Archive of Our Own

Deep in the depths of darkness, a broken soul rested in sorrow.

Most people who enter the afterlife have their spirits still conscious, still intact, able to walk in the dreamlands above the fabric of reality.

There’s no pain, no heartbreak—

All that’s there is simply…

…peace.

Others, sadly, aren’t so lucky.

For those who have the misfortune to become a Soul Boss in life, their souls end up shattered, in suffering, a pale shadow of their former selves. Purgatory is all that awaits them—and the haunting regrets of what could’ve been.

It is here where the fragmented heart of a particular Halcandran lay.

The once-wizard had forsaken a lot of things: his friends, his home, his own morals, all for the sake of becoming the would-be conqueror of the universe.

But in the end, he was degraded to a sad shell, no more than a manifestation of the Master Crown he had fought so hard to acquire.

Though hatred and obsession cursed his heart, deep down, he wanted to make amends. He wanted to apologize, to give up his old ways, to have the opportunity to live without the weight of despair currently crushing his back.

But alas, that was impossible for him alone to achieve.

There was no way for him to reconstruct himself, no feasible method of escape which he could pull off.

And even if he could, his sense of self was so eroded, there was no telling if he’d even be aware enough to truly make the most of a second chance.

Suffice to say, he made his bed…

…and the only thing he could do now was lie in it.

…

…

…

…there was one thing, however, that could save him.

In several cathedrals of miracles yet to be fully realized, a rod of dreams emitted a warm aura. The palaces’ natural magic were potent enough to allow its effects to drift toward this otherwise unreachable realm.

Under its gentle glow, the tears in his soul were steadily stitched back together, the holes in his psyche repaired into a coherent whole. And gradually, his consciousness began to return to him.

His skin could once more feel the coziness of a blanket; his hands could wave away and cast whatever spells he had at his fingertips. Against all the odds, his life was being returned to the world, despite everything that had happened.

As light shone over his restored body, the spring breeze at last washed over his body anew—

And Magolor woke up.

[Kirby]

Location: ???
How in the name of NOVA did this go undetected…?

“Well, this is… something else,” I said lamely.

“I’d like some more encouraging words, if you wouldn’t mind,” Dedede drawled, though no less baffled by the sight in front of us.

“What more can I say?” I retorted. “Despite all my years living on Pop Star, this situation’s still bizarre, even by my standards.”

“Could this be some sort of trap?” Meta Knight asked, his eyes visibly narrowing. “A ruse to get us to drop our guard? No matter how you look at it, this place is suspicious on all accounts.”

It said something about how wary he was that his sword was already out and ready to strike.

“There is much we do not know about this park. We must exercise caution, else we be overtaken by surprise.”

“Th-That’s, uh… that’s a p-pretty strong way of saying ‘be careful’…” Bandana Dee bit his nonexistent lip. “But yeah, I—I think we should be worried about this.”

Here’s a bit of backstory for y’all.

About a couple of days ago, while we were all hanging around Dedede’s place, some of his scouts came in and told us about the existence of a humongous amusement park sitting around Dream Land. Your guess is as good as mine as to where it came from—or how we managed to miss its construction in the first place—but it was definitely worth checking out.

I mean, last time an unexpected event happened ‘round here, we managed to avert the conquering of our planet again, so…

…yeah. In that context, there’s no way we can miss out on this.

(…I wish Magolor didn’t betray us like he did.

There wasn’t a reason for him to try and take over the universe. There wasn’t a reason he had to just… cease being our friend, right then and there. He—He didn’t have to become a Soul Boss, or go out the same way Marx did.

He could’ve been a good friend. A best friend.

Heck, I did consider him a best friend of sorts, if not on the level of Dedede and the others.

But…

…now he’s gone.

And there’s nothing I can do about it now.

…

I hope… wherever he is…

…he’s found semblance of peace.)

Speaking of this new place, the park ahead of us was no slouch.\

There was clearly a lot of effort put into it, and it showed: it covered a fairly massive area and had an exquisite amount of detail, sporting a wide assortment of colors and buildings standing as tall as the trees in the Great Forest. To say it was elaborate was a bit of an understatement—I’d go as far as to compare it to Dedede’s Resort in the Popopo Islands.

Like, seriously.

From the outside looking in, it doesn’t seem heinous or anything. For all we know, what you see is what you get.

I know I certainly want it to be that way.

Unfortunately for us, though…

…things never turn out to be so simple.

I tilted my head and frowned.

“Can’t really argue with you there, Dee,” I said. “For NOVA’s sake, this better not be related to the True Arena. I’m too tired to deal with their bullcrap right now.”

Dedede nodded. “Oh, same here. If I have to listen to that frikkin’ announcer talk one more time, I think I’m gonna scream.”

