Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Darkness.

Everything around Tiff was just a dark, empty abyss. It was like reality itself had been wrapped in a cold, shadowy cloak. What had happened? She couldn't remember. The only thing she knew was that her head was spinning. Her whole body felt numb and her heart was beating slower than it should. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak. She didn't even have the strength to call her friends for help. What was going on? Why was she so afraid? Was she dreaming?

"Tiff, wake up."

Someone was calling for her in the dark, a voice she couldn't recognise in her current state.

"Come on. You have to get out here."

Where was 'here'? She was too tired and weak to think about it.

"You have to find them. Seek help from those on the other side."

Find who? And what was that 'other side'? That voice in her head was only giving her more questions instead of helping her. She was so tired... She just wanted to dismiss that voice and to sleep. To sleep and disappear in the darkness that was slowly devouring her.

“Tiff, No! You can't let it consume you. Kirby needs you. Everyone needs you!” the voice spoke with urgency and anguish.

Those words woke up something inside her. She didn't know what the voice was talking about...

“Open your eyes. Wake up!”

... but if the people she loved needed her, she had to do what it said and resist the darkness.

Tiff was filled with renewed determination. She may not understand what was going on, but that wouldn't stop her. Slowly, warmth returned to her body, her heart returned to its regular beating, and, at last, she could feel the darkness receding.

“And, please, don't let...”

The voice's last words were cut off by a flash of warm light.

Tiff's eyes snapped open as her senses came back to her. The first thing she noticed was a pleasant warmth running through her body. She was lying on a bed, and someone had completely covered her with a blanket, probably her mother. She could also feel a damp cloth on her forehead.

Apparently, she had just woken up from a strange fever dream. That dream, like most others, was fading from her memory, and she could no longer recall what happened in it. The last thing she remembered clearly was what she was doing before feeling so ill: Kirby and Tuff had been playing in the rain, and she had told them to go inside if they didn't want to get sick. But life is often ironic, and in the end, she was the one who had caught a cold. Surely, those two were playing a board game or eating candy while waiting for her recovery.

Anyway, it seemed that the fever was over. She felt much better now, though she was still quite exhausted. Tiff removed the damp cloth from her forehead and pulled back the blanket that covered her, expecting to find her mother watching over her, as she always did when she was sick.

But her mother was not there, nor was she in her room.

That puzzled Tiff. The room she was staying in looked too much like Kirby's house, but there were differences too noticeable to pass up, and they were more important in her mind than how she had gotten to her friend and protegee's house.

“Since when does Tokkori have so many pictures of Kirby?” the girl wondered as she looked around her.

The walls of the room were filled with numerous photographs, all framed and preserved in an immaculate state. She didn't need to get close to know that Kirby appeared in most of them. His pink, rounded shape and blue eyes were unmistakeable.

Another detail that she could not ignore was a bedside table with a half-open drawer, which stood out in an otherwise tidy house. Tiff got up from the bed and, with the intention of closing it, approached the drawer to examine its contents: there was only a sock inside and a sign that said "do not close the drawer, please" in a letter that seemed very elegant and refined. Neither Tokkori nor Kirby could write so clearly (well, Kirby couldn't write at all), so who had put that sign there and why? Anyway, it wasn't her house, so she decided to leave the drawer open.

“Maybe this is the house of a Kirby fan, one with an unhealthy obsession with him... I must tell Chief Bookem in case this is the work of some creepy stalker,” the girl thought as she approached to examine the photographs' content.

In those pictures, Kirby's pink colour was brighter than usual. In fact, everything captured was brighter, as if the colours had been saturated. But the scenes portrayed were even more noteworthy.

In many of the photos, Kirby was with Dedede, but the attitude of the obnoxious monarch of Dream Land towards the pink puffball was strange. Even in the few photographs in which the king looked angry, the malice and unhinged rage with which he usually treated Kirby, who he considered a nuisance that he had to get rid of at any cost, were totally absent. Most of them portrayed Dedede regarding Kirby with trust, respect, and... fondness? Tiff couldn't help but find it kind of unsettling. Who had modified those photos to make Dedede act like he was a different person?

Furthermore, while Meta Knight and the Waddle Dees, especially a recurrent one with a bandana on its head, were also present in many of the photos, there was no sign of her, Tuff, or any of the cappies. Instead, she saw many unfamiliar people, some more similar to the monsters Dedede had ordered in the past than to the Dream Land inhabitants she knew. Some included Knuckle Joe, as well as Kine, Coo and Rick! Why were those four pictured, but she and her brother were nowhere to be found?

And then there was Kirby himself. He was bigger in the pictures—about the same size as Meta Knight—than in reality. He also looked more confident, though his friendly expression and love of food (more than half of the photos showed him eating) were unchanged.

“This is so weird. These photos must be a montage, but who would do such a thing and why?” Tiff wondered. “Maybe this is one of Dedede's plans, but how has he managed to do this without me noticing? It can't be the work of a monster. With N.M.E. gone, it should be impossible for him to get one.”

eNeMeE, the terrible villain and feared inter-galacic tyrant who had been behind the company from which Dedede used to buy monsters, had been defeated a year ago. But even after the fall of the evil wizard and his company, the king of Dream Land had not ceased at all in his efforts to defeat Kirby. He had replaced the monsters with robots built by himself and Escargoon, his right-hand man, who she just realised was also absent from the pictures. Meta Knight had said that the creations of those two were less dangerous than eNeMeE's monsters to the population of Cappy Town while also providing good training for the young Star Warrior, so he had never done anything to stop them.

“I must be still dreaming. There is no other explanation for this,” Tiff decided, in a final attempt to give sense to those nonsensical images. “That fever hit me badly.”

“You're finally awake, poyo!" she heard someone say behind her in a surprised but joyful tone, snapping her out of her thoughts. “How are you feeling?”

Tiff turned towards the person who had spoken. She could recognise that voice and that peculiar "poyo" in any place and time, although it was the first time she had heard him speak a full sentence.

Behind her stood the baby pink puffball whom she loved like a sibling, carrying a big red tomato over his head. He had turned her life upside down, filling it with adventures beyond her imagination.

“Kirby!” Tiff happily greeted him. “You just spoke! Also, is it just me, or do you look older? This confirms that I am indeed dreaming.” Then, in her mind, she added: “Any second now, either mom, dad, Tuff, or the real Kirby will come to check on me and wake me up from this fever dream,” she assured herself.

“Dreaming?” Kirby asked, visibly confused. “Ah, you must still be a bit dazed. You were unconscious and had a very high fever when I found you.”

Tiff found it weird that those words made way too much sense for a dream, but she decided that the best thing for her health was to go along with it until it was over.

“Oh, so it was you who brought me here?” she asked. Kirby nodded in response. “Where did you find me?”

“Near the forest, poyo. Me and Gooey were on our way to Dedede's castle when we found you.”

Gooey? Tiff had never heard that name before. She wondered if it belonged to one of the strange creatures pictured in the photos. “But wait, aren't dreams supposed to be based only on things your brain already knows? How can this dream invent names and characters out of nothing?” she realised.

Furthermore, as time passed, her head regained more clarity and her senses perceived everything more solidly. And that scared her, because it could only mean that she was awake.

An older Kirby, faces and names she didn't know, those photos of Dedede acting out of character... If it wasn't a dream, there had to be some logical explanation for all of that. Had Dedede and Escargoon somehow invented a time machine and sent her into the future? No, that was not only insane, but it also didn't explain the absence of the people she knew from the images. Also, if she were in the real world, shouldn't Tokkori already be there complaining? That mean bird had taken over Kirby's house as if it were his own, and even if, over time, his attitude towards the young Star Warrior had slightly softened, it was very strange that he wasn't yelling for them to leave and play outside because he wanted to take a nap or something like that.

Tiff didn't know what to think anymore. The only logical explanation she could figure out for what was happening was that she was dreaming, but her senses said otherwise. That contradiction was anguishing her.

“I'm sorry I left you alone while you were sleeping, but I ran out of Maxim Tomatoes and had to go out and get one,” Kirby suddenly apologised, breaking the awkward silence that had formed. “They are my favourite food. Once you eat it, you will feel better in no time!” he claimed.

No, that was wrong. Kirby's favourite food was watermelon. Tiff would never mistake which food Kirby liked the most. She was technically raising him!

The more time passed, the less things made sense. The more time passed, the more the feeling that something was wrong grew. The more time passed, the more aware she became of one thing: she wasn't home.

“Hey Kirby, where's Tokkori?” Tiff asked her friend, her voice a little shaky.

“Tokkori? Who is that?” he asked back. “If he is someone who was travelling with you, I'm sorry, but I haven't seen him.”

Kirby didn't know who Tokkori was. Tokkori was not in the photographs. She was not in the photographs.

“Kirby, do you know who I am?” Tiff finally asked, even though, deep down, she already knew the answer. An answer she dreaded hearing.

The look of sadness that crossed Kirby's face before he even began to reply was enough to confirm her fear.

“I'm sorry, poyo. It seems that you know me well... “

Kirby didn't need to finish that sentence for reality to slam Tiff.

“...but I don't know who you are.”

Chapter Text

Tiff was in another dimension.

That was the conclusion that she and Kirby reached after a brief talk. It was hard to believe, but somehow she had ended up in a parallel universe. She felt like the main characters of a few fantasy stories she had read, though she didn't have a pair of red shoes that could bring her back home, and she hoped that this world didn't have a deranged monarch who wanted to chop off her head.

"Oh, wait. Dedede also exists in this dimension, so the deranged monarch is guaranteed," Tiff realised. Even if it seemed like Dedede and Kirby got along better in that universe, that didn't have to mean that penguin wasn't an egocentric tyrant with a bad temper, just like the one she knew and the queen from that book (minus the chopping heads part).

As for how they had figured that out, two pieces of information were key. The first was the two Kirbies' obvious age difference. The second was eNeMeE, who in that universe was better known as Nightmare.

That dimension's Kirby had defeated the villain a long time ago, albeit under entirely different circumstances. The nightmare wizard had tried to corrupt something called the "Fountain of Dreams," and that dimension's Dedede sealed him by breaking the Star Rod. However, Kirby had to take action because Dedede's acts made everyone in Pop Star unable to dream.

"So, like in my dimension, you are the one who has to fix the problems caused by Dedede," Tiff commented once the alternate Kirby finished telling his story, unable to hide her disdain for the monarch.

"Uh? Dedede stopped being the cause of the problems a long time ago," he claimed, a little upset. "And the Star Rod thing was just a big misunderstanding between us two. If only we were on better terms back then..."

The alternative Kirby seemed offended by how Tiff talked about Dedede, so the girl decided to think of other things she could ask about.

By the way Kirby had described it, the Fountain of Dreams seemed to be the natural antithesis of Nightmare. Why didn't it exist in her dimension? How did the Star Rod become something only obtainable in dreams? The lack of the Fountain could explain why her dimension's version of Nightmare had gained so much power. The only defence her universe had against the villain were the Star Warriors, but they were defeated in the war against the wizard and his creations.

"If this dimension has the blessing of the Fountain of Dreams to protect you, then do Star Warriors exist?" Tiff asked Kirby.

"I don't know. I've never heard of them, but they sound like something Meta Knight would like to be part of," the pufball answered.

"Well, you're not mistaken about that. Meta Knight is a Star Warrior in my dimension," she confirmed. Kirby smiled confidently because he had guessed right. "And so are you," she added.

"Even if I am just a baby?" Kirby asked. Tiff nodded. "That is so cool, poyo!"

Tiff finished eating the Maxim Tomato that Kirby had given her. It was easy to see why they were that version of her friend's favourite food. Not only did it taste way better than any regular tomato, but she also felt totally rejuvenated, as if she never had a fever. It was a shame those didn't exist in her world; Kirby would have loved them.

"I wonder how he is doing. I hope I can go back home soon," she thought longingly.

That dimension's Kirby had promised that he would find a way to get her back home as quickly as possible. The puffball had travelled to other worlds and dimensions before and knew a few people who were well versed in interdimensional travel. The young hero was confident that Tiff would soon be back in her world with her friends and family.

But as she was thinking about reuniting with her loved ones, Tiff felt like she was forgetting something important. Something related to that dream she could barely remember. What could it be? What was she missing?

"Gooey is taking a long time... How weird," Kirby suddenly said with concern, interrupting the girl's thoughts.

"Who is Gooey? You said you were with them when you found me,” Tiff asked, intrigued.

"When he is not travelling around Pop Star on his own, he is my roommate. I tasked him with finding some extra food while I brought you here, but he should have already returned."

So instead of Tokkori, Kirby was sharing his house with that Gooey guy. Tiff hoped that he was a better roommate than the bird, though the bar was not set very high.

"He may be in trouble. He gets easily distracted, but this is taking him way too long. I'm going to go look for him," Kirby decided as he got up.

"Wait!" Tiff stopped him. "I want to go with you. I would like to learn more about this new Dream Land. Maybe we will even find a clue about how I ended up here," she explained.

"Well, if you really feel good enough to travel, then you can come with me!" he replied with a smile. "There's nothing like an adventure to get to know someone better, especially if that someone is my best friend in another dimension!"

Tiff couldn't help but smile at the pink puffball's contagious enthusiasm. His gentleness and sweetness, his love for food, his innate kindness, his desire for adventure... This version of Kirby may be older than the one she knew, had other friends, and had gone through different adventures, but he was still Kirby at his core.

And so, the two set off in search of Kirby's missing roommate.

The world that greeted Tiff on the other side of Kirby's front door was just as colourful and bright as the one in the photos. It wasn't an edited saturation effect; that version of Dream Land was naturally like that. The brightness hurt her eyes a bit, but she soon got used to it. Tiff couldn't help but wonder if the power of the Fountain of Dreams was the reason why everything looked so vibrant.

As they walked, Tiff asked Kirby if Cappy Village existed in that world. He replied that his world's cappies lacked the coordination to build something like that. Furthermore, there were no cities in that Dream Land. It's inhabitants were able to live where they wanted as they wanted, as long as they didn't bother their neighbours. They didn't even have a currency! That sounded both idyllic and chaotic. Tiff couldn't imagine her own Dream Land working like that.

Suddenly, Kirby stopped in the middle of the road. Tiff looked at him, confused. There was nothing out of the ordinary in this place.

"This is where we found you," Kirby pointed out. "Do you see anything around here that could be connected to your home?"

"No. Even the landscape is way different from the one there," Tiff denied, disappointed. Up until that moment, she had hoped that finding the location where she had appeared would give a clue about how she got there in the first place.

"Hmmm, maybe I should bring Magolor here so he can use his magic to detect if something is off," Kirby pondered. Then he began to think about the last time he had seen Gooey in order to guess his location: "okay, so Gooey and I found you here, and then we parted ways. I went home while he went in that direction..."

Kirby turned towards the nearby forest. An expression of mild aversion appeared on his face as he seemed to realise something.

"Oh, no. So that is why he is taking so long. Follow me!" Kirby exclaimed.

Kirby ran off into the woods, closely followed by Tiff. The puffball knew exactly where to go and led her towards a clearing in the forest.

There they found someone Tiff knew well, facing another being she had only seen in Kirby's photos. The first one was Whispy, the wise tree who, in her world, protected the woods that shared his name. The second one was a small blue blob with googly eyes and a long red tongue, which gave it a goofy appearance. Whispy was blocking the path with his roots.

"Come on, Whispy. I only want an apple or two. They are for a sick child," the blue blob pleaded.

"For the last time, I'm not in the mood to share my fruit with anyone!" the tree refused.

"Then, at least let me pass so I can find something on my own"

"No! No one is going to cross my forest today!" Whispy shouted as he spread his roots to block the road further.

The brief exchange between the blob and the tree was enough to show Tiff that this Whispy was nothing like the one from her dimension. The Whispy she knew would never be so mean-spirited!

"I knew it, poyo. Whispy is angry again. Who knows what has gotten into him this time?" Kirby commented exasperatedly, as if that happened often. "Stay here; things could get messy," he asked Tiff before running towards the tree and the blob. "Hey, you two! Why are you arguing?"

"Kirby!" Gooey exclaimed, glad to see his friend. "I'm sorry. I was looking for apples and I didn't notice I entered Whispy's territory," he apologised.

"It's okay, Gooey. It's not your fault Whispy is being a meanie again," Kirby assured him with a warm smile. Then he turned to the apple tree and asked, "And what about you, Whispy? Why are you in such a bad mood today?"

"Why don't you ask your friend the king about that?" the tree bellowed in response.

"Dedede has visited you today? That's weird... Well, whatever happened, I doubt it justifies you forbidding people to go through the forest!" Kirby scolded the tree.

"Of course it does! Dedede showed up unannounced and started yelling and disrespecting me! He even threatened to cut me down! After all I endured for him in the past, how dare he treat me like this? I'm not going to let anyone cross my territory until he apologises!"

"What? Dedede wouldn't do that!" Kirby defended the king. "Besides, he and Meta Knight have been training together in his castle since morning, so he couldn't have visited you today!"

"Are you saying I'm lying, brat?"

It was at that point that Tiff lost track of the conversation. Had she heard correctly?

Dedede and Meta Knight training together was an oxymoron. Dedede was extremely lazy and preferred to pay others to do his work. Also, why would Meta Knight train with Dedede? The knight did not feel any kind of respect or appreciation for the king. Yes, the Star Warrior was still the king's employee even after the fall of N.M.E., but only because Meta Knight wanted to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't join another evil company (and because living in the castle was very comfortable).

Tiff shook her head and reminded herself that she was in a different Dream Land. She shouldn't judge the Dedede of that dimension by how the one she knew behaved, especially after meeting that Whispy. Whereas the Whispy she knew was gentle and wise, always treating Kirby well, the version from that world seemed to be grumpy and hostile to the young hero.

The argument between Whispy and Kirby had escalated so much that the tree was now throwing explosive apples at the puffball and Gooey. Tiff, who hadn't moved from her spot, watched Kirby's expression change from annoyed to determined before he began to retaliate against Whispy. He inhaled the apples and spit them out directly into the tree's face. Gooey did the same, but he grabbed the apples with his tongue.

After barely a minute of fighting, one of Whispy's roots raised a white flag, causing Kirby and his friend to stop attacking.

"Fine! I will move away!" the tree growled, giving up and clearing the path. "Today isn't my day."

Kirby and Gooey began to jump up and down, as if they were doing a celebration dance for their victory. Tiff was amazed by the puffball's fighting skills. If he had defeated Whispy in such a short amount of time without a copy ability, what would he be able to do with one?

It was obvious that the alternate Kirby didn't need someone like her to be his guardian. And when her Kirby grew up, he wouldn't either.

"This is not the time to think about that," Tiff scolded herself, pushing that gloomy thought from her mind. Now that the fight was over, she approached Kirby and Gooey.

"Ah, you're the person we found earlier," Gooey greeted her. "I'm glad to see you're okay! I am Gooey. I guess Kirby has already told you about me. Nice to meet you."

Gooey stuck his tongue out. Tiff guessed he wanted her to shake it as if it were a hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Gooey. My name is Tiff," she answered politely as she shook the tongue, trying to hold back an expression of disgust as best she could. Fortunately, although the tongue was a bit slimy, it didn't leave any saliva on her hand.

"She comes from an alternate Dream Land!" Kirby explained happily to his friend.

"Oh really? Is it any different from ours?" Gooey asked Tiff curiously.

"I haven't seen much yet, but I can already tell that it is very different," she replied, looking askance at the grumpy Whispy.
"Don't worry. Kirby will surely find a way to get you back home. When he sets his mind to something, no one can stop him," Gooey assured her.

"You can count on me, poyo!" Kirby exclaimed.

"Thank you very much. I'm sorry my arrival has caused you two trouble," she apologised. After all, the reason Gooey had gone into the forest in the first place was to find food for her.

"You don't need to apologise. I am always willing to help whoever needs it. That is why they call me the hero of Dream Land," Kirby replied, puffing out his cheeks proudly.

"Hey, you three. Can you continue the conversation outside of my woods?" Whispy interrupted them abruptly. "I'm trying to take a nap."

"Okay, okay. We'll leave," Kirby said to the grumpy tree. Then he turned to his companions and said, "Come on, let's meet with Dedede, Meta and Bandee!"

"Uh? Why?" Tiff asked, a bit confused, as she followed him. She had no idea who Bandee was or why Kirby had decided that their next move should be to visit those three.

"So they can help us!" Kirby replied as if it were the most logical thing in the world. "Also, Gooey and I were going to hang out with them today. They must be waiting for us. Oh, and Bandana Dee has made apple pie!"

"Oh, Bandee's apple pie. I missed how delicious they taste," Gooey commented.

"Well, in that case, lead the way," Tiff said as she followed the duo, curious to see what other surprises and, most importantly, differences awaited her beyond Whispy's forest.

After all, her adventure in that strange Dream Land had only begun.

Chapter Text

Surprised, perplexed, stunned... There were quite a few words that could describe how Tiff felt when she met that alternate universe's version of Dedede.

She had guessed that many things about the king were going to be different when she first saw his castle on top of a mountain. It was smaller and less ostentatious than the one she had grown up in. The placement of the windows and the front gate made its facade look like an angry face. It was like the architecture itself was saying "A villain lives here."

However, the interior of the castle, in contrast to the exterior, was vibrant and luminous. Tiff preferred it over the one in her dimension, even though it was her home, as its hallways were gloomy due to the dull green walls. Its furniture and decor were also more opulent. The only thing she didn't like about it was seeing Dedede's logo, as well as statues and paintings of him, almost everywhere.

The Waddle Dees were also quite different. They looked happier and more joyful than the ones she knew, and some of them could even talk! She also noticed that there were fewer of them, yet they seemed to be more efficient at their tasks.

As for the rest of Castle Dedede's inhabitants, Kirby had already informed her that there was no alternate version of her, her family or Escargoon living there, though he couldn't confirm if they did exist or not. Also, there was no Captain Waddle Doo, but Waddle Doos did exist as a subspecies of Waddle Dees, and only a few of them worked for Dedede. That dimension's Meta Knight didn't live there either, as he had his own base somewhere else.

But none of those changes were as drastic as the king himself.

Tiff first saw him after Kirby led her to a boxing ring. There, that universe's Dedede and Meta Knight were fighting each other, hammer and sword colliding in an intricate dance of blocks and counterattacks in which each blow was precisely timed. As he fought the knight, there was no fear or anger on Dedede's face, only determination and enjoyment. However, the battle seemed to be private, as the seats that surrounded the ring were empty except for a single Waddle Dee.

The king not only managed to keep up with the knight's pace but was on equal footing with him. And it wasn't like the alternate Meta Knight was any worse at fighting than the one she knew. Based on the way he moved, he was as experienced and even more agile than her friend. In addition, that version of Meta Knight also wielded the legendary sword Galaxia, which only made Dedede's ability to match him more impressive.

"I can't believe my eyes. If I didn't know better, I would think that I was still dreaming," she said in disbelief.

"Uh? What are you talking about?" Gooey asked.

"Dedede. The one I know wouldn't last even three seconds fighting against Meta Knight," she replied, poiting at the self-proclaimed king. "Are you sure he isn't using some sort of evil artefact or something similar to make himself more powerful?

"Our Dedede has always been very strong despite his laziness, and he has gotten even stronger over time, poyo,” Kirby explained. “Also, I doubt he and Meta Knight would willingly use 'evil artefacts' ever again after what happened with those creepy masks," he added, his words only raising more questions in Tiff's head.

"Hey, Kirby, Gooey!" the sole Waddle Dee in the room greeted upon noticing the trio. His blue bandana made Tiff guess that they were the same one portrayed in Kirby's photos.

"Hai Bandee," Kirby greeted back as the Waddle Dee approached them. The puffball and Gooey welcomed the peculiar Waddle Dee with joy and enthusiasm, implying that they were friends.

"Who is your new friend?" the Waddle Dee asked curiously when he noticed Tiff.

"Her name is Tiff. Tiff, this is Bandana Dee or Bandee for friends," the pink puffball introduced.

“Nice to meet you,” Tiff said with a polite smile.

“Same. Kirby's friends are my friends,” the Waddle Dee greeted back. “At least in most cases,” she heard him mutter in a less gleeful tone.

"Bandee, do you know how long they're going to keep sparring? I'm hungry, poyo," Kirby asked while pointing at the king and the knight.

"Now that you are here, they should be done soon," Bandana Waddle Deee answered. "They are taking the upcoming battle very seriously. Defeating them is going to be harder than ever."

"Defeating them?" Tiff repeated, puzzled. Why would those two battle Dedede and Meta Knight? She could understand Kirby fighting Dedede or wanting to test his skills against Meta Knight, but she didn't get why a Waddle Dee would aid him in a battle against his king.

"Oh, in a few weeks we're going to hold a charity tag team tournament in the Waddle Dee Town of the Forgotten Land, and Bandee is my partner," Kirby informed her. "Gooey, are you going to participate?"

"I pass, but I'll be watching," the blob answered. "I want to visit the 'New World' after hearing everything you've told me about it. The amusement park sounds cool."

Forgotten Land, Waddle Dee Town, New World... Tiff had never heard of those places. The differences between that Dream Land and hers kept growing and growing, and her head was beginning to ache. "Just accept it and let it be for your own mental health. Focus on finding a way to get home," she advised herself. Although she was curious, she shouldn't forget what her objective was.

"And what about you, Tiff?" Bandana Dee asked, snapping her out of her musings.

"Well, I'm not much of a fighter myself, so I don't fit in a tournament," she declined. "Besides, I hope to be back home by then."

Bandana Waddle Dee was about to ask her about that, but his casual demeanour suddenly changed when a shadow was cast over the four children.

When Tiff turned around, she found that dimension's Dedede standing behind them, an annoyed expression on his face. Next to the king, Meta Knight stared at the girl silently but intently, as if he were analysing her. She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"Hey you, little menace. Were you spying on us?" Dedede asked as he picked Kirby up with both hands, the pink puffball letting out a surprised noise.

"This is the part when he hits Kirby or does something mean to him. I'm not going to allow it!" Tiff hissed inside as she prepared to defend Kirby as a reflex act. Even if that Dedede was stronger than the one she knew and lacked his peculiar accent, she wasn't going to let him hurt any version of her friend.

But instead of doing what Tiff had feared, the self-proclaimed king smiled as he said to his rival:

"What took you and Gooey so long, you rascal? We had to extend the training time because Bandana Dee refused to eat without you. You should thank my generosity and patience by letting me have a bigger portion of the pie!"

"Sorry for being so late, but something unexpected came up," Kirby apologised as he pointed at Tiff.

It was then that the penguin-like king noticed her for the first time.

"Oh, and who is this little girl supposed to be?" Dedede asked, intrigued, as he put Kirby back on the ground. "I have never seen her face around here..."

Tiff decided to waste no time and get straight to the point.

"My name is Tiff, and this is going to sound crazy, but I actually come from an alternate version of Dream Land."

Her words seemed to elicit some sort of reaction from Meta Knight, but Tiff couldn't tell what it was. His eyes didn't change colour according to his mood, which made him even more difficult to read.

The king and his knight exchanged a quick glance, which Tiff couldn't interpret, before the former proclaimed:

"Welcome, Tiff from an 'alternate Dream Land.' I am the awesome, almighty, perfect, and great King Dedede," Dedede introduced himself, showcasing that if he had anything in common with Tiff's dimension's Dedede, it was his ego."And this is my faithful knight and sworn partner, Meta Knight," he added, introducing his companion. "Come on, Meta. I know it's not easy for you to open up to newcomers and all that, but it's rude not to say hello to a guest," the king insisted to the knight in a lower tone as he tapped him lightly with the hammer.

"You are right, sir," the knight finally said, breaking his silence. Tiff noticed that he sounded deeper and more intimidating than the one from her dimension. Was he using some kind of effect to alter his voice?. Just like Dedede, he lacked his usual peculiar accent.

The knight continued, bowing in greeting:

"Tiff, please accept my apologies. I can't help but be wary of a new face, especially when that person claims to be from an alternate dimension," he finished, trying in vain to conceal his suspicion. Tiff, however, was relieved to see his reaction to her claim. That dimension's Meta Knight, like Kirby, didn't seem to be much different from the one she knew: mysterious, cautious, and strong. With all the drastic changes between the two worlds, the few similarities manage to soathe her.

Still, she was perplexed by the king's and the knight's relationship. Seeing them train together was strange enough, but what was even stranger was how close they seemed to be. Not even she called her Meta Knight just 'Meta', despite both of them being good friends. Furthermore, her Dedede would never refer to Meta Knight as his faithful knight, let alone his sworn partner; whatever that implied.

Suddenly, the stomachs of Dedede and Kirby (or whatever the puffball had inside him) rumbled at the same time.

"Well, you'll have to explain to us everything about that coming from another dimension thing while we eat," Dedede said, trying to recover a dignified posture. "Though I will not tolerate my portion of the cake being reduced," he added, looking at Bandana Dee. Although the tone sounded authoritative, the look he directed at his vassal was filled with pleading.

"Don't worry, Great King. I'll make sure that your portion is the biggest and juiciest of all," Bandana Dee assured with an amused tone. A somewhat childish smile appareared on the monarch's face.

They left the fighting ring and went straight to the rooftop, where someone had set up a picnic table filled with food, including the famous apple pie. Tiff glanced at Kirby, who was salivating and had starry eyes. When he realised they needed an extra seat, Dedede quickly called out to a nearby Waddle Dee, who up until that point had been watching the horizon with a spyglass.

"Bring Kirby's friend a chair, and then take a break," the king instructed his vassal.

The Waddle Dee nodded, left his lookout post, and ran downstairs. He soon returned with a chair. Dedede thanked him, and after the monarch gently rubbed his head, the Waddle Dee put on some sunglasses and lay down on a nearby lounger.

"Okay, I think I have figured it out: this person isn't Dedede," Tiff reasoned. "An impostor must have replaced him a long time ago, and no one has said anything because they prefer them over the original." She could handle an older Kirby, an intimidating Meta Knight, a grumpy Whispy, and the talking Waddle Dees, but a stronger Dedede who, despite his big ego, was actually kind, was just too much for her brain.

"Hey Tiff! If you don't join us soon, these three will eat everything!" Bandana called, snapping her out of her thoughts. Dedede, Kirby, and Gooey had already begun to eat, or rather, devour the food.

Tiff apologised and sat down at the table. Dedede asked Gooey about his trips in between bites, but Tiff couldn't focus on their conversation because Meta Knight, who was sitting next to the king, kept staring at her in that intimidating way. He didn't seem to trust her at all, and she couldn't blame him. She wouldn't trust a Meta Knight who claimed to be from a universe where Dedede was nice either.

Or maybe the real reason Meta Knight was staring at her in that way was because he didn't want to remove his mask in front of a stranger and thus couldn't enjoy the apple pie. Instead of eating it, the knight put his portion in a small plastic container and then stored it inside his cape.

Once the others stopped eating in such a showy manner, Meta Knight decided to start questioning her.

"So, an alternative Dream Land, you said," he said, trying unsuccessfully to sound casual. Tiff gave a nod. "Would you mind giving us more details?"

Tiff proceeded to explain the main differences she had found between the two Dream Lands so far. She also told them about the GSA, the Star Warriors (though she withheld some details, especially those involving her Meta Knight's personal life), and their war against eNeMeE/Nightmare, which piqued the alternate Meta Knight's interest. Lastly, she told them about how she, her Kirby and their other friends defeated Nightmare in her dimension. The only thing she avoided mentioning was Dedede. Tiff didn't think it was a good idea to talk about someone she despised in front of an alternate version of him.

"Your dimension sounds quite fascinating," Meta Knight said once Tiff finished telling her story. "But tell me, how did you end up here?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know," Tiff replied, sad and frustrated. "As much as I try to remember what happened, I just can't."

"When I found her, she had a very high fever," Kirby remembered. "Could that be a clue?"

"Hmm, lost memories and a fever. This doesn't sound like regular dimensional travel,” Meta Knight replied thoughtfully. “We must ask Magolor about this. He is better versed in this sort of stuff than any of us."

"Well, everything you've told us about your world has been pretty interesting, and the way you guys defeated Nightmare in such a big battle sounded epic," Dedede interjected. "What about me, though? Is the 'me' of your universe as cool and strong as I? What was my role in all that Nightmare stuff?" the king asked eagerly.

Tiff sighed. She should have seen it coming. Anyone would be curious about how their life is in another world. She herself wondered what that dimension's version of her would be like, if she had one.

Seeing that she had no way of avoiding talking about her Dedede, she asked the one in front of her:

"Do you want me to be fully honest?"

"Well, I can tell from the way you are looking at me right now that you don't like your Dedede, but yes, be fully honest," he replied. His eagerness to hear about his 'other self' seemed to have dropped significantly.

"Can you promise me that you won't take it badly?"

"Why would I? Even if he is basically me, he is still a different person," Dedede assured.

Tiff took a deep breath. She finally had the chance to get everything she felt about the monarch of Dream Land off her chest, and she wasn't going to let it go. If her Dedede ever heard what she was about to say, he would send her straight to the dungeon.

"I can't stand my universe's Dedede. Sharing a roof with him is an ordeal. As a ruler, he is an incompetent, lazy, stupid, and greedy tyrant. As a person, he is even worse. He is cocky, petty, self-centred, mean, and has a temper shorter than an eyelash. He believes he is superior to others, but in reality, he is just a cowardly bully who enjoys tormenting those who are weaker than him. He is always trying to get rid of my Kirby, even though he is only a baby. Oh, and his stupid plans to do so put everyone in danger! Do you want to know his role in the eNeMeE mess? He usually ordered monsters from that villain's company in order to get what he wanted. On top of that, he almost ruined our final mission by collaborating with them until they betrayed him! I can't think of anyone more unworthy of the title of king than he."

Tiff sighed to calm down after she finished her rant. She was relieved. The others, on the other hand, were taken aback by it. They had thought of her as a modest and calm person up until that point, so they had not expected her to hide so much rage. Dedede even seemed a bit upset, and she saw Meta Knight calm him down with a gesture.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I've been wanting to get all of that out for a long time. I despise him, and the feeling is mutual."

"Wow... I don't know what to say," Dedede began to say, an awkward smile plastered in his face as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sure, I haven't been a saint either, but I don't think anyone has ever hated me as much as you hate the other Dedede."

"Although, personality-wise, he only sounds slightly worse than how you were a few years ago," Meta Knight remarked in a teasing tone.

"Meh, I guess. Those were not my best years," Dedede admitted reluctantly. Tiff could tell that he was not proud of that period in his life.

That piqued Tiff's interest. Did that imply that this version of Dedede had once been like the one in her world, and thus the one she knew could change? No, that was absurd. Her Dedede was far too stubborn. It would take a miracle for him to change. She couldn't imagine him training to be as strong as his alternate version, let alone being nice to someone unless the world was ending.

"Still, I don't think that even back then I would have attacked a baby," Dedede continued after thinking about it.

"The first time you lost to Kirby, he wasn't much older," Gooey reminded him.

"Although he was young, he was older than a baby and he had already defeated all my minions when I faced him, so I knew he was not a normal child. Also, what do you know? That happened before you moved to Dream Land!" Dedede replied.

"Please don't argue," Bandana Waddle Dee requested. In an attempt to change the subject, he turned to Tiff and said, "Why don't you tell us something else about your dimension? For example, what do Kirby and you do now that Nightmare and his company are gone?"

"Well, we still have to deal with the troubles caused by Dedede and his right-hand man, Escargoon. Now that they can't get any monsters, they are building robots and other machines for their plans, although we don't know yet where they are getting the pieces and the technology to do so," Tiff explained.

"So Escargoon is my assistant there instead of Bandana Dee?" Dedede asked, curious. "Now that is a weird change. I can't imagine that tranquility-loving snail living in a busy and noisy castle like this one. Here, he is an engineer who has helped me with several personal projects, though he has been retired for a few years. He even taught Weapons-Shop Waddle Dee everything he knows about weapon crafting."

"I don't think I have ever met that Escargoon guy, poyo," Kirby said thoughtfully.

"Because he lives on his family farm far away from here and does his best to stay out of all the messes you get yourself into," Dedede explained.

"So Escargoon does exist here, but he has a completely different life apart from Kirby's adventures. Does that mean that the people in Kirby's photos also exist in my world, but we haven't met them yet?" Tiff wondered. According to what Dedede had just said, Gooey showed up in Dream Land later than Kirby, so maybe the blue blob hadn't arrived in her dimension yet. Bandana Dee could easily be one of her Dedede's many Waddle Dees, but what about the rest of those new faces? Would she and Kirby ever cross paths with them? Did she really want to meet them?

"Mmm, I'm getting bored of all this talk, poyo," Kirby commented. "Can we stop asking Tiff stuff about her home for a bit and play something? All these questions are only going to overwhelm her."

"All right, let's take a break." Dedede agreed. "Go ahead and have some fun. We'll resume the interrogation...I mean, asking your friend about her world later. We also need to consider the best way to return her to her world. Elfilin and Magolor would be our best assets, and we could try to summon NOVA as a last resort."

Tiff couldn't help but notice that Dedede was looking at her strangely when he mentioned the last one, as if expecting a reaction from her. But before she could ask what a nova was, Kirby grabbed her hand and led her to another part of the roof where they could play together. Gooey and Bandana Dee followed them.

As the children walked away, Dedede turned to the knight and asked him:

"So, what do you think?"

"Her answers felt sincere, and her stories are too detailed to be improvised, especially everything regarding Nightmare and the Star Warriors. I don't think she has lied to us or that she's trying to manipulate Kirby. Though the fact that she can't remember how she got here intrigues and worries me in equal parts," Meta Knight exposed. "What about you? You look a bit upset..."

"I don't like what she has said about her dimension's version of me, not even a bit," Dedede replied, a frown on his face.

"Well, she clearly dislikes her Dedede, so I doubt she was objective in her description," Meta Knight shook his head. "Don't think about it too much. You are no longer a self-centred tyrant, but rather a great and respected king."

"I don't care if there are one or more versions of me around the multiverse acting like jerks. What irritates me the most is knowing that at least one of them has willingly collaborated with Nightmare," Dedede clarified.

A part of him had always wondered what would have happened if he had chosen differently when Nightmare first showed up in the Fountain of Dreams. Refusing to join forces with that villain for the sake of his kingdom had been the first step in the long journey to redemption that had transformed him into the actual great king he was at the present time. Thinking about what could have become of him when darker foes arrived if he had taken a different path, one where he was still a self-centred, lonely tyrant, terrified him.

"Forget about it. I'm just overthinking this," he shrugged it off to not worry the knight.

Meta Knight, however, knew exactly what troubled the king. Yet he didn't insist. It was best not to put any pressure on Dedede when he closed his heart. Meta Knight would be there when the king needed to let it all out.

Suddenly, both the king and his knight were startled by a noise. The communication device Meta Knight used to talk with his crew had been activated.

"Sailor? Is everything okay?" the warrior asked his subordinate.

"Sir, you're with Dedede right now, correct?" the Waddle Dee asked. A rumble could be heard in the background of the call, but Meta Knight thought it was the Meta-Knights being their chaotic selves whenever he wasn't present.

"Yes. We have been training in the castle all day," Meta Knight confirmed, taken aback by the question. He had informed everyone in the Halberd about his schedule for the day before leaving, and Sailor wasn't the forgetful type.

"I told you guys! The king is not possessed; that person is an impostor!" Sailor said to the rest of the crew. The response of the others was drowned out by the background noise, which turned out to be screams.

"What is going on, Sailor?" Meta Knight asked, worried and confused.

"Well, as you instructed, we went to the market to trade for provisions, and..." Sailor began to explain, but their conversation was cut short by the sound of a glass breaking in the background. "For NOVA's sake. Mace, why did you untie him?! Ugh, this is the third time this month that we have had to repair that window."

"Sailor, focus, please," asked Meta Knight, a little exasperated.

"Ehem, as I was saying, we were trading in the market when a person who looked like King Dedede arrived and began acting like a moron. He demanded free stuff, and when he didn't get it, he began insulting and threatening everyone! He was like that for a while until Bonkers got angry and they got into a brawl," Sailor explained. "Things were getting a little out of hand, so we decided to intervene and ended up capturing Dedede."

"It was too easy, as if he had forgotten how to fight," Meta Knight overheard Javelin Knight say.

Another Dedede? One that behaved similarly to the one Tiff had described? It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Sir? How should we proceed with this impostor?" Sailor questioned.

"Keep a close eye on him. I'll be there shortly," he instructed.

Meta Knight turned off the device after a brief goodbye. Dedede looked at him, expecting an explanation. The king had only heard Meta Knight's side of the conversation, so he had no idea what he and Sailor were discussing.

"I am afraid that Tiff is not the only one who has arrived from her dimension," the knight informed the king, who was left with an astonished expression on his face.

They could both feel that a storm was approaching.

Chapter Text

If there was one thing that Tiff had never expected to see again, it was the Halberd. After all, the massive airship secretly built by her dimension's Meta Knight exploded during the attack on eNeMeE's fortress. But that strange Dream Land had surprised her yet again, as the Halberd was standing intact. It was like it had never gotten into any battle at all.

Or so she had believed until Kirby mentioned that Meta Knight and his crew had rebuilt the ship after it had been completely destroyed twice. That world's Meta Knight not only had Blade and Sword as companions; he was also followed by a group of warriors called the Meta-Knights. "It seems that Dedede is not the only one who has a big ego around here," the girl thought once she found out that Meta Knight's crew was named after him.

As for what she was doing there, it was Meta Knight himself who had brought her and Kirby to his airship. His crew had caught a troublemaker who was not only identical to Dedede but also acted in a similar way to the one she had described. The knight needed her help to confirm the impostor's actual identity, as he suspected that it could be her universe's Dedede. Kirby had joined them, intrigued to meet the Dedede whom Tiff had criticised so much.

"I don't think he is that bad, poyo. I'm pretty sure that deep down he is a good person," the little hero had affirmed, and Tiff didn't want to break his heart by saying otherwise.

The other Dedede, along with Bandana Dee and Gooey, had decided to stay behind, mostly because Meta Knight feared for the Halberd. Knowing the king, it was quite likely that a fight would break out between him and his counterpart, and Meta Knight didn't want it to happen on his recently repaired ship.

On their way to the Halberd, Tiff discovered two interesting things about that universe. The first was that Warp Stars functioned way differently. In that dimension, they weren't linked to the Star Warriors at all (as they didn't exist) and were just a natural part of it. Despite this, Kirby still seemed to be connected to them somehow, as he could also easily find, summon, and use them as transportation.

The second discovery was that Meta Knight had wings. They looked very similar to those of a bat, and she was certain that Tuff would have found them "cool." But those wings only raised more questions for her. "Does this imply that my world's Meta Knight has wings as well? And if he does, why doesn't he use them? They look quite menacing... Could he be afraid to show them because people would think he is a monster? Nah, that wouldn't stop him. Maybe I should ask him about this when I get back home," the girl mused while Kirby piloted the Warp Star they were riding towards Meta Knight's airship.

Finally, they reached the Halberd, which was "docked" on a cliff near a beach. As soon as they landed on the deck, the Meta-Knights came out to greet their boss... and some got startled when they noticed Kirby landing shortly after.

"Don't worry. He is with me this time," Meta Knight quickly informed, relieving the crew.

Tiff looked at the group. It consisted of Sword, Blade, four other odd-looking warriors, a Waddle Dee in a sailor hat, and a large bird dressed as a captain. Except the first two, all of them were new faces for her. The captain bird especially caught her attention, not for their strange appearance but because they had a bag of ice on their head and seemed to be in pain.

"Thanks Nova you have finally arrived, sir. Captain Vul has ended up with a terrible headache from listening to the screams of that madman..." the Waddle Dee said, quite annoyed, as they pointed to the bird.

"You all will pay for this! I'm going to send you all straight to the dungeon! You call this food? I'm pretty sure you guys took this from a dumpster and called it a dish!" someone shouted from inside the ship.

Tiff could recognise that obnoxious, loud voice with a characteristic accent anywhere.

"Yeah, it's definitely him," the girl confirmed to Meta Knight, exasperated. Of all the people in her dimension, why had Dedede been the one who ended up in that world with her?

"Who is this landlubber?" Captain Vul asked upon noticing her.

"Her name is Tiff, and apparently she comes from the same Dream Land as our dear guest," Meta Knight explained, with irony in the last words. "Tiff, I know you're not eager to see him, but you have to. We need to confirm that he is from your dimension and not from a third one," he asked the girl, who had no choice but to give in.

"So he isn't an impostor but a King Dedede from another universe?" Sailor asked. Meta Knight and Kirby nodded.

"Ha! In the end, it was me who won the bet! Those sweets are mine, Sailor!" one of the Meta-Knights, some sort of round skeleton skull who carried an axe the size of his body, exclaimed while pointing at himself.

Sailor rolled their eyes and handed their crewmate a bag full of jelly beans. Kirby approached the knight with pleading eyes and asked for some. The warrior reluctantly gave in, but Tiff wasn't sure if he shared his price out of kindness or because he didn't want to upset Kirby. In any case, the puffball cheerfully ate the few he received and happily thanked Axe Knight.

"Great. People from alternative universes popping out and causing trouble is just what we needed," Vul growled, his words filled with sarcasm. "If you'll excuse me, sir, I'm going to retire to my cabin until this pain passes," he told Meta Knight, who nodded to grant him permission. "I'm gettin' too old for this..." the bird mumbled as he left.

"Well, let's not waste any more time. Take us before him," Meta Knight requested.

It was a curious coincidence that the alternate versions of Sword and Blade were the ones who led them to the cabin where the self-proclaimed king was being held. Meta Knight opened the door after a brief warning from the two warriors.

There he was. The selfish penguin Tiff disliked so much was lazily laying in the cabin's bed, probably tired from his previous tantrum. However, as soon as he saw Meta Knight, Tiff and Kirby, he abandoned his lazy stance and stood up, his face red with rage.

"I knew it! As soon as I saw Sword and Blade among these weird guys, I knew you were the ones behind all this mess, you traitors! Where have you hidden my castle?! And what have you done with Escargoon?!" Dedede yelled at them, totally enraged.

With those words, he had just obliterated any doubt about his identity.

"Dedede, please calm down and allow me to explain..." Tiff began to say.

"I'm not going to calm down, you meddling brat!" Dedede interrupted her bruntly. "You, the annoying pink ball, and this good-for-nothing knight are going to spend the next century in the dungeon for conspiring behind my back in order to get me out of the way!"

"What do you mean by good-for-nothing?" Meta Knight asked, his voice filled with barely contained anger.

"You know exactly what I mean! You are of no use! You just spend all day either being lazy or helping Kirby and the other brats behind my back! You are a terrible knight, and this is the last time you betray me! I should have fired you a long time ago..." the king ranted.

"Oh no, this is bad," Kirby said, worried. The little puffball approached his friend and asked him in a conciliatory tone: "Meta, please calm down. He is not worth it."

"Wait, did that idiot Kirby just talk? But..."

The penguin's next words were cut short as Meta Knight pointed Galaxia at his neck.

"Do you have any idea of who I am?" the knight asked. His voice was cold and yet filled with rage as he answered that question himself: "I am the greatest swordsman in this galaxy, the scourge of darkness, one of the warriors who stopped Void Termina among other horrors alongside Kirby, and one of the defenders of this planet. I will not tolerate any insult or disrespect coming from someone who has aligned themselves with Nightmare in the past, you patethic excuse for a king."

Dedede swallowed, a fearful expression on his face. Even Tiff was taken aback by the knight's cold outburst, as it was something she would never have expected from him. He seemed to be very offended by Dedede's words, despite them not being actually directed at him.

Meta Knight sighed to calm himself down and withdrew his weapon, much to the relief of the one on the other side of his blade.

"The Meta Knight you know may put up with your attitude out of pure professionalism, but I don't. Have I made myself clear?" he said to Dedede with contempt.

"The Meta Knight I know?" the king repeated, totally confused.

"That's what I was trying to explain: we're not in our Dream Land," Tiff answered him. "We've somehow ended up in another dimension. These Kirby and Meta Knight are not the ones we know."

"Sure, sure. What a hoax! Do you take me for a fool?!"

"Yes," was the girl's emphatic response.

That prompted Dedede to yell again, to which Tiff, who had lost what little patience she had with the monarch, responded in kind.

"Well, it seems that Tiff knows how to stand her ground against the likes of this guy. I like that. She could become a fine warrior with proper training," Meta Knight whispered to Kirby after letting out a low chuckle.

Kirby, for his part, was tired of all the pointless arguing and approached Tiff and Dedede to mediate.

"Sorry, Dedede from another dimension... "

"And what do you want?" he asked in a mean way.

"I want to help you and Tiff get back home," Kirby continued, ignoring the king's rudeness. "Could you please answer a couple of questions, poyo?"

"Heh, do you really think you can help? I don't need you at all. After all, the only thing little pink menaces like you are good at is irritating great kings like me," he rudely declined. Kirby looked at him with a sad expression. Meta Knight gave Dedede a murderous look, asserting that he would not tolerate any disrespect towards Kirby either. "Fine... What do you want to know?" Dedede asked reluctantly, feeling threatened by the knight.

"Well, let's start with the most basic question. What is the last thing you remember before you ended up here?"

"I was planning something with Escargoon when Meta Knight, that pink menace, this meddling girl, her insufferable brother, and someone I'd never seen before ran into the throne room," Dedede recalled. "And that's it. I can't remember anything else. My mind is blank. How weird..." he finished, scraching his head.

"Hey! Don't lie! I don't remember any of that!" Tiff exclaimed.

"What I've said is true! I gain nothing by lying in this situation!" Dedede retorted angrily. Tiff didn't know how to reply because, for once, he was right. "You just like blaming me for every single problem," he added.

"Because, most of the time, you are the cause!"

"Stop arguing, you two!" Kirby scolded them. "I get it; you two don't get along. But you're both in the same boat, so, for once in your lives, work together, please."

"I don't need a Kirby to tell me what to do!" Dedede yelled. "I'm tired of this. I'm going to take a nap, and when I wake up, I'll think about answering your questions. And Meta Knight: tell your fan club to get me a better pillow. This one is trashier than their food!"

After saying that, Dedede turned his back on them and lay down on the bed without a single care. He began to snore a couple of seconds later. Meta Knight, Tiff and Kirby left the room defeated. They wouldn't get more information from the king.

"Do you see now what I have to endure?" the girl asked her companions as they left the cabin.

"I pity anyone who has to share a roof with him," Meta Knight said. "I don't know how your Meta Knight can put up with him. He must have the patience of a saint."

"I didn't think it was possible, but he's even more difficult to talk to than our Dedede was!" Kirby complained.

"The only thing I don't get is why I can't remember what he said about me and my friends entering the throne room," Tiff wondered. "Why did we all go there, and who is the person he had never seen? This is so frustrating..."

"This is just a theory, but given how you and the other Dedede's memories are just 'cut' short, chances are that whatever force brought you two here is also behind your memory loss," Meta Knight surmised.

"But don't worry about it, poyo! I'm sure that you'll remember everything that happened sooner or later," Kirby quickly said, in order to cheer her up after Meta Knight's worrysome words. "However, I'm wondering if you and your Dedede are the only ones in this situation..."

Tiff was suddenly filled with guilt. How could she have been so selfish? She had been so focused on finding a way home, as well as intrigued by that strange Dream Land, that she hadn't even considered the possibility of her friends ending up in that place too! "You have to find them." Those words echoed in her mind. Where had she heard them? In a dream? She tried to remember, but all she got was a headache.

"Are you okay, Tiff?" Kirby asked. He and Meta Knight were looking at her with concern.

"Yes, don't worry. I guess I am not as recovered from the fever as I thought," she replied dismissively. "And regarding your question, I have a feeling that Dedede and I aren't the only ones who have arrived from my world."

"I see. In that case, a meeting with Magolor is in order. If there is anyone in Dream Land who can identify any dimensional anomaly that could have brought you all here, it's him," Meta Knight decided.

"So, what should we do with this Dedede? Are you going to lock him up until this is all over, poyo?" Kirby questioned the knight.

"I wouldn't mind if you kept him locked up forever," Tiff muttered.

"Unfortunately for my crew, I think the most reasonable thing to do for the time being would be to leave him in that cabin," Meta Knight said dejectedly. "He may have caused some trouble, but he hasn't committed any crime. It wouldn't be fair to put him in a dungeon," he reasoned.

However, fate had other plans. Right at that moment, the sound of an explosion came from the cabin they had just left behind. Alarmed by the sudden noise, the three re-entered it, only to find Dedede facing a robot that had destroyed one of the walls of the cabin and part of the floor. A purple snail poked its head out of a hatch on the top of the machine.

"Escargoon!" Tiff exclaimed when she saw him.

"Indeed, meddlesome girl!" he exclaimed. "Those idiot mercenaries Meta Knight hired didn't even notice that I followed them while they kidnapped the king or that I slipped into their ship! I even got to steal this beauty from them!" he boasted. He then turned to the king, who seemed as surprised as the rest, and told him, "Let's get out of here, your majesty!"

"Wait, you two!" Tiff called as Dedede climbed into the robot. "We have to find a way to get back home!"

"Of course we do. But first, we are going to take over this Dream Land to show everyone who's the real boss!" He responded with an expression of superiority on his face.

Escargoon turned to him with a confused look and asked:

"Wait, what do you mean by 'this Dream Land'?"

"We'll talk about it later; we have to go," Dedede replied as he closed the hatch. "See ya later, losers!"

And with that, the robot flew away from Halberd at high speed, all while Dedede laughed like a Saturday morning cartoon villain.

"I'm going after them. You two need to return to the castle and tell our Dedede about what is going on. We will meet there later," Meta Knight ordered the two children. Tiff guessed that the knight hadn't prevented Escagoon and Dedede's escape because he didn't want to cause more damage to his ship.

"Be careful, poyo," Kirby told him before he flew off in pursuit of the two villains from another dimension.

- - -

Meanwhile, a spider was having a peaceful day in another part of Dream Land.

Taranza usually resided in Floralia, but sometimes it got difficult for him to live there. He had to deal with the pressure of trying to mend a broken kingdom as its main representative, and the anguish caused by the melancholy-filled memories of someone who would never return didn't help. Fortunately, King Dedede had given him a small plot of land on which he had built a house and a lovely little garden. There, he could relax and rest before returning to the stressful work in his kingdom.

Taranza had been practicing his magic in the garden that day. Magolor had convinced him to be his partner in the upcoming tournament after Marx had been banned from the competition and from setting foot in Waddle Dee Town due to one of his pranks gone wrong. He didn't have high expectations of winning, given that the participants included the terrifying duo of Dedede and Meta Knight and the unbeatable team of Kirby and Bandana Dee, but it was a charity event, so he signed up. Anything that could improve Floralia's reputation was welcome.

It was during one of his breaks that he noticed that one of the flowers in his garden was withering. Taranza looked at it with sorrow; it had been Sectonia's favourite type of flower before that mirror corrupted her.

Seeing the state of that flower hurt him a lot. It reminded him of how, little by little, the light had gradually faded from his dear queen's gaze, replaced by an abyss of darkness and contempt for everything that she didn't consider beautiful. And he, blinded by fear and a toxic distortion of what once was love, had done nothing to stop it.

However, it wasn't too late for that flower. It did not have to suffer the same fate as Floralia's late queen. He was a wizard, and his magic had only improved since the events that had brought him to meet Kirby and the others. He'd spent the entire morning practising offensive spells, so it was time for support magic.

Determined not to let the flower wither, Taranza began to cast the rejuvenating spell he had been working on. His intention was to develop it into a magic capable of healing wounds, but for the time being, all it was good for was restoring the plants in his garden.

A green aura began to surround the entire garden, but Taranza put all of his focus on the flower. Slowly, the colour came back to its petals, and the flower soon rose again, radiant (though its petals were still closed; those flowers only opened at night). The aura disappeared, and Taranza smiled proudly, albeit a little sad. If he had managed to master that magic years ago, would he have been able to save her?

His brooding was interrupted by a confused "poyo" coming from the other side of the garden hedges. He only knew of one creature who made such a noise.

"Kirby? Is it you?" the spider asked as he peered over the garden, floating thanks to his magic.

Indeed, there was the young hero, looking around as if he were lost. "It's me, or does he look smaller than usual? His colour is a bit off too..." Taranza thought.

"Is everything alright? Are you looking for something?" he questioned the puffball.

Kirby finally became aware of his presence, but the only words that came out of the pink hero's mouth were more "poyo" sounds.

Alarmed, Taranza jumped up to join him. Why was Kirby behaving so strangely? Taranza asked him what was wrong again, but he only got more "poyos" as an answer, followed by some other words that didn't make much sense either:

"Tiff, Tuff, Meta Nini, poyo?"

Taranza had no idea what a tiff or a tuff were, but 'Meta Nini' sounded like how a very young child would pronounce 'Meta Knight'. That behaviour, coupled with the reduced size, made Kirby look like a baby. Didn't he just cast a rejuvenation spell? What if it had reached Kirby and triggered some weird reaction?

"I have turned Kirby into a baby," the spider deduced, and a horrified expression appeared on his face as he realised the gravity of the situation.

"I've turned Kirby into a baby!" he screamed, terrified. "Oh no. Meta Knight and King Dedede are going to kill me..." he continued, his voice trembling.

"Meta Nini! Dede!" the puffball joyfully claimed.

"Yes, when they find out about this, Meta Nini and Dedede are going to cut me up and serve me as a dish to the Waddle Dees," Taranza replied shakily as he lifted the little pufball into the air with his hands and examined it. Kirby weighed less than usual, though he didn't weigh much to begin with. The hero had no visible injuries, which was a relief.

Taranza took a deep breath to calm himself down. If Kirby were his usual self, he'd be saying that neither Dedede nor Meta Knight were going to kill him and that, while they would be a bit mad, they would help find a way to turn him back to normal.

Anyway, Taranza had no idea how to do so. He needed help.

"All right, we'll start by looking for Magolor, and we'll see where we go from there," Taranza decided as he lowered Kirby to the ground.

"Golo? Poyo?" Kirby asked puzzledly. It was apparent that he didn't recognise the name.

"You don't know who Magolor is?" he asked. Kirby shook his head. "Curses! It seems like the spell has also affected your memory," the spider grumbled. Why did nothing ever go his way? He could already hear Magolor and Marx making sarcastic remarks about what he had done. "Well, it's pointless to cry over spilt milk. Kirby, come with me. I will fix this even if I have to suffer through vicious mockery."

Taranza took Kirby's hand. Unless they found a Warp Star, it would take them a couple of hours to walk from Taranza's house to the Lor, where Magolor and Marx spent most of their time, so before leaving, he stocked up on water and enough food for the journey.

Although Kirby was at first eager to walk alongside him, his expression soon changed, as if he didn't want to be there. Kirby didn't seem to recognise where he was either, and he soon began to complain.

"Meta Nini! Tiff! Tuff!" Kirby repeatedly shouted while pointing to another path.

"For the fifteenth time, we'll go see Meta Knight after we talk to Magolor," Taranza promised, slightly irritated. Kirby had been behaving that way for the last few minutes, and the spider was growing impatient. Furthermore, if the situation continued, Kirby would most likely end up fighting him due to a tantrum and, morally, he couldn't hit a baby even if it was Kirby, so he made a drastic decision. "I apologise, Kirby, but this is for your own good."

"Poyo?"

Taranza used the same spell he'd used to capture Dedede, trapping the baby inside a spider's web and putting him to sleep. That would save the spider time and possibly a headache. He just wished that no one saw him. It looked like he was kidnapping the baby puffball, and the last thing he needed was a misunderstanding.

But since when did Taranza's wishes come true?

He hadn't been carrying Kirby for more than five minutes when, suddenly, he was attacked from behind. It was so quick that he didn't see it coming. When he realised what had happened, he was lying on the ground, and he could feel the tip of something cold and metallic on his back.

"Free that Star Warrior right now, villain!" a muffled woman's voice said.

"What in Shiver Star is a Star Warrior?!" he asked.

"That voice... it can't be," he heard his attacker say in a tone of total disbelief. "Turn around!"

Before he could do so voluntarily, his attacker forced him. She was a fully hooded figure, with two orange horns protruding from her head. She held a familiar-looking rapier in two of her four floating hands. And... why was the logo of Floralia's royal family embroided on her cloak?

The woman, for her part, gasped before tremblingly asking:

"Ta...Taranza?"

Taranza was quite stupefied. Who was that person? Why did she know him? His answer came before he could even think about it.

The woman removed her hood, and Taranza could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he recognised her face. It was a face he never expected to see again outside of his dreams—a face that tormented him and yet he couldn't help but long for. A face that had vanished because of him.

"Sectonia?" he asked back, his voice filled with pain, doubt, and hope.

The following words, full of anguish, were uttered by both spiders at the same time:

"But you're supposed to be dead."

Chapter Text

Sectonia would never forget that night in her palace gardens. After all, that memory was her greatest treasure.

The day of her coronation was approaching, and Taranza, her personal assistant and best friend since childhood, had come to her call to assist her in writing the speech. Her true intentions, however, were quite different.

She had known for a while about Taranza's real feelings for her, and the still-young princess of Floralia had gradually realised that she felt the same way. However, their hearts still held a lot of doubt.

On the one hand, Taranza was kind of timid, and the difference in status between the two wasn't something that could be easily ignored. Sectonia was certain he loved her, but she also knew he was aware of the complications and troubles that would arise if they became an official couple, especially for her. He surely feared the reaction of Floralia's high nobility and Sectonia's family if she decided to date someone of low status and how they would retaliate if they opposed their relationship. That was the reason she believed Taranza would never take the initiative to confess his feelings.

