Chapter Text
Gooey relaxed outside of Ado's cabin as the warm sun hit his skin, yet the leaves in this part of the forest always seemed to be covered in orange hues. It wasn't Autumn yet, but it was coming soon.
Of course, Ado herself was outside of the cabin. She painted a long noodle-like dragon from her canvas. It flew around for a bit before it dissolved into paint.
"I think it looked better that time," Gooey told Ado. The human tilted her head with a curious look. "Are you sure? Because I think it could've used something else."
"hm..." Gooey tried to think, though no answers came to mind. "I dunno, but I still like it."
"...I suppose I could think about it more later," Ado said with a thoughtful look on her face. It was cool to see how she could turn her drawings to life like magic, though Gooey had to wonder...
"So do other humans do it too?"
"Hm?" Ado looked at Gooey with a curious expression. "What do you mean?"
"I mean how you can bring art to life," Gooey replied. "Do other humans do it, too?"
Admittedly, Gooey didn't know enough about humans. And while Ado didn't mind answering his questions, she didn't always have the answers.
"Not really," Ado said as she continued to paint. "I come from a family full of wizards and artists, though, so art and magic are something that comes naturally to me."
"OK, but what about your family? Can they bring anything to life?"
"Some of us can," Ado replied. "And sometimes we're able to paint food and make it real."
As Ado turned away from the canvas, a strawberry shortcake flew out of it. Gooey grabbed the cake with his tongue and dragged it into the mouth. Although it had the right texture for a cake, it still tasted like paint.
"...Sorry if it wasn't good, I'm still practicing."
"That's OK, but did anybody ever try to make their paintings stay alive forever?" Gooey asked. Ado frowned as she crossed her arms. "Well there was one relative who tried to do that, but it's a bit of a long story."
"I still wanna hear it, though!" Gooey argued. Ado thought about it more before an idea came to mind. "Alright, but I'll at least try to make it interesting."
She dipped the end of her brush onto her palette as she recounted the tale. She drew a tiny human and it popped out of the canvas. It waved to Gooey, he waved back.
"This is Lisa," Ado told Gooey. "And once upon a time, she and her family came over from a different world, an ancient world where the humans once lived."
"Do you know what the world was like?"
"...Not really," Ado admitted. "But I know that people really wanted to come to this world. They even made all kinds of songs for it."
"Huh..."
"Anyway, not long after everyone settled into Terra Star, Lisa wanted to explore the planet." Ado drew something else on the canvas, they came to life and floated around Lisa like a swarm of angry bees. "During her travels, she stumbled into a colony of aliens. They all had one big eye and they floated around by using these orbs."
"You mean Dark Matter?"
"...Right, you're a Dark Matter too, aren't you?" Ado said before she shook her head. Nonetheless, she painted another figure and continued her story. This time the figure looked like a Dark Matter in its Blade form "Anyway, the Dark Matter would hurt and torment Lisa. Soon, their leader even showed up and kidnapped her. It got so bad that she was driven into complete madness. Some say the Dark Matter even forced her to marry him."
"But why?" Gooey asked. Most of his siblings didn't care about marriage or love, though this Dark Matter was probably from a different colony. Still, why would he force a human to marry him?
All Ado could do was reply with a shrug. "Nobody knows why, but during that time with the Dark Matter, she made two paintings that depicted a pair of sisters. But as soon as she was done, her brother Leo found her and tried to rescue her. He bought a crystal dagger from a fairy and fought the Dark Matter using the light energy within the crystal to kill him."
"But did the Dark Matter fight back?" Gooey asked.
"Of course he did, but either way he went down. As for the paintings, Leo managed to take one, but Lisa grabbed the other one and took off with it. Nobody saw her since then. Some say that the paintings were gifts to appease the Dark Matter, but I don't believe it myself."
Gooey was silent, there was something off about the story. Like, why would Lisa paint something for the Dark Matter if she hated him? And why would she take off after being saved? It didn't make sense.
"So what happened to the paintings?" Gooey asked. "They're still out there, aren't they?"
"Of course they are," Ado told him. "One of them even looked a bit like the Dark Matter."
"And how do you know that?"
"Well, remember how I told you that Leo took one of the paintings?" Ado asked with a grin. "We may not know know what happened to the younger sister, but we've watched over the older sister for a long time. I even brought her with me when I came to Popstar."
"You did!?" Gooey asked excitedly. "I wanna see! I wanna see!"
"OK, but you gotta be really nice to her," Ado replied. "She hasn't been able to leave her painting since Leo took her."
Gooey nodded as he followed Ado to her cabin. There were all kinds of pencils and paper lying around, but sitting on the wall was a picture of a girl. As Ado said, she looked an awful lot like a Dark Matter in its Blade form. She had long blue hair, a purple cloak with blue and yellow spots at the end, and a matching purple hat that curled at the top. What set her apart from a Dark Matter, however, was that her eye resembled a puffball's eye. There was also a yellow spot on her belly, though Gooey wasn't sure if it was supposed to be another eye or a mouth. The cloak also had a set of tassels like one would find on a scout's cloak.
"This is Drawcia," Ado said quietly. "She's been with us for a long time."
"So she's...she's really alive?"
"Yeah, which is why you have to be nice to her."
Gooey looked at the painting again, his body tensed as he noticed she was looking at him. She wasn't doing that before, right?
"H-Hello..." Gooey said timidly. He didn't get any kind of response from her, but she was alive. Not only that, he could sense something coming out of the painting. Was it anger? Was it fear? Maybe it was even hatred? Either way, it was intense. In fact, the negativity coming from her was almost as intense as his brother's anger during the Rainbow Bridge incident.
"What's wrong?" Ado asked, curiously. "She's not going to hurt you even if she wanted to, Gooey. Leo made it so she couldn't leave the painting."
"I know she won't," Gooey replied. But something about this felt off to him. He believed Ado when she said that Drawcia wouldn't hurt him, but he had the feeling that the anger and hatred she felt wasn't directed towards him.
But if she hadn't left the painting, then Ado would be fine...right? And if something happened, Kirby would fix it, right?
...Another chill went through his body, he hoped that Drawcia wouldn't leave her painting anytime soon, though in a way she was trapped in a cage. And sooner or later, she was going to break free from that cage. It was a scary to think about what she would do after that.
Chapter 2
Summary:
Local blob has beef with a human child.
Chapter Text
It had been a couple of days since Gooey had seen Ado, right now he was having a really cool dream. He had a dream that the whole world was like a painting, It was bright and colorful, it wasn't the kind of world that a Dark Matter would usually like, but it was a fun world regardless. But for a dream, it felt strangely real.
When Gooey woke up, however, he felt very tired.. It obviously wasn't because he couldn't sleep, but rather he felt as if he'd slept too much. Dark Matter needed to sleep a lot of course, but even then Gooey shouldn't be this tired.
Well, either way he was up now, maybe he could see what Ado was up to today? He crawled out of bed and left the room. As he floated, he noticed that the people that walked by him looked just as groggy as he did. There was also a rainbow in the sky, perhaps Kirby got into another fight with Brother again?
...No, nobody had seen Brother in a while, so there was no way he was involved in this.
Gooey made his way over to Ado's cabin. Here, he could see Ado argue with what looked like a small glob of purple paint. Kirby held the paint back, she had five eyes on her body and a large mouth.
"You humans are always taking things from me, why can't you let me be happy just this once!?"
"We couldn't just let you turn the world into a giant painting!"
"It looked a LOT better as a painting, but no...YOU and this brat had to ruin everything!"
So Gooey wasn't dreaming? Did the world really turn into a painting? He went over to the group to try and investigate. "What's going on?"
"So you know how I talked to you about Drawcia the other day?" Ado asked. Upon noticing the Dark Matter, the blob's expression softened. "Oh, you're that scared boy from the other day."
Wait, was this supposed to be Drawcia? So she really was alive, but she looked nothing like she did in her painting. It was strange to see someone who was supposed to look powerful be reduced to a small blob.
"So what lies have you told this boy?" Drawcia demanded. "You haven't told him about that ridiculous story, have you?"
"He just wanted to know if anyone's ever brought their art to life like Lisa did."
Drawcia rolled her eyes as she looked back at Gooey. "Don't listen to her, she's no different from that scumbag Leo."
"He's not a scumbag!" Ado argued. "He was trying to save his sister."
"He didn't save anyone, if anything he KIDNAPPED me!" Drawcia yelled. "And unless you're going to continue with those lies, I suggest that you leave me alone!"
With that said, Drawcia crawled away. As she did, she left behind a trail of color. Gooey couldn't help but look at Adeleine. "So what's going on, why is she angry?"
"It's because I wouldn't let her take over the world," Ado replied. "She tried to do that by turning the world into a painting.
"I tried to stop her, but she took away my arms and legs," Kirby added. "Adeleine had to help me go through Drawcia's world in order to beat her."
"She didn't chop 'em off, did she?" Gooey asked, Kirby quickly shook his head. "No, she used magic on me."