He hoisted his trusty hammer over his shoulder. “‘Nuff sitting around—let’s get going already, so we can head back home and have a smoothie or something. I’m in the mood for some smoothies!”

“M-Maybe if we get lucky, th-they’ll be selling some at a confections stand!” Dee offered, nervousness being replaced with a bit of hope. “Th-Theme parks usually have them—B-Baby Park did, after all…!”

“Don’t remind me of that cesspool of incessant noise…” Meta Knight grumbled as he and I followed our two best friends in. “The sound of dozens of babies crying over each other is infinitely worse than anything I could ever unleash on my enemies.”

“Is that right?” I grinned. “Guess I know who I’m not hiring as my future babysitter, then.”

“Oh? And here I was under the impression you had no intention of getting to the state where’d you have possible offspring.”

“Hey—just ‘cause I’m not looking for romance doesn’t mean I can’t, like, adopt a few kids in the future! I’m, like, the Ultimate Friend Maker—taking care of some children’s not out of my repertoire of skills!”

Meta Knight snorted amusedly. “I can’t say that’s incorrect, admittedly. If more of our villains were recipient to your kindness… perhaps they wouldn’t have chosen their paths of darkness.”

He shook his head.

“But there is no use in wondering about ‘what-if’s’. We have greater things to investigate.”

Mysterious Amusement Park
…wait, what the heck—!?

The atypical ticket booths were absent of any staff, and (unsurprisingly) there weren’t any long lines blocking our way, so we were able to get in without too much trouble.

The interior was just as extravagant as the exterior. There were benches, information booths, map postings, gift shops, food courts—all the things you’d expect to see in a place like this. Off in the distance, I could see attractions of many kinds: rollercoasters, railways, water rides, Ferris wheels…

To put it bluntly, it was a kid’s paradise.

And this is just what I could glean from here. The three main lands—Happiness Hall, Apricot Atrium, and Last Land—probably had a lot more waiting in the rings.

…yes, I know those names spell out HAL.

No, I don’t know why.

If I’m being honest, this doesn’t look such a bad place. I’d certainly have no qualms about coming here every now and then with my friends.

But then again…

…some of the booths around here make me raise my eyebrow.

Like, there’s a Ninja Dojo one.

And one for Scope Shot.

Oh, and there’s a number of Challenge Stage stations set up in the region.

All three things that were once hosted by Magolor in the Lor Starcutter.

Perhaps that could’ve been passed off as coincidence, however unlikely that possibility may have been…

…if it weren’t for the actual Lor Starcutter itself, sitting right smack in the center of the park.

“…I was under the impression the Lor went back to Halcandra with Landia,” I said, thoroughly confused.

“Rumors of its disappearance appear to have been greatly exaggerated,” Meta Knight dryly remarked. “Someone, more likely than not, seems to have been taken up commandeering the ship—and gotten enough inspiration from the training rooms inside to create this theme park. Either that, or this is the after-effect of Galactic NOVA granting a very odd wish.”

“Whichever way you cut it, ‘ol Magolor’s ship’s—” Dedede’s lips twitched. “—the center of whatever’s going on. And I betcha that whatever or whoever’s inside’ll, they’re the cause of all this. If it’s sitting around here, it’s our duty to head in and find out what’s what!”

“You—You said it, Great King!” Dee cheered. “We’re not gonna leave ‘em alone until we figure everything out!”

I nodded. “It’s settled, then. Let’s get this thing over with!”

I came into the Lor’s range—and just like it had several times before, the entrance opened and extended a ramp. Without hesitation, the four of us ascended it one after another, the clean and simplistic shades of blue and white once more entering our vision.

The cockpit was the same as ever, too. The hail of panels making up the wall, the supercomputer with the expansive screen—

—but the one thing that definitely, absolutely shouldn’t have been the same…

…was a familiar figure sitting on a rolling chair, head slumped against the keyboard.

…

…

…

I…

I almost couldn’t believe it.

I really, truly had a lot of trouble believing this was true.

And yet… here he was, snoozing away without a care in the world.

Here he was, back and ready to cause more mischief, should he choose to.

Here Magolor was

…alive and well.

He looked virtually untouched from his stint as a Soul Boss—he still wore that blue gear-esque suit of his, accompanied by a belt-buckle scarf and a short white cape. His hands rested on top of one another, sitting in front of him akin to being on one’s lap.

…it was as if time had reversed for him, and him alone.

“…what the heck?” Dedede said, his arms going slack in shock. “Ma—Magolor? He’s… alive?”

“Th-That’s not possible!” Dee fretted. “We—We saw him become a Soul Boss, b-back in the True Arena! There’s no way you can c-come back from that, ever! R-Right…?”