On the other hand, Sectonia had found herself afraid of something for the first time in her proud life. What if she was mistaken? What if she had misread Taranza's feelings and he rejected her? She didn't want to ruin a lifelong friendship or lose him. She also feared the humiliation that would result from such a rejection of her feelings.

Despite that, she had finally decided to put her fears and doubts aside and be the one to confess because she couldn't stand their stagnant relationship. Perhaps, in another dimension, Sectonia would have stood in her pride and decided not to be the one to take the first step, waiting for Taranza to muster the courage to defy social norms. Or perhaps her fear of not being reciprocated would have won, so she remained silent to avoid the possible shame. In any case, she'd already made up her mind, and it was pointless to consider other possibilities: she was going to confess that night, and nothing would stop her.

Once they finished reviewing the speech, Sectonia took Taranza to the castle's garden. They walked until they arrived at the spot where Sectonia's favourite flowers bloomed, and there she opened her heart to him. To her relief, he had done the same, but not before breaking down in tears of joy. Finally, they both melted into a kiss so passionate that they ended up lying on the grass, surrounded by the flowers.

Just as the kiss came to an end, a look of alarm crossed Taranza's face.

"But Sectonia, can we really do this? A queen and her personal assistant dating each other will be quite a scandal!"

"Well, let them talk and criticise. What good is a queen's title if she cannot choose her own happiness?" she chuckled, having expected that reaction to come much earlier.

“Didn't your parents expect you to marry someone of high status, such as the heir of one of Floralia's noble houses or a monarch from the lands below?"

"Oh, please. As if there was someone worthy of me among our snobbish nobility or in the lands below. You are the one I choose, Taranza," she assured him as she turned to him and grabbed his face with two of her hands. "It's you and only you who I want by my side when I become queen. I don't care if I have to fight my parents, Floralia's entire high society, the rulers of the lower lands, or even eNeMeE himself to be with you. I love you."

"And I love you too, my queen," he said with a warm smile. "If that's your wish, I promise I'll always be by your side."

They kissed again and forgot about the rest of the world. That night, the only thing that mattered to the two lovers was themselves and their union. They thought they'd have enough time to face the future, and so they decided to put aside their fears and doubts. They were blissfully unaware of those moments being their first and last as a couple. They were blissfully unaware that Floralia would burn the following day.

Sectonia shook her head. She didn't need to remember what happened next. She didn't want to tarnish that beautiful memory. It was the only thing that had kept going all those years after everything she had lost, alongside the fact that Taranza's legacy would live on as long as she did.

Therefore, seeing him lying on the ground had almost completely shaken her reality. The initial shock was short-lived, as she remembered she was in another dimension and that the person standing before her was not actually Taranza. Well, in a way, he still was. He had the same name, the same body, and the same soul. But, at the same time, and as contradictory as it sounded, that Taranza was a different person. The fact that he was alive was proof enough.

From what the other had just said, Sectonia guessed something bad had also transpired in that dimension's Floralia, but the life that fate had claimed had been hers rather than his. Yet she decided that she would not ask what had happened. Although years had passed since tragedy struck her land, she had no idea how recent the events that version of Taranza had gone through were. Besides, what was the point of knowing the past of someone who, in the end, had nothing to do with her? It would only raise more doubts and questions in her mind, something she didn't have time for.

Instead of inquiring about the affairs of that dimension, Sectonia offered the alternate Taranza an apology and explanation for attacking him, but not before releasing Kirby.

"So neither you nor this baby Kirby are the ones I know. You both come from an alternate universe," Taranza concluded, still perplexed by Sectonia's revelation.

"That's correct, and I need to get him to his guardian as soon as possible," Sectonia confirmed.

Taranza had initially been in shock as well, but he had gradually recovered. Sectonia was taken aback by how easily he believed her. Either that version of Taranza was very gullible, or the existence of alternate dimensions was not completely unknown in that world.

"Do you have any clue to this person's whereabouts, your highness?" Taranza asked.

The two spiders' discomfort and awkwardness were palpable. Even baby Kirby would have noticed if he wasn't still fast asleep.

"That's the problem. I have no idea where to look for her or the others who may have come with us to this land..." Sectonia admitted with a sigh.

Taranza looked at her, intrigued, and she couldn't help but bite her tongue. She had unintentionally revealed more information than she had intended in that sentence.

"Well, do you at least have any idea how you ended up in our dimension?" Taranza wanted to know.

Sectonia paused to consider her response. She didn't know who Taranza would be allied with in that dimension or how desperate he was behind that façade of kindness. If the information she possessed fell into the wrong hands, the entire mission could be compromised. Besides, she didn't remember how she had arrived there. Yes, she knew the theory behind the way they had travelled, and it was clear that something had gone wrong, or she and Kirby wouldn't be there.

In case things got too complicated, she had agreed with Meta Knight to retreat to that dimension with Kirby and his guardian and look for reinforcements. Of course, they hadn't expected the mission to be joined by that despicable king and his henchman, as well as the guardian's own brother. But what worried her the most was that the memories of the mission itself had vanished. Not knowing what had really happened terrified her.

Still, she couldn't let that alternate Taranza see her fear, so she swallowed it and buried it deep within her heart before finally responding:

"I'm afraid that's classified information."

Taranza's face was filled with sadness. He seemed disappointed because of her mistrust. "Is he even aware I could be tricking him?" she wondered, a little frustrated.

"I see, but I'd still like to help, your majesty," he offered, a bit nervous.

"I don't think it would be a good idea..." she denied.

"I insist, your highness. Unless you want to get lost, you will need a guide for this Dream Land."

"Oh, please. Stop giving me the royal treatment!" Sectonia finally snapped, refusing to accept another second of that Taranza's disturbing respect. She wasn't even a queen, after all. Her coronation had never occurred, and she couldn't be queen of a destroyed kingdom anyway. "You know nothing about me, so don't treat me the same way you treated your Sectonia!"

Taranza's face flushed with anguish as he was taken aback by the sudden outburst. Sectonia's heart broke a little at his pitiful expression. She had been too harsh; he had no way of knowing what she had gone through.

"Please forgive me," Sectonia apologised. "This isn't easy. You resemble him so much, but you're not him, and... agh. Why did I have to run into someone I knew in my world?" she grieved, covering her face with two of her hands in frustration and shame.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, a gesture that reassured her.

"I understand," Taranza said candidly. "I'm not sure what happened in your world, but I know how you feel. And I don't want to help you because I think you're her, but because I can't abandon someone in an unknown world to their fate. Especially if that person is travelling with a baby to be reckoned with."

Sectonia turned to look at Taranza. He was sincere in his desire to assist her. Besides, he was right: exploring a world she didn't know while also keeping an eye on a baby Star Warrior who, according to her understanding, had excessive energy and an almost insatiable appetite was insane.

And speaking of the baby, it was at that moment that the young Star Warrior let out a deep yawn and opened his blue eyes.

"Toni!" Kirby exclaimed between happy "poyo" sounds when he saw Sectonia.

"Yes, that's me," the spider giggled, amused by the nickname. In another time, she would not have tolerated someone other than her Taranza calling her by anything other than her name, but it sounded so adorable coming from the little Star Warrior that she had even forgotten her concerns for a moment. "He recognises me. This will make things easier."

Sectonia turned to face Taranza, who was staring at her with anticipation.

"I'll accept your help," she finally relented, hoping she wouldn't regret that decision. "But you can't reveal my identity or the fact that this Kirby is from another universe to anyone," she warned. "If someone asks, we'll stand by your version of you hitting him with a rejuvenation spell. We'll keep this up until we find his guardian."

"Poyo! Poyo! Tiff!"

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed," Taranza promised. "Where do we begin?"

That was an excellent question. Sectonia had two objectives in mind. The first one was to reunite Kirby with his guardian. The second was to locate the four heroes of that dimension and explain what had occurred. The hardest part was deciding which one to pick first. On the one hand, the sooner Kirby got access to his Wrap Star, the better, but on the other hand, the heroes of that Dream Land should be easier to find and could aid in the search for the other people that had come from her dimension. "Finding all four heroes, or at least one, would definitely be the best option," Sectonia finally decided after pondering for a bit. She only hoped that Meta Knight wasn't wrong about the heroes, because otherwise...

Everyone was doomed.

- - -

While Kirby was explaining to the other Dedede, Gooey, and Bandana Dee what had happened on the Halberd, Tiff was sitting in the corner of the throne room, secretly gazing at her Kirby's Wrap Star. Because of its importance, she had decided to keep it hidden until she was completely confident that she could fully trust that dimension's Kirby and his friends.

But what bothered her was that she couldn't remember when she had retrieved it. After eNeMeE's fall, the interior of Kabu remained the location where the Wrap Star usually rested. Although Dedede now knew where the valuable artefact was hiding, he had no way of getting to it, which made it the safest place. So when she found the Warp Star hidden in her pocket, she was astonished. The fact that she was carrying it could only mean one thing: at some point, she had already known she was going somewhere where Kabu couldn't send it to her.

Tiff couldn't get her mind off what Dedede (the one from her dimension) had said before. It was becoming more and more obvious that something had caused her to lose part of her memory, just as the alternate Meta Knight had theorised. But what had been the cause? And more importantly, what else had she forgotten?

The sound of breaking glass filled the room, cutting short her thoughts. Meta Knight had stormed into the room through one of the castle's windows, smashing it to pieces.

"Are you serious, Meta? You and your dramatic entrances... Couldn't you have used one that was open for once?" the alternate Dedede reprimanded his knight while placing a hand on his temple. "Well, have you at least stopped my other self and his Escargoon?" the king inquired.

"Unfortunately, they discovered the machine's drills and decided to go underground, so I lost track of them," the knight lamented. "Please accept my apologies."

"It also had drills? What was that thing?" Tiff inquired.

"After the Haltmann Works Company invaded us, the Meta-Knights began to work on improving our arsenal so that if another invader arrives, they will not be able to easily surpass us in technology and weaponry," Meta Knight exposed.

"You speak as if invasions in this dimension are frequent," Tiff commented.

"I wouldn't call them frequent, but they happen more often than they should," Kirby admitted, a little dejectedly.

"The robot those two have stolen is known as the Heavy Lobster MK 2," Meta Knight explained further. "It's a pilotable version of our Heavy Lobster with a few upgrades like drills, boosters for short-term flight, a missile launcher, two flamethrowers, and windscreen wipers in the vision systems to prevent someone from blocking them with paint."

The knight said that last part while looking accusingly at Kirby. The younger puffball averted his gaze, pretending not to notice.

"Heavy Lobster? That name sounds familiar...," Tiff wondered as she tried to remember. "Oh right: it's the robot with which eNeMeE attacked us in the Halberd when we were heading towards his base! Why does Meta Knight own it in this dimension!?"

"When this is over, I'm going to have to have two talks with my boys. The first one will be to congratulate them for the good job they have done with that machine: it's impressive to see it in action. The second is to give them the scold of the century for failing to keep it under proper surveillance," the knight said, putting Tiff out of her musings.

"So, after you lost those two, what happened?" Bandana Waddle inquired.

"The other Dedede said that he wanted to take over this Dream Land, so I figured they'd start with the closest castle that appeared on their radar, which happened to be this one."

"How are you so sure he is going to do that?" Tiff wanted to know.

"Because I've known Dedede for years, and I know exactly how he thinks," he revealed.

"My dimension's Dedede does not think."

"Exactly," the knight agreed. "Dedede is a very impulsive person who follows his instincts rather than reasoning and logic. When we add your Dedede's immaturity and laziness to the equation, it is not difficult to predict his destination."

That dimension's Dedede let out an annoyed grunt.

"Come on, Dedede. You know very well that I'm not speaking ill of you or your instincts. You've saved us from more than one mishap thanks to it," the knight assured the penguin as he gently patted him on the back.

"Mmm, I'll let it slide this time," Dedede conceded, still a bit grumpy.

"Well, if Meta Knight's prediction comes true, we're going to have to repair the castle again," Bandana Dee lamented. "Can you two tell the others to be ready for the evacuation protocol?" he asked the two Waddle Dees who were guarding the throne room's door. The guards nodded before leaving.

"Heh, it's almost like you guys have a sign that says: 'Destroy this castle, please,'" Gooey joked.

"That reminds me that a few days ago someone put a banner with that exact message on our front wall," Dedede said. "Luckily, we found it before there was any damage. We figured out that the culprit was Marx shortly after. Probably he did it as a 'punishment' for banning him from Waddle Dee Town."

"Classic Marx," Kirby commented, unamused.

Tiff didn't know who Marx was or if he even existed in her dimension, but from the way they talked about him, he was one of those people she didn't want to meet.

"Anyway, we'd better get ready for combat, because considering the speed they were moving, I don't think it will take long for them to..."

Before Meta Knight could finish that sentence, the ground below them began to shake. They all moved away from the centre of the room, from where the Heavy Lobster MK2 emerged. The robot's hatch opened, and the Dedede from Tiff's dimension, as well as his Escargoon, peeked out.

"So this is this Dream Land's main castle?" the newly arrived Dedede commented after looking around. "Meh, mine is much better. This one is too bright for my liking."

"That's because you aren't very bright yourself," Escargoon remarked. Dedede hit him on the head with his fist upon hearing that.

"I don't know what you meant by that, but my gut tells me it was an insult," the monarch growled. " Now, let's get to the important stuff... Where is the owner of this castle!?" Dedede called. "It's time for him to surrender to the most superior king among all the kings of all dimensions."

"And who is that supposed to be?"

"Well, obviously, me," Dedede replied. But then he realised something weird about that voice. He looked around confused and asked: "Wait, who said that?"

The king of that Dream Land stepped forward and raised his hammer towards the robot. The Dedede from Tiff's dimension couldn't believe what his eyes saw. How did that guy dare to copy his appearance? And, on top of that, he was accompanied by the talking Kirby, the scary Meta Knight, the ever-annoying Tiff, a goofy-looking blue blob, and... a Waddle Dee wearing a bandana?

"Oh, no. There are TWO of them! Is this a nightmare?!" Escargoon exclaimed upon seeing the other Dedede in front of them.

"What are you saying?! There's only one Dedede and it's me!" the Dedede next to the snail yelled. Then he turned to the other Dedede and asked: "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Boy, you are dense... Can't you see it? I am you!"

"No, I'M me."

That dimension's Dedede couldn't help but facepalm in exasperation.

"I meant to say that I am the 'you' who lives in this dimension! And if you think I'm going to let you roam around Dream Land, ruining my hard-earned good reputation and taking over my kingdom, you're in for a rude awakening!"

The Dedede from Tiff's dimension smirked.

"So you think you can clobber me? Come on and try it! I'll show you who is the best Dedede!" he overconfidently challenged his other self, thinking that it was going to be an easy battle. After all, he had a robot and his opponent only had a hammer.

However, to his surprise, despite the massive difference in their weaponry, the other Dedede didn't waver.

"Leave this to me, guys," the other Dedede said to his companions. "I'm going to teach myself one of those lessons that can only be learnt by getting them knocked straight into the head!"

Chapter Text

In her whole life, Tiff had never imagined herself cheering for Dedede. Well, she wasn't going to cheer for her dimension's Dedede, but for his "other self." Did that even count? It was such a weird situation.

At first, she was quite sceptical when the alternative Dedede had accepted her world's Dedede's challenge. How was he going to face that machine alone? Was he so confident in his own strength that he was sure he could win, or was he just trying to make himself look cool? Tiff looked around to see if her companions shared her concerns, but they seemed to firmly believe that their Dedede would win. Kirby, in particular, was eager to see his friend and rival fighting. 

The ones who didn't look so confident were her dimension's Dedede and Escargoon. They were taken aback by the determined look on the other Dedede's face.

"Hey Escargoon, why hasn't this second-rate Dedede backed down from the challenge yet?" the Dedede she knew asked his lackey with a trembling voice. "There's no way he's going to beat us if we use this thing, right?"

"I don't know if he has a lot of guts or if he's got as many screws loose as you," the snail replied in a mocking tone.

"What do you mean by that?!" Dedede yelled at him.

"Nothing, nothing, sir," Escargoon replied, barely dodging a blow from his king.

"Can we start the battle, or do I have to wait for you two to get a divorce first?" the alternative Dedede interrupted impatiently.

"Stay out of this," replied the other Dedede. "Besides, what's the rush? Do you really want to lose so badly?" he scoffed.

"Heh, do you really think I'm going to fall for such a mediocre taunt? I'll take you seriously when you dare to fight me in hand-to-hand combat instead of inside a robot!" the alternative Dedede countered.

The Dedede from Tiff's dimension grumbled in frustration before retorting:

"A phoney imposter like you is not worthy of my time, talent and strength."

Escargoon was about to make a sassy remark, but in the last moment he decided not to. Either he didn't want to be on the receiving end of his king's wrath again, or he didn't want to prolong that absurd situation any longer. Instead, the snail suggested:

"Sir, I don't think we should waste more of our valuable time on this lesser Dedede."

"For once, you're right," he agreed. "I'll control the robot!" he added as he went back inside the machine through the hatch.

"But you haven't even read the instruction manual!" Escargoon objected. He clearly wanted to be the one to pilot the robot. After all, he was the one who had taken the effort of stealing it and learning its controls.

"Who needs instructions? Just come here!" the monarch said as he dragged the snail down the hatch, which then closed due to the strong jolt.

The sound of the robot's powerful motors starting up reverberated throughout the throne room, but the owner of the castle was unfazed.

"Take cover. Things are going to get ugly," the alternative Dedede warned Tiff and the others.

"Don't destroy them too hard, poyo!" Kirby giggled. In a quick movement, he, Tiff, Gooey, and Bandana Dee took cover behind the throne, leaning out to the sides of it, while Meta Knight perched on top.

The machine completed the startup process and went live, its claws, flamethrowers, and rocket launchers aiming at the alternative Dedede. Tiff didn't understand... How could everyone stay calm in front of that robot? She remembered how difficult it was to destroy the original Heavy Lobster in her dimension, and that thing was supposed to be an improved version! 

"Do you guys really think he can win?" Tiff asked her companions.

"Our Great King can handle this and more," Bandana Dee assured her. "The only person who can defeat him in a fair fight is Kirby!"

Tiff didn't have time to argue the Waddle Dee's claim as the battle finally began. Her Dedede tried to smash his other self with one of the Heavy Lobster MK2's massive claws, but the latter, after quickly dropping his hammer, easily stopped it with both of his arms.

"Wow, he is very strong!" Tiff commented, impressed. She could imagine how surprised Escargoon and her Dedede were inside the robot.

"That's nothing. I've seen him use big marble columns as weapons!" Kirby claimed.

"Really?!" she exclaimed, stupefied.

A noise brought Tiff's attention back to the fight. Upon seeing that he had failed in his attempt to crush his other self, her world's Dedede repositioned the robot and activated the flamethrowers. Nimbly, the alternative Dedede retrieved his hammer and leaped out of the flamethrower's radius. However, the fire reached some of the throne room's curtains and tapestries, something that infuriated their owner.

"Kirby! Do something to prevent the fire from spreading!" he ordered his rival.

"I never get to just enjoy the show," the puffball complained before proceeding to absorb the flames. For his part, the now-angry alternative Dedede jumped with his hammer in hand, the weapon engulfed in flames.

"Wait a second. I didn't see the hammer catch fire, and it doesn't seem to be burning down. Does he have elemental powers or something?" Tiff realised. "What is exactly going on with this Dedede?!"

With a powerful blow of the fire-infused weapon, the penguin shattered one of the machine's claws and its corresponding flamethrower. Tiff couldn't see her world's Dedede and Escargoon's reactions inside the robot, but it wasn't hard to picture the king blaming his vassal for the claw's loss and the latter retorting that it happened because he had refused to read the manual.

Tiff guessed that Escargoon had taken over the robot because, after that, Heavy Lobster MK II's strategy changed to a defensive stance. Dedede, probably, had said something like "Do it yourself if you're so smart!" before rudely handing the snail the controls. Escargoon was more talented with the machine, as he used the remaining claw to deflect the alternative Dedede's advances with skill. Tiff deduced from the way the alternative Dedede was jumping that his ultimate goal was to smash the machine's visors. But his attempts were frustrated: with a cunning manoeuvre, Escargoon managed to land a powerful hit and throw him to the ground.

"Oh, no! This is bad!" Tiff exclaimed in alarm.

"Don't worry. It takes more than that to bring down our Dedede," Meta Knight calmed her down. Gooey and Banda Waddle Dee nodded in confirmation, putting Tiff at ease.

The Heavy Lobster MK 2 leaped like a frog to crush its opponent, but the alternative Dedede rolled on the ground to avoid the attack and regained his feet. The impact of the robot caused the floor to cave in, trapping and burying half of the machine. Dedede saw that as an opportunity to launch a powerful counterattack. With a mighty battle cry, the king firmly grasped his hammer and ran towards the machine.

"You can do it, Great King!!" Bandana Waddle Dee cheered his king.

"You got this, Dedede!" Gooey also cheered.

"Dedede, Dedede, Dedede!" Tiff couldn't resist joining them.

The alternative Dedede smashed the remaining claw and then the visors. Next, he climbed to the top of the machine and began pounding on the hatch area to force it open. The robot began to shake aggressively in an attempt to shake him off, but it was to no avail.

Tiff could easily imagine the situation inside the robot as the alternative Dedede got closer and closer to breaking the hatch's lid:

"Get rid of him, you useless snail!" a frightened but furious Dedede ordered his vassal.

"That's what I'm trying to do, Your Majesty! But this guy has stuck to us like a barnacle!" Escargoon replied nervously, shaking the machine's controls from one side to the other.

"Move! I'll do it by myself!" Dedede growled impatiently as he pushed the snail away.

Tiff knew her Dedede had retaken control of the machine because only an idiot would activate and shoot the rocket launchers when they aimed at the ceiling, which soon began to collapse due to the missiles' impact. Tiff braced herself for the worst when it began to fall on their heads, but Meta Knight stopped it with some kind of gravity-controlling power. Tiff couldn't help but look at him, fascinated. Was it magic or telekinesis? How and where had he learnt to use that power? She doubted that her Meta Knight was able to do that.

"I won't be able to hold it for long. Get out of here!" the knight commanded, taking Tiff out of her thoughts.

Gooey wrapped his tongue around Tiff and jumped out of one of the now-shattered windows. They were soon followed by Bandana Dee, who used his spear like a helicopter's propeller, and Kirby. Once outside, Tiff watched as a crowd of Waddle Dees rushed out of the collapsing castle. The last one to leave was Meta Knight, who landed next to them.

"Meta Knight! Where is the Great King?!" Bandana Dee asked, alarmed, as he had noticed that the king had not left with the knight. His concern was shared by everyone present.

"He is..." Meta Knight began to say, but he was interrupted when a rather battered Heavy Lobster MK 2 emerged from the rubble. Kirby assumed a fighting stance, getting ready for a possible second round against the robot and its pilots, but something was hurled out of a hole on top of the machine at high speed.

With a loud cry of pain and an even louder thud, one of the Dededes crashed in front of the group. Escargoon soon followed, suffering the same fate. Finally, the person responsible for sending the other two flying emerged from the machine's hole.

Holding the hatch's lid in one hand and a hammer in the other, the second Dedede ran towards them and asked:

"Is everyone okay?"

That question was enough to identify him.

"We're in one piece around here," Gooey replied.

"And what about the Waddle Dees?" that Dream Land's king insisted.

"We all managed to evacuate on time, Your Majesty," the closest one reported. The rest of the Waddle Dees let out adorable, loud "wanyas" in confirmation.

"So we have only suffered material damage. Thank goodness," the alternative Dedede sighed, relieved.

"Only material damage? I think that final hammer blow broke something inside me, you brute," Tiff's dimension Dedede complained in pain, lying on the floor.

Upon hearing the voice of his counterpart, an expression of pure anger spread over the face of the victorious Dedede.

"YOU!" he yelled with fury as he lifted his other self. "WHAT WERE YOU EVEN THINKING?!" he asked, shaking the other.

"It's all his fault. He was the one who stole that machine!" the other accused Escargoon with a pointing finger.

"But you were the one who activated the rocket launcher despite me telling you not to!" he defended himself.

"I don't care about excuses! Are you aware that you could have KILLED someone?!" that dimension's Dedede yelled at both of them as he released his counterpart, who hid cowardly behind Escargoon.

"Is this guy really an alternative version of you? I find it hard to believe," Escargoon commented as he shifted his gaze from one to the other.

The alternative Dedede, for his part, ignored the snail's comment and continued scolding them both equally. Tiff couldn't help but enjoy the scene: someone had finally dared to put those two in their place! Although it was strange to see that the person performing such a feat was another Dedede.

"It is a shame Tuff is missing out on this," Tiff thought. She was sure her brother would have also enjoyed that scene. Had he ended up in that dimension as well? And, in that case, would he be okay? Kirby had told her that his Dream Land was usually a peaceful place, but even so, Tiff couldn't help feeling worried about her brother and her Kirby. "I wish I could remember what happened."

"What a big mess those two have caused..." Kirby commented after sighing dejectedly. The pink puffball watched, a bit sad, how what was left of the castle slowly collapsed.

"Yeah. They've gone way too far," Tiff said. Then, she turned to Meta Knight and told him, "I don't think you can say there's no reason to lock them up anymore."

The knight nodded in silent agreement.

"Time to reset the sign that counts the days without incidents to zero," Gooey joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"What in Halcandra happened here?!" a voice Tiff didn't recognise exclaimed behind the group. "I swear neither Marx nor I had anything to do with this mess!"

Everyone turned to look at the newcomer: a yellow-eyed, egg-shaped being dressed in a blue hooded robe decorated with stars. Tiff couldn't tell if the two triangular shapes protruding from his head were cat ears or horns.

"Magolor!" the inhabitants of that Dream Land exclaimed. Kirby approached the newcomer and enthusiastically greeted him. The alternative Dedede paused his scolding to welcome him, but not before ordering a few Waddle Dees armed with spears to surround the other Dedede and Escargoon so they wouldn't flee.

"So this is the magician who, according to Kirby and Meta Knight, can help me." Tiff pondered as she examined Magolor. She was a bit disappointed. She had imagined someone more sophisticated and wise-looking, like the wizards in her books, but that strange Dream Land had shattered all of her expectations yet again.

"What are you doing here?" Meta Knight asked Magolor. "I mean, we were going to call you anyway, but I didn't expect you to show up on your own."

"Well, my friend, I'm always a step ahead!" Magolor giggled proudly. "And I have some worrisome info to share with you all," he added in a more serious tone, his words surprising everyone around. "Wait, who is this girl?" he asked when he noticed Tiff.

"Her name is Tiff, and she comes from an alternative Dream Land!" Kirby introduced her once more.

"Nice to meet you, Tiff," Magolor greeted the girl, who gently returned the gesture. "So people from another universe have arrived. That explains several things," the magician said as he turned to look with curiousity at the Dedede from Tiff's universe, who was yelling at the Waddle Dees in an attempt to scare them away. It was futile, the small creatures continuing to point their spears at him. "This is worse than I thought!" Magolor exclaimed.

"Do you know what's going on?" Bandana Dee asked him.

"Of course I do. Let me show you."

Magolor then used magic to summon a device similar to a laptop. Those present approached the screen, intrigued by what the magician was going to show them. Even the Dedede from Tiff's dimension had quieted down, probably because he wanted to listen to their conversation. He was trying to get closer to them, but the Waddle Dees kept blocking his way, irritating him more and more.

Tiff looked away from the scene and put her attention back on the laptop. As much as it amused her to see Dedede being harassed by a group of Waddle Dees of all creatures, she needed to focus on what was important. On the screen, she could see a map of that Dream Land with various locations marked, along with annotations written in a language unknown to her.

"This morning, the Lor systems detected abnormal energy sources," Magolor began to explain. "After analysing the data, I discovered that the energy came from small dimensional gaps. Because they were only open for a few seconds, I assumed that nothing could have entered or left them. Clearly, I was mistaken," he admitted, looking askance at Tiff. "I know it's very rare for a magician as great as me to be wrong, but even the best make mistakes."

"Get to the point," the alternative Dedede interjected.

"Okay, okay. As the analysis of the Lor continued, I realised that there was something very wrong with the energy readings. It turned out that the dimensional gaps were imprinted with some sort of dark energy."

"Could it be Dark Matter?" Kirby asked, concerned. Tiff noticed the alternative Dedede flinch at those words, and at the same time, a sombre expression appeared on Gooey's normally goofy face. That dark matter thing had to be something very dangerous to cause such a reaction in the group.

"The data is not enough to either confirm or deny the involvement of Dark Matter or similar beings," Magolor answered. "Besides, they are far from being the only ones in the universe who can use dark energy to their advantage."

"That would explain Tiff's memory gaps," Meta Knight said. Tiff looked at him, intrigued. "Prolonged exposure to high concentrations of dark energy can cause alterations in the body and mind, from muscle weakness to memory loss and even personality changes," the knight elaborated. "That would also explain why you were in a feverish state when Kirby and Gooey found you."

"Should I be worried?" the girl asked, alarmed.

"Nah, don't think about it too much," Magolor soothed her. "If you were only exposed to it rather than directly possessed, any residual dark energy or magic in your body should completely disappear in no time, though the exact amount of time depends on how long you were actually exposed to it. Anyway, in your case and given your age and health, I'm confident that a good rest, a large meal, and being surrounded by good company will suffice. Also, it's very likely that your memory will return as the dark energy in your body recedes."

"Since when are you a doctor?" Gooey asked the magician, confused by how certain Magolor was of his diagnosis.

"I'm not. I just know a lot about this stuff from experience," the magician said, shrugging off the question.

"I doubt that I will be able to properly rest in this situation," Tiff pointed out.

"Well, at least Kirby will make sure you're covered in terms of good company and food," Magolor giggled. Kirby proudly puffed out his cheeks. Magolor then approached Escargoon and Dedede and asked them, "How about you two? Have you also experienced any negative effects?"

"Both mine and the king's memories are cut short at the same point," Escargoon answered. "As for my own arrival, I felt sick when I woke up, but then a strange girl approached me. She painted a tomato and it became real. Because of how surreal the scene was, I assumed it was a dream, so I accepted it," the snail narrated.

"Wait, a painted tomato became real?" Tiff interrupted him, puzzled by something so absurd. Escargoon nodded.

"Oh, that's definitely Adeleine's doing," Gooey realized. "She's a friend of ours and has the ability to make anything she draws come to life! Her 'drawed' food is tasty."

"It was, indeed, and it somehow also healed me. As for the girl, she was odd-looking but nice and polite. You could learn from her, meddling girl," Escargoon teased Tiff.

"I'm nice and polite too, but not when you and Dedede are being meanies. But Adeleine's power sounds amazing! I would like to learn to use it; is it possible?" Tiff asked joyfully. That magic sounded both practical and unique. Furthermore, having the ability to create food at will was ideal when your protégé was someone who ate far too much.

"Unfortunately, such magic is extremely rare, and it seems to be innate to the people who have it rather than something that can be learnt," Meta Knight explained, his words dissapointing Tiff. Kirby was about to say something, but the knight interrupted him. "No, Kirby. Your 'Artist' copy ability doesn't count."

"I felt sick too, but I got better after eating a few apples that were scattered in the woods," Dedede said, despite the fact that no one had asked. He sounded irritated because no one was paying attention to him. "I ended up in that market after wandering around for a while."

"Don't skip the part where you insulted Whispy!" his counterpart, who knew about that because Kirby had told him, scolded him. "Now I will have to calm down and apologise to that old grumpy tree despite me not doing anything wrong! I've worked so hard to earn a good reputation, and it only took you a half-day to almost ruin it."

"Ahem. Let's go back to the main topic, please," Magolor requested. The alternative Dedede grunted an apology. "As you can see from the marks on the map, there have been six dimensional gaps in total. Four of them opened at practically the same time, followed by a fifth a few minutes later. The sixth was the last one to open," the magician stated while pointing in order to the marks on the map.

"All right, based on the portals' location and the information we have, we can deduce that the Dedede from the other dimension came from the one in Whispy's Forest, and Escargoon emerged from the one near the market," Meta Knight recalled. "This one here is near one of Daroach's lairs. I'll contact him and ask if he's seen anything."

"The fourth opened in a forest not far from Taranza's house, and the fifth opened next to it," the Dedede from that dimension informed. "He's staying in Dream Land for a few days, so he definitely should have noticed something."

"And the sixth is on the road where we found Tiff," Kirby identified. Gooey nodded in confirmation.

"So I arrived last," the girl realised. "What could this possibly mean?"

"Take that, you meddling girl! I was the first and you were the last, so I win! Once again, it is proven that I am the best!" the Dedede she knew celebrated. Tiff grumbled in frustration. She liked the king better when he kept his mouth shut.

"Sir, I don't think there are winners or losers in this situation," Escargoon told him, embarrassed by his king's childish attitude.

"Who cares. The important thing is that I was the first!"

"Sometimes I envy such a simple mentality..." Escargoon let out a sigh.

"Of course you do. Everything about me is enviable," Dedede burst out laughing.

"Does he really think that was a compliment?" Magolor whispered to Tiff, confused.

"He's not the sharpest tool in the shed," she replied.

"Well, ours is not the smartest person on the planet, but only because we have actual geniuses around here, me included," Magolor gloated.

"What are you two talking about?" the alternative Dedede interrupted. "You're not stuffing your lies into Tiff's head, are you?" he accused Magolor.

"No, no. I was simply asking her if she had any idea who else might have come out of the openings," the magician quickly improvised, surprising Tiff with how fast he had pulled that lie out of his sleeve. Magolor gave her a pleading look, asking her to help him out of his predicament.

Tiff didn't like to lie, but she couldn't ignore what Magolor had just brought up. If more people from her dimension had indeed arrived, she couldn't abandon them. But who else had found themselves there?

Tiff remembered what Dedede had said back at the Halberd. Her world's Meta Knight and Kirby, her brother, herself, and someone the king didn't know had burst into the throne room. If three people from that group had ended up there, it wasn't unreasonable to assume the rest would as well. There was only one problem: there had been six openings, but Dedede had counted seven people. That meant that one of them had not crossed over into that dimension. Tiff hoped that said person was Tuff because it meant he was safe at home. She doubted that Kirby or Meta Knight had stayed behind, so the only other possible option was that mysterious person. Were they someone she didn't know either, or were they someone she had forgotten?

"Come on, try to remember. Who is that seventh person? I have a feeling that Meta Knight introduced us to someone recently, but I can't even remember their face."

Tiff suddenly felt extremely dizzy, to the point where she would have fallen to the ground if someone hadn't quickly grabbed her.

"Tiff, are you okay?" Bandana Dee asked her as he held her carefully.

"Yes. No. I'm not sure," she replied, a little stunned. Everyone, including her dimension's Dedede, looked at her with concern. "I was trying to recall something, but I couldn't."

"Don't try to force yourself to remember. As I already said, your memories will return sooner rather than later," Magolor repeated. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to show you. I'm going back to the Lor to investigate further into the subject and to check that Marx hasn't eaten all the food in the pantry in my absence. If I discover anything new, I'll give Meta Knight a call."

"Thank you for everything, Magolor," Kirby thanked him.

After a brief goodbye, Magolor left, leaving the group with a few answers but also new questions.

"So, now what?" the Dedede from Tiff's dimension asked, breaking the silence.

"You and your right-hand man are going to assist my Waddle Dees in rebuilding the castle!" his counterpart replied. "Although first we will have to set up a camp so we don't sleep outdoors..."

"Yay, poyo! Camping with the Waddle Dees!" Kirby cheerfully exclaimed.

Tiff watched Escargoon nod, seemingly accepting the punishment in silence. He probably thought it was better than ending up in a cold cell. After all, his mother would be very disappointed and sad if that happened.

Dedede, on the other hand, was not pleased with what his counterpart had said.

"What? Do you want me to work? Do I look like a peasant to you?" he protested. "Someone of my status and greatness is above these physical labours!"

The alternative Dedede chuckled before saying:

"Hadn't we agreed that the winner of the duel would be the superior Dedede? Well, since the victory was mine, that means you must obey me!" he declared in a tone of superiority. "Or wouldn't you have forced me to follow your every whim if I had been the loser?

"That's true, but..."

"No buts!" the alternate Dedede interrupted him, putting his hands on the other's shoulders. "I'm going to make sure you leave this dimension a better king for your own sake! And your first lesson will be that your actions have consequences!"

"I don't need to learn anything to be better! I'm already a great king!" Dedede claimed, irritated.

"Yeah, sure," Tiff was tempted to say sarcastically, but the words didn't come out of her mouth.

"We both know how big that lie is. And believe me when I say that the path you are on will not end well," the other Dedede replied, in a stern tone Tiff would never have expected to hear from him. She, Dedede and Escargoon stared at the king of that dimension, startled.

And just as it had come, the severity on that dimension's Dedede's face disappeared. He then moved away from them to talk to the other inhabitants of that strange Dream Land. Her dimension's Dedede, for his part, continued to think about what the other had said, muttering under his breath "nonsense" and similar things. Although he tried to hide it, it seemed that those unsettling words had made him nervous.

"This world's Dedede is weird, don't you think? I wonder what he meant by that. His words sent shivers down my nonexistent spine," Escargoon said to Tiff, who nodded. That was one of the rare occasions when she agreed with the snail.

"You two!" the other Dedede called to his counterpart and Escargoon. "Stop being lazy and start working! My precious Waddle Dees have already brought the materials to set up camp, and I want it finished before night falls!"

Tiff looked up at the sky when she heard that. It was indeed getting late. Her arrival in that Dream Land, the encounter with the grumpy Whispy, meeting the inhabitants of that Dream Land, the visit to the Halberd, the battle in the castle... It was unimaginable that everything had happened on the same day, though her body's fatigue was proof enough of it.

Tiff waved goodbye to Dedede and Escargoon just for the sake of being polite, and went to ask Kirby where she could spend the night.

"Uh? There's no way I'm letting my new friend spend her first night in Dream Land alone! You will stay with us in the camp!" Kirby exclaimed, excited. "We'll tell scary stories, we'll eat marshmallows and we'll play fun games, poyo!"

"Kirby, we haven't organised this camp for fun. We did it because me and the Waddle Dees are homeless," Dedede reminded the young puffball while he raised a hand to his temple.

"Oooh, so there will be no games, no marshmallows and no scary stories?" Kirby asked with sad eyes.

The alternate Dedede held his rival's gaze for a few seconds, but in the end, he had no choice but to relent.

"Ugh, fine. We'll do it your way. I can't say no to that pitiful face," he conceded with a grunt. Next, the king turned to his knight. "What are your plans, Meta? Are you going back to the Halberd or are you staying with us?"

"I'm going back to the Halberd to update my boys, but I'll be back," he replied. "I want to keep an eye on... those two in case they try to escape."

Meta Knight had been about to say something else, but after looking at Tiff he changed the ending of his sentence. What were his true intentions? Did he still have doubts about her?

"All right, Meta," Dedede said. Then he went over to the pink pufball ball and told him: "So, Kirby, if you want to play camp, you'd better help out too. And, as for Tiff and Gooey... well, you're the guests, so you can do whatever you want."

"I'd like to help in some way," she offered. "It doesn't feel right to do nothing while everyone else works."

"I don't want to sit idly by neither," Gooey agreed. "Well, I can't sit, but you get the idea."

"In that case, why don't you go find something for dinner with some of my Waddle Dees?" the king suggested. "But don't eat what you find, Gooey!" he warned the blob.

"Ooookay," he replied, embarrassed.

Tiff let out a soft giggle. Yes, that Dream Land was strange, and its inhabitants were even stranger, but she didn't dislike them. On the contrary, she now knew she could completely rely on them.

"Seek the help from those on the other side."

Those words echoed in Tiff's mind. Were they the remnants of a dream or did they come from one of her forgotten memories? Tiff couldn't recall the voice that had said those words, but she knew what they meant:

"Those on the other side" were the people who stood next to her.

Chapter Text

One personality trait of the late Queen of Floralia that Taranza had disliked even before her corruption was her stubbornness. Her vanity and pride were never much of an issue before he had gifted her that cursed mirror, but her stubbornness had caused him more than a headache. He had never complained about it out loud, though.

And that stubbornness was also present in the alternate Sectonia, who had arrived with a baby Kirby from a dimension in which he was dead. The more Taranza thought about his current situation, the more he realised how absurd and twisted it was. But what hadn't been absurd and twisted in his life since the day he kidnapped King Dedede?

Either way, it wasn't the right moment to reflect on the twists and turns of his life. He had more important matters to attend to, like convincing the alternate Sectonia that she needed to rest immediately or she would collapse.

Taranza hadn't noticed how exhausted the alternate Sectonia was until the tension between the two of them had begun to fade. From the way she was breathing and how slow her movements were becoming as they walked, it was easy to see how much she needed to rest. But she insisted that they had no time to waste, as that they had to find that Dream Land's heroes (who obviously were Kirby, Dedede, Meta Knight, and Bandana Waddle Dee) and reunite baby Kirby with his guardian as soon as possible.

Taranza, however, knew exactly what was actually going on inside her head: she was too proud to show any weakness, be it caused by illness or extreme exhaustion.

"Toni okay, poyo?" Baby Kirby asked her, concerned.

"I'm fine, little one. You don't need to worry about me. We must find Meta Knight and Tiff," she insisted, gently rubbing the puffball's head. Baby Kirby mumbled a sad "poyo" sound. The gesture had failed to put away his worries.

"Excuse me, Toni..." Taranza called for the alternative Sectonia. She had granted him permission to use that nickname to facilitate communication between them. "I really think we should stop at my house. It's almost nightfall, and I don't even know where King Dedede and the others are right now. I'll also be able to call this world's Meta Knight from there, so we can arrange a meeting with him," he suggested.

Those words made Toni stop in her tracks. Mentioning Meta Knight had worked better than any other method of convincing her to take a break.

"Are you familiar with this dimension's Meta Knight?" she asked him, intrigued.

"Well, we are acquaintances. I'm closer to King Dedede, but they are both sworn partners, and lately they hang out together..."

"Wait. They are WHAT?!" the alternate Toni interrupted him, in total stupefaction.

"Sworn partners," Taranza repeated.

To Taranza's surprise, Toni began to laugh. A sting of nostalgia and melancholy hit his chest. He hadn't heard that sound in ages.

"It's weird that the despicable king from the Lower Lands is regarded as a hero in this dimension, but him being in a relationship with Meta Knight is straight up absurd! Is everything in reverse here? The next thing you'll tell me is that eNeMeE is a good person," she laughed. Baby Kirby looked at her, confused.

"I have no idea who 'Enemi' is, and I haven't said that these two are a couple," Taranza replied, annoyed. "If they are, they haven't made it public yet, and it's not my business to pry into my diplomatic ally's private life."

"I'm sorry," she apologised, noticing his severe tone. She still had hiccups as a result of her laughter. "It's just that the mental image of my dimension's Meta Knight falling in love with that obnoxious manchild was too surreal not to laugh at. I didn't want to disrespect your friend."

"Despicable, obnoxious, manchild... it's clear that 'Toni' can't stand her dimension's Dedede, and she seems to know her world's Meta Knight to a certain degree. How different is the Pop Star she came from from mine?" Taranza wondered. That was the first time the alternate Sectonia had revealed any information about her homeland. "Perhaps this is a good opportunity to discover more about it."

"I got the feeling that, in your dimension, King Dedede and Meta Knight don't get along, am I right?" Taranza casually commented, trying to establish a conversation about the alternate Dream Land.

However, when the alternate Sectonia heard that, her attitude completely changed. The other spider clicked her tongue and muttered something that Taranza could guess was a self-reprimand. Toni was still reluctant to reveal things about her world, so everything she had just said had escaped from her mouth.

"I think Kirby could use that rest you suggested earlier... and so could I," Toni finally said, trying to regain her composure. Taranza could tell that she was only trying to evade the subject.

"A mimir, poyo!" baby Kirby happily exclaimed.

Taranza accepted it. He didn't know why Toni didn't want to disclose anything about her dimension, but since the priority was for her to rest, he decided to claim that small victory.

He would discover the truth behind her arrival sooner or later.

- - -

By the time Meta Knight returned from the Halberd to the camp, it was nighttime.

The trip had been fruitful. He had successfully contacted Daroach, and the mouse had delivered good news for Tiff. Furthermore, the Meta-Knights had accepted the punishment for their carelessness (cleaning the Halberd with toothbrushes and having to do 100 push-ups every 10 minutes) without protest. After all, the security breach that allowed Escargoon to steal the robot had been their fault. However, said punishment would have to wait. Meta Knight needed them alert, well-rested and ready for combat.

Magolor's discoveries had only intensified the dreadful feeling that had lingered in Meta Knight's mind ever since meeting Tiff. Dark energy capable of transporting beings between dimensions wasn't generated from thin air. There had to be something behind the arrival of these people from another dimension. Something sinister and dangerous.

Meta Knight, however, had not shared his concerns with Tiff, as he didn't want to add to her worries. At least the information he had received from Daroach would surely lift the girl's spirits a bit.

Meta Knight approached the campfire where Kirby, Tiff, Gooey, Dedede, Bandana Waddle Dee, and a pair of Waddle Dees were toasting marshmallows. Based on the way the hero of Dream Land spoke, they seemed to be in the middle of a horror story.

"And when he opened the fridge... the cake was gone!" Kirby was telling the group, trying to sound scary.

The two Waddle Dees let out startled "wanyas" as they snuggled into Bandana Waddle Dee, but the rest of the group was unfazed by the puffball's tale.

"Are you serious, Kirby? You call that a scary story? I thought you'd be better at this after all the terrifying things you've faced," Dedede mocked him.

"But cake disappearing for no reason is terrifying!" Kirby defended his tale.

"When cake disappears, it's either because you ate it and forgot about it, or it's Meta Knight sneaking into the castle's kitchen late at night to eat sweets when no one is looking!" the king answered, amused.

"Ahem. It's not polite to criticise someone behind their back, your majesty," Meta Knight broke his silence.

"Sorry, sorry. But you can't deny the truth!" the king exclaimed, laughing. Meta Knight shook his head and sat down next to him.

"Tiff, we have found someone from your dimension," the knight informed the girl, immediately capturing her attention. "I have contacted Daroach, and he has informed me that he and his gang found a disoriented and exhausted child wandering around his base a few hours ago. Daroach may be a thief, but even he has standards. He couldn't leave someone so young and defenceless stranded, so he decided to take the child into his base. From the description I've been given, I think the child's species matches yours."

"That child must be Tuff!" Tiff exclaimed with joy and relief. "I'm so glad he's safe. Though I would have preferred he had stayed home. He's always getting into trouble."

"You are one to talk," Escargoon remarked with sarcasm. He had just arrived, escorted by a few Waddle Dees. "If you two and Kirby didn't spend all day interfering in His Majesty's business, life would be easier for everyone."

"And let you two do whatever you want with Cappy Town and Dream Land? No way," Tiff replied curtly. "What are you even doing here?"

"His Majesty has ordered me to bring him marshmallows," the snail answered nervously. Meta Knight could tell he was lying.

"The alternate Dedede must have sent him to spy on us," the knight deduced. He made a quick gesture to Dedede to make him aware of the snail's true intentions.

"Well, go back and tell him that he can't have them," Dedede denied, while sharing a few marshmallows with the Waddle Dees who accompanied the snail. "They're only for people who haven't destroyed my castle with a stolen robot."

"That's oddly specific," Tiff pointed out, somewhat puzzled.

"If he hadn't said it like that, Kirby couldn't eat them either," Gooey clarified, pointing with his tongue to the puffball, who turned away embarrassed.

"Instead of snooping around, you and your boss should be resting," Dedede continued to tell Escargoon. "I have many tasks prepared for you two, and I think I'm going to make him wake up early for the first time in his life," he added with a mischievous smile as he rubbed his hands together. Meta Knight could imagine how Dedede was going to awaken his other self, and he was looking forward to seeing it.

"Good luck with that," Escargoon shrugged off before returning to his tent, followed by the guards.

With the snail gone, the group resumed their scary stories. It was Bandana Dee's turn, and he began to tell the story of a Waddle Dee who transformed into a werewolf-like creature at night. Again, the only ones who were getting scared by the tale were the other two Waddle Dees. Meta Knight was not surprised: Kirby, Bandana Dee, Dedede, Gooey, and himself had faced beings and experiences way more terrifying than any generic horror story could tell. It was a pity that their adventures had led them to the point of not being able to enjoy the basics of a literary genre.

What surprised Meta Knight was that Tiff didn't seem fazed by the horror stories either. "Well, according to what she told us, she and her Kirby fought Nightmare, so it really shouldn't surprise me that much," he reminded himself.

Nightmare's triumph in his intergalactic conquest in that alternative dimension was surely due to the lack of the Fountains of Dreams to protect its inhabitants, but why didn't they exist? Had they never been created, or perhaps they had been destroyed? What else was different in that universe, and what consequences could it have for the future of its inhabitants?

Meta Knight glanced at Kirby, who, despite not being afraid, was listening to Bandana Waddle Dee's tale with interest. If the two Kirbies shared a similar fate, the alternate Kirby would very certainly have to battle Dark Matter in the future. Under what conditions, and with what allies? He had no way to know.

Meta Knight also wondered about the state of the artefacts and machines that Kirby had encountered on his travels, both those that he had used to fight evil, such as the Rainbow Sword or the Love Love Stick, and those that had been the source of some of their ordeals, such as the Dimensional Mirror, the Master Crown, or Star Dream, to name a few. Did any of these exist in that alternative universe? And what about the other villains his friend had faced? Would they be villains there too, or, if their lives were different enough, would they be allies?

"Pop Star calling Meta Knight. Do you receive us?"

Dedede's witty question snapped Meta Knight out of his musings.

"Sorry, I got lost in thoughts," Meta Knight apologised. He hadn't realised that it was his turn to tell a story, so the group had gone silent and was now looking at him.

"Does something bother you?" Bandana Dee asked.

"No. It's just that an idea about Tiff's world came to my mind, and I couldn't stop thinking about it," Meta Knigh admitted. The girl looked at him with curiosity. "It's nothing you can answer unless you have specific knowledge about ancient civilisations and artefacts," he partially revealed to her.

"I was going to feel offended, but the truth is that I don't know anything about that," Tiff said, a little frustrated. "Now I'm intrigued. I'm going to start researching when I get home!" she decided with newfound entusiasm.

"Wow, I didn't know my story was so boring that I lost Meta Knight's interest," Bandana Waddle Dee lamented with a dejected sigh.

"I'm so sorry, Bandana Dee," he apologised again. He felt a bit remorseful for losing focus on his friend's story. "It wasn't your fault."

"No, no. I should have been a better storyteller. The tale of the calm being 'x' who transforms into a dangerous creature 'y' is very cliche and repetitive," Bandana Waddle Dee blamed himself.

"It wasn't scary, but I liked it anyway!" Kirby tried to cheer him up.

"Kirby is right!" Gooey agreed. "It was a fun story!"

"But it wasn't supposed to be fun; it was supposed to be scary. I need to read more books to get better inspiration," Bandana Waddle Dee insisted.

"There are many interesting books in the castle's library. If I find a way, I promise I'll send you some when I get back home," Tiff offered. "I don't think my Dedede is going to miss them anyway."

"Really? Thank you so much!" Bandana thanked the girl.

"Well, let's continue with the scary stories," Dedede suggested.

"Oh, right!" Kirby exclaimed. "It's Meta's turn. I'm sure he knows one that's very scary," he added, excited.

But before Meta Knight could think of what story to tell, his communication device began to beep. Who could be calling him? Had the Meta Knights found something suspicious, or did Magolor discover anything new about the Dark Enerygy?

"This could be important. If you'll excuse me, I'll go answer this call," Meta Knight said. "I give my turn to Dedede."

The knight quickly moved away from the group to a quiet part of the camp. To his surprise, the voice waiting for him on the other end was one he hadn't expected.

"Good evening, Meta Knight. I'm Taranza. Sorry for calling this late, but I need to talk with you."

"Did something bad happen?" Meta Knight asked. He knew that Taranza wouldn't call him for any trifle. "Wait a minute... According to Magolor's data, two portals opened near his house. Perhaps he's encountered someone from Tiff's dimension!" he realised.

"Well, I don't know how bad the situation actually is, but I have a visitor at home, and they need to talk to you," the spider stated, sounding a bit nervous.

"Does that visitor come from another dimension?" Meta Knight guessed.

"How did you know?!"

"They are not the only one. Can you tell me more about this visitor of yours?"

"Sorry, I have been asked to keep any information about their identity secret. They fear that our conversation may be heard by unwelcome third parties. Can we meet up with you and the others in person tomorrow?"

Meta Knight hesitated. On the one hand, he would also want to keep a low profile and be cautious if he became stranded in an unknown dimension. On the other hand, it could be a trap. Maybe the person he was talking to wasn't the Taranza he knew.

"Before we proceed with this conversation, I need to verify your identity," he told the spider. "When we were fighting the Jambastion cult, who were your companions during the infiltration into their base?"

"Magolor and Susie."

The spider's answer was quick, concise, and correct. Given that such an event had not yet happened in Tiff's dimension, it confirmed with little margin for error that the person he was walking to was his dimension's Taranza and not an alternate one or an imposter. Meta Knight would trust the spider for the time being, but he would keep his guard up. After all, the probability of that information had ended up in the hands of an unknown enemy was never zero.

"We'll meet tomorrow at Dedede's castle," Meta Knight decided. "Or, better said, we'll meet in what's left of it," he added in an exhausted tone.

"What do you mean by...?"

Meta Knight couldn't quite hear the end of the message due to a static sound coming from the communication device. "Interferences. What could be causing them? Susie said her communication system had no faults," the knight grumbled to himself.

"Are you still there, Taranza?" he enquired.

"Me...Kni? Can... hear me? I... not.. hear..." Taranza's voice was hardly audible.

"Is everything okay over there? Are you okay?" he repeated a few times to try to get the message through despite the interference.

"We…fine. But... these inter...weird."

Meta Knight tensed. The air was getting charged with a strange energy. "This must be causing the interference, but where is it coming from? I can't be anything good given everything that has happened today."

"I'm sorry, but I have to end this conversation now, Taranza."

He didn't need to hang up because, in that instant, the connection was completely lost. Meta Knight doubted that his last message would have even reached the spider. He put the now-disabled communicator in his dimensional cape and took Galaxia out of it, determined to find the source of the energy that had left him unable to communicate at such a crucial moment.

The knight took flight, rising above the camp. Thanks to his perception, he quickly located the source of the energy. To his dismay, he found that it was a strange portal that had opened in the forest near the camp. A group of beings rushed out of it before it closed.

"Are those creatures... Waddle Dees?"

Meta Knight approached them. Yes, they were Waddle Dees, except their bodies were made of darkness, and their forms were intermittently distorted with an effect similar to a corrupted digital image. They began to move towards the camp, and the knight was certain that they didn't have good intentions.

Meta Knight firmly grasped his sword. The storm had finally arrived.

Chapter Text

With a swift manoeuvre, Meta Knight landed in front of the group of shadowy creatures that resembled Waddle Dees.

It was a group of ten members, and each one of them held a spear. Meta Knight found that strange. What did they hope to accomplish with such a small group? The strength of the Waddle Dees usually lied in their numbers rather than individual power, as they were weak strength-wise (Bandana Waddle Dee being an exception). Only ten of them didn't have any chance against him, let alone the entire camp.

"Halt! Who sent you?" Meta Knight questioned the creatures in a demanding tone, imposingly brandishing his sword against them.

Despite that, he got no answer. The sinister Waddle Dees simply ignored him, continuing on their way as if he were nothing more than a rock in the path. The Waddle Dees' lack of reaction, along with their unnerving appearance, made it quite evident that something was very wrong with them. Meta Knight wasn't going to allow them to get any closer to the camp.

Meta Knight flew over them and landed to block the road once more.

"If you don't state your intentions, I will have no choice but to force you to stop," he threatened them.

Again, the Waddle Dees ignored him and continued forward. Meta Knight growled in frustration.

"As you wish, then," Meta Knight said.

As a warning strike, the knight charged his sword with energy and released it in the form of a slash made of light aimed at the nearest Waddle Dee. Neither they nor their companions did anything to defend themselves.

Meta Knight had intended to knock out the Waddle Dee with his attack, but instead, their body absorbed the energy. The Waddle Dee's figure then began to fragment and reattach itself at fast and short intervals in a strange visual effect.

When the weird but brief phenomenon ended, where before stood ten creatures, now stood eleven.

The group of Waddle Dees-like beings and its new member turned to look at Meta Knight for the first time. Their yellow eyes glowed menacingly in the dark, fixed on the knight. Meta Knight met the creatures' stares without fear and studied them. What were they? Where did they come from? Why didn't they seem to be able to communicate at all?

Without warning, the beings raised their weapons and charged at the warrior. Meta Knight greeted them with a battle cry. Even if he didn't understand the nature of those beings, he was determined to stop them.

.º·.º

"Meta is taking forever. I wonder who called him."

Every time Tiff thought she was done adding stuff to her list of "shocking differences between the alternate Dream Land and mine," she was met with a new surprise. The most recent entry was "witnessing Dedede being concerned about Meta Knight."

Several minutes had passed since Meta Knight went away to answer the call he had received, and he still hadn't returned. Observing the penguin's worry made Tiff wonder if her dimension's Dedede had ever cared about the knight.

"I don't think so. I've never seen Dedede treat Meta Knight with a minimal amount of respect, and he doesn't value him as a servant either. He even continued to collaborate with eNeMeE despite knowing everything that the Star Warriors, especially Meta Knight, had suffered," she concluded. "Besides, I'm sure he only cares about himself."

Suddenly, Tiff shuddered. A chilling sensation had invaded her body, and she had no idea why. It had started shortly after the alternate Meta Knight had left, and she had initially assumed it was due to the stress of everything she'd been through that day. However, the sensation grew stronger as time passed. She felt an unsettling pressure, as if an invisible threat were cornering her. She had felt something similar before.

But she couldn't remember when.

"Tiff? Are you sick again?" Kirby asked after noticing her unrest.

"No, it's something different. I don't know how to describe it," she revealed. "Don't you guys perceive it?"

"Now that you mention it, there is something odd in the air. It's similar to static electricity, but it feels wrong…" Bandana Waddle said, shuddering too.

"You're right, Bandee," Kirby confirmed. "I don't like this one bit."

"Uh, I don't feel anything," Gooey commented, confused by the others' behaviour.

The alternate Dedede, who seemed to be very tense, looked at Gooey and then put a hand to his beak thoughtfully. After a few seconds, he shivered and said:

"Something bad is going on. I'm going to look for Meta."

Dedede leapt to his feet, pulled a hammer from his coat, and bolted in the same direction Meta Knight had left the camp minutes earlier.

"Wait, Dedede! Don't go alone, poyo!" Kirby cried out to the penguin as he ran after him, leaving his now perplexed three companions behind. Bandana Waddle Dee, Tiff, and Gooey exchanged a quick glance between themselves before deciding to go after the duo.

On their way there, Bandana Waddle Dee asked Tiff:

"Hey, this won't worsen your condition, right? Magolor said you needed rest."

"Don't worry. I'm not feeling sick right now, just a bit tired," Tiff reassured him. "Besides, Gooey and I found a Maxi Tomato earlier. This world's King Dedede told us to keep it so I can use it to recover."

"It's half a Maxi Tomato now..." Gooey confessed while jumping after them.

"Gooey!" Bandana Waddle Dee scolded the blob.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist taking a bite. They are just too tasty."

Tiff couldn't decide whether to laugh or sigh in frustration. In the end, she chose to focus on keeping up with Bandana Waddle Dee, who was running faster. It wasn't difficult: even if she wasn't a warrior, the adventures she had lived with her brother and her Kirby had given her a very good physical constitution.

By the time the trio found that dimension's Dedede and Kirby, who had obtained the sword ability at some point, they had joined Meta Knight and were fighting alongside him against twenty-two strange beings. They resembled Waddle Dees, but their bodies were made of darkness, and their shapes looked distorted like a graphic corruption from a video game.

"When I've seen similar creatures before?" Tiff wondered, but she quickly pushed that thought out of her head. "I'll try to remember later," she told herself. She couldn't get dizzy in such a dire situation.

"Great King, Kirby, Meta Knight! Watch out, I'm charging!" Bandana Waddle yelled, brandishing his spear, as he joined the trio of fighters. The others made way for the Waddle Dee, who tackled one of the creatures to the ground.

Bandana's action drew the attention of the beings towards the newcomers. Two of the "glitched" Waddle Dees (to give them some sort of name) stopped attacking the inhabitants of that Dream Land, dropped their spears, and went straight after Tiff in an attempt to catch her.

Just as the beings were about to put their hands on Tiff, Gooey intercepted them. The blob grabbed one with his tongue and then threw it against the other. Tiff, who now knew that she was their target, quickly searched for something to defend herself with.

She came across a thick tree branch nearby. It was about the same weight as a baseball bat, so she could wield it with ease. When another of the glitched Waddle Dees tried to grab her, Tiff was ready to defend herself and knocked her attacker with a sharp thud that stunned it. Tiff took the opportunity to check how the others were doing in case they needed her help.

Gooey was jumping around the two glitched Waddle Dees from earlier. They were trying to hit him but couldn't because they had dropped their spears and didn't have enough range. One of them even tripped, which Gooey took advantage of. The blob grabbed the fallen Waddle Dee with his tongue once more, swirled it around in the air to gain momentum, and then flung it at its mate.

Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee were taking on ten of the creatures. The skill of both was impressive, with Bandana Waddle Dee being unerring with his spear while Kirby wielded his sword with speed, steadiness and power. "It looks like this world's Kirby has used the sword ability hundreds of times!" Tiff observed, amazed.

Lastly, Dedede and Meta Knight were surrounded by the rest of the creatures. The king and the knight were fighting back-to-back, covering each other.

