Smile for the Sake of Everyone

Chapter 5
From the Distance Sings a Chorus of Souls

(Uploaded on July 31, 2019)

Summary: Every soul contains a whisper of light
Hear them now and see the end within sight
No retreat, no further need to hold back
Show your courage and prepare to attack!

Colors weave into a spire of flame
Spirits blazing as you fight in their name
Raise your sword against the dark and the light
Might and valor will prevail in this ultimate fight!

Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Marx save the multiverse, together with their friends.

Notes: This chapter is set during the True Ending path of Adventure Mode: World of Light. The lyrics above were written by Larry the Gamer Guy on YouTube.

[Kirby]

World of Light
Climatic Clifftop – Over the Sea

The sky had shattered.

The storm of light and darkness that had been protecting Galeem and Dharkon had entirely disappeared, thanks to Master Hand and Crazy Hand's efforts. A gorgeously fragmented golden sea was all that remained of the paradoxical tempest, backlit by a beautiful sunset creeping in over the horizon.

There were no more Spirits lined on the crystalline paths above this ocean. There were no more Smashers still being held under their control. And the Aspects of Creation and Destruction were no longer available to produce clones from—their whittled-down armies were all the two deities had left.

The stage has finally been set.

…it's been a long, long time coming.

A virtual eternity has passed since that fateful day, atop the overlooking clifftop behind us. Since Galeem initiated his hostile takeover of all our worlds. And in that time, plenty of things have happened: we've definitively charted two absolutely massive landscapes, and endured their litany of dangers. We've rescued untold dimensions' worth of people, and befriended those we'd never have come across otherwise. Our bonds have been strengthened by this crisis, uniting us on a level we've never been before as a team.

In spite of everything… I'm proud of what we've managed to accomplish. Even if it's been difficult for even me to stay optimistic through the insanity (I certainly would've buckled without my friends to keep me anchored), our determination never died out. We reclaimed our freedom kicking and screaming from them. Our happiness is all that remains.

We've come so far. We've gone through so much.

And now, we're back where it all began.

I glared up at the two final bosses, hovering high in the heavens. One was angelic, having rainbow wings covering a glistening core—the epitome of orderliness. The other was demonic, with a monstrous eyeball surrounded by hordes of violent-looking thorns—the personification of madness.

Both of their existences were as contradictory to each other as you can get. You could almost compare it to one of those Splatfests Dedede likes to participate in on the Switch. But there was one thing they shared between them, one thing aside from an undying vendetta toward one another: the need to bring us Smashers down, at all costs.

Rulers of Order and Chaos
Galeem & Dharkon

Ha—like I'd give them another chance to!

"Here we are," Dedede said next to me. "The end of the road." He turned to me, his face as solemnly resolute as mine was. "You ready to do this, Kirby?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm ready."

I glanced toward my closest companions, all of whom were currently staying by my side. King Dedede stood stoutly to my right, a steady hand on his hammer and slung over his shoulder. He shone as a beacon of strength, his presence all I needed to rise to this challenge. There had never been a better time for him to be displaying his regal elegance – I got the sense he was ready to kick some ass, and do it in style. (Go, Dedede.)

Meta Knight had positioned himself over to my left, holding Galaxia with both of his hands and glaring intently at the two most-definitely-very-dishonorable deities. Despite his calm and composed façade, it was easy to see the tightened grip on his fabled blade. A world of pain awaited Galeem and Dharkon, and being the 'Greatest Warrior of the Gamble Galaxy', he'd make sure every strike to their cores struck true.

Marx was right next to the noble swordsman – and it was a testament to the seriousness of the situation that he hadn't cracked a single joke. No smiling, no bouncing, no beach balls – just him gritting his teeth and pressing his feet hard against the ground. Our Trickster of the Cosmos, after all this time, had finally found his resolve: with his friends and world in danger, there was no way he wasn't going to give this fight his all.