…

…I wasn’t too sure about that anymore, myself.

We all looked at each other in apprehension.

“If this is the real Magolor, and not some insidious copy,” Meta Knight said, “then we will need to ascertain his true motivations behind his building this park—and whatever else he has up his sleeve.”

The swordsman nodded toward me, and I went ahead and walked up to the wizard.

Gently, I shook him awake.

“Hey. Hey, Magolor. Wake up. Don’t leave us hanging now; wake up, please…”

It took a few tries, but eventually, the Halcandran started to stir from his slumber. He groaned and rubbed his weary eyes with one of his hands.

“Five more minutes, Landia…” he murmured, clearly still half-asleep.

Then, he abruptly froze in realization.

Slowly, he wheeled around to face us—and we faced him in turn.

Blank stares were traded for several moments.

…

…

…

Finally, Magolor broke the silence.

He sat up straighter, and clapped his hands together.

“K-Kirby! Meta Knight! King Dedede! Bandana Dee! My, this is a—a wonderful coincidence!” he heartily greeted us. “I was just thinking about you guys, before I went to sleep! It’s, uh… it’s good to see you four doing fine for yourselves!”

Dedede furrowed his brow.

“…same to you,” he uneasily replied.

None of us felt comfortable talking about Magolor’s death at the moment while Magolor was literally standing right in front of us.

The regent gestured toward the front door, continuing, “I assume you’re the architect we’ve been looking for?”

“O-Oh! Oh, yes!” He was nodding his head so hard, I was afraid it might fall off entirely. “It’s just that—I felt pretty bad about not showing my gratitude to you guys after everything you’ve done for me. The trip to Halcandra didn’t exactly go the way I wanted it to—so I decided, why not build an amusement park to make up for it? It’s gotta be better than Egg Engines at least, am—am I right?”

I backed away a bit and shared a nervous glance with each of my best friends as the mage began to wildly ramble.

“I mean, it’s not as if I don’t know a thing or two about architecture or technology—us Halcandrans are pretty good in that regard! Really, it’s the perfect kind of gift! A lot of people here were willing to help me do that, and I promise this place is as safe as can be! And I know you guys are the type of people to enjoy being at an amusement park, so I’m sure you’ll have fun, and it’s not like you need me here right now so I’ll just take my leave—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I waved my hands in the air frantically. “M-Magolor, that’s—that’s really not necessary!”

Sheesh, it’s like all of his confidence was sucked out an airlock or something!

“C’mon, stay with us! It’s been a while since we last saw you. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to spend some time with a friend!”

And I mean that. Honestly.

Nineteen years on, my motto still rings true.

Magolor laughed awkwardly – so awkwardly, in fact, that his pitch was noticeably getting higher.

“That’s good and all… but surely, you’d want to be with your, uh, other friends more? We haven’t exactly known each other that long, and I’m far less worthy than anyone else in Dream Land—!”

“Stop,” Meta Knight interrupted him, noticeably a little fatigued from his dialogue. “Enough of your avoiding the conversation, Magolor. How is it that you are here before us? What are your true motivations behind this arrangement you’ve carved out?”

…blunt as always, huh?

“I… wouldn’t put it like that,” Dedede said cautiously, “but… you have to admit, it’s pretty weird, seeing you just come back outta nowhere. Especially after… after…”

His features scrunched up, and his body shuddered.

“…well, you know.”

Dee shuddered alongside him. “N-N-No kidding…!” No other words were necessary for that exchange. We all knew what he was talking about.

In the end, the wizard relented. He slouched, dropping his hands to his sides. “Alright. Alright. I get it. I can’t dance around the subject with you four. You’re all too smart for that.” He morosely looked up at us – and I found myself incredibly unnerved by the haunting despair emanating from his eyes. “Would you believe that I just want to apologize for what I did?”

“Yes,” I said immediately.

“No, not really,” my friends responded simultaneously.

We shot another glance at each other.

“O-kay then, I think we could use a little more ‘splaining on your part,” I said.

Magolor sighed. “If you guys so wish.”

He leaned back in his chair, looking rather melancholy.

“I originally wanted the Master Crown out of the belief that I… deserved to have it. That, as one of the beings descended from the Ancients, it was my birthright to have. And somewhere between then and last year, a part of me believed I could use my ‘birthright’ to bring the universe back to the glory of the Ancients—a glory I would be in full control of.

“…I was a fool,” he admitted. “Ambitious, arrogant… and certainly a fool.”

I noticed something right off the bat: the malice he’d once had… the malice he’d revealed at the eleventh hour and had probably been enhanced by the Master Crown… was gone. In its place, there was a sincerity to his voice that hadn’t existed before.