"It's been decades since you last used electricity in combat, and when you finally use it, it's against beings that multiply by absorbing energy!" Meta Knight yelled at Dedede while slashing at one of the enemies.

"And how was I supposed to know that? I only saw that those things were about to jump on you, and my electrical power is what has more range!" the king defended himself while hitting two glitched Waddles Dees with a single swing of his hammer. Tiff couldn't see his expression because he was looking in the opposite direction. "Besides, are you going to blame me for not using it more often? My hands always get numby when I do..."

Meta Knight rolled his eyes and said:

"Let's save this silly discussion for later and focus on the combat."

"True. We can't let Kirby and Bandee defeat more of these beings than us," Dedede said firmly.

While Dedede and Meta Knight were having their brief argument, Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee had defeated three of the glitched Waddle Dees. The creatures exploded in a puff of smoke, leaving behind small black sparks that soon vanished.

Tiff was so focused on the others that she didn't notice that the glitched Waddle Dee she had stunned a few moments ago had recovered until it grabbed her from behind. Annoyed, she nudged it, causing it to let go of her.

"This thing is very weak! I suppose it resembles a Waddle Dee not only in looks but also in strength."

The glitched Waddle Dee tried to grab her once more, but she fought back, hitting it again with the tree branch.

"I'm sorry. I don't like violence, but I won't just let myself get kidnapped," she claimed, holding the branch defensively. The Waddle Dee tried to catch her again and again, only to end up getting smacked every time. Tiff noticed how the creature didn't make a single sound of pain, and its expression remained neutral the whole time.

"Just what is this creepy thing? Is it even alive?"

One by one, the glitched Waddle Dees fell, every single one of them vanishing in the same fashion as the first ones. When the last Waddle Dee exploded, Kirby began to dance animatedly, just like when he had defeated Whispy, and everyone else, including Meta Knight, to her surprise, joined in. "Is this a cultural thing?" she wondered.

After the strange victory dance, Kirby released the copy ability and handed a sword to Meta Knight, who stored it in his cloak. Tiff then joined them.

"Tiff! I'm glad to see you're okay, poyo! Those meanies don't seem to have hurt you," Kirby exclaimed happily when he saw her. "Do you feel dizzy or something?"

"No, but I'm very tired," she replied. "What a crazy end to this crazy day."

"For someone who isn't used to fighting, you're not bad at landing hits," that dimension's Dedede praised her in an amused tone while patting her shoulder. Tiff, unused to being complimented by the king, was so flabbergasted that she forgot to thank him for his encouraging words. 

"You guys aren't hurt either, right?" Tiff asked the others.

"Do you really think that those buggers could even touch us?" Dedede laughed. "They had good endurance, but their strength was pitiful. Moreover, they had the audacity to copy the looks of my precious Waddle Dees..." he added, angry.

"I wonder what they were. They didn't look like anything we've fought before, and we've fought our fair share of dark beings," Bandana Waddle Dee commented.

"Wait, were they dark beings?" Gooey asked. "They didn't feel like... well, you know who."

"So maybe Dark Matter isn't behind this after all," Kirby reasoned following Gooey's remark. Tiff had no idea what or who Dark Matter was, but it sounded bad. "What do you think, Meta?" the puffball asked his friend.

"Whatever they were, I don't think they had the intention of assaulting the camp. They weren't hostile until I got in their way and attacked them," Meta Knight revealed. "I believe their goal was to take something away by using the darkness of the night to go unnoticed. Or maybe instead of something, I should say someone. Am I wrong, Tiff?" he questioned the girl.

"Did you notice it too?" she asked him, although deep down she wasn't surprised. It seemed that Meta Knight was someone very observant in hers and any other dimension.

"I always keep my five senses aware of everything that is going on in battle. When I saw that some of these beings dropped their weapons and went after you, I realised that you were their target," the knight replied.

"What are you talking about, poyo?" Kirby asked.

"Those shadowy Waddle Dees wanted to kidnap Tiff and probably didn't expect to find any resistance," the knight explained. "The fact that they sent such weak beings to do this task is probably because they didn't want her to suffer any harm."

"Or maybe whoever is behind this underestimated us and sent their weakest minions thinking that it would be an easy task," Dedede suggested.

"I'd be offended if that turned out to be the case," Meta Knight growled.

"But why would they go after Tiff? She's just a normal girl according to what she told us, isn't she?" Bandana Waddle Dee asked.

Tiff thought about it for a few seconds. What was so special about her to attract dark beings? She doubted that these kinds of creatures would be interested in her "noble" title or her parents' money. Normally, every time someone came after her, it was only for one reason.

"Kirby..." she murmured, a little worried.

"Tell me," the one from that dimension replied. That made her laugh.

"Sorry, I was not thinking about you. I was referring to my Kirby. If they were so interested in me, it must be because of my connection to him. Perhaps they are looking for him or want to use me as a hostage," she explained. "They may even be after his Warp Star."

She finally decided to share her secret with the others, and thus she sowed the amulet form of Kirby's Warp Star.

"In my dimension, this Warp Star is the source of my Kirby's power, but, due to his young age, he can't summon and guard it on his own. As you can see, Warp Stars are very important to the Star Warriors I told you about."

While everyone was intrigued by the object, Tiff was surprised by the intensity with which Kirby and, in particular, Meta Knight were staring at it. There was a strange gleam in their eyes.

"I get it. Don't worry: we'll help you protect it!" Kirby promised, breaking eye contact with the object. Meta Knight nodded, although he seemed lost in his own thoughts.

"Okay, let's head back to the camp," Dedede decided. "Today has been way too busy for my liking, and I'm exhausted," he added as he stretched his arms.

Everyone agreed with that Dream Land's king. After the short walk back to the camp, Tiff said goodnight to the others and headed into the tent that he shared with Kirby, Gooey, and Bandana Waddle. As soon as she got into her sleeping bag, Tiff collapsed, exhausted from everything that had happened that day.

"Kirby, Tuff, I hope you're okay..." were her last thoughts before she fell into a deep sleep.

.º·.º

[Failure to capture the target has been confirmed within the calculated margin of error. Importing unforeseen scenario data collected by ECHO-WD 123 through 133. Determining possible new routes.]

The mechanical voice echoed through the darkness, snapping him out of his sleep.

[So you have finally regained consciousness.]

He didn't answer. He didn't have the strength to open his eyes, let alone speak. His body was numb, but even so, he could feel something lifting him up. How did that voice know that he had woken up?

[Well, well, well. Now this is a pitiful sight. Do you know how much dark energy you have absorbed? Enough to have suffered a mutation if I hadn't prevented it.]

What was that voice talking about? What was happening? He was too tired. He felt that he could lose consciousness again at any moment.

Whoever had raised him, released him before saying:

[You are still in a daze, which is normal given the circumstances. You don't need to worry, though. You are safe here. Time does not naturally flow in this place, so you can rest as much as you need.]

Despite being a mechanical voice, the tone sounded oddly reassuring. But was he really safe? Something inside of him told him that wasn't the case, that he had to get up and get out of there (wherever there was), but he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, his body didn't respond.

[Your doubts are reasonable, but it is imperative that you rest. In that state, you will achieve nothing. You want to save them, right?]

Save them... Yes, of course he wanted to save them. That had been his goal from the beginning, hadn't it? The reason why it had all started...

[Then sleep. By the next time you wake up, hopefully I'll have already found the route that gives us the best chance of success.]

Whether it was because his body was too weak or because his will had wavered, he didn't put up any more resistance. He gave himself up to the comfort of dreams, hoping that when he recovered, his mind would be clearer and he would understand what was happening.

[Yes. You will understand everything. The next time you open your eyes, you will see the light. We will reach our goal...]

[...even if we have to sacrifice everything else.]

Chapter Text

A sweet aroma brought Sectonia out of the most pleasant dreams she had had in many years.

She couldn't remember the last time she had slept so peacefully. While she appreciated it, she couldn't help but find the situation odd. With all the worries she had on her mind, as well as the bad memories Tar had unintentionally brought back, her dreams last night should not have been as nice as they were.

"I wonder if the relaxing tea Tar made last night is the cause. No, I don't think that's it. It didn't taste much different from the tea I used to drink in the past. Perhaps it's a thing of this world. I sense a lot of magic in the air," the spider mused while she looked at the ceiling of the room.

Just as they had agreed upon that dimension's Taranza calling her Toni, they had also decided that she could call him "Tar." Using nicknames made their collaboration easier since it allowed them to see each other as different people from the ones they once knew, reducing the awkwardness that had reigned between them since they met.

Suddenly, something moved on the bed. Beside her, Kirby had also woken up due to the sweet scent that was wafting through the room. Tar had lent her and Kirby his bed, somewhat big for a person who lived alone, so they could rest properly, while he would surely have slept on the living room's couch.

"Mornin', Toni!" Kirby greeted her with a bright smile.

"Good morning to you too, little one," Sectonia replied.

Unless the part that was missing from her memory was actually an extended period of time, Sectonia had met Kirby a few hours before the beginning of the mission. Meta Knight had already informed her that the "legendary hero" who had put an end to eNeMeE's intergalactic tyranny a year ago was very young, but she still couldn't help but be surprised when she got to see him in person. It was hard to believe that a baby who had just learnt to say a few short sentences could hide so much power within him!

Sectonia had never been good with children and often avoided them, but Kirby had won her heart with his cute appearance, his innocence and his kindness. Not to mention that, thanks to him, the being who had taken everything she loved from her had been executed.

"I wish that cursed wizard had suffered more. According to Meta Knight, it only took Kirby a single shot from the Star Rod to defeat him," she thought bitterly.

"Toni angy, poyo?" the young hero asked, concerned by the spider's frown.

"No, no. Don't worry about it. I was just thinking about a person I don't like," she replied with a nervous smile. "Are you ready for today?"

The Star Warrior enthusiastically nodded as he said "poyo" repeatedly before jumping out of bed and running towards the bedroom door. Tar had promised them the night before that they would meet the Meta Knight of that dimension later that day and that he could help them find the other members of her party.

“It was supposed to be just Meta Knight, Kirby, his guardian, and me. I hope we're not here because that idiotic king messed up the mission...” she growled, frustrated because she couldn't recall the circumstances that had caused them to take refuge in that strange alternate dimension. 

Sectonia sighed before getting up from the bed and following Kirby. Tar's house, while fancy, was rather small. It had only one bedroom, one bathroom, and a living room with an open kitchen. In another time, she would have laughed at its size, ridiculous for someone claiming to be "Floralia's ambassador to Dream Land." She would have ensured that her land's ambassador lived in luxury in an ostentatious mansion as an example of the wealth, power and beauty of the Kingdom of Floralia.

"What a fool," she scolded the arrogant and vain queen that she could have become but that, in the end, had only existed in her imagination.

"Oh, good morning. I didn't notice you two had already awoken," Tar's voice brought her out of her reverie. The other spider was making pancakes. "Good, because breakfast is almost ready!"

Kirby let out more cheerful "poyos" as he sat down at the living room table.

"Good morning to you too," Sectonia replied as she sat down alongside Kirby.

"Did you get a good night's sleep? We have a long day ahead of us," Tar asked gently.

"We've both rested quite well," Sectonia replied. Kirby said more happy "poyos" as confirmation.

It didn't take long for Tar to serve them their pancakes and sit down to eat breakfast with them. To the surprise of neither spider, Kirby finished off his plate in half a second.

"Some things don't change from one dimension to another," Tar chuckled. "Was it tasty?" Tar asked the puffball, who nodded happily.

"More, more, poyo!" Kirby demanded.

"Kirby, that's not polite," Sectonia scolded.

"More, pwease?" Kirby asked in a calmer tone.

"That's better, but we are short on time and Tar still needs to eat, so he can't stop to make more pancakes for you."

"Ah, but what you don't know is that I am a great magician who can do incredible things," the other spider stated, adopting a rather pompous circus conjurer's tone. "Et voila! A second plate of pancakes for Kirby!" Tar exclaimed, making a second plate of pancakes appear with a flick of his hands.

The gesture brought a sweet but bitter memory to Sectonia's mind. Her Taranza had done similar tricks to cheer her up in the past. The former princess of Floralia sighed. No matter how hard she tried to separate her dimension's Taranza from that alternate version, whatever the latter did would always remind her in one way or another of the one she had lost.

Kirby, on his part, stared with starry eyes at the plate of pancakes that, for him, had come out of nowhere and proceeded to clap excitedly before devouring them.

Upon observing the puffball, Sectonia decided not to delay breakfast any longer. It would be discourteous to allow the pancakes to get cold. It had been too long since someone had prepared breakfast for her, but she had not forgotten the etiquette.

"This flavour is fantastic. I'm not sure if it's because I hadn't eaten pancakes in so long that I almost forgot what they tasted like, but no wonder Kirby wanted to repeat," Sectonia thought, trying her best to keep her composure and not gobble up the pancakes like a hungry wild animal.

"What do you think? Are they any good?" Tar asked her. "I've been learning to cook, and I know that Kirby is not an objective judge since he eats everything put in front of him," he explained.

"It has been a long time since I last ate something so delicious," she answered sincerely.

"Really?" Tar replied with excitement. Sectonia nodded. "I knew Marx was lying when he tasted them the other day!" he exclaimed. "That mischievous imp said 'I don't know. I can't find a distinct flavour yet. I think you need to bring more'. And Magolor agreed with him. All along, what they wanted was for me to prepare more food for them! You can't trust those two," he ranted.

In normal circumstances, a person would ask who Magolor and Marx were, but Sectonia would not. Even if there was now some normalcy between her and Tar, she couldn't afford to get to know him on a deeper level. She couldn't let herself be distracted. The less she knew of his personal life, the better. After all, once she was done with the mission, it was very unlikely that she would ever see him again.

"Were you able to talk to this world's Meta Knight after your conversation was cut off?" Sectonia asked in order to focus the topic.

"Yes. If everything goes smoothly, we should be able to meet with him and King Dedede at noon," he confirmed.

"How long does it take to get from here to this dimension's Castle Dedede?" she enquired.

"It'll take a couple of hours unless we can find a lone Warp Star or a couple of Wheelies ready to give us a ride. I'll pack some provisions for the trip, and then we'll leave. In the meantime, why don't you take Kirby out into the garden? He looks kind of bored from sitting there doing nothing," he added, pointing to the young puffball, whose frown vanished as he heard that.

"Gaden, gaden, poyo!" Kirby repeated happily.

"Okay, but don't take too long," Sectonia agreed. "We don't have much time to waste..."

Kirby ran into the garden without further ado. Sectonia put on the hood of her cloak and followed him.

When they had arrived at Tar's house the night before, she had been so exhausted that she hadn't noticed how beautiful the garden was. Now that she could see it fully, she couldn't help but feel awe. It was like someone had taken a small piece of Floralia and put it in Dreamland.

"Has Tar grown all of this by himself? It is astounding. Taranza always had a good hand with flowers, but he never had time to dedicate himself to gardening at this level," Sectonia contemplated wistfully as she gazed around. There were plants and flowers that, in her homeworld, had been lost for years and that she was sure she would never see again, such as...

Sectonia stopped when she saw a flower bed filled with a specific type of flower. These were once the most beautiful flowers that had bloomed in her kingdom, the same ones in front of which she had confessed her feelings to the person she loved.

"Floralia's Moonflowers," she said softly as she caressed the closed petals of one of the flowers. A mixture of feelings swirled in her heart. Was it happiness because she had found that small piece of her past, or was it sadness born from all the painful memories the flowers evoked?

Floralia's moonflowers had disappeared along with most of the flora when eNeMeE's forces ravaged her kingdom and then occupied her lands. The only plants that thrived in Floralia after that horrid day were those that could be used to create poisons and other harmful substances. N.M.E. had forbidden the replanting of any vegetation that would not be useful to their cause.

What once was a beautiful kingdom, allied in secret with the GSA before the fall of the Star Warriors, had become a hostile, almost barren land. The forests and grasslands of the Sky Islands had either been turned into factories or completely destroyed due to excessive mining. The only place that had remained unchanged was the volcanic terrain of Endless Explosion. The survivors of both her kingdom and the rest of the People of the Sky had been forced to hide at the risk of becoming slaves, test subjects, or turned into monsters under the control of an intergalactic tyrant.

As for Sectonia, she ended up being the only person left with the power to protect her home, so she had not only become its guardian but also a direct target of N.M.E. The future ruler of the kingdom had been turned into a fugitive.

"We couldn't even prepare a proper funeral for all the people we lost that day," she lamented. Sometimes she wondered why fate had chosen her to be one of the few survivors. "It wasn't fate, and you know that. You are still alive because of him. That's why you kept fighting on," she reminded herself.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her back, startling her and putting her on high alert. She summoned her rapiers out of reflex and, in the blink of an eye, pointed her weapons at the agressor's throat.

But what had touched her wasn't an enemy. It was Tar, who had closed his eyes and was trembling.

"I'm sorry, your highness. I was merely concerned about you, and since you didn't respond to my call..." the spider apologised. Despite Tar's best efforts to hide it, Sectonia could feel his fear. "It was my fault. I'm sorry for interrupting you," he apologised once more. "I won't upset you ever again."

That reaction caught Sectonia's attention, especially since "Tar" had treated her with that forced adoring tone that he had used in their first meeting.

"It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have reacted so harshly since we are in a safe place," she told him in a conciliatory tone, trying to reassure him. Sectonia didn't understand why he had reacted that way, but she knew that that kind of behaviour couldn't have a positive origin.

"Did the me from this dimension treat him with cruelty?" was the explanation Sectonia came up with. The thought of her doing something bad to Taranza made her shudder.

On his part, Tar opened his eyes again and stared at Sectonia as if it were the first time he had seen her. His fear dissipated as soon as he realised that he was not facing his world's Sectonia.

"It's all right, Tony. I don't know what happened to me," Tar answered awkwardly, rubbing his head with one of his hands as if dismissing the matter. "I suppose I reacted that way because I was startled," he lied.

"I'm sorry about that," Sectonia said, deciding not to enquire for the moment why Tar had reacted that way since he still looked quite nervous. "For your own safety, don't do that again," she warned him. "When someone approaches me behind my back, I tend to lose control of my instincts."

Tar looked at Sectonia with concern. He also suspected that there was a reason behind her abrupt and excessive reaction.

"Why did this have to happen now that things were getting as normal as possible between us?" the spider rued.

A high-pitched cry broke the bitter tension between the two spiders. They both turned to see where it came from. It was Kirby, who had accidentally become entangled in some vines while playing. Tar hurried to get him out of there, more likely to preserve the integrity of his garden than because he believed that Kirby couldn't free himself.

"We should part soon, unless you want Kirby to destroy your garden," Sectonia told Tar once he returned with the Star Warrior in his hands. He did not argue.

It didn't take them long to begin their journey to Dedede Castle. After that unfortunate incident, a new tension had developed between the two spiders, and even if they both tried to ignore it, distracting themselves from it with banal comments about the geography of that alternative Dreamland, they couldn't.

Because now they knew that both of them had gone through a lot of suffering in the past, but didn't dare to ask each other about it.

- - -

Tiff's dimension Dedede had never had a dream as delightful as the one he was having that night. Everyone adored him, he had loads of money and was enjoying the most delicious food in the world. Everything in his dream was absolutely perfect!

Well, not everything. The first part of his dream had been very weird. He'd ended up in an alternate dimension, where he had fought another Dedede. Said Dedede not only got along with an older, more talkative Kirby and a way meaner, more intimidating Meta Knight, but was also super strong, probably because he had cheated. Aside from that, all the other parts of his dream were so perfect that he wanted to sleep and sleep until noon. Perhaps even the entire day.

It was at that moment that someone began to play a tune very close to his ear with a trumpet, giving him such a scare that he jumped up from his sleeping bag a few meters, almost breaking the tent's ceiling.

"I'M SO DONE WITH YOU, SPOILED BRAT! YOUR PARENTS WILL HEAR OF THIS! YOU ARE GOING TO BE GROUNDED UNTIL THE NEXT CENTURY!" Dedede yelled furiously once he landed, looking to the sides in search of the usual culprit behind that kind of prank. But instead of finding Sir Ebrum's son laughing, the face that greeted him was his own, looking at him with an amused expression.

"Nice leap. You almost beat the galatic record for 'bed jumping due to a scare'," the other Dedede mocked him.

"Wait, so the alternate universe part wasn't a dream? That means I lost to this second-rate Dedede!" Dedede wailed internally, frustrated. "I must find a way to get back at him..."

"By the way, who did you call a spoiled brat? You weren't referring to me, right?" the lesser Dedede questioned him, visibly annoyed and even a bit angry.

"I mistook you for Tiff's annoying brother. He enjoys pranking me," he answered, quite irritated. "What time is it?"

"Nine in the morning."

"Meh, it's too early. I'm going back to sleep," he replied dismissively, laying back on his sleeping bag and turning his back on that alternate version of himself.

"No way! You have to work! If you wanted to sleep, you should have thought about it before destroying my castle!" his other self complained.

"Too late. I'm already sleeping," Dedede teased before starting to fake snore. He chuckled when he heard the second-rate Dedede growl.

However, his chuckle was cut short when the other Dedede picked him up and yanked him out of the tent. He then violently removed Dedede's sleeping bag, leaving him on the ground. Dedede looked up, only to discover that the Meta Knight from that dimension was staring at him not far from there, as if he were judging him. Or perhaps he found that situation amusing; it was hard to tell.

"How dare you humiliate me like this?! This is no way to treat a king!" Dedede yelled angrily at his other self as he stood up.

"And using a stolen robot to destroy his castle is?" the other countered.

"That doesn't count! I am the king of Dreamland in mine and any other dimension; therefore, that castle also belonged to me, and I had every right to claim it and destroy it at will!"

The other Dedede and his Meta Knight, who had approached them, exchanged a quick glance.

"I don't know how to argue that," the monarch of that Dreamland remarked, perplexed.

"Heh. So you admit I'm right," he bragged.

"No. I don't know how to argue that because it's the most far-fetched reasoning I've ever heard. I don't know how your brain works for it to reach that conclusion!" the second-rate Dedede exclaimed.

"It doesn't," one of the voices that most annoyed him in the world said above him.

As if his day wasn't already bad enough, Tiff had to arrive to make it even worse. She was riding what looked a lot like Kirby's Warp Star, except it was larger than usual. The talking Kirby, the bandana-wearing Waddle Dee who likely was the lapdog of that dimension's Dedede and the goofy-eyed blue blob accompanied the meddling girl.

"What exactly are you doing here, you bunch of brats?" Dedede asked them meanly. Then he noticed Tiff holding what looked like a thick tree branch with a carved handle and yelled: "and who in the world gave you a weapon?!"

"We've come to report that we're ready to leave," Tiff replied, deliberately ignoring his question about the branch.

"Oh, you four are leaving? Will it be forever?" he asked excitedly.

"No, poyo!" the pink menace 2.0 exclaimed indignantly, as if he were offended by what Dedede had insinuated. "How could we be leaving forever?! Bandee lives in the castle, Gooey likes to visit once in a while, and Dedede is my best friend!"

A disgusted expression appeared on Dedede's face when Kirby referred to him as "his best friend." Yes, he knew the puffball was actually referring to that dimension's Dedede, but he still couldn't bear the idea of getting along with that pink menace in any world.

"We're on our way to pick up my brother. I'm not sure how long it will take, but we'll be back," Tiff clarified with a tone that implied that she knew that her answer was going to irritate Dedede.

"Oh, great. Not only will they return, but they are also bringing Tuff back with them. This day is only getting better!" Dedede groaned internally.

"Are you carrying an airbag, Tiff? Kirby is a speed demon, and more often than not he ends up crashing the Warp Star,” the second-rate Dedede mocked the pink menace 2.0.

“Hey! I only drive recklessly when I travel alone!" the older Kirby complained, puffing out his cheeks, making the lesser Dedede chuckle.

"Be alert in case creatures like the ones from last night appear again," Meta Knight warned the brats in a serious tone.

"Creatures like the ones from last night?" Dedede repeated in his mind, puzzled. "Did I miss something big?"

"Don't worry, Meta Knight, I won't let my guard down!" the Waddle Dee with the bandana claimed. Dedede still wasn't used to seeing the Waddle Dees talking and being moderately competent.

"How come mine aren't like that? Are they defective?" Dedede thought, feeling jealous because his other self's Waddle Dees were better.

"It's good to know we can rely on you, Bandee. Kirby and Gooey get distracted even by the flight of a butterfly," the other Dedede said.

"I don't get distracted by..." the talking Kirby began to complain.

"Look Kirby! A butterfly!" the blue blob interrupted him before pointing with his tongue at a butterfly with orange and yellow wings.

“Oh? Where? Where?”

"Ahem," the intimidating Meta Knight faked a cough to claim the pink menace 2.0's attention. "You should leave now. Daroach is waiting for you, and you shouldn't waste his time.”

“Hehe, sorry. See you later, Dedede, Meta Knight and Dedede!” The alternate Kirby waved them goodbye with a smile. The rest of the brats did the same before the Warp Star flew away at high speed.

“And how come you don't go with them?” Dedede questioned his counterpart. “I thought that you and that pink menace were' super duper ultra buddies',” he added in a corny tone, hoping to annoy the other.

"Kirby is first and foremost my rival," the alternate Dedede corrected him. Dedede rolled his eyes. That was an obvious lie. It was clear that between those two there was something more than rivalry and, for some reason, that angered him. "Besides, if I left you here alone, you would take advantage of it to pin all your tasks on Escargoon. I can read you like an open book!"

Before Dedede could argue, his counterpart pulled a workman's helmet out of his coat. Then, he roughly planted it on Dedede's head before saying:

"What are you waiting for? The castle won't rebuild itself!"

"No! You can't force me to do anything!" Dedede flatly refused, aggressively removing the helmet and tossing it on the ground. The other Dedede glared at him. "I am a king, and I am above these mundane tasks!" he added, not letting himself be intimidated.

"In this world, you are not king of anything, but someone who has made a mistake and has to learn to deal with the consequences of their acts," his counterpart said with exasperation while he picked up the helmet and cleaned the dirt off it.

"Why do you even care? It's my life, not yours," Dedede replied, frustrated. "Also, this is all your fault! If you had let me take over your castle, you wouldn't have to live in a tent."

"The nerve of this guy!" the lesser Dedede exclaimed, angry.

"Not to mention how ugly your castle was. I've done you a favour by destroying it!" Dedede continued. "How could you live in a place with such a shabby facade? And all that unnecessary lighting... Are you afraid of the dark or something?"

A grim expression crossed the face of the alternate Dedede. It was very brief, but still, Dedede noticed it. "Aha! That must mean I've got it right! I finally have something to use against him," he thought wickedly.

The second-rate Dedede was about to say something, but he stopped himself at the last second. Dedede took the opportunity to continue attacking him.

"Is that it? Can't you sleep without a light on like a small kid?" Dedede insisted, in an offensive tone.

"You don't know what you're talking about. My patience has a limit, and you're crossing the line," the other Dedede warned him, in a tone that sounded somewhat threatening.

Dedede, however, decided to ignore the warning. He was having so much fun pissing off his other self that it was worth the risk. Besides, what was the worst thing he could do? Sending Dedede to jail? In his opinion, it still would be better and less humiliating than being demoted to a mere construction worker.

With that in mind, Dedede decided to continue messing with the so-called king of that land. And he knew exactly where to direct his next verbal attack.

"By the way, where did you get those idiotic Waddle Dees? They may be able to speak, but if they don't know how to appreciate my greatness, it means they are not very clever. Not to mention..."

Dedede didn't get to finish that sentence because his counterpart almost jumped on him like a rabid animal. The only thing that prevented that from happening was the intimidating Meta Knight getting between both of them at the last moment.

"Dedede, calm down," the menacing Meta Knight requested of the other Dedede.

"LET ME AT HIM! I won't tolerate any insult to my Waddle Dees from this moron!" the other raged.

"I'm not going to move until you calm down!" the knight refused. "You're better than this! Don't let this guy lower you to his level."

The lesser Dedede growled, but he finally gave up on his assault. Dedede breathed a sigh of relief.

"And you need to understand that your title is meaningless here. There is only one king in this Dreamland, and it's definitely not you," that Meta Knight said to Dedede. "Or is your behaviour due to your desire for a rematch? I warn you that the outcome would be even worse than yesterday's," he threatened.

Faced with the fury of his counterpart and the menacing aura of that Meta Knight, Dedede had no choice but to give up.

"Tchht, you guys are so annoying. I'll work just so I don't have to hear any of you," he reluctantly relented. "What do I have to do?"

"Escargoon has been working inside the castle for a while, along with several of my Waddle Dees. Meet with him and help him lay the castle's groundwork," his counterpart instructed. Next, he called some nearby Waddle Dees and said to them, "Keep an eye on him so he doesn't slip away. Also, I order you to poke him with the spears if he is mean to any of you," he added.

"Don't even think about it! I am a king, and you must respect me! If I mess with you, you have to put up with it without retaliation!" Dedede screamed at them.

The Waddle Dees looked back and forth between the two Dededes. After murmuring between them for a few seconds, the closest of the group turned to the lesser Dedede and said in a slightly doubtful tone:

"It will be as you ordered, Great King."

Dedede glared at his counterpart but didn't have time to say anything else because the Waddle Dees began to harass him, forcing him to move towards the castle. If he had his mallet, he could beat them as soon as no one saw him and run away, but he lost it when the intimidating Meta Knight's fan club captured him. He had no choice but to do as he was told until he could find the slightest opportunity to escape. Maybe Escargoon already had a plan.

Dedede turned for a moment to look at the lesser Dedede. He was now conversing with the intimidating Meta Knight, who had grabbed him by the hand. For some reason, seeing that gesture of trust and closeness between the two filled him with rage. Dedede didn't understand why everyone respected and adored his counterpart while he was ignored and mistreated. That Dedede even had that more intimidating version of Meta Knight and the pink menace 2.0 eating out of his hands! With those two on his side and without Sir Ebrum's children to bother him, no one could oppose the whims of that world's Dedede.

"If we are the same person, what does he have that I don't? It must be money. I bet he's got everyone bribed," he deduced. "Or maybe he has a monster hiding somewhere that has hypnotised everybody into worshipping him! Maybe even…"

As he walked towards the castle, Dedede continued to wonder about that issue (with increasingly absurd ideas) until he made a decision.

"I'm going to find out his secret, and when I do, I'm going to make everyone adore me instead!"

Chapter Text

Dedede was about to follow his other self when someone grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop.

"Dedede, leave him alone," Meta Knight requested sternly.

"No way! I'm sure that moron is up to no good..." he argued as he turned to face his knight.

"The Waddle Dees will be able to keep him at bay," Meta Knight reassured him. "Or do you want them to think you don't trust them?"

That made him hesitate. Of course he trusted his Waddle Dees! He should be upset with the knight for what he had just implied, but soon he comprehended why his sworn partner had said those words.

Since they had both put their quarrels behind them a long time ago, Meta Knight had always known what to say to make Dedede reconsider what he was doing. The king was sure that Bandana Waddle Dee was the only person in the universe who could read him better than the knight. The difference between those two was that whereas Bandana Waddle Dee always softened his remarks, Meta Knight had no filter, and sometimes the harshness in the knight's words was the reality check that Dedede needed. Meta Knight hadn't been particularly harsh this time, but his words had been effective nonetheless.

Before Dedede could answer him, Meta Knight spoke again:

"Dedede, are you okay?"

Dedede gulped. There it was—the single question that he had been dreading. And, out of the three people he most feared hearing it from, the one who had asked was the hardest to fool.

"Of course I am," he lied, somewhat nervously. "That guy just has a special ability to get on my nerves. But enough of that! I just came up with an infallible strategy for the tournament!" he exclaimed with feigned enthusiasm in an attempt to change the topic of the conversation.

"Dedede, don't do this," Meta Knight grumbled, not buying Dedede's stunt.

"If we combine my electricity with your Galaxia, we can make an electric combo that neither Kirby nor Bandana will see coming. Victory will be ours!" the king continued, pretending he hadn't heard the knight.

"Look, if you don't want to talk about what is going on inside your head right now, I'll respect it. Just don't lie to me and pretend you are fine when we both know you are not," Meta Knight requested.

Dedede sighed in defeat. Maybe he should tell the knight how he really felt, if only to regain some peace of mind.

"Fine, Meta. You win. I'll tell you everything," Dedede conceded. "But, could you please let go of my hand? My arm is falling asleep," he joked with a half-smile.

Meta Knight hastened to release him, slightly embarrassed for not doing it sooner.

"I know this is going to sound weird coming from a guy as cool and mighty as me, but I'm scared," Dedede confessed. "Even if Gooey and Kirby insist that the things that attacked us last night weren't related to Dark Matter, who's to say that whatever is behind this interdimensional stuff isn't something worse?"

Meta Knight remained silent. Dedede was certain that the knight shared those same concerns about the unsettling situation they were in.

"I don't know what we're up against, and I don't want whatever it is to use me to attack my own subjects again," Dedede explained, clearly distressed. "I don't want to be forced to fight any of you. Especially not after last time."

Meta Knight knew exactly what the king was talking about. Everything that had happened in the Forgotten Land had left a deep mark on Dedede. The months of solitude, the time he had been under the control of that creature, the way he had been used to capture his own Waddle Dees... Such a terrible experience could have broken anybody. Sometimes even Dedede wondered how he was still himself.

“Dedede, this is not like last time. We are all together in this,” Meta Knight assured him in a calming tone. “For the first time, a crisis of this kind has not caught us off guard thanks to Tiff's early arrival and Magolor's quick investigations. I don't know if it will be an invasion from that other world or an attack by an ancient cosmic entity, but as long as the four of us fight together, we will get through it.

"But what if something like that one time all the colour from Dream Land was drained and we turned into stone happens? We didn't even have time to react, and if Elline hadn't saved Kirby and Bandee, we would still be nice-looking statues," Dedede reminded him.

"Well, in that case, we should strike cooler poses to become even nicer-looking statues," Meta Knight joked in an attempt to cheer up the king.

It worked. A soft chuckle escaped Dedede's mouth. 

"You're right, Meta," Dedede finally agreed, sitting down on the ground next to the knight. "If we're together, nothing can beat us. Besides, we can't let Tiff down; we're the only ones who can help her."

"That reminds me that we have to find something better than a tree branch for that girl," Meta Knight commented. "If what's behind this is really after her, she's going to need something more consistent to defend herself."

"If the other Dedede overreacted when he saw her with a thick stick, I can't wait to see his reaction when he sees her with an actual weapon," Dedede tried to quip, but Meta Knight saw that his smile had turned bitter when he talked about his other self.

"I believe that something else is deeply bothering you, and I'm sure it has to do with the other Dedede," Meta Knight insisted.

"I just can't hide anything from him, can I?" Dedede thought as he shook his head. For a moment he had thought they were done talking.

"What do you think would happen in Tiff's world if Dark Matter and Zero attacked it?" he questioned the knight.

"That is a difficult question. I've been thinking about it as well, and I can't figure out an answer without knowing everything that is different between one dimension and another," Meta Knight answered. Dedede wasn't surprised that the knight had also been mulling over the matter. "For example, while the Rainbow Sword or the Love-Love Stick may not exist in that universe, it may have its own mechanism to defend itself against Dark Matter and Zero, just as the Star Warriors existed to fight Nightmare."

"Well, I do know one thing: the other Dedede would not survive," Dedede stated. The bluntness in the king's words took Meta Knight aback. "You know what happens during a Dark Matter possession, right?"

"Yes. Even if I, fortunately, have never experienced it firsthand, I've read about how horrible it is," the knight replied in a grim tone. "The fact that you survived not once, but three times proves how strong your heart and will are."

Dedede looked away and clenched his fists. "If it were as you say, I should be able to resist when someone controls me, just like you did last time," he was about to reply, but he swallowed those words, not wanting to start an argument about that touchy subject.

"And what about him?" he asked Meta Knight instead, referring to the other Dedede. "I know well why he acts the way he does: it's for the same reasons that I stole all the food from Dream Land all those years ago. And if he continues down that path, for Dark Matter to consume him will be as easy as for Kirby it's to eat a piece of candy."

"So you want to save him from that possible fate, but you don't know how to," the knight intuited. "Why don't you tell him the truth?"

"How do you think he is going to react if I just tell him 'you better start working on becoming a better person, or else these dark beings that exist in all the universes will consume you from within, feeding from your negative emotions and erasing the positive ones until you are but an empty husk of your former self and may even become one of them'?

Meta Knight paused for a moment, pondering the question.

"You're right: that won't solve anything," the knight decided after imagining the possible scenarios. "If he believes you, that will only make him afraid, and the changes born by coercion are usually not sincere. And if he doesn't believe you, he surely will just laugh at you," he finished, shrugging.

"I wish I could somehow point him in the right direction, helping him to realise the harm he is doing to himself with his current behaviour. Maybe he could even end up discovering that he can be a great king if he actually tried," Dedede revealed. "But for NOVA's sake, he really gets on my nerves. How can someone so stubborn and difficult to have a serious talk with exist?!” he exclaimed with an effusive gesture.

Upon hearing that, Meta Knight gave the king a look that silently said:

"Are you being serious right now?"

Dedede looked away and covered the visor of his companion's mask.

"Come on, don't look at me that way. I know very well that I have also had my bad moments, but he is in a worse state than I ever was."

"Perhaps you could ask the Escargoon of that dimension for help," Meta Knight suggested, a bit annoyed by the king's gesture, pushing his hand away. "He seems to be close with the other Dedede."

"Honestly, this alternate version of Escargoon looks like someone who enables his bad behaviour rather than trying to stop it," Dedede argued, sounding disappointed with the snail, who was very different from the one he knew. Their world's Escargoon would never get into so much trouble. "He stole your Heavy Lobster MKII after all," he reminded the knight.

"Please, don't mention that security breach," Meta Knight growled.

"Well, enough talking about me and my counterpart. What about you? How are you handling all of this?" Dedede asked the knight, turning back to look at him.

"I'm worried too. It is impossible not to be in this situation," Meta Knight admitted. "The uncertainty of not knowing what is behind those portals and the beings that attacked us last night is leaving me restless. I normally don't hesitate to draw my sword and go against the enemy, but this time I don't know anything about it, not even where it is or when they might attack us again. We can't do anything but wait for their next move," he explained, visibly weighed down by not being able to take action. Dedede knew that the knight hated to stay in a defensive role. "I hope that person who comes with Taranza will give us some answers. Until then, the only thing that comforts me is that at least there isn't a version of myself wreaking havoc across Dream Land," he added in a teasing tone in an attempt to shake off his stress.

"Hey! It's not THAT bad," Dedede argued. "He 'only' started two or three fights and destroyed my castle. But I truly hope that your counterpart from that universe will be calmer than the other Dedede if we happen to meet him."

"I'll be content just with him not having a weird accent."

"I bet the big hammer that he has an accent fit for a 'telenovela.'"

They both looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before laughing. While the situation was unsettling, it had a certain degree of absurdity that turned it kind of comical at the same time.

After that brief comic relief, Dedede felt more collected. Although it hadn't put an end to his worries, sharing them with Meta Knight felt like a weight being lifted off his shoulders. Meta Knight also looked a bit more relaxed.

"Anyway, I'm going to see if the Waddle Dees need my help and to check that the other Dedede hasn't wrecked anything else," Dedede said as he jumped up and stretched. "I want this to look more or less presentable for when Taranza arrives. What are your plans?"

"I'll keep watching the surrounding area," replied Meta Knight. "It's not like I can do anything else," he mumbled, still a bit frustrated. Dedede patted the knight on the back to encourage him.

"Let me know if you see anything weird or if Kirby and the others return. See you later!" Dedede said as he waved goodbye to the knight.

As he headed back to his castle, Dedede looked up at the sky and thought:

"I hope the kids are all right."

- -

After an uneventful journey, the Warp Star landed softly in a mountainous canyon. Tiff couldn't help but be fascinated by the landscapes of that Dreamland, strange but beautiful in their own unique way. The mix of colours, along with the strange geography, made that land look like a fantasy world. The only things it had in common with her homeland were its name and some of its inhabitants.

On their way there, Tiff had asked her companions about Daroach, wanting to learn more about the person who was taking care of her brother. The fact that Meta Knight had mentioned that Daroach was a thief had made Tiff feel a bit uneasy. Would Tuff be safe with a criminal?

Kirby had then told her that Daroach was a treasure thief and that, despite once stealing something he shouldn't have and causing a bit of chaos, he wasn't an evil person. Bandana Waddle Dee also asserted that Daroach and his gang adhered to a "code of morality" and that they tried not to hurt anyone during their thefts. "He's a white-collar thief, then. Well, if Meta Knight and Kirby trust him, I guess I can give him a chance too," Tiff decided despite her misgivings.

According to the map Meta Knight had given them, Daroach's lair was just ahead. Bandana Waddle Dee led the march, as the knight had entrusted him with the task of carrying and reading the map (the Waddle Dee being, after all, the most responsible member of the group who was also a resident of that dimension).

"It's a good thing that, despite those portals, Dream Land is not in chaos," Gooey remarked. "Good, I didn't feel like fighting my neighbours today."

"What do you mean by that?" Tiff asked.

"Usually when this sort of stuff happens, many of the Dreamlanders get very aggressive and territorial, so we have to end up fighting them just to reach our destination or collect the key item we need for our quest," Bandana Waddle Dee explained.

"It's sooo annoying, poyo. Saving the day would be a lot easier if everyone cooperated," Kirby commented, sulking. "I know sometimes it's not their fault and they're under the influence of something that makes them act that way, but other times they're just angry because their routine gets interrupted."

"At least they are not like the cappies of my world. I appreciate them a lot, but I can remember many times when most of them not only didn't cooperate but also blamed my Kirby for the problems caused by others," the girl complained. By 'others,' she meant mostly Dedede and Escargoon, but she didn't feel like she needed to specify to get her point across.

"Really? It would be outrageous if people blamed our Kirby for what happens when he is the one who fixes everything," Bandee said, annoyed. "Well, if we don't count that one incident with the cak..."

"Oops. We shouldn't waste time talking when Daroach is waiting for us!" Kirby interrupted his friend before he could finish what he was saying, leaving Tiff intrigued. "Come on, let's find the entrance to the lair!" the puffball exclaimed as he ran away, clearly to prevent Tiff from asking him about that incident.

Bandana Waddle Dee rolled his eyes and motioned for Tiff and Gooey to follow Kirby. Tiff was tempted to question Bandana about the incident, but in the end, she opted against it. She didn't want to cause trouble between Kirby and his friend, and it was clear that whatever this incident was, it was a topic the puffball didn't want to talk about.

After a couple of minutes, they caught up with Kirby, who had stopped and was looking around, most likely trying to locate the entrance to Daroach's lair.

"Hey Bandee, are you sure we're close?" Kirby asked his friend. "Maybe the Warp Star landed farther away than we thought."

"According to the coordinates Meta Knight gave us, Daroach's lair should be..." Bandana Waddle Dee began to respond as he checked the map."...Right here."

The group stared at the area the Waddle Dee was pointing to, but the landscape was the same as what they had seen so far: a semi-arid land with rocks, dried plants, adorable lizards that seemed to be made of sand (and who were either sunbathing or walking around), and some small round pink creatures flying around.

"There is nothing here," Gooey pointed out.

"Thanks, Gooey, I hadn't noticed," Bandana replied with subdued sarcasm, though he looked frustrated with himself rather than annoyed at the goop. "Did I get the coordinates wrong?"

"If it's a secret lair, the entrance is most likely hidden," Tiff remarked. "The problem now is figuring out how to find it."

"Kirby, did Daroach ever tell you how to enter his base?" Gooey asked the puffball.

"No. I never asked him because then his secret lair would no longer be a secret lair but just a lair,” Kirby answered innocently. Tiff repressed the urge of facepalming upon hearing his logic. 

"Honestly, I'm surprised how much you and Meta Knight trust Daroach despite him being a thief. Has he ever helped you in the past?" Tiff asked, curious.

"Yay. Daroach helped me in a very dangerous adventure in which I was very weak and vulnerable," he revealed. That made Tiff a little scared. The alternate Kirby seemed to be very strong, so what could have happened to make him feel that way? Sensing her interest, the puffball began to tell: "It all started when this big, bad, evil, almost-godlike wizard from a dark dimension divided my body into ten tiny versions of myself in an almost successful attempt to kill me..."

"A WHAT FROM WHERE DID WHAT TO YOU?!"

Tiff's horrified scream cut Kirby's story short. Immediately, just by imagining that something so terrible could happen to her Kirby, Tiff's strength left her. She collapsed onto the ground, nearly passing out.

"Tiff! Are you okay? her companions asked in unison.

"Yes, don't worry," Tiff replied, her voice trembling. "Give me a moment to recover..." she added as she half-rose from the ground, resting her arms on it but not fully getting up.

"Kirby, I've told you many times that you shouldn't talk so lightly about your near-death experiences with people who aren't used to dealing with that kind of stuff," Bandana Waddle Dee reprimanded the puffball.

"But it wasn't that bad. We've been in worse situations," Kirby said.

"... What kind of crazy dimension have I ended up in?" Tiff mumbled.

Tiff stayed in that position until she felt her strength coming back. As she finally got up from the ground, she noticed that there was something odd in the landscape.

"Is it me, or does the ground in this particular area look different?"

Sure enough, the ground just in front of her had a lighter color. Furthermore, that "discoloured" area formed a perfect square. It didn't take a brainiac to figure out that there was something hiding there.

Tiff walked over to the area that had caught her eye and stamped her foot hard on it. The first thing her brain registered was that it made a metallic sound when she hit it. The second thing was a strange noise, like a metallic door opening. The third...

... that she was sliding at great speed through a dark tunnel.

Under any other circumstances, something like that would be fun. But Tiff wasn't at an amusement park; she was at a thief's secret lair. What if she had activated some sort of anti-intruder trap and the slide ended in a wall, a cliff, spikes, or something equally deadly? Tiff began to try to slow down her fall through the slider but was unsuccessful. 

"Calm down, Tiff. Remember what Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee said: Daroach and his gang try to avoid harming others. They can't have a death trap in their secret base," she reminded herself. She could hear the others behind her, though their screams were joyful. "At least they are having fun."

In the end, Tiff's unfounded fears didn't come true. The slide did not end in a death trap but rather on a soft floor that slowed her down. Tiff sighed in relief when she finally stopped. The others soon caught up with her, or rather, landed on top of her. Fortunately, the combined weight of the three was still quite light, so no injuries resulted.

"Can we do it again?" Gooey, who had ended up on top of the pile, asked as he hopped happily, seemingly unaware of the others being underneath him. 

"I would prefer not to. Also, can you three get off of me, please?" Tiff requested her companions, slightly irritated. They apologised and moved away, with Bandana helping Tiff get up off the ground.

Tiff then decided to take a look around. The slide ended in an underground facility where various crates, some containers, and a few aeroplane parts could be seen. Tiff figured they were in some sort of storage area.

"So Daroach's secret lair was underground all this time. I wonder if Meta Knight was aware of this or if he only knew the approximate location," Bandana Waddle Dee pondered. "I think if he had known about it, he would have told us to save us trouble, but maybe he just forgot..." he continued, overthinking the situation.

"Anyway, now that we found it, the secret lair is no longer secret," Gooey stated.

"Oh no, you are right! We ruined it, poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, alarmed.

At that moment, a mechanical door opened in front of them. Through it emerged a being similar to a grey mouse. He was taller than Tiff and her companions and wore an elegant red cape with a matching top hat. Though she hadn't imagined him looking like that, Tiff was convinced that the newcomer was Daroach.

And if there was any doubt, his first words, said in a very polite tone, were enough to put an end to it.

"Welcome to my lair, dear guests."

Chapter Text

Tiff's first impression of Daroach was not as negative as she had anticipated. The mouse's gentlemanly demeanour reminded her of the phantom thieves she had read about in certain novels. Tiff couldn't help but wonder if, just like those thieves, Daroach would also have a great detective as a rival.

After introducing himself to Tiff, the mouse proceeded to guide her and her companions through his lair. It wasn't the most welcoming of places, as it was cold and a bit dark, but Tiff supposed it was an ideal environment for rodents.

"I'm glad to see that you guys are okay. Did you have a safe trip?" Daroach said while they crossed a bridge over a hangar. Lying there, Tiff noticed an airship that was being cleaned by green, yellow, blue, and red mouse-eared critters.

"Yes, but it took us some time to find this place. If Tiff hadn't found the trapdoor, we would still be searching for it," Bandana Waddle Dee replied.

"Hey, how come you guys built a slide?" Gooey inquired. "Are you planning to turn this place into an amusement park to compete with Magolor?"

"Ah, that was Spinny's idea," Daroach answered. "He said it was a good way to get into the base quickly and even get the goods directly into the warehouse, so we decided to give it a chance. What do you think?"

"I give it a 10, poyo. It was so much fun!" Kirby exclaimed. Gooey nodded in agreement.

"I find it quite impractical," Tiff argued. Unlike the rest of her companions, she had not enjoyed the slide ride at all. "Delicate supplies and items could break."

"Doc thought the same. I think you two would get along," Daroach chuckled. "Actually, we should have opened the trapdoor when we saw you guys on the cameras, but Tuff thought it would be more fun to give you a little scare."

"Of course, that was Tuff's doing," Tiff grumbled. "Is he okay?" she asked the mouse, her concern overpowering her annoyance.

"He's fine, and he's waiting for you in his room," Daroach answered. "As for his condition, he was quite weak and in pain when we found him, and he has slept for about eleven hours tonight. I don't know how you two ended up in our dimension, but it looks like it was an exhausting experience," he concluded thoughtfully.

Tiff didn't reply. She had given up trying to remember what had happened for the moment. She had attempted it as soon as she woke up, thinking that, after having one of the nicest rests of her life, it would've been easy, but the results were a headache and a dreadful feeling in her stomach. They didn't last long, but they had been unpleasant enough to discourage her. She'd been told that she shouldn't force herself to remember and that her lost memories would eventually return, but still, she couldn't help being upset. Especially since she felt like she had forgotten something very important. Maybe even more important than how she and the others had arrived at the alternate Dream Land.

"And here we are," Daroach announced as he stopped in front of a door. For some unknown reason, Bandana Waddle shivered when the mouse said those words. "Are you okay, buddy?"

"Yeah, it was nothing. Is it me, or is it quite chilly around here?" the Waddle Dee replied. Kirby patted him on the back.

"Mmm, maybe we set the air conditioning cooling too high," Daroach pondered. "I'll tell Doc to raise the temperature a bit." Then he knocked on the door and said, "Tuff, our guests have arrived; can we come in?"

"Sure."

When Tiff heard Tuff's voice, her heart skipped a beat. Even though she knew her brother was inside, she hadn't completely believed it until that moment.

Tiff entered the room, eager to reunite with her brother. It was a small but cosy space, with a bed, a (probably empty) wardrobe and a desk next to which Tuff was standing.

“Tuff!” Tiff exclaimed, running towards her brother. “Thank goodness you're safe!" she added as she hugged him.

Tuff didn't return the hug, causing Tiff to let go of him. Her brother's reaction was oddly silent, and he seemed distant, staring at her in an odd way. What was wrong with him? She had expected him to, at least, complain about the sudden and effusive gesture of affection.

"Well, I think we should leave," Daroach said to Kirby, Gooey and Bandana Waddle Dee. He had noticed the strained atmosphere that had formed between the two siblings. “We will wait for you in the dining room,” he told Tiff.

"But I wanted to meet Tiff's brother," Kirby complained.

"I think it would be better to leave them alone so they can talk calmly,” Daroach said. “Also, Storo has prepared a strawberry cheesecake that looks delicious."

"We'll be waiting for you in the dining room!” Kirby said goodbye to the siblings as he ran out.

"Wait, don't leave me behind! I want cake too!" Gooey exclaimed as he jumped after the puffball.

Daroach chuckled as Bandana moaned in frustration. They then proceeded to follow Kirby and Gooey, probably to make sure the two gluttons didn't get lost or cause any trouble, leaving Tiff and Tuff alone.

"Tuff, is something wrong?" Tiff asked him rather abruptly. "You're acting very strange."

"Excuse me, but who are you supposed to be?"

Tiff's heart sank when he said those words.

"Have you... forgotten about me? It's me, Tiff, your sister, " she said, her voice cracking. Tuff shook his head. "It can't be. Did the exposure to dark energy affect you so much that you've lost all your memories? This is horrible..."

Tiff felt like she was about to burst into tears, but then Tuff started laughing. In mere milliseconds, fear and grief turned to confusion, confusion to discovery, and discovery to anger. Tiff grasped her brother's shoulders with a quick movement.

"You... how dare you pull such a cruel prank?! I thought you'd actually lost your memory, you dummy!" Tiff yelled at her brother. Tiff then released him, Tuff softly falling onto the bed.

"You should have seen your face," Tuff said, laughing. Then he noticed his sister's distress and sat up before apologizing. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to give you a little scare so you could see I'm the same Tuff as always. I didn't know it was going to affect you so badly..."

"You couldn't have picked a worse time for a distasteful amnesia joke, Tuff," Tiff reprimanded him, crossing her arms in anger. "We are in another dimension with no idea how we got there or how we can get back. Everybody that came from our world, including me, has lost a part of their memory, and then you go and do this!" she ranted.

"Wait, we aren't the only ones?" Tuff cut her off. "Who else has ended up in this dimension?"

"From what this world's Kirby friends and I have figured out, there should be no more than six people, including myself. So far, we've only found you, Dedede, and Escargoon."

"Escargoon and Dedede are also here... What a bummer," Tuff complained.

"And I got the feeling that Kirby, our Kirby, is here."

"So, you don't know anything about him?" Tuff inquired. Although she couldn't see it because of his bang, Tiff could tell by his tone of voice that his gaze was filled with concern.

"Nothing at the moment," Tiff said, sighing longingly as she sat on the bed. Even though they had only been separated for twenty-four hours, she missed Kirby deeply. "But I have a feeling he's doing well. I'm not sure why; it's almost as if the Warp Star is telling me he's fine," she added, placing her hand on the hidden Warp Star pendant. "In any case, I hope we can find him soon. He must be so confused and lonely..."

"I hope he won't cause a mess by accident. He could get this dimension's Kirby in trouble, and he seems pretty nice," Tuff stated.

"Oh, so you noticed he wasn't our Kirby?"

"Well, Daroach had already told me about him. It wasn't very difficult to notice that he's different either: he's bigger, his colour is a little brighter, and he talks."

"When I met him, I thought I was dreaming," Tiff commented, recalling her reaction to the photographs and Kirby himself. It was difficult to believe that it had only been one day since she had awoken in the bed of that Dream Land's hero.

"I'm not surprised at all. This strange place, this bizarre situation... it all seems like a dream," Tuff remarked. "But the pain I felt when I woke up was real."

"What kind of pain was it?" Tiff inquired. Daroach's had told her that they had found his brother in pain, but the mouse hadn't given any details.

"My head ached like I had a fever, but my body hurt the most. Apparently, when the Squeaks examined me, they saw that I had taken a very bad hit and was lucky not to have broken anything," Tuff responded. Tiff was concerned by what he had just said but also glad that her brother hadn't come out worse from whatever had transpired.

She was unable to question Tuff about that because he continued explaining:

"The problem is that I don't remember getting hit at all, and it's not because I didn't try to. I couldn't do much more given the amount of time I spent in bed yesterday. At least I was able to explore Daroach's lair when I felt a little better. This place is awesome, and the Squeaks are very cool and nice. Storo's enormous size frightened me at first, but he's actually a very chill guy. And Doc even took the time to fix my slingshot!”

Tuff approached the desk and took the slingshot Iro gifted him for his birthday, much to their parents' discontent. Although Tuff had promised them that he would not make a bad use of the toy, he had taken a liking to using it to play pranks on Dedede. Tiff had scolded him several times because if the king ever caught him, he was going to get in big trouble. Even Meta Knight had warned him about it.

“Wait, when did it break?” Tiff asked. The last time she had seen the slingshot, it was in one piece.

"It was already broken when they found me. I've tried to recall how it happened, but it makes my head hurt.”

So Tuff was in the same boat as she was: unable to remember what had happened before they woke up in that world. It was highly likely that both of them had gone through the same ordeal. The exhaustion and pain, Tuff's broken toy, the hit he had received, the exposure to high amounts of dark energy... Were they attacked by something?

"Is something wrong, Tiff?" Tuff interrupted her thoughts.

"I was thinking about what could have happened to us before arriving here. As I said before, I'm also having trouble remembering what happened," she revealed. "And I have the feeling that it wasn't a good thing given what Magolor told us."

"Who?"

"I think I should tell you from the beginning."

Tiff proceeded to tell her brother everything that had happened the day before, beginning with the moment she woke up at Kirby's house. The existence of a grumpy Whispy perplexed him, but not as much as the battle between the two Dededes. Just as Tiff had predicted, Tuff lamented having missed such an event. She also shared with him Magolor's explanation about the portals and the dark energy that could be the cause of their temporary memory loss.

Lastly, Tiff recounted the encounter with the “glitched” Waddle Dees, prompting Tuff to ask a question that baffled her:

“Don't those Waddle Dees look like the monster that attacked us?"

"The what?" she asked. Could it be that, just like Dedede, her brother remembered something she didn't?

"The monster who attacked us back at our world. It happened shortly after it began to rain. That thing also looked like a corrupted old video game," Tuff said. He seemed confused by Tiff's reaction. "Don't you remember that part?" he asked. Tiff shook her head. "Well, you were furious because you thought Dedede had found a way to buy monsters again, and he had ruined the day Meta Knight was coming back from his mission," he tried to remind her.

Upon hearing that last sentence, something clicked in Tiff's head.

"That's it, Tuff! Meta Knight's mission!" Tiff's joyful exclamation startled her brother. "With yesterday's chaos, I didn't have time to even consider that it could be related to what is happening! I'm sure that if we find him, everything will make sense!"

"If you say so," Tuff commented, sounding unconvinced.

"Do you remember anything else? What happened to the monster?" Tiff asked, hoping to find more clues in her brother's testimony that could help her solve the mystery behind their interdimensional travel.

"It started chasing us. Because it was raining heavily, you thought it was very dangerous for Kirby to use the Warp Star without a proper plan, so we decided to retire to the castle, and... I can't recall what happened after that," Tuff said, sounding a bit frustrated at the end. “With so many things I don't remember, I'm starting to think that the hit actually gave me a bit of amnesia," he added, distraught. Then he sighed and said: "sorry sis, you were right. Losing your memory is something that shouldn't be joked about."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it," Tiff reassured him. "Do you at least remember how the monster looked aside from the 'glitch' effect?"

"Oh, yes. It was almost identical to that cloud-shaped monster that Dedede once rented, the one that attacked with thunderbolts. Was its name Kracko? It happened so long ago...”

"Did you say Kracko?!"

No matter how much time passed, Tiff would never forget the day Kirby fought Kracko. The aggressive cyclop cloud had attacked them by controlling a storm, relentlessly pursuing them in order to destroy the infant Star Warrior, and she and Kirby had been split up during their escape. Meta Knight had then disclosed to Tiff how Dedede obtained the monsters, the history of the Star Warriors, and the true nature of NME and its leader, as well as the reasons why the knight was "serving" Dream Land's immature King. The biggest reveal, though, had been the importance of Kirby's Warp Star and Tiff's role in the development and growth of the young Star Warrior.

Until Kirby grew up, it would be her responsibility to protect and summon the Warp Star, but what would happen when he no longer needed her? Will he leave her behind to go on his own adventures? And if she decided to accompany him, wouldn't she become a burden?

While those troubling ideas had been plaguing her mind for some time, meeting that dimension's Kirby and witnessing how independent and powerful he was, despite the fact that he was still a kid, had only intensified them. "What kind of future awaits us if Kirby is fated to face ever-increasing dangers? Will we end up... taking separate ways?"

"Weird Dream Land calling Tiff," Tuff's voice jolted her out of her reverie. "You seem upset; are you okay?" her brother asked, concerned.

"Yes," Tiff half lied, swallowing and concealing her anguish. "I was thinking about the day the original Kracko attacked us. It's understandable that we had to flee; it was already difficult for Kirby to defeat him in a dry storm... But now I can't stop wondering what those things were," she continued talking, choosing to focus on the present. "I mean, this world's Dedede claimed that those 'Waddle Dees' were not such and that they were only mimicking his subjects looks, though he could be wrong. If, as you said, that Kracko was similar to them, it's quite likely that they share the same origin. Maybe they're tied to how we got here."

“I think we should share this with this dimension's Kirby and his friends,” Tuff suggested.

“You are right,” Tiff agreed. “We should mention Meta Knight's mission too. I believe that it's too much of a coincidence that something like this happens on the day he came back.”

“I guess you got a point,” Tuff conceded.

After making their decision, the two siblings left Tuff's room. Tuff then led Tiff to the dining room. They were not surprised to find Kirby and Gooey eating while the former chatted animatedly with Daroach and Bandana Waddle Dee drank apple juice. Tiff could see more peculiar-looking rodents on another table. Tuff soon informed her that they were Storo, Spinny, and Doc. The rodents were playing cards while wagering on what seemed to be crystal gems. Given the number of rewards on his side, it looked like Spinny was winning.

"So, Daroach, how have you guys been?" Tiff heard Kirby ask.

"We've been fine. We've been going from one place to another in our airship, which is still better than the Halberd, looking for treasures and doing some errands," the mouse replied. "Is it true that portals to a new world opened a couple of months ago? We were on another planet when the incident happened."

"Yes, it was quite an odyssey," Kirby replied. "But we returned safely, and on top of that, we made new friends!"

