or something else entirely—even Kirby, with his carefree and easygoing nature, couldn't tell.
"You have always been beyond reason."
That was all Meta Knight muttered. He turned his gaze away to the spring flowers beyond.
His masked profile was complex—neither surrender nor acceptance.
"Beyond—what?"
"Never mind. Deliver a message to that self-proclaimed king for me."
"I'll help you guys get along—" "I make no debts to you. Consider this Invincibility Candy your reward."
Meta Knight cut off Kirby mid-sentence, offering the candy with a single, minimalist gesture.
It was a movement containing only the intent: Take it.
"You don't need to give me anything. But I'll gladly accept it—yay!!"
Kirby took the candy and memorized Meta Knight's message. Then, waving innocently with a "See you~," he hopped onto his Warp Star.
The small round figure grew smaller as it was pulled into the spring sky. Meta Knight watched that retreating silhouette in silence for a moment. Just where did that boundless carefree optimism come from?
Turning on his heel, he walked back toward his soldiers. They held their breath collectively in anticipation.
"Lord Meta Knight, what did Kirby say to—"
"Trivial matters. Pay it no mind."
Meta Knight returned to his army and fluttered his cape as if nothing had happened.
"What's important is that Dark Matter was defeated and Popstar was saved, as the captain predicted."
"I-I didn't mean it as a prediction or anything, sir...!"
Captain Bahl frantically waved both hands, his cheeks flushing faintly—though that could have been the spring weather.
"So we can go back!?"
"Yes, we can! Back to our training in Dream Land!!"
"Hooray, hooray! Let's all go home!"
Cheers burst into the spring air. Axe Knight raised his weapon triumphantly, while Mace Knight and Trident Knight clapped each other on the shoulders. Waddle Dee and Javelin Knight bounced around joyfully, forming a circle. The long, unfamiliar journey and tension seemed to melt away all at once.
Floralia's spring breeze swept gently through the celebrating group.
"........"
While his soldiers' voices rang out in joy, Meta Knight alone fell silent.
Noticing this, Axe Knight and Mace Knight exchanged glances and carefully turned around.
"L-Lord Meta Knight?"
"Could it be you don't want to return to Dream Land...?"
"Floralia is a fine star, but it lacks training value. Make preparations."
"Y-Yes!"
"At once!"
Excited replies scattered about, and the soldiers hurried into motion. The spring wind swept up flower petals, scattering them around their feet in vibrant colors. Meta Knight watched them for a moment, then quietly turned on his heel.
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
Meanwhile, at Dedede Castle—
The great hall, restored to peace, was bathed in warm sunlight. Beyond the windows stretched a brilliant blue sky, and Popstar's air was so clear and serene as if those dark clouds had never existed.
Sucking on the Invincibility Candy he'd received as a reward, Kirby relayed Meta Knight's words to King Dedede:
"He said, 'Apologies are redundant. We shall decree that day as non-existent. Understood?' ...What does that mean?"
"Stubborn fool..."
King Dedede sighed in exasperation and gazed out the window. The blue sky of the now-peaceful Dream Land stretched endlessly. Utterly peaceful, with none of the eerie presence from that day.
What emotion played across his expression, Kirby couldn't say. Kirby still couldn't tell what expression had crossed his face. Even so, what remained between them was not an unpleasant silence.