Gooey let out a sigh of relief. Still, he was kind of bothered by Drawcia's anger, especially towards Ado. Since she clearly didn't want to speak with Kirby and Ado, maybe he could talk it out with her instead?
"I'm gonna go see if she's OK," Gooey said as he hopped along the ground. "I'll see you guys later."
"OK, Gooey. I'll meet you back home," Kirby said as he waved good-bye.
Thankfully, it wasn't too difficult to know where the living blob of paint was, as once again she left behind a trail of colors. She sat by the lake and watched the fish swim underneath. Although the anger was still there, Gooey still decided to approach her.
"I don't get it," Drawcia said bitterly, seemingly talking to nobody in particular. "All these years and they STILL insist that Leo is the good guy, I don't get it!"
"What's not to get?" Gooey asked. Although startled at first, Drawcia shook her head. "You're a Dark Matter, aren't you? So you'll be able to listen to me, right?"
"Uh...I think so?"
"Good enough," Drawcia replied. "So you've heard about that story with Lisa right?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, the Dark Matter that 'kidnapped' her? That was her partner, they were in love."
Gooey's eyes widened, so that really was possible? And with a human, of all things? In those kinds of cases, a Dark Matter was usually punished for feeling this way towards anyone, Zero always thought of it as a type of treason to be devoted to someone else rather than to serve their creator.
Then again, this Dark Matter was from a different colony. Maybe it was different for other Zeroes?
"So how'd you know that they were in love?" Gooey asked.
"Well, Lisa is technically my mother, remember?" Drawcia told him. "And the Dark Matter is technically my father, so if she really hated him then would she really go out of her way to create me?"
Drawcia did have some good points, but Gooey didn't want to believe that Ado was lying either...not intentionally, anyway. Of course, when Kirby's jester friend got in trouble last time, they had to use something to prove that he was innocent...Maybe something like that would prove Drawcia that she was right? And if not her, then maybe Ado?
"Look, I like to think that you're telling the truth, too...But if we're gonna need everyone to believe you, then we're gonna need...uh...we're gonna need..."
Gooey brought his tongue out and rubbed his head as he tried to find the right word, what was it again? Suddenly, Drawcia's face lit up in excitement.
"Are you saying that I need evidence?"
"Yeah, that!"
"Well, what if there was still something on Terra Star?!" Drawcia asked excitedly. "If we find proof that my parents loved each other, then I can prove that I'm telling the truth AND I can rub it in Adeleine's face!"
"...OK," Gooey said with a weird expression, "but where's Terra Star?"
"It's quite far away, but if Adeleine can get from there to here, then I'm sure we'll be fine when we get there, too. We just need to find a way to get there first."
Gooey thought about it for a moment. He could go to any planet right now if he wanted to, but the journey would be ridiculously long. There had to be a faster way to go from planet to planet...
"Oh!" Gooey yelled as he thought of an idea. "Why dun we use a Warp Star?"
"...Warp Star?"
"Kirby uses 'em all the time to get to places faster, we could use one to get to Terra Star faster!"
"That's a great idea!" Drawcia said excitedly before she calmed down. "But we should probably go when it's night time, if we take off right now that liar will think I kidnapped you or something."
"I dun think she would," Gooey replied. "But yeah, we could go at night. I just gotta make sure I'm still awake by then."
"All right, then meet me here later, OK?"
"OK!"
As Gooey parted with Drawcia for now, he really had to wonder who was telling the truth. He knew that Ado would never lie to him, but there had to be a reason why Drawcia acted out in the first place. So the best way to do that was to look for evidence.
He just hoped that Kirby didn't mind him going on this adventure, at least not for a little while.
Chapter 3
Summary:
Gooey and Drawcia leave Popstar
Chapter Text
It was the middle of the night, or at least Gooey assumed it was the case anyway. Regardless, once Kirby fell asleep he made his way back to the lake. Drawcia was here already. Unlike earlier, she looked like how she did in her painting, a Dark Matter in its Blade form. In fact, she looked like she was slightly bigger than Gooey's brother was.
"...So you really did show up," Drawcia said as she floated from her spot and pulled out a paintbrush. It wasn't anything special, just a black paintbrush with a wide tip at the end.
"I thought you would've had a flashier brush.?" Gooey said curiously.
"I did, but I can't find it, so this will have to do," Drawcia said bitterly. "Now about the Warp Star you brought up earlier..."
"Uh..." Gooey tried to think, where could he find one?
"I know they glow in the dark, so maybe we'll fine one if we keep our eyes open."
"How very helpful of you," Drawcia said sarcastically. "Now come on, let's go search for one."
Gooey nodded as he followed the witch. There had to be some kind of Warp Star around here, or at least some way to leave this planet.
"You know, it's a little late for someone like you to be out here, Gooey."
Gooey paused as he heard a familiar voice, he looked up and saw Coo sit in a nearby tree. Drawcia tilted her head as she looked up at him. "Is he your friend, Gooey?"
"He is," Gooey replied. "Coo, this is Drawcia."
"So I see you've run into an actual witch this time," Coo said with a chuckle. "But I must ask, where are you two going?"
"We're gonna go to Terra Star," Gooey replied. "Drawcia wants to prove something to Ado."
"I see...but there's one little problem, there are no humans left on Terra Star."
"But why not?" Drawcia asked. "There has to be SOMEONE there?"
"Well if there is, then they're not human." Coo told them. "Have you ever wondered why Ado came to Popstar in the first place?"
...Come to think of it, the thought rarely crossed Gooey's mind. And when someone DID bring up Ado's home, she was quick to change the subject."
"So what if there aren't any humans, we should still be able to find the proof we need!" Drawcia said stubbornly. Coo nodded before he brought a wing to his beak. "I suppose you're right, but the reason why Ado left her home planet...It's because someone was there to try and mechanize it."
"Whaddaya mean mechanize?"
"Well, I can only tell you what Ado told me so take what I say with a grain of salt," Coo told Gooey. "But from what I was told, someone came to the planet to drain it of its resources to power up his machinery.. And not long after, the planet started going into its own ice age, so if there IS life still on that planet they would have to be something that's adapted to living in the cold already. Are you still willing to go, Gooey?"
"I gotta if we're gonna get any proof!" Gooey said stubbornly. "If it gets cold then I can just make a torch or something."
"All right, but I'm asking you to please be careful."
"I will," Gooey said cheerfully. Meanwhile, Drawcia was starting to get impatient. "So if you don't mind, Could you tell us where we could find a Warp Star?"
Once again, Coo tried to think. "I know I saw one near Float Islands, but again please be careful."
With all that said, Gooey and Drawcia parted ways with the owl and headed over to Float Island. Needless to say, they were ready for their adventure to begin.
Thankfully, Float Islands wasn't too far. The beach was different at night, as there was hardly anyone there. The few visible light here came from the stars, Popstar's ring and the broken moon.
But there had to be a Warp Star here somewhere, right? Maybe it's buried in the sand?
"...Oh, I think I see something in the water!" Drawcia said while she pointed with her brush. Gooey tried to focus his eyes. It gave off a faint glow, he could see a Warp Star laying by the shoreline. He grabbed it with his tongue and dragged it onto the sand.
"So do you really think that it'll take us to Terra Star?" Drawcia asked.
"I think so," Gooey replied. "Kirby's used these things to go all over the place, so we'll get there if we just hang onto it."
"All right, here goes nothing."
Gooey hopped on top of the Warp Star while Drawcia sat behind him. Suddenly, it began to move. It moved faster and faster until both the Dark Matter and the Witch had to hold onto the Warp Star for dear life. Soon, it eventually Popstar's atmosphere.
Gooey wasn't sure how long it would take to reach Ado's home planet, nor was he sure if he was going to find the proof Drawcia needed, but he was sure that he would find something there. And even if they don't find that proof, Drawcia might be able to find something as well.
Chapter 4
Summary:
Gooey and Drawcia land on the wrong planet.
Chapter Text
The Warp Star flew for quite a while, now. As it did, the duo couldn't help but watch some of the planets as they flew by. There was a smaller one covered in plants, one water-based planet, and one mechanical-looking planet...was it even a planet at all?
"Gooey, look!"
Drawcia pointed at something large, it was probably bigger than Zero if Gooey had to compare it. It had all kinds of stuff attached to it, and the face ressembled that of a cat's face.
"What is that?" Drawcia asked.
"I...think it's a Clockwork Star" Gooey replied. "Kirby told me about them, they're s'posed to grant wishes and stuff."
Drawcia went quiet as she looked at the Clockwork Star with a curious gaze. She jumped as the star looked back in their direction.
"I...don't think I trust that thing."
"That's OK," Gooey assured her. "They're really powerful, so I wouldn't wanna mess with it unless I had to."
"Let's hope that we never do," Drawcia said quietly.
Gooey couldn't blame her for her reaction, Clockwork Stars deserved a lot of respect, after all. Not to mention that they can only grant one wish upon meeting them, so if Gooey was going to need it then it would have to be for something important.