"I see. That 'Forgotten Land' must be full of abandoned treasures begging to be rescued," Daroach said, with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Rescued or stolen?" Bandana Waddle Dee questioned the mouse, his eyes reflecting distrust.

"Can it be called stealing if their owners disappeared a long time ago?" Daroach argued.

It was then that Kirby noticed Tiff and Tuff, thus cutting short a possible discussion about the morality of “collecting” objects that lost civilisations had left behind.

"Ah, Tiff and Tuff! Hiiiii, poyo!" the pink puffball greeted them. "We've saved you some cake!"

"It took a lot of willpower not to eat it all," Gooey remarked.

Tiff and Tuff sat at the table, and Daroach handed them each a piece of cake.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced," Kirby said to Tuff. "I'm this dimension's Kirby! And these are my best friends, Gooey and Bandee," he added, pointing to those in question, who smiled at Tuff.

"Nice to meet you all," Tuff said. "I hope my sister hasn't given you a headache with her smarty talk," he laughed.

"Tuuuff! Now is not the time for your teasing," Tiff scolded her brother, both embarrassed and a bit upset. "We have something important to share with you," she told the rest.

The residents of that Dream Land turned silent, the joyful spirit that once reigned in the dining room being replaced by concern.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. We think we found a couple of clues about what's going on," Tiff calmed them before she and her brother began to share what they discovered from their previous conversation.

Tuff first told them about the glitched Kracko's attack; however, to keep the story brief, he didn't think it was important to reveal the monster's identity. He just said that it had taken the form of a monster that his Kirby defeated in the past.

"So you think those things could have followed you from your world?" Banda Waddle Dee was curious.

"It's a possibility, but I can't confirm it. At least we now know they first appeared in our dimension," Tiff replied. "There's something else, too, and it has to do with our Meta Knight."

"Meta Knight always gets involved in everything, regardless of the universe," Daroach grumbled. That comment, plus the previous one regarding the Halberd, made it apparent that there was some rivalry between those two, despite the fact that they were allies. This phantom thief's rival wasn't a detective in the end, but a meddlesome knight. "I'm sorry for the interruption. Please continue," the mouse apologised as he noticed the others looking at him reproachfully.

Tiff and Tuff exchanged glances before resuming their story.

The week before the glitched monster's attack, the siblings had come across their dimension's Meta Knight, along with Sword and Blade, in the garden. The knight was carrying some luggage while his assistants were dragging an Air Ride machine. Fearing that Dedede had fired him and forced the knight to leave the castle, the children raced up to beg him to stay.

"Don't be afraid. I'm only leaving for a few days. The GSA has assigned me a mission," Meta Knight assured them. "Blade and Sword will assist you with everything you need in my absence," he added, his two apprentices nodding.

"Aren't you two going with him?" Tiff asked the duo, surprised. Normally, Blade and Sword followed their master wherever he went.

Blade responded something in his almost impossible-to-decipher accent, but Tiff was miraculously able to understand that he was saying something like “we would have liked to go, but someone has to watch over Dedede.” Sword, meanwhile, was fine-tuning the Air Ride machine.

"I'm surprised Dedede let you go," Tuff remarked.

"I had to exchange seven years' worth of vacation days to convince him," Meta Knight disclosed, making no effort to hide his frustration.

"No way! He was lucky that the GSA didn't punish him despite his involvement with NME, and yet he continues to cause problems for you and them," Tiff exclaimed indignantly.

"I know, but I don't want to lose my position here, so I had to comply," Meta Knight replied. "And it's not like working for His Majesty requires much effort in the first place. Besides, the mission is way more important than a few days off."

"But where are you going? To a different planet? How long exactly is 'a few days'?" Tiff enquired.

“My mission is in Floralia, so there is no need for me to leave Pop Star. If something happens here, I should be able to come back quickly. As for how long I'll be there, I should be back in a week at most."

"Only a week? Why?" Tuff asked, curious. He had thought that GSA's missions would take longer.

"Because Dedede said to him 'you better be back in seven days or you and your minions are fired!'” Sword explained, making a bad imitation of the king's voice. Meta Knight sighed dejectely.

"So you are going to Floralia.... I remember reading about it in a book that Professor Curio gave me," Tiff commented, very interested in the knight's destination.

“What is that place?” Tuff asked.

"It's a land of floating islands located in the atmosphere of Pop Star. According to the book, it is inhabited by flower fairies and other insect-looking species, and some are capable of doing magic!" Tiff explained. “But I thought that land was nothing more than a legend,” she added, sceptically.

"Floralia does exist, but its magical nature keeps it hidden from the rest of the planet and thus the universe," Meta Knight stated. "There are only two ways to get there. One is that the sky people gather their dreams and hopes into a seed that will grow into a massive vine, connecting Floralia to the surface. The other is being allowed passage by a member of the royal family.

"And why did Floralia contact the GSA? It must be something big if they need the help of a Star Warrior," Tuff said.

From the green colour of his eyes, Meta Knight seemed to be debating with himself about what he was going to tell. His eyes returned to their usual colour when he finally decided to satisfy the children's curiosity.

"During the war against eNeMeE forces, the GSA maintained a secret alliance with Floralia's royal family. Although they did not actively engage in battle, they supplied us with a wide variety of medicinal plants from which we were able to create medicines and even antidotes against the poisonous monsters of eNeMeE. They were highly valuable allies until our downfall, so now that we are operative again, it's only fair that we repay them when they ask for our aid."

"But what happened to Floralia after the GSA fell? Did eNeMeE ever find out they were your allies?" Tiff asked with a trembling voice, fearing the worst. She doubted that someone as ruthless as eNeMeE would not retaliate against a kingdom that had collaborated with his enemies. Tiff was hoping that the next thing Meta Knight said was “luckily, NME never found out that Floralia helped us.”

Those hopes, however, were completely crushed.

"The last thing I heard about Floralia was that NME had devastated and taken control of the Sky Islands. It occurred sometime after the GSA's demise. Apparently, a traitor among the royal family agreed to collaborate with eNeMeE, revealing the connections between the kingdom and the Star Warriors and promising NME access to Floralia's resources. In exchange, the traitor sought assistance in unrightfully claiming the throne. eNeMeE, however, had no intention of making the traitor the ruler of Floralia; therefore, once the invasion was over, he and his people got rid of that person."

Tiff shuddered. She was always distressed whenever she heard stories about the war between eNeMeE and the Star Warriors, but she would never have imagined that something like that would have happened on her own planet, so close to her home.

"Once Kirby defeated eNeMeE, the Resistance against the invaders managed to retake their lands in a matter of weeks," Meta Knight concluded, giving the story a bittersweet ending. It was evident that the people of Floralia would never be able to recover everything they had lost, but at least they had been liberated from the clutches of Nightmare Enterprises. "Shortly after, their leader managed to contact Sir Arthur and told him everything. They've been working on rebuilding their home for the past few months."

"Oh, so you're going there to help them with the rebuilding efforts?" Tiff assumed.

Following eNeMeE's defeat, the few surviving Star Warriors and GSA members, along with their two newest recruits Sirica and Knuckle joe Joe, dedicated themselves to carrying out reconstruction projects in areas that had suffered under the tyrant's oppression, as well as driving the villain's weakened allies from the lands they had seized. Because there were so few of them, the task was taking a long time, but they had been successful so far, and light and hope were slowly but steadily returning to the galaxy.

"Not exactly," Meta Knight denied. "Apparently, during the reconstruction, they found something they were unable to identify. There is a risk of it being an abandoned Nightmare Enterprises experiment, so the leader of the Resistance has requested our help to discover the true nature of that thing. The other members of the GSA are busy, so since I was already on this planet, the responsibility has fallen on me."

"But how will you get there? Didn't you say that only a member of the royal family could grant you access? Because, to be honest, the seed thing sounds like a tale for babies," Tuff said.

"I know! There must be at least one member of the royal family among the Resistance," Tiff guessed.

"In fact, the leader of the Resistance was once the legitimate heir to the throne. She has, however, expressly instructed that we not treat her with royal courtesy. It seems that, after seeing her kingdom destroyed, she has rejected the crown," Meta Knight declared in a sorrowful tone that lowered Tiff's spirits. Tiff had imagined the leader of the Resistance as a heroine who rose above adversity to reclaim her title, but given what Meta Knight had just told them, it was highly likely that the story of Floralia's former princess was not a heroic tale but a tragedy.

"Sir, everything is ready," Sword suddenly announced.

"Thank you for your help, Sword," thanked Meta Knight as he approached the machine. "Well, it's time to leave. The sooner I go, the sooner I'll return."

"Wait. You're not going to say goodbye to Kirby before leaving?” Tiff asked him with an accusatory tone. "He's going to worry."

"I was planning to stop by his house and give him a brief explanation before leaving," Meta Knight responded in a conciliatory tone as he hopped on the machine. "I had also written a letter for you three in case I left before any of you awoke. I may be cryptic and even 'extreme' in my teaching methods, but I am not so insensitive as to leave you three in the dark about where I am going." Once he finished saying that, the Air Ride machine began to float. "Take care, you two. And Tuff, be more cautious with that slingshot. Dedede is starting to suspect that, instead of a ghost, you are the one behind the mysterious paper balls that hit him in the back of his head."

“I thought he would never notice,” Tuff lamented.

"Take care of yourself too, Meta Knight," Tiff girl requested.

"I have faith in you, Sword and Blade. I'll see you all soon; goodbye," the Star Warrior said before he flew away in the Air Ride machine, his cape waving in the wind as his apprentices and the two children watched his silhouette fade into the distance.

And so, Tiff and Tuff concluded their story. Although neither of them could recall the exact moment they were reunited with Meta Knight, they knew, thanks to Dedede, that the knight had kept his word and had come back a week later. But the circumstances surrounding his return remained a mystery.

Tiff looked at the residents of the alternative Dream Land. Except for Gooey, everyone had a thoughtful expression on their face.

"Floralia..." Tiff overheard the alternate Kirby mutter, a troubled expression on his face.

"What's wrong, Kirby? Does that kingdom exist in this dimension as well? Have you been there before?" Tiff enquired, intrigued by the puffball's unusual behaviour.

"Yeah. I was there on one of my adventures," he said glumly.

"Why is he so upset? Did something bad happen in this dimension's Floralia, and Kirby got involved?" Tiff pondered, but she didn't dare to ask.

"So you say that Meta Knight was going to meet with the survivor of the royal family of Floralia, the one who would have become queen?" Bandana Waddle Dee questioned, a little nervous. Tiff nodded in confirmation.

"Does that mean that Sectonia is still alive in your dimension?" Kirby asked in a sorrowful tone that made her heart ache.

Sectonia? Tiff... had heard that name before. Some words echoed in the girl's mind:

“Nice to meet you. My name is Sectonia, and I will protect you both during the mission. Also, sorry for taking Meta Knight away for a few days. I hope his absence didn't cause any inconvenience.”

Tiff's mind began to rush at that moment. When did that conversation take place? Given the time frame, it was very likely that Sectonia was the mysterious seventh person Dedede had mentioned. She had stated that she had "taken Meta Knight away for a few days," meaning that she was the leader of Floralia's Resistance, but why would someone so important to that land accompany Meta Knight back to Dream Land? Besides, what was that about protecting her during the mission? What mission?! And why had the alternate Kirby asked if she was still alive?

Tiff had no idea what was going on. She thought he'd found a piece of the puzzle, but she'd stumbled into an even bigger enigma. What was the goal of that mission? Was it related to Meta Knight's? Could it be connected somehow with those "glitched" monsters? Had they ended up in that alternate universe as part of the mission, or had it been an accident?

If Tiff had been worried about what she couldn't remember before, she was now terrified.

"Tiff, you need to calm down. Take a deep breath," she heard Daroach's soft voice say.

Tiff then noticed that she was hyperventilating due to all of those thoughts abruptly invading her mind. The rest of the group, including Daroach's gang, were looking at her with worry. The girl did as Daroach instructed until she calmed down.

"I remembered something," she said slowly after regaining her composure. "The name of the seventh person my Dedede mentioned yesterday is Sectonia."

A dead silence fell over the dining room until Gooey broke it by saying:

"Hey, the Sectonia Tiff is talking about isn't the same tyrannical bug queen Kirby had to kill, right?"

Kirby's face darkened when he heard that.

"Gooey! Could you please be a little more sensitive when we talk about this topic?" Bandana Waddle Dee scolded the blob.

"I'm sorry," the blob said, apologising for blurting out that comment without thinking.

Tiff and Tuff stared at Kirby, who still had that painful expression. "Gooey called her tyrannical. I guess she had to be a villain as bad as Nightmare; otherwise, I doubt Kirby would have finished her off,” Tiff deduced. “Does this mean that she is actually evil, or could this be just another of the weird differences between this and my world?”

"It's okay. I'm fine," the pink puffball assured the rest, trying to smile. 

"Kirby, remember that..." Bandana Waddle Dee began to say.

“I know, Bandee. I know," he interrupted his friend. "I just can't help but feel sad when I think about her.”

Suddenly, the lair's lights began to flicker. Tiff once more felt cornered while the rest, except Gooey, were on alert.

"Something's wrong," Daroach said as he observed the blinking lights. "Doc, can you check if we're running out of power?" he asked his crewmate, who shook his head after pulling out and studying a pad. "This is definitely not normal..."

Suddenly, the small, brightly coloured, mouse-like animals that Tiff had seen before dashed into the dining room.

"What's wrong, little ones?" Daroach asked the newcomers. The tiny mice responded with squeaks. "What? An intruder? Hand me the pad, Doc; I need to check the cameras."

Doc floated on his UFO to Daroach and handed him his pad. Everyone gathered around the thief to watch the cameras with him. Kirby and Gooey leaped onto Storo's shoulders; Tiff and Tuff, for their part, leaned over the right side, and Bandana and Spinny leaned to the left. The camera feed flickered continuously, and when the image didn't contain a lot of visual noise, it only showed static. Daroach kept changing the active camera in annoyance until one got his attention. There was a strange, semi-distorted figure pictured on it.

Suddenly, the figure turned towards the camera, as if it knew it was being observed.

"What in Shiver Star?!" Daroach exclaimed. He was unable to hide his shock.

Because, even if its colours were different, the semi-distorted figure staring back at the group through the camera was Daroach himself.

Chapter Text

In the blink of an eye, Daroach's strange copy teleported to the dining room, taking everyone there by surprise. Kirby and the others moved away from the creature and took a defensive stance, waiting for it to make a move. Upon exchanging glances with his friend's clone, Kirby knew he was the target this time, and, unlike when the shadowy Waddle Dees had tried to capture Tiff, he wasn't wanted alive. He could feel the creature's hatred. It wanted to destroy him.

It wasn't a new feeling. Kirby had previously been the object of severe hatred from evil beings. Kirby would rather make friends than enemies, but he had learnt the hard way that he couldn't befriend beings so consumed by hatred or that were simply heartless in the most literal sense. The Daroach's copy standing in front of him was just another entry on a list he wished didn't exist.

Besides, he should stop calling that thing "Daroach's copy" when it was actually copying Dark Daroach.

Before the battle began, Kirby had to find a way to quickly get Tiff and Tuff to safety. Things could get very ugly when fighting the kind of enemy they were about to face, and the last thing Kirby wanted was for his two new friends to get hurt. Also, he couldn't allow something bad to happen to people who were so precious to him in another universe. Kirby was sure that the other Kirby would also protect his friends had their roles been reversed, even if he was still a baby.

It seemed like Daroach had the same idea regarding Tiff and Tuff, as he looked at the puffball and nodded before ordering his subordinates:

“Storo, Doc, Spinny! Take the kids away!”

The Squeaks obeyed without second thoughts. Storo grabbed Tiff and Tuff in his huge arms before fleeing the dining room flanked by Spinny, Doc and the group of Squeakers that had alerted them of the intruder. Kirby could hear the kids complaining and yelling that they wanted to help, but they had no idea how dangerous the situation actually was. According to what Tiff had told he and the others, she and her Kirby had never directly fought against someone possessed by a being made of darkness and negative energy.

Perhaps a different kind of hero, one more interested in his own universe's ancient history, intricacies, and enigmas, would have noticed that Dark Nebula was very similar to Dark Matter and proceeded to investigate if they were somehow related. But Kirby didn't care about those things, and ancient history straight up bored him. In his first encounter with Dark Nebula, he was focused solely on three things: cleaning up the mess that could have been avoided if he had listened to Meta Knight, and thus he considered it to be partly his fault; protecting Dream Land from the threat he had inadvertently helped to set free, and recovering his stolen cake.

Back to the current situation, the Squeaks weren't the only ones who had made a move. Daroach's scream had caught the attention of the enemy, who pounced on the mouse with the same hatred it felt towards Kirby. Due to the impact, the thief ended up on the ground. The Triple Star staffs of Daroach and his copy collided with each other, both mice engaging in a struggle that Kirby soon ended by kicking the copy off his friend.

"This thing is just like those Waddle Dees and the monster you guys and the kids talked about, am I right?" Daroach asked as he stood up, using the Triple Star as support. Kirby nodded. "Why does this one look like my dark version?"

"No idea, poyo. But I think it's after us two," Kirby responded.

"In that case, I think you will need this more than me."

Daroach then took out an Ice Ability Copy Essence from his cloak. Kirby didn't even ask why the thief had something like that stored (probably because it sparkled, and it was no secret that Daroach loved shiny things as much as Meta Knight loved desserts). He simply thanked the mouse before touching the essence, a crown of ice appearing above his head upon activating the ability.

Dark Daroach's copy gave Kirby and Daroach no more time for planning. After recovering, it began to float in the air and fired a bomb at them. The bomb never reached its target, however, since Gooey grabbed it with his tongue and launched it back to its owner. The explosion stunned the creature for an instant that was not wasted. With a loud "wanya," Bandee charged at the enemy with his spear.

Kirby wasn't going to let his friends fight alone, so he immediately joined the battle. He skated towards the copy of Dark Daroach and began attacking him with his ice breath. Although he did not manage to completely freeze it, the being's movements became slower, making it easier to hit.

The copy, being overwhelmed by the flurry of spear blows, licks and Kirby's own ice breath, was forced to retreat to gain distance. It quickly wrapped itself in its cloak, floated away from them, and summoned more bombs. It was about to throw them when an ice beam hit it from behind. The creature fell to the ground, its bombs exploding far from any target.

"I don't know what you are, but I don't like that you appear as a reminder of one of the most embarrassing moments of my life," Daroach stated threateningly, pointing towards the enemy Triple Star in hand. "You have no chance of winning, so you should go back the way you came. I don't want to destroy someone who shares my face, but I will if you give me no choice."

Dark Daroach's copy rose up again and turned towards the other mouse, its eyes blazing with a hatred so intense that it disturbed Kirby. If the copy of Dark Nebula/Dark Daroach had the same memories as the one Kirby fought against, it would make sense that it hated him, but why did it hate Daroach too? The only thing the mouse had done against the original creature was “letting" Kirby borrow the Triple Star so he could finish it off. Maybe there was no reason behind that hatred? Kirby, whose only thing he valued above food was friendship (or was it the other way around?), couldn't help but find that upsetting.

Then, something unexpected happened. The copy's body began to convulse until Dark Nebula's black eye appeared in its belly, much like when Dark Matter had possessed Dedede for the second time. But that wasn't all; five elongated masses of pure darkness sprang from Dark Daroach's back, its body becoming inert, like a puppet, in the centre of what had become a disturbing star.

"Emmm, I don't remember much of the time I was possessed by that thing, but I have the feeling that nothing like this happened," Daroach said, stepping back cautiously.

"This is new!" Kirby confirmed.

Kirby looked at Gooey, who was staring at the transformed mouse intently but quietly. Kirby was about to ask him if he was okay, but then the creature curled its limbs in front of its torso and began to concentrate energy. It didn't require much intelligence to figure out that it was the charge part of one of those devastating attacks usually used by strong foes.

"Take cover!" Banda Waddle Dee yelled as he fled away from the beast, the others trailing behind him.

The creature unleashed the attack, and even if Kirby's group managed to avoid the worst part of the explosion, the shock wave hit them and caused the floor of the dining room to collapse under their feet, making them all fall.

- - -

The echo of an explosion resounding through the walls of the lair made the Squeaks stop in their tracks.

"Did that come from the dining room?!" Tuff exclaimed, putting into words what everyone was thinking.

Tiff, for her part, took advantage of the situation to finally get out of the arm of a now-frightened Storo. She then ran back to the dining room, Tuff instantly following her lead. They needed to make sure Kirby and the others were safe. Whether it was because they wanted to comply with the order to protect the children or because they were worried about their boss, the Squeaks went after them.

Back in the dining room, what greeted children and mice was a huge hole in place of the tables where mere moments ago they had been eating cake and casually talking. Such a drastic change would have overwhelmed Tiff if she wasn't used to the chaos of her home dimension, where even the most peaceful picnic could turn into a sudden battle against a monster, or a robot in the most recent times, in the least expected moment.

With caution, Tiff peeked into the hole. She could see flashing lights and hear battle cries from her position, showing that Kirby and the others were still alive and fighting that strange Daroach. They had fallen into the hangar they had passed earlier.

"We have to get down there and help them!" Tuff said. Tiff was eager to comply, but a thought stopped her in her tracks. If Kirby and the others were struggling against that creature, what could they two do? They had no plan, and their only direct fighting experience was the self-defence techniques Meta Knight had taught them back home. Maybe that lack of experience was why Kirby and Daroach had decided to keep her and her brother away from that battle.

And then there was that creature. Even if, like the fake Waddle Dees and the Kracko her brother had talked about, the strangely coloured Daroach was also a copy, it was clear that it was way more dangerous than a few Waddle Dees. It radiated an aura more sinister and terrifying than any monster Dedede had ever ordered in the past. The closest thing to it she had ever fought had been eNeMeE himself.

"Well, I didn't fight him. He had me captured, and it was up to Kirby to defeat him. I couldn't do much but encourage Kirby, and I doubt this dimension's one requires either my support or guidance."

Tiff took her "weapon" from her belt and examined it. That dimension's Meta Knight had carved a handle on it to make it more comfortable to use. Even so, she doubted that a tree branch would do much good against that thing. "As useless as I. If I went down there, I'd be nothing more than a hindrance..." Tiff thought, dejectedly putting the weapon back on her belt, a courtesy gift from Meta Knight so she could carry it more easily. Why was the knight wasting his time on someone as weak as her?

"Tiff? Is something wrong? You are acting weird," her brother asked, worried. He had noticed both her lack of initiative and her low spirits. Normally, she would have already planned something, and even if she hadn't, she would have rushed to help the others.

Her brother was right. Behaving in that defeatist manner was not like her. Tiff shook her head and slapped her cheeks twice to wake herself up. "Come on, Tiff, focus. Why are you letting yourself get carried away by negativity? You're not like this. I'm sure you can do something to help! Stop pitying yourself and think!" She scolded herself.

Tiff looked down the hole once more. Those copycat creatures, whatever they were, had an interest in her. If they were only after the Warp Star, the "non-Waddle Dees" could have used force (what little they had) to take it, but they had avoided harming her at all times, even leaving their weapons behind when they tried to capture her.

"I don't know why, but it seems that whatever is commanding these creatures needs me alive," Tiff thought to herself. "In that case, it wouldn't be too farfetched to think that the copy of Daroach also has orders not to harm me..."

And that was something she could use to turn the tables on the fight below. It was a dangerous bet, since if she was wrong and the "not-Daroach" did not follow the same plans as the "not-Waddle Dees," she would be putting her life in serious peril. Still, she couldn't stand by while Kirby was in danger. Even if that version of his adoptive brother didn't need her, that didn't change her desire to protect him. And, of course, that wish extended to everyone she had met in that dimension. If she could do the smallest thing to help them, even if it was risky, she couldn't sit still. Not when the other option was to allow that negativity to keep gnawing at her insides.

With her decision made, Tiff ran out of the dining hall towards the hangar, ignoring both Tuff's alarmed call and the confused Squeaks. She was going to help Kirby and the others, no matter what.

- - -

Daroach had been in better circumstances.

He'd avoided the worst fall thanks to the Triple Star's power, but before he could even check if the others were safe, the copy had caught him by surprise using its 'arms.' It was now squeezing him tightly in a blatant attempt to crush him to death.

To be honest, it wasn't the best way to die. He had always envisioned a far more graceful finale to his life.

As he struggled to free himself, Daroach raised his head to look at who would be his executioner unless he somehow managed to escape in the last second or Kirby and his friends came to his rescue. After the transformation, the possessed body of the copy seemed to have fallen unconscious, but, to his surprise, it had reopened its eyes and was now looking at him with anger and... jealousy?

Daroach was no stranger to envy, even if he never allowed it to blind him or corrupt him. In the present, he didn't experience it often, but in the distant past, more difficult times before he met those who were now his gang, it was a feeling that had invaded him way too often. That was not a time he liked to remember, but thanks to it, he was able to recognise that emotion, unmistakably his, in the face of his possessed copy.

Daroach couldn't help but wonder: what exactly was that copy replicating? Him? Dark Nebula? A fusion of them both? He was even beginning to doubt if it was only a mere replica. The strange digital effect that enveloped the being's body, like a hologram that sometimes lost signal, pointed to an artificial origin, but the emotions emanating from it, while extremely negative, felt very real.

"What... who are you?" Daroach asked, his voice almost gone due to the pain.

He got no response. And not only because the creature did not seem to be able to communicate, but because in that instant, Kirby, Bandana Waddle Dee and Gooey, who had adopted his "other form," finally came to his rescue with a loud battle cry. Ice, spears, and small lasers descended on his captor, forcing it to release the mouse. Daroach fell face-first to the ground.

"Daroach! Are you okay, poyo?" a very worried Kirby asked as he ran towards Daroach while Gooey and Bandana kept attacking the copy.

"Yes," Daroach lied to not worry the child, relieved to have been freed from that creature. "That was way too close..." he added in his mind.

Kirby made a milkshake appear and handed it to him.

"Take this. It's not a Maxim Tomato, but it should cure you a little," the puffball said, seeing through his white lie. Kirby was supposed to be someone easy to trick, but he somehow always caught these kinds of lies.

In a better situation, Daroach would have returned the milkshake to Kirby, and they would have argued over who should use what was probably the only healing item the puffball carried. He didn't have the chance to do so, as one of the copy's 'limbs' grabbed Kirby. But, instead of squashing him, the creature chose to launch Kirby with force, sending him flying at high speed. Kirby lost his copy ability when he collided with Daroach's airship.

Freed from Gooey and Bandana's attacks, who had rushed to aid Kirby, the copy of Dark Nebula approached Daroach once more in a menacing way, something the mouse interpreted as a cue to drink the milkshake in one sip. The pain didn't go away completely, but he was able to move again just in time to avoid one of the creature's projectiles.

Daroach counterattacked by summoning an ice beam with his Triple Star, which the copy blocked with one of its 'arms.' The two exchanged several attacks that were either parried or dodged until two energy beams collided in the air, generating a shockwave that pushed them both back and raised a cloud of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, the mouse watched as Kirby, Gooey, and Bandana Waddle Dee tried to rejoin the fight. Once the replica of Dark Nebula saw Kirby, it seemed to consider whether to pounce on him or continue to focus on Daroach. The creature eventually chose to summon a fire wall in front of the three children. It then proceeded to magically push the fire at the trio, prompting them to retreat.

Daroach raised his weapon once more and attacked to claim his opponent's attention. The creature turned violently towards him and whacked him in the side using one of its shadowy “limbs” as a whip. Due to the impact, the Triple Star was launched into the air, and Daroach shrank in on himself due to the intense pain.

With the other three combatants still blocked by the fire, the creature once again loomed over Daroach, and in a new attempt to crush him, hurled its five limbs at the mouse. Daroach closed his eyes and covered himself as best he could, knowing that he wouldn't be able to avoid the attack...

...But it never reached him.

Daroach opened his eyes again, only to find Tiff, tree branch in hand, between him and the copy.

The copy had stopped its attack at the last moment. It was still glaring at Daroach, but with Tiff between the two, it didn't seem like it could advance even if it tried. The being looked frustrated as it tried to launch its attacks on Daroach, but its body stopped whenever it was about to hit Tiff.

"Thank goodness I was right about this..." he heard the girl say with relief as she took advantage of the enemy's peculiar "paralysis" to hit its limbs with her branch. She was panting heavily, indicating that she had to run to get there.

And she wasn't the only one who had arrived. Daroach heard fast footsteps behind him and turned to see Doc, Storo, Spinny, some Squeakers and Tuff had also come running to the hangar. Daroach didn't have time to ask what they were doing there since a high-pitched voice echoed from behind the copy, screaming:

"Leave my friends alone!"

Kirby sprinted towards Dark Nebula's copy, Triple Star in hand. It seemed like the puffball was able to grab the weapon while the creature was being distracted by Tiff. The hero gathered energy in the staff, leapt into the air, and struck the copy's body, generating a blinding flash of light.

After the flash, the creature's body began to convulse and glow. Daroach mustered what little strength he had left, grabbed Tiff, and rushed with her at the Squeaks to avoid the enemy's impending explosion. Those types of explosions weren't usually long-range or particularly powerful, but to prevent was always better than to cure. With his strength exhausted, the thief dropped onto Storo's arm just as the enemy exploded behind him.

Daroach turned around, still leaning on Storo, to see Kirby, Gooey, and Bandana Waddle Dee performing the puffball's iconic victory dance. He would have cheerfully joined in the celebration if he hadn't been on the verge of passing out. However, this enabled him to discover something the three children had missed: the copy was still there, apparently unconscious.

The digital-like visual effect still enveloped the copy's body, though it had returned to Daroach's original color. The thief gestured for Storo to bring him closer to it, and while the big mouse seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, he ultimately decided there was no risk and obeyed his boss.

Daroach and Storo were not the only ones who had come to see the strange mouse, because not only the Squeaks, Tiff and Tuff followed, but also Kirby, Gooey and Bandana were surrounding it now that their dance was over. Kirby was poking the creature, hoping to wake it up, with a troubled expression on his face.

The other mouse was gaunt. Daroach had heard of the parasitic effect that beings like Dark Nebula had on those they possessed, and from the looks of his copy, or whatever it actually was, it must have been under the control of “Dark Nebula” for a long, long time. The rest of the Squeaks were in shock at the sorry state of the mouse, while the children seemed quite concerned by its condition.

Suddenly, the other Daroach opened its eyes, and, in a movement both aggressive and urgent, grabbed him by the bell of his cloak to bring him closer. The rest were alarmed, and Storo was about to punch the copy in retaliation, believing that it intended to hurt his boss. Daroach, however, stopped the blue mouse with a gesture. He doubted the copy could hurt him in that state. In fact, it looked more like it wanted to tell him something.

However, the only thing that came out of his copy's lips was a bizarre noise, a mix of "static" from an old television and telephone interference. However, the rhythm of the noise was similar to that of a spoken phrase. The words were unintelligible, but they sounded like a reproach and a desperate plea at the same time.

“Ȩ̶̍u̷͓͒ả̴̞ ̷͖̈́n̶͔̆ğ̵̘j̴̈͜ ̴̤̍z̵̜̽n̸͇͆ķ̴͂ ̵̺͊a̶̤͂t̷̥̽j̸̟̽ḱ̷̼ẏ̸̝ḵ̴̐x̴̛̭b̷͕̍ḱ̵̜j̸̛̳ ̸͍̐r̸̬͘a̶̻̿i̶̢̾q̶̹͝ ̶͖͗ú̶̡ḽ̶͒ ̷͚̐q̸̪͛k̸͔̀ḱ̶̬ṿ̷́o̵̽͜t̷͚͗m̸̮̀ ̷̛̟z̸̘̈́n̷̪̔k̴̮̽s̸̛̼ ̵̝̚j̷̰́k̷̯̓ÿ̵̢́ṽ̶̫o̸̡͝z̴̙̕k̶͖̓ ̵̗͌ě̶͉u̷̖͐a̴̲͆x̵̠͗ ̷̜̔ȍ̴͜j̵̥̊ŏ̴̹ų̶́i̴̺͌ė̵͙.̷̗̎ ̸̳̇J̴͓̚ù̷͚t̴̳̍'̵̛̙z̴̠̈ ̴̑͜r̷̹͌u̸̼͒y̵̞͂k̵͎͝ ̸̡̾z̷̧̓n̵͇̈́k̴̺̎s̸̲̚,̷̢̉ ̶̧́r̸̭̉ö̷̮́q̴̟̄k̵̗̆ ̴͕̆Ó̸͜ ̴͖̕j̴̞͝o̶̜̿j̶̠͛.̶̪̄”

The other Daroach abruptly let go of him and lay back on the ground. Then, its body began to fade into square-like particles. The mouse sighed and turned to Kirby:

“S̸̙̏ḛ̷̈́ ̵͙̏h̵͕̾ù̷̳x̴̱̔x̴͈̐ũ̶̫č̷̺k̵̤̋j̵̟̋ ̶̻̾ẓ̷̓õ̸̲s̵̥̆k̷̪̾ ̸̼̓i̵͇͗ũ̴͔s̴̘͒k̶͓̚y̶̛̞ ̶̜͒z̷̜͒ụ̴̀ ̷̣͋ǵ̵͉t̸̐͜ ̵̢̾k̵̮̄t̶͈̚j̴͓͘.̷͔͛ ̵͚̽E̸̥̾u̴̫͊ạ̴̇'̴͖͆x̸̢̔k̵̟̂ ̸̙̅z̸͔̑u̸̮͘u̵͇̾ ̵̬̍r̸͉̆ḡ̴̹z̷̙͝k̶̙̎ ̷͉́u̸̬̚t̶̰́i̴͖͒k̶͔͗ ̸̩̅ĝ̷͍m̵̳̊g̶̟͂õ̴̬t̶͓̋,̶̈́͜ ̷̨̐ȟ̷̡ạ̵̾z̵̼̀ ̶̯̿z̴̢͑n̷̻͑g̴͖̅t̵̠̂q̷̰̂y̴͇͊ ̷̪͠ǧ̵̖ẗ̵͈e̶̞̓ć̸̭g̴̪͆e̸̼̊.̷̞́ ̶̝͗Ǵ̷̟ẑ̵̜ ̷͇̏r̸̬̎k̴̗̕g̴͓͋ÿ̷͇ź̸̫ ̴̭̐ź̵̠n̶͖̄ŏ̴̼y̶͕͊ ̶̢͗z̶̭̕o̶̲͝ś̴̹k̴͉̅ ̷̼̅O̷͕̚ ̷͉̂c̴̭̈o̵̞͌r̷̜͐ŕ̸̟ ̸̭̂“̷̣̎j̶̦̑o̸̫̅k̵̪̈”̵̪́ ̷̩̅ḥ̵͊k̵̢̏õ̴̰t̵̖͗m̵̻̄ ̶̥́s̶͉̽e̸̹̐ý̸͉k̵͔̉ŕ̸̖l̵͍̄.̸̨̾”

"I'm sorry," Kirby said. The others looked at him, perplexed, for they thought Kirby had understood the words. However, the puffball immediately clarified, "I didn't understand what he said, but I felt like I should apologise for not being able to help him."

Hearing that, the copy sadly smiled.

“Z̴̼͑n̷̪͐k̶͖͊ ̶͈̈́u̵̥̎t̶͓̊r̷̯̈ȅ̷̦ ̶͓̅u̸̹͌t̷̾͜k̴̟̀ ̸̯̊z̷̘͗ȗ̸͚ ̶̞̉h̷̰͂r̶̼̓ǵ̸͖s̸͚̕k̵̟͐ ̸̛̫n̸̻͂k̷͓͆x̷̭̆k̷̼̃ ̴̤̂o̵̳̒y̵̤͑ ̵̻̈́s̷̙͑ķ̴̕,” he muttered sadly as he glanced sideways at Daroach.

Half the copy's body had already dissolved, but it still had time to turn at Tiff and, in a rhythm that sounded similar to a warning, said:

Ŏ̵̱ ̸̥̃q̸̫̂t̷͎̊ú̶̬c̶̨̎ ̴͚̊e̸̻͊ų̵̑ą̵͗ ̷̜͒ì̴̥g̸̗̓ẗ̵̪́'̸͕̓z̶̡͠ ̷̗̑a̴̪̐ţ̵̽j̷̭͐k̵̘͒x̴̳̾y̷͚̎ẓ̴͆g̷͓͝t̶̠̉j̵̨̎ ̸̢̽s̷̢̒ķ̸̛,̵̼̐ ̶̪̀h̶̤̀a̵̬͂z̸̥͘ ̷̯̂O̴̥͛ ̵̱͛n̵̖͋ủ̴͇v̷̛̭k̴͇͐ ̷͔̈z̸͕͂n̴͕̄ô̷̩ÿ̸̯ ̷̙͐c̶̦͝g̷̞̈x̷̥̉t̵̗̏o̷͔̒ť̶̙m̴̱̑ ̷͓̎x̷͖̊k̴͓͑g̷͉̀i̴̹͐n̵͙̄k̶̳͑y̴͖̔ ̴͙͗è̷ͅȕ̸̩a̷̰͐ ̴̧̅y̶̪͝u̷̡͋s̵̫͆k̶̻͘n̵̼͝u̴͔̅ĉ̷͇.̶̙̋ ̴̬̕J̶̩͊ǘ̷ͅṭ̵͝'̵̙́ž̶͔ ̴̤͝r̴̝̿k̷̢͒z̴̳̃ ̵̜͐e̸̮̓u̵͉͒a̷̺͝x̴͙͑ ̶̻̓m̸̧͠a̸̖͘g̴̛̱x̸̗͌ĵ̴͜ ̸̮̌j̵͖̔u̶͍͘c̷̺͆ẗ̶͕;̶̦̚ ̶̧͛z̵̜̑n̴͓͛k̴̮͋ ̴̺̋ḫ̴͋k̴̟̂o̶̪͒t̸̼̕m̴̡̑ ̸̥̏ĥ̶̲k̶̜̑ṇ̴͊o̵͔̽t̷̰͌j̷̭̆ ̷̻͆z̶̰͋n̴̲̓o̸͖͌y̵͇̕ ̴̚͜c̸̥͒ù̵̟t̷̫̂'̴̟͛z̶̫̎ ̷̥̈y̸̫̾z̶̭̿ủ̴̞v̶̍͜ ̶͚̉à̷̤t̸̖̽ź̵̟o̴̩͊r̷̜͘ ̶̧̒z̸͔̚ṋ̷͂k̸̞̑e̷̻͐ ̸̲̎m̴̻͠k̴̲̒z̷͎͊ ̴̱́e̸͚̽u̴͕̾à̵̱.̶̳̄

With a final “M̵͉̄u̸̺͊u̴̗̎j̴̞̽h̶͖͑e̸̬̒k̴͎̈́”, the copy closed its eyes. As his copy's body finished vanishing, only one thought occupied Daroach's head:

“Had things gone wrong back then... could this have been my fate?”

Chapter Text

Taranza sighed in exhaustion. The journey to Dedede's castle had been long, a bit tense due to what had happened earlier between Toni and him, and even kind of chaotic since both spiders had to prevent baby Kirby from running away on his own and thus getting lost. The baby puffball, just like his older counterpart, was curious by nature, and, of course, everything about Dream Land sparked his attention and attracted him like a moth to light. Although this attitude was a bit problematic given the circumstances, Taranza couldn't help but find it endearing. He actually regretted not allowing the little one to explore freely.

But, on a brighter note, Taranza had to thank Lady Luck for cutting him some slack. Up until that point, they hadn't gotten into trouble with any of Dream Land's residents, nor had they encountered any of his acquaintances, which would have put him in an awkward position as he would have been forced to lie about his companions.

And, with that thought, just as if his life were a bad joke, Lady Luck decided to curse him by putting in his path the one person he least wanted to see.

Said person was walking, or rather "bouncing on a ball," in the opposite direction as them, which meant that an encounter would be unavoidable unless Taranza found a hiding spot in the next few seconds. Unfortunately, there wasn't even a single bush or tree big enough for the three of them. Not that it would have mattered, because the person had noticed him and was quickly approaching the group. Taranza gritted his teeth in anticipation...

"Hey, Kirby! Spider-Boy! Whatcha doing around here?"

...as Marx greeted them with a mischievous grin on his face.

Taranza looked at his companions. Toni had entered a state of alert similar to that of an animal ready to pounce on a perceived threat. The only thing she was missing was hissing at Marx as a warning. Taranza calmed her down with a gesture, and although Toni relaxed her posture, she didn't lower her guard. The baby Kirby, for his part, watched Marx hop around, his eyes following the jester's bounces with fascination.

"Hello, Marx," Taranza greeted back, forcing himself to smile once the jester reached them. Why him of all the people in Pop Star? "I would love to stay and chat, but we are in a hurry: we have an audience with King Dedede, and it would be very impolite to be late," he added as he tried to slip away.

"Old Dedede isn't going to kick the bucket for having to wait a few minutes more," Marx replied with disdain. The jester then paused and looked at the baby puffball. "Hey, what's wrong with Kirby? He looks smaller, and his colours are off..."

"Poyo?" said baby Kirby, tilting his head in confusion.

"And he is looking at me as if this was the first time we met," Marx continued. "Is he sick or something?"

"I accidentally hit him with a rejuvenating spell," Taranza responded with the lie that he had already rehearsed. He found it very easy to tell it, most likely due to him actually believing that it was what had happened before Toni arrived.

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying that you turned Kirby into a baby?" the jester asked. Taranza nodded. "HAHAHA. Now you have really screwed up, Spider-Boy," Marx laughed as if it were the funniest thing he had heard in a long time, falling off the ball. "Imagine what would happen, now that our hero is weak and defenceless, if Dream Land was attacked or someone decided to make the Sun and the Moon fight in order to trick another person into summoning Nova only to steal their wish in the last second to ask to rule the world..." He paused briefly before ending in an accusing tone: "... or to revive someone."

Taranza was hurt by that final comment. What had begun as a joke about something that Marx himself had done years ago had ended with an accusation in which the jester had also decided to delve into the spider's past.

"Tar, who is this clown?" Toni asked in an aggressive tone.

"Jester," Marx corrected. "And I should ask the same thing. Who is this mysterious and kinda suspicious hooded person?"

"She is my cousin, who is visiting from Floralia for a few days. Her skin is quite sensitive; therefore, she must cover it," Taranza responded with another lie, one that he had previously agreed with Toni.

"An oddly convenient excuse. But why would our friend and neighbour, Spider-Boy, lie?"

Taranza groaned with frustration. He wasn't sure if Marx was suspicious of him and was attempting to corner him or if the jester was getting on his nerves for entertainment.

"Excuse me, Marx. Would you be kind enough to go pester somebody else? We're in a hurry..." Taranza requested, his forced polite tone failing to hide his annoyance. He had more important things to do than wasting time dealing with Marx.

"It's not my fault that Mags kicked me out of the Lor so I don't annoy him while he's investigating some weird dimensional portals that opened yesterday," the jester complained. Toni got startled upon hearing that, but Marx either didn't notice it because he was focused on Taranza or he chose to ignore it for the moment. "Well, actually, it was my fault, but I was bored, and he should have known that when I'm bored, I can't resist the urge to prank the closest person."

"Wait. What did you say about dimensional portals?" Taranza asked, feigning ignorance. How much did Marx know about that?

"I got your interest, didn't I?" Marx smirked. "Too bad I don't know much. They closed too quickly, so I didn't arrive on time to have any fun with them. Mags has been glued to Lor's computer ever since, doing analysis and other nerdy stuff. I haven't seen him so focused on a task since he started making final sketches for his amusement park. I wonder if he's trying to prove something..."

That wasn't news to Taranza. On their second call, once the interferences had been resolved, Meta Knight mentioned that Magolor had shared information about the portals, but he didn't want to reveal the details over the phone due to the risk of the line being spied on by a third party. Taranza considered this caution to be excessive, bordering on paranoia, yet it could be explained by Meta Knight's distrust of Susie and anything created by her.

Even if the communication system had been a good-faith gift, Taranza couldn't blame Meta Knight for distrusting the current CEO of HWC after what she had done to him. He himself wondered why Dedede had forgiven him so quickly after doing something similar. Although, in his own defence, at least he hadn't made non-consensual cybernetic modifications to the monarch's body.

"Oh, it would be sooo easy to beat you in that state, Kirby."

That sentence, delivered in a mischievous tone, took Taranza out of his musings. Someone who was unfamiliar with Marx may perceive something spoken in such a manner as a threat rather than harmless teasing (although, with Marx involved, the line between the two was often blurry); therefore, Toni didn't hesitate to draw her rapiers.

"Stay away from Kirby," the hooded spider threatened Marx, pushing a surprised Kirby away and pointing her weapons at the jester. "I won't let you put your hands on him."

"Hands? What hands?" Marx replied in a mocking tone. "Besides, I was just kidding. I would never hurt my dearest friend Kirby," he added, approaching the puffball with a gesture so exaggeratedly affectionate that it looked fake.

"Friend, friend, poyo!" repeated baby Kirby, for whom the gesture had been genuine. With his body language, the puffball requested Sectonia to calm down and trust Marx, something that, in Taranza's opinion, was a mistake.

"Stop playing games with me. It won't end well for you," Toni warned the jester, receding but not putting her weapons away.

Marx looked Toni up and down before grinning.

"Heh, this cousin of yours is feisty. I like her," he told Taranza. "You should participate with her in the tournament instead of Mags. You may have the same chances of winning, zero, but at least you wouldn't have to wear a Merry Magoland promotional t-shirt."

"She does not intend to stay longer than necessary," Taranza stated. And this time, he didn't have to lie. Toni had made it abundantly obvious that he would never see her again once her mission was completed. He wasn't sure if that made him feel relieved or sad.

"That's a shame," the jester said. "I'm sure things would be more entertaining with her around here. Well, I'm getting hungry. I guess I'll stop 'pestering' you three and go check what Kawasaki has on the menu. See you soon!"

"I hope not," Taranza wished internally.

Marx got back on the ball and began to bounce away, allowing Taranza to let out a breath. However, the relief lasted only two seconds as Marx paused and, without turning to look at them, began to talk once more:

"By the way, this whole thing about you turning Kirby into a baby seems very sus to me. I mean, when did this happen? Yesterday, when Magolor met with him and the others, he was perfectly fine."

Oh no.

"It was this morning," Taranza lied nervously. Marx had taken him off-guard. Beside him, Toni had become tense—well, more so than she already was. Baby Kirby only tilted his head in confusion.

"He went alone from Dedede's castle to your house for no reason despite everything that is going on? That is very weird..." the jester remarked, turning towards Taranza.

Taranza swallowed. Marx obviously didn't believe him. The jester probably hadn't fallen for Taranza's lies from the start, so he had simply been playing with them all along. The spider tried to come up with an excuse, but Marx, who got dangerously close to him, didn't let him.

"I don't know what you and your 'cousin' are plotting, Spider-Boy, but it better be something boring if you've decided to keep me out of it," Marx whispered in a tone that sounded somewhat threatening.

"I'm not plotting anything," Taranza said, shoving Marx away firmly. "I'm just trying to help."

"Meh, what a bummer," he said, returning to his usual demeanor. "Call me when things get fun. Goodbye, Spider-Boy, suspicious cousin of Spider-Boy and 'Kirby'!"

And with that, Marx bounced away on his ball in the direction of Dream Land's central market, Kirby waving him off with joy. Taranza decided that they had already lost enough time and told his companions to resume their march.

"Tar, how do you know that guy?" Toni asked as they walked, more irritated than curious. "Is he the same Marx you mentioned during breakfast?" she added.

Taranza was surprised that Toni remembered that conversation, given her apparent lack of interest in that world and its residents.

"That's him," he answered. "He is a friend of this dimension's Kirby and the roommate of another friend of ours. He defines himself as an 'agent of chaos.'"

"He is this dimension's Kirby friend? He doesn't seem trustworthy," she repeated, perplexed.

"Well, our Kirby has some eccentricities when it comes to making friends. Also, Marx is one of those people who are best to have as an ally."

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer," the other spider said with a pensive motion. "It is an acceptable tactic if the alliance provides significant benefits and the parties involved have the capacity to keep each other in check to avoid betrayal. If your Kirby has decided to take that approach, he must be a strong, intimidating, and charismatic leader.

Taranza forced himself to suppress a laugh. Kirby was hardly a "charismatic, intimidating leader." In reality, he doubted that the young hero considered himself a leader at all. Even if Kirby had been the one who had gathered that strange group to stop the Jambastion, the young hero had seen it as "all my friends and Dark Meta Knight have come to help!" rather than as an alliance between people with different ideals who had been forced to put aside their differences to prevent the universe from being destroyed.

"Well, you'll have the opportunity to meet him soon," he said to Toni and the other Kirby. "I'm sure he will be willing to help you two with that mission."

"'Kaabi, Kaabi, poyo!" Baby Kirby exclaimed enthusiastically.

"For everyone's sake, I hope so."

Taranza was both intrigued and worried by her words. However, he knew that asking would be a waste of time because Toni wasn't going to answer. Instead, he chose to continue walking towards the castle, followed closely by his two companions. He could only hope that when the spider from another world met with Kirby, Bandana Waddle Dee, Meta Knight, and Dedede (Taranza assumed they would all be together), they would let him be a part of the conversation, both because he wanted to help in any way he could and to satisfy his hunger for knowledge. There was a lot he desired to know about those versions of Sectonia and Kirby, as well as the dimension from which they came.

As they walked, Taranza looked at Toni, who was holding Kirby's "paw" with one of her hands. Prompted by their encounter with Marx, Taranza couldn't help but think about the "Star Allies" or "Dream Friends" (Kirby still couldn't decide on a name) and who may be part of the motley group in the dimension the two visitors came from.

He could imagine Toni taking his place, for obvious reasons, and surely the other Meta Knight would also be a member. Probably, those people named "Tiff" and "Tuff" would also be included, but who else? Baby Kirby didn't know either Magolor or Marx, and given the way Toni had talked about her dimension's Dedede, he had serious doubts about whether they would count on the king of Dream Land. And what about some of Pop Star's inhabitants, like Chilly, Vividria, or Knuckle Joe, to name a few, whom Kirby had also "recruited"? Would their alternative versions be willing to lend a hand to the young hero in a dangerous situation?

In any case, Taranza was convinced that if the "Star Allies" were ever founded in Toni's dimension, they would be a completely different group. Whether that was a good or a bad thing, he had no way of knowing. Divination was not part of his academic curriculum.

Taranza had gotten so lost in his own thoughts that he had not realised that Castle Dedede was already visible on the horizon. They would soon arrive at their destination.

- - -

Tiff still didn't quite grasp what had happened.

Although everyone had ended up exhausted, both physically and mentally, Daroach had taken the worst part of the fight. The copy had been vicious towards the mouse, and its behaviour after being defeated seemed to have affected him. Daroach couldn't help but glance at the place where his copy had vanished (to call it in a non-morbid way). Regret showed in his reflective expression as the Squeaks treated his wounds.

Tiff felt like she was missing important information in order to fully understand the situation. She doubted Daroach would have reacted that way if the enemy they had just faced had merely been an evil copy of him. And then there had been that unintelligible plea that the creature had uttered before disappearing. The previous night's Waddle Dees had done nothing like that. Why was that copy different? Not to mention that creepy eye... She still had goosebumps just from thinking about it.

"Sorry, guys. This may not be the best moment for asking, but... what exactly did we just fight?" Tiff decided to ask. She needed to know.

"Against a copy of Dark Nebula using Daroach's body," Kirby answered.

"Dark who?" Tuff asked, snatching the question from Tiff.

The hero proceeded to tell the siblings about what had been dubbed "the cake incident," a series of misunderstandings and miscommunications that had caused turmoil throughout Dream Land.

It all began with the theft of Kirby's cake, who caused a ruckus in pursuit of the thief (he even fought a bunch of people, including Dedede, Meta Knight, and Daroach) and finished with Daroach opening a chest that he had stolen by taking advantage of the chaos. The chest, however, contained an evil being of darkness known as Dark Nebula, who took over Daroach's body. After a fierce battle, Kirby was able to free Daroach, and in a second battle, he destroyed the dark being for good. Kirby saved the day, and the Squeaks thanked him with a cake similar to the one stolen, but the original thief was never caught.

After hearing the story, Tiff made a quiet vow to teach her Kirby how to react appropriately to a robbery in order to prevent something similar from happening in her world. Next to her, she heard Tuff mumble, "I will never steal Kirby's pie, not even as a joke." She wasn't sure if he was referring to their Kirby, the one from that dimension, or both.

"But today's fight shouldn't have ended like it did... If I saved Daroach, why did his copy end up that way?" Kirby complained, more frustrated than sad.

"This is going to sound crazy, but after thinking about it for a while, I'm sure that 'my' copy was actually some sort of recreation of what could have happened if you hadn't saved me back then," Daroach said to the hero. "But luckily you did, so you have nothing to regret," he quickly added.

"Really?" the puffball asked the mouse.

"Of course. That thing wasn't real," he insisted.

Those words seemed to ease Kirby's burden, but Tiff had noticed that Daroach wasn't entirely convinced of them. Rather than a solid fact, what Daroach had shared was something he hoped was true.

But, for now, that Daroach's theory was the only thing they had, and even if it was not very solid, it didn't sound completely crazy either."It might be a good starting point to figure out what those things actually are," Tiff came to the conclusion.

"Wait. What does that mean for the Waddle Dees from last night? What were they recreating?" Bandee said, with a certain tone of alarm.

"They could be the result of any dark being successfully taking over Dream Land," Daroach responded. "You guys have high capacities to adapt to the environment. I imagine that in a Dream Land plunged into darkness, the Waddle Dees would end up with the look you described."

"And without emotions, nor independent thought," the Waddle Dee shivered.

"Sounds like home... my old home," Gooey commented in a dull and distant tone. Kirby walked up to hug him, the glob recovering almost instantly. "Good thing we have Kirby."

Despite Gooey's quick recovery, Tiff and Tuff couldn't help but look at him with concern. In what kind of conditions had he lived before moving in with Kirby? That question would have to wait, however. Not only would it divert the focus of the current discussion, but it was also a very personal question, and they weren't as close to the blob to dwell on what possibly were his familiar affairs.

"If we follow Daroach's theory, I wonder what was being recreated with Kracko's attack," Tiff said, remembering what her brother had told.

"Did you say Kracko? What does that grumpy cloud have to do with any of this?" Daroach asked, confused. "Did you guys have to fight against it on your way here? I paid it to stay away from this area," he added in an angry tone. Kirby shook his head, and he, Bandana Waddle Dee, and Gooey looked at the siblings, waiting for an explanation.

That Kracko's name was known in that dimension didn't faze Tiff as much as she would have expected. Although, considering that eNeMeE didn't have that much impact in the alternative Dream Land, she was still a little surprised that the others had met one of his creations.

"The monster that we told you about earlier was a copy of Kracko," Tuff explained. "The original was one of the many eNeMeE's monsters that our Dedede ordered to get rid of our Kirby, but he destroyed it."

"And who is this 'Enemy' guy? Someone from your dimension that we should worry about?" Daroach enquired warily.

"Nah. He was just Nightmare, the guy Kirby beat up so hard that he made a hole in the moon," Gooey answered.

"I had heard that the nightmare wizard was terrible at naming things, but calling himself just the word 'enemy' sounds ridiculous. Enemy of what? Good names? Not getting wrecked by kids?" Daroach mocked with a laugh (ignoring that he was also wrecked by the same kid), which was followed by a moan of pain. "Ouch, my ribcage..."

Seeing that, Doc said something to Spinny, who ran off to probably look for more healing items for their leader.

"So Kracko worked for Nightmare in your dimension. That is interesting," Bandee commented.

"It's not like it had other choice as a monster created by him," Tiff responded. Then, she noticed that the others were looking at her with an odd, confused expression. "Am I wrong?"

"Yes. Kracko is an ancient force of nature, native to Pop Star," Bandana Waddle Dee explained. "It is said that wherever there is sky, Kracko may appear..."

"To ruin the day," Kirby interrupted his friend, annoyed. "Kracko and I don't get along well," the puffball explained with a dejected sigh. "Whenever I try to invite it to my picnics to make amends, it attacks me with lightning for simply entering its lair without letting me speak. And if I don't invite it and it finds out, it will cloud the sky or, worse, create a storm."

"In short, Kracko is Kirby's number one hater," Gooey summarised.

"But, despite all that, I don't think he's a monster, so don't call him that, poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, surprisingly defending the cloud.

Tiff folded her arms thoughtfully. That was a significant difference between both dimensions, but she might have an explanation. It was likely that eNeMeE had turned her dimension's Kracko into one of his monsters, as he had done with other creatures in the past. "If this is true, I don't want to think about how many inhabitants of our own planet we have actually fought against..." she wondered, shuddering at the idea.

"Hey Tiff, don't think too much about it," Bandana Waddle Dee told her, guessing what she was thinking. Was Tiff that easy to read, or maybe Bandee was a very empathetic person? "Knowing Kracko, it may have joined Nightmare of its own free will if he offered it something good in return. In the days when he was not as Great as he is now, our King bribed it several times to help him on some of his plots."

"Oh? Are my ears deceiving me, or have you finally admitted that Dedede was a terrible ruler in the past?" Daroach said in a petulant tone after drinking from a cup that Spinny, who had just arrived, had brought him. From the way he had said those words, Tiff could deduce that it wasn't the first time the mouse and the Waddle Dee had argued about that subject.

"I didn't say that!" Bandana Waddle Dee protested. "I only said that he is much better now. Besides, whether he was a good or bad king doesn't justify your thefts!" he snapped.

"And you don't say anything about what he stole?" Daroach insisted, his anger quelled only by exhaustion.

"He... had his reasons."

"Of course he had. They were gluttony and greed."

That discussion had left Tiff stunned. While she was aware that the alternate Dedede had a past not unlike her Dedede's current shenanigans, what exactly had he done to earn the repulse of Daroach, a thief?

Bandana Waddle Dee was about to respond, but Kirby interrupted him.

"Are you guys seriously going to argue about that now?" the puffball scolded both Bandana Waddle Dee and Daroach. Both of them calmed down and looked away from each other. Kirby sighed before continuing, "I think we are all tired and stressed from that fight. We should go back to the castle and tell Meta Knight and Dedede what happened." Then he added, "I need a good nap..."

"Me too," Gooey agreed.

"I would gladly fly you there, but the airship took too much damage during the fight," Daroach lamented. "Is this how Meta Knight feels every time the Halberd falls?"

"And even if the ship was fine, I would refuse. You need to rest, poyo!" Kirby told him.

"Uh? But I'm fresh as a flower," the mouse stated, trying to get up despite the Squeaks telling him not to do so. "Don't you see...?"

Before Daroach could finish the sentence, he fell asleep right into Storo's arms. Doc nodded in relief. Tiff deduced that the drink that Spinny had brought Daroach was some sort of sedative for the pain.

"Well, I think this means it's time to go," Kirby said. "The bed is calling me."

"Wait, we can't just leave like that," Tiff exclaimed. Then she asked the Squeaks, "Do you need help fixing this place? Perhaps we could lend you a hand before leaving. After all, your secret base wouldn't have become so messy if we hadn't come."

"I thought it was no longer a secret base," Gooey mumbled.

The Squeaks shook their heads at Tiff's question; they could take care of everything.

"Thank you for taking care of me. You guys are so cool!" Tuff said to the Squeaks. "I hope Daroach gets well soon."

Tiff wasn't sure what to make of her brother saying that to a band of criminals (they were good people, but they still disregarded laws), but she was grateful to them for taking in and caring for her brother. Hopefully, he wasn't so influenced and impressed by them that he decided to follow in their footsteps and become a treasure thief when he was older. "I must avoid mentioning the Squeaks' occupation to Mom and Dad when we tell them about this adventure," she decided.

"Don't worry. Daroach is strong. He just needs to rest," Kirby comforted Tuff.

Tiff and the others returned to the surface after saying their goodbyes and receiving instructions on how to get out of the base. Kirby went ahead and quickly returned with a Warp Star large enough for everyone to ride on. Tiff noticed how Tuff looked at her, as she was the one who summoned Kirby's Warp Star in their universe.

"Warp Stars don't work the same in this dimension. Besides, an older Kirby doesn't need anyone to summon it for him," she explained to Tuff, guessing what he was thinking, as she helped him get on the Warp Star.

"It still weirds me out..." he commented. "This dimension is very different, isn't it?"

Those words made Tiff think of that dimension's Dedede and Meta Knight, who were awaiting their return at the castle. She had already told Tuff about them, but words didn't do justice to how different they were from the ones they knew, especially Dedede.

"Believe me, Tuff. You still have a lot to see," Tiff said with a smirk. She couldn't wait to see her brother's face when he met them in person.

She just hoped that nothing bad had happened in their absence.

Chapter Text

[Do you now understand why I have to do this?]

He nodded. Only by following her way could everyone be saved. Although the Saviour's methods were extreme, the part of his consciousness that would normally reject such actions was silent, which meant that what she "had to do" was not only the only option but also the right thing.

"I understand your purpose, and I will help you make it a reality," he stated solemnly.

He was certain that if her metallic face could display emotions, the Saviour would have gently smiled at him as he stated these words.

[In that case, you are ready for your first mission, my Champion.]

The Saviour drew a line in the air, producing a strange visual effect before her. It was as if a small crack had opened in reality itself. The Saviour inserted a metal hand into the rip, and, after a few seconds, pulled out an iridescent sword out of it.

[This sword is the only weapon worthy of the one who will help me bring true salvation to all the universes.]

The Saviour handed him the sword, which he admired. It was beautiful, made of the same sparkling material as the crystalline petals that floated around in that place and as impossibly hard as them. Even though the blade was perfectly polished, when looking at it, he could see his reflection hundreds of times, as if he was looking at a fragmented surface. Quite a few of those reflections had an appearance that didn't entirely match his own, some with subtle differences, while others presented noticeable changes.

