Chapter 5

"Fading"

Bandanna Dee POV

Another day passed, and I was starting to get worried. My king would never admit to it, but I think DeDeDe was worried, too. There was no sign of Kirby or Meta Knight anywhere near the castle. I thought that a quick trip through the forest would be all it took to find a Simirror, Cultra, Laser Ball, or Waddle Doo strong enough to separate them. Could they have gotten into trouble? No way! Kirby and Meta Knight are really strong! Regular enemies would never take them down!

The sun was setting, turning the sky the same shades as the Orange Ocean. I spotted the first stars of the night and decided to try to get some sleep. Surely they will come back tomorrow. Yeah! Kirby and Meta Knight are the strongest in Dreamland. They'll be back in the morning telling us how easy it was. Good night, friends. See you soon…

Meta Knight POV

Kirby was down to a pinch of health, still gazing longingly at the stash of food on the other side of a pit of spikes. "Poyo…" He took a step towards the edge, but I quickly dragged him away from it. This had been going on for far too long. Every time there was a branching path, secret area, or treasure locked up by a puzzle, the pink puff headed straight for it. This often led us straight into traps that wasted our precious health and my time.

Once again, no enemies we encountered were strong enough (or willing) to help us. Everyone we crossed wanted a fight, which is pretty normal, though the absence of anyone with the magic we needed was getting suspicious. Dreamland had diverse ecosystems, each area a host to creatures of every shape and ability. Yet, the ones we needed the most seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Luck, or in this case bad luck was not something I put a lot of faith into, so I could only assume that whatever put us together was also preventing us from getting separated on our own. Or maybe the exhaustion was finally setting in and I was not thinking clearly enough to formulate a better hypothesis.

The second day of our journey was drawing to a close, so I decided that it would be best to find somewhere to set up camp for the night. Kirby spared me any trouble by falling asleep in a tree, something I did on occasion anyway. How trees grew in these ruins, I had no idea, but I did not question it. I put our supplies within my reach, wrapped myself up tightly in my cape and began stargazing. It was a relaxing pass time, seeing so many stars, knowing that each was surrounded by planets teeming with life. It was both ironic and comforting, understanding that life was indeed somewhere out there in the dark void of space.

When I finally relaxed, I took the opportunity to analyze the situation once more. An invisible force was keeping Kirby and me from getting too far apart. This happened after Bandanna Dee made a wish on a star that promptly vanished, though these things may not be related. It might be possible for someone with magic capabilities to separate us, but none have been in any of the areas we have traveled through. Some higher power like the many who try to claim Popstar may be messing with us to divert our attention. That made the most sense. As I drew this conclusion and began to doze off, a certain Waddle Dee's words resurfaced as I drifted to sleep:

"I just thought that if you spent time together… you could be friends…"

I was not sure what roused me from my sleep until Kirby's cries swept the fog from my mind.

Kirby was trying desperately to pull their bag of supplies from the hands of a thieving TAC. I quickly drew my sword and cut through the branch the ninja was standing on. They tumbled to the ground, dragging us down with him. The thief righted himself immediately and quickly grabbed the supplies from Kirby's hands. Kirby tried to inhale the escaping opponent, but they fled out of range. I grabbed the puff and unfolded my wings, intent on getting our things back. Being much quicker than Kirby, I easily caught up to the thief. "Stop right there! Drop the bag now, or be prepared for a duel!"

My mercy was shrugged off as the TAC continued to climb upward towards the end of the level. Fueled by anger, I did not immediately notice how empty the area had become. It was not until we passed through a doorway into a large empty room that I realized my error. The thief had gotten away, and the only presence in the room was a large white turban on the floor. I put Kirby down as the doors sealed behind us and a pair of hands appeared, summoning a large genie creature.

The boss was furious at having to deal with trespassers and summoned three skulls which it began to juggle, waiting for the perfect opportunity to throw them. Kirby dodged to the left, accidentally dragging me right into the boss's line of sight. Curses! We don't have time for this! We were in no condition for boss battles yet. We clashed too often to even begin to understand how to fight together. We had not even figured out how to walk in a straight line yet!

My gaze swept the room for an escape, and I spotted some deteriorating windows above us in the ruin's walls. It's our best chance… We have to jump. I rolled out of the way of another attack, grabbing a protesting Kirby under my arm. "We cannot fight in this condition. Hang on and prepare yourself!" I stretched my wings and took off, barely avoiding getting grabbed by a gloved hand. I pushed down hard, trying to speed up enough to avoid anymore far-ranged attacks.

We burst through a jagged opening, thrown into the sky and met with a bright rising sun with a sparkling sea below us. Kirby slipped out of my grip, and before I could grab him again, he was pulled behind me and clung to my right wing. We started losing altitude immediately. "Ugh! I can't support both of us with one wing, Kirby! Let go!" I was becoming increasingly aware of how fast we were falling. With nothing but water and specks of land for miles, I needed precision to land unscathed. That was impossible in such an unbalanced, awkward position. The situation finally clicked in the child's mind, but as soon as he let go, he was dragged back, and he grabbed the opposite wing. The water's surface was almost upon us, dredging up my nightmarish memories of my Halberd, falling from the sky and sinking into the darkness below. Struggling to keep my thoughts in check, I attempted to aim for a small island but fell just a mere step too short.

I heard and then felt solid stone connect with the top of my mask before we hit the water. I had felt worse pain before, but my vision started to fade as we sank, darkening as the surface grew more distant. Kirby was swimming as fast as he could in front of me, waving his arms to get my attention. Tiny hands tugged at my mask in an attempt to carry me to the surface while concern glazed his blue eyes. Despite my efforts to resist, the sudden need to close my eyes and rest took hold of me.

Soft sand hit my back, and the ocean world faded away.