Soon, the duo would land on one of the planets...but it wasn't Terra Star. From a distance, the planet looked like a round puzzle that pulled itself apart and would put itself together. As the duo entered the planet.they saw that there was mostly sand here.
"I don't think this is Terra Star." Drawcia said with concern. Afterwards, the warp star bounced on the floor and launched the duo into a small pond before vanishing.
"...Well, that could've been worse." Drawcia said as she pulled the wet hair out of her face. "Are you still there, Gooey?"
"...I think so?" Gooey said with uncertainty. "What happened to the Warp Star?"
"I don't think it'll come back anytime soon," Drawcia said bitterly. "Where are we, anyway?"
...That was a good question. There was sand everywhere for sure, yet the planet thrived with all kinds of life. This planet had a name, right? It was the planet that pulled itself apart and would put itself together...
"Oh!" Gooey yelled, "I think this is Rock Star!"
"Well, do you think that Rock Star has a way for us to get out of here?"
"Uh...I think so," Gooey replied. "Kirby's hopped from planet to planet before, so I think we can find a way out of here it we look around."
The duo made their way through the sandy paradise. In addition to the sand, they could also see ruins poke out of the ground. There were crumbled pillars and broken buildings, and of course a few tents which Gooey assumed were for people outside of the planet. What was the name for them, again? Researchers?
"Oh, a Bubbles and a Dark Matter...I wasn't expecting to see such a combination."
The duo turned their attention to where the voice came from, it was a human. He had red hair and wore a tan outfit.
"She's not a Bubbles," Gooey corrected.
"I think he was talking about you, Gooey." Drawcia said before she turned her attention to the human. "But I'm not exactly a Dark Matter, either."
"Ah, my mistake," the human replied. "I've never seen a real Dark Matter before, so I shouldn't have assumed."
"So what's going on?" Gooey asked. "Are you here to look at the ruins?"
"Of course, once Terra Star became Shiver Star I started living out here." The human said excitedly. "I could look at these ruins all day, so what brings you two here?"
"Well, we were on our way to Terra Star, but we crash landed here instead," Drawcia explained. "So would you happen to know where we could find a way off of this planet?"
"Now why would you want to go there?" The human asked curiously. "It's too cold for anyone to live there."
"We wanted to look for something about her family," Gooey explained. "It's got something to do with a human on my planet."
"Well if you REALLY want to leave, I know the black pyramid has a few ships sitting in there Of course, you'd have to be careful around its security system, though."
"Oh, we've got a black pyramid on Popstar!" Gooey said excitedly. The human placed a hand under their chin as they tried to think. "Huh...Then maybe I should pay Popstar a visit someday. I'm sure it'll be worth comparing the ruins there to the ones here."
"Right, well...thank you for your help," Drawcia said politely. "We'll be on our way, now."
"Take care!"
As the duo parted with the human, Gooey looked around to see where that Pyramid might be. "You dun think it's buried, do you?"
"I would hope not," Drawcia replied. "The sooner we get to Terra Star, the better."
The duo continued to make their way through the ruins, these ones in particular looked like the remains of an old village partially buried in sand. Gooey was somewhat mesmerized by the road below them. The outer parts of the road had a red and yellow triangular pattern, kind of like the sash on Dedede's robe or the tassels on his brother's cloak. The inside of the road, however, had a few colorful tiles that reminded him of Cloudy Park.
"Are you OK, Gooey?" Drawcia asked.
"Hm?" Gooey lifted his head as his eyes tried to focus on the witch. "I'm fine, I was just looking at the ground."
"Hm...Well it is a colorful road," Drawcia said with a thoughtful expression. "What do you suppose the people who lived here were like?"
Gooey had to think about it for a moment, what WERE the people here like? He looked around a bit more and noticed that even the houses were somewhat colorful, if a little faded.
"I think...maybe they loved the light here?" Gooey asked, though he felt as if he was missing something.
"Well, I think the people here were really festive a long time ago," Drawcia replied. "All of these colors remind me of the parties that I could see outside of my painting, so they might've had a ton of festivals out here a long time ago...But it's as much of a guess for me than it is for you, really."
"You really think people would have parties out here?" Gooey asked.
"Well, yeah. That's what the colors remind me of," Drawcia told Gooey. "What about you, Gooey? What do they remind YOU of?"
"A lotta stuff actually," Gooey told Drawcia. "Like the first time I landed on Popstar, you would never see this much color at my old home."
"Right...I guess your home WOULD be pretty dark," Drawcia replied. "What was your old home like, anyway?"
"Not very good," Gooey said bluntly. "Zero was very strict, and most of my siblings hated me except for my brother. I actually would've died back home if it wasn't for him."
"I see, so what happened to your brother?"
"It's a long story," Gooey said bluntly. "He did some bad stuff and now he's hiding from everyone. He didn't even recognize me when he got to Popstar."
"Well I hope things get better for you and your brother," Drawcia replied. "But in a way, I suppose you're lucky to have known him at all. I barely know anything about my sister."
...Right, Drawcia had a sister according to Ado. He had to wonder what she was like, maybe she was kind? Or maybe she was wicked? Either way, he didn't have an answer.
"I dunno what your sister is like, but I hope you get to see her again."
"I hope so, too." Drawcia replied. "I just hope that she doesn't hate me."
"I dun think she will," Gooey replied. "I'm sure she misses you just as much as you miss her."
Drawcia nodded before she decided to keep going. Gooey hopped alongside her, he was sure that she would have everything figured out soon. But for now, they needed to find a way to Terra Star. He needed to help get that proof for Drawcia no matter what.
Chapter 5
Summary:
The duo find the black pyramid.
Chapter Text
The desert felt like it stretched on for miles and miles after the duo left the ruins. Normally, the heat wasn't a problem for Gooey, but the sun felt even harsher than it usually was on Popstar. He could feel his skin turn red. He dragged his tongue behind his body in an attempt to cool down, but nothing really worked.
He wasn't sure if it was because she was a painting or if it was her big hat, but Drawcia looked perfectly fine. As they kept moving, however, she would glance back at Gooey every once in a while to check on him. When she glanced at him this time, however, she stopped floating and pulled out her paint brush.
"Did you want to stop for a moment? I could give you a drink or something."
"...Can you give me a parasol, too?"
"Of course, anything to get you out of the sun!"
As requested, Drawcia painted the objects out of thin air, one was a glass of water while the other was a simple parasol. Weakly, Gooey grabbed both of them with his tongue and swallowed them. Surprisingly, they both tasted like the real thing.
"...Why would you do that?" Drawcia asked with confusion. Suddenly, Gooey sprouted an arm as a larger parasol appeared, it was big enough to cover his whole body.
"I got the Copy Ability like Kirby," Gooey explained. Drawcia continued to give him the same confused look. "You know you could've just used the parasol, right?"
...Oh well, they needed to keep moving anyway. Gooey continued to follow behind Drawcia. Eventually, they could see what they were looking for in the distance, the Black Pyramid.
If that human was right, there should be something in there that would allow the duo to leave the planet. Drawcia was mesmerized by the pyramid as the duo got closer.
"I don't think I've seen a building THAT big before," Drawcia said with a hint of wonder in her voice. "Is that how big the Pyramid was on Popstar, Gooey?"
"Uh...something like that, yeah."
"All right, so how do we get in?"
...Actually, that was a good question? The pyramid back home had an entrance, so this one should have one too, right? Gooey floated around the pyramid. He could see something at the top, maybe that was how he was supposed to get in?
"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"
...Right, there was that security system the human mentioned. Before Gooey could react, he was hit with a red laser and was forced to drop his parasol. He could see something retreat back into the pyramid as he fell.
"GOOEY!" Drawcia yelled as she flew upwards to catch the young blob. Once she caught him, she looked over him with worry. "Are you OK?"
"...I'm fine" Gooey replied. "A little burned, but I'm fine."
"Right, so we'll have to find another way inside." Drawcia said as she looked up at the sky. She turned her attention back to Gooey and lifted her hat. "Here, why don't you hide from the sun for a bit until I find a way in?"
Gooey nodded as he sat on top of Drawcia's head. She placed her hat on top of Gooey, though the young Dark Matter held it up so he could still see outside of it. Drawcia tried to think. "So we can't get to the top...and there's no other entrances on the sides, right?"
"Right."
"...So maybe the entrance is on the bottom somewhere!" Drawcia exclaimed shortly before she went back to thinking. "So that begs the question...how do we even get to the bottom?"
"Maybe there's a switch somewhere?" Gooey suggested.
"Gooey, you're a genius!" Drawcia yelled excitedly. She used her brush and created one of those metal things...what was it again, a metal detector?
Anyway, Drawcia used the metal detector to find the switch. Once it detected something, she uncovered a large button and pressed it.
Suddenly, the pyramid flew into the air and knocked the duo over. It looked more like a diamond now than a pyramid. Once it was in the air, an elevator came out of the bottom and landed on the sand.
Although dazed, Drawcia lifted herself up and dusted the sand off of her cloak. "All right, I've had enough of the sand here!"