Wondering what those "reflections" might do in his place would only bring unnecessary doubts, so he averted his gaze and sheathed the sword in a scabbard it didn't belong to. He didn't care what had happened to the sword that had originally occupied it. In a way or another, he would end up getting her back.

After that, he looked up at the Saviour, grateful for the second gift she had given him.

"So, what will be my first task as your champion?"

º.·º.

Dedede was fuming. How dare the inhabitants of that dimension force someone of his status to work as a mere pack mule? Moving wheelbarrows... Didn't the Waddle Dees exist precisely so that people like him wouldn't have to waste their valuable time on those physical tasks? Not to mention how exhausting it was. He wasn't even being paid a single cent!

"Okay, guys! Time to take a break!" Dedede heard his other self shout from another part of the castle, using his booming voice, which was one of the few things Dedede had in common beyond their shared appearance.

Immediately upon hearing those words, all the Waddle Dees and the few Waddle Doos working near him, and most likely every single one in the entire castle, stopped what they were doing and sat down to rest.

Dedede turned to check on his "escorts." They had also sat down to rest, lowering their guard. However, they had positioned themselves in a way that allowed them to block the only exit from the room. Dedede chose to rest as well, as he couldn't use the break time to escape.

"It's about time they put an end to this torture," Dedede said to Escargoon as he leaned on the wheelbarrow. He had never been so tired in his entire life.

"But you only carried two wheelbarrows so far, sir," Escargoon remarked as he folded some papers, annoyed. "You have spent the rest of the morning making up excuses to avoid working. 'My back hurts; my tummy aches; I'm allergic to this material; I have to go to the bathroom...'" the snail quoted in a bad imitation of Dedede's voice.

"You can't complain about me complaining when you had it way easier. All you had to do was look at these papers and give orders to the Waddle Dees," Dedede stated angrily.

"While my task didn't require physical effort, it was mentally exhausting," Escargoon explained petulantly. That irritating tone always made Dedede want to hit him to shut him up. "Of all these Waddle Dees, only a few know how to direct a construction. Working alongside an expert engineer such as myself has helped them speed up the rebuilding process."

"And since when have you been an engineer?" Dedede growled. Escargoon blinked, perplexed.

"Since ever, sir. I even have a PhD. You didn't know?" Escargoon asked. Dedede shook his head. "Don't you remember the extensive resume I sent you when I applied for the job?"

"Was I supposed to read that?"

Escargoon raised a hand to his temple. Dedede didn't get why the snail was mad at him. Did Dedede really have to check that boring 800-line text in which the snail talked about himself in order to hire him? No way. Dedede hired whoever he wanted with no text telling him otherwise! 

"No wonder why that NME guy always scammed you with no effort," the snail mumbled.

"Hey! It's not time to argue about the past!" Dedede shouted angrily. Then, in a lower but still angry voice, he said, "What I want to know is why in the world you are putting so much effort into helping repair a castle that isn't mine when you should be working on an escape plan?"

"Because I want to return home and not be imprisoned in a cell in another dimension," Escargoon answered, shrugging. "While avoiding those guards shouldn't be too difficult, dealing with your 'other self' and that competent Meta Knight will be much more complicated. If you have any ideas, I'm all ears."

"You don't even have ears! And why should I be the one to give you ideas? You have put us in this mess, and you alone will get us out of it!" Dedede reproached him.

"Are you really blaming me?!" the snail argued back.

"Well, of course! If you hadn't stolen that machine from the violent Meta Knight fan club, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

"But I did it in order to free you, sir!" the snail protested. "You were the one who insisted on conquering this castle and throwing hands with the other Dedede."

"Oh, come on. Don't act like you were against it. I remember you rubbing your hands with greed when I proposed taking over the castle."

"It's not like I had a choice, with the way you handle denials," Escargoon protested. He then muttered something that was likely a critique or insult.

And that was the final straw. Dedede, unable to contain his rage, grabbed a shovel from the wheelbarrow and used it to hit Escargoon in the head as punishment for his insolence.

"Next time, whatever you have to say, say it loud and clear, understand?" Dedede reprimanded Escargoon.

"Yes, sir..." the snail said, pained and stunned by the blow.

"He is so whiny. I haven't hit him that hard," Dedede thought with disdain as he looked away.

"Did you find it?"

Dedede turned to see who had just said that. It turned out to be one Waddle Doo, who was carrying a backpack, speaking with two Waddle Dees. Were they looking for something? He crept up to listen in on the talk. Escargoon, who had recovered from being stunned, followed him while rubbing his head.

"Nope. Perhaps another Waddle Dee took it and put it somewhere safe. But who knows who?" replied one of the Waddle Dees.

"Most likely, it ended up in the underground tunnels," the other said. "The area where the Great King's room is located completely sunk, after all."

"Oh, no. I don't want to go down there. Those tunnels are very scary and dark," the first Waddle Dee stated, trembling.

"We cannot let fear stop us! That box is very important. It contains precious things our Great King cherishes. If we don't get it back, it will be terrible!" the Waddle Doo exclaimed.

"That box must contain the lower Dedede's darkest secrets! I can't let this opportunity pass," Dedede decided, quickly devising a plan.

Step 1: Convince the Waddle Dees and Waddle Doo to let him help find that box.

Step 2: Get the box and its contents.

Step 3: Depending on what said content was, either use it to blackmail the lesser Dedede into submission or become as strong and loved as him by learning and using his secret techniques.

Step 4: Take control of that Dream Land!

It was, in Dedede's point of view, a perfect, brilliant plan conjured by a perfect, brilliant mind.

"Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing you three talking," Dedede interrupted the conversation with feigned politeness and a tone of false kindness, setting his plan into motion. "Can I help you in some way?"

Escargoon looked at Dedede, weirded out by his sudden attitude change, but a quick glance was enough for the snail to understand what his lord was trying to do.

The Waddle Dees, for their part, looked at each other and began to whisper between them. They didn't seem to trust Dedede. How strange. His performance had been flawless.

"I know that we haven't made the best first impression," Escargoon began to say, continuing Dedede's ploy. "But my lord and I want to turn a new leaf and redeem ourselves for the shameful attitude we had yesterday. What I mean is that we wish to make peace with your king, so we would like to help you recover something so precious for him," he lied blatantly. Dedede nodded to reinforce what the snail had said.

Luckily for them, and unfortunately for that dimension's Dedede, the Waddle Dees were not only not physically weak; they were also very naive. Since they didn't know how Escargoon and Dedede actually were, their kind and uncombative nature led them to believe that the otherworldly visitors' intentions were genuine.

"Well, why don't you go with Beamy to the tunnels while we ask the other Waddle Dees, just to make sure that no one has taken it?" suggested one of the Waddle Dees, pointing to the Waddle Doo.

"That's a wonderful idea!" Dedede exclaimed in the fakest tone of enthusiasm and friendliness anyone had ever heard. The Waddle Dees and Waddle Doo exchanged confused looks but made no comment.

Beamy gestured to Dedede and Escargoon to follow him, and so they did. Before leaving the room, the Waddle Doo stopped to explain the situation to the Waddle Dees tasked with watching over Dedede. The group argued among themselves briefly until three separated from the rest to join them. Dedede growled. Getting rid of a single Waddle Doo would have been a piece of cake.

The Waddle Doo led them to one of the few parts of the castle that remained unrepaired but had already been stabilised (which Escargoon explained to Dedede as "there is no risk of it collapsing anymore"). Beamy's attitude reminded him quite a bit of Captain Waddle Doo, except his voice was much higher-pitched. He also found it strange that Beamy was not the only Waddle Doo in the castle. Why weren't there more of them in his dimension? Would the captain feel lonely being the only Waddle Doo among so many Waddle Dees?

"I wonder what he is doing. Probably panicking because I have disappeared."

Dedede's thoughts were cut short when the Waddle Doo stopped the group in front of a hole in the ground.

"This entire section of the castle sank, and the furniture in the room above, or what's left of it, ended down there," Beamy stated, pointing first to a second massive hole in the roof and then to the one in the ground. "If everything goes according to schedule, we should start to rebuild this part after lunch."

"And what is in those tunnels?" Escargoon asked. He, like Dedede, had been wondering if there were any exits they could use to escape.

"We use them to store supplies, but they could also serve as shelter if we ever suffer a siege," the Waddle Doo explained, pulling a long rope from his backpack. "There are also dungeons because, according to our king, every proper castle must have at least one. We've never locked anyone in them, so they're only there for show."

"So the tunnels are just a glorified basement," Escargoon pointed out.

"Basically, yes," Waddle Doo admitted, handing one end of the rope to one of the Waddle Dees and throwing the other into the hole.

"Heh. Those Waddle Dees were very childish to be afraid of a mere basement, don't you think, your majesty?" Escargoon mocked.

Dedede, however, didn't answer. He had been paralysed as soon as he had looked down the hole. It was dark—way too dark. A chill ran through his body. It was like the darkness wanted to eat him alive.

Dedede didn't remember why, but he was sure it wasn't the first time he felt that way.

"Escargoon, you go first," Dedede said to his lackey. It wasn't that he was afraid; he was only being cautious. He had never been afraid in his life. If he was shivering, it was because of the cold.

"Uh? Why me?" Escargoon protested.

"Because I order it! And you know what happens if you disobey my orders," he threatened, pointing at his right fist with his left hand.

Escargoon seemed to get it, as he rubbed his head once more.

"Fine, but only because I don't want you to make a scene," the snail gave up.

Beamy took a lantern out of his backpack and gave it to Escargoon, who began to descend. It didn't take too long for the light of the lantern to be seen at the bottom of the hole, which turned out to be not as deep as the darkness had made it look.

"Sir! Will you ever come down?!" he heard Escargoon shout.

"I'm on my way! Don't be so impatient!" Dedede shouted back at him as he grabbed the rope.

Dedede climbed down the rope with some effort and reached Escargoon. Although the lantern gave some light to the area, it was still very dark. Dedede couldn't contain another shiver, which Escargoon noticed.

"Brrrrr, it's cold down here, isn't it?" He lied while rubbing his hands as if he needed to warm up.

Escargoon gave him a look of suspicion, for he knew when Dedede was pretending. However, he let it slide as more important matters caught his attention.

"These must be the remains from the room above," Escargoon pointed out, extending the lantern towards a pile of debris. "If no one has taken it, like one of the Dees suggested, the box should be there."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go find it now!" Dedede ordered as he took the lantern from the snail, anxious to be as close as possible to the only source of light.

Escargoon muttered something under his breath and began to search through the remains. After a couple of minutes, which felt like an eternity to Dedede, Escargoon removed some wooden planks and picked up something metallic.

"I found it, sir!" Escargoon exclaimed, proud of his discovery: a metal box, which he eagerly presented to his king. It looked quite sturdy, since it had only a few bumps. Fortunately for them, the lock wasn't.

After rapidly placing the light on the ground, Dedede seized the box from Escargoon's hands and opened it with a devious smile. Finally, he held his counterpart's secrets in his hands! Soon, that alternate Dream Land would be his. He could already see the crowd cheering his name, the piles of treasure, the food offerings...

His ambitions were crushed the moment he saw what was inside the box. There were no evil artefacts or anything capable of granting power, nor were there bills from evil corporations or blueprints for destructive machines.

The box contained a crystal with a decorated cord, like if it were some sort of medal; a collection of drawings that seemed to have been made by small children; a sketch of a portrait of the lesser Dedede done with fairly good technique (though Dedede was certain that he would look more handsome if he were the one portrayed in the sketch); uninteresting photos of the lesser Dedede with a variety of people, most of them unknown to Dedede, and a diary.

In short, they were just memories.

"So the 'precious' things the 'important' box contained are actually this garbage?!" Dedede yelled as he placed the box at Escargoon's height, allowing the snail to evaluate its contents.

"Let's see..." Escargoon said, inspecting the contents of the box. The snail took out the crystal medal and tapped it a couple of times. "This might sell for a decent price, but other than that, it doesn't seem to have any special power. The rest is of no use to us, unless your counterpart is one of those people who write their hearts out in a diary," the snail continued as he returned the medal to the box.

"Then start reading it! We need to know if there is something worthwhile inside that heart," Dedede ordered, taking the diary from the box and throwing it at Escargoon's face.

Escargoon begrudgingly removed the journal from his face and began reading it from the first page:

"Dear Diary.

For Nova's sake, why is this cheesy intro a mandatory thing? But hey, I'm not here to debate this. Bandana Waddle Dee gifted me this diary so I could record my feats and works. That way, if someone ever decides to write a biography about me (which will obviously happen since I am the coolest and strongest being on this planet), they'll have a reference document in which they can see my vision. In my opinion, it's a great idea, but just thinking about having to write every single day makes me feel sooo lazy…"

As Escargoon read, the light from the lantern blinked a couple of times. Dedede felt his legs trembling. If the lantern went out, he would be exposed to the darkness.

"That doesn't say anything important. It's just the lesser Dedede rambling. Can you skip to something actually interesting?" Dedede urged the snail.

Escargoon took a quick look at the journal entries.

"He only briefly talks about his experiences with this dimension's Kirby and Meta Knight, and who I assume is the Waddle Dee with the bandana. He also talks about competitions like... the fifteenth gourmet race? That sounds weird and a waste of food. Anyway, it doesn't seem like this Dedede writes a lot, although the few entries are more than what you've written since your birth."

"Writing is a waste of time," Dedede snubbly replied.

"And apparently, reading is too," Escargoon scoffed.

"Well, yes, especially when we can get nothing out of it. Look for something juicy in that diary as fast as possible, and let's get out of here!" Dedede demanded.

"But why are you rushing? Are you afraid of the darkness?" Escargoon asked cynically.

"Of course not. You know I'm fearless. We should hurry because if we don't return soon, they will suspect we are up to something. And, since it looks like we are going back with nothing to use against the lesser Dedede, it is better to return the box to that Waddle Doo and look like goodies than to return empty-handed and put more suspicion on our shoulders," Dedede improvised, hiding his true motives.

Escargoon blinked a few times, perplexed by what Dedede had said.

"That makes way too much sense coming from you," the snail stated, surprised.

"What do you mean by that?" Dedede asked, irritated, sensing that Escargoon was somehow insulting him.

"Nothing, sir. I'm going to continue reading," Escargoon shrank in on himself.

Escargoon flipped through the diary's pages, skimming them quickly, until something caught his attention. With a serious expression, the snail began to read:

"Dear Diary.

I haven't written for a long time, right? Well, I don't think it's been that long in this world, but for me, it has felt like an eternity.

I am not ready to put in writing what happened on the Forgotten Land. I need time. Everyone is worried about me, especially Bandee. He thought filling out this entry would be therapeutic, but I can't. I'm fine, though. I'm really fine... It's just that I need some time to process all that and put my thoughts in order.

So then, what am I writing about in this entry? About Kirby. I don't know what is wrong with him. I tried to challenge him to a duel, but he refused. He never refuses! He claims that he doesn't feel like fighting with me, that he prefers for the four of us to just hang out, and that I should focus on resting and recovering. But I'm in top shape! It did cross my mind to go back to the bad old habits just to provoke him into a fight, though I quickly discarded that terrible idea. It would do more harm than good to both of us.

I just hope things get back to normal soon."

"It seems like the other Dedede has been through a bad experience," Escargoon commented in a contemplative tone. "I wonder what happened to shake him this much."

"Who cares?" Dedede growled, not understanding why Escargoon was suddenly worried about the lesser Dedede. "I doubt we can use that against him if he hasn't even given details of what happened! Is there anything else in that diary, or can we leave?"

"There is one more entry," the snail reported after turning the page.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Read it!"

"Dear Diary. I came up with a brilliant plan to make Kirby fight me!"

A plan? That was promising. What mischievous things was the lesser Dedede planning?

"Earlier this morning, Leon contacted me through Elfilin about an urgent matter.

He said that he feels bad about asking me for help after what happened, but I have nothing against him. He was just another victim in all of that... Even if he did things that he was half aware of (which he didn't, as far as I know), it would be hypocritical of me to be mad at him.

But let's not talk about the past. What matters now is that Leon and the others need my help. A river recently overflowed, destroying many of the Beats Pack's dens in the 'Natural Plains' area. They have no resources for rebuilding before the breeding season begins, leaving many future families homeless. Waddle Dee Town lacks the resources to help them either; they had to rebuild half of the town after Marx decided to 'grace' them with one of his pranks.

In hindsight, inviting him to that tour Kirby organised to introduce some of our friends to the Forgotten Land was a terrible idea."

The lantern flashed a couple more times. Was it him, or was the flickering becoming more frequent?

"Read faster, Escargoon," Dedede ordered, his anxiety rising.

"So I came up with a plan to kill two birds with one stone: a charity tournament. All donations will be destined to rebuild those dens. We have to put on a great show if we want spectators and donations, so Kirby won't be able to refuse to go all out in our fight! I have also promised him that there will be no masks with hidden dark powers this time.

Well, I'll tell you what happens after the tournament. This time, I won't lose!

PS: Seriously, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought those masks from that creepy guy. It wasn't one of my brightest moments. Never trust a mask salesman with a smile so happy that it becomes scary! I bet the big hammer that those two masks weren't even his most cursed merchandise..."

"And that's it? Are you really telling me that the only thing my other self has planned is a charity tournament? How disappointing. Where are the cunning machinations that end up with Kirby getting kicked out of Dream Land? My plans are a thousand times better!" Dedede ranted.

"Whatever you say, sir," Escargoon said with a condescending tone. "Those masks sound interesting, though. If we could get them... Ah, never mind. The entry ends with 'thank goodness Kirby destroyed them.'"

"So all of this has been for nothing? What a waste of time!" Dedede replied, his rage hiding his growing fear. The lantern flashed again, this time more frequently and faster. Suddenly, the air became filled with a dreadful pressure that made him feel uneasy.

"It looks like it. The lesser Dedede is clean," Escargoon said while he put the diary back in the box. "Anyway, I think it would be better for us to lea...ve...ve...ve..."

Escargoon's face turned pale with horror. The snail raised a shaking hand to point at something behind Dedede's back. Fearing the worst, and against his instincts begging him not to, Dedede slowly turned to see what had terrified Escargoon.

The darkness stared back at him.

Dedede's fear was finally released in the form of a scream that echoed throughout the castle.

º.·º.

Beamy glanced down the hole for a seventh time since the other Dedede and Escargoon went down. The two visitors from the other dimension were taking their time finding the box. What could they be doing? Did anything bad happen to them, or were they up to something?

Beamy had been working in the castle for many years, so he had witnessed the Great King at his most selfish and greedy. Beamy preferred the way things were now due to the Great King being way happier than back then despite his bad experiences along the way, but he would be lying if he said that remembering those times of absurd plans to get attention or out of pettiness didn't make him nostalgic.

The King Dedede from another universe reminded him of those times, although, in this case, the king's good heart was buried very, very deep, if it even existed. That gesture of goodwill and wanting to help could be nothing more than a ruse.

As for the alternative Escargoon, he acted in a more sarcastic and meaner way than the one Beamy knew. Also, given the situation the snail had ended up in, he seemed to be someone who didn't mind getting into trouble if it resulted in his benefit, rather than someone who sought a quiet and carefree life while maintaining a certain social status. Beamy couldn't help but wonder why he had ended up taking that path.

Seeing how these two acted, Beamy couldn't help but be a bit concerned about the other dimension's Dees and Doos.

"Don't you guys think that these two should have already found the box?" Beamy asked his Waddle Dee companions, who had tied the rope to a pillar and were now playing a card game. "I hope they aren't reading the Great King's diary, or I will be forced to use my beam attack to punish them!" the Waddle Doo claimed with a chuckle. The three Waddle Dees stared at him, annoyed. "Hey! What's up with those faces?!" he protested.

At that moment, a scream of horror emerged from the depths of the castle.

Beamy and the Waddle Dees rushed up to investigate the hole. Something terrible must've happened for the Great King's counterpart to scream in such a manner. But what was it?

Their answer came sooner than they expected, when a silhouette emerged from the depths.

The figure floated in the air for a few seconds, examining the Waddle Doo and the Waddle Dees, as if contemplating whether or not they were worth dealing with. Beamy remembered that creature and was as terrified as he had been the first time he saw it years ago.

It was Dark Matter in its swordsman form.

That being had possessed the king in the past and had only emerged from his body after Kirby beat it down. Although, back then, it hadn't been enveloped in a strange aura that reminded Beamy of those holograms the girl from the company that once mechanised Dream Land liked to use.

The other King Dedede, unconscious, was hanging from the Dark Matter's sword by the back of his coat, its fabric miraculously defying gravity and not splitting due to the dead weight. The alternate Escargoon wasn't with them. Beamy figured the snail was still down there, but there was no way the Waddle Doo could rescue him.

"Retreat!" Beamy commanded his companions, frightened. The Waddle Dees didn't think twice and ran away. Beamy joined them. He knew well that it was impossible for one Waddle Doo and three Waddle Dees to defeat Dark Matter.

But he had faith in someone who, this time, would not fall victim to the darkness.

Chapter Text

Dedede hung up the phone and let out a defeated sigh. He was going to have to pay a lot for that.

Dream Land's lack of a currency didn’t mean that the effort its inhabitants put into their work or creations wasn’t appreciated or paid. And when someone orders over a hundred meals from the best local chef, they are expected to give something as valuable in return. Even if Kawasaki gave him a special discount for ordering over 300 dishes, the bill was still going to be very high.

“Well, I’ll pass it to the other Dedede,” the king decided. “This is his fault, after all.”

Since the castle's kitchen hadn't been repaired yet and Dedede didn't want to overwork the Waddle Dees, Kawasaki ended up being his only option for getting lunch. Calling the chef had also allowed him to clarify what had happened the day before with at least one person, although given how much Kawasaki liked to chat with his customers, it was only a matter of hours before the information spread, which would result in less work for Dedede.

Apparently, the inhabitants of Dream Land who had witnessed the “scene” in the market had assumed that the king's terrible attitude was due to him being possessed. Dedede didn't know if he should be upset or relieved by that. On the one hand, the fact that people realised he wasn't being himself meant that his reputation hadn't been as damaged by his counterpart's attitude as he had initially thought. On the other hand, the fact that the inhabitants of Dream Land took his possessions as a habit stung him quite a bit.

Did they really think that he let himself be possessed on purpose?

Dedede found himself clenching his fists in anger, so he shook his head to redirect his thoughts back to the issue of the portals and those who had come through them.

“The kids are taking way too long to pick up Tiff’s brother,” the king noticed. It had been several hours since the four children had left, and there was still no sign of them. “I hope it’s because Kirby is wasting his time chit-chatting with Daroach and not because something bad has happened…”

The strange, digital-looking Waddle Dees who had tried to capture Tiff the previous night came to Dedede's mind. What were they? Why did they look like his precious subjects? Were there more creatures like them? And if so, would they have attacked the children?

“Meh, it’s nothing Kirby, Bandana, and Gooey can’t handle. Those three have faced much worse foes than some tin-foil copycats,” he assured himself.

While that thought didn't quite take away his uneasiness, it did help him temporarily put one of his worries aside, though he would never admit out loud that he was worried about Kirby. Dedede clung to the hope that the children would return safely at any moment now.

“At least things are quiet around here,” the king said.

Just as he finished saying those words, he heard his own voice screaming in pure terror reverberating through the castle.

“Me and my big mouth,” he growled in frustration.

Dedede didn't even have time to grab his hammer and run out to see what had happened to his other self when Meta Knight flew in at high speed through one of the windows (although this time there was no glass to break).

“My king, are you okay?” Meta Knight asked, wielding his sword on high alert.

“It wasn't me, Meta,” Dedede said, bringing his hand to his temple. “It was the other Dedede.”

“Oh, I see...” said the knight, trying to hide his embarrassment for having confused the other Dedede's scream with his sworn partner's. “I felt a surge of energy similar to the one last night. He could be in trouble,” he added, regaining his composure.

"He is," Dedede confirmed. "I recognise my own screams, and I haven't screamed like that since...”

...since his first encounter with Dark Matter.

Dedede ran out in a hurry. He had to find his other self immediately. Meta Knight followed him without needing to ask the reason behind his anxious behaviour.

Where could the other Dedede be? From what the Waddle Dees had been reporting through the morning, the king from another dimension had tried to avoid every single task assigned with very silly excuses. Was he in one of the bathrooms, or perhaps in the infirmary pretending to be injured or sick? The scream had come from inside the castle, so the camp was out of the question.

As Dedede ran in search of his other self, he crossed paths with Beamy and the Waddle Dees who had been assigned to his counterpart as guards. They were very nervous and scared.

“Beamy? What's wrong?” the king asked the Waddle Doo, since he was the nearest, trying to calm him down.

“Great King! Sir Meta Knight! He's back!” exclaimed the terrified Waddle Doo.

“Who’s back?” Dedede wanted to know, although he had an inkling of the answer.

“Dark Matter, sir,” the Waddle Doo managed to say. “He has captured your other self!”

Those words confirmed Dedede's fears. The king glanced at Meta Knight, who nodded determinedly. There was no time to waste. No matter how much he disliked the other Dedede, he couldn't allow any version of himself to fall victim to Dark Matter on his watch.

“Where are they?” he asked the Waddle Doo.

Beamy told him in a very brief way that Dedede and Escargoon had offered their help to recover the king's memory box, so he had guided them to the hole it had fallen into. Dedede doubted that those two had altruistic intentions. “If they have read my diary, they are getting the clobbering of their lives...”

“Evacuate the castle immediately,” he ordered the Waddle Doo and the Waddle Dees. “I won't let that monster bring any harm to my subjects.”

“Yes, sir!” they exclaimed before running off.

Although Dedede had stood firm in front of his subjects, inside he was nervous. Many things could go wrong when facing Dark Matter face-to-face, especially considering that he didn't exactly radiate positivity. But at the same time, with Kirby absent, who was going to protect his subjects from such a threat?

“Dedede...” Meta Knight called him, concerned.

“I'm fine, Meta,” the king assured the knight, putting his fears aside. “I'm not going to let that thing get inside me again. And if it has possessed the other Dedede, I'll clobber it out.”

- - -

His face hitting the ground made Dedede (the one from the other dimension) regain consciousness. However, the pain, along with the ripped back of his coat, something that would have angered him in any other situation, were the least of his problems.

The distorted, sounding similar to a radio receiving a bad signal, and unintelligible voice he could hear in his mind was much more worrying.

“̴͍̯̹̏M̸̗̳̆̔T̴͉͔̎͐B̷̪̽̌ ̷̳͕͐X̷͕͉̗͠Y̵̟͐͆͝ͅẀ̷̥̳̒F̶͚͒Ŝ̵͎͑͐L̵̫̳͌̈́J̷̼̋͝.̴̪̱̻̽͋͛ ̴̮̗̼̊D̴̺̩̠̈́T̵͇̹̣̓Z̶̨͉̋̽ ̴̡̘̎͐͒Q̴̭͐͂T̶̬̼̂͜T̷̯̄̇P̴͎̙̰̈́ ̶̳̐J̷̝̹̏̋͠C̵͇͐̓F̸̨̆͂́H̴̖͑̏͠Y̴̡͆̍̈Q̷͍͇͇͛͠D̶̙̣̲̑̍̾ ̴̡̩̿Q̸͚͍̀̃N̴̰̦̳͌̋P̴̢̙̀J̷̝͋ ̷̨͕̪͋͘Ẏ̷̜̺̈M̶̱̲͚͛J̵̭̜̖̆̔͂ ̷̭̭͛T̴̩̠͠͝ͅS̸̹͐̒J̸̧̘̥̈ ̴͈̜͚̌̇̒N̷̤͍̅̔'̴̤̆͐R̷͉̓̓ ̸̭͓͓̅͌Q̷̯̥̪̀́̎T̴͕͍̈́͒T̵̛̛̬̖Ṕ̴̝̌̅N̴̗̙̪͊́̌S̸̨̺̝͘L̴̰̫͗̈́ ̷͚̏Ḱ̴̛̖T̸̛̩̘̝͋͘W̸̤̲̫͋̚,̴̜͙̓̀ ̶̖̹͂D̵̖͝͠J̷̢̙̘͒͋Ỹ̴̬͓̓͜ ̶͚̠͙̇̈́N̴̬̈́͑ ̸̭̌H̸̩̲͑̓F̴͍͉̣͂́͑Ş̶̰̘̆ ̶̜͔͓͆̃X̶̺̞̳́J̸͈̺̉S̵̙̀͐X̶̙̌̌J̶̯͎̞̍ ̴̻̇͆͝D̶̼̳̙̈́T̵̢̟̤̾̐Z̸̨̦̈́̊ ̶̦̳͖̂͝F̵͍̭̽͆̋Ẉ̶̐J̵̛̻͕̀̎ ̸̗̗̏̎͝S̸̹͆̌T̸̪̃Y̶̮͓̳͊ ̴͍̳̕M̴̥̅̕̕N̴̳̳͂̈́̀Ṟ̸̮͙̆.̷̗̳͎͒̀̕”̵̨̡̗̍͝

Dedede raised his head to see where the voice was coming from, immediately regretting doing so. The being that had attacked him in the basement stood in front of him, staring at him intensely with its one eye. Dedede jumped back to put some distance between them, but a wall blocked his retreat.

“̶̱͂H̴̳̄͝T̵̪͍̾B̴̎́͜F̶̛̪͎W̵̜͔̿Ḯ̵̹̏N̸̹̋H̶́͜J̵̼̋.̶̡̃̾ ̸̟͊̕B̶̏̊͜J̸̝̑͊ͅF̵̳͍̚Ṗ̴̫̜S̵̢͐J̴̨̲̈́X̸͈̓̇X̶͙̲͗.̸̬͉̏̚ ̶̞̑͝ͅL̶̙̆W̷̛͜J̸̫͂J̵̡͎͗I̶̮̥̍͛.̴̳͑̅ͅ ̴̳̈́S̷̘̒͝ͅṬ̴͉̽̚Ỳ̴̜͜ ̷̲̖͘F̵̨͔̚ ̴̜̊X̶̫͛N̶͎̓̓S̸̝̋ͅL̶͖̔̕Q̵̬͓̊̕J̶̞͑̄ ̷̹̏L̶͖̈́Q̷̡͈̀̉N̶̼͊̇R̶̰͆U̶̙̳̾͗X̶̓̆͜J̶̘͍͌ ̶̪̊̈́T̵͖̦̚K̵̻͆̍ ̸̲̣̏̂F̴̮̈́K̴͈̼̋̀K̵̰̋̅J̵̤̠͒̔H̶̯͋͐ͅY̵̲̝͋͆Ń̷̯̝̑T̸̮̆̓S̵̛͕̳̈́ ̶̝͑̈Y̴̠̕T̷̨̬̅B̸̤́̑F̸̨̱̌Ẇ̸̟͘Ì̷̫X̴̯̋̚ ̵̬́̓T̶͖̈̽Y̵̯̹̑̂M̴̫͕̅J̶̠͍̌W̸͚̗̅X̷̨̩͂̚.̶̲͎̑̓ ̵̝̉D̴̫̃͠Ṯ̵̈́͝Z̷̼̾̈́ ̷̡͐F̶̖͕̿W̵̗̪̊J̶̬͇̎̐ ̵̮̜̇͆I̸͍͗̈́J̸͎̙̆K̵̖̦̅̔N̸̢̲̔͆S̷̹͐N̴̙̓Y̵͙̒̋ͅJ̷͍̽̆Q̴͓̭̍D̴̹̈́͠ ̴̻̣͊S̸͈͌T̸̠̍͋Ŷ̶̻͚̚ ̵̹̊͝M̴̺̙̀̚N̸͖̞̋R̴̯̖̈.̵̝͎̍̈”̷̫̏̈

Dedede was so scared he couldn't even scream. It was that thing. That terrible, horrible thing. Dark Matter. It was in a different form, but he was still able to identify it.

Wait, where had he seen this creature before, and why did he know what it was called? As he tried to remember when he had learnt about it, a reflection of himself came to his mind, one that made him feel sick.

“̵̨̠̽N̷̢̓ ̸͍̀͠Y̶̨͍̋̚M̶̪͒̏͜N̶̜͗̿S̵͘͜P̷̪̋͆ ̴̛͖̌͜Ṅ̶͔̻͛ ̶̧̄W̴͎̕J̶̨̙͗R̶͓͊J̸͙͔̿R̶̪̭̂͝G̴͔̽͋J̵̛̟͠W̸̛͈̳̐ ̵̧̺͋Ş̵̙̔̆Ț̷͗̄B̵͇͊̋ͅ.̷̳̞̎̀ ̷͉̎X̸̰͙͊͝M̶̧̩̓J̸̨̪͂ ̷̜͉̐͂R̸̗̤͌̇J̴̼͙͌̅S̸͌ͅY̵̠̣̐N̷̻͓̔͛Ṫ̷̥S̴̗̾̕J̶̼͒Ĭ̵̧͜͝ ̷̦͒Ÿ̵̝́͑M̵͙̈́̓F̷̞̄Ỹ̵͍͖ ̷̱̯̊͛Ǹ̸̜͈̓ ̶̝̆B̶͙̗̍͝T̴̬̿Z̷̞͐̋Q̷͚̮̋̈Ḯ̵̡̱ ̵̣͛̔K̷̖̖̑Ǹ̸̝̲͛S̷̠̅̅Ĭ̵̺ ̵͙͑̓Y̷̝͌B̷̫͎̈T̸͖̮͝ ̴͔̈̌B̵̬͌M̸͖̖̈́̽T̶̝͋̋ ̶̯͙̌F̷͇̄ͅẂ̵̪J̴̞̯͋ ̶̠̽́X̷̞̦̔̾Ṉ̸̛̹R̶͇͆̕Ń̴̲̐Q̷̘̙̓̈F̵̩́̾W̸͇͂͝,̶͔̣̐͘ ̸̘̙̏̂D̴͍̩̍J̶̭̤̐Y̴̬̌͘ ̶̧͎̌̚I̴͂͗͜Ń̶̘͖̕K̵̢͌Ḱ̴͙̉J̴͕̰͑̕Ẅ̴͈́̀J̸͍̒̚S̵͉̚͘Ȳ̶̚͜.̴̼̙̾ ̶͔̮̎͠D̸̖̹͆͆T̴͕́Z̵̧̛͕̐ ̸̮̅́Ȓ̵̩̳͑Z̶͇̉̑X̸̨̒̀Y̴͕̦͒́ ̵̹̖̒Ģ̸̦̓J̸͎̐ ̷̲͎͊̓Y̷̘̌M̷͍̙̋̃J̷͈̬̍̀ ̴̳͠T̸̫̳̎Y̴̡͋M̷̰͙̑̎J̵̾͜ͅẀ̴̞̉ ̴̣̕T̶͇̀̚S̶̝͠J̸̤͋.̴͈̖̏͠.̶̠̌.̵̹̀́”̵͙͍̚

In the blink of an eye, Dark Matter closed the distance between them, leaving Dedede completely cornered.

“̴̬̊͐X̸̡̘̐͝M̷̹̻̀J̸̝̄̕ ̶͍̭͂̀Ị̷͘Ń̷̨̗I̴̥̩̽S̴̘͝'̶̺͐Y̶̢̏ͅ ̸̫̐̀Y̷͙̫̿͋T̴͈͉̆̚Q̶͉͕͛͋Ĭ̶͕͂ ̶͚̙͆R̵͕͗J̸̺̊ ̷̒̽ͅB̵̦̊̑M̵̞̃F̴̻̜̐͠Ÿ̸̪̮́ ̷̡̾͋N̷̯̔̍ ̴̢̖̿X̸̢̙͛͝M̶̨̲̒͘T̸̘͑͘Z̵͈̑͂Q̵̢̝͌͠I̶͕͐ ̸͚̈́İ̴̫̘T̸̗̜͒ ̶̖̤̾͗B̵̮̑Ṉ̵̬̄̎Y̴̻̯̆M̴̡̯̉ ̷̟̀D̷͓̈́Ț̸̿Z̴͚̭̅̔.̵͙̗̿”̵͍͐͜

Dark Matter raised his sword and placed it dangerously close to Dedede's body.

“Get... get away from me,” he managed to say, his voice trembling. More than a threat, his words sounded like a plea.

S̴͙̩̃J̷̝̼͒͊͝ͅL̸̹̩̀́F̷̛̺̰̜̋Ỹ̴̢̗͓N̴̳̽͆Ả̵̧̬̬J̶͔̬̋̒̈ ̷̲͒̈́J̴̟͙̝̈́͊͂R̴̗̎̒T̷̜͗͌Y̶̨̔́͝Ņ̵̭̦͌̐͠T̴̩̮̓S̵̠̒͜X̵̧̰̘́̿ ̵̮͔̄̉X̴̳̽̕B̵͓̪̦̿N̸̼̯͉͠Ŵ̴̠̾͐Q̵̖́ ̸̘͕̟̅͒͘N̶̟̍ͅS̴̢̜͂͘X̴̦͒͊̿N̷̝̘͐̾͝ͅỊ̴̽͂J̷͓̪̊̀ ̴͙̀͘Ḍ̶̀Ţ̴̂̚ͅZ̶̬̞̍,̷͇̾”̶͍̔͜ Dark Matter spoke, ignoring Dedede. “̸̜̓Y̷̺͇̋M̷̭͈̊J̵̱̱̆̍D̷̜͌ ̷̪͋Ȳ̷̬̎T̴̟͒W̶̡̢͂̂̌R̸̺̹̲͌͝J̶̩̗̊S̶̼̓̋̚Ỹ̸͈̰ ̷̟̫̄̔͝D̶̟̬̄̄T̵̖̋Z̴̝͙͛͐̕ ̴̙̰̹̔F̷̰͌̃̾X̷̭͔̭̐ ̶͙̪͇̇͛͊Y̴̱̽̔M̸̨͇̦̎̈̉J̸͎͍͍͐͌͝D̶̬̘͊͜͝ ̴̢͍́͊̐L̴̜̎͊S̷̡̈́̏F̶̺̮̳͠B̵̨̧͐Ṣ̴̗̹̌ ̷͎̬͒̊͝D̶̢̤̰͆͠T̵̨̀̓͊Z̶̢̹͛̀W̷͙̄ ̴̨̢̢̽͆̔M̶͇̼̓J̷͕̰͎̄F̶̙̉́͐W̴̗̗̳͗̂͝Ỳ̶̜̀͋͜.̸͔̤̿ ̷̛̞ͅG̴͈̓Z̷̫̈́̀Y̶̮̑͆ ̶̳͋̃I̷͔̕Ṱ̷̈́̃̎Ṣ̴͙̙̎͠'̶̞̮̄͛ͅȲ̸̟͖͚ ̵̳͆͠͠Ĝ̷͇̮̞J̶͚͒ ̴̡̮̤̒F̵̜̝͓̅̉̚K̸̤̥̫̀W̸͓͙͂͘F̷͖̈́N̷̠̠̓I̵̻͌̆.̸̢̨̱͆̕͠ ̸̞̥͑Ñ̸̨̥̤͌ ̶̺͖̆͘B̶̬́̍͝N̶͍̖̑͐Q̸̝̟͐̐͝Q̸͙̊̂̚ ̴̩̲̉͆̏Ẍ̸̥̤̥̌̂J̶̭̫̐̔̕Y̷̱̍̇͌ ̸̯̪͈͗̀D̶̛͓̊̈T̵̰̠͙̈͝Ẓ̸̡̬̿͠ ̸͍̓K̴̨̋̔̎W̵̻͎̏̏͗J̸̪͎͂̿J̴͕̮͚̕.̷̣̪̙͌”̴̮̀̎͝

Fear had paralysed Dedede. The more he looked at Dark Matter, the more images came back to his head. A place lit by crystals, Tuff being hit, Escargoon grabbing his hand while yelling something that Dedede's mind didn't register due to the shock, once more that sickening, deformed reflection of himself... His head hurt, his heart was beating way too fast, and breathing was getting harder by the second. Was it because those memories were coming back, or was it because of Dark Matter's oppressive nature? Maybe it was both at the same time.

“̵̞̠̙̾̒Ḑ̴͈̪̃̈́T̵̨̤̾͜Z̵̰̟͊̽͝W̶͓̼̕ ̴̺̆̕F̸̧̋Ĺ̵͇͌ͅŢ̵̩̯͗̔̚S̸͙̳͈̀́D̶̙̆͊,̶͉̘̘͛̓ ̴͖͔͂D̵͔͙̋T̵͚̔̔Z̴̹̊́Ẃ̴͖ ̴̢̟͂͝Ǵ̸̨W̶̜̋̄T̵̲̈́͠P̷͇̒͑J̷͚̪̏͝S̸̨̖̼͌ ̶̧̜̕M̸̼͌̚J̵̺̊F̴̲͉̗͒Ẅ̵̙̪́̑Ỷ̵̥͔͔͆͑.̴̤͈̄.̸̦͊̎.̵̡̺̭̇̽ ̴̝̹͗́͝Ỷ̶̮̜͓̋̅M̸̮̉̄J̷̺͖͖̽́Ḓ̴̲̦̓ ̵̯̒̏B̸̩̗̃͝N̶̪̦͗Q̶͎̓̓Q̸̼̏͛͗ ̵͈͙͕̋͂͘R̷̠̀͝F̸̪̽̋P̵̖̼̉J̸̬̕ ̵̙̟͙̐̎F̷̦͎͌̋͑ ̴͎̰̟̐̃̚K̴̛̬͙̑N̶̗̫͖̈̃S̷̥̅̒J̶̫̱͋̋ ̷̲̉Q̷̞͛F̵̙͚͗X̴̡͙̟̕̚͠Y̸̥̦̔ ̷̨̞̐͘X̴͕͈͐Z̴͔̈͝U̸̮͊̅̉ͅŮ̴̬̼̀̃J̴̅͜ͅW̸̛̰̌.̵̖̈́͆”̸̀̓ͅ

Dedede had ended up being hunted down by the very monsters he had ordered more than once, but this was the first time he felt like a truly vulnerable prey. It was clear that Dark Matter wanted to devour him, and he had no way to defend himself.

“Is this going to be my end?”

That was the first coherent thought his mind had managed to conjure up in the last few minutes. To the whirlwind of terrifying memories attacking his mind, he had to add a wave of negative feelings welling up from the depths of his soul, summoned by Dark Matter. Yes, that would indeed be his end. Unworthy of a king, but perhaps he deserved it. He had never amounted to anything, accumulating failure after failure. He had never loved or been loved, so no one would mourn him. In the end, his greatest fear, the one he had hidden for so long, would come true.

He was going to die alone.

Sunk in despair, Dedede couldn't register the accelerated footsteps approaching his location, but Dark Matter did.

“̵͈̀Y̶̅̆͜M̴̟̊͌Ţ̴͓̓Ẕ̶̰̔L̸̜̘̈́M̵̳͋ ̴̙̍̑Ÿ̶̡͚́̀M̸̙̳͠F̴̼͇͗͝Y̵̥͎̐ ̵̘̉B̷̟͈̎N̵̯̙͝Q̵͕̙́Q̶̔̑͜ ̸̪̂M̴̢̜͑F̴̢͗͝Ä̵͆͜J̴̞̀́ ̷̧̻̏̚Ỳ̸̱̹T̶̲͇̄ ̴̢̍͝B̸͈̈̂F̶̻̞̊̀N̷̗͝Y̷̢͎̅.̶̞̉ ̴͇̹̍M̴͚̂J̵͙͒͝ ̷̼̖́M̶̤͕̄F̶̧͗Ẋ̴̼͘ ̸̻͊F̷̨̫͝W̶̛͍W̶̘͋̎N̴̤͐Ä̸̯́͘J̷̗͔̈́̀Į̴̰̓.̴̘̐”̶̮͆

Even in his current state, Dedede could feel the pure hatred that impregnated the creature's voice.

- - -

Dedede, that dimension's king, hastily arrived at the place where the Beamy and the others had seen Dark Matter Blade, accompanied by Meta Knight.

The being was dangerously close to the other Dedede, who seemed to be in shock. There were two things Dedede found quite odd upon looking at the scene. The first one was the appearance of Dark Matter Blade. Its looks were the same as when it attacked Dream Land the first time, but its body had the same corrupted, digital-looking effect as the Waddle Dees that had assaulted them the previous night, pointing to a similar nature. The second one was that the dark being hadn't possessed his counterpart yet. Perhaps that was never its plan.

If he stopped to think about it, the other Dedede did not hold any position of power, nor did he have emotional ties in that world that Dark Matter could exploit to extend its influence as it did on his first invasion. He also didn't seem to be particularly strong and skilled, or at least enough for Dark Matter to consider using its body instead of fighting itself. The only thing the being would get from possessing the other Dedede was sustenance.

Dedede gripped his hammer tightly. He would prevent whatever Dark Matter intended to do to his other self.

“Hey, cyclops. Why don't you mess with someone at your level?” he mocked Dark Matter in order to draw its attention upon himself.

As soon as he said those words, something unexpected happened. Dark Matter Blade lunged at him with a wrath atypical of its kind, with the intent to stab him with its sword. Dedede prepared to block the creature's blow, but Meta Knight was faster. The swords of both warriors clashed, raising sparks.

The attack had left Dedede a little startled, not because of how sudden it had been but because of the hatred that emanated from the creature.

Beings born of the “Matter of Darkness,” like Dark Matter (hence its name), or at least those who belonged to Zero's colony, were not capable of feeling emotions. The sole exception was Gooey, who had been considered something worse than an anomaly by his "father's" standards. As for Dark Matter itself, it was unknown if they were several individuals connected by a hive mind, if they were different manifestations of the same entity and this particular one was under Zero's command, or if there was only one being called Dark Matter and each member of the species had a different name and function despite their shared origin.

According to what Gooey had told once he had developed the ability to speak coherently, when Dark Matter attacked Dream Land for the first time, it had done so on its own initiative, implying that it had a certain "independence" from Zero. But not even it had been able to feel complete emotions, only small traces of a limited range of them, such as jealousy or loneliness.

In short, that pure, visceral hatred was something Dark Matter shouldn't be able to feel.

“Dedede! Can you lend me a hand, or are you just going to stand there?”

Meta Knight's voice brought Dedede's focus back. Despite his skills, the knight was having trouble repelling Dark Matter's attacks due to its unusual aggression and violence. Dedede firmly grasped his hammer and slammed Dark Matter hard enough to smash it. The being hit the floor, turning into a dark puddle. Dedede and Meta Knight took the chance to reposition themselves, gaining distance and blocking the creature's path to the other Dedede. The fight was far from over, and there was the possibility of Dark Matter changing its mind and deciding to take refuge inside the other penguin's body.

Dark Matter Blade recomposed its body and launched itself at Dedede again. The monarch of Dream Land was ready for the creature's attack, so he leapt to avoid it and counterattacked with his hammer. It was in vain, as the creature blocked the weapon with a fleeting movement of its sword. Meta Knight tried to take advantage of Dark Matter's focus on Dedede to attack him from behind, but the being turned at the last second and parried the knight's blow. Then, Dark Matter made a spinning slash to try to attack both the monarch and the knight at the same time. Both were barely able to dodge it thanks to their reflexes.

“Even if I manage to hit it, I can't actually damage it with the hammer,” Dedede grumbled, gritting his beak. Meta Knight stood beside him. Both keep their guard high, waiting for Dark Matter Blade to make his next move.

“Same weaknesses and strengths. These 'copies' are more faithful to reality than we initially thought,” Meta Knight commented with a serious expression behind his mask.

Dark Matter Blade launched several dark orbs in their direction. Dedede dashed to avoid those launched at him, while Meta Knight deflected as many as he could with his sword, throwing them back at Dark Matter. The dark being avoided most of them floating in the air, but he reflected the last one with his own sword, starting the classic ping pong game between light and darkness that had been told in so many legends. That made Dedede realise something about the knight's weapon.

“Meta, isn't Galaxia a legendary weapon, like the Rainbow Sword or the Love-Love Stick?” Dedede asked the knight. Beings like Dark Matter had very few weaknesses, and while giving a “beating” to the possessed individual could get the invader out of their body, only weapons with the power of light or created from pure positive emotions could truly harm and destroy them.

“It is. Galaxia is a sacred weapon whose edge is able to cut through darkness,” Meta Knight informed him without turning around as he kept his attention on returning the Dark Matter's projectiles. “I can also release its power through energy beams; however...”

“You don't want to use them because the things from last night multiplied by absorbing energy. I get it, I get it...” the king guessed. He couldn't blame Meta Knight for that. If one Dark Matter Blade was already giving them problems, fighting two at the same time was a death sentence.

“So Meta Knight is 'nerfed,' and my hammer is harmless. Just how are we going to beat this guy?! I hate it so much...” Dedede grumbled. “No, no, no. Don't get carried away by negative emotions, Dedede. The fight is already hard enough, so don't power Dark Matter up!” the king scolded himself after shaking his head.

The projectile that Meta Knight and Dark Matter Blade were throwing back at each other was getting faster and faster. If Meta Knight was hit by that projectile, he could end up badly hurt. And while Dedede believed in the knight's skills, the probability of him making a mistake due to exhaustion was never zero. The king decided to stop thinking about a way to defeat Dark Matter and focused on helping his partner instead.

While Meta Knight was preparing to return the projectile once more, the penguin threw his hammer at the enemy. The impact of the weapon was enough to distract Dark Matter, so it couldn't protect itself from the projectile that was launched back at it.

Upon being hit by the projectile, Dark Matter Blade got stunned and crashed to the ground. “So it's vulnerable to its own attacks! If we repeat this enough times, could we be able to defeat him?” Dedede wondered.

“It won't work,” Meta Knight said, panting, as if he had read Dedede's mind. “We can't rely on it repeating the same patterns. This copy of Dark Matter is way too clever... As long as it's in the 'Blade' form, it has the upper hand,” the knight added, frustration reflected in his voice. He didn't seem to be taking too well the fact that the creature was able to block all of his attacks.

“Then we will force it to adopt its real form!” Dedede decided, an idea forming in his mind as he took another hammer out of his cloak.

Dark Matter Blade rose again and lunged at the king. Dedede tried to hit the creature with his hammer, but it teleported behind him at the last moment. Luckily, Meta Knight had his back covered and prevented the enemy from backstabbing Dedede by parrying its slash. While Dark Matter readied itself to launch a counterattack at Meta Knight, Dedede engulfed his hammer in flames and hit the creature's cape. The fire set the item ablaze, forcing Dark Matter to adopt its true form and leaving his weak point, the eye, fully exposed.

Without thinking for a second, Meta Knight flew with Galaxia in hand towards Dark Matter, with the intention of piercing its eye and putting an end to the battle. Dark Matter did nothing but hover, staring directly at the knight. Dedede noticed a strange, almost subtle glow in the creature's iris.

“Meta, stop! It's a trap!” Dedede tried to warn his partner, but it was too late.

It all happened in a matter of milliseconds. The creature waited until the last moment and released a powerful beam of energy. Meta Knight, who had been unable to avoid a point-blank attack, crashed into the ground and rolled. Galaxia slipped from the knight's hand and landed next to Dedede.

It was at that moment that Escargoon decided to poke his head out of the hole. Seeing the situation, he muttered, “I think I'd better stay here,” and slid down the rope without anyone noticing.

Dark Matter slowly approached the injured knight, a threatening aura surrounding it.

“̸̡̃Ú̸̲̍N̸̠̘̈̈́Y̷͖̅̕N̷͚̅͊K̴̦̝̎̀Z̸̺̋̐Q̴͖̰͝ ̷̹̩͂̓P̸̡̡̂S̸̢̝̈̇Ṉ̷̦̉L̸̼̈͝M̸̢̺͋Ȳ̷̟.̸̙̊̍ ̷̨̣̾̔D̶̝̀͊T̴̼͗̅Z̵̢͍͑̔ ̶̼̼̈H̴͖̜̔̅Ṱ̴̭̂́Z̵̰̉Q̵͓̝̿Ĩ̷͖ ̷̥͝S̷̪͋̌T̸̟̓̂Y̸̻̻̓ ̴̭̕͝X̶̞̙̅Ỵ̶͙̌T̸͍͛Ủ̸̺̥ ̵̜͚̇̂R̶̞̈͋J̴̠̏ ̶͓́G̶̫͍͗F̴͕͐͆H̶̩̾͝P̴̺͍͝ ̶̛͓Y̶̡͈̆̂Ḿ̸͇̆J̴̩̻̋S̷͖͝,̷̻̟̐̕ ̸̛͎́F̸̦̤̾S̴͑̋ͅI̵̺͑ ̷̛̝͜D̴̥̟̆̌T̸̖͓͂̍Z̶̳̝͌̽ ̴̳̘̏̌B̷̨̒̅N̷͕͈͊̆Q̷̖͑Q̵̥̤̍ ̵̢͔͌S̵̳̾́ͅT̸̜͆͘Y̸͚͌̀ ̵̲̩̅X̷͍̘́Y̶͈͛T̸̖̏͗Ủ̸͖̫ ̷̝́̊R̵̗̘̋J̶̺̔͋ ̴͖͛Ś̵̙̒͜Ṱ̶͉̊B̸̪̦̉̚.̷̘̺̍ ̵̪͆̂N̶̦͠ ̶̰̺̌́B̶̛̫̋ͅN̴͍̓͝Q̶͍̅Q̵̫͋ ̶̲͛͠M̷̖̟̔̅F̵̪͝͝À̸̡̿J̸͖̥͂ ̶̙͈̔̈́R̴͍͎̈́D̵̲̏ͅ ̷̗̓̆Ẉ̸̼̓J̵̗̄ͅA̴͇͊J̶̮͋́Ś̴͕͖L̶̲͐͆J̷̱̮̀̕ ̴̗́͝G̸̘̗̈́͛J̵͕̃̐K̸͇͎̆͘T̶̘͛W̶̱̾J̵̧̤̿ ̶̪͑Ṟ̴̪̔D̵̙͙̂ ̴͚̼̾̕Ỳ̶̙̬N̴̤̼͆̆R̴̢͐J̵͈̇̊ ̸̗͉͛̀W̴͈͍͛Z̷̯̭͌͝S̵̠̓̾X̶͉̆̕ ̶̡̓͗T̸̟̀̉Z̵̯̫̀̋Ỳ̶̰̬.̷̮̥̓ ̵̮͑N̸̜̑ ̶͕̄̔Ẍ̴̮́ͅJ̵̡̖̔̽Ś̵͎̊X̸̗́́J̸̡̘̈̚ ̴̣͂F̸̮͚͛ ̴̘̽͝X̸̹͝Y̴͔̠̑W̵̢͉̌T̷̲͝Ș̵̓͝L̵̻̀̈́ ̵͍̈̿G̸̏̿ͅT̶̲̂S̴̼͘I̸̡͐ ̷̡͌̕Ğ̷̣̬̔J̴̡̲̑Y̴͎͔̋͛B̵̫̌̊J̸͎̰͗J̵̭̖̈́S̸̠̪̾͝ ̷͙̐̕D̵̤̝͒T̶̻̍͠Z̸̙̪͗͐ ̸̦̖̒͘Y̷̙̥͐B̵̧̄͘T̴͎̣̐̒;̷̰͈͛ ̶͕̘̂́Y̵̖̣̌́M̷͇̦̋͆J̴̻̗̑̎Ŵ̷̛̟̣J̷̮̎̍͜K̷̥̀̊T̴̪͌W̵͉̍̋J̶͖̩̓,̷̥̄ ̸̢͛M̸̞̳̓J̴̹̞̈́ ̷̖͚̅͋B̷̖̠̂N̶̨͒̂Q̵̥̉Q̴̠͊ ̶̪͓̾͝X̷̰͕̅͌Z̷̦̉͝K̷̼͝K̶̨̋J̶͈͛Ẁ̷̡̠ ̶̢̈́̌R̴̥͒̕T̸̝͝W̶͚̦̓J̷̼̓̽ ̷̘̖̔̾N̶͎̳̉Ḳ̴̃ ̶̧̙̓͂D̷͖̈́T̵̼̥̄̉Z̵̧̎̆ ̸̠̣͋̐K̴̼̄F̴̰͗Q̵̼̈́͜Q̷̨̥̅ ̷̭͂͋K̸̩͊N̵͕̆̐Ẅ̵̛͙́X̸͌̒͜Ý̸̗.̵̹̆”̸̬̼̒̆

Dark Matter's gruesome intentions were stopped when a sword descended upon it.

While the dark being had its focus on the knight, Dedede hadn't thought twice. Seeing that Meta Knight was in danger, he grabbed Galaxia, leapt into the air, and pierced Dark Matter from top to bottom.

Dedede ripped out the sword, and Dark Matter violently turned towards him. The king didn't give him a second to counterattack, immediately stabbing his enemy again, this time straight in the eye. Dedede ripped out the sword once more, and a shrill sound, similar to a howl of pain, erupted from Dark Matter.

The being began to flicker as it flew uncontrollably, its digital visual effect becoming more erratic, as if it were disappearing from reality. Dedede paid no attention to it and went to tend to Meta Knight.

Noticing Dedede at his side, Meta Knight raised his head and looked at the king. The knight's mask could break at any second, but that didn't matter to him when Dedede was wielding Galaxia. His surprise was only surpassed by how proud he felt towards the king.

Galaxia, like most legendary sentient swords, was very picky. If someone she didn't consider worthy tried to wield it in combat, they would receive a shock of energy equivalent to being struck by lightning. That fact, along with his lack of interest in swords in general, had caused Dedede to always stay away from the knight's sword, assuming that it would punish him for his past actions. In his eagerness to protect the knight, Dedede had either forgotten that detail or ignored it completely. Meta Knight didn't know if it was because of that selfless gesture or because of how much the monarch had grown as a person in the last few years, but the reality was that Galaxia now considered the king of Dream Land worthy of wielding her.

"Are you okay, Meta?" Dedede asked him. He let go of the sword so he could help the knight sit down.

"I've been worse..." Meta Knight replied, letting out a groan of pain. Suddenly, his eyes filled with alarm, and he shouted, “Dedede, behind you!”

Dedede turned around, only to see Dark Matter charging at him in a desperate flight and enter his body in a last attempt to possess him.

Just as Dark Matter entered the king's body, Dedede's vision changed. Meta Knight was no longer by his side, nor was he inside the castle. Instead, he was standing on the rooftop, and his own reflection stared back at him.

Dedede tried to say something, but he couldn't move a muscle, let alone his mouth. "Again? Really?" he thought, believing that he had been possessed. Rather than being scared, he was upset and angry. "Wait. I have too much mental clarity to be possessed," Dedede realised, not feeling a flood of negative emotions trying to suffocate him, a voice in his head giving him orders he couldn't resist, or his own consciousness slowly disappearing. And that wasn't the only oddity.

Everything looked like an old, damaged movie. The other Dedede held a rainbow-coloured sword in one hand and his hammer in the other. Clutched on his back was Kirby, looking the same age as he had been during the first Dark Matter invasion. Both of them were wounded and tired, but they still looked in his direction, their eyes filled with determination. As for Dedede himself, he was leaning on a sword identical to the one Dark Matter Blade used and was wearing its clothes. He looked very exhausted and weak, although his mind only perceived those sensations faintly.

Lastly, lying on the ground between both parties was Meta Knight, unconscious.

Dedede was quite perplexed by the scene. It was clear that he was seeing everything from Dark Matter's point of view. But was it an illusion, a dream, or a memory? The last one would be unlikely since that scene had never happened, but if he took the portals into account... Perhaps what he was seeing was a memory, one that belonged to another dimension. In that case, given the courage that the other Dedede showed and how close to the other Kirby he seemed to be, it couldn't be the same one that Tiff had come from. Besides, if Tiff's Kirby had faced Dark Matter in the past, she would have said so. That could only mean one thing.

The one standing in front of him was a third, unknown Dedede.

Then, the other Dedede stepped forward, with the other Kirby firmly gripped on his back. Both were enveloped in a multicoloured aura, a power that obviously came from the Rainbow Sword. How much he wished he wasn't just a mere spectator. He had so many questions to ask these two.

“̷N̴y̶'̷x̴ ̵t̵a̶j̶w̵,̴”̴ the unknown Dedede began to say. He put down the hammer so he could wield the Rainbow Sword with both hands. It would have been nice to know what he was saying, but the audio was even more damaged than the image. “̸B̷j̷ ̷b̷t̸s̷'̵y̷ ̷q̷j̶y̵ ̴d̷t̶z̸ ̵m̸z̵w̶y̶ ̵f̵s̸d̴t̴s̶j̶ ̵j̶q̵x̵j̶.̵ ̷I̴n̴x̴x̶f̴u̷j̷f̴w̶!̶”̵

The unknown Dedede and Kirby let out a synchronised scream as energy erupted from them. Then he launched himself with the intention of stabbing Dark Matter. Dedede, despite knowing that he was not in his body and that what he was seeing wasn't real, braced himself for the attack and tried, in vain, to close his eyes.

The Rainbow Sword pierced through Dark Matter Blade's visor (his own head from Dedede's point of view). Dedede was glad that the sensations he felt through the body he was “invading” only reached him in a faint way, as getting impaled by a sword seemed to be quite painful.

Then, Dark Matter's body began to crack down as a rainbow-coloured light consumed it from the inside. As the being collapsed, Dedede felt a link between it and “something else” break. Dark Matter Blade raised its sword one last time, echoes of freedom and hatred motivating its attempt to take its enemies with it before imploding...

...and then Dedede woke up.

“My king!” Meta Knight exclaimed, relieved to see Dedede open his eyes.

Dedede was back in reality, lying on the floor of his castle. His head was spinning. What exactly had just happened?