And… there was something else I was thinking of, too…

“Dream Land’s lazy lifestyle has allowed it to be targeted by all manner of threats!  Can you not see that my rule is the only feasible way for this kingdom—this planet—to survive!?”

“Pop Star’s become too stagnant! Day after day, you all do nothing except mindlessly drone on—and then you condemn me when I try to liven things up. Well, I’m sick of it!”

…someone else, to be more accurate. Two someones.

Meta Knight shifted uncomfortably. He can sense it too, huh?

“In retrospect,” the Halcandran continued, “I should’ve known the Master Crown was dangerous. I knew so little about it, it wasn’t really worth pursuing. I don’t know how much of my obsession was from me alone, or from the crown beckoning me with its power… but even then, I don’t think I could’ve ever expected it having its own will and desires.

“It’s… it’s scary. Horrifying. And it’s certainly not an experience I’m keen on going through again.”

I wonder if he was frowning, behind his scarf.

“I’ve had time to think since… everything happened. A year’s worth of time. If there’s anything I’ve decided on, after all of that… it’s that I’d rather be living in peace than trying to achieve something that’ll only create unhappiness.

“…I’ve made my mistakes. I’d rather work on trying to fix them, now.”

“Sheesh…” Dedede rubbed the back of his head. “Talk about heavy… but it’s not like I can’t understand where you’re coming from.”

I think a lot of us can relate to that, to some degree. It was only four years ago when Dedede finally grew past his insecurities and arrogance for good; when Dee rose above his own fears and learned to stand up for himself; when Meta Knight at last stopped being so high-strung and realized the value of living life.

It took a while and a lot of self-reflection to get there, though—

—and for Magolor, that also included the tearing of his entire self as a result of his own actions.

Dee was trembling, and when he spoke, there was a bit of cautious hope in his voice

“M-M-Magolor… Do you—Do you really… mean it…? Like, you’re—you’re not just saying this t-to get our sympathy…?”

Magolor nodded solemnly.

“That’s great!” I said. “Really, that’s great! I’m—I’m glad that you’re not confined to Soul Boss hell! I’m glad that you genuinely want to make amends! It’s just that…”

“…you know that’s not an excuse for your past behavior,” Meta Knight followed up. “You abused our trust, tricked us into acquiring the Master Crown for you, attempted to take over our planet as ‘thanks’…”

He glared right into the wizard’s soul.

“You have a long way to go before our confidence in you will ever be restored. A material gift such as this park is only serves as a superficial declaration.”

“I know. I know. But at the very least… it’s a start.”

For several moments, a boundless silence swept through the cockpit.

Then, I stepped forward again… and offered out my hand to him.

“If you’re really giving being a good guy your best shot,” I said, “then it’s my duty to help you out. My duty, and everyone else’s too. You may have a lot to make up, but that doesn’t mean we won’t try to befriend you anew.”

I smiled.

“Now… let’s start over, you and us.”

…I like to see the best in everybody. I always try my best to bring it out, whenever I can.

And personally… I’m glad that Magolor’s finally beginning to see the best in himself, too.

It may be only the first signs of forgiveness, but somehow, I think it’ll be enough.

Magolor blinked a bit, before he took my hand.

“I always knew you were something special, Kirby,” he acknowledged.

He stood firmly with determined eyes.

“…you guys won’t regret this. I swear to the depths of my soul, I’ll exceed your expectations with no regrets.”

“We’ll hold you to that, then,” Dedede affirmed. “Kirby’s always been one for befriending people—and redeeming people as well. And I have to admit—I do want to be your friend again. So… don’t mess this up, alright?”

“You heard Great King!” Dee exclaimed, the hope in his voice much more apparent than before. (He could never really hide his emotions; he wears them proudly on his sleeve.) “I—I wanna believe in you, too! ‘Cause not believing isn’t fun, and Dream Land’s supposed to be all about fun!”

“Would having fun in an amusement park work for you, then?” Magolor chuckled weakly, his mood already significantly improved.

“S-Sure! Th-That’ll do!”

“I suppose that’ll be our first stop on our way to a Super Deluxe Friendship!” I declared happily. “Rollercoaster rides and bumper card escapades galore—and we’ll do it all together! How ‘bout it!?”

Meta Knight let out a sigh and shook his head in exasperation, but he didn’t actually contest our statements.

“Sometimes, I wonder how you three manage to continually stay upbeat and sociable through our trials and tribulations… but very well. Perhaps this will prove to be soothing in its own right.”

“Soothing’s a weird word to use, but yeah, this’ll be a good time! That’s the Pop Star experience, after all!”

“Hahaha—the ‘Pop Star experience’, huh…?” Magolor repeated.

“…that sounds really nice.”