"Ugh," was all Gooey had to say as he tried to dust off Drawcia's hat. As Drawcia made her way into the pyramid, Gooey quickly flew right next to her. "Hey, dun leave me here!"
As the elevator went up, the desert scenery was replaced by robotic walls. The Black Pyramid back on Popstar was similar as well, though Gooey wondered if it really was a pyramid back home.
Once the elevator reached the top, Drawcia looked around a bit. "So where should we start looking?"
"I dunno," Gooey replied. "It's a big building."
"Well then we'll just have to look around, won't we?"
Once the elevator stopped, the duo began to search the whole building. There were certainly a lot of traps and cannons, though they were easy to avoid. It was no wonder the human made it out alive.
Although it took a while, the duo found a room inside the pyramid that contained a bunch of small spaceships. They were probably big enough for a few people to fit in. Strangely, they all had a set of legs on them.
"So these are the ships the human was talking about," Drawcia said out loud.
"Yeah, but how are we gonna use 'em?" Gooey asked.
"Well, you just open one and hop in...right?"
Gooey nodded as he released his fins, he floated around the ship to see if there was a way to open it. There were two buttons on the side, he pressed one of them. This allowed allowed the ship to open at the top.
"Ah, well that was easy," Drawcia said quietly. She hopped onto the seat while Gooey landed right next to her. She closed the lid above them while Gooey tried to figure out how the ship was supposed to work. On the dashboard, there were four colorful buttons on the right, a plus-shaped button on the left, a joystick on the bottom, and two buttons in the middle. To Gooey, it looked a bit like a strange video game controller.
"So how do we turn it on?" Drawcia asked as she carelessly pressed the buttons.
"Try one of the middle ones!" Gooey suggested, as Drawcia pressed it the ship began to stand up.
"OK, now try moving the joystick!" Gooey added. Once again, Drawcia did as she was told. From there, she was able to understand the controls pretty well. She was able to make the ship run through the pyramid, but now she needed to find a way out of here.
"Do you think those things will attack again if we go through the top?" Gooey asked. Drawcia replied with a shrug. "I dunno, but there's only one way to find out."
Once she reached the middle of the pyramid, she played around with the controls again. One of them would shoot lasers while another would form a force field around the ship. Once she hit the right button, the ship lifted its legs and it began to fly through the center of the pyramid. It flew past several cannons and it was even able to fly past those things that attacked Gooey, earlier.
Finally, the duo was able to escape the planet. Gooey watched as the planet became smaller and smaller. They were finally back on track to Terra Star.
"I've never had this much fun before," Drawcia said excitedly, she was practically bouncing in her seat. Gooey tilted his head. "Haven't you been on a ship, before?"
"Well yeah, but I've never actually driven one," Drawcia replied. "We'll get to Terra Star in no time!"
Yeah, but for now Gooey needed to rest for a bit. Although it wasn't as bad as the first time he'd been exposed to the sun, it still hurt him pretty badly.
Chapter 6
Summary:
The duo end up on yet another planet.
Chapter Text
"...MRROW!"
Gooey woke up from his nap as he heard what sounded like the cry of a giant cat. Once again, he saw the Clockwork Star fly by Rock Star.
"Did it scare you?" Drawcia asked. "Because it scared me, too."
"I wouldn't say that," Gooey replied. "Honestly, I dun think I have a word to describe how I feel about these things."
"You don't suppose it's following us, do you?"
Was it really? It wasn't super close, but it still looked about as big as Rock Star. Maybe it was just curious about the planet? However, Gooey couldn't help but jump as the Nova let out another cry and looked at the ship.
"...Maybe we should stop at another planet for a little bit." Gooey suggested.
"But what about Terra Star?" Drawcia asked.
"We're still goin' there," Gooey tried to assure her, "I just think that we should stop on another planet for now."
"But-"
Once again, the Nova let out a loud cry that scared the duo. Drawcia couldn't help but let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine, but only because I want to get away from that thing."
Of course, the closest planet to Rock Star was a watery planet. If Gooey had to guess, there was more water here than there was on Popstar. There were a few scattered islands here and there, but Gooey had a feeling that most of the life on this planet lived underwater. There were probably all kinds of creatures here, there were probably even Sunfish and Octopuses here like Kine and Chuchu.
Drawcia was able to find a big island to land on. It was right outside of a forest and was at the edge of the beach. Thankfully the landing was smoother than the one on Rock Star, but it was still enough to launch both Gooey and Drawcia out of their seats. Although dazed at first, Drawcia looked around as she opened the ship's hood. "I think I'm OK...Are you OK, Gooey?"
"...I think so," Gooey replied. Just like the last planet, the sun here was harsh. Of course, Drawcia wasted no time with putting her hat on the young Dark Matter. Unlike Rock Star, however, there was a pleasant breeze from from this planet's winds.
"So what is the name of this planet?" Drawcia asked, curiously. "Do you know?"
"Um...I think...I think it's called Aqua Star," Gooey replied. There were a few different water planets of course, but he remembered that Popstar and Aqua Star were the closest to Rock Star.
"Hopefully that Clockwork Star goes away soon," Drawcia said as she looked up at the sky for a moment. Afterwards, she looked at Gooey and tilted her head. "So what do you want to do while we're here?"
Well they WERE at a beach, there was plenty of stuff that they could do. They could go swimming, they could explore, they could even take a nap. But there was ONE thing Gooey wanted to do right now, it was something he would often do with Kirby.
"Why dun we build a sand castle?" Gooey asked. Drawcia's face lit up as she started to bounce excitedly. Quickly, she grabbed her brush and painted a couple of buckets. Afterwards, she handed one to Gooey. "I'll go get the water!"
As Drawcia grabbed another bucket Gooey started to fill his up with sand. He kind of wished that Chuchu was around to help, she was the best when it came to sand castles. Still, he was sure that it would look decent especially with Drawcia's help.
What he ended up making was a replica of Dedede's castle, or at least he liked to think it was anyway. Drawcia helped decorate it with seashells and seaweed. Even if it wasn't perfect, the duo couldn't help but admire their work.
"I'll admit, sculpting is a lot more fun than it looks." Drawcia said happily. Gooey tilted his head. "You've never sculpted before?"
"No, but I've always wanted to," Drawcia told Gooey. "Leo always made it look easy. I don't know if he felt bad for kidnapping me or if it was something else, but he sculpted a friend for me once."
"He did?"
"Yeah, but unlike me she wasn't really...'alive'," Drawcia explained. "And some time after Leo died, she was sold to someone from another planet. I hope she's being taken care of though, wherever she is."
Gooey nodded, though he couldn't help but frown. "Dun you hate Leo, though?"
"Don't get me wrong, I STILL hate his guts," Drawcia replied, "but...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little influenced by him and his family."
"I think I get what you mean," Gooey told her. "You can ignore it all you want but you're still part of Ado's family somehow, just like how I'm still a part of my colony."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've lived under my creator's influence and my brother's influence, so even if we ignore it I'm still from that colony."
"...OK, I think I know what you're trying to say now," Drawcia told him. She went silent as she looked out into the ocean. There was something else on Gooey's mind, of course it had to do with Ado.
"Do you think that you and Ado can be friends?"
"That...I don't have the answer to that," Drawcia said quietly.
"But what'll you do when you find your proof?" Gooey asked. "Even if you prove her wrong, what if she still wanted to be your friend?"
Drawcia rolled her eyes as she heard the question. She had more energy than him for sure, but in a way Drawcia wasn't too different from Gooey's brother. Regardless, Gooey continued to speak.
"You still wanna get that evidence though, dun you? Even if you hate Ado, she deserves to know the truth as much as you do."
"...Yeah, I suppose we would've come all this way for nothing if we didn't get that evidence," Drawcia replied as she continued to stare at the ocean. "But I'm glad I'm out here. I've always known what an ocean was before, but it's a lot more beautiful compared to what I could see from my painting."
Gooey nodded as, once again, he could relate. He remembered how his brother used to tell him about the outside world once he got back from his missions, and as much as Brother tried, his words could never replicate what the world was really like.
While they were here Gooey figured that it wouldn't hurt to explore the ocean for a little bit while Drawcia painted something on the beach. And just like Popstar's oceans, there was all kinds of life down here.
He found himself at a reef where he could watch the fish swim freely, some swam over to the coral and anemones so that they could rest. There were other fish that were being chased by an octopus, and there were even a few jellyfish that drifted lazily in the water.
Gooey continued to swim, he swam until he made his way back to the surface. As he did, Drawcia called out to him.
"Stay where you are, Gooey!" Drawcia yelled excitedly as she continued to paint. As requested, Gooey stayed where he was. He allowed the waves to gently bob him up and down. The ocean seemed so peaceful, so gentle...
"...OK, Gooey I think you should get out, now!" Drawcia yelled as if to warn him of something. He wondered why at first, but then he realized that the waves were turning into one big tidal wave. He tried to swim away to the best of his ability, but the water dragged him underneath and threw him back at the coast. Next thing he knew he landed in front of Drawcia.
"...Are you OK?" Drawcia asked. Gooey spat out some water and shook his body. "I'm fine, a little water wun hurt me."