“Are you okay?” Meta Knight asked him, extending his hand.

“Yeah, I'm fine, I think...“ he replied as he grabbed the knight's hand and tried to sit up. Then he realised something. If his mind had been busy up until that time, what had his body been doing? What if Dark Matter had trapped his consciousness in that memory to puppet his body around? “Please tell me I haven't been possessed the entire time I've been KO'd,” he asked Meta Knight, anxious.

“Don't worry. That copy of Dark Matter dissolved before it could fully take over your body,” Meta Knight explained. Dedede sighed in relief. “Is something wrong?”

“I think it somehow transmitted its memories to me before disappearing.”

Dedede told Meta Knight about the scene he had just witnessed.

“A Dark Matter from another dimension, one in which you were the one who defeated him? That would explain, in part, why it hated you so much,” Meta Knight commented thoughtfully. “In that case, I wonder if those Waddle Dees from last night weren't copies, but they actually came from another dimension too.”

“Oh no, don't say that. I don't want to think that there is a dimension in which my little ones ended up being dark creatures,” Dedede lamented. “They behaved like they weren't even alive...” he shuddered.

“It's fascinating. From the way you described the scene, it seems that, in that dimension, Dark Matter was destroyed by the Rainbow Sword for good,” Meta Knight continued, lost in his musings. “It is likely that what you felt was its connection with Zero being severed. I wonder if, perhaps, that was what allowed it to feel emotions. If so, it is a shame that it chose to dwell only in hatred upon its return.”

“None of that explains why a Dark Matter that 'Kirby' and 'I' destroyed in another dimension came back to take me down. If it wanted revenge, it should have gone to the dimension it came from instead. How is it my fault that another Dedede destroyed him?!” the king complained, angered. 

“Maybe it ended up in the wrong dimension,” Meta Knight suggested. “We don't know if our universe is the only one that is being affected by these portals. It's possible that the scale of the problem is bigger than we first thought. It could be affecting an innumerable amount of realities!”

“Don't be so dramatic, Meta,” the king scolded him. “As strange as this whole mess of copycats and portals is, it's impossible for it to be a 'multiverse' level threat. Something capable of affecting not one, not two, but many universes at once would be more powerful than Void Termina. Something like that can't exist!

"We can't know that," the knight insisted. "We must prepare for the worst."

“Look, I think we're overthinking this,” Dedede said, trying to downplay the situation. When Meta Knight went into “paranoid” mode, it was impossible to talk to him. “That scene could be a fabrication to confuse me. Normal memories don't look like a damaged video recording.”

Neither he nor Meta Knight were convinced by that explanation. Regardless of its real reach or power, it was clear that there was something or someone very sinister and dangerous behind the existence of those “copies.” However, they didn't have time to continue discussing the subject since a nervous, yet emboldened, voice echoed in the room.

“Dedede, don't worry! The cavalry is here!”

Taranza ran into the room, his hands shining from a spell waiting to be released. Next to him entered a hooded person carrying two rapiers that Dedede found vaguely familiar.

"I think we're late, Tar," the hooded person said as they scanned their surroundings in search of a danger that had already vanished.

“A bit too late indeed,” Dedede laughed. “Sorry to greet you like this, but between yesterday's mess and now this attack, we have the castle upside down,” he said as he approached to greet the newcomers.

Then Dedede noticed that right behind those two was the person he had been waiting for since morning.

“Kirby!” the king cheerfully exclaimed, relieved to see him. “You're finally back, little menace! Where are the others?”

Kirby didn't answer. Instead, he ran towards Meta Knight as soon as he set eyes on him, completely ignoring Dedede. The king was perplexed and even offended. What had gotten into Kirby to ignore him so abruptly and shamelessly?!

Wait, was it him, or did the puffball look kind of weird?

“Meta Nini! Meta Nini! Poyo, poyo!” the puffball cheered, a mix of relief and happiness reflected in both his voice and his expression. Meta Knight let out a groan of pain when the little boy "charged" to give him a hug. Still, Meta Knight didn't push the child away, either because he was too tired to do so or because he knew it was useless and the child would just stick to him again.

Hold on again. What did Kirby just say?

“Meta...” a very confused Meta Knight began to say.

“...Nini?” Dedede finished, equally confused.

They both stared first at the young puffball and then at each other as they became aware of what was actually happening.

“This is not our Kirby,” they both said at the same time. They didn't need a confirmation from Taranza and his companion, but they nodded anyway.

“Poyo?” the other Kirby said, tilting his head in curiosity.

“I'm sorry, little one. But I think you've got the wrong Meta Knight,” the knight said as he gently pushed Kirby away and caressed his head.

“Other Meta Nini?” the infant puffball asked. He looked disappointed and sad.

“He must be very worried about his universe's Meta Knight,” Dedede deduced.

After some theorising, both Meta Knight and Dedede had reached the conclusion that the mysterious person Taranza was going to bring as his companion would be an alternative version of Meta Knight, surely the same one Tiff had told them about, taking into account the precedents. In the end, that turned out not to be the case. Who was that person, and where was the Meta Knight from the other universe? If only six portals had been opened from Tiff's dimension, did that mean that the other Meta Knight had been left behind? Did something bad happen to him, or was Kirby only missing him?

“Yes, Kirby. This is the other Meta Knight,” the hooded person answered in a calm tone. “We already talked about him; do you remember?”

Baby Kirby nodded.

“Other Kaabi, other Meta Nini... other Dede?” the puffball listed while pointing first at himself, then at Meta Knight, and then at Dedede.

Dedede could feel his heart melting due to sweetness. “How can he be so cute? If this had been the Kirby that showed up at my castle instead of that little cheeky rascal, I would have adopted him without hesitation,” the monarch thought.

“That's right, little one. I'm another Dedede, one who's not as mean and unlikeable as the one you know,” he said to baby Kirby, looking smug, while he gently petted the puffball. The other Kirby let out a few happy “poyos.”

“So you've already met the king of the Lands Below,” the hooded person, who had put away their weapons, guessed without hiding their disdain. “The one from our dimension, I mean.”

The Lands Below? That was how the inhabitants of Floralia referred to the Pop Star's surface. Did that person come from the alternate version of that kingdom?

“Unfortunately, yes,” Meta Knight sighed. “I guess both you and this Kirby come from Tiff's dimension.”

Kirby's cheerful and carefree demeanour changed automatically upon hearing the girl's name.

“Poyo?! Where Tiff, poyo? Tiff, okay, poyo?” Kirby asked nervously.

“Calm down. She's with our Kirby. They've gone to look for Tuff. They're both fine and will be back soon,” Dedede reassured him. “Or at least I hope so,” he added in his mind. Why were the children taking so long to come back? “If they're not here in the next half hour, I'm going to go look for them,” he decided.

The young puffball seemed to calm down a little, although a concerned expression remained on his face.

Taranza, for his part, went to observe something that had caught his attention. That something was the unconscious body of a second Dedede. Taranza examined him but soon confirmed that the penguin wasn't hurt.

“So this is the other Dedede. What happened to him? Did Dark Matter possess him?” Taranza asked worriedly. From the way the spider and his companion had entered the room, it was clear that one of the Waddle Dees had already informed them of the dark being's attack.

"No. Dark Matter hasn't done anything to him, I think..." Dedede replied. The other Kirby approached them and began to poke the other Dedede, who let out a loud snore.

“Dede mimir?” baby Kirby asked.

“Luckily, he is. I had no desire to listen to his constant moaning and temper tantrums,” the hooded person said. “I don't even know why he insisted so much on following us on our mission.”

“Your mission?” Meta Knight asked, intrigued.

“Oh, sorry. Forgive my manners,” the hooded person apologised. “The urgency of the situation is no excuse for not having properly introduced myself.”

Taranza's companion removed their hood, revealing a face similar to Taranza's with distinct and clearly feminine features. It was a face that Dedede had already seen before, although only in photographs and portraits that Taranza had shown him.

Dedede's heart skipped a beat as he recognised the Queen of Floralia in her non-corrupted form.

“My name is Sectonia,” she finally introduced herself. “And all the universes need your help.”

Chapter Text

"Mags, I'm back! And before you kick me out again, I brought lunch!"

After his morning walk, Marx returned to the Lor to visit his roommate. Inside his hat, he carried a bag of food prepared by Kawasaki.

While the Lor wasn't the place where they resided, they both spent so much time there that it was practically their second home, much to the dismay of the ship's semi-sentient operating system. Although Magolor had regained the respect of said software after many apologies and good actions, the same couldn't be said about Marx. The jester had the feeling that the Lor didn't like him at all, though he didn't know why. Could it be because he had installed on it all those video games of dubious origin just before it got infected with viruses? Nah, that had just been a coincidence. Marx was sure that the machine had a grudge against him for no reason.

Still, it was odd that the ship's lights hadn't automatically turned on upon Marx's arrival. In fact, its inside was almost completely dark, the only source of light being the emergency lights. While Magolor usually turned the lights off when he wanted to take a quick nap after hours of researching or working on projects for his amusement park, the illumination system was configured to turn on automatically when the Lor's OS detected any form of life entering the ship.

Marx, however, was not afraid. Early that morning, the jester had mixed extra-spicy curry with Mag's coffee, so he suspected that Magolor was planning to take revenge on him by giving him a 'good old' scare.

"Heh. Nice try, Mags, but I won't fall for such a shabby trick," the jester thought.

Marx summoned a small energy ball to use as a source of light and began to explore the ship, watching his surroundings in hopes of detecting anything moving in the shadows. Now that he was aware of Magolor's plans, he could counterattack any attempt of Magolor jumping at him with one of his "scary faces." He had been practicing a new one.

But as Marx advanced, there was no sign of the wizard. "Hmm, maybe he is asleep after all," he said to himself, more disappointed than worried, as he approached the control room. "Well, in that case, I will be the one who attacks first," he grinned mischievously.

However, all his plans for mischief were quickly discarded once he arrived at the control room. The place was in shambles, and Magolor was lying face down on the floor.

"Mags!" the jester exclaimed in alarm, flying towards his unconscious friend in a hurry. Or at least he hoped he was just unconscious. Magolor had survived Another Dimension without powers or anything, so he couldn't be dead!

And he was right. After lifting Magolor up using his wings, Marx noticed that his friend was still breathing, which released a weight on his heart (because yes, contrary to popular belief, in addition to chaos, the jester had a heart inside him). However, he kept his guard up. It was clear that Magolor had been the target of an attack, and the perpetrator could still be hiding, waiting for his next victim.

"Whoever is behind this is about to find out why nobody messes with my friends except me," Marx thought with anger.

"Ouch..."

Magolor's moan of pain caught Marx's attention. The wizard slowly opened his eyes.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Marx mocked Magolor, hiding any hint that he had been worried about the wizard.

"Marx?" Magolor asked, confused. "Why are the lights off?"

"That's something I'd like to know," he replied, making a shrugging gesture with his wings.

"Did... Did I hit my head somehow? It hurts..." the wizard whimpered, still quite stunned, as he brought a hand to the back of his head.

Marx shook his body to drop both his hat and the bag of food. Next, he took out a piece of freshly baked bread from inside using his free wing while holding Magolor with the other.

"Eat this, quick. You could have a brain contusion or something like that," Marx instructed Magolor as he placed the bread within the magician's reach. Magolor grabbed it with one of his hands and put it under his hood to eat it. The healing effect of the food immediately made his pain and dizziness disappear.

However, the beneficial effects of the food did nothing to prevent his horror at seeing the state of the control room.

"No! No! No!" The wizard screamed, jumping frantically towards the Lor's broken control console before trying to desperately activate it with no success. "What in Shiver Star did happen here?!"

"I don't know. It was already like this when I arrived," Marx replied. "My guess is that someone knocked you out in order to destroy the Lor's controls."

"This is a disaster!" the wizard exclaimed in despair.

"Hey, hey, keep your head cold. I'm sure you can fix it," Marx tried to calm his friend down. The jester didn't understand Magolor's reaction. The Lor had been in worse condition, according to what the magician had claimed in the past.

"Of course I can, but it might take days, especially if I have to ask Susie for spare parts," Magolor replied. "That is not the main issue, though."

"Then what is it?" Marx asked.

"My research is gone!" Magolor answered. "I can't even access the backups with the controls broken, and the analysis in progress is surely ruined. I was so close..." he explained, frustrated.

Marx paused to think about something Magolor had just said: his research was gone. Maybe the attacker wasn't after the wizard, but after his work.

"Well, if that person thinks that they will be spared only because Magolor wasn't their actual target, they are mistaken," Marx said to himself.

Still, the fact that Magolor had been assaulted and his research destroyed should mean that he had found something about the portals. But what did he find? And who was behind the attack? How was that person able to not only infiltrate the Lor but also take Magolor by surprise?

Unable to find an answer to those questions, Marx redirected his thoughts to his encounter with Taranza. Because Magolor had told the jester about his meeting with Kirby and the others the previous evening, Marx had been both surprised and suspicious to see Kirby walking alongside Taranza that morning. Therefore, he had decided to pester the spider in hopes of figuring out what was going on (and also because doing so was always amusing). However, given Taranza's reaction to Marx's accusation, it was very likely that neither he, his 'totally not suspicious cousin,' nor the "babyfied" Kirby were the ones who attacked Magolor.

"I'm sure that the baby was actually an alternate version of Kirby. But who was Taranza's supposed cousin? Ugh, thinking this much makes me hungry."

"So close to what?" Marx finally asked Magolor, intrigued, as he took a second bread out of the bag and devoured it in a single bite.

"Finding a way to open a portal to 'nowhere,'" the magician revealed.

Marx tilted his body in confusion.

"Okay, I think that hit broke something inside you. What you just said doesn't make sense."

"But it's literally 'nowhere'!" Magolor insisted. "Though at the same time, it could be said that it's also 'everywhere.' Don't you get it? This could be the greatest discovery since the time of the Ancients!" the magician exclaimed.

Marx rolled his eyes, took a pizza from the bag, and swallowed it whole before saying:

"Once I'm done eating, I'm taking you to a doctor. It's clear that the food hasn't cured you completely."

Magolor seemed to have finally realised that, due to stress, he wasn't explaining himself correctly, so he cleared his throat and, in a calmer tone, clarified:

"Marx, the entry point of those portals is not the universe from where the girl and the other Dedede came from. It's an 'in-between' dimension."

— — —

Dedede and Meta Knight didn't know how to react to that revelation.

The knight was tempted to mutter to Dedede an "I told you so," but he didn't think it was appropriate to do so given the circumstances. A Sectonia from an alternate dimension appearing out of nowhere to say that all universes needed them was not something to be taken lightly. In fact, it was quite serious and shocking at the same time.

Even Taranza had been stunned by Toni's words. He had already guessed, due to a couple of sentences that had slipped from the other spider's mouth, that something quite serious lay behind the arrival of the other dimension's inhabitants, but he would never have imagined that the reason was something of such a large scale.

"What do you mean by all universes needing our help?" Meta Knight wanted to know, giving voice to what he, Dedede, and Taranza were wondering.

"It's complicated to explain," the alternate Sectonia answered. "I suppose I should start from the beginning..."

Dedede, sensing that the visitor from the other dimension was about to start narrating a flashback, quickly interrupted her.

"Wait. How long is this story going to be?" the king asked, earning reproachful glances from Meta Knight and Taranza.

"A bit long. Why?" the alternate Sectonia asked, visibly annoyed. "I hope he doesn't intend to tell me that he is going to ignore me because long stories bore him," the spider said to herself, with increasing anger. From her point of view, exposing the reasons behind her arrival to that universe was of vital importance in order to continue her mission. She needed not only to convince the four heroes that her dimension's Meta Knight had spoken of to help her, but also to showcase what was at stake and the risks they would take if they decided to join her or not.

"Because, in that case, you're going to have to wait," Dedede replied with impatience.

"Wait?!" she exclaimed indignantly. "Haven't you heard what I said before? All universes are in danger! Don't you understand the gravity of the situation?"

"Yes I do, and that's why I can't just sit still and listen to 'a bit long' story when those four, well, five kids aren't back yet," the king replied. "If the situation is so serious, we need them. We must go find them now!"

Those words calmed down the alternative Sectonia, her expression becoming thoughtful. That was a good point, and, due to their change of posture towards the king, both the alternate Meta Knight and Tar seemed to agree.

"I understand," Sectonia conceded. "The Guardian, her brother, and the Kirby of this universe are of vital importance." The spider then remembered something and asked. "Tell me, is one of those 'kids' a Waddle Dee with a bandana, by any chance?" she asked.

"Yes," Dedede answered. "How did she know that? Taranza seems as surprised as I am that she got it right, so I can rule out that he told her about Bandee... Who is this Sectonia exactly?" he wondered as he studied the alternate Sectonia closely.

"So the four heroes have been located," the spider said to herself, somewhat satisfied. She then turned to Dedede and added, "You're right, Your Highness. Finding out what happened to those children is a top priority."

"Tiff Tuff dange?" asked baby Kirby, sitting next to the unconscious Dedede.

"We don't know yet, little one," Sectonia replied, trying to reassure him.

Meta Knight let out a long sigh of exasperation before turning towards the king.

"This wouldn't be a problem if neither you nor Kirby had refused to be part of Susie's communication system, like I told you," he reproached Dedede.

"What surprises me is that YOU of all people agreed to participate in her project," Dedede replied.

"It's useful for specific things. Obviously, I'm not going to talk about my strategies and defence plans while using her creations," the knight stated.

"I still don't see the point of a high-tech communication system," Dedede said, shrugging.

"Well, it's useful for exactly this type of situation. One call and we would know if the children are in danger, distracted by some nonsense, or if they are already on their way back and we are worrying for nothing," the knight explained.

"Knowing Kirby, my bet is on the second option," Taranza whispered to himself.

Sectonia watched the exchange, rather baffled. Meta Knight had already warned her that the version of him she would find in that dimension would be quite different, and that the king of the lower lands wasn't going to be much like the one in hers either. But, after observing the disdain with which Meta Knight and the king treated each other in her dimension (although the former tried harder to hide that disdain in front of his "boss"), she would never have imagined that dynamic between their alternate selves. The Meta Knight and Dedede of that strange dimension could be arguing, but it was more similar to a discussion between two close friends or even family members than a real dispute.

"Ahem. Could you please return your focus to what concerns us?" Sectonia requested once she got over her stupefaction. "As the king said, we need to find those children as soon as possible, and, honestly, I don't even know where to start."

Suddenly, baby Kirby stood up, as if he had sensed something the others hadn't. The pink puffball ran to look out from one of the room's glassless windows. The four conscious adults followed him, curious at the change in his behaviour.

"Wap star, poyo!" baby Kirby exclaimed, jumping with joy as he pointed out a bright small light in the sky that was approaching the castle.

"That is them. Thank goodness..." Dedede sighed in relief.

"And then you'll say you don't care about Kirby," Meta Knight teased him.

"Shush," Dedede grumbled, looking away as his face turned red.

"By the way, what shall we do with the other Dedede?" Taranza asked.

"I guess I'll take him to the infirmary," said a tired, petulant voice behind them.

Everyone turned to look at the newcomer, who turned out to be Escargoon.

"Goonie, poyo!" baby Kirby said happily.

"Hello, Kirby," Escargoon greeted back, without much enthusiasm. "Wait a second, this is my world's Kirby!" the snail exclaimed after noticing both his behaviour and his appearance. Baby Kirby clapped his hands, glad that Escargoon had recognised him. "Where did he come from?!" he asked his captors.

"Where did you come from would be a more appropriate question," Dedede countered. "I'm sure you were hiding in the hole while we were fighting Dark Matter, like a coward," he reproached him.

"Me, a coward? How insolent. Caring about my self-preservation is not cowardice but wiseness," Escargoon replied with a haughty air. Then he noticed Sectonia. "Wait a second, your face seems familiar," he began to say. Suddenly, as if something had clicked inside his head, the snail exclaimed, "I remember now! You are the disrespectful ruler of Floralia who threatened to declare war on us if we didn't agree to collaborate with you in… something I do not remember!"

Sectonia let out a groan of disappointment upon hearing that last part.

"So you are also having trouble remembering what happened before we arrived here. How inopportune. I was hoping to have someone else's testimony to fill in the gaps in my own memory," said the spider.

"Did you really want to declare war on your dimension's Dream Land? Is the situation so serious that you would make such a threat?" Taranza asked her, a little afraid, as she had not denied the snail's statement.

"It was actually a tactical bluff," the alternate Sectonia confessed in order to prevent the inhabitants of that dimension from considering her a despot. Besides, her home had suffered too much from the consequences of the war against eNeMeE to throw its inhabitants headlong into another one.

"You tricked us!?" The snail shouted angrily. "This is an outrage! We should be the ones to declare war on Floralia for having such an ill-mannered and lying ruler!" he threatened her.

"I won't give an ounce of respect to anybody who collaborated with eNeMeE in the past, so you better get off your high horse, or I'll make that bluff a reality," Sectonia threatened back, deciding not to reveal that she wasn't Floralia's ruler to Escargoon. Unfortunately, both he and his king would only collaborate with her under duress.

"Nobody here is going to declare war on anyone!" the Dedede of that universe shouted angrily as he stood between them. "Besides, how do you dare talk about such a subject in front of a baby?" he reproached them while pointing at baby Kirby, who had a sad expression on his face and seemed stressed. If Dedede remembered what Tiff had told him correctly, in his universe most of the Star Warriors, the faction to which this Kirby belonged, died in the war against Nightmare. It was logical that the puffball was not only aware of that word's connotations but also that he didn't react well to it.

Sectonia seemed to have noticed the same thing, so she quickly apologised.

"You're right, I'm sorry," the spider said to Dedede and the baby Kirby. "War shouldn't be taken lightly."

"True, true," Escargoon agreed, showing a bit of regret for having let himself be carried away by his anger. His Dream Land lacked resources to wage war against any nation. "Well, I think I am not welcome here, so I'll be taking my lord to the infirmary," he finally decided.

“Don’t try to escape. Both the castle guards and my men have the perimeter guarded,” Meta Knight warned him.

“I wasn’t planning to. Besides, it’s not like I can get very far with this baggage,” the snail groaned, glancing sideways at his Dedede.

Escargoon proceeded to drag the unconscious Dedede, but when he was about to leave the room, something ran over him.

“Let Dedede go, Dark Matter!” Kirby shouted, striking a battle pose while standing on top of Escargoon.

It was not hard to imagine why Kirby had entered the room in such a rush. While the adults were busy arguing, Kirby and the others had arrived at the castle. Then, someone had told them that Dark Matter was attacking. “Oopsies. I should have told the Dees that the problem was already solved,” Dedede said to himself.

“Heh, you’re late, Kirby. Meta Knight and I have already dealt with Dark Matter's copy,” Dedede gloated. Instead of looking surprised, Kirby sighed in relief. “He looks tired. Did he skip his morning nap, or did he and the otherrs run into trouble?” the king wondered.

“Oh... it was just a copy,” Gooey, who had entered right behind Kirby, said. He spoke in a strange tone that could be read either as relief or as disappointment. Sometimes, reading the blob's emotions was very difficult.

Behind them came Tiff, closely followed by Bandee. As expected, as soon as she entered the room, the girl's eyes fell on only one person.

“Kirby!” she exclaimed happily upon seeing her dimension's puffball.

“Tiff!” he shouted back. Happiness was reflected in his sparky eyes as he threw himself into the girl's arms, melting into a hug so tender that it touched everyone present, except for Escargoon.

“Tuff, it's him!” Tiff called to her brother, who had just entered the room. “It's our Kirby!”

Obviously, the boy also joined the hug.

“Thank goodness you're okay, buddy,” the boy said to the puffball.

“Tiff, Tuff, poyo, poyo,” baby Kirby repeated, crying tears of joy as he held onto his adopted siblings

The lovely scene didn't last much longer, as someone was lying face down on the ground and couldn't stand their position any longer.

“Um... I lament interrupting this disgustingly tender moment, but can the Kirby who's mentally over a year old get off of me?!” an angry Escargoon asked.

“Oh, I'm sorry!” the hero apologised, getting off the snail's shell before helping him to get up. “I came in so quickly that I didn't notice anything or... anyone.”

It was at that moment when Kirby recognised a face among the group that was familiar to him but he had never seen in person, his mind short-circuiting due to the shock. For a second, he thought that Sectonia had somehow returned to life free of the corruption caused by the Dimension Mirror.

“No. I have been told many times that something like that can only happen in a dream. This person must be the Sectonia that Tiff told us about,” Kirby told himself.

“Greetings, hero of this dimension,” the alternate Sectonia approached him.

Kirby stepped back a little, feeling anxious. It was the first time he didn't know how to talk with someone. What kind of person was the Sectonia standing in front of him? Could he trust her? Would she hate him if she found out that he had caused her death in that dimension? Kirby glanced at Taranza. How was his friend dealing with the situation?

For her part, Sectonia hadn't missed the way that dimension's hero looked at her. “Did something happen between the me from this dimension and him?” the former princess wondered. Still, she decided not to delve into it. They had more important things to focus on.

“I don't know what your relationship with this dimension's me was like, nor am I interested,” she continued saying. “If it's more convenient and easier for you, you can call me Toni, just like Tar... I mean, Taranza does.”

"So, Taranza is calling the alternate Sectonia by another name?" Kirby repeated in his mind. "I guess this could help me to see this person as a new friend without being reminded of her..." he decided to try.

“Okay! I'll call you Toni!” Kirby finally agreed, trying to regain his usual joy.

"So, you're not the tyrannical queen corrupted by a magic mirror that Kirby had no choice but to kill?" Gooey asked, genuinely curious.

That question felt like someone had dropped a bomb in the middle of the room. Dedede and Kirby, who had already felt quite uncomfortable, couldn't help but be startled and alarmed since they didn't know how Toni was going to take the revelation. Taranza's face had taken on a sad expression, and he looked like he wanted to vanish. Tiff and Tuff arrived way too late to cover Gooey's mouth. Meta Knight put a hand to his temple. Finally, Bandee snorted in exasperation.

"Gooey...How many times do I have to tell you that you need to be more tactful when asking about that subject?" the Waddle Dee scolded the blob.

"I'm sorry..." he apologised.

"You really need to learn to read the room," Tuff remarked.

As for Sectonia, the strange creature's words had felt like a cold shower on a winter morning.

"So I was a tyrannical queen in this dimension. I guess that explains both Tar's behaviour when I attacked him out of reflex this morning and everyone's reaction to my presence. Still, I can't let this affect me. Too much is at stake."

Sectonia buried any sign of distress the revelation could have caused her deep in his heart. Then, she once again adopted a formal posture.

"As I said, I'm not interested in what kind of person this dimension's 'me' was," Sectonia declared in a professional tone. "My purpose is to save our worlds, so I beg you all to put aside any prejudice caused by what she did to you in the past and focus on addressing the current problem," she requested of the rest.

"Then, do you know how we ended up here?" Tuff wanted to know.

"Yes, though there are a few things I haven't been able to remember yet," Sectonia admitted. "I hope that as I tell my story, the gaps in my memory will be filled in."

"And maybe mine too," Tiff added, eager to hear what Toni had to tell.

At that moment, Dedede stepped forward, drawing the attention of those present.

“Well, now that we are all here, I suggest we go somewhere more comfy,” the king said. “Luckily, I asked the Dees to repair the meeting room first, as I got the feeling that we were going to need it. Or would you rather just stand here?”

No one was thrilled by the second option, so they all decided to follow Dedede to the meeting room. On the way, Tuff formally introduced himself to that dimension's Meta Knight and Dedede, motivated by his sister.

“Is it true that you hit my dimension's Dedede so hard with your hammer that he flew out of a robot?” the boy asked, remembering what his sister had told him.

“Yes. Although, in my defence, I will say that he asked for it,” Dedede replied. “See my castle?” he added, pointing to the buttressed walls. “It wouldn't be in this sorry state if it weren't for him.”

“I would have paid my allowance of a whole year to see you beat his ass,” Tuff stated.

“Language, Tuff!” Tiff scolded her brother.

“Hey, does Toni having something important to tell us mean that I can't take a nap?” Kirby asked suddenly. His baby counterpart walked beside him, curiously watching everything he did and even trying to imitate him. Kirby couldn't help but find it odd but endearing. Besides, while he was already used to meeting other versions of himself (either splits or alternate "selves"), this was the first time, as far as he knew, that baby Kirby had seen someone identical, or almost identical, to him. He hoped that once things calmed down a bit, they both would become good friends.

“We have no time for naps. If you wanted to sleep so badly, you should have arrived earlier,” Dedede reproached him as he invited everyone to enter the meeting room.

“Hey, it wasn’t my fault. We were attacked by a copy of Dark Nebula!” Kirby excused himself, staying behind with Dedede as the others took their seats.

“So the kids had indeed been in danger after all, though, as always, they had come out victorious. In that case, I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on Kirby,” Dedede thought.

“Well, if you see that you’re so tired that you can't keep your eyes open, you can get a few minutes of sleep,” the king conceded. “But try to stay awake!” he demanded.

Kirby nodded happily before taking a seat next to the window, where the warmth of the sun was more pleasant. Dedede rolled his eyes and took the large centre seat, which was reserved for him.

“So we were attacked by a copy of Dark Matter, and you were attacked by a copy of Dark Nebula... Is any of you injured?” Meta Knight asked.

“No, sir. We all came out of the fight unscathed,” Bandee confirmed.

“What about the Squeaks?”

“Daroach almost died,” Gooey answered.

“Of course he did...“ the knight said before sighing with displeasure. “That thief is always recklessly risking his life.”

“It wasn't his fault. That copy was very determined to finish off both him and Kirby,” Gooey excused the mouse.

“I see...In that case, I suppose I should send him something to compensate him for the trouble,” Meta Knight commented thoughtfully.

“Have you been facing copies of other beings?” Toni asked. The rest, except Taranza and baby Kirby, nodded. “Did they have a digital-like appearance?”

“Yes. It seems that you know what they are,” Meta Knight guessed. 

“That's right,” the spider nodded. “They're called...”

“... Echoes, and their existence is a direct consequence of what is putting all universes in danger,” said Tiff at the same time as Toni. Everyone present stared at her, surprised. “I'm sorry!” she apologised quickly. “I didn't want to be rude, but those words suddenly came to my mind, and I don't know why.” 

“It's because I explained this to you on our first meeting,” Toni said.

“Our first meeting...” Tiff repeated, trying to recall it. “I'm sorry, I don't remember it well. I know that you were with us before we ended up in this dimension, but I still don't know why or how,” the girl said, somewhat distressed. Baby Kirby, who was sitting between her and his older counterpart, patted her to try to comfort her.

“Hey, at least that's an indication that you're recovering your memory,” Bandee tried to cheer her up.

“I suppose so, but I don't feel like it's enough,” she replied.

“Don't worry. My story will be,” Toni assured her. Then, she addressed the inhabitants of that dimension: “He trusted that you would lend us your aid if we couldn't complete this mission on our own.”

“He?” Meta Knight asked, intrigued.

“My dimension's Meta Knight,” Toni answered. “He is, or was, the leader of our mission, but since he is not with us right now, that role belongs to me. I hope that what I am going to tell you is enough to convince you to join our cause."

The spider gave a long sigh before beginning her story.

"It all started a little over a week ago...”

Chapter Text

Standing near the edge of the celestial island in which the palace where she grew up once stood proudly, Sectonia watched the horizon with the help of binoculars. She was searching across the sky for the silhouette of something in particular, or rather, someone. Sir Arthur's envoy should not take much longer to arrive.

Sectonia hadn't expected such a quick response to her request. Only two days had passed since the incident that had made her call the leader of her lost kingdom's old allies, and, considering that they were busy on the other side of the galaxy, she had guessed that she would have to wait at least a month to receive their help.

Fortunately for her, a Star Warrior resided in one of the Lands Below's kingdoms. An hour after their first contact, Sir Arthur called her back to confirm that this person was willing to help her, that he would show up within twenty-four hours, and that the only thing he needed was the coordinates where he would be allowed to enter Floralia. The only thing left to specify was the length of time that said Star Warrior would be able to stay, as he had a job he couldn't afford to lose.

Thus, Sectonia waited vigilantly for the person Sir Arthur had told him about. The one who, in his prime, was renowned as one of the most powerful Star Warriors to ever exist. That Star Warrior's name was...

“I still can't believe we're going to meet the legendary Meta Knight.”

Those words were said by an excited Sectra Dee, who until that moment had been sharpening a spear. He was wearing a blue bandana with the symbol of the Floralia royal family embroidered on one side, although that symbol was repurposed to represent the Resistance.

“Try to calm down, Bandee,” Sectonia requested. “The last thing our guest wants is for us to treat him like someone special.”

“Of course, of course,” he replied, trying to hide his nervousness. “I'll address him with normal respect. No excessive formalities.”

Sectonia shook her head, but she let the Sectra Dee be. Bandee was one of the few former servants to her family who had been spared from the tragedy, as most had been captured by NME's forces, never to be seen again. She had to let him enjoy these small joys.

Finally, Sectonia spotted her guest's silhouette flying towards them on an Air Ride machine. She immediately put away her binoculars, closed her eyes, raised her hands to the sky, and chanted a spell that only Floralia's royalty could perform. The clouds that acted as magical protection parted slightly, leaving a hole large enough for a person to pass through.

In the past, generations of her family, including her, had believed that the magical occultation of the sky islands was an infallible defence. They would never have imagined that someone from their own family, a person she had grown up with, would be the one to open the kingdom's doors to its enemies.

“Don’t think about him now. He made a deal with the devil and got what he deserved.”

“Lady Sectonia?” called a voice behind her, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Sectonia turned to greet the newcomer. At her side, Bandee adopted an excessively rigid posture.

“Greetings, Sir Meta Knight,” said the spider politely. “Please, just call me Sectonia. This is Bandee, my right-hand man.”

“Ni... Nice to meet you, sir!” the Sectra Dee saluted, a little shyly.

“In that case, I also request that you two drop formalities,” he replied. “If we are going to work together, we better do so as equals.”

“Fine by me, Meta Knight,” Sectonia agreed. At her side, Bandee nodded. “Please, follow us,” she indicated to her guest.

“Wait a second, please,” he stopped them. “I brought something for you.”

Sectonia and Bandee looked at the Star Warrior, intrigued. Meta Knight opened the baggage he had brought with him. On its inside, there was a wide variety of seed bags.

“Oh! Vegetable and fruit seeds from the surface!” Bandee celebrated with joy. “With this we can increase our variety of crops!”

“Is this a courtesy gift from Dream Land's king?” Sectonia tried to guess.

Sir Arthur had told her that Meta Knight was currently working for the king of a tropical kingdom known as Dream Land, so Sectonia had interpreted Meta Knight's baggage as an attempt made by said monarch to make first contact with Floralia through a gift. “If that’s the case, I would have to discuss with the council whether we should establish connections with the countries of the Lands Below or not.”

Meta Knight’s dry scoff cut that idea short.

“The day King Dedede makes a genuine gift without ill intentions, I'll think the world is ending,” the Star Warrior said with disappointment and weariness. “This is my own initiative, although my apprentices have also contributed.”

“Really? Thank you very much!” exclaimed the Sectra Dee. Then, he turned to Sectonia and asked, “Can I take this to the orchard? I'm sure Petunia will be very happy."

“You don't need to ask for permission, Bandee. See you later,” Sectonia said to her companion.

Bandana Sectra Dee closed Meta Knight's baggage and picked it up. Then, he left Sectonia alone with Meta Knight, waddling with joy towards the community orchard.

“Thank you for your gift. You didn't need to be this generous,” Sectonia said to Meta Knight.

“It was the least I could do,” he replied. Was it Sectonia, or was there some guilt in his words?

“Well, let's go somewhere more private so we can talk about the incident,” the spider decided since she didn't know how to reply to Meta Knight's words.

Meta Knight nodded. Sectonia began to guide him towards what once was her kingdom's capital.

The beautiful palace had been reduced to ruins. The city had been luckier, although the most important buildings, such as the school or the hospital, were the first to be destroyed by NME's forces. The company's first step to establish their absolute dominion over the inhabitants of the places they invaded was always taking down the citizens' basic services, thus making them dependent on the company. While every company needs employees, NME used that word to disguise another one: "slaves."

Wherever they passed by, they could see fairies and insectoids working side by side to rebuild the houses and other buildings that had suffered serious damage. Some stopped their tasks for a second to greet Sectonia or look at Meta Knight in admiration. Sectonia had noticed that during the entire time they had been walking in silence, the Star Warrior's eyes had remained green.

"I thought they had completely devastated Floralia. If I had known that there were not only survivors but an entire rebel group, perhaps I would have headed here instead of going to Dream Land..." the knight suddenly said in the same tone of voice he had used before.

Sectonia looked at him. So he did feel guilty. Was it because he thought Floralia's cruel fate was caused by its alliance with the GSA or because he personally had done nothing to come to their aid?

“No one among the survivors holds a grudge against the remaining Star Warriors, the GSA, or you,” Sectonia assured him sympathetically, putting one of her hands on his shoulder pad. “Besides, even if you had somehow managed to enter Floralia, your presence here would have made no difference. A lone Star Warrior wouldn't have accomplished much when facing an entire NME settlement,” she added before the Star Warrior could say anything to her. “My team and I managed to resist this long because of our deep knowledge of this land. You would have exposed yourself to a certain death, and, from what Sir Arthur told me, you were a key piece in the fall of eNeMeE.”

“Arthur and the others give me more credit than I deserve,” he admitted, a little dejectedly. “Kirby did the hardest part. I only made sure he reached his destiny.”

Kirby. Sectonia remembered clearly the first time she had heard that name.

“I don't think I'll ever forget the day Sir Arthur broadcasted the message of eNeMeE's downfall using NME's own devices. My team and I were retreating after one of our sabotages when, suddenly, all these bastards' screens went from showing the price on our heads to the face of someone everyone thought was dead,” Sectonia told Meta Knight. “I thought I was dreaming, especially when he gave the news that eNeMeE had been executed by a Star Warrior named Kirby. That day, hope returned to our land.”

Sectonia had no way of knowing, but Meta Knight had smiled warmly under his mask upon hearing those words. In some planets, it's said that green is the colour of hope, but for him, said colour was pink. Although he had never completely lost it, Kirby's arrival in Dream Land had reignited the last spark he had left into a flame.

“Though, to be honest, I'd like to see his face,” Sectonia continued. “Why did Sir Arthur decide to reveal only his name? I think the universe should celebrate its greatest hero.”

“While it's true that both Kirby and his guardian deserve everyone's praises, they also deserve a peaceful life,” answered the Star Warrior. “We don't want 'fans' or potential enemies from all corners of the universe to harass them in their own home. They already have to deal with King Dedede's shenanigans.”

Once again, Meta Knight had criticised his current boss. "I'm starting to dislike this Dedede guy..." Sectonia said to herself, slightly irritated.

“I understand, although it's hard to believe that a baby defeated that tyrant,” Sectonia remarked.

“And in one single hit. No wonder eNeMeE wanted to get rid of him at all costs.”

“Wait. In one single hit? How powerful is that baby?!” Sectonia repeated internally, so perplexed that she didn't dare to ask the question out loud.

They had reached their destination while talking: a building relatively well preserved. It had once been a large warehouse, but since the structure was intact, they had decided to use it as both a makeshift hospital and a coordination point for planning the rebuilding of the city.

Inside, a group of bandaged fairies and insectoids was waiting to be treated. Sectonia led Meta Knight to a more secluded room, chosen as a meeting point in order to not disturb the patients. The room wasn't particularly large, and the chairs and tables within had clearly not been selected because of their looks or how comfortable they were, but because they had been found among the rubble in a functional state.

Meta Knight looked around the room with interest. The walls were filled with plans and maps, while the tables were piled high with papers containing reports and lengthy write-ups related to the reconstruction process. Sectonia invited the Star Warrior to take a seat.

“May I ask you a question?” Meta Knight said as he sat down. Sectonia nodded. “How do you plan to run the kingdom from now on?”

“Well, for starters, it won't be a kingdom. As I told Sir Arthur, there will be no crown on my head. It was a member of my family who ended our peace, so to prevent future abuse of the power that lies in my bloodline, I've decided that the 'Royal Family of Floralia' will die with me,” she clarified.

“Besides, I don't plan on having offspring. Right now, there is no room for another person in my heart,” she added to herself.

“In that case, who will rule this land?” Meta Knight insisted.

“We have set up a temporary council made up of my fellow Resistance members and representatives of various independent groups of survivors. This council will become the main form of government, and both its final members and leader will be elected by universal suffrage once the reconstruction work is finished. My wish is to let my people choose how we will move forward.”

“So you're turning one of the most ancient monarchies in this galaxy into a democracy. It's quite a historical change,” the Star Warrior commented.

“Indeed. My only hope is that the new government won't become corrupted over time. Dealing with the old nobility was difficult enough,” Sectonia finished, letting out a sigh.

Sectonia remembered with clarity the royal court debates. Sometimes, even her parents had a hard time putting an end to the nobility's crazy and unfair ideas. They went so far as to propose a special tax for the peaceful-by-nature floral fairies as “payment for defending them.” Her parents rejected attempts to approve such measures countless times, and she would have followed their example if she had become queen. Or at least that was what she liked to believe.

Once, Sectonia had considered those debates boring and pointless, and thus she hated having to attend them due to her status as first heir to the throne. The former royal princess was always looking for the slightest excuse to avoid them, sometimes even fleeing with Taranza. Her current self, however, couldn't deny that their absence had left a void inside her, alongside everything she had lost from her old life.

“And what about you?” Meta Knight questioned, bringing her back to the present.

“I will accept my position if I am chosen as the leader, but, regardless of the outcome, I will dedicate myself body and soul to protecting each and every one of the inhabitants of my land, be it from external or internal threats,” she explained solemnly.

The only thing she hadn't been able to figure out yet was what to do with the sky island's magical protection. Keeping it active would mean that Floralia would become isolated once she was dead, but if it was dispelled, the islands would be way too exposed and vulnerable to external attacks. She hoped she would find a solution before that time came.

“I see. I wish you the best of luck in facing such a radical change,” Meta Knight said.

“Thank you. We are going to need it,” Sectonia replied with a weary smile.

“Well, let’s get to the point of this meeting,” the Star Warrior stated. “Sir Arthur has briefly told me about the incident from two days ago, but can you give me all the details?”

Sectonia nodded and began to narrate what happened.

Sectonia was leading the hospital's reconstruction when, suddenly, Bandee had run to her, alarmed. He told her that a strange being had appeared out of nowhere in the central plaza and was attacking everyone who crossed its path. Sectonia rushed to rescue her people without a second thought.

Once the former princess arrived at the scene, she was greeted by screams of horror and several of her fellow citizens fleeing. Some of them had been wounded by a sharp object. A Sectra Knight ran past her, carrying in his arms a badly injured blue fairy.

And in the middle of all the chaos, there was a girl.

While the girl was of another species, she didn't seem to be much older than Sectonia, at least physically. Her long pink hair was tousled and dirty, her face was full of scars, and her clothes were little more than rags. In one hand she held firmly a rudimentary javelin, while the other one was missing. However, nothing about her appearance was as staggering as the strange aura that surrounded her, similar to a hologram with signal errors or a corrupted digital image.

Still, Sectonia didn't let herself be intimidated by the strange, creepy girl. She advanced steadily towards her and, raising her rapiers, demanded with fury:

“Stop right there! I won't tolerate you bringing more harm to my people!”

The girl fixed her blue eyes on Sectonia. Her gaze was deranged and devoid of reason.

“̵̘̉N̴͔̚U̸̼͠S̸͎͋Ḱ̶͈”̶͌ͅ

“Where is that unnatural sound coming from?” Sectonia warily wondered.

“̸͍̓C̶̎ͅṈ̷͝K̵̨̎X̷̫̋K̴̳̈́ ̶̱͋O̴͖͛Y̶̲̔ ̶̗̾S̴̫͂E̴̋ͅ ̵̬̉N̵̛̬U̷̖̐S̶͖͑K̷̺͐?̶̨̔ ̴͍͂Ȍ̵̦ ̷͙̀C̶̝̽G̷̮̎T̵̝̽Z̶̝͠ ̶̯́Z̷̮̉U̷̓ͅ ̷͓̂M̷̘̈U̶̧͆ ̶̩́N̷̬͊U̶̬͘S̸̢͗Ḳ̷͝.̴͔̈́ ̸̳̅Ő̶͎ ̸͕̈S̶͍͗A̴̓ͅY̵̩͗Ź̴̞ ̴̢̄M̴̹̚U̶͎̽ ̸͈͂N̴̢̒U̸͍͐S̶̻̄K̶͍̆.̴̥̌”̵͕̽

Unless Sectonia's hearing was deceiving her, the sound was coming from the girl. How was she making it? Was it some sort of distraction tactic?

“̴̞͉̑M̸̱͚̉K̴̺̒Z̴̢̀ ̷̦͓͊̽U̸͎̫͠A̵̕ͅZ̴̪̓ ̸̼́Ũ̴͍L̶̤̊̐ ̵̛͙͎͂S̵̺̪̈̓Ę̶̛͖̏ ̸̢̢̄C̶̲͐̈́G̷̙̥̚E̴̮̫͗!̵̤̒”̵̳̫̿́

Wielding her javelin like it was a combat spear, the “girl” lunged at her like a feral beast. Sectonia parried her attack with ease, the javelin flying through the air. The girl backed away, staring at Sectonia like an animal that could attack at any moment.

Given its animalistic behaviour and wild appearance, Sectonia deduced that the being in front of her wasn't a girl but a monster created by eNeMeE. “It must have escaped from a bunker that we are yet to find. I must finish it before it hurts more people,” she decided.

Then, the monster pulled out some kind of flint knife from its rags and, once more, lunged at Sectonia with the intent to stab her. A simple attack like that would work on weaker, skittish, or less intelligent foes, but not on Floralia's seasoned protector. Sectonia waited until the creature was close enough to her, dodged the attack with elegance, and, in a quick movement, pierced the monster's body with one of her rapiers, leaving it suspended in the air a few centimetres away from her.

The creature froze for a second, staring in stupefaction at the blade that now pierced it from side to side. The pain and shock forced it to drop the knife. Once the monster girl's brain had processed what was happening, it frantically tried to yank the rapier out of its body but soon lost its strength.

Alongside a sound that somehow conveyed a deep despair, tears began to well up in the monster's eye.

“̶͕̍T̴̥̄U̷̹̒.̶̜̃.̶̮̽.̵͔͌T̷̰̈́Ṷ̷̀Z̸̺̍ ̴̨̾N̵̞̓K̵̥͌X̸̥̄K̷̢͛.̷͍́ ̸̧͐Z̸̘̾N̵̻̉Ō̷̮Y̴̯̐.̵̰̆.̷͖̾.̴̫̓ ̶̙͂O̷̲͑Y̸̠̾T̸͈̂'̸̹͝Z̸̲̑ ̴͎̉N̴̲̋U̷̩͌S̸͔͘K̴͓̃.̷̗̄.̶̱̅.̶̙̽”̴͚̓

Sectonia gasped. She had never seen an NME creation weep. The spider withdrew the rapier, trembling not from fear but from anguish, and the monster collapsed to the ground.

“̷J̶G̴J̴,̸”̸ the monster cried as it raised its hand to the sky.

And then, the girl vanished into digital-looking particles, leaving behind three petal-shaped crystals.

Once Sectonia was done retelling the incident, Meta Knight meditated for a few seconds, searching in his memories for something that could link eNeMeE to the monster girl's attack.

“I’m sorry. Despite my vast knowledge of eNeMeE’s creations, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this,” Meta Knight finally spoke. Sectonia had to hide her disappointment. “Still, I’ll do my best to help you find out what it was. Tell me, did you keep the data from the NME's projects carried out here?”

“Yes. While we destroyed the monsters and poisonous plants and dismantled the factories, we decided to keep all the computers and documents just in case the refounded GSA requested them, although I planned to destroy them after some time passed,” Sectonia explained. “For safety reasons, only I can access the chamber where they are kept, but I will gladly take you there.”

“That would be a good starting point to figure out where that monster came from and what its purpose was. One more thing: do you still have the crystals that the creature left behind after it vanished?”

Sectonia retrieved a small bag from one of her cloak's inner pockets. Then, she extracted the three crystals from it and placed them on the table. Just as the spider had said, they were shaped like petals, and, given their different forms, each one seemed to belong to a different kind of flower, although none that Meta Knight could recognise.

“More than figuring out what the deal with the monster girl was, I need help to find out what these are,” Sectonia exposed, pointing at the crystals. “I don't know what material they're made of, but they seem to be indestructible. Also, I can detect some kind of energy inside them with my magic, although I haven't managed to get a reaction from them when applying it.”

“Are they dangerous?” Meta Knight asked cautiously.

“I don't think so. I haven't noticed any adverse effects while studying them, and none of my companions have detected unusual changes in my behaviour, so I have ruled out that they are some kind of artefact that corrupts people, at least in the short term. But, just in case, I haven't let anyone else get close to them,” Sectonia explained. “I do, however, have noticed something very strange. While one of them functions pretty much like a normal crystal, when I look through the other two, I see 'nothing,'” she finished, rearranging the petals to separate the one she had labelled as normal from the rest.

“What do you mean by nothing?” Meta Knight asked, puzzled by the way she had said that.

“Absolutely nothing. It's like some kind of void. I can't describe it with words, but I find it quite unnerving," Sectonia revealed.

"Can I take a look at them?" the Star Warrior asked. "I'm more familiar with eNeMeE's magical powers, so I might be able to detect something else."

"Of course."

Meta Knight grabbed one of the crystals that, according to Sectonia, showed that “nothingness,” and closed his eyes. Just as the spider had said, he could perceive energy pulsating inside it, but it felt different from eNeMeE’s magic. Meta Knight opened his eyes and looked up through the crystal.

What he saw on the other side didn't match what Sectonia had described.

“Just to be sure, did this crystal show you that void?” Meta Knight asked, confused.

“Yes,” she confirmed, even more confused by the question. “Why do you ask that?”

“Because I see something completely different. It's a bit blurry, but I think it's a piece of paper resting on wood,” the Star Warrior described.

“That’s new,” Sectonia said in surprise. The spider gestured to Meta Knight to let her check the crystal, the Star Warrior returning it willingly. Sectonia looked through it for a few seconds from different angles before giving up and handing the crystal back to the knight. “I still see that void. Maybe only Star Warriors can see something on the other side?”

“I don’t know,” Meta Knight answered, his voice filled with doubt.

This time he stared at it for more than a couple of seconds. And the more he looked at it, the more he felt the crystal absorb his gaze, and the clearer he saw what was on the other side. The paper was on a fine wooden desk, and his own hand was writing on it in a language he didn’t know.

“Maybe I should stop looking through the crystal,” Meta Kningt's more cautious side recommended, as something capable of capturing someone’s perception could be very dangerous.

Meta Knight shook his head, making the feeling of being absorbed by the crystal disappear. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel very curious about what the crystal had shown him. Was it some kind of vision? And, in that case, what did it mean? Why was he writing?

In the end, curiosity beat caution. Meta Knight needed to know more about what he had just seen, so he needed to think of something to prevent possible risks.

"Sectonia, this is going to sound very strange, but I need you to immobilise me," he asked his companion.

"Uh, why?" she asked, weirded out by the strange and sudden request.

"The crystal somehow alters my perception, so I don't want to risk losing control while looking through it. While I don't' feel eNeMeE's power inside it, the crystal could still be one of his tricks. I can't put anyone in danger just to satisfy my own curiosity," he explained.

"Are you sure about this?" Sectonia asked him. "You'll be in a very vulnerable position once I trap you, and we don't know what the crystal will do to your mind…" she warned him.

"Yes. I trust you."

“What do you mean you trust me? We just met! You'd think a war veteran would be more careful...” Sectonia thought, though she didn't share her frustration with the Star Warrior.

“Fine. If you believe this will help us to figure out what the crystals are, I'll do it,” she reluctantly accepted.

Meta Knight placed the crystal on the table, just in front of him. Then, he made a gesture to Sectonia to indicate that she could proceed. The spider made a strange movement with her hands, which began to glow. Meta Knight soon found himself tied up in a solid spider web.

Meta Knight stared at the crystal once again. This time, he let it "absorb" him more and more until he was no longer in Floralia but right in front of the paper. His arm was moving on its own, and he couldn't feel it. It was like watching a movie from the protagonist's point of view.

"And it's done," a deep voice startled him. "Why Dedede tasked me to write a 'kid-friendly' speech for the tournament's inauguration ceremony is something I won't ever understand. He knows I'm bad at this…" the voice added in a tired tone as Meta Knight saw his own hand put the paper in an envelope.

A speech for a tournament? What was that voice talking about? In fact, where was it coming from? Given its proximity and the words it had said, it seemed to come from inside him, but his voice didn't sound like that.

Meta Knight saw his body jump up from his chair. He was in a cabin, and, since an icon made with his initial decorated several of the objects in the room, it probably belonged to him. It also looked a lot like the one he had prepared for him on the Halberd, though he never got to use it. There was no one else in the room, so the strange voice he had heard was indeed his own.

“ Maybe I'm seeing the future. If so, it seems that I will eventually carry out my plan to repair the Halberd. But why does my voice sound so strange? Not only does it sound way deeper, but it's also missing something.”

Meta Knight tried to look around to examine the cabin, but he couldn't. He quickly reminded himself that his real body was immobilised by Sectonia's web. Then, he noticed one crucial detail: earlier, he had left the vision when he had shaken his head.

“If movement is required to return to reality, I may have a problem,” Meta Knight realised. “Though it's most probable that just stopping to look at the crystal will do the trick,” he deduced.

To check this, he decided to close his eyes for a few seconds. Once he opened them, instead of looking at the crystal, he redirected his view elsewhere. The vision had dissipated, and Sectonia was sitting in front of him, watching him intently.

“Is everything okay, Meta Knight?” Sectonia asked him, noticing that he was no longer staring at the crystal.

“Yes. I was checking if I could exit the vision whenever I want,” he informed him. "It worked."

“That’s good to know. Have you finished?” Sectonia asked him. She was eager to hear a positive answer, since inside she was thinking, “I hope nobody comes in right now, because being seen with Meta Knight tied up like this is going to be very awkward.

“No. I don't have enough information yet,” he replied, much to Sectonia’s dismay.

“And being limited to the point of view of this ‘future me’ doesn’t help,” Meta Knight added to himself. It would be much more efficient if he could explore the vision freely.

Meta Knight's put his mind inside the crystal for the third time. His "future self" had left the cabin and was walking down a familiar hallway. He was on the Halberd, or at least in a very similar warship. On his way to the upper exit, the "future" Meta Knight crossed his path with Blade, who was waiting in front of a door. As soon as he saw him, the warrior stood firm.

"Good morning, sir," Blade greeted him in a more serious tone than usual. Although Blade respected him, he normally didn't speak to him as a soldier would treat his superior.

"Good morning, Blade," the "future" Meta Knight greeted back, with respect but without the usual trust and closeness. "Waiting for your turn to use the combat simulator?"

"Yes, sir. I don't neglect my training even on my free day."

"Your attitude is remarkable. Keep being so diligent, and you'll become a great warrior," Meta Knight approved.

"Thank you, sir!" clearly containing his joy at Meta Knight's praise.

“If this is the future, why does my relationship with Blade feel purely professional?” Meta Knight wondered, worried about how coldly Blade and he had regarded each other.

His future self continued walking until he reached the ship's deck. There he found a Waddle Dee checking a list from top to bottom. They wore a sailor hat.

“Oh. Hello, sir!” The Waddle Dee exclaimed cheerfully upon seeing him, leaving Meta Knight quite dumbfounded. "Leaving already?"

“A talking Waddle Dee? What is going on?” Meta Knight internally exclaimed.

“Yes. I shouldn't make Dedede wait for too long,” the other Meta Knight replied. “Make sure the others don't neglect their duties in my absence,” he instructed.

“You can count with me, sir. Be careful and have a nice day!”

Although the Waddle Dee spoke to him respectfully, their tone was more similar to the one Blade and Sword used with him. Who was this Waddle Dee, and why did they seem to have "replaced" his apprentice?

“This is way too strange. It's like I'm seeing an alternate reality rather than the future...” the Star Warrior pondered.

Besides that, the fact that his “vision” self was going to meet with Dedede, alongside the mention of the speech being a task imposed by the king, confirmed that in this future, illusion, alternate reality, or whatever it was, he was still at the service of King Dedede. How unfortunate.

His other self approached the edge of the ship. The Halberd was flying over a colourful landscape that Meta Knight didn't recognise. Were they on Dream Land at all? Another peculiarity was that while in reality it was almost nighttime, in the vision it was still morning.

Suddenly, the vision's Meta Knight jumped out of his ship and began to descend through the sky, plummeting towards the ground. “How reckless. Either this version of me is completely insane or...”

...He could fly. His vision self could fly.

A pang of nostalgia stabbed Meta Knight's heart as he saw the shadow of his wings projecting onto the clouds below him. Since he was seeing everything in first person, it was almost like he was the one flying. When was the last time he had flown without the help of external tools? How much he wished he could do pirouettes and twirls just like he had done in his youth, how much he wished to feel the wind on his wings, but unfortunately he was just a mere spectator in "his own body."

Downhearted, he decided to simply watch the vision continue.

The other Meta Knight soon arrived at a strange building that could either be a fortress or a small castle. Its front facade vaguely resembled an angry face, which he found kind of goofy. His other self, instead of entering by the gate like a normal person, flew through a window directly into the throne room.

There, Dedede was waiting for him with his arms crossed, an annoyed expression on his face. "So, this castle is Dedede's? It looks totally different from what he fancies. The illumination is way better, and the colours are more pleasant. Though, there are way too many decorations with his logo…" Meta Knight analysed from his limited point of view.

“For Nova's sake, Meta. Had I not opened the windows earlier, you would have destroyed that one!” Dedede exclaimed.

Meta Knight felt a rage ignite inside of him when he heard Dedede say his name. How dared that tyrant call him just Meta?! Only three people were allowed to call him that, and two of them…

… two of them were dead.

“This is no time for grief or melancholy. Let’s focus on this strange vision,” he ordered himself.

“Hello, Dedede. I brought what you asked for,” the other Meta Knight announced very casually, handing the king of Dream Land the envelope containing the paper he had been writing earlier. He hadn’t cared in the slightest that Dedede had called him Meta, nor had he made an effort to treat the penguin with royal courtesy or, at least, feign respect for the self-proclaimed king's “authority.”

Dedede opened the envelope, pulled out the paper, and began to read it. His face changed completely as he looked over the first few lines.

“Meta Knight, what language did you write this in?” the king asked. He sounded more alarmed than angry.

“In the language of a small planet in the neighbouring galaxy. I learnt it in my younger days. That way no one will be able to tell what it says until I read it in the ceremony. It will be a surprise,” the other Meta Knight answered in a cheeky tone.

“Then, how am I supposed to check it to make sure you have complied with the 'kid-friendly' part?!” the frightened king exclaimed.

“You’ll have to trust me,” the other Meta Knight replied, mockingly.

"Meta, I'd trust you with my life, but I know how unhinged you can get with this kind of stuff, so… "Dedede began to say but stopped halfway, as if he had realised something. "Wait a second. You are just messing with me as punishment for giving this task to you, aren't you?" Dedede guessed, giving him a deadpan look.

Meta Knight's other self chuckled. It was a laugh very similar to his own, although deeper.

“This way you'll think twice before assigning me the tasks you don't want to do,” the other Meta Knight said, amused. “This is the real one. Sailor proofreaded it and has approved it as 'for all ages,'” he added as he pulled a second envelope out of his cape.

Dedede rolled his eyes as he put the envelope away in his coat.

“I'll check it when we're done training. I have some news you'll like. Leon and Carol have decided to participate in the tournament,” Dedede informed the knight with a cheerfully eager, genuine smile, very uncharacteristic of him.

“Oh, really?” the other Meta Knight asked, his interest piqued. “Kirby told me that they were formidable rivals when he fought them separately, so together they must be a force to be reckoned with. I'm looking forward to measuring our skills against them,” he added with calm enthusiasm.

"That is if Kirby and Bandee don't defeat them first. Although I could always rig the brackets to make sure we face them in the first round," the king commented in a mischievous tone.

"Dedede, no. You're the organiser, so no cheating. You have to give a good image," Meta Knight scolded him.

"I was joking, I was joking," the king laughed. "I wouldn't ruin a charity tournament for something like this. Besides, Kirby would surely get mad at me if I did something like that..."

Meta Knight didn't miss Dedede's expression fading a little at the mention of Kirby.

"Are you sure this plan is a good idea?" the other Meta Knight suddenly asked in a more serious tone. It was clear that he hadn't missed that change in the king's expression either.

“Yes,” Dedede said, determined. “I don’t remember much of what happened when I was forced to fight Kirby in the Forgotten Land, but I think that I did something that scared him when I went into full 'feral' mode, something that he refuses to tell me. I’m sure that’s why he’s been rejecting my recent challenges. I need to face him in battle so he can see that I’m completely myself again.”

“You know how Kirby is, Dedede. Give him some time, and it will be as if nothing ever happened. After all, the waters always flow back to their bed," Meta Knight assured.

Meta Knight wasn't able to understand most of that conversation. A charity tournament hosted by Dedede, a story about a Forgotten Land he knew nothing about, and most shockingly, a Dedede who cared about what Kirby thought of him. And what was Sectonia's assistant's part in all of that?

But perhaps what had shaken Meta Knight the most was the relationship between Dedede and Meta Knight himself.

That Dedede hadn't been angry because Meta Knight had messed with him. That Dedede didn't treat Meta Knight with contempt and disdain. That Dedede made Meta Knight part of his plans. That Dedede would trust Meta Knight with his life.

