Shadow resisted the urge to worry his lip, and instead fidgeted with the comb in his sweatshirt pocket. The comb was heavy and unusually cold, owing to the fact that it was ornately carved out of iridescent black stone. It was heavy enough to annoyingly pull at his pocket, and the thick tines made it all but useless for actually combing his hair. But it was a gift from Dark, and though Shadow was loathed to admit it, the smooth surface was exceedingly soothing to fidget with. And Shadow certainly needed soothing at the moment.

Dark looked radically different that he usually did. He was clad in jeans and a black jacket with a pair of thick-rimmed glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose. The scar on his face had been nearly totally concealed with makeup and his usually empty eye socket was occupied by a glass eye. The usual vivid red eyeliner he wore was absent and his thick black hair was pulled back into a small ponytail. He looked like a hipster douchebag, and Shadow would have told him so were he not so anxious.

"They'll never even notice me," Dark chuckled, attempting to push up his glasses but only succeeding in planting a large fingerprint in the middle of his lens. He huffed and quickly cleaned off the spot before replacing the glasses on his face.

"Yeah, sure. Nobody'll notice some boy-band reject runnin' about," a woman interjected, punctuating her sentence with a snap of her gum "You'd think with as long as you lingered in the closet you'd know how to dress yourself."

"Shut it, Dee!" Dark hissed. Officer Dee rolled her eyes, and popped another bubble. She was a compact, sturdy woman clad in a military coat with the sleeves torn off. An officer's cap rested atop her frayed slate-colored hair, and she carried a suspiciously weapon-shaped bag slung over her shoulder.

"Show some respect, Officer. I trust you have everything you need, Sir?" Shadow Dedede asked, arms folded stiffly behind him. Dee quietly mimicked his words, rolling her eyes again.

"Yeah, I've got everything." Dark patted the backpack slung over his shoulders to emphasize his words.

"Then I bid you good fortune," Shadow Dedede said, bowing slightly. Dark started at a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find Shadow staring firmly at the floor.

"Don't get yourself shattered again. I hate piecing you back together," he mumbled. Dark gave his brother a crooked yet genuine smile, and ruffled his hair.

"I'll make sure I don't inconvenience you," he teased, relenting as Shadow swatted his hand away.

"Whatever," Shadow huffed, cheeks red and hair sticking in every direction. Dark chuckled softly, and turned to the Dimensional Mirror. A band of light slid across its surface, revealing a blank white expanse.

"Auf Wiedersehen!" he called, waving over his shoulder as he vanished into the mirror. Shadow Dedede relaxed as soon as he was gone, pressing a hand over his heart. Shadow Dedede was a naturally anxious man, and he'd suffered many a heart palpitation at the hands of Dark's recklessness. Dee grimaced and walked over, patting him on the back as he wheezed.

"Relax, big guy. When he comes back in a shoppin' bag I'll put em back together for ya," she drawled.

Dark slipped into the other side of the mirror, and immediately tumbled onto the floor, tangled in a dusty white sheet. He coughed and sputtered, his pointed black nails extending and revealing themselves to be a wickedly sharp set of claws. They cut through the cloth like paper, and

Dark freed himself, extricating the tatters of fabric from his needle-like talons. There were certainly advantages to being... whatever he was. Dark pushed the momentary existential crisis to the back of his mind and crept across the room.

It was a large basement, filled with various antiques and aging furniture covered with sheets and cobwebs. Dark's eye easily pierced through the gloom, noting the strangely familiar layout. So this was what his beloved trophy room looked like in Dreamland. He wrinkled his nose, toeing an errant bauble out of his path. What sort of utter slob left valuables to gather dust where they would never be seen? He crouched slightly as he came upon several framed portraits depicting a somewhat regal figure, looking closely.

"Dedede..." he muttered bitterly. Being shattered by his own servant's doppelganger was humiliating, and he bore no small grudge for it. He dragged his claws through the canvas, and continued on, bloodlust momentarily sated. Dark continued on until he reached a bare staircase that lead up to a wooden door with light softly seeping through the cracks. He surveyed the wall nearest the exit and silently moved a chair, sputtering at the whirlwind of dust he kicked up. He produced a piece of chalk from his pocket, and began drawing an elaborate frame. The frame lifted and solidified as he drew, forming into an intricately twisted silver frame. Dark pocketed the chalk and delicately touched a finger to the blank space within the frame. Glass spread from his touch, crackling and spreading like crystal until it reached the frame and stilled. The newly formed mirror would serve as his gateway to and from the Dimensional Mirror's frame.

Dark admired his handiwork. He was the most powerful of Dreadland's mirror mages, and his abilities lent themselves well to his crafty ways. Dark replaced the chair, and turned to ascend the staircase, slipping soundlessly through the door.

The hallway he slipped into was bright and colorful, lined with reds and yellows. Dark scanned up and down the corridor, before turning right and stalking off. If his instincts were correct, this castle would have a layout that was identical but flipped compared to his own. He darted through several different corridors, keeping his ears pricked. They were elongated and pointed, and allowed him to pick up on the faintest of sounds. The footsteps of patrolling guards echoed ahead, and Dark turned into what he was certain must be the courtyard. He stepped into a grand hall, and darted through it, remaining behind the pillars as much as possible. There was an archway ahead, and two figures milling about the room beyond it. Dark felt his blood freeze as he recognized them, and he immediately scanned around for a mirror or reflective surface to hide within. As he came up empty, he turned his gaze upward, and sighed.

"I simply cannot add any more thrust to the rocket hammer. The handle would not withstand such forces," Meta sighed, meandering half a step behind Dedede as they strolled back inside. Dedede seemed to consider this, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Could ya make another one?" he asked. Meta snorted and put a hand to his mouth to muffle the sound, though the gesture was useless over his helm.

"Oh? Duel wielding them? I am certain your enemies would cower in fear as you spun like a centrifuge and vomited," he said. Dedede crossed his arms.

"I ain't no centry-fuse."

"Centrifuge. It is a machine that spins things rapidly," Meta supplied. They crossed through the atrium into the hall, footsteps muffled by the long red carpet.

"Eh, whatever it's called. Maybe you could make it shock people?" Dedede amended. It was Meta's turn to look thoughtful.

"A blunt force Taser, hm? That does seem rather fascinating..." he muttered. Meta suddenly stopped, standing stock still. Dedede stopped as well, turned back to give Meta a funny look.

"Uh, Meta?"

"Shh. Did you hear that?" Meta asked, ears twitching beneath his helmet. High above them, Dark clung desperately to a stone arch, claws leaving deep ruts in the rock. He dug in deeper, desperate to halt his slow slide downward.

"...No? You feelin' okay?" Dedede asked, shifting awkwardly. Meta tilted his head.

"From above. An awful scraping noise. Have you had troubles with vermin?" he said, still unmoving.

"Not unless you count Kirby," Dedede responded dryly. Meta turned to give him a look that was equal parts amused and irritated. Several small pebbles fell between them, clattering across the floor. The two instantly turned serious, and looked up to the source. They each scattered backward as a figure with tattered wings landed awkwardly between them. A sword and a hammer were instantly pointed at them as they straightened up, obviously favoring their right leg over the other. If the wings didn't give it away, the malevolent yellow eyes did.

"Dark!" the two Dreamlanders yelled.