"OK, well...did you want to see my painting?" Drawcia asked as she showed Gooey her canvas. It looked as bright and colorful as his "dream" did, not only that but he could see himself within the water.
"That looks really good," Gooey told her. Drawcia nodded. "I'm glad you think so, but I feel like it's missing something..."
Gooey tried to think, what could be missing from a picture like this? It looked fine as far as he could tell. Of course, maybe Drawcia just wanted to add more to it?
"Maybe you could add more sparkles?"
Now it was Drawcia's turn to think. Slowly, she lifted her brush and sparted adding white spots to the water. "It looks better...But maybe I should add some glitter to it later."
"I still think it looks fine."
"Well I'm glad you still like it, Gooey."
Gooey couldn't help but smile, even if Drawcia didn't like how it looked now he couldn't help but admire it. Of course, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of stuff she could make with Ado. As much as Drawcia denied it, Gooey was sure that they would be good friends if given the chance.
Chapter 7
Summary:
Very short chapter.
Also, the "villagers" are supposed to be Yariko from Kirby 64.
Chapter Text
Aqua Star was a fun little planet with plenty of stuff to do, and eventually daytime became nighttime.
Gooey went off to look for some food. Although he didn't need to eat, it was still nice to have the food in the first place. He carried a watermelon with his tongue. Normally he'd be careful when it came to food, but aside from Kirby, he never really saw anyone eat the outside anyway.
He was able to take the watermelon all the way back to the beach. Not far from their ship, Drawcia made a tent with her paint brush. It was a cute tent with bows on the sides and pillows on the inside.
"Heya," Gooey said as he dropped the watermelon in front of the tent. "I got food, did you want any?"
"Oh, no thank you," Drawcia said as she shook her head. "I don't need it."
"Suit yourself, then." Gooey said as he ate the watermelon whole. He could always find another one if Drawcia changed her mind.
"Once the sun goes up we'll be back on our way to Terra Star," Drawcia told Gooey. The younger blob nodded as he looked up at the sky. Terra Star was going to be cold, right? So he had to wonder how they were going to survive on that planet if it became too cold for the humans to live on.
...Of course, Drawcia was able to find ways around it, she could paint Gooey a torch if he really needed one.
They were going to make it to Terra Star, soon. And once all of this was over, he couldn't wait to see Kirby and Ado again.
Once the morning arrived, the duo made their way back to the ship and took off. Right now, Gooey lied against the window as he watched all sorts of planets and stars fly by. And of course he could see the Clockwork Star in the distance, but it was off doing its own thing.
Drawcia continued to drive the ship, she would glace at the Clockwork Star every few seconds to make sure it wasn't following them. She was always on edge whenever she knew it was around, maybe Gooey could talk to her about something to lighten the mood.
"So what was Terra Star like before it got frozen over?"
"I don't think I can say much about it, I was stuck in that painting for a VERY long time."
"Well what about Ado? You used to live with her on Terra Star, right?"
"Well-"
Before Drawcia could say anything, the ship was struck by a small meteor. And then another, and another. Not only did the rocks knock the ship open, they also knocked Gooey out of it in the process. He let his fins out and tried to get a hold of himself, but unfortunately, the gravity of another nearby planet dragged him in. It looked like a green planet, but that's all that Gooey could see about it. He continued to tumble downward until he landed in the middle of a jungle.
...This was definitely not the first time Gooey crash-landed on a new planet, but his body still hurt upon impact. The sunburn covering his body didn't exactly help, either. Thankfully, it didn't seem like the sun was going to be out for very long as rain gently fell from the sky.
Slowly, Gooey crawled out of the crater that he made, he had to wonder how Drawcia was doing right now. Perhaps she was still on her way to Terra Star without him?
...No, she wouldn't just leave him here...right? She must've been coming back for him, right?
In the meantime, Gooey looked around for a place to hide from the rain. Fortunately, he stumbled into a small village, The villagers here came out of the trees to use broad leaves as umbrella. As many got out of the rain, there was one small villager with orange hair that ran up to Gooey. They carried a spear in one hand and a broad leaf in the other. They handed Gooey the leaf.
"Oh, thank you!" Gooey said as he accepted the leaf. He wasn't sure if the villager could understand him, but they hopped excitedly before they ran off to reunite with their family.
At least he'll be able to keep himself dry, Gooey continued to move until he found a small cave to stay in. This place had quite a few caves here actually. The villagers here weren't exactly cavemen, but they certainly lived like cavemen. They didn't have a lot of worries here, and some even played in the rain. Gooey was sure that he would be fine here until he can leave the planet.
He hoped that Drawcia was OK out there on her own though. Those meteors probably damaged the ship really well, but she had to be fine out there on her own.
Gooey was sure that she would come back for him soon, otherwise he might be stuck on this planet for a while...
Chapter Text
Gooey woke up from a quick nap. It still drizzled outside, though once again the villagers here didn't seem to mind.
There were three of them here, each one drew on the cave walls. They giggled playfully as they drew with the chalk in their hands. When they noticed that Gooey had woken up from his nap, one of them came over and offered him a piece of chalk.
"Oh, you want me to draw with you?" Gooey asked as he accepted the chalk. He wasn't sure if they could understand him, but they moved away from the wall so that Gooey could draw on it. Their drawings were all so simple, and yet it wasn't hard to tell that they were all supposed to be animals.
It took Gooey a little bit to figure out what he wanted to draw, in the end he decided to draw two Dark Matter sleeping in their nest. One could assume that they were him and his brother, though that wasn't his intention since he didn't give the larger Dark Matter spines. Nonetheless, the villagers seemed to like Gooey's drawing. Two of them clapped while one patted Gooey's back.
"Well thank you, I'm glad you like it," Gooey told them. "But your art's really good, too."
Once again, he wasn't sure if they could understand him, but they seemed happy regardless. He kind of wished that he could've heard Drawcia's thoughts on these types of paintings. They were very simple compared to what she could do, yet these villagers still put their heart and soul into their own drawings.
Suddenly, something flew into the village. Everyone outside tried to get out of the way, though a few of them attacked the flying being with their spears. When Gooey was able to get a good look at it, he was able to see that it was a dragon. It roared ferociously as it grabbed someone with its claws.
Thinking quickly, Gooey released his fins and went after the dragon. He grabbed one of the spears on the ground and swallowed it, which gave him the Spear Ability.
...Perhaps swallowing it wasn't necessary, but even then, he had to save the village from the dragon. Quickly, he stabbed its arm, which caused the dragon to let go of its prey. Once they were released, the villager ran away to join its kind.
Of course, the dragon didn't take kindly to this, it swatted Gooey with its tail. Despite getting knocked back, Gooey held tightly onto the spear as he charged at the dragon again. It dodged the spear and spat out a few fireballs. Gooey tried to dodge the attack, though one of the fireballs left a burn on his stomach.
...He wasn't sure why, but Gooey couldn't move. Was he stunned? Was he scared? Either way the dragon was about to attack again and he couldn't move.
Suddenly, an Ice Dragon jumped in front of Gooey and blasted the other dragon with its icy breath. It wasn't a real Ice Dragon. In fact, it looked like something Ado would've painted in a hurry to help her friends.
"Gooey!" Drawcia called out as she came over and dropped to Gooey's level. "Are you OK?"
"I...yeah," Gooey said, though he was still somewhat stunned from the attack. Likewise, the dragon fled after it got blasted in the face with ice. Proud of its work, the Ice Dragon gave Drawcia a thumb's up before it dissolved back into paint.
"Oh, thank the stars!" Drawcia said as she let out a long breath. "I've put you through so much without even thinking about it, Gooey. I'm so sorry."
"...That's OK," Gooey replied as he hugged the witch. "Besides, you helped me save the whole village."
Drawcia looked around as the villagers came out of their hiding spots. They were curious about the witch, but they didn't want to be near her. To them, she probably looked venomous. Nonetheless, a couple of them grabbed some flowers and tossed them over to her direction as if to say "thank you".
"I see you've been making friends without me," Drawcia teased, she brought the end of her cloak close to her face as she let out a small laugh.
Gooey was thankful that Drawcia was here to save him, but he was also just as thankful that the villagers here were OK. Everyone was OK and that was all that mattered.
Later that day, everything seemed to have settled down. While there were a couple of villagers who kept their eyes out for the dragon, the rest of them went back to living their lives as if nothing had happened. Perhaps stuff like this was common here?
Gooey and Drawcia relaxed at a nearby pond, the water felt nice against Gooey's burn. He was thankful that it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, otherwise he would be stuck here for a little while longer.
...Of course, he was relieved that Drawcia came back for him. As much as she wanted to go to Terra Star, she had enough of a heart to come back for him, and for that he was thankful.
"So Terra Star isn't that far from here," Drawcia said in a quietly as she looked up at the sky. "I'll be honest, I'm a little nervous about going back."
"Yeah, it's gotta be different with all the snow everywhere." Gooey told Drawcia. "I should warn you though that Dark Matter dun usually like the cold."