That Meta Knight played pranks on Dedede and suffered no retaliation. That Meta Knight wanted to fight alongside Dedede against formidable enemies. That Meta Knight let Dedede call him just Meta. That Meta Knight supported Dedede, not only in his plans but also in stuff that troubled him.

He didn't behave like that with anyone, not since he had lost Jecra and Garlude. How was it possible that the vision's Meta Knight had such a bond with Dedede of all people?

“Who are you?” he wanted to ask them.

Meta Knight needed time to think about what he had just seen, so he decided to leave the vision. Besides, his host had been "alone" all the time, which was quite inconsiderate of him.

Repeating the same thing he had done before, Meta Knight returned to reality.

“Meta Knight?” Sectonia asked him, noticing his gaze on her once more.

“I'm done for today,” the Star Warrior informed. “You can untie me.”

Sectonia nodded and dispelled her magic, the web disappearing as if it had never been there. Still sitting in the chair, Meta Knight stretched to get rid of the numbness caused by the time he had been still.

“So, what did you see?” Sectonia asked him, intrigued.

Meta Knight told Sectonia everything he had witnessed in that vision as objectively as possible, without revealing his own thoughts.

"Most likely, what the crystal has shown me is another reality," he finished.

"Another reality..." she repeated thoughtfully. "Are you sure?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Meta Knight insisted.

"I don't doubt your word, but why can't I see it?"

"I don't know. There are too many things I don't get about all this, so I must continue studying the visions of the crystals," Meta Knight revealed. "I still have to look at the other two."

Sectonia contemplated the crystals thoughtfully.

“What could be their purpose? And what did that “monster girl” have to do with them?”

“It is possible that eNeMeE used them to spy on other realities, perhaps in order to invade them,” Meta Knight theorised.

“Wasn't one enough for that bastard?” Sectonia asked without hiding her disgust.

“Souls as greedy and dark as his are never satisfied,” the Star Warrior claimed. “As for the monster, it could simply be a ‘guard dog' of the place where he hid the crystals. But why did he choose Floralia for such a purpose?” he added thoughtfully. “Let's check what his minions left here when you expelled them. Hopefully, we will find something that will bring some light onto this.”

Meta Knight stood up from his chair, but immediately a feeling of dizziness invaded him.

"Are you okay?!" Sectonia asked, worried.

"Yes. It's just fatigue..."

His head felt a bit dull, and he had a slight headache. It seemed that in the end there was indeed an adverse effect on looking through the crystals for too long. He planned to go back into the vision as many times as necessary until he could make sense of everything he had seen, but he would try to shorten the following sessions.

"Oh, of course. Between the air travel, the walk here, and now this vision thing, you must be exhausted," Sectonia realised. "I'll accompany you to your room."

"But what about the investigation?"

"It's getting quite late, and you don't seem to be in good condition," Sectonia replied as she put the crystals away. "We'll be more efficient if you're well rested. Besides, those documents and devices aren't going to move without my consent as long as I live."

Meta Knight found the way Sectonia had said that somewhat sinister. What kind of seal would she have used to prevent NME's data from being stolen? He decided it was best not to think about it and simply followed Sectonia.

Meta Knight's accommodation was just a small room in which someone had placed a bed and a box that served as a nightstand. On the box, someone had left a basket of fruit that seemed to be dinner. Sectonia apologised for the scarcity, but Meta Knight said that it was more than enough for him. The Star Warrior knew that he couldn't ask more of the inhabitants of a land that had gone through so much suffering. Besides, he had slept in way worse places and circumstances.

Sectonia and the Star Warrior parted ways until the next day. While they waited in bed for sleep to take them, each one thought about what the crystal had shown Meta Knight. Sectonia could not stop wondering why she only saw that strange "nothingness" when Meta Knight saw a whole living world. Meta Knight, for his part, couldn't stop thinking about his other self and why some things in that alternate life awakened in his heart a feeling someone of his age and experience should be able to subdue.

That feeling was envy.

— — —

That night, unbeknownst to Sectonia and Meta Knight, the crystal that the spider had labelled as “normal” lit up for the first time since it had appeared in that world.

[Initiating connection...]

Chapter Text

For the first time in many years, Meta Knight was looking at his reflection. He hadn't taken off his mask, as his face wasn't what he wanted to check, but his wings.

Or rather, his right wing and the empty space where the left one should be.

The mistake that had ended with him losing it still weighed on his conscience. The deaths of Jecra and Garlude had filled his heart with wrath, and so he had become more aggressive in combat. Arthur had tried to reason with him, telling his pupil to stop that behaviour many times, but he hadn't listened. He wanted to finish off eNeMeE, and the wizard's monsters, to avenge his friends, no matter what happened to him.

And eNeMeE had not hesitated to exploit said wrath in an attempt to get rid of Meta Knigh for good. The wizard had set a trap for the Star Warrior, who had fallen for it like an idiot. He couldn't remember the place where he had been attacked nor the appearance of the monster, but he did remember the moment when it had struck him from behind and, before he could react, had injected him with a paralysing poison. Meta Knight had believed that the monster was going to kill him at that moment; however, it seemed that eNeMeE had instructed Meta Knight's attacker to torture him first, since the creature had begun to tear off one of his wings slowly and painfully.

As pain clouded his senses, Meta Knight had believed himself at death's door. He had been lucky that Arthur had not given up on him and had come to his rescue, preventing the monster from finishing its task before it killed the Star Warrior or, worse still, took him to eNeMeE's lair, where the villain could have done whatever he wanted with him.

After a long stay in the GSA's hospital facility, Meta Knight had recovered, though his wing was lost forever. It should have begun to grow back during the time he had been hospitalised, as Star Warriors of Meta Knight's kin were able to regenerate their wings, but it didn't. The doctors had been unable to find an explanation. They theorised that either the poison or the monster's own power had been designed to prevent its recovery. Meta Knight hadn't cared about the reason back then, since knowing the "why" wouldn't make him fly again. Instead, he decided to focus on learning how to use Air Ride machines, though the feeling of flying using those devices could never be compared to soaring the skies with his own wings.

Meta Knight sighed before retracting his remaining wing. There was no point in regretting something that had happened so many years ago. He had to focus on the present. He only had five days to spend in Floralia (discounting the day of his arrival and the day he was due to return to Dream Land), so he had no time to waste.

The Star Warrior left the bathroom and headed to the meeting room. There had to be a reason why fate had put those crystals in his path, bringing back so many unpleasant memories and buried emotions, and he was determined to find it.

When Meta Knight arrived there, he found a motley group of people, including Bandee, leaving the meeting room. The Star Warrior guessed that they were members of the Resistance, as they all wore their symbol embroidered on their clothes. Before entering the room, Meta Knight and the group saluted each other politely as they marched to their respective destinations.

“Good morning, Meta Knight,” Sectonia greeted him upon entering.

“Good morning, Sectonia,” Meta Knight greeted back. “Are we ready to begin with our investigation?”

“Yes. I have already given instructions to my team so we can dedicate ourselves to it without interruptions,” the spider reported. “Where do you think we should start?”

Meta Knight suggested following the schedule he had planned: they would alternate exploring the crystals' visions with researching the NME database and devices. That day, they would start by observing the crystal he had examined the previous evening in order to check how the passage of time in reality affected the vision's world.

Due to the exhaustion he had experienced, Meta Knight had decided to limit his use of the crystals in short, well-spaced sessions. That way, he could gather information and avoid the side effect. However, as soon as he put his plan into practice, he ran into a problem. The world shown in the vision continued to move forward while he wasn't using the crystal, and that meant...

"I can't see anything," Meta Knight told Sectonia two minutes into the session. Those words alarmed the spider. If Meta Knight was no longer able to see the vision, they had just lost one of the few avenues they had to gather information. "Don't worry. I can't see anything because my other self just fell asleep in his bed," he added in order to calm Sectonia's nervousness.

“And why didn't you say that from the beginning?” Sectonia groaned, though she was actually more relieved than annoyed. “So in order to see the vision, the 'other' Meta Knight has to be conscious,” she guessed. “Does that make what you see... real?”

“That would mean that those crazy 'multiverse' theories might not be foolish tales after all,” Meta Knight joked. Then, he realised something. “How many times have you tried using the crystal? You might not have been able to see anything because your other self wasn't conscious,” he said to Sectonia.

“I've tried looking at them at different times of the day, but the result is always the same. My other self must be a heavy sleeper," Sectonia replied, trying to hide her defeatism when it came to that subject with a joke. “What did you see when your other self fell asleep?”

“Everything went dark, like when you close your eyes, and I stopped hearing,” Meta Knight described.

“That doesn't sound like my 'nothingness' at all," Sectonia replied, somewhat disheartened.

“Let me check the other one where you said you saw that 'nothingness.' I may find something that helps us get to the root of all this,” Meta Knight offered, trying to lift her spirits.

Sectonia nodded, took out the crystal Meta Knight had requested from her bag, and put the other one back inside.

"I wonder what kind of reality this one is going to show me," the Star Warrior wondered, as his mind entered the second crystal's vision.

It didn't take him long to find out, and it didn't take him longer to regret it.

"So you have failed your mission again."

A shiver ran through Meta Knight's body as eNeMeE's repulsive voice echoed through the room where his other self was. He had hoped to never hear it again. Yet, the words that denoted barely contained fury and impatience weren't meant for his other self but for a terrified figure kneeling several meters in front of both eNeMeE and him. Meta Knight recognised it with ease: it was Bugzzy, the monster that Dedede had ordered in the past and that had interrupted the Star Warrior's duel against Kirby.

As for his other self, Meta Knight could only think of one reason why he was standing next to eNeMeE's throne and not locked in a cell or dead.

“I’m sorry, my lord,” Bugzzy replied, his trembling voice acompained by desperate buzzing. “I didn’t expect that kid to be so strong. I promise you that next time…”

“Next time? I think that I've given you more than enough 'next times,'” eNeMeE interrupted abruptly, his tone full of scorn. "I have no use for failures like you." Then, he turned to Meta Knight and said, “You know what you have to do.”

Meta Knight watched as 'his' body nodded before approaching Bugzzy in an ominous way.

“Please, forgive me, sir,” the insect begged again, raw fear reflected on his face. “I swear I will not fail again. I swear it!”

“There is no place for the weak in Lord Nightmare's empire,” Meta Knight's own voice said in a cold and cruel manner.

The "new" Meta Knight unsheathed his sword, and with a slash of energy, he pierced Bugzzy, its body exploding in a flash of light. The speed of the execution, fleeting and clean, was the only mercy Meta Knight's other self showed to the insect. With the deed done, the new Meta Knight returned to his place beside his lord.

“Damn that Kirby. If it weren't for him and that meddling princess, King Dedede would have fallen into our clutches long ago, and with him the key to the last Fountain of Dreams," the tyrant complained.

"With the rest of the known universe under your control, do you really need it?" the other Meta Knight pointed out. "The inhabitants of a place as pathetically peaceful as Dream Land are way too lazy to even think of using the fountain's power to revolt against us," he explained, with clear disdain towards the kingdom.

“Of course I do. Once I corrupt it, I will achieve absolute power and become truly indestructible,” eNeMeE answered condescendingly.

"May your greed become your grave," Meta Knight sentenced the wizard with contempt.

The reaction of his other self, on the other hand, was totally opposite.

“In that case, let me be the one to fulfil your wish,” his other self offered with such reverence that Meta Knight felt his own blood run cold. ” I have been longing to fight a rival of my level for years, and that 'Kirby of the Stars' could be the challenge I have been looking for. I will make sure to finish him off,” he added coldly.

“Are you offering to kill a child?” asked eNeMeE, more interested than surprised.

“I don't care about his age or his species, if he is a warrior or a mere civilian. If he is an obstacle to our objectives, he must be eliminated. The other monsters and plans may have failed, but I will triumph,” assured his other self, once again speaking with cruelty.

Cruelty that seemed to please eNeMeE, as the tyrant smiled with satisfaction.

“Heh. I thought I had already seen everything in my immortal life, but it seems there are still surprises to be found,” the villain commented, amused. “Very well. Go to that planet and quench your thirst for battle.”

Meta Knight saw how his body bowed before walking towards the exit of the room.

“And don't try to do anything 'funny,'” eNeMeE said behind Meta Knight's other self's back, who stopped in his tracks. “Remember what happened the last time you disobeyed me,” the wizard added, his words sounding like a clear threat.

“Oh, please. I'm not an idiot who makes the same mistake twice,” the other Meta Knight replied with indifference, not even bothering to look at his master. He then resumed his march, determined to take Kirby's life.

Meta Knight didn't need to see more. No, he didn't want to see more. From the moment his other self had used eNeMeE's true name, something that Star Warriors preferred to avoid, he had known that something was very wrong in that vision's reality, but he would not have imagined that "he himself" would volunteer to kill Kirby. "That reality may be doomed if the incoming first duel between this 'me' and the other Kirby develops in the same way as mine did. And the fact that the 'last Fountain of Dreams' is the centre of the conflict doesn't help with the feeling of hopelessness I get from this vision," Meta Knight reflected on what he just saw.

In Meta Knight's reality, the sacred Fountains of Dreams had ended up being a double-edged sword. While their magic was the natural antithesis of nightmares, and by extension eNeMeE himself, the wizard had found a method to take over them, turning the blessing protection they provided to the planets that sheltered them into a curse that would serve to make himself stronger. That was the reason why, after discovering what the villain had been doing, Sir Arthur's predecessor had made the difficult decision to seal or outright destroy every Fountain of Dreams they could, fusing all the uncorrupted Star Rods they found into one and hiding the result so it could only be found and used by the right person, who had turned out to be Kirby.

"Although I didn't know there was one in Dream Land. When I get back to the surface, I'll go ask Kabu if he knows what happened to it," he decided.

"Well, how did it go?" Sectonia asked him, noticing that he had returned to their reality. "From your reaction, I sense that it didn't end well," she added, a little worried. She had observed the Star Warrior's agitation, his eyes having changed from their usual yellow to a strange, dull grey.

“You are correct,” Meta Knight replied, still disturbed by what he had just seen. “I don't think I'll be using this crystal again. You can put it away.”

“What did you see?” the spider dared to ask after putting the crystal back into her bag. Meta Knight’s reaction puzzled her quite a bit. What did the crystal show to cause such a strong reaction in a person who had gone through the horrors of war?

A side of Meta Knight that could be called cynical was currently grateful that Sectonia depended on his testimony to know the content of the visions, as he could choose to not tell her that in one of them he was serving the being that had taken everything from her.

“The worst possible fate,” he simply replied. Although, objectively speaking, there were worse fates, that was how he felt about the vision.

While the answer didn't satisfy Sectonia, the sombre tone Meta Knight had used urged her not to ask more about it. Besides, it wasn't hard to imagine what a Star Warrior would call "the worst possible fate." For his part, Meta Knight had closed his eyes and taken a deep breath to regain control of his emotions, his eyes returning to their usual colour once he opened them again.

"So, are we done for now?" Sectonia wanted to know.

"No," Meta Knight denied. "I want to look at the crystal you described as normal."

"Do you really feel like using another crystal? That 'worst possible fate' seems to have shaken you deeply. Maybe we should move on to NME's data," the spider suggested.

"I need to get that grim vision out from my mind," Meta Knight said to himself.

"I'm fine. We shouldn't let what happens in the visions affect us," he replied to Sectonia. "Besides, the sooner we check this, the sooner we'll be done.”

Sectonia rolled her eyes but complied and took out the third crystal. Meta Knight grabbed it. He tried to look at it through different angles, but the crystal showed what was on the other side, no visions or anything. Just as Sectonia had said, it behaved like a normal crystal.

“I think this only makes it weirder that I see that nothingness in the other two,” Sectonia commented once the Star Warrior shared that fact with her. Meta Knight had merely nodded thoughtfully. “What does this third crystal mean?” they both wondered.

“We're at a dead end at the moment,” the Star Warrior said, unable to answer that question. “I think it's time to see what we can find among that data.”

Sectonia nodded in agreement before saying, “I'll call Bandee to lend us a hand.”

“I hope we get to the root of this soon,” they both thought.

— — —

The next few days flew by.

With two of the crystals discarded, Meta Knight had decided to focus on the first one. While it could be seen as useless, the more he learnt about that reality, the stronger a theory that the Star Warrior was working on became. However, since the investigation of the NME data required more time and effort, revisiting the vision had lost its priority.

As for said investigation, it had been totally fruitless up until that point, at least in regard to the crystals. There were a lot of files to check, unlock and decipher and only three people who could carry out that task, so their advances were slow. Due to the betrayal she had suffered in the past, Sectonia didn't want to leave that data in the hands of anyone else. Only Bandee was spared from that caution that bordered on paranoia, and so he was the only one allowed to help them.

Most of the documents they had managed to crack so far contained information about the “products” that NME had developed in Floralia. To name a few, there were records about monsters based on plant life, a wide variety of poisons, and even a method to turn even the most harmless of flowers into a being capable of absorbing the life energy of others.

"This is likely what they did to Whispy's flower," Meta Knight realised. While he had been absent from that particular event, Tiff had told him about it.

Others were even more irrelevant to their current case. Accounting ledgers, numerous e-mails between the NME supervisors stationed in Floralia and the main fortress, field reports, and a long list of files that were of no use to them at the moment. The only thing that had caught Meta Knight's attention was a notice that said an asteroid had been redirected towards Pop Star and that the "turtle protocol" was to be applied. Said protocol was basically a deployment of shields and artificial air that would allow the islands to withstand both the impact and the changes in the atmosphere caused by it. They surely had aborted it when Kirby had diverted the asteroid, most likely because of the elevated energy consumption.

"Though at least now I can confirm that, as I suspected, it was eNeMeE who accelerated the asteroid's trajectory towards Dream Land," Meta Knight thought. That incident had been quite intense.

The only thing related to "alternate realities" that they had managed to find so far was a collection of files that spoke of an artefact called the "Dimensional Mirror", which was supposedly hidden in the skies of Pop Star. This mirror was said to act as a “door” to a world that reflected the desires of the heart of whoever possessed it. Luckily for the universe, NME's forces had not been able to retrieve it, for who knows what eNeMeE would have brought out of a world that reflected the wickedness of his heart? The company's final note about the research indicated that they had denied the existence of said artefact, regarding it as a myth.

“So the mirror is nothing more than one of Floralia's many legends, like the Dreamstalk. I don't think these crystals have anything to do with it, then,” Sectonia stated. “What a pity. Given the strong protection these files had, I thought we had found something important...” she complained.

“And couldn't the crystals be fragments of the mirror?” Bandee suggested. “Even though NME's research states they didn't find it, we could be checking an outdated version. Or maybe it was altered to hide its discovery.” Shortly after finishing sharing his theory, the Sectra Dee seemed to realise something. “Nah, forget what I just said. If the crystals were part of the mirror, the three should have shown Meta Knight the same thing: a world his heart wishes,” he corrected himself.

While Meta Knight had to admit that one of the two worlds he had seen showcased things he longed for, it still felt “incomplete” to him, so he couldn't call it a "reflection of his heart." And that was not taking into account the other one, which, rather than a wish, was a nightmare come true.

“Then we can rule out that fabled mirror being involved in this completely,” Meta Knight replied. Then, he sighed dejectedly and added, “I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask my boss for more days off if we want to get to the root of this. Otherwise, you two will have to continue investigating on your own until Arthur can send someone else, or he can come in person.”

"It would be a shame if you couldn't stay. It was thanks to you that we were able to decrypt a big chunk of this data," Bandee lamented.

“I'm not the only current member of the GSA capable of breaking into NME's systems. One of our newest recruits learnt how to do so on his own and even infiltrated NME's cyberspace,” Meta Knight explained, thinking of Knuckle Joe. He hid the fact that the first time the son of his late best friend had done such a thing, it hadn't been with the best of intentions. “However, I must admit that I'd like to continue lending you my support in person,” he finished.

“Well, if you want to stay with us so badly, I could write a letter to your boss to put some pressure on him,” Sectonia suggested. “Maybe I should even give him a little scare by making the situation sound way more serious than it is,” she added with a mischievous smile.

“But wouldn't lying to the leader of another country cause us diplomatic problems?” Bandee remarked, feeling anxious at the idea.

“Considering that he's a coward and not very smart, it could work,” Meta Knight replied, attracted by Sectonia's plan. “Besides, the king could use a small diplomatic scare. Maybe that way he will start taking more seriously running his kingdom.”

“And he wouldn't retaliate against Floralia if he found out?” Bandee insisted.

“I doubt so. King Dedede doesn't know how to manage his fortune, let alone handle this kind of conflict. He'd leave it in the hands of the prime minister, and since he's a good person, he'd end up being on our side if we explain everything to him,” the Star Warrior exposed. “Not to mention that the GSA and the Star Warriors wouldn't allow Dream Land to carry out any act of aggression against Floralia due to our historical alliance,” he added.

“Knowing that makes me feel more at ease, I guess,” the Sectra Dee calmed down a bit.

After hearing all of that, a bewildered Sectonia couldn't help but wonder, "What kind of king is Meta Knight serving?"

— — —

On the fifth night, Meta Knight had borrowed one of the Resistance's laptops (well, one of the laptops the Resistance had seized from NME). His purpose was to write up a full report on the situation, which he would send to Arthur the next day. He doubted he could gather much more information in the 24 hours he had left on Floralia, and he needed to get his fellow Star Warriors and GSA members, including his possible replacement, up to date. It would also serve to put his own thoughts in order.

First, Meta Knight wrote a formal introduction to the subject of the report. Then he explained the context, added the detailed retelling of the attack Sectonia had suffered, and began writing down the two realities he had seen in the crystals.

He didn't elaborate much on the reality in which he served eNeMeE. He simply described it as one where the tyrant had won and only a small spark of hope remained, which light was likely to be extinguished soon. Probably, most Star Warriors wouldn't want to hear such a discouraging story, especially when it had been on the verge of happening in their reality.

Instead, he went into a few more details when describing what he had seen in the more “desirable” vision so his potential replacement could have some points of reference from an alternative point of view. However, he wasn’t going to include anything he hadn’t already shared with Sectonia and Bandee.

« I can attest that the geography of that vision's Dream Land is nothing like our reality. Everything is brighter and livelier, and magic seems to be much more common, leading me to believe that eNeMeE had little to no influence on it. As for key locations, Cappy Town doesn’t exist, King Dedede’s castle is much smaller, and the layout of the forests varies quite a bit, » Meta Knight described.

The lack of Cappy Town made him feel uncertain about its inhabitants, though it wasn’t the only absence that worried him. He hadn’t heard or seen anything about Tiff, Tuff, their parents, or Escargoon. Where could they be? Given his limited point of view, he couldn't confirm whether they even existed.

«The most striking thing about this alternative reality is the existence of a quartet of heroes dubbed by the locals as the "Dream Team," one of said heroes being an alternate version of me,» he wrote as an entry to the next block of information.

Or at least, that was how the other reality's Kawasaki had referred to them. His other self had gone to his restaurant, and the cook had been surprised to see him without the rest of “our local heroes, the Dream Team,” to which his counterpart had nonchalantly reacted with:

“So that is what you guys call us nowadays. Heh, I like how that sounds. But they are not with me today. I'm here for 'our dark secret,' after all.”

Although Meta Knight had been alarmed by how sinister those last words had sounded, in the end the secret between the cook and his other self had turned out to be a delicious-looking dark chocolate cake, which the knight didn't hesitate to devour as soon as he made sure no one was looking. That made the Star Warrior feel a little remorseful, as he was basically invading his other self's privacy.

And even with that weight on his conscience, he could not stop looking. He was fascinated by his other self's life, wondering why he and his counterpart were so similar and yet so different.

«One of the other members of this quartet is Kirby. In the world of that vision, he is older, having the mentality of a 9- or 10-year-old child, or basically the one that our Kirby will have in about 35 years,» he added next. «This means that he does not require the assistance of a guardian.»

The words he had just written reminded him of something he had yet to tell to Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby. The long life of Meta Knight's kin was accompanied by a childhood development that, while compared to their average lifespan, was short; for much less long-lived species, it was perceived as very, very slow. Tiff probably had already guessed it, but perhaps she didn't want to accept that while Kirby was going to remain a child, she and her brother were going to grow up, grow old, and die before their adopted sibling reached puberty. One day, he would have to prepare the three of them to face this bitter and sad reality.

«Despite his older mental age, his personality is almost identical to our Kirby's. He is kind and a bit naive, loves naps and food, and considers the other Meta Knight a rival, somewhat of a mentor, and a close friend,» he continued writing.

Two separated moments he had witnessed had made that point quite clear to him.

The first was a picnic under a large tree between that reality's Kirby, Meta Knight, and Dedede, plus a Waddle Dee wearing a blue bandana who had turned out to be the Bandee the other Dedede had referred to in the first vision.

The four of them had been chatting animatedly until the alternative Dedede had proclaimed that “this time” he and Meta Knight would be the ones to emerge victorious from the charity tournament they had organised's final duel.

“I’m sorry, but since you’ve offered my favourite cake as one of the prizes, I can’t afford to lose, poyo!” Kirby exclaimed with determination.

The alternative Dedede smirked with satisfaction. It seemed that those were the words he was yearning to hear. Considering the conversation the king and his knight had shared in the first vision, Meta Knight could deduce that the inclusion of the cake as a prize was an additional measure to encourage Kirby to take the fight seriously, and the young puffball had gladly bitten the bait.

“Aren’t you guys assuming too soon that the finals will be between us four?” the Waddle Dee enquired. His voice sounded almost identical to the Bandee Meta Knight had met in Floralia, though it lacked the soft buzzing that the insectoids made when they spoke.

“Bandee, who else is going to qualify?” the king answered. “Kirby already claimed that he isn't going to lose, and as his rivals, neither Meta Knight nor I are going to hold back.”

“I know, I know. But what if we have to face each other in an earlier round?” The other Bandee countered.

The other Dedede opened his mouth to say something but immediately closed it. The Waddle Dee had just brought up a crucial point that the monarch had overlooked.

“Heh. I guess we hadn’t thought of that,” the other Meta Knight commented, amused.

“Well, in that case, let's promise that our duel will be the most memorable one, whenever it happens and whoever wins,” the king suggested vigorously as he stretched out an arm to put it between the four of them.

“I promise, poyo!” The alternate Kirby exclaimed with energy and joy, putting his hand on top of the other Dedede's. The movement was imitated by the other Bandee and Meta Knight.

Once more, nostalgia and melancholy had stabbed Meta Knight's heart. Long ago, he had sealed a promise with Jecra and Garlude in the same fashion as those four just did.

The other moment that had made clear the bond between the other reality's Kirby and Meta Knight had taken place in the former's house. The younger puffball had passed a paper to his friend that featured Dream Land's alphabet's vowels poorly drawn.

"Good. It seems that you are improving," Meta Knight's other self praised Kirby, to the Star Warrior's surprise. If that was an improvement, how badly had the pink puffball written the letters at first?

"But I'm very bad at this, poyo," the other Kirby had complained, frustrated. "Why isn't there a 'writer' copy ability?”

"Kirby, you can't rely on your copy abilities for everything," the knight scolded him.

"I know, but making you waste your free time on this makes me feel bad. I know you would rather be training instead of teaching me how to write..." the little ball lamented.

“Kirby, you're the reason I have free time in the first place,” the other Meta Knight reminded his friend in a reassuring tone. “I don't mind spending it with you, or else I wouldn't be here. Besides, training the mind is just as important as training the body.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” the knight had replied, causing a radiant smile to appear on Kirby's face. “Now let's get back to your lesson. Those vowels don't teach themselves.”

«There has been no mention of the Star Warriors, the GSA, or the War against eNeMeE in their conversations, so I can neither confirm nor deny our existence as an organisation,» Meta Knight added to the report before moving to write about the next of the four heroes.

«Another member of the “Dream Team” is a Waddle Dee known as Bandana Waddle Dee or Bandee, loyal servant of King Dedede. Coincidentally, in our reality, the member of the Floralia Resistance who is collaborating in this investigation shares that same identity, with the difference that he is a Sectra Dee.»

When he had shared that with Sectonia and his reality's Bandee, he had been surprised that their reaction hadn't been one of absolute perplexity.

“Well, it makes sense when you stop to think about it,” Sectonia had said. “After all, the Sectra Dees are Waddle Dees who adapted to Floralia's environment many centuries ago. Right, Bandee?" she added, in a way that invited her companion to delve deeper into the subject.

Bandee then began to elaborate very enthusiastically that the reason for the species difference between him and his counterpart was surely due to his ancestors deciding to follow King Hortensius II in what was known in Floralia's history as "the Age of Exploration." Said monarch had returned from his expedition followed by a large group of Waddle Dees, who in a matter of a couple of generations already had insectoid features due to the constant exposure to Floralia's magic. It was very likely that in the other reality, Bandee's ancestors decided to stay on Pop Star's surface.

Bandee had turned out to be very passionate about history, and he was even considering becoming a teacher once the school was rebuilt. Meta Knight was convinced that if the Sectra Dee had had the means, he would have accompanied his presentation with a slide show.

“Honestly, I would like to meet my other self. I'm sure he knows a lot of interesting things about the Lands Below,” Bandee said in closing. “In exchange, I could tell him everything I know about the history of Floralia.”

“Remember that we're talking about another reality. It's more than likely that the historical events that occurred there are different from those in our world,” Sectonia told him to bring him back down to earth.

“Right. What he would tell me wouldn't have any validity or historical rigour,” Bandee agreed, somewhat disappointed. “Well, I could still record the story of our two worlds and comment on all the differences, but it wouldn't be the same as he likely doesn't know anything about Floralia and I don't know anything about the surface...”

As Meta Knight remembered that exchange, he couldn't help but wonder, "if the Sectra Dees are just a variant of the Waddle Dees instead of a completely different species, why do the firsts talk and have their own personalities and goals while the others don't? Did something happen to the Waddle Dees that stayed on the surface that made them lose their individuality and ability to develop an identity? Well, another think to look into when I get back to the surface. Now it's time to focus on the report."

«The biggest surprise given his bad reputation is the fourth of those heroes being none other than Dedede, King of Dream Land,» were the next lines he added. «However, I must say that the Dedede shown to me in this vision is a different person despite having some common personality traits (big ego, mischievous tendencies, and laziness being the more prominent ones) with the one we know. He doesn't seem to have collaborated with NME at all, having stated clearly his dislike towards eNeMeE himself, and possesses combat skills worthy of a Star Warrior.»

Meta Knight had also witnessed one of the training sessions between his other self and the alternative Dedede. Seeing his body move with an agility and strength he hadn't had in years didn't surprise him as much as seeing Dedede being able to keep up with him and even getting the upper hand on a few occasions.

At the end of the intense match, both combatants had ended heated and breathing heavily.

"Ugh, I think we should take a break," the other Dedede decided as he sat on the floor of the ring where they had been sparring until that moment. "Wanna take a bath in the Fountain of Dreams?" the king offered.

"Dedede, the Fountain of Dreams is a very important place. Maybe we should stop using it as our pool," the knight replied as he cleaned his sword, which looked almost identical to Galaxia.

If doing so didn't take Meta Knight out of the vision, he would have rolled his eyes in exasperation. Of course Dedede would use a Fountain of Dreams as a swimming pool. "Though my other self has included himself in the sentence. Did he also use it?!"

“But nothing bad has ever happened,” the monarch tried to convince the other Meta Knight. “Besides, if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have discovered Nightmare trying to corrupt it that time, remember?”

Okay, now the king had completely caught Meta Knight's attention. Not only had he called eNeMeE by his true name, but Dedede had also implied that he had, at the very least, tried to stop the villain.

“How could I forget it?” the other Meta Knight groaned, not hiding his annoyance. “The headaches you would have saved us if you had explained the situation to Kirby from the beginning instead of insisting on finding a solution on your own,” he rebuked the king.

“You know how I was back then. I couldn't let 'a cheeky rascal pretending to be a hero' take away my moment of glory," said the monarch in a somewhat grumpy, embarrassed tone, as if he didn't want to remember those times. "Although in the end he did take it away from me when he finished off that rotten wizard. I suppose that leaving him locked up in the Fountain can't compare to hitting him so hard that the impact left a hole in the Moon," he added, defeated. "So much fuss I made for nothing..."

“So eNeMeE has already been defeated in this reality. And from the way they are talking about him, it seems he wasn’t a big threat for them. How peculiar, although that explains why there doesn’t seem to be any traces of his influence in their world,” Meta Knight noted. “Wait, did he just say that Kirby made a hole in the Moon by defeating him?! Well, after what ours did to that asteroid, I don’t know why I’m even surprised.”

However, that revelation was nothing compared to the bombshell the other Meta Knight dropped next.

“Good thing you had already buried the hatchet by the time Jambastion and Void Termina happened. You were of great help back then.”

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

“What does he mean by Void Termina?!” Meta Knight screamed, flabbergasted, in his mind upon hearing those words.

“Ugh. Don't bring that event up. My stomach still turns whenever I think about it...” the monarch complained. "Though, I'm glad we were able to help Kirby put an end to all that madness. I don't want to imagine what would have happened if we had failed.”

“The end of the universe,” the other Meta Knight reminded him bluntly.

“You didn't have to answer! I was talking figuratively!” Dedede protested, to which the other Meta Knight reacted with a chuckle.

“They defeated Void Termina?!” he had exclaimed again.

In that case, it was no wonder that reality's Kawasaki had referred to them as heroes. Defeating an ancient being like Void Termina was not something that anyone could achieve. It required great power and perfect teamwork to accomplish such a feat. If he remembered correctly from the stories Arthur had told him, in his dimension it was the first four Star Warriors in history and their allies who defeated Void Termina after a long and arduous battle, though that had occurred many aeons before the rise of eNeMeE. In the present, few knew of that story, and most of those who did considered it a myth.

In the vision's reality, though, not only did that myth seem to be real, but his other self and his friends had been able to stop it. No wonder they had spoken of eNeMeE as a lesser threat. What else were they capable of?

As he remembered that scene while writing, Meta Knight couldn't help but think, “If only I had their power…” The Star Warrior then shook his head to push away that unpleasant feeling and focus on finishing his report.

« Conclusion:

My theory is that Night Mare Enterprises used these crystals for the purpose of spying on alternate dimensions. Considering that both crystals present two completely opposite alternatives, one in which the eNeMeE was defeated without causing serious impact to the Galaxy and another in which he is close to achieving absolute victory, it is likely that they influenced their strategic decisions during the war. Still, there is a possibility that these crystals are not related to our former enemies, and we are facing a new threat. Therefore, I make the following requests in both my name and Sectonia's, Leader of Floralia's Resistance:

- General consultation to members of the Galactic Soldier Army and Star Warriors. If anyone has any knowledge to contribute in this matter, please make it known.
- Access to the Galactic Soldier Army records, both old data preserved from the times before the fall and those seized from Night Mare Enterprises after its disbanding, that may be related to this issue.
- A replacement for me, so Sectonia has some assistance in case the extension of my stay in Floralia is denied.

(Note to self: encrypt the following lines so only Arthur can read them)

Arthur, we need to talk about what I saw in the dimension where eNeMeE has 'won.' I will call you when I return to Dream Land so we can arrange a meeting. It is very...»

“Meta Knight! Come quickly!”

Bandee's urgent shout made Meta Knight jump up from his seat.

“What's wrong?” the knight asked in alarm as he ran towards the exit of the room, completely putting the report aside.

“Something's wrong with one of the crystals!” Bandee explained, alarmed.

The Star Warrior and Sectra Dee ran towards the meeting room, where Sectonia was. She had placed the three crystals on the table, and one of them was 'blinking.'

“Meta Knight, look at this!” the spider called to him when she saw him arrive. “I was studying the crystals when suddenly the 'normal' one started to shine.”

“Did you do something different?” he asked her, looking for the cause of that reaction.

“No. I wasn't even manipulating it at that moment,” the spider answered. “I don't want to touch it because, since they work differently on me, it may stop doing that before we can find out why or how.”

Meta Knight took that as an invitation to examine it himself. Intrigued, he gripped the crystal firmly.

[Connection established. New user detected. Granting access.]

That female voice, mechanical and monotonous, startled him. Granting access to what?

[Access granted.]

Suddenly, Meta Knight felt as if something was pulling on the crystal. Afraid that it would escape his grasp, he held it more firmly, but a force that seemed to come from the crystal itself began to pull on his entire arm.

"What's happening?!" Bandee exclaimed, frightened by the way Meta Knight's arm was shaking.

"The crystal is moving on its own," the Star Warrior answered while trying to resist the movement to no avail.

Then, Meta Knight's arm, guided by the crystal, began to draw something in the air, reality itself "flickering" in the area where it stroked. The movement repeated five times, forming a star. Once the drawing was complete, a vortex opened inside the star.

Said Vortex immediately began to swallow Meta Knight, who couldn't do anything to avoid it due to his proximity.

"Meta Knight!" Sectonia exclaimed as she conjured a web to try to rescue him. The web managed to stick it to the Star Warrior's back, but the force of the vortex was too great, resulting in her being sucked in as well. Bandee could only scream in terror as he saw the vortex close just as it finished absorbing his leader.

— — —
“Are you okay, Meta Knight?” Sectonia asked the Star Warrior as she helped him up.

Because of the way her web had latched onto Meta Knight, she had ended up on top of the Star Warrior once the vortex expelled her, knocking him face-first onto the ground.

“I've been way worse,” Meta Knight replied. “That was very sudden...” he commented, referring to the vortex that had just swallowed them.

“What was that thing?” the spider asked.

“It was a dimensional portal. I had read about them, but I would never have thought I would see one with my own eyes, much less be swallowed by it,” Meta Knight informed.

The place they were in was almost completely dark. The ground beneath their feet was pitch black, as if they were standing on a glass that separated them from the rawest of darkness, and small lights similar to the object that had caused their arrival shone around them, like fireflies in the night sky. There was a bright area at some distance from where they were standing.

“So, are we in another dimension?” Sectonia asked just to be sure. Meta Knight nodded. “How are we going to get back?” she added, distraught by the idea of not being able to return to her people.

Meta Knight looked at the crystal he held in his hand. It had lightened up, its iridescent glow illuminating their faces. An idea came to the Star Warrior's mind as he studied it.

“Maybe just like it brought us here, the crystal can be used to open a portal back to our world. My arm drew a star to open it, so if I repeat the movement…” he said as he began to draw.

[Wait!]

The voice from before stopped him. This time, however, while it still sounded mechanical, it was no longer neutral and monotonous, but pleading and even a little desperate.

“What's wrong?” Why did you stop?” Sectonia asked, confused.

“I heard a voice in my mind, though I think it's coming from the crystal,” the Star Warrior revealed. “It's the same one I heard before the portal opened.”

“You heard a voice before the portal opened?” the spider repeated, bemused.

[Come to me, please,] the voice requested.

“It's telling us to go somewhere,” Meta Knight told Sectonia.

“Stop, stop. A voice coming from the crystal that caused this is asking us to go somewhere?” Sectonia stopped him cautiously and with some scepticism. “Don't you find that suspicious?”

In that moment, the lights floating around them came together on the invisible ground and formed two separate lines, marking a path in the darkness. The path guided towards the bright area. “Is that a tree?” Meta Knight noticed.

[Follow the light.]

Meta Knight couldn't deny that Sectonia was right. It was clear that they had been brought to that place using the crystal. Who? Why? He had to know. Following the instructions of an unknown voice wasn't the most sensible thing to do, but he wouldn't be Meta Knight if he didn't do something reckless from time to time.

“It's suspicious,” Meta Knight finally broke his silence, agreeing with Sectonia. “But look on the bright side. It seems that we are finally going to get to the root of this.”

Chapter Text

Meta Knight and Sectonia proceed to follow the path that had been marked out for them. The small lights that the Star Warrior had initially compared to fireflies were actually particles of an energy that neither he nor Sectonia recognised. Their glow was similar to the one emitted by the crystal Meta Knight held in his hand.

They walked with their guard up. Mysterious voices in dark places usually were the opposite of good news. At least the path led them towards the bright area with the “tree” rather than deeper into darkness. But where were they? Inside a cave?

As they moved forward, Meta Knight noticed Sectonia making a strange movement with two of her hands, as if she wanted to rub her face but didn't dare to touch it. Intrigued by the odd behaviour, he asked her:

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no. I just feel like there's some sort of 'layer' on top of my skin," she replied, not giving it more importance than necessary. "It's like static electricity. Maybe our bodies were charged with energy when the portal swallowed us."

"Now that you mention it, I feel it too, although the sensation I'm getting is fainter because my face is more covered," said Meta Knight, now aware of the slight tingling that enveloped his body. "That tree is enormous..." the Star Warrior added as they approached the bright area.

"Indeed, and I highly doubt it's organic," Sectonia replied.

Once they reached the illuminated area, the feeling of "static electricity" on their bodies faded. Around them, petal-shaped crystals floated in the air, sometimes grouped with other similar ones forming flowers. The tree they had seen in the distance was crystallised, and constantly flowing lines of dark-coloured energy ran through its thick trunk, acting as sap. Its immense branches branched and twisted as far as the eye could see, and, contrary to natural principles, each one sprouted a different type of flower.

At the foot of the tree stood a person of feminine figure, their back turned to them. They wore a long white robe that covered even their feet, brushing the ground, the edges of its sleeves decorated with silver filigree fashioned in a refined floral motif. A long, iridescent mane that looked more like pure energy than hair sprang from their head, which was surrounded by a strap similar to the one Meta Knight used to hold his mask, although this person's was more elegant and refined.

The figure turned around to greet them. They wore a circular, white, metallic mask, the face etched into it reminiscent of a sleepy cat. Meta Knight remembered seeing something very similar depicted in a book about the legends and artefacts of a certain lost civilisation. Specifically, he had seen it on a drawing describing an entity called "Comet Nova," which was said to be able to grant a wish. Was the person before them somehow connected to that relic?

[Welcome to the 'Void In Between', Meta Knight and Sectonia,] the person spoke in the same feminine voice Meta Knight had heard as she approached them. Her robes didn't rise from the ground, making her movement more similar to sliding than walking. Sectonia was about to summon her weapons, but Meta Knight stopped her with a gesture. If the being was an ancient entity, they shouldn't anger her. Sectonia apologised in a whisper, regretting letting her self-defence instinct take over her rational side.

"How do you know who we are?" Meta Knight asked cautiously.

[The Scourge of Darkness, The Last Star Warrior, The Hero of the Galaxy, The King Consort, The Usurping Tyrant of Dream Land.... I know many 'yous', Meta Knight. Hero, villain, soldier, monster, aristocrat, samurai, thief, monarch, father... I've seen infinite of your lives and deaths,] the being listed, leaving Meta Knight dumbfounded and even overwhelmed, his head spinning as he tried to process what it all meant. She then turned to Sectonia and added, [And the same applies to you, Sectonia. Do you want me to list some of the titles and alternate names from your other lives as well?]

"No need, thank you," Sectonia replied, somewhat flustered.

[Understood. Allow me to apologise beforehand for speaking too much. As a guide, I was programmed to answer all the questions asked of me in detail,] the person said in advance. [I hope this imposition will at least help clarify any doubts you may have about our current predicament.]

"In that case, could you tell us about yourself?" Meta Knight asked, curious about what she meant by “programmed.”

The being returned to the foot of the tree and stretched out one of her arms to touch the trunk, a hand covered in or made of the same material as the mask peeking out from the wide sleeve of her robe.

[I was given the name 'Harvester of Destinies',] the being said, turning to face them again without separating her hand from the tree. [The "vessel" before you is my current avatar.]

"So you are actually this tree," Sectonia guessed.

[That is not totally correct, as while I was designed to imitate a tree, I am actually a machine,] the Harvester replied, sounding sympathetic to Sectonia's mistake. [I am what you would call a “supercomputer,” created through the communion of science and magic. My system is more complex and powerful than anything that will ever be developed with the technology that is or will be avaliable in your universe.]

Meta Knight didn't miss the fact that the Harvester had only spoken in the present and future tense, making him think again about what he had read about the lost civilisation. Sectonia, on the other hand, lacked that knowledge, so she asked in a somewhat abrupt and distrusting way:

"Who made you? Are you one of N.M.E creations?"

[The company founded by the embodiment of fear and nightmares has nothing to do with me,] the Harvester denied, her voice filled with disdain towards the villain. [I was created in times of yore by a civilisation commonly known as the Ancients,] she clarified, confirming Meta Knight's thoughts.

"The Ancients?" Sectonia asked with curiosity, having relaxed upon hearing the machine's rejection of eNeMeE.

"A lost civilisation of unparalleled magic and technology, creators of many miraculous machines and artefacts," Meta Knight replied, making an effort to recall what he had read in that book so long ago. Sectonia let out an "ooh" of amazement. "Despite this, they eventually disappeared from our reality, and few traces of them remain in the known universe. The fact that N.M.E dedicated themselves to either hiding or destroying any information about them and their creations heavily contributed to their fall into oblivion," the Star Warrior explained.

[That's correct, though their disappearance is a common event in 99.99889% of the universes I currently have information about,] the Harvester clarified.

"There are more machines like you, aren't there?" Meta Knight asked the machine.

[If you mean with my same identity, no,] the Harverster replied, shaking her head. [I am a unique and solitary existence. However, there are machines similar to me designed for other purposes.]

"Like the wish-granting one I saw in that book," Meta Knight made the connection upon hearing that.

[Although, in your universe, thanks to Nightmare, one of them will never be finished,] the Harvester added. Sectonia muttered a "who?", while Meta Knight let out a groan of discomfort. [Sorry, I meant eNeMeE. I have the tendency to forget that in certain timelines of the universe you come from, very few know his real name, and the ones who do treat it like a taboo.]

“You said machines like you have a purpose. Can you tell us yours?” Meta Knight asked, shifting the topic away from eNeMeE.

The Harverster nodded before speaking again. She then stretched out her left hand, and one of the flowers floating around the area came to her, levitating a few inches on top of her palm.

[The purpose of my system is to gather information from different universes and timelines to calculate when, how, and why an event might occur. This information is then used to guide my users so they can recreate, avoid, or mitigate said event in their reality by making the right decisions,] she explained while selecting a petal from the flower and sending the rest back into the air. [In short, it could be said that I analyse data to predict the future.]

"It seems you were somewhat right about the use of crystals then," Sectonia commented to Meta Knight.

"Though given that N.M.E has nothing to do with this, my theory is still fundamentally flawed," he replied, rubbing the crystal he still had in his possession. "How does this system work?"

[The 'Void In Between' is a dimension outside of space-time, located at the metaphysical boundaries that separate universes,] the Harvester began to narrate. Two beams of light then erupted from her eyes, connecting to form a holographic screen in front of her. With a quick flick of one of her fingers, the machine drew a perfect circle, which then divided into internal sectors. [If we represent the different universes in this simplified way, the 'Void In Between' would be at the same time the lines that separate the sectors, the central point where they join and the outline of the circle itself,] they explained, running their fingers over each area they mentioned.

"Fascinating," Meta Knight commented, putting all of his attention on the machine's narration. He loved learning how things worked, whether they were machines or metaphysical concepts.

With a flick of her hand, the machine replaced the circle with a graphic depicting two small spheres, one iridescent and the other as black as the darkest night.

[Due to its 'In Between' status, energy from other realities filters into this dimension,] the Harvester continued, pointing at the iridescent sphere. Then, she placed a finger on it. [When such energy comes into contact with particles of raw Matter of Darkness, abundant in this place, it solidifies and crystallises,] she continued, dragging the iridescent sphere toward the other, which, when fused, transformed into an irregular-looking crystal. [Before my creation, this process occurred without control or purpose, but my system was designed to process that energy, using the resulting crystal to store information,] she finished, the irregular crystal transforming into a refined petal-like one.

The Harvester erased the graphic again and began generating a new image. It depicted a simplified representation of five hooded figures dressed in robes similar to the ones the machine's avatar was wearing. All five of them surrounded the tree, with two of them observing already processed crystals while two others took notes. The last had a more authoritative pose and was observing the other four.

[However, there are limitations to this system. The minds of my creators didn't have infinite capacity, so when the first scientists attempted to use the crystals...] With another flick of the Harverster's finger, the two figures holding the crystals fell to the ground on their knees, holding their hooded heads with their hands. The rest of the figures approached them in alarm. “[..the amount of information corresponding to an entire universe going straight into their brains ended up driving them crazy. That is why the system was modified so that a mortal can only directly receive the information that matches what their soul is experiencing at that moment, having to use me as an intermediary if they want to know more details of the universe they are studying.]

Once the Harvester finished her exposition, her eyes stopped glowing, and the projected screen disappeared.

"So that's why I can't see anything when my other self sleeps," Meta Knight understood.

"In that case, what does my 'nothingness' mean?" Sectonia wanted to know, though she already had a notion of what the answer was going to be.

[It means that in the timelines corresponding to the crystals you've used, your soul isn't part of the cycle of life. In simpler terms: your other self has either not been born yet or has died. Do you want me to confirm which one applies in each case?]

"I can live without that information," Sectonia replied, satisfied that she had finally found a logical reason for the mystery that had been tormenting her for a bit. There wasn't anything wrong with her; it was simply the way the crystals worked. However, even if the sample was too small to establish clear statistics, the fact that she was not alive in two-thirds of the crystals that ended up in her hands was not very encouraging.

Intrigued by the spider's answer, the Harvester tilted her head. She looked like a cat who had encountered something that aroused its curiosity.

[You are very peculiar. Most of the beings who end up in this place can't help but feel interested in their other lives, yet you don't seem to care at all,] the machine remarked.

"I have too much on my plate to worry about how other Sectonias live their lives," she replied with a shrug.

[Wouldn't you even want to know if there's a reality where you and your beloved are still together?]

Sectonia's indifference shattered. Those words had hurt her, and she would even have found them cruel if the way the machine had phrased the question didn't lack malice. Then, she stopped to think about it with a cold head. Why would she want to know if there was a reality where she and Taranza were still together? What value could she find in a happiness that wasn't hers? What good would the answer to that question do apart from filling her heart with envy for a life she'd never have? The existence of a world where the tragedy didn't happen wouldn't bring back the things she'd lost. It was better to let things be, accept the cards fate had dealt her, and not taint the sacrifice he'd made by wasting her life thinking about what could have been, especially when she still had so much to do. After all, she had a country to rebuild and people to protect.

The spider noticed Meta Knight placing a hand on her shoulder in a gesture of encouragement and comfort. The Star Warrior suffered similar losses during the war, so he understood how Sectonia had felt when she heard that question.

"No," Sectonia finally answered. "Please, let's continue discussing your workings. Now that we've clarified why Meta Knight can see those realities and I can't, we still need to know why we see through the crystal that brought us here instead of seeing another reality. Although with all the information we have, I think I have figured it out," the spider commented.

"So you have also reached the same conclusion," Meta Knight guessed, idly turning the crystal in his hand. He, too, had been pondering about that.

"This crystal corresponds to our reality, so it shows us what lies on the other side just as it is," the spider claimed. Meta Knight nodded in agreement.

[That's correct,] the Harvester confirmed. [It seems I've encountered two very intelligent versions of yourselves,] they added in a tone that sounded a bit strange.

"What does that mean?" they both wondered, somewhat offended, as those words hold the implication that the two of them being intelligent was outside the norm. Or maybe there was another reason behind the tone the machine had used?

[Anyway, my system had a flaw that my creators overlooked until it came to light,] the Harvester continued, returning to her exposition. [Look at me closely,] she requested, pointing to the tree's branches. [Each branch is a reality; each flower represents a set of timelines that sprouted from a specific event, and therefore, each petal corresponds to one of those timelines,] she explained, pointing at the end at the petal she had picked earlier. [Every time someone decides or not to do something that ends up having an impact in the course of history, a flower blooms. When said impact affects the very structure of reality, the foundations of the universe itself, a new branch is generated, which would be what is commonly called an 'alternate universe'. This not only applies to personal choices but also to natural or unnatural phenomena. The total number of petals is, therefore, uncountable. Infinite possibilities, infinite universes. And so the tree hasn't stopped, nor will it stop growing.]

The machine imitated a sad, tired sigh before continuing.

[In the end, it was too much for my creators, who were unable to even use me properly to prevent their own disappearance from history. Unable to handle everything and fearful of my information falling into the wrong hands as they faced their own internal conflict, they sealed me and abandoned me here. Yet, my activity did not cease. I continued collecting, studying, analysing, and learning in case anyone requested my guidance again.]

"What a waste of effort to create you only to end up this way," Meta Knight commented.

"And how irresponsible they were to leave you running unattended," Sectonia added.

[Indeed, especially when said irresponsibility is what will destroy all the universes if no one does anything to prevent it.]

The severity of that disturbing phrase naturally alarmed Meta Knight and Sectonia. The destruction of all the universes? That sounded quite dire. At least, it seemed that they still had time to avoid such fate.

"What's going to happen?" Meta Knight wanted to know in order to understand how precarious the situation was.

[The correct thing to ask me would be, 'What's going on?'] the Harvester corrected, adding even more weight to the situation. Her body language showed her distress. [No machine is perfect, and I'm no exception. The continued growth and division of the tree's branches is reaching an unsustainable point; my processing is becoming increasingly erratic, and the system itself could collapse at any moment. Not only that, but this predicament has caused me to become susceptible to the negative energy emanating from certain realities, and the mixture of an excess of that energy and the Matter of Darkness that the system uses to process the crystals has serious effects on most beings, both living and artificial. In my case, this results in the data I contain getting corrupted and 'leaking', taking on physical form. I believe Sectonia knows what I'm talking about.]

Sectonia quickly understood what the machine was referring to. After all, the "monster" that had attacked her had been enveloped in a strange digital effect, and what could be more digital than data processed by a computer?

"That strange girl was actually a result of your corruption," Sectonia guessed.

[That's right. I've named those like her 'Echoes'. They are corrupted data corresponding to beings whose existence came to an end while they were plagued by strong negative feelings and/or grudges, which became their final drive and will,] the Harvester explained, bringing up a new screen on which she drew silhouettes of disparate shapes, all wrapped in the same digital particles Sectonia had seen in what she wrongly had called 'monster girl'. [In this case, the information gathered from that event, instead of being properly processed in its petal, takes independent physical form using the Matter of Darkness as its base. While Echoes have a limited lifespan, one or two hours at most if they don't get terminated by other means, some can be very destructive, especially if they end up in peaceful realities.]

The petal in the Harvester's hand blinked for a few moments, as did the eyes on her mask. [Collecting requested data, please wait...] it uttered in a monotonous voice. Then, she projected a new screen. Instead of containing drawings, this one showed a recording.

A recording that took the breath away from its two viewers.

A humanoid girl with black hair, a green apron, and a red beret ran terrified through a burning forest. On her back, she carried Kirby, who had something embedded in his body. The girl had trouble running, an indicator of injury.

"Hold on a little longer, Kirby," the girl said to the puffball after coughing due to the smoke. Kirby didn't respond because he was unconscious, or rather, completely paralysed.

"It can't be..." Meta Knight thought in horror as he recognised the object piercing Kirby's skin.

Upon obtaining no response from the puffball, the girl let out a grunt of frustration and continued running despite the pain.

"If only that thing hadn't destroyed my utensils..." they heard her complaining.

Suddenly, a howl echoed through the forest. An expression of urgency crossed the girl's face as she tried to speed up her run. Unfortunately, due to her injuries, she tripped and fell to the ground, sending Kirby tumbling a few metres due to the impact. The girl didn't stop to cry about her pain, and, instead, she immediately got back up and hurried to pick up Kirby. But the time she had lost was enough for the cause of her escape to catch up with them. In one leap, the being that was burning the forest cut off the girl's path and bared its sharp fangs.

Meta Knight's eyes turned red with wrath at the sight of the digital-looking WolfWrath. Even after his death, eNeMeE's creations found ways to continue wreaking havoc.

The girl glared at the monster with desperate rage, not understanding what that thing was, what it was doing there, or why it was destroying her home. And yet, despite her fear of an enemy she couldn't fight, Meta Knight could see that the girl's determination to protect Kirby didn't waver and that she refused to simply give up. In a way, she reminded him of Tiff.

The Echo of WolfWrath lunged at the girl, who hugged the unconscious Kirby protectively, placing her body between him and the monster's. Meta Knight couldn't help but scream "No!" while Sectonia gasped in anguish. The machine shut off the screen at that moment, leaving their fates up in the air. Unless someone had performed a miraculous rescue at the last second, said fate had surely been grim.

[If the corruption of my system isn't stopped, many dimensions will suffer irreparable damage from the Echoes, which could potentially lead to a cataclysm that will completely wipe them out] the Harvester announced as she released the petal, which began to fly to reunite with the flower it belonged to. [And if the propagation speed keeps increasing, this will repeat itself over and over, from one universe to another, with no possibility of new timelines being created, until nothing remains. Something like this cannot continue, but, being a prisoner of my own programming, I can't do anything about it. I can't leave the Void In Between, nor am I allowed to send crystals to other dimensions so that someone can find them and reach this place. It's thanks to the Echo that attacked Sectonia, who took those three crystals with the desperate hope that one of them would bring her home, that we are able to have this conversation.]

"Did that girl's Echo only want to go home?" Sectonia wanted to know, remembering that in the agonising moment when she herself had destroyed the Echo, she had been able to feel its grief and despair. The Harvester nodded in response. "Why did she attack my people then?"

[Not only anger and resentment can generate an Echo, but also other emotions such as despair or grief. In most universes, that girl suffers an accident in her childhood that gets her stranded in a hostile dimension, separating her from her loved ones. While there are many scenarios in which she manages to leave the hellish place she ended in, that particular Echo corresponds to a version of her who not only failed to escape but also completely lost her sanity in her struggle to survive. When she inevitably met her end, in her broken mind there were no friends or enemies, only prey and predators.]

"So, Echoes are not only dangerous, but some of them are also suffering simply for existing," Sectonia understood, lamenting that girl's fate. "I hope that, if that girl is alive in our universe, her life has been more fortunate," she wished.

"How can we put an end to this?" Meta Knight asked the machine, determined.

[I must be disconnected. However, that is something I cannot do by myself. That is why I brought you here. It took me several attempts, but I finally was able to create and stabilize a connection to the crystal that corresponds to your universe.]

"Very well," the Meta Knight agreed without further thought. It looked like a simple task, especially since they were already there. "How do we shut you down?"

[That is not possible at this moment,] the machine began to respond.

"Why is this type of stuff never easy?" the Star Warrior lamented, frustrated. What kind of condition would they have to meet in order to disconnect the machine? An arduous mission to retrieve some artefacts? Fight a series of strong foes who serve as protectors of the system?

[With my creators absent, there is only one method to shut me down in a way all the universes currently affected by the Echoes would not suffer consequences. The person charged with this task must be someone whose existence is essential to all universes, someone whose birth marks a change in the course of destiny, someone capable of inspiring others to be the best versions of themselves...]

"I think I know where this is going," Meta Knight anticipated.

[...and that person is Kirby.]

Meta Knight couldn't help but sigh in defeat upon hearing that. Why did Kirby always have to bear the heaviest burdens? He deserved an untroubled childhood.

[Kirby...] the Harvester began to say, longing reflected in her voice. [Such a good, pure, and innocent soul shouldn't have to carry such a burden, but at the same time, I don't think there's a better option for this. I wish I had been able to contact a world where he wasn't an infant, so we wouldn't have to endanger both himself and his guardian.]

"Does Tiff have to come too?" Meta Knight asked.

[Yes, since your universe's Kirby is highly dependent on her,] the Harvester confirmed. [I don't like the idea of exposing children to danger, but I can't predict whether I'll ever be able to contact another outsider before my system collapses or not. Right now, you're my only hope,] she stated.

"How would Kirby and his guardian be in danger? This place doesn't seem hostile," Sectonia asked in order to know what they were up against.

[Predicting what will happen in the 'Void in Between' is beyond my capabilities, but it's more than likely that Echoes will attack you the moment you try to do anything against the system their existence depends on, as they will consider you a direct threat,] the Harvester warned.

Hearing this, Sectonia and Meta Knight looked at each other doubtfully. If it were up to them, they would gladly accept the machine's request, but if Kirby and Tiff had to be involved, they had to consider it. Sectonia didn't even know them personally, so she didn't consider that she should play a part in that decision, leaving it in Meta Knight's hands.

Was risking children's lives for the sake of the universe the right thing? Meta Knight had already faced that moral dilemma a year ago, when he had thrown Kirby, Tiff, and Tuff straight into danger's arms by taking them directly to eNeMeE's fortress. Back then, he had ended said dilemma by telling himself, "Kirby is the only one who can bring an end to this nightmare, and it must be done now, or we'll lose our only chance." And if he had to take Kirby with him, there was no way Tiff and Tuff wouldn't follow the puffball; therefore, he hadn't even suggested they could stay behind. Not to mention that with eNeMeE determined to destroy Dream Land, the Ebrum siblings would have been in just as much danger staying home as they had been in space.

Now Meta Knight faced a similar dilemma again, but this time the stakes were much higher. The scene of WolfWrath attacking that girl flashed back into his mind. If he refused to help the Harvester, how many more would suffer? What if their own world was attacked by a creature from another reality that they didn't know how to fight or even have the means to defeat?

[Please, I can't let the universes and the people who live in them suffer. I'll do whatever it takes to save them all,] the Harvester begged, sensing his doubt. Her plea felt genuine. She had even crossed her fingers in prayer.

“It seems like it's the only way to stop this tragedy,” the Star Warrior thought.

“This decision is not mine to make. However, I'll go back and tell Kirby and Tiff about your situation. Knowing them, they'll come to your aid despite the danger,” Meta Knight finally decided.

[Thank you. It's a relief to hear that,”] the Harvester replied, placing a hand on her chest.