And then there were my other primary comrades, the rest of the Star Allies. Spirits though they may be, they weren't about to let us go alone to this party. And powering us up from the frontlines were Bandana Dee, Adeleine, and Ribbon, each of them shooting sharp daggers at the two Big Bads. I knew they were scared – and honestly, they're right to be – but I'm glad they can still find the courage to give us support, in spite of how perilous the path ahead may be.

Our Assistant of the Stars and our Artful Adventurers… with they and everyone else cheering us on, as free as they can be, then I know: I've got nothing to fear.

And so long as Dedede, Meta Knight, and Marx have my back in this showdown… I'll never, ever give in!

"It is long past time for us to conclude this charade," Meta Knight announced. "There can be no further delay—one way or another, we will dethrone these false gods, whether they desire it or not!"

"I've got several bones to pick with Gaudy Lightshow and Super Wannabe Edgelord," Marx growled out. "Payback's gonna be oh so sweet, lemme tell you that!"

"We—We can do this, everybody!" Dee affirmed. "So many people are counting on us—we can't let them down now!"

"No more control! No more torture!" Ribbon recited. "All the pain they've given us, we'll return it to them with interest!"

"You've got that right, Ribbon!" Adeleine agreed. "I'm set to get back to painting with each of my friends—and that'll all start today, when we take these guys down!"

A chorus of 'YEAH's!' burst from the crowd, Star Allies, Spirits, and Smashers alike. Good to see that everyone's just as prepared to bring this madness to a close. It didn't matter how long you, as yourself, had been consciously embroiled in this conflict—from the very beginning (me, Mario, Villager, Lucario) or at the very end (Roy, Dark Samus, Palutena, Bayonetta). Here and now… we were ready to reach out to the stars, each of us supporting the other every step of the way.

And that's all the motivation I need.

A flash of light, and my trusty sword, courtesy of a Copy Essence Deluxe, materialized in my hand. I pointed it straight toward Galeem and Dharkon with purpose as they began to rise up into the sky, fragmented crystalline platforms floating up to give us a way forward to them.

"Alright, crew!" I exclaimed, to as much of our squadron as I could reach. "Smashers, Spirits, Star Allies—let's end this, once and for all!"

VS. Galeem & Dharkon

This is it—the ultimate fight! The war between Galeem and Dharkon has reached its apex, with the Smashers and their countless stories caught in the struggle. It's time to save all of existence and reawaken the undying light! Unite, Smashers, and finish your final foes!

Decisive Battleground

"Why…? Why do you continue to persist?" Galeem asked of us, his bold and booming voice echoing loudly through our ears. "There is no hope for this disorderly realm – surely, you must realize that. Submit to my light, and thou shall suffer no more!"

His core of light split into three, expelling a litany of red-hot fireballs which then went and targeted me. I swapped abilities to Ninja and, in a cloud of smoke, disappeared from their sight. "Sorry," I retorted, slashing my katana into one of the aforementioned cores, "but if you think I'm going to accept that proposal, you're gravely mistaken!"

Alongside me, Meta Knight was in his element. He was flying all about the arena, parrying any projectile or laser away with Galaxia (that's one legendary sword, seriously). "Many like you and Dharkon have attempted to force similar ideals onto us," he said. "Inevitably, their dark roads led to their downfall—a fate that shall soon be imposed onto you two as well, thanks to your utterly appalling actions!"

"'Appalling'? I take offense to that!" Dharkon's voice—which took on a more deranged, distorted tone in comparison to Galeem's—cut in from the other side of the battlefield. "Who doesn't love chaos, chaos, CHAOS, all the freakin' time!? You should be thankful, you crazies—I gave you the greatest gift of all time: ABSOLUTE FREEDOM!"

The Embodiment of Chaos and Darkness lashed out wildly at us, thrusting a horde of thorny tentacles (ugh, that sounded terrible) toward the unlikely duo of Dedede and Marx. They weaved in-between the cascading vines, a mallet and Marx himself soon crashing into the demon's open eyeball. "Freedom? Don't make me laugh!" the jester snarled. "Real freedom's being able to live however you want, not whatever definition you think it falls under!"