"You don't?"
Gooey shook his head. "When it got cold back in my old home, my siblings would huddle up with each other to stay warm. Some of 'em even stayed in Lord Zero's nest. But whenever it got cold, Brother would do what he could to keep me out of it. He would always get really sick, though. Sometimes to the point where our world's guardian had to watch over him."
"Huh...and I would've thought that your kind liked the cold," Drawcia said with a thoughtful expression. She looked at Gooey and tilted her head. "I've been meaning to ask, what's the difference between your brother and your other siblings?"
"Well, we weren't connected to the rest of them." Gooey told her. "I dun remember the first time I met Brother, but I know he always used to look after me before I was banished."
"...I know you told me how you don't get along with your siblings, but I can't help but wonder if my father got along with his," Drawcia said as she became deep in thought again. "I know he loved my mother enough to stay with her, but I wonder how he felt about his own colony."
"...Where I'm from, it's REALLY bad to be devoted to someone who didn't create you," Gooey told her. "But I like to think that his Zero was a nicer Zero. If being in love with your mom made him happy, then maybe his Zero was happy for him, too."
",,,I like to think that you're right," Drawcia said, "Though it's not like we have any way to prove that."
Right, but that wasn't what they needed to prove. Gooey looked up at the sky, he and Drawcia would have to leave this place once they were ready. Terra Star was going to be rough, so he and Drawcia would need as much strength as possible to get through it.
Notes:
Almost time to explore Shiver Star, folks!
Chapter Text
The ship that the duo had used for most of the trip still worked despite missing its door. Regardless, they finally made their way to Terra Star. From the distance, the planet looked completely white. And the clouds here were thick enough for the ship to land on without going through them, but even then there was barely any heat here. There were a few creatures here that floated freely through the cloud, but they didn't stick around for very long.
Drawcia made herself a bag to hang over herself, and of course Gooey was inside the bag. His face poked out so that he could use his tongue if he needed to, plus he was able to keep himself out of the cold while inside the bag.
"...I think we're in the right spot," Drawcia said as she looked for a way down to the surface. Gooey also tried to look around from inside the bag. He wondered if he could use his tongue to move some of the clouds, though they were way to thick to dig through by the looks of it.
After a little while, something managed to catch one of Gooey's eyes. He tugged the bag with his tongue in order to get Drawcia's attention.
"I think I see a hole over there," Gooey said as he pointed with his tongue. As Drawcia made her way over to it, she could see an abandoned city with yet another hole that buried itself deep into the ground. Gooey could tell that she was anxious, in fact she was probably more scared than he was when the Clockwork Star was nearby. Regardless, she made her way down and into the city.
Although Gooey had never been here before, this place was more cold and dead than he could imagine. He could hardly see any life here, and given how fragile the humans were, it was no wonder than they all left. It was no wonder Ado came to Popstar when she could.
"You know, I couldn't see much of this place through my painting," Drawcia told Gooey. "But seeing Terra Star like this is just...awful. Whoever came over didn't just take this planet's resources, they literally sucked the life out of it."
Gooey couldn't help but nod. he watched as the snow fell from the sky. The city looked like it was covered in sugar, and some of the buildings released a lot of smoke. However, there wasn't much else here.
After a while, Drawcia made her way into an empty store, and just like everywhere else, there was nobody there. There was no food on the shelves, though thee were a few toys here. There were also a lot of items on the floor, most of it was garbage.
"I don't know if there's a way to turn the heat on in here," Drawcia told Gooey, "But this'll help us stay out of the cold for a little bit. So go ahead and stretch if you need to.
Gooey nodded as he came out of the bag and looked around a little. He looked around and spotted one of those smaller radios...what was it, again? An MP3 player? Gooey turned it on, what came out of it was a very upbeat tune, and the lady who sang the song sounded really happy. He couldn't understand the words she was saying, but he bounced along to the music regardless.
"Oh, that's an OLD song," Drawcia told Gooey. "It was written LONG before humans moved here...long before I was even painted."
"It's still a good song," Gooey replied. He looked around the store a little more once the music changed into something more relaxing, there were a few different toy animals here. There were even a few that looked like foxes, though their feet were yellow like the Waddle Dees. Gooey grabbed one and brought it over to Drawcia. "What it this?"
"...I think it's an Awoofy, I remember Adeleine used to beg her parents for one all the time," Drawcia explained. "I remember she even drew one and showed it to me at some point, she wanted one THAT badly."
"Well maybe we could bring her this one?" Gooey asked. Drawcia looked hesitant. "I don't know, she was still kind of young when she asked for one."
"Yeah, but I think she'd still love it."
"Well if you want to grab it then I won't stop you," Drawcia said with a shrug. "Besides, I don't think it's stealing if the store's not going to open up ever again."
Gooey nodded as he hopped back into the bag with the toy. He would have to give it to Ado later when he got back to Popstar, but for now he was content with holding onto it. Kirby and Ado must've been worried sick back home, so he was sure they'd be happy to see he brought something with him.
Once the duo was ready, Drawcia turned off the MP3 player and headed back out to the cold. It felt like a slap to the face to the two of them, but they had to keep moving.
After a little while, the two of them stumbled upon a large house with a broken statue at the front. Gooey nervously looked at Drawcia, she didn't need to say anything to tell him that this was a place that she was looking for.
Indeed, this was probably Ado's old home. Drawcia made her way inside, the first thing the duo noticed was how empty the house felt. There were spots on the walls where pictures were supposed to be, the furniture here was completely covered in dust. Just like everywhere else on this planet, there was barely any life here.
Drawcia made her way up the stairs, she looked up at the empty space on the wall at the top. Although she tried to hide it, Gooey could tell that she was sad.
"...This was where I used to be, you know." Drawcia told Gooey. "This was one of the places where I watched the world from in my painting, It feels so...strange to look from everyone else's perspective."
Gooey adjusted himself from inside the bag as he tried to look at Drawcia, the Awoofy plush that he grabbed earlier was still in his arms. "So if you dun like Ado's family, why didn't you leave your painting sooner?"
"You know Leo casted a spell to keep me in that painting!" Drawcia said as she tried to think. "But...I can't help but wonder how long that spell actually lasted...I guess another reason would be because I was scared of what would happen to me if I DID leave my painting. The rest of Adeleine's family can use magic too, so if I tried anything then they would've destroyed me. They could've burned me or erased me from existance."
"Yeah, but you're still here, aren't you?"
"Yes I am," Drawcia told Gooey. "Once I got out, I actually felt...free. And while Kirby and Adeleine DID defeat me, you helped me feel even more free. I never would've thought that the world was so big, and it's all thanks to you."
Gooey smiled at the praise that Drawcia had given him, but he knew that there was something else that needed to be done here. It was the whole reason that they came to this frozen planet after all.
"So now that we're here, did you wanna look for that proof that you wanted to show Ado?"
"...Right, we should probably do that, huh?" Drawcia said. She made her way further upstairs, and although Gooey didn't know what was in this house, he was sure that there was something here to prove that Drawcia was right.
Notes:
Look, assuming Awoofies are like dogs, I'm willing to believe that there might've been some that lived in Shiver Star.
Of course, I'm also willing to believe that just like the humans, they're rare outside of Shiver Star. Anyway, I like to think that Ado wanted a fox-dog at one point.
Chapter 10
Summary:
Finally, the duo find what they were looking for.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
As Drawcia made her way upstairs, she entered the first room that she could see. It was mostly empty save for a small, and a few dressers. and a small chest.
"I think this was Ado's room," Gooey said. Drawcia nodded as she looked around. She opened the chest and found a bunch of old drawings. There was one that resembled an Awoofy, another with Ado and what Gooey assumed was her parents, and there was even one that looked like pizza. However, when Drawcia reached the bottom she was able to find a note.
"Do you know how to read, Gooey?"
"No."
"All right," Drawcia said as she looked over the note. Although she struggled, she tried to read what she could off of it.
"If you find this I hope you like my drawings. mom and dad sent me to another planet so you wont find me here anymore."
Gooey tilted his head, "I dun remember Ado having parents."
"I don't blame you," Drawcia told him. "I hardly ever saw them myself, so they may as well not exist."
"Well, maybe we can find something in their room," Gooey suggested. "If Ado left something here than maybe they did, too."
Drawcia nodded as she closed the chest and left the room, she looked around a bit more until she found what she thought was the parents' room. There was a bigger bed, a bigger dresser, and even a desk with a few tubes of paint. Given the temperature, the paint must've been frozen solid. There was also a book on the desk, maybe it was some kind of journal? Drawcia picked it up and started to read some of the entries.
"XX/XX - Today this planet-sized ship made its way over to Terra Star. We don't know what it's here for but I don't exactly trust them. While the government tries to think of a solution we'll try to go on with our lives."
"XX/XX - Ever since that Haltmann came to our planet the temperature has been dropping more and more. Government officials have tried to get rid of him and his company for a while now, but even if we do get rid of him there's no reversing the drop in temperature. If worse comes to worse we'll have to leave the planet."
