Energy drained from my hunched form as I let out a huff. I narrowed my eyes at the tree branch above me, the bark no longer dark. Whispy Woods is always an easy opponent to defeat, although that tree tends to be rather annoying with those exploding apples. All I had to do was knock them back at the tree before they hit the ground. The breeze felt cool against my skin as I stood up after hearing the patter of footsteps. "Kirby! Sir Meta Knight, Sword, and Blade dug up something in the place you dueled at!" My shoulders grew tense at the information, worry becoming an anchor in my chest immediately. The boy turned around when his sister walked up to us, her meadow green hues shimmering with slight worry. "Yeah, you definitely gotta check it out. Who knows what dangers that crown could bring." Oh stars, not again. I nodded at them to lead the way, hoping that the crown wasn't the one I was thinking of. A trio of three swordsmen stood near a small crater, the wind sweeping up any dust among the rubble. I noticed the king and his right-hand exchanging glances at whatever crown was glinting under the sun inside the shallow crater. Breathing out a puff of air, I stepped towards the edge of the hole- standing still when I saw gold lining and a taunting ruby in the center. So it is the Master Crown… but who took it away from Landia? I decided to speak, hollow blue eyes darting up to meet the group. "Was the crown lost or purposely placed here?" Meta nodded at my inquiry. "We had to unearth the crown, so it was most likely placed here on purpose. The only matter is finding out the origin of the crown and whoever placed it here." I hummed in acknowledgement, line of vision flickering over to King Dee's voice. "Well it's just a crown now, ain't it? The crown itself can't be dangerous, it'd be whoever put the thing here that we'd have to worry about." Murmurs of agreement came from the others as the king's right-hand drew close to the edge of the crater. "Why don't we take the crown out and get a closer look at it, then?" Quickly, I dashed in front of him and put my arm out. Escargoon blinked at me in surprise, raising a brow. "Hold on a moment. Let's not be quick to draw conclusions about the crown." The lead swordsman piped up from behind me as I turned my head to face him. "Kirby is right, we shouldn't assume something about the crown without any evidence." Tuff spoke as he drew closer to us, casting a glimpse at the golden object. "But how could a crown possibly be dangerous?" His sister nodded along with his words. "Yeah, it's just an object!" King Dee scoffed in reply, although curiosity was laced throughout his tone. "I agree with the kids on this one. What sorta danger could a crown possibly bring- does it have a spell or something on it?" The king's right-hand shook his head. "Even a spell sounds ridiculous. Who would bury a crown that actually holds some sort of power, anyways?" Meta spoke up, a white gloved hand gripping the edge of his royal blue cape. "A trickster, that's who. They can be dangerous, and have many moves up their sleeve." Sword joined the caped knight's side as Blade nodded in agreement. "I'd say we approach with caution." Ignoring the rest of the argument unfolding, I tore my gaze to the crown in question. The golden object glistened underneath the blazing sun, the bright red ruby in the center as daunting as a smile of wry. The crown itself is the one with the twisted tricks, not whoever has it. I blinked to clear any old memories of the crown's possessive nature from my mind. Tiff's voice caused my head to snap upwards to meet her questioning gaze. "Kirby, what are your thoughts on this strange crown? You haven't really spoken since we arrived here." Everyone's attention snapped towards me now, their gazes curious. Thanks for pointing that out, Tiff. Biting back a sigh, my sight landed on the crown again. The Master Crown… what a fitting name. "Rather than worrying about the crown, I believe we should focus on finding whoever buried it here." I lifted my gaze to catch Meta nodding in agreement at my statement. Fortunately, everyone else seemed to settle on that idea as well. King Dee shrugged after taking another half-hearted glance at the crown. "Sounds like a plan, doesn't bother me none, anyhows." After a brief nod, Escargoon followed the king back to the castle. The two children hurried along with them after casting one last glimpse at us. Meta, Sword, and Blade left after exchanging a farewell to me. I kept my gaze on the crown, shadowed blue eyes narrowed. That despicable object. Shouts of betrayal and tears from loss invaded my thoughts. I shook my head to clear those faded memories, refusing to acknowledge the distant burning of a long thin scar across my collarbone. At least Mags came back and apologized. Although it was the crown that took control of his body and actions after he placed it on his head. I casted a glare at the possessive object before taking my leave, making sure to cover it back up with several rocks. A hawk flew over the setting sun, wings tinted red at the tips from the orange glow. I paused for a moment, catching a glimpse of the crown glinting beneath the dirt. Teeth clenched, shaded blue eyes narrowed as I grasped the golden object. After tucking the unfaithful crown in my mailmag, I turned towards the automobile shop in town. Determination settled within my eyes, the strength akin to a burning flame. It's time to find another starship and get this crown back to where it belongs. Sunlight blazed above the shrouding clouds like a candle in the wind. The cursed crown became a ridden ember against my mailmag, driving me to hurry in getting it far away from here.