"Neither of you have any respect for anyone in this world, or even life in general!" Dedede declared. "Those aren't traits belonging to any decent person, let alone would-be rulers of the multiverse!" He jumped up high and slammed down hard onto Dharkon's eye, stomping it with his foot for good measure. "Galeem's 'order', your 'chaos'… in the end, they're no better than ashes to be scattered to the cosmos!"

"A-And if you want to try anyway," Dee stammered, opining to both deities, "th-then you'll—you'll have to go through m-me and Great King, f-first!"

Galeem seethed. "Fools. All of you are fools." He summoned several drills made from his wings and rained them down from above us, uncaring of who happened to fall in their firing range – us, or Dharkon. I swapped to Jet and rocketed away from them, taking Dedede with me as I passed by him. (The Dark Lord, meanwhile, responded by spraying a bunch of energy bullets wherever he could fire.) "If thou would reject the stability I offer, then so be it. I have no room for thy paradoxical natures in my perfect world. The bonds and emotions that thou mortals supposedly treasure… they are but facsimiles of purpose meant only to distract from reality!"

"'Facsimiles of purpose'…? Now you're just full of it!" Hanging onto my presence, Adeleine made her displeasure known as loud as she dared. "It's our feelings and our friends that give our lives meaning! They're not distractions at all! And you'd see that if you even tried to understand how our universe works!"

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" Ribbon shouted. "You're just a heartless coward trying to hide behind a 'greater good'—which is bad! Bad, bad, bad! Just—Just go back to Dark Star or something! You'd fit in with Zero!" Yowch, that's a good one…!

"Wowie, you all sound like some cheesy idiots from those boring-ass educational shows!" Dharkon said in disdain. "There'd be so much more happiness goin' everywhere if you recognized how liberating causing devastation is! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA—let me show you! Fall, fall, FALL!" As Galeem continued his own separate scuffling, with a net of crisscrossing lasers wrapping around the arena, Dharkon had several spires of darkness erupt from the ground, his maddened guffaws filling the air.

The Lord of Light did not take to that kindly. "Still, you would insult me with your anarchy…!?" he growled. "Dharkon! You shall know naught but true order when I am through with you!" And all the while, I was spiraling in the air with my jetpack, getting in close to both deities several times to allow Dedede to smash his mallet into their cores.

"Jeez, they're certainly going all out, huh…!? Well, if they think we're gonna give up here, they've got another thing coming!" the regent of Dream Land vowed, furrowing his brow. A firm scowl set upon his face as we performed our rather unorthodox combination skill. "Us Dream Landers, we've always been more stubborn than most!"

"You—You said it, G-Great King!" Dee chimed in.

"No kidding, Dedede!" I said. "Betcha they've never seen what we can pull off when we're pushed to our limits!" They really should've done their research—the Haltmann Works Company and the Jambandra Cult serve well as incredible warnings to that, I believe! United as one, we can do almost anything! (But then again, since when did Galeem and Dharkon ever pay attention to things 'beneath them'?)

Speaking of uniting… As Galeem and Dharkon 'moved on' to viciously attacking each other, I dropped the two of us in next to Meta Knight and Marx, with Dee, Adeleine, and Ribbon trailing closely behind. "Hey—everyone doing alright so far?" I felt the need to ask. Sure, my main brigade's obviously still here and standing but—well, I'm their leader; they matter a lot to me, y'know!

"I could do with a scrap of food or two, but otherwise? I'm game for more," Marx confidently stated.

"The same applies to my energy reserves as well," Meta Knight reported, "which cannot be said for our unholy adversaries." He glared briefly at the two final bosses, Cross Bombs and seeker serpents going off on both sides (and luckily managing to avoid us). "Now is the best time for us to combine our forces and bring them down with all of our strength!"

"A 'lil overdramatic, but yeah, I get it," Dedede nodded. "All our friends are counting on us to succeed, here and now – so let's go and teach these two a lesson they'll never forget… together!"

"Yeah! Together!" our trio of Spirits exclaimed in unison.

I grinned. Oh, I've missed this. "No regrets then, guys! We'll won't hold back; we'll give 'em everything we've got!"

We gathered close to each other—and calling on the bonds we shared so deeply, we began to feel a warm strength make its way through our bodies. With Dee, Adeleine, and Ribbon also giving us as much auxiliary power as possible, a ball of energy began to charge up right in front of us. I took aim at Galeem and Dharkon, who were conveniently lined up with our trajectory—

—and fired.

SUPERSTAR FRIENDSHIP BEAM!

A brilliant starlit laser shot forth from my hands, blasting the despicable duo with as much concentrated friendship energy as I could put out. Galeem and Dharkon's cores simultaneously staggered from the impact, with the latter's tentacles and eyeball dropping away onto the ground. Capitalizing on his enemy's stunned state, Galeem frantically formed a spear from his wings in order to pierce Dharkon – but in the process, he left himself pretty defenseless from us.

Let's go!

We rushed on in, myself quickly switching abilities to Mirror, and attacked his core from all angles. Mirror shards, sword slices, hammer bops, beach ball bombs—we spared no expense in our assault. Frustrated, Galeem sent a large volatile comet our way, which we easily rolled out of the way of. We bounced away from the ensuing explosion it caused and continued levying everything and the kitchen sink against him – I made do with synchronized clones myself, which worked out pretty well.

"You cretins…! You claim to stand in opposition to my counterpart's mindless ruin—and yet, here and now, you insist on aiding him by siding against me!" The Lord of Light was flummoxed, absolutely flummoxed. His unawareness of the concept of morality could be seen from practically miles away. "Thou art all hypocrites! Hypocrites! It is I that created harmony from your rebellious existences, thereby giving this realm the salvation it desperately needed! Can thou not see the good you are forsaking then, in light of that!?"

"It's in one ear and out the other with you, isn't it?" Marx snarked, electrified arrows flying from his green-scaled wings. "We never needed your 'salvation', or your idea of harmony!" NOVA knows Kaede and the others back home would agree with us! "How 'bout you go and take a hike back to Heaven—that is, if they'd even let you in in the first place!"

A good slew of strikes struck Galeem particularly hard. His wings and his core collapsed onto the floor soon afterward. We backed off and left it alone – Dharkon's cackles told us exactly he was going to do to it. (Neither of them are… very subtle.)

"Well, well, well, lookie here—the tables have turned, my garishly gleaming dumbbell!" the Dark Lord laughed. "I guess that goes to show you… all anybody wants in this world is DEATH and DESTRUCTION! None of that happy, sappy, 'I'm-strong-'cuz-I-have-friends' shit!" With a voice conveying that of disturbed delight, he bunched his black vines together and made a hodge-podge hammer from them. He raised it up high—and I got the feeling he'd be wearing an utterly unhinged smile right now if he could. "Now, hold still! Dr. Dharkon's gonna give you a good diagnos—YOW-WOW-WOW-WOWCH!"

We, of course, interrupted Dharkon mid-sentence as he dropped the hammer, his eyeball suddenly becoming the recipient to approximately a dozen different wallops at once. "Hey, what gives!?" he indignantly shouted. "Here I am, being all nice and helping you 'long your way, and you just go and betray me like that! SUCH RUDENESS! Those pesky emotions of yours are seriously trouble, in all the wrong ways! Who needs control over 'em? Chaos is where it's at!"

"Betrayal implies we were ever a part of your crew to begin with!" Dedede retorted, bashing a Gordo into Dharkon's eye. "And trust me, I'd rather eat stardust than willingly associate with you!"

"There's always multiple sides to a story—you and Galeem just seem incapable of seeing them in anything other than extreme shades of black and white," Meta Knight lectured. "For if you could… perhaps your fatal mistakes could have been rectified. But no longer!"

I narrowed my eyes. "Galeem, Dharkon—you're going to lose! Because—this World of Light… it belongs to all of us, not you!"