"XX/XX - For the time being, we thought it was best to send Adeleine off of this planet. We've decided to let her take a couple of paintings as well, including Drawcia. It's hard to believe that she was painted in a cabin all that time ago, but if Adeleine wanted to take her, then perhaps she can share Drawcia's beauty with the rest of the world. I don't know if we'll get to see Adeleine again, but wherever she ends up, I hope it's as bright and as beautiful as Terra Star once was."
Drawcia closed the journal and put it back on the desk, Gooey adjusted himself from the bag to look at her. "Are you OK?"
"...I'm fine," Drawcia assured him. "But I wonder if that cabin is still there?"
"We could look around more if you want," Gooey told her. "But I dunno if there anyone's still living there."
Drawcia nodded as she left the room. There wasn't much else that she could find in this house, so she left once she was done looking around. Now the duo had to look for that cabin, it had to be somewhere...right?
The duo made their way through more of the town, though there were even more factories down here. Gooey nuzzled against the Awoofy doll as he started to doze off, the snow seemed like it would fall forever and ever. However, Drawcia lightly shook the bag to keep him awake.
"Careful," Drawcia told Gooey. "Bad stuff happens when you fall asleep in the cold."
Gooey nodded, although the bag helped a lot he could still feel some of the cold through it. It wouldn't surprise him if he ended up getting sick later because of it.
Suddenly, Gooey began to hear something, it was something he was used to hearing every Winter: Bells. He looked up at Drawcia: "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"The bells," Gooey told her. "You hear it too, right?"
Drawcia paused as she tried to listen, she nodded as she realized that there were indeed bells. "What do you think that is?"
"I think there's Chillies nearby," Gooey told her. Drawcia tilted her head. "Chillies?"
"They can probably help us find the cabin," Gooey said as he wiggled excitedly inside the bag. "Just trust me, OK?"
"...OK, I'll take your word for it." Drawcia told Gooey as she began to follow the noise. She kept floating until she found a plaza with a large frozen fountain. Sure enough, there were snow people here with bells around their necks. The chillies here were different from the ones Gooey would see back on Popstar, but they didn't act any differently. In fact, they probably thrived on this planet since they didn't have to worry about melting at all.
"Uh...pardon me," Drawcia said as she tried to get the Chillies' attention. They continued to frolic around the fountain, though one of them looked in Drawcia's direction. It tilted its head like a curious child.
"Hey, do you know if there's any cabins around?" Gooey asked. The Chilly looked at its brethren and rang its bell as if to ask the same question. After a few seconds of silence went by, one of the Chillies excitedly rang its bell.
It didn't take long for the Chillies to follow their leader, Drawcia followed behind it as well.
Gooey watched as the group made their way out of the abandoned city, they crossed a bridge and made their way into a forest. Compared to the dull greys Gooey was used to seeing by now, the trees out here were decorated with all kinds of winter decorations. In fact, he wasn't even sure if they were real, but they certainly gave off a friendlier atmosphere.
Eventually, the group was able to reach their destination. Parts of the roof and walls had fallen due to years of decay, and yet it still stood up against the harsh snow storm that surrounded it.
"Thank you for the help!" Gooey said cheerfully. The Chillies ringed back in response as if to say "You're welcome". Meanwhile, Drawcia couldn't help but stare at the fallen cabin. Once again, Gooey could tell that she was nervous. But that was understandable, the answers she was looking for were right here, after all.
Nonetheless, she took a deep breath and made her way inside. Some of the furniture was covered in snow, and the stairs looked like they had falling apart. On the ground was what appeared to be a cloak. Gooey grabbed onto it with his tongue and lifted it. Although the colors were faded, it looked similar to the one Drawcia had on right now. He put it back down right after, as it tasted like mold.
"So that's what's left of my father," Drawcia said as she took the cloak from him. A miserable look grew on her face. "I'm surprised that part of him is still here."
"Yeah, though I wanna think that he probably lives a new life," Gooey replied. "I wanna believe that his Zero came back for him so that he could be reborn."
Drawcia lightly shook her head as she stared at the cloak. "For a Dark being, you sure are optimistic?"
"That's just how death is with us Dark Matter," Gooey told her. "We become Dark Clouds when we die, that way when a Zero consumes it, it will be reused to make new Dark Matter. But sometimes, parts of their old life might still be there."
"...I suppose that's a good way to look at it," Drawcia told Gooey. "I just wish that I could've properly met him, you know?"
Gooey nodded. He couldn't say what it was like to not know his father, in fact he'd rather not think of his own father. But he understood that what happened to Drawcia's father was still tragic, if he had lived then maybe he could've been a good dad to Drawcia.
The duo made their way upstairs, there were a couple of beds here as well as what was left of Lisa up here. There were sketchbooks and frozen paint scattered along the floor, and the paintings she left behind were worn and faded.
"...I'm pretty sure this was exactly where we were born," Drawcia told Gooey. "I remember greeting my mother, but she thought that I would've been lonely, so she spent the rest of the day painting my sister. But then Leo arrived and attacked my father. She had no other choice but to flea with my sister in her arms."
"...Do you ever get angry at her?" Gooey asked. "For leaving you behind, I mean."
Drawcia thought about it for a moment before she shook her head. "Maybe at first, but I don't think she would've left me on purpose."
Drawcia placed Gooey down as the young Dark Matter buried himself deeper into the bag. She grabbed a couple of sketchbooks and started going through them with Gooey.
Like everything else, the pictures were faded. They would vary between full landscapes to simple drawings of fruit or flowers. But further into the book, there were drawings of a pink Dark Matter. At first, he carried the same stoic expression that Gooey was used to seeing from his kind. However, as more drawings of him appeared he began to look more and more happy. At some point, there was even an old photo of the Dark Matter cuddling with Lisa. Needless to say, they looked like they were madly in love with each other.
Inside one of the other sketchbooks were different pictures of an even smaller Dark Matter. Some of the drawings weren't done by Lisa but someone else, probably the Dark Matter himself. One of the very last pictures looked like a smaller Drawcia, though there was another sketch with curlier hair. Maybe that was the sister Lisa came up with on the spot?
"So I guess we found what we were looking for," Drawcia said as she picked the sketchbooks back up, though a piece of paper fell out of one of them. It wasn't part of the book, it was folded up neatly. Gooey tilted his head as he took the books inside the bag. "What do you think it is?"
"I think it's a letter," Drawcia said. "The words are kind of faded, but I'll try to read what I can."
Indeed, the witch struggled as she tried to make out each word, but she tried to go through it as best as she could.
"Leo
I know it's been a while since we've talked, but I wanted to let you know that we're starting a family. I know you and everyone else have been scared of Angelo since we got together, but I promise he's the kindest and the most caring man you'll ever meet. I hope that someday, you'll actually give him a chance.
But, I also hope that someday you'll also forgive me for abandoning everyone. I know that I could've handled everything better, and I'm sorry.
- Lisa."
Drawcia placed the paper down as she went silent, she couldn't bring herself to speak.
Notes:
So of course the name Angelo was something I came up with on the spot just to give the Dark Matter a name (I imagine Lisa would've been the one that named him).
I don't have set designs for Lisa or her family, but I really should draw them one of these days.
Chapter Text
"Drawcia?"
Gooey crawled out of the bag despite the cold sting on his skin. He lightly tugged at her cloak to try and get her attention. He tried to call her name again, "Drawcia!"
"You know, I came all this way to find proof to show to Adeleine," Drawcia said as she started to cry. "And...and now that I have it, I...I can finally show it to her. Isn't that...isn't that great?"
Gooey frowned as he held onto her cloak, he knew that she was trying to hide her own feelings. Brother was the same way on Dark Star, but in a way she was finally free. She was free of Leo's grasp, and Gooey couldn't be any happier for her.
"...I'm sorry," Drawcia said as she pulled Gooey in for a hug. "I-I probably look like a big baby to you, huh?"
"No no, you're fine!" Gooey told her. "Dun take this the wrong way, but I think you deserve to cry."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Drawcia said as she placed Gooey down and wiped a tear away from her eye. "I've never actually gotten to know my parents, so when I saw what was left of them, I kind of...lost it."
"And that's OK," Gooey told her. "I can't say I know what it's like, but I'm glad that we could find that proof that you needed."
"...Yeah, but it's not like I'll ever get to actually meet Lisa," Drawcia told Gooey. "She was human, so she would've died a long time ago."
Of course, it wasn't like there was a way to bring her back...right?
Suddenly, the duo began to hear the sound of a mechanical meow. When they looked up, they could see the face of the Clockwork Star. Drawcia shrunk back in fear, but an idea formed in Gooey's brain.
"...Remember when I said that it can grant wishes?" Gooey asked Drawcia. "Maybe we could bring your family back?"
"Are you sure?" Drawcia told Gooey as she looked up at the sky. "Because what if it doesn't work?"
"We wun know until we try," Gooey said confidently. Drawcia gave it some thought for a moment, but she quickly nodded afterwards. "I still don't trust that thing, but if my sister is out there then maybe it can help me find her."