Starlight enveloped my vision as I made a sharp turn, keeping a firm hold on the steering wheel. I landed near the largest volcano on Halcandra, a cautious eye being wary of the lava lakes sprawled across the planet. Letting out a quiet huff, I stepped out of the starship, its bronze rim singed at the edges from the heat. Mailbag clutched in a tight grip, my footsteps smothered the blackened rubble as I climbed the volcano. Soon enough, Landia stood in my path. The once four headed dragon was now split into four smaller versions, due to the loss of the Master Crown on their head. Wait… Landia looks younger- oh right, alternate universe means different timeline. Keep forgetting that. Taking a deep breath, I took the golden crown and held it out to the proper owner. Landia tilted their heads, as if not expecting me to return the grand crown in it's reddened glory. I nodded, slowly stepping towards them and placing the crown on one of their orange scaled heads. In a bright flash of light, Landia transformed into their usual four headed dragon form. Their forest green eyes glistened as they beamed at me in gratitude. A smile graced my face as two simple words slipped past my lips. "You're welcome." After a relatively fond and grateful head butt, I bid farewell to Landia. Knowing of the crown's curse, I felt relieved to know that it was back in Landia's possession. They're a strong opponent, so it would be quite difficult to take the crown from them. Landia is the true guardian of the Master Crown, they know of that despicable object's curse and- hold up. I halted in my tracks, whipping my head around. Thoughts reeling, I stared at the vast land of volcanic rocks and lava lakes. Why is the starship gone? I need that to get back to Pop Star! Who could have possibly- "Good evening." A faintly familiar voice echoed behind me as I turned around to face the cloaked figure. Their face was obscured underneath the deep violet hood. They chuckled, shoulders rumbling with fickle amusement. "It really is you…" Pausing for a brief moment, they took off their hood- silver eyes glinting at my own widening ones. "Stars, I haven't seen you since you were a young warrior-in-training!" With a sharp once over, his tone changed to something more akin to dark curiosity. "I'm sure you've grown to be quite battle-hardened, have you not? Considering the circumstances of your past, I wouldn't be surprised." I grit my teeth at the mention of the fall of my birth planet, his taunt causing my shoulders to grow tense. "Those circumstances don't matter anymore." Ignoring his scoff, I continued with a gradually hardening voice. "Why have you come here?" The cloaked male barked out a laugh, jaws snapping like a crimson snake as he spoke. "Straight to the point as usual, now- aren't you? Despite sharing my looks, you got that part of your personality from your mother." Clicking my tongue, I let my feet take an automatic step back. "Don't act like you know anything about me- not after you disowned-" A sharp gasp tore past my throat as I was lifted and flung through the air by an invisible force. I tumbled downhill, gripping a rock jutting out of the steep ledge before my body could fall further down. Teeth clenched, I made a point to block out the burst of laughter in the near distance. A taunting voice cut across the space between us. "And here I thought you were used to training sessions! Have you already forgotten? During our training, you run!" I fought down the shiver that shot down my spine when I heard him yell the last word with an undeniable edge in his tone. Refusing to acknowledge the sharp bout of pain that went up my leg, I dashed across the volcanic field. I can't use the lava to gain a fire ability, that element won't work against him. Eliminating my options was rather quick, considering it boiled down to running- with his power, my lack of a strong copy ability, and this broken leg… and arm. Dang it. A glint of bronze caught the corner of my eye, immediately causing me to run, or rather limp, in the direction of it. So the maniac didn't destroy the starship, he just hid it. Thank the stars. I hauled my bruised form into the cockpit, latching onto the door handle and closing it shut. My attention went to the control panel, dismissing the gas level percentage and grasping the wheel. I pretended that the last words he shouted before I flew away didn't send a shudder through me. "You will join me, Kirby. The darkness is in your blood and you will never be a pure star warrior! No blood of mine shall-" His voice faded into the distance, with me barely noticing the shaking grip I had on the steering wheel. Releasing a breath, I forced my muscles to relax- albeit barely managing to do so. My train of thoughts spiraled off its course like my old starship did all those years ago when I fled my birth planet. How is he even alive? That poison-infused man burned in that fire along with the rest of them. I saw him- I turned the wheel sharper than needed into the woods, quickly stepping out and collapsing on the ground. A grunt slipped through my breath as I used the rim of the starship to steady myself. I allowed my eyes to scan over the twisted leg, before glancing at my dangling arm. My gaze narrowed. Definitely broken, alright. Just lovely… With a small shake of my head, I began limping towards a nearby tree. I left the starship there, figuring that it would be near impossible to move with two broken limbs. A lime green feathered bird with a curved black marking above their beak flew over. I tilted my head at them, as if silently daring them to question my wounds. I nearly jumped back when the bird actually spoke. "Why are you limping around like that towards a tree when you should be heading to a hospital?" With a small cough, I shrugged absentmindedly to hide my surprise. "I just need some rest, and then I'll try to find a maxim tomato in the forest somewhere later. That usually always does the trick when it comes to healing pesky wounds like these." The bird blinked at me, ruffling his feathers while raising a brow at my response. "You call a broken arm and leg just a couple of pesky injuries?" I cast him a nod, causing the bird to heave an exaggerated sigh. So this bird has one of those personalities. Right then. "You know what, stranger? Do whatever you think is best. I was just about to leave to get some sleep myself, anyways." Before I could bid the peculiar bird farewell, he flew away and vanished into the depths of the woodland. I took another glimpse at the bronze ship before looking at the sky. Black feathered moonlight reflected in the burn smudged windshield as stars went into hiding like the night was a war zone- perhaps it was.