"You… YO-O-O-O-OU…! I'm gonna WRECK YOUR SHIT!"

"Thy delusions have blighted thy souls! You need order! ORDER!"

Slowly but surely, we were pushing the two deities back, their own stamina reserves paling in comparison to our unbridled determination. I had long since swapped back to Sword, given its general utility – and like Meta Knight, I was elegantly dancing about and dealing a delicious ton of damage to both our adversaries. By this point, Galeem and Dharkon had recognized the need to team up and bring us down – but it was too late for them to be able to do anything other than desperately defend themselves against our collective might.

Shockwaves of light? Easily sidestepped!

Tears in space and time? No scratches on us!

Mass tentacle rushes? We could basically ride 'em.

Cross Bombs? Dispatched—and even thrown back at them!

The tides had turned dramatically, lemme tell you—and boy, was it oh so satisfying!

"Stay back… stay back!" Galeem actually started begging, frantically firing a volley of thin laser beams from his core. "You—You fools…! You know not the dangers of free will, of independence! You require guidance, control over thy random and unstable natures! None needs to be individual—it creates naught but irrevocable malfunctions! Your bonds… they prove that beyond any reasonable doubt…!"

"I don't get it… I don't get it!" Dharkon howled, his thorny vines thrashing out at anyone and anything. "Why would you NEED anything other than ME in this meaningless realm!? I'M YOUR SAVIOR! I'D MAKE YOU FREE FROM YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES—who needs structure or anchors when you can simply TEAR IT ALL APART!? DIDN'T YOU FEEL GREAT, DESTROYING EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER BUILT!?"

"Sh-Sh-Shut up!" Dee shouted, his anger breaking through his fear. "We're—We're not like you! We're not monsters—we're people! We're Star Allies! And it's us being here, being friends, that b-brings us higher than we could ever go alone!"

"If we didn't care for one another, we wouldn't be here today!" Adeleine chimed in. "If our hearts aren't allowed to stick by our friends through thick and thin—then what'd be the point of living!? We'd just be going through the motions—and nobody'd be happy!"

"Addie's right!" Ribbon said. "E-Even when things get scary, even when I can't find it in me to stop shaking… I know I'll always have Addie and everyone else to back me up!"

Meta Knight affirmed this with an approving grunt. "That, in itself… is the nature of friendship. That, in itself… is the true essence of life!" His glare toward Galeem and Dharkon got tighter. "Unpredictability, individuality—it all forms the facets of reality that can never be denied. It creates a beauty, a true balance that can never be ruined – even by those who fail to comprehend its undying light!"

"I've learned a lot since my failed attempt to take over Pop Star," Marx said, "and I'll say this: you can't suppress people's will and call it 'order'! And neither can you force them into being 'chaotic' either! People are happy when they can be themselves—and I won't allow you two to shape us into something we're not!"

"Harmony comes when you reach out to somebody in need, or to those you want to call a friend!" Dedede agreed. "It may take a while to get there, and it's not always a straight and unwinding road—but in the end, it's absolutely worth it! Alone, our souls aren't that special… but when we're united, we shine brighter than the stars themselves!"

"Our fates aren't yours to command!" I defiantly told Galeem and Dharkon, my heart racing furiously inside of me. "So long as I stand, I won't let you touch my friends any longer! For the sake of everyone's smiles, I'll protect our worlds from you—and do it with my best friends cheering me on! We'll face the darkness, look through the brightness… and together, we'll bring back our peace—and our tasty naptimes!"

An explosion of rainbow light burst from my soul. I felt a warm sensation pulse through every fiber of my being. I knew exactly what to do: with a rainbow aura emanating from my body, I raised my sword to the sky—and willed it to transform, using the infinite power that I currently possessed!

A glyph in the shape of a star blazed beneath me, with stars of a different kind rising up from its glow. The yellow rim on my hat had turned orange, and now sported a star and crystalline wings – another star, meanwhile, hung from the tip of my cap, the cap itself notably resembling a lightning bolt in shape. But it was my sword that had the largest change: both the hilt and the blade itself had bulked up considerably, with the emblem of a star on its handle completing its form.