With that in mind, Gooey crawled back into the bag.. The books and the letter were put inside the bag as well. It felt tighter, but Gooey didn't seem to mind.
Drawcia placed the bag over herself once more as she flew towards the Clockwork Star. Gooey could tell that she was nervous, but at the same time she was just as ready for this adventure to end as Gooey was.
Drawcia bravely flew through Terra Star's snow and made her way through the cloud barrier, what greeted her on the other side was the Clockwork Star. It stared at her and Gooey with amusement, like it was watching a couple of small animals.
"I see you two have made it here in one piece," said the Clockwork Star. "Forgive me, but I couldn't help but observe your journey from afar."
"Yeah, you weren't exactly subtle about it," Drawcia said bluntly, a bitter expression grew on her face.
"Wh-what she means is that she wanted to make a wish!" Gooey added as he looked up at Drawcia. "You wanted to make that wish, didn't you."
"I...yeah."
"So you would like to make a wish?" the Clockwork Star asked her. "Very well, but as this counts as our first real encounter, you will only get one wish."
"Go on!" Gooey said encouragingly. "Tell it what you wish for."
"OK, you don't have to push me." Drawcia said as she took a deep breath. "I...I wish for my family back."
"If that is what you wish for," The Clockwork Star said as its eyes began to glow. It suddenly began to count down. "5...4...3...2...1...GO!"
...Nothing happened, the Clockwork Star's eyes went back to normal. Gooey and Drawcia looked around, but nothing changed.
"It seems that I cannot grant your wish," said the Clockwork Star, "would you like to try a different one?"
"What do you mean!?" Drawcia yelled in frustration. "Can't you just bring them back?"
"I'm afraid not" the Clockwork Star told her. "We can do many things, but we unfortunately cannot bring back the dead. That is a power only a god or a Reaper can do, and as powerful as we are, we are not gods."
"Well maybe it won't bring back your family, but your sister's still out there, isn't she?" Gooey asked. "Why not wish for her, back?"
"OK, I'll try it," Drawcia told Gooey. She looked up at the Nova and with hope in her eyes. "I wish for my sister back!"
"If that is your wish," The Clockwork Star said as it began to count down again. "5...4...3...2...1...GO!"
Once again, nothing happened. Drawcia looked up with an annoyed expression. "Don't tell me THAT didn't work, either."
"Perhaps not now, but it will," the Clockwork Star informed her. "I can see her with two others. One a clumsy king, and the other a lonely swordsman. Perhaps they're not all friends right now, but those two will be the ones who will bring your sister to you."
"So I WILL get to see her again," Drawcia said as she laid a part of her cloak on her chest. She looked down at Gooey, she would've been smiling if she could. "Did you hear that, I'll get to see my sister again!"
"Yeah, that's great!" Gooey said excitedly. He had to wonder who the Clockwork Star was referring to, it couldn't have been talking about Meta Knight and Dedede, right? Because if they knew someone like Drawcia, then they would've said something...right?
...Well, there was no use worrying about it right now. It was at least comforting to know that that they would meet again.
"So now that we're done, are you ready to go home?" Drawcia asked. Gooey nodded as he looked up at clockwork star. "I wish we could go home."
"Is that all you want from me, young one?" the Clockwork Star asked in amusement. "Because you will not get another wish until you can find me again."
Gooey replied with a nod. "I dun have any other wishes right mow, I just wanna go home."
"Well if that is your wish, then I will grant it." the Clockwork Star said as its eyes began to glow. "Until we meet again...5...4...3...2...1...Go!"
Suddenly, a rift appeared below the duo. It closed after Drawcia and Gooey went through it. They were finally back at that lake, where they began their adventure.
"Hm..." Drawcia stared at the lake for a moment. "I don't know why, but being here feels...different, somehow."
"I know what you mean," Gooey replied. "The world dun feel as big once you go through a big adventure like that."
"Yeah, but I'm still glad that I did this," Drawcia said happily. "Thank you, Gooey."
"Gooey!"
The duo watched as Kirby and Ado ran towards the duo, Gooey crawled out of the bag and waved at them with his tongue.
"Coo told us you were going to Adeleine's planet," Kirby said with concern. "Are you OK?"
"We're fine," Gooey said. "In fact, I helped Drawcia find what she was looking for."
"And what was she looking for?" Ado asked. Drawcia went silent for a moment, she handed the bag over to the human. "I found these back on Terra Star, The sketchbooks are faded, but I think there's enough proof here that Lisa loved the Dark Matter...She loved him very much."
"...You didn't need to go back to Terra Star to prove me wrong," Ado said as she placed the books down and hugged the witch. "But...I AM sorry, I should've listened to you earlier."
Although surprised at first, Drawcia wrapped Adeleine into her cloak as a way to hug her back. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have expected you to be anything like Leo...But perhaps we could start over and be friends?"
"Of course," Ado told her. "But I've even after everything I never thought of you as an enemy, either."
As the girls stopped hugging they began to look through the old sketchbooks. Meanwhile, Kirby placed a hand over Gooey's back. "I think you did a good thing here, Gooey?"
"You mean to help Drawcia find proof?"
Kirby shook his head. "I mean giving her friends. I can't say I know a lot about her, but she must've been very lonely when she was stuck as a painting. I could see why she wanted to lash out."
Of course, he couldn't just ignore her pleas. She wasn't a Dark Matter like Gooey, but it didn't matter what she was. She had closure, she was finally happy, and that made Gooey happy, too.
A couple of days had past, and all of that adventuring had really worn Gooey out. Needless to say, it might be a while until he would go on another one.
But right now, he followed Kirby into the forest. They were off to visit Ado like they often did. As they got closer, they could see a bunch of small drawings float in the air. Some were balloons, some were birds, and some were even stars. They would probably glow if it wasn't for the sun.
As soon as they made their way to Ado's cabin, they saw two different dragons flying in the air. Ado and Drawcia were there as well, they watched as the dragons danced with each other before they dissolved into paint.
"I think they could've used a bit more color," Drawcia told Ado. "They need something to make them 'pop' more, you know?"
"Yeah, mine could've used more red." Ado said with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Hi, guys!" Kirby and Gooey greeted as they ran over to the girls. Ado waved back. "Hey, do you guys wanna help us make dragons?"
"Sure thing," Kirby said as he ran up to Ado. Gooey hovered over to the group as he tried to think of something. "Maybe the dragons could use more sparkles? They'd look really pretty when it's night time."
"...Actually, yeah. Maybe we could give them more stars to help them stand out?" Drawcia said as she looked at Ado.
"Oh, what if we added other little shapes?" Ado asked excitedly. "Like spirals and stuff."
"That's a great idea!"
It was hard to believe that these two fought and argued with each other not that long ago. And yet, despite their past it seemed that they were ready to move on to the future. And for Gooey, he couldn't be any happier for them.
Notes:
So I'll be honest, this was actually fun to write. I'm glad I was able to find a way to introduce Drawcia into this series as well.
I want to do another oneshot to serve as a bit of an epilogue, but other than that this is the end.
Lulu_chaos_incarnation on Chapter 1 Thu 18 Jan 2024 05:34AM UTC
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PapyrusPikmin1997 on Chapter 1 Tue 13 Feb 2024 09:56PM UTC
Last Edited Tue 13 Feb 2024 09:56PM UTC
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Lady_Zephyrine on Chapter 1 Tue 13 Feb 2024 10:30PM UTC
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Lulu_chaos_incarnation on Chapter 2 Sun 21 Jan 2024 10:48AM UTC
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Lady_Zephyrine on Chapter 2 Sun 21 Jan 2024 11:04AM UTC
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Lady_Zephyrine on Chapter 2 Sun 21 Jan 2024 11:47AM UTC
Last Edited Sun 21 Jan 2024 09:53PM UTC
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Lulu_chaos_incarnation on Chapter 3 Sun 21 Jan 2024 10:52AM UTC
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Lulu_chaos_incarnation on Chapter 4 Fri 26 Jan 2024 05:02PM UTC
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Lulu_chaos_incarnation on Chapter 6 Fri 02 Feb 2024 03:35AM UTC
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Lulu_chaos_incarnation on Chapter 7 Tue 06 Feb 2024 03:37PM UTC
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Nookisms on Chapter 7 Thu 08 Feb 2024 08:24PM UTC
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Lulu_chaos_incarnation on Chapter 8 Sat 10 Feb 2024 02:32PM UTC
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Lulu_chaos_incarnation on Chapter 9 Thu 15 Feb 2024 04:54PM UTC
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Nookisms on Chapter 9 Thu 15 Feb 2024 08:32PM UTC
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Lulu_chaos_incarnation on Chapter 10 Sun 25 Feb 2024 03:04PM UTC
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Lady_Zephyrine on Chapter 10 Sun 25 Feb 2024 10:21PM UTC
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Lulu_chaos_incarnation on Chapter 11 Sat 02 Mar 2024 01:31AM UTC
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Lady_Zephyrine on Chapter 11 Sat 02 Mar 2024 02:18AM UTC
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