“And you can count on me,” Sectonia volunteered. “I swore I would dedicate my body and soul to protecting my people. I believe that includes shutting down a machine that could cause the destruction of all universes, including ours,” she explained.

"Your help is more than welcome," Meta Knight thanked. "How much time do we have to prepare?" he asked the Harvester.

[I can't tell. Although time doesn't naturally flow in this dimension, the corruption continues to spread. The longer you take to come back here, the more catastrophes will occur in other dimensions, and the risk of yours suffering one will increase,] she answered. [A couple of days in your world may be fine, but if you wait more, who knows what could happen?]

"Calling reinforcements from the GSA is out of the question, then. They'd take too long to arrive," Meta Knight lamented.

"It's no problem. We can handle this," Sectonia tried to encourage him. "But how will we return to the 'Void In Between' from our world?" she wanted to know.

[Now that Meta Knight is a registered user in my system, he can use the crystals to enter and exit this dimension at will,] the Harvester explained. [But before you two leave, I must make another request,] she added. Both Sectonia and Meta Knight looked at them in confusion. What else would the Harvester want from them? [I need you to return the other two crystals that Echo took with her, as you are not going to need them.]

"Well, that is not possible at this moment," Sectonia replied awkwardly.

The Harvester made a strange movement with her head, as if Sectonia had just said something that had caught her off guard.

[You didn't bring them with you...] the machine guessed.

"I left them behind when that portal swallowed us," the spider admitted. "Is it a bad thing?"

For a few seconds, a strange tension took over the area. It was like the Harvester didn't know how to react to what Sectonia had said. Meta Knight studied the machine with intrigue. Why had she reacted in such fashion? What would she be thinking or calculating?

[No, it's fine. You can return them to this dimension when you bring Kirby and his guardian,] the Harvester broke the tension. [The crystals pose no danger, as they can only be used as keys to enter and exit the Void In Between by registered users. Still, if they fall into the wrong hands, the information they contain may bring your world many troubles. It's best that they be in their proper place, especially if you intend on disconnecting me,] the machine explained.

"I see. Don't worry, we'll return them,” Sectonia said. Beside her, Meta Knight bowed his head thoughtfully, his eyes glowing green.

"Harvester, could you register Sectonia as a user too?" Meta Knight suddenly asked. Both the machine and the spider stared at him, puzzled by the sudden request. "If we get overwhelmed by the power or number of Echoes, we'll have to retreat and call for reinforcements. We're more likely to get Kirby and Tiff safely out of the Void In Between for a second try if Sectonia can also use the crystals,” he exposed his reason.

[But if you retreat without shutting me down, the corruption will continue to spread...] the Harvester protested in dismay.

"Although it's by no means an ideal scenario, wasting time would still be better than losing our lives and therefore the chance to disconnect you, right?" Meta Knight countered.

Again, the machine fell silent. It seemed that Meta Knight had cornered her with his reasoning.

[You're truly clever... That's something I had overlooked, despite it being a more than logical precaution to take. This kind of mistake is proof of my processing becoming more erratic,] the Harvester conceded in defeat. [Sectonia, hold the crystal, please,] they asked the aforementioned while Meta Knight handed her the item.

[New user detected. Granting access. Access granted,] Sectonia heard the machine say directly in her head. Their voice sounded more robotic and automatic than usual.

[And it's done,] the machine announced, speaking normally again. [Now, I would recommend you return to your world as soon as possible.]

“We only have to draw a star in the air to open a portal, right?" Meta Knight asked, just to be sure. The Harvester nodded. "Is there anything else we should keep in mind when using the crystals as a key?"

“You must clearly think about the place you want to land while tracing the portal, or it will drop you off at a random location,” the Harvester instructed.

"Could we even end up on another planet or in space?" Meta Knight questioned.

“Yes. That's why you must be very specific. You must also be quick to cross: these portals will close after a few seconds.”

"Understood. One last thing: is there any risk of us getting trapped here if, for example, an Echo or system glitch were to revoke our permission to use the crystals?" the Star Warrior insisted.

Sectonia couldn't help but wonder about what Meta Knight was doing. His attitude had changed since the Harvester had demanded the crystals back. She understood his caution given the machine's strange reaction, but the way he was asking looked way too much like an interrogation. Was he checking for possible escape routes?

[No. Remember, my system isn't just science: it's also magic. You could say that by giving you the status of 'user', you're not being granted permission but the power to use the crystals. Furthermore, to prevent anyone from getting stuck here, my creators made sure that this power couldn't be taken away by anything in my system, and that includes any Echo who might try to force its removal,] the Harvester clarified. Even though she were trying to contain those emotions, there was a certain tinge of frustration and impatience in her voice.

Was she acting like that because, from her point of view, Meta Knight was wasting time on what they considered unnecessary questions, or was it irritation at being forced to answer something she didn't want to?

[Not even shutting me down will make a user lose the ability to utilise the crystals,] the Harvester said, ending her exposition with the answer to a question that hadn't been asked yet.

"That's good to know. Sorry for insisting so much about this when we are short on time, but if after saving all the universes I couldn't get Kirby, Tiff, and Sectonia out of here, I would never be able to forgive myself," Meta Knight apologised, making an effort to sound relieved.

That sounded like a reasonable reason to "pressure" the Harvester, but Sectonia was certain that the Star Warrior had an ulterior motive behind his questions.

[Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to mention that you wouldn't have any trouble getting in and out of here. Yet another proof of how erratic my processing has become...] the machine said in a more appeased tone. [Well, if you're done with your questions, I think it's time to say goodbye.]

"Sectonia, do you want to do the honors?" Meta Knight turned to her.

"Of course," she answered, understanding Meta Knight's words as an invitation for her to use the new power she had been granted.

[I hope to see you again soon. I'm counting on you,] the Harverst said, in a hopeful tone.

"Planet Pop Star. Floralia. Coordination point for the rebuilding process. Meeting room," Sectonia thought as she drew each stroke. When she was done, a star-shaped portal opened again in front of them. Neither she nor Meta Knight hesitated to cross it back to their reality.

Bandee's nervous relief greeted them at the other side of the portal.

"Sectonia, Meta Knight! You're back!" the Sectra Dee exclaimed. "What happened? Are you okay? What was the thing that swallowed you?" He assaulted them with questions.

"Calm down and I'll tell you," Sectonia patiently requested. Bandee patted his face a few times to ease his nerves.

Sectonia briefed his assistant on what had happened, who got quite anxious upon realising the danger everyone was in. Meanwhile, Meta Knight had picked up one of the crystals from the table and had traced a star in the air, but nothing happened. He tried again, using different sizes, yet it was to no avail. The Star Warrior nodded, having confirmed what he wanted to test.

“Sectonia, I think the situation may be more complicated than we believe,” Meta Knight stated in a stern tone.

"How can the end of all universes get even more complicated?!" Bandee retorted, his anxiety rising.

Sectonia, on the other hand, remained calm and waited for Meta Knight's explanation. She knew the Star Warrior had noticed something she had missed due to her lack of information about the machines made by the ancient civilisation he had spoken about.

"According to what I read, the programming of those machines forces them to never lie to their users, but Arthur told me that the Ancestors' creations must be treaded carefully," the Star Warrior affirmed. "My instinct tells me that even if the Harvester has told us the truth, we shouldn't blindly trust her."

"Do you think she might be plotting something?" Sectonia intuited.

"I'm not sure, but if the war taught me anything, it's that it never hurts to be cautious when dealing with this kind of stuff,” Meta Knight answered. “While the Harvester's desire to save all the universes feels genuine, some of her reactions were very strange, even suspicious. It could be just her 'erratic processing', as she said, but I got the feeling that she is hiding something.”

“So he was indeed checking for escape routes with those questions,” Sectonia understood.

"Then, the machine isn't entirely trustworthy, but at the same time, she hasn't lied about the catastrophes... How can we solve a problem like this?" Bandee asked, somewhat overwhelmed.

“Tell me, Meta Knight. You're not planning on retreating back to our dimension if things go wrong, are you?" Sectonia guessed, looking first at the crystal in the Star Warrior's hand and then back at him.

"You are correct. Since reinforcements would take way too long to arrive in our reality, I thought I'd ask for help from the four heroes of the dimension I've been observing so closely," the Star Warrior admitted. "Whether the threat is the Echoes or the machine itself, I trust they'll help us get out of this predicament. Also, in case we got chased by something, I think the other dimension is better equipped to deal with this kind of danger than ours currently is.”

"In that case, why not go there and ask for their help directly?" Bandee suggested the quickest and most obvious solution.

"Because I just tested what the Harvester said about the crystals being just keys to the Void in Between, and it doesn't seem possible to open a portal to the other dimension directly from our own. To reach it, we must cross to the 'Void in Between' first, and this would expose my evacuation plan," Meta Knight replied.

"I see... Well, given that the situation is this dire, I want to go with you too!" Bandee offered.

"No, Bandee. Someone has to take care of Floralia in my absence, so I need you here." Sectonia rejected him. The Sectra Dee shook his head effusively, opposing the idea of his leader risking her life alone. "Don't worry, I don't intend to die during this mission. I trust you to lead the Resistance well until I return," she assured him.

"You want me to lead the Resistance?!" the Sectra Dee exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"Yes. You are loyal, brave, and diligent, and you know my way of thinking and acting. I can't think of a better person for this role," Sectonia praised him. "My conscience will only be at peace during this odyssey if you take on this task in my absence."

"Golly, it's a lot of responsibility. But if you believe in me, I'll do my best!" Bandee finally accepted, with renewed energy.

Suddenly, Sectonia felt very weak. She even had to hold onto a nearby chair to avoid falling.

"Are you okay?!" Bandee asked in concern.

"Yes. It's nothing. I just feel very tired. We've been investigating for days with barely any rest, and this trip to that 'in-between' dimension has taken its toll," Sectonia assured her assistant as she sat down in the chair, allowing herself to slump into it to rest.

"Then the first thing we must do is to get a good night's rest," Meta Knight decided. He, too, felt exhausted and had a slight but annoying headache since crossing that portal. "It would be unwise to embark on an air journey of several hours with our bodies and minds in this state, especially with what lies ahead."

"Bandee, tell Petunia to make us one of her relaxing teas, please," Sectonia asked her second-in-command. "It will help us fall asleep."

"Aye!" he exclaimed before running to fulfil his leader's request.

"Tomorrow we'll contact the GSA. While we can't expect their help, we have to tell them what's going on. Then we'll prepare the trip to Dream Land and get everything ready to disconnect the Harverster," Meta Knight continued, still making plans. "We'll leave at night to arrive at our destination in the morning."

At first, Meta Knight had planned to extend his stay in Floralia as long as possible. His ininital intent had been arriving into Dream Land just before midnight so that the King wouldn't be able to say, "Hey, you've taken longer than we agreed," and decide to admonish him in some way. In the end, he would surprise Dedede with an admirable display of punctuality, showing up there first time in the morning.

Truthfully, reuniting with the king wasn't something he was particularly excited about. After watching the other Dedede for a few days, returning to the one he knew was going to be a bit unpleasant. "Now that I know what he could have become if he had taken a different path in his life, I don't know if I should hate him or pity him..." he thought bitterly.

Meta Knight held the crystal with resolution. With so much at stake, he couldn't let himself be swayed by envy or desire. He was willing to do anything to save everyone he cared about, and that included their alternate selves.

[And that's why he's perfect for my vision.]

Chapter Text

It was a beautiful morning in Dream Land. Birds were singing (except for Tokkori), flowers were blooming, and children were playing outside.

Among those children were Kirby and Tuff, who were playing with a ball in the castle courtyard alongside Falala and Fololo. Tiff was trying to read a book under the shade of a tree, but her worries didn't let her concentrate on its story.

It had been several days since Dedede and Escargoon's last scheme, so Dream Land's atmosphere was more relaxed than usual. Some cappies had begun to believe that the tyrannical king had finally given up on his attempts to “clobber that there Kirby” and that there could be peace in Cappy Town at last. While there hadn't been any sort of real danger since eNeMeE's fall, some of the robots and machines that the tyrannical king and his right-hand man had built in the last months had caused various incidents and property damage. Therefore, almost everyone considered that the longer the local “troublemakers” were absent, the better for everyone. Tiff, however, regarded said absence as concerning.

"I don't know how you guys are playing so carefree," Tiff said frustrated as she put her book aside. The other four stopped and stared at her, Tuff holding the ball to keep it from rolling away. "It's clear that this 'calm' is because Dedede and Escargoon have been busy working on something very big and dangerous."

"So? Kirby will destroy it in a flash, like he always does," Tuff shrugged it off. Tiff rolled her eyes at her brother's attitude.

"Have you guys managed to find out what those two are up to ?" the girl asked Fololo and Falala.

"Nope. King Dedede and Escargoon always avoid talking about their projects around us," Fololo replied. "We've tried asking Captain Waddle-Doo about it, but either he doesn't know what they're working on either, or he has been forbidden to tell us."

"Besides, it doesn't look like the Waddle Dees are involved," Falala continued. "Whatever those two have been doing these past few days, they're doing it alone. I guess that means it can't be something too big, as they would have needed extra workforce," she opined.

"See? I don't understand why you keep getting so stressed every time they plot something. You need to be more chill," Tuff advised.

"Chi, chi, poyo!" Kirby tried to echo Tuff's last word, thinking that it would be more effective.

"But what if they're doing something actually dangerous for once? This could be the calm before the storm!" Tiff insisted.

"Come on, Tiff. This is Dedede we're talking about, not eNeMeE," her brother reminded her. "Even if Escargoon is a genius, Dedede will always screw up somehow. Besides, Meta Knight is coming back today, and he will help us if things get too serious," he reminded her.

Tiff had to agree with Tuff there. Even if Meta Knight usually let them solve problems on their own as part of Kirby's training, there were always lines the Star Warrior would not allow to be crossed. While his direct intervention had never been necessary in the latest incidents, having provided mostly advice and taught them more self-defence techniques, Tiff knew they could count on him and his apprentices if the situation became truly dangerous.

"I think the real problem is that I don't want Dedede to ruin the surprise we have planned for Meta Knight," the girl finally admitted, revealing the source of her current anxiety.

To celebrate Meta Knight's return and show him some appreciation, the Ebrum family had decided to throw him a small tribute. It wouldn't be anything too big or flashy, since they doubted Meta Knight would like that kind of stuff, just a cake and a couple of gifts made by the children. Sword and Blade had also collaborated.

"Yeah. It would be a bummer," Tuff agreed. "Specially after all the trouble we had getting Kirby to not eat the cake..."

"Cake," Kirby repeated, a dreamy expression on his face.

"Wow, look how well you pronounce that word. I can tell it belongs to something you like a lot," Falala commented after letting out an amused chuckle. Over the past few months, Kirby had been improving his speech, although he still wasn't able to form a sentence of more than two or three words. Well, as small as it was, progress was still progress.

"What time do you think Sir Meta Knight will arrive?" Fololo asked. "I want to make sure all the preparations are in place before then."

"Sword and Blade said he'll most likely try to extend his stay in Floralia as long as possible, so I guess we can't predict 'when'," Tiff replied after some thought. "I imagine it will be before midnight."

"Do you think mom will let us eat cake that late?" Tuff questioned.

"I don't think she'll mind this one time," Tiff answered. "Besides, Meta Knight could still arrive earlier."

"Yay! Cake with Meta Nini, poyo!" Kirby celebrated.

Suddenly, the sky clouded over, and the soft breeze became colder.

"Ugh, it looks like it's going to rain any minute now," Tuff complained.

Sudden downpours were common at that time of year, so no one was overly concerned by the change in the weather. Kirby looked up at the sky, a bit disheartened. He would have loved to take a nap under the sunshine after playing. Although rain had its upsides, too.

"We'd better put the laundry away before it gets all wet!" Falala exclaimed before flying off at full speed.

"See you at lunch!" Fololo said before following his twin.

Just at that moment, fine drops of rain began to fall from the sky.

"I think we'd better play inside," Tiff suggested.

"I'll pass," Tuff refused. The rain intensified a little, but he still didn't care.

"Come on, Tuff. This could turn into a downpour any minute," the girl tried to convince her brother.

"It's just water," he argued. "Besides, Kirby wants to play in the rain," he added, pointing at the baby Star Warrior.

"Watah, watah poyo," the young Star Warrior laughed as he ran through the garden. He couldn't wait for puddles to form so he could splash in them.

"If you get a fever later, I'm not taking care of you," Tiff warned her sibling, putting a hand on her hip in a disapproving gesture.

"I can tell you are bluffing, sis," Tuff asserted.

It was at that moment that a flash of lightning, followed almost immediately by a loud noise, lit up the sky, making the three children jump.

"A storm! On second thought, I think we should go back inside!" Tuff exclaimed, alerted, as the rain increased its intensity.

"Poyo!" Kirby nodded as he ran to take cover next to Tiff.

Suddenly, Tiff felt a strange sensation. It was as if the air was getting charged with static electricity. Before she could think about it, Kirby tackled both her and her brother, just in time to push them away from a lightning bolt. Everything happened so quickly that the siblings had neither time to wonder or be mad about Kirby having suddenly pushed them, nor to be grateful that said push had saved them, leaving only space for shock in their minds.

Trembling a bit, Tiff stood up. That lightning bolt felt like it had been aimed straight at them. Also, was it she, or was everything even darker than before? Searching for an answer, the girl looked up at the sky.

What she saw made her blood boil.

"Of course... Of course Dedede would find a way to ruin this day! HOW IN THE WORLD DID HE BRING A MONSTER BACK?" was the girl's immediate and furious reaction. She had recognised Kracko, though the strange digital effect that enveloped it was new. Her anger had overruled her fear. To makes things worse, the rain began falling more heavily.

Kracko prepared to launch a second attack, but without a second thought, Tiff grabbed Kirby and Tuff and pulled them in an attempt to take refuge. The monster, however, had predicted her move and, with another lightning bolt, blocked their advance. The water soaking the ground increased the radius of the lightning strike.

"The rain makes its bolts more dangerous!" Tiff informed her sibling and her protégé.

"We need to get out of here and find something Kirby can copy!" Tuff said.

Tiff nodded. Blade and Sword should come outside to check the strange and violent storm any second now, and they most certainly would give Kirby a sword when they saw the monster. However, with the rain having turned into a downpour, wouldn't it be too dangerous to attack Kracko directly? And there was also the risk of the Warp Star getting damaged before it could reach Kirby. They needed a plan before summoning it.

"Let's retreat inside!" she finally decided. Her brother and Kirby nodded.

The children were soon forced to dodge another of the lightning bolts, and another, and another. Kracko seemed to be getting impatient, and while its attacks didn't land, it always managed to block their escape. One of the bolts struck one of the trees in the yard, its fall forcing Tuff to separate himself from Kirby and Tiff.

Finally, Sword and Blade arrived. Upon seeing the monster, Blade said something only Sword could understand. Both knights drew their weapons and pointed them at the cloud. Kracko was unimpressed and fired a lightning bolt towards them. They reacted a second too late, and while they were able to avoid the direct strike, they were hit by the shock wave, both knights screaming in pain. Seeing that despite having received the electric shock, these obstacles were still alive, Kracko prepared to launch another attack to eliminate them, but a small rock hitting its back distracted it.

Kracko turned to look for the one who had dared to throw it a rock, more annoyed than hurt.

"Hey, Cyclops! I'm here!" Tuff shouted out, carrying his slingshot. Despite the rain, he had managed to climb onto the fountain.

"Tuff! What are you doing?!" Tiff called, worried about her sibling's recklessness.

“Can't you see that I'm distracting it?!” he replied as he fired another stone at it, this one hitting the demonic storm's eye, which turned red. “Gotcha!”

Tuff actions destroyed Kracko's already low patience. The cloud accumulated a massive amount of electricity and unleashed it on the boy who had dared to irritate its eye. Tuff jumped from the fountain to dodge the lightning bolt but slipped when he hit the ground. Kracko readied a second strike.

"Tuff!" Tiff and Kirby shouted, both running towards the boy to try to rescue him before Kracko fired again, although it was unlikely they would arrive in time.

Kracko released his energy, and Tuff braced for the impact. However, it didn't reach him as a hooded person suddenly stood between him and the cloud. Where did the newcomer come from? Did they come down from the sky or something?

The newcomer held two staves, one silver with an emerald on its top and the other golden with a ruby, joined in a cross to create a magical barrier between them and the monster's attack. Tuff couldn't help but open his mouth, admiring the person who had just saved him.

"You should run," that person told him.

Tuff shook his head to get over his astonishment and didn't hesitate to obey, running straight to join his sister and Kirby.

"Don't scare me like that!" Tiff scolded after hugging him.

"Kirby! Tiff! Tuff!" called a familiar voice behind them.

The three children turned to where the voice had come from. Meta Knight had just appeared in the yard—though his Air Ride machine laying crashed on the ground indicated that he had jumped off from it in a hurry before landing it—and was helping Sword and Blade. Blade looked quite dazed, and Sword seemed to be in pain, so Meta Knight had to hold both of them up.

"Meta Knight!" Tiff and Tuff exclaimed, relieved to see the knight. Kirby let out a few cheerful “poyos.”

"Let's get inside, quick!" shouted the knight. It was not the time for warm welcomes.

The children and knights headed inside, the hooded figure shielding their retreat from the lightning while following them.

Now that they were out of Kracko's strike range, the group took the opportunity to rest. The monstrous cloud was still outside, attacking the castle walls with his lightning bolts in an attempt to force his enemies out. The structure remained firm, unlike the guards, who were trembling in fear.

"Is everybody all right?" Meta Knight asked the others. Tiff and Kirby nodded.

"We'll live," said a pained Sword, speaking for himself and Blade.

"My butt hurts a bit from the fall, but I'm good," replied Tuff.

Seeing that everyone was soaked, Meta Knight pulled out a torch and said to Kirby:

"Would you mind?"

After making a gesture that said, "Leave it to me!", the young puffball inhaled the torch, understanding what his mentor wanted him to do. Soon, his body turned red, and a crown of flames appeared on his head. Once the transformation was complete, Kirby told everyone present to come closer to him so they could dry off, though Sword and Blade had to be helped by Meta Knight.

"Thank you for saving me, by the way," Tuff said to the hooded person.

"It was nothing. I was just doing my duty," the hooded person replied in a formal tone.

"Are you a Star Warrior?" Tiff asked, intrigued by the newcomer's words. They shook their head as a negative. "Oh! I haven't introduced myself. My name is Tiff, and these are Kirby and my brother Tuff."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Sectonia, and I will protect you both during the mission ," the newcomer introduced herself back as she pulled her hood back. "Also, sorry for taking Meta Knight away for a few days. I hope his absence didn't cause any inconvenience," she added.

These words made made Tiff and Tudd realise who Sectonia actually was, and they couldn't help but be excited to meet the "ex-princess of Floralia" Meta Knight had talked about a week ago. However, said excitement soon turned into worry. Why would someone so vital to her land accompany Meta Knight on his return to Dream Land? Kirby, on the other hand, didn't share his adoptive siblings' concerns and was simply happy to meet a new friend.

Tiff's mind then went back to something Sectonia had just said.

"Wait. What do you mean by 'protecting us during the mission'?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Sorry, I got ahead of myself," Sectonia complained, bringing one of her floating hands to her temple. Beside her, Meta Knight sighed, as he would've wanted to introduce the subject in a more tactful way.

Before the spider or the knight could explain further, a fairly powerful lightning bolt struck the castle, the echo of the blow reverberating through the halls. It seemed Kracko didn't want them to forget it was still there.

"Meta Knight, how is Kracko back if eNeMeE is gone?" Tiff wanted to know. The reappearance of that monster combined with Sectonia's arrival couldn't mean anything good. Would it have something to do with the mission the ex-princess had just mentioned?

"Because this isn't the same Kracko Kirby fought in the past," the knight replied. "Though it seems fueled by the same hatred."

"Then, what is it? A long-lost sibling seeking revenge?" Tuff asked, puzzled.

"We could say it's a recreation," Meta Knight answered.

"Recreation?" Tuff repeated. "You mean like some kind of copy?"

"Kind of. But the worst part is that there are more beings like this one. They're called Echoes, and their existence is a direct consequence of what is putting all universes in danger," Sectonia explained.

"There are more?!" Tuff exclaimed.

"All the universes are in danger?!" Tiff exclaimed, along with her brother, their alarmed questions overlapping.

"Poyo yooo?!" Kirby tilted his head, not understanding what was happening, but since Tiff and Tuff were afraid, he knew it had to be something very bad.

Meta Knight and Sectonia gave a brief rundown of the situation, the Star Warrior showing the children the three petal-shaped crystals and explaning how they worked. Unfortunately for them, someone had seen and heard the entire conversation, and he wasn't going to hesitate to share it with his boss.

"So we just have to turn off that machine, right? It's okay. It can't be harder than defeating eNeMeE in his own fortress," Tiff agreed confidently despite the gravity of the situation.

"Off, off, poyo!" Kirby repeated energetically and with a determined expression that said, "We can do this."

Meta Knight was about to tell them more about the risks so they wouldn't get too overconfident, but then Lady Like and Sir Ebrum arrived. Floating beside them were Fololo and Falala.

"Children! Thank goodness you're here," the woman said, relieved to see her children safe.

"We were afraid you'd still be out there with this terrible weather," Sir Ebrum commented. "Ah, Meta Knight! Welcome back," the man greeted the Star Warrior, surprised to see he had returned hours earlier than expected.

"And I see we have a guest. Pleased to meet you. I'm Lady Like, this is my husband and Cabinet Minister, Sir Ebrum, and these are Fololo and Falala, our attendants," the woman introduced.

"Sectonia, diplomat of Floralia and ally of the G.S.A.," the spider introduced herself courteously, remembering her lessons on how to conduct herself at a royal court.

"Fololo, Falala, could you accompany Sword and Blade to our quarters and call Dr Yabui?" Meta Knight asked. His apprentices' condition didn't seem to have improved at all, which worried him as it was an indicator of hidden injury. "They've received a very powerful electric shock and may need medical attention."

"Of course, Meta Knight," Falala said as she and her brother approached the two knights to help them.

"We're fine!" Sword exclaimed, trying to get away from Fololo and Falala, but a groan of pain betrayed his words. Blade was too dizzy to protest.

"No. You're not. A great warrior must know when to retreat, so I don't want any more complaints," the Star Warrior stated, sounding like a stern father.

Sword let out a defeated groan as he allowed Fololo to help him move. The two knights and the two assistants left. Another lightning bolt struck the castle, causing Sir Ebrum and Kirby to get startled.

"This storm is particularly violent," Lady Like commented worriedly.

"Of course it is. A monster is behind it," Tuff clarified.

"A monster?! But I thought the king..." Sir Ebrum began to say.

"Why did he jump to blame the king immediately?" Sectonia wondered. She didn't like the implication of the minister's words.

"The king has nothing to do with this. Sir Ebrum, Lady Like, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take your daughter on a mission," Meta Knight announced. "Sectonia and I will do everything in our power to keep her safe," he added.

The aforementioned exchanged looks, not knowing how to react to the Star Warrior's words.

"And we don't have a say in the matter, do we?" Lady Like broke her and her husband's silence.

"That's right,” Tiff answered. “Sorry, Mom, but we're all in danger, and only Kirby and I can save the day," she explained. Beside her, Kirby nodded.

Sectonia imagined Lady Like was about to protest and try to convince them to search for other options that weren't her daughter, but, in the end, the woman's only negative reaction was a resigned expression that clearly said, "Why my little girl?"

"Very well. I trust you'll bring her back safe and sound," the woman finally said, giving Sectonia and Meta Knight a serious and intense glare. It was a silent way of saying, "You better not let anything bad happen to her.”

"Hey, what about me?! You are not planning on leaving me behind, are you?!" Tuff protested when he saw he wasn't included.

"Your presence isn't necessary," Sectonia said somewhat coldly. "It's nothing personal, but for your own safety it's best if you stay with your parents."

"Let him accompany us, Sectonia."

Sectonia turned to look at Meta Knight, perplexed.

"He's just a kid," she argued. "Taking him with us would unnecessarily increase the risks."

"Tuff was one of the few people who volunteered to our attack on eNeMeE's main base. Tiff may be Kirby's guardian, but Tuff also gives him strength," the Star Warrior counterpointed. “And, even if we forbade him from following us, he'd find a way to do so. It's best if we have him under our radar," he added. Tuff giggled and murmured, "wow, he knows me so well."

The spider looked at Lady Like and Sir Ebrum, hoping to find support in them, but these children's parents were either too irresponsible or knew that nothing they could do would change their minds. Or maybe in their culture (like a few others) children were encouraged to go on dangerous adventures, and, in that case, since she was only a newcomer in Dream Land, who was she to judge?

"Fine. Tuff can come with us," Sectonia surrendered. Tuff celebrated the decision.

Kracko hadn't stopped striking the castle during their conversation, but it had became “background noise” until one of its lightning volts struck a window, the shrill sound of breaking glass resonating throughout the castle.

"Well, I think we should get rid of 'Echo Kracko' first," Tiff stated.

"I agree, but it's too dangerous to face that monster under this weather," Meta Knight warned. "Many Star Warriors met their end committing such a reckless act."

"Perhaps you should wait for the rain to stop, then," Sir Ebrum suggested.

"We can't do that!" Tiff protested. "If it gets tired of the castle and decides to attack the city instead, it could destroy it!” Then, an idea came to her mind. “I got it! We could use the pieces of Dedede's robots!" she thought.

"What good would those do?" Tuff asked, wanting to know what her sister was planning.

"Remember how Dedede and Escargoon's latest projects are equipped with lightning rods to prevent Kirby from easily destroying them with his Spark Ability? They must have more stashed somewhere!" the girl explained.

"Oh, that could work!" Tuff agreed. Kirby also celebrated the idea with a "poyo!"

"Why is Kirby destroying your king's robots?" Sectonia asked, puzzled. First, Sir Ebrum had blamed the king when a monster was mentioned, and now the most important Star Warrior of the current times was destroying his robots? "The bad implications keep on piling," Sectonia thought.

"It's because Dedede is using them to try to get rid of Kirby," Tuff answered. "This has been going on for about a year, since he can no longer order monsters from N.M.E..."

"What did you just say?" Sectonia interrupted the kid, trying to swallow the fury rising inside her, hoping she'd heard wrong.

"Dedede used to order monsters from N.M.E," the boy repeated in different words, sensing that it was what Sectonia wanted him to confirm.

As if Sectonia's anger had drawn it like a magnet, a lightning bolt struck the castle walls and, this time, they rumbled. The only reason she didn't start yelling curse words at Dream Land's king right away was because there were children in front of her.

Sectonia remembered the cautionary tales her parents had told her about vain, selfish, and greedy rulers who had fallen for N.M.E.'s tricks. The company would weaken their kingdoms little by little, like a parasite, until eNeMeE decided to either conquer or destroy them. How could monarchs allow themselves to be corrupted by empty promises and fake power, endangering those they were supposed to protect? Sectonia hadn't understood it as a child, but with time she had realised that not all monarchs or governors looked for their kingdoms' interests but rather their own.

And it turned out the king Meta Knight worked for was one of those. That completed the puzzle Sectonia had begun to form in her head the first time the Star Warrior had spoken ill of his boss. But why would a Star Warrior decide to serve someone allied with their enemy? There weren't many reasonable reasons, and given the kind of person Meta Knight was, she doubted he would have given up his values for a roof and money. But what was that reason? Keep an eye on both Dedede and the company's moves? Protect the kingdom's inhabitants from N.M.E.'s monsters? Or perhaps it had been part of a long-term plan? Maybe it was a mix of all.

"Sectonia, please, I beg you to refrain from doing anything drastic," Meta Knight requested of his companion, noticing her anger. "Don't direct your fury against eNeMeE to Dedede, at least until we're finished with the current crisis," he added, his tone laced with a weariness that was, once again, directed at the monarch of Dream Land.

"Fine. We'll ask your boss for those lightning rods and I'll let him be," Sectonia relented, putting all her effort into quelling her fury. Then, inwardly, she added, "But when this is over, nobody is going to stop me from having a few words with him, and not a single one of them is going to be nice…"

"Can we help you somehow?" Lady Like asked.

"Not right now, Mom," Tiff denied.

"In that case, we'll go check on Sword and Blade," the woman said. "Please be very careful," she asked the three children, worried.

"Come on, Mom. It's not like this is the first monster that attack us," Tuff quipped.

"Don't do anything reckless and always follow Meta Knight and his companion's instructions," Sir Ebrum urged.

"We'll try, Dad," Tiff replied, making no promises. Things could always go wrong one way or another, so she chose not to commit.

After parting ways with Tiff and Tuff's parents, the group proceeded to go find Dedede. Meta Knight approached one of the frightened Waddle Dees to enquire about the king's whereabouts, and the small soldier gestured towards the throne room. After giving the Waddle Dee his thanks, Meta Knight led the group to their destination.

"I think I owe you an explanation," Meta Knight suddenly said to Sectonia as they walked. The spider looked at him intrigued. "I decided to work for Dedede because I hoped the presence of monsters would attract a new generation of Star Warriors. Until Kirby arrived, Sword and Blade and I took care of preventing or, at least, mitigating the damage caused by the monsters our king ordered," the Star Warrior revealed, the children nodding to confirm the knight's words.

"I imagined it would be something like that," Sectonia replied. "Poor Meta Knight. He must have had to put up with a lot, given how despicable this Dedede guy is..." she added in her mind, feeling sorry for the Star Warrior.

"By the way, how are we going to convince Dedede to lend us the lightning rods?" Tiff asked. She highly doubted the king would want to help them, considering the grudge he held against them.

"The king never liked monsters destroying his things. I don't think he wants this Echo of Kracko wreaking havoc around here, especially when he didn't order it," Meta Knight replied.

Tiff considered that what Meta Knight had said made sense, but they were talking about Dedede. It was impossible to predict how the king would react given his volatile temper. In the end, it would depend on his mood.

"You also count on my support," Sectonia said. The children looked at her with curiosity. "As his employee, Meta Knight can't demand anything of King Dedede by contract, but as the ruler of other lands, he must listen to me and show me respect if he doesn't want diplomatic problems."

"But I thought you'd rejected your crown. Or at least that's what Meta Knight said," Tuff commented, remembering what the Star Warrior had told the week before.

"Your king doesn't need to know that or that Floralia doesn't have military power right now," she smiled somewhat mischievously, putting her index finger to her mouth, as if asking Tuff to keep it a secret. The kid was eager to back her up in her plan.

Another particularly powerful lightning bolt struck the castle, causing the group to quicken their pace towards the throne room. When they arrived there, just as the Waddle Dee had indicated, they found Dedede and Escargoon. The king was trying to hide his fear of the storm behind a mask of annoyance, while Escargoon wore a thoughtful expression. Upon noticing the group's presence, the king turned to them.

"What's all the fuss about, you bunch of brats? We're doing honest work here!" Dedede shouted angrily, as if they were to blame for what was happening.

"You don't know anything about working and honesty, sir...” Escargoon muttered in mockery. Fortunately for him, his words were drowned out by another lightning bolt and didn't reach the king's ears, so he was spared a reprimanding blow.

"Uh? And what are you doing here so early, Meta Knight?" Dedede asked the knight, visibly surprised. "I was expecting you to be late."

"So I could finally fire you," Meta Knight thought the king was going to add, but it seemed Dedede kept that comment to himself.

"And who is the newcomer? Did you found yourself a girlfriend while you were on vacation?" Escargoon asked sarcastically when he saw Sectonia.

"Is this ill mannered man supposed to be the king's assistant?" Sectonia judged, scowling at the snail. "I guess an unpresentable monarch deserves an unpresentable right hand man.”

"Excuse me, my king, but I need to ask you a favor," Meta Knight asked Dedede with absolute politeness and courtesy, deciding to ignore the snail's comment. Escargoon snorted under his breath when he saw that neither the knight's nor Sectonia's reaction had been what he'd expected.

"Another one? Don't you think I've done you enough favors with that week off?" the king retorted disdainfully.

"It wasn't a week off! He was assigned a mission by the G.S.A!" Tiff yelled angrily.

"If he is not working for me, then it doesn't count," Dedede replied, giving himself an air of importance. "But either way, what do you need..." he began to ask aloud, then added in a whisper, "...to make sure you can't get it?"

"We need your lightning rods, sir," Meta Knight replied with patience.

"What for?" Escargoon asked suspectingly, raising an eyebrow. "What are you plotting?"

"The storm that befalls Dream Land isn't normal. Remember the monster Kracko? It's back, and it won't stop until it destroys the castle," the knight exposed. Conveniently, a lightning bolt accompanied the end of his words, increasing the dramatic effect.

Meta Knight, the children, and Sectonia expected those two to react to the revelation with a terrified "What? That's impossible!" But the king and his right-hand man maintained their usual (bad) attitude. It almost seemed as if they already knew what was going on and didn't care, something confirmed by the king's next words.

"Oh, yeah. But that's none of our business."

"Excuse me?" the knight asked, confounded.

"All that monster wants is to destroy Kirby, right? In that case, why should we get involved?" Escargoon dismissed.

"What if the castle falls?" Meta Knight tried to insist, attacking the only thing those two should care about.

"We'll have the Waddle Dees fix it, like always," Dedede replied. The others, except for Escargoon, looked at him disapprovingly. "Oh, come on. Did you really think I was going to help you? I'd rather put a ribbon on Kirby and serve him to Kracko on a silver platter," the king laughed maliciously, revelling in the group's anger.

"What the hell is going on inside this guy's head?!" Sectonia finally snapped, his anger accompanied by a lightning bolt. That had been the last straw.

"Nothing. That's part of the problem," Tuff mocked Dedede, his voice low enough for the king to not hear.

"And who are you supposed to be, missy?" The king wanted to know, paying attention to Sectonia for the first time.

Sectonia knew exactly how she had to act from that moment on. If this madman who called himself king refused to cooperate, it was time to play the diplomatic threat card.

"My name is Sectonia, and I am here in representation of the Kingdom of Floralia," the spider began, speaking with the dignity and authority expected of a royal. Echo Kracko continued to lash the castle with his lightning bolts, but no one was paying attention anymore, as everyone was focused on the spider. "I came here seeking a trade alliance that could benefit the economic development of our lands in a galaxy freed from the clutches of N.M.E., but in light of this rude reception, I am considering withdrawing my proposal and severing all diplomatic relations with Dream Land.”

Escargoon gulped as he realised how much he and the king had messed up. Dedede, on the other hand, remained impassive.

"Sir, we must be careful when dealing with this person. Maybe we should apologise..." the snail whispered to the king, his voice trembling with fear.

"Nah. She seems to be way too friendly with the brats for my liking, and I'm not interested in a trade alliance, whatever that is," Dedede rejected with utter disregard. "Besides, what could she do to us if I refuse to help them?"

"Well, for example, I could have you be declared an enemy of my kingdom for your past collaboration with eNeMeE, something that could end in a declaration of war in order to liberate this land," Sectonia improvised, trying to sound as threatening as possible without losing her diplomatic stance.

"I think she went a bit too far there..." Meta Knight considered. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kirby shudder. Tiff had to reassure the puffball, reminding him that Sectonia was only putting on an act.

"Me? Collaborate with eNeMeE? Never in my life," the king lied shamelessly.

"How can you still deny it after...?!" Tiff began to yell in anger, but she couldn't finish her sentence because Escargoon, who had stealthily approached her, covered her mouth with his hand. Sectonia had to restrain herself from attacking the snail for the way he was treating the girl.

"That's a very serious accusation, coming from someone with no proof," Escargoon said to Sectonia with a sardonic tone as Tiff tried to wriggle free from him. She could actually do so at any moment by elbowing the snail, but she preferred not to resort to violence, especially when it could affect her father's job.

"So, if I used my magic, I wouldn't find a N.M.E. transporter hidden in this room?" Sectonia asked, trying to corner them. She was well acquainted with the system the company used to transport their monsters and products, having sabotaged and even destroyed the ones installed in Floralia on several occasions during the rebellion.

"Magic?!" Dedede and Escargoon repeated, alarmed. That word had made them more afraid than the diplomatic threats.

"Yeah. Sectonia is not only the sovereign princess of Floralia, she's also an excellent sorceress," Tuff stated, remembering the magical barrier.

That was a misplay on Tuff's part, as Dedede completely ignored the "sorceress" part upon hearing "sovereign princess".

"A princess? Why didn't you say that before?!" Dedede exclaimed excitedly, a blush rising to his cheeks. The king quickly preened himself before making what he considered a "seductive" gesture toward Sectonia.

"Wipe that expression off your face. Now," the spider demanded in response. Her words had been laced not only with rejection but also with disgust, contempt, and threat.

"Eww, she is even worse than the last one who visited us," Dedede said as he backed away, intimidated by Sectonia's aura. He then coughed to regain his "authoritarian" posture. "Anyway, it doesn't matter how hard you try: you won't ever find the transporter."

Really?" Sectonia asked with a victorious smile, sensing that the king was about to make a mistake.

"Absolutely. We dismantled it and used its pieces for one of our projects, after all," Dedede replied, not paying attention to what he was saying. It was the sound of Escargoon slapping his own face hard what made the king realise he'd basically just confessed his guilt. Tiff took advantage of the snail's gesture to escape from him. "Oops," the king said after a nervous chuckle. Seeing that he'd gotten himself into a dead end and spurred on by another lightning bolt striking the walls, Dedede finally gave in. "Ugg, all right, all right. I'll let you use my lightning rods this once. But you have to get rid of that thing before it destroys the castle. Have I made myself clear?" he demanded.

"Thank you," Meta Knight said, though his gratitude was more directed to the fact that the argument had ended than at the king.

Dedede approached his throne and pressed a button. Barely a year ago, doing so would have brought up the monster transporter alongside a screen featuring a certain salesman with malicious intent, but now it had a different purpose: opening a secret hatch that led to a descending staircase. Said staircase ended in a door.

"Don't even think that now that you know where our secret workshop is, you are invited to walk into it whenever you want. I'm planning on installing a security key lock as soon as you deal with that thing," Escargoon said arrogantly to the others as he opened the door.

Dedede and Escargoon's workshop was a well-lit underground room, considerably larger than the snail's old one. A large workbench sat in the center, and a tarp-covered object lied on it. A strange platform rested at the far end of the room. It was vaguely reminiscent of the monster transporter, though its was smaller and its design was way more simple and clean.

"They probably added this when they rebuilt the castle," Tiff deduced.

Finally, several crates of varying sizes were scattered around the room, all decorated with a logo that caught Tiff's attention. "H.W.C.? What's this? Please, don't tell me Dedede has joined another evil company..."

Meta Knight had also noticed the logo on the crate, his eyes turning green in contemplation.

"We'll look into this after we are done with the Harvester," the knight whispered to Tiff, who nodded. Turning off the machine was much more urgent.

"This is the one that contains the lightning rods," Escargoon said as he dragged one of the crates with the strange logo towards the group. Dedede, for his part, had approached the workbench and placed his hands on the covered object. His back was turned on them, so they couldn't see his (totally unusual) thoughtful expression.

Sectonia opened the lid to check if the crate's contents were correct. Inside of it, there were a series of metallic devices that didn't look like ordinary lightning rods at all. They were quite compact, and instead of a ground connection, they had a kind of energy cell installed, probably designed to store electricity. The spider grabbed one of them to examine it.

The supposed lightning rod was so light that even a child could easily carry it. On one side was a piece that seemed removable, although Sectonia refrained from doing so when she read the label next to it that said, "Safety key: do not remove until the piece is properly installed." The spider guessed that the safety key's purpose was preventing the lightning rods from attracting electricity while they were being installed. In addition, there were folded parts that appeared to be "legs" designed so the piece could be attached to any surface.

"So, is this actually a lightning rod?" she asked, fascinated by the strange device in her hands.

"Of course it is," Dedede answered, turning to look at her. "Thanks to those things, if Kirby uses the Spark ability, he powers up our robots instead of destroying them," he added with a laugh of superioriry.

Sectonia looked at Kirby, who was staring at the piece with a sulky expression on his face. That corroborated the king's words.

"Interesting," she finally commented, as she began handing out the lightning rods to Meta Knight, Kirby, Tiff, and Tuff. They were very practical and safe pieces, the exact opposite of what N.M.E. used to sell before their downfall. “I wonder who is making stuff like this and what their purpose may be...”

"Aren't you going to take one with you?" Tuff questioned.

"Someone has to distract Echo Kracko while you install them, and I'm the one who'll be in the least danger thanks to my magic," the spider explained.

“Alrighty, then. Let's get to work!” Tiff exclaimed.

Immediately afterwards, the three children and the two adults assisting them ran out of the workshop, leaving Dedede and Escargoon alone.

"They haven't told us anything about those crystals or the machine," Dedede commented, sounding disappointed, as he leaned back against the workbench.

"That's to be expected. They don't trust us after all the things we've done," the snail retorted.

"It's not a matter of trust. I'm pretty sure that they just want to hog all the glory for saving the universes," Dedede grunted, crossing his arms. When would it be his turn to be adored? "Soon," he assured himself.

"Do you still think we should join that 'mission', sir?" Escargoon asked.

"Of course we should. Remember what Captain Waddle Doo told us: they're going to a place full of these crystals that allow people to watch alternate realities. We could find one that shows us how to defeat Kirby for good!" The king insisted eagerly. "Not to mention we could steal some and sell them. The machine won't care once it's off," he added greedily. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I don't think it's a good idea. Things could get dangerous, given what they've said," Escargoon replied, his voice filled with doubt.

"It would be a good opportunity to test our new toy," Dedede tried to convince him with an amused smile, nodding at the object under the tarp. He didn't know if he was more eager to use it or to see the faces these brats and the pretentious Star Warrior would make when they saw what he and Escargoon had been working on.

"Well, there goes nothing. I hope we don't get our fingers burnt too badly with this..." Escargoon resigned himself, fearing for his safety.

Dedede ignored the snail's fear and turned back to the workbench.

“Once I show them this, they won’t dare underestimate me ever again,” the king thought, anxiously clutching the tarp that tucked his last hope.

- - -

Unaware of the conversation taking place between the monarch and his henchman, Kirby and his friends quickly executed their plan. Sectonia firmly stepped out into the castle courtyard, drawing Echo Kracko's attention. The monstrous cloud decided to take its frustration out on her. Once the rest of the group were certain that the cloud was distracted, they began to install the lightning rods on separate windows. Sectonia had left a spider web attached to each security key in order to remotely remove them with a spell once she received a signal.

Thanks to a levitation spell, Sectonia moved fluidly through the air, allowing her to overcome the disadvantage of the wet ground. She floated so gracefully that it looked like she was dancing, and she managed to either dodge or block each of Echo Kracko's lightning bolts, infuriating the cloud further. Still, she knew she couldn't hold out for too long since maintaining the levitation spell while casting barriers constantly depleted her magic reserves. The lack of magic on the surface made the situation even worse, as, unlike in Floralia, she couldn't quickly replenish said reserves.

"Everything is ready, Sectonia!" she heard Tiff's voice say, filling her with relief. Sectonia clashed her staffs to activate the magical webs she had installed to remove the security keys.

Echo Kracko wasn't aware of what its enemies had done, so it couldn't help but be surprised when its lightning, instead of striking the person it had to eliminate, was redirected towards one of the castle's windows and was mysteriously absorbed.

"Kabu! Send the Warp Star!" Tiff was summoned.

The fight that ensued once the Warp Star answered the girl's call was short-lived. The lightning rods attracted all of Echo Kracko's electric attacks, allowing Kirby to freely manoeuvre in the air. Then, once he got close enough, he cut the Echo in half with a single slash of his sword copy ability. The monster finally vanished into digital-like particles.

And so, as sudden as it had begun, the storm ended, though the rain continued to fall like if it was an indicator that they were still not safe. Now came the hardest part: shutting down the Harvester of Destinies before more Echoes made their destructive appearance.

With the fight over, the Warp Star shrank. Tiff put it in her pocket since it was probable that Kirby would need it again soon. Once everyone regrouped inside the castle, Kirby returned Meta Knight's practice sword, and then he swallowed another torch to, again, dry the group with his fire copy ability. Once everyone was ready, Meta Knight began drawing the portal that would take them to the Void In Between.

But he was rudely interrupted.

"Hey, stop right there! You're not going anywhere without me!" Dedede demanded of them. Behind him, Escargoon was dragging the covered object they had seen earlier in the workshop.

Everyone looked at Dedede, frustrated and annoyed. The only exception was Kirby, whose eyes lit up, believing Dedede had come to help them with genuine intentions.

"What are you talking about?" Sectonia asked, confused. “There is no way he knows about the Harvester, does he?” She, wrongly, thought.

"Did you think you could hide your secret mission from me? I have eyes and ears throughout the whole castle!” Dedede exclaimed, exaggerating as he was referring only to Captain Waddle Doo. “I know what you are planning, and I'm going with you whether you like it or not! And Escargoon's coming too!"

"Ugg. No way. After what happened last time, we would be crazy to allow you two to come!" Tiff flatly refused, remembering how the mere presence of those two had nearly ruined their assault on eNeMeE's fortress.

"Oh. And how are you going to forbid us from doing so?" Escargoon challenged haughtily.

"As sovereign princess of Floralia..." Sectonia began.

Dedede made a stop motion with his arm and counterattacked by saying:

"If you don't let us come with you, I will fire and exile Meta Knight for his continued betrayals.”

"You wouldn't dare!" Tuff yelled at the king. His rage was shared by his sister.

"Oh, boy, of course I would dare!" the king retorted. "I've been wanting to do it for a while now, and my reasons are pretty much legit considering everything he's done," he explained.

"Did you really think that Our Majesty wouldn't end up losing his patience with our resident knight given his temper is as short as small is his brain?" Escargoon pointed out. Dedede punched him in his head for his insult.

"And what are those reasons, if I may ask?" Meta Knight challenged Dedede calmly, believing the king's words were nothing more than an empty threat.

"Well, for example, there's that warship you built beneath the castle gardens without my consent," Dedede replied. "How do I know you wouldn't have used it to overthrow me if it hadn't been destroyed in the assault on that space fortress? Not to mention that, with your salary, it's impossible that the money for it came from your pocket. I'm sure you diverted funds from the castle to make it!"

"Okay. That's actually a good point," Meta Knight conceded internally.

"Unlike you, Meta Knight would never do something as filthy as that!" Tiff defended the Star Warrior. Kirby seconded her with a few protesting poyos.

Dedede ignored them and continued with his complaining:

"And then there are the little things, like giving you and Kirby advice on how to end my marvellous plans, pushing my vehicle under the pretext of protecting me, mocking me behind my back... Do you really think a self-respecting knight should treat his king that way?"

"He treats you the way you deserve! How do you expect a Star Warrior to respect an N.M.E. contributor?" Sectonia rebuked him.

"Heh. Do you think that is a defence?" Dedede laughed it off. "Letting his personal affairs interfere with his job, which is to obey and serve me, demonstrates his lack of professionalism."

Dedede, Escargoon, Sectonia, Tiff and Tuff began arguing back and forth about Meta Knight's behaviour, the first two against it and the other three in favour. Kirby, distressed due to all the fighting and yelling, tried to stop them to no avail. Meta Knight limited himself to observing the argument in quiet contemplation.

The king made no effort to hide his contempt for the knight or show the minimal amount of respect. In the past, Meta Knight had never been bothered by that and had even used it to act freely right under his boss's nose (well, beak or mouth or whatever it was). However, at that moment, something he couldn't point out about Dedede's terrible attitude was intolerable. It was even giving him a headache.

"Meta, I'd trust you with my life..."

Meta Knight clenched his fists. No. It wasn't "something he couldn't point out".

The Star Warrior had learnt to cope with Dedede being the way he was. He had once seen a glint of a good person in the bottom of the monarch's heart, but he had been wondering for a while if it had been just his imagination. In the current times, he had ended up believing that Dedede would never change for the better, as every opportunity he had given the king to do so had been butchered and wasted, and any bridges the knight had tried to tend had been burnt. And yet, he had accepted all of that as part of his life in Dream Land. After all, having seen and experienced what true evil was like, Dedede's petty villainy was just a minor nuisance for him.

But now that Meta Knight knew of another reality with a Dedede worthy of calling himself 'king', could he let things stay the same as they were? Could he just accept the path in front of him now that he had proof a different one existed? No. Dream Land deserved better. Cappy Town deserved better. The children he had secretly sworn to protect deserved better.

It was then when the thought of overthrowing the false king of Dream Land crossed Meta Knight's mind. Thought that he quickly pushed to the back of his mind, as it was unbecoming of a Star Warrior.

"I've had enough," Meta Knight broke his silence, releasing his frustration with a cold anger that reflected in his now red eyes. "Very well, my liege. You may accompany us, but the children's safety will be a priority over yours at all times," he settled the matter, saying the words "my liege" with tangible falsehood. Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby were taken aback by their mentor's attitude. It was very unusual to see Meta Knight so angry with Dedede. The knight took a deep breath to subdue his lingering rage, his eyes soon returning to normal.

Dedede, however, didn't care about his employee's reaction at all.

"Heh. Do you think I need your protection?" Dedede scoffed. "Escargoon, show them our 'little' toy!" He ordered his lackey.

Escargoon finally removed the tarp from the object, revealing a huge mechanical hammer made of the same strange metal as the lightning rods. Although it seemed impossible given its size, Dedede lifted it with little effort, looking at the group with pride.

"I knew it!" Tiff shouted, seeing the weapon as a confirmation of her suspicions about Dedede and Escargoon's prolonged absence.

“Wow. I have to admit it's pretty awesome," Tuff commented, unable to hide his admiration. Even Kirby and Sectonia seemed impressed. Meta Knight, on the other hand, studied the hammer, his eyes glowing a deep green.

"Tuff! Don't take sides with him!" Tiff called her sibling out.

“Not in my life! I just think that the hammer looks really cool,” Tuff defended himself.

Tiff wouldn't call a hammer equipped with a jet and something that looked like a missile launcher 'cool, especially in Dedede's hands, but she understood why someone like her brother would do so.

"Well, I think we've wasted enough time," Sectonia said.

"True. I hope nobody has anything else to say or do, because we are leaving now," Meta Knight stated. Everyone shook their heads. "Once the portal opens, we have to cross quickly," he explained before beginning to draw the portal that would take them to the Void In Between, for real this time.

As Meta Knight traced, one of Sectonia's hands grabbed the collar of Dedede's coat and pulled him down to her height.

"Let me make things clear," the former princess of Floralia whispered to Dream Land's monarch. "I'm not taking any more risks than necessary, so if you make one wrong move, then you're done for. Anything I don't approve of, then you're done for. I don't care about that hammer of yours: I could cast a spell on you and you'd be done for. So don't cause any troubles in there, understood?" She threatened sternly.

"O-Okay..." Dedede replied, intimidated.

"And there goes his bravado," Escargoon mumbled. He had expected that to happen earlier.

Meta Knight finished tracing the star, and the portal opened before them. They all rushed through, the Star Warrior being the last one to do so. "Let's put an end to this," was the last thought that crossed his mind before he entered the Void In Between for the second time.

Neither he nor his companions could predict how badly their incursion would end.

Chapter Text

As Toni told her story, the inhabitants of the dimension where she and the others were taking refuge couldn't help but reflect on it.

After hearing the terrible fate the alternate Floralia had suffered, everyone felt sorry for its inhabitants and, especially, for Toni. Although Tiff had already told everyone, except Taranza, about the war against Nightmare, they hadn't guessed it would have affected a place so close to them, disrupting the lives of people they were familiar with. However, the most affected by this disruption were Taranza and Bandee.

Taranza was deeply distressed about the state of Floralia in the other dimension. Just imagining how his land had ended that way made him shudder. Toni hadn't said anything about his other self at any point, but combined with what he already knew, Taranza assumed that he had died at some point during the invasion. Even if Toni had continued fighting, how much had she suffered after losing everyone she loved? Where had she found the strength to keep going on?

And there was also the fact that someone in the royal family had betrayed the kingdom. Who? Taranza could think of quite a few candidates, all of them heirs to the throne in a lower order of succession than Sectonia. Candidates who had actively spoken out against the princess, considering her unworthy of the crown. Candidates that his Sectonia had "gotten rid of" in her rise to the throne and descent into madness. And he, blinded and bound by a misguided love, had done nothing to stop her.

"Bad time to remember these things, though I suppose it's inevitable..." he thought bitterly.

Bandana Waddle Dee, on the other hand, was more confused than anything. After all, his other self was a Sectra Dee who lived in Floralia, stood as Toni's right-hand man, formed part of a group of rebels, and felt so passionate about history that he wanted to be a teacher. Bandee couldn't imagine living anywhere else than in Dream Land or serving anyone other than his Great King, and history wasn't even among his top hobbies, martial arts being his favorite (though baking apple pies was in a close second place). With barely anything in common, were they really the same person? Maybe the other Meta Knight had been mistaken, and it was just a coincidence that the Sectra Dee had the same nickname and a similar personality to his.

And speaking of Meta Knight, the one from the current dimension wasn't quite sure how he should take the fact that an alternate version of himself had been spying on him for almost a whole week. How much had his other self seen and heard? Meta Knight considered that he should get mad at such a violation of his privacy, but he couldn't when he would have done the same had he been in his counterpart's shoes. Besides, if it weren't for the other Meta Knight, they would never have become aware of the crisis that could take down all the universes. Well, they probably would have eventually found out about it, but way too late.

Said crisis also concerned the older Kirby. Nova, Star Dream, and now this "Harvester of Destinies"… Would the machines made by the ancient civilisation that interested Meta Knight and Magolor so much ever stop causing problems? If Tiff and the others hadn't arrived in his Dream Land, he wouldn't even have known that all the people and things he cared about were in dire danger! Though said arrival hadn't been entirely positive, as it meant that his new friends had failed in their attempt to disconnect the machine.

"But now that we all are in this together we can't lose!" the young hero thought with determination.

Gooey got lost in thought when Toni had repeated the machine's explanation about the crystals. The Matter of Darkness... He had been born from the same stuff those crystals were made of, hadn't he? That meant that the 'Void In Between' should be like his old "home". Most living beings couldn't stay in such places for long without getting very, very sick, but Toni and the other Meta Knight had come out of there feeling only tired. It was very weird. Maybe it wasn't like their home after all? Or maybe it was? Or maybe it wasn't?

Tiff and Tuff had taken over Toni's story at one point, as, when she started talking about what had happened the last day, they had begun to recall Echo Kracko's attack and everything that had transpired in the castle. As they retold the events, they looked relieved to be slowly regaining their memories, though their frustration when they told how they were forced to let their dimension's Dedede accompany them was noticeable. "I'm sure it's his fault we failed," Tiff accused him, angered by just thinking about it.

As for the current Dream Land's Dedede, who shared his worries with the rest, his mind came to a halt when he heard that his other self had created "the hammer."

For Dedede, that hammer, and the mask that had accompanied it, had been an ultimatum to himself. One last duel against Kirby as his enemy. His final "act of villainy" (though, since his intention had been baiting Kirby into fighting him, he had planned to return the stars he had stolen once the fight was over). Victory meant getting revenge for all the times the "cheeky pink menace pretending to be a hero" had humiliated him. Defeat meant accepting that Kirby was better than him. But, whatever the outcome, his real intention with that fight had been to bury the "grudge" out of his rivalry with Kirby forever.

A few days ago, Meta Knight had referred to that event as "burying the hatchet." His sworn partner had been right, except that instead of a hatchet, he'd buried a hammer. And over that burial, as he and Kirby went through numerous adventures and misadventures, their rivalry had germinated into an unbreakable friendship (though a part of him still refused to openly claim that out loud). Not only that, but along the way, he had undoubtedly become a better person.

Maybe that hammer didn't mean anything to the other Dedede, especially considering that the mask was absent, and it was simply a cool weapon he'd come up with to try and defeat Baby Kirby, but what if it wasn't? What if, like Dedede himself, his counterpart had created it as a symbol?? And, if so, what could that symbol mean? The other Dedede didn't seem very willing to let go of his grudge towards Baby Kirby, so it had to be something else. And given his counterpart's behaviour, Dedede doubted said 'something' reflected a change for the better.

“I've got the feeling something may be wrong with my other self, especially given how Echo Dark Matter was so fixated on him when I arrived. I need to talk to him once he wakes up," Dedede decided.

And then there was the logo Tiff and the other Meta Knight had spotted on the boxes they had found in the other Dedede and Escargoon's workshop. It was fair to assume that the hammer, like those “robots” the girl had mentioned, had been made from the pieces they contained. The look the "Dream Team" had exchanged upon hearing the letters H.W.C. in Tiff's description had said it all without words. Still, with so many differences between both dimensions, there was a chance the Haltmann Works Company wasn't planning an invasion on that version of Dream Land, right? In fact, the acronym might not even correspond to the company they knew at all. There was no need to alarm the children and make them even more anxious without having all the information. That could wait until the machine was disconnected.

Lastly, Baby Kirby looked increasingly nervous and afflicted as the story progressed. What troubled him?

Finally, the inhabitants of the other dimension fell silent. Toni, Tiff, and Tuff looked at each other, waiting for one of them to continue speaking, but none of them did.

"I'm afraid this is where our story ends," Toni announced, her spirits low due to the dead end.

"Can't you remember anything else, poyo?" The older Kirby guessed.

"I can see glimpses of a fight in my mind, but the images are too vague," the spider answered, raising one of her hands to her temples. "I think that, just as our Meta Knight feared, some Echoes attacked us, so we had to retreat. But I can't remember exactly what happened," she lamented.

"Some Echoes or the machine," Dedede wanted to point out, but he kept that comment to himself. He didn't deem it appropriate to "correct" Toni with