Electricity sparked up and down its edges.

I shot a determined stare at both of our foes.

They recoiled in horror, summoning several Puppet Fighters to serve as shields.

There'd be no escape for them—for today, I'd break the chains of time placed on our lives!

This is the manifestation of my innate power of miracles! This is the strength of my friendships fully materialized, my will to protect all that I care about: the Ultra Sword!

And it'll send our dreams soaring into the starlit sky!

I swished and I slashed; I sliced and I diced—every swing of my humongous weapon dealt Galeem and Dharkon (and their weakened armies of minions) a harsh blow. Wings and tentacles, spears and thorns, they all came apart upon contact with my mighty blade. There was nothing they could do; I had them well and truly on the ropes!

Finally, they were cornered against the edge of the battlefield, their every move made utterly hopeless in the face of my resolve. I raised my sword into the air, letting it grow massively until it dwarfed both deities in size.

"You're done!" I declared.

"Haunt us no longer!" Meta Knight asserted, he and the others joining me in holding my final weapon high.

Dedede continued, "We're kickin' you outta our kingdom—"

"—and we won't accept any takebacks!" Marx finished.

"Now—meet your end!"

We swung the Ultra Sword together—

—and that, as they say, was the end of that.

[Mario]

It's-a been half an hour since Kirby and his friends went to personally confront Galeem and Dharkon – and I've gotta say, we've been keeping rather busy in that timeframe!

"Oh, Star Spirits… There's—There's still-a so many of these guys…!" Luigi groaned, blasting away a Puppet Fighter with his Thunderhand ability. "M-Mario, how much longer until we get done with this!?"

"Shouldn't be too much longer, Luigi!" I replied, swinging my hammer in circles and smashing into a wide number of foes. "I know-a Kirby, and I know his friends—we've gotta trust in them just a little more! They can do this!"

I heard Ness squeal nearby; his PSI Magnet went up and audibly absorbed a fair amount of projectiles. "You better be right, Mario! Even with all the Spirits we have here, I'm getting tired fast…!"

Chaos continued to rain all around the three of us. Dozens of Smashers, empowered by hundreds upon hundreds of Spirits, continued to clash with Puppet Fighters and Hand Clones alike. This final battle, for all intents and purposes, looked as if it'd be raging on long into the afternoon – maybe even the night.

Another batch of Puppet Fighters appeared in front of us, their silhouetted faces promising to continue where their predecessors left off. Luigi, Ness, and I partnered up and prepared to charge in once more, fireballs a-blazing…

…when suddenly, they stopped in their tracks—as did all the other light-and-dark-affiliated foes in the general vicinity.

"Wh-Whoa, wh-what's—!?" Luigi yelped, taken aback.

Flashes of light began resonating from every single Puppet Fighter. Before too long had passed, they had magnificently self-destructed in plumes of light and darkness: the Hand Clones faded into dust as well. The conflict had abruptly concluded without any fanfare—but perhaps, that was only because the triumph was occurring in a different region altogether.

Slowly, we turned to look to the sky. Descending from the heavens, somehow visible from where we were standing, were Kirby and his companions. In fact, everyone who had been fighting in the air (even if they were just Spirits!) were now inexplicably coming down from the air and landed on the clifftop.

Ness made sounds of confusion. "H-Huh…? Wh-Why's everyone coming back now?" he asked. "Don't tell me—did we…?"

And then, there it was: falling from the distance, much less gracefully than any of our fellow Smashers, was Galeem and Dharkon. Both the former's wings and the latter's tentacles were crumbling away, unceremoniously crashing into the ocean. Yellow and purple particles coalesced where their cores were – and after briefly dimming, they unleashed these two utterly massive shockwaves. It washed over us and the landscape beyond – and I was willing to bet it was also going over every world the two deities had affected.

Silence fell over us. I could tell the gears were still turning in everyone's heads.

"Holy crap…" Luigi breathed. "They're—They're gone…! It's like you said, Mario: K-Kirby and his team… they did it!"

"That's-a right," I said, feeling proud for my friend. "They saved us all." I smiled. "I always knew they'd-a make it. Always." And that's not hyperbole.

Finally, one last thing happened.

With everything else restored to normal, it was time for our allies—all the Spirits—to continue living their lives.

At first, only one Spirit went ahead and started ascending to the stars. Then, a few more. But soon enough—with plenty of heartfelt goodbyes going around—all the rest were following… and the sight we saw was something I'll never forget.

Every soul contains a whisper of light
Growing louder as it calls to unite

As we promised, our Spirits were now free to make their own fates. A brilliant twister of light, spinning and ebbing with life, spiraled into space, led by the comrades we had spent so long fighting and helping.

The multiverse was saved. We could go on being chaotic and boundless and happily blasting our way through life.

And it was all thanks to Kirby and his hope.

"It's… It's beautiful…" Ness said.

"G-Go, everyone…" Luigi quietly cheered them on.

From the distance sings a chorus of souls
Rising slowly, stirring heat from the coals

I don't think there's anywhere else I'd rather be than right here, right now, honestly. When Master Hand began setting up this tournament, I never could've imagined we'd go through this crazy mess of an adventure – but in the end, I don't hold too many regrets about it. We've come a long way, Kirby and I – seeing him triumphant is a joy unto itself.

From the day I first met Kirby, I knew he was someone special. He had a heart lighter than most, and a smile brighter than the Sun – and even now, after all the trauma and turmoil, those two qualities of his haven't gone away.

He's a good friend. He's a great leader. He's done an amazing job, keeping us all connected.

I hope that'll last for as long as he can go.

Colors weave into a spire of flame
Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed

I know Kirby's still hurt. I know he'll be leaning on his friends more than ever. It'll be a long time before he—and the rest of us—ever fully heal from this.

But… so long as we've got each other as support, I believe we'll get back to being happy and carefree in no time.

At our cores, that's who we are. And I never want that to change for good.

Until then, though… I'll stick by my friend, and let him know I'm here for him.

…and that's a promise.

('Sides… I think it'll be okay for him to sit by his buddies and… just relax, for now.

He made things right, against all the odds.

…he's more than earned the chance to truly smile again.)

Bear this torch against the cold of the night
Light will guide you on your way to the ultimate fight!

Admittedly, I… didn't plan to write this chapter at all. The one for Marx was intended to be the end of this adaptation. But given the scope of World of Light's premise, I wanted to at least give this fic a good finale for you guys to remember it by. Hence, here's Galeem and Dharkon (for the first time since Chapter 1-ish)!

In my original plans for the Make a Friend 'verse, Galeem and Dharkon would be defeated off-screen by the original eight Smashers simultaneously – and in the context of a fic revolving more around the Smashers in general, that'd be the best choice to make. But I've spent this whole fic dealing with Kirby and his friends, so it'd feel weird to change the focus now. Thus, Kirby and co. get to be the frontline fighters here.

Also, Kirby's basically World of Light's protagonist anyway. He deserves this.

Galeem and Dharkon can speak here, as I vaguely hinted at last chapter. I really wanted to convey how truly despicable and inhuman they are – and make it all the more satisfying when Kirby and co. deal the final blow to their tyranny. With everything the two have done in the name of order and chaos, who wouldn't love seeing them on the receiving end of a great 'The Reason You Suck' Speech?

I know that you're not allowed to use Final Smashes during boss fights, but let me have some fun here. Kirby final bosses traditionally end off with the usage of an Eleventh-Hour Superpower of some kind (barring Return to Dream Land, ironically enough; Magolor had a phase after its usage), so it's only appropriate! And of course, I couldn't leave Meta Knight, Dedede, and Marx out of the party. If I've done my job right, this should be the perfect send-off to Kirby's long and arduous journey – and hopefully, it's worth it to you guys.

Well, that's all for now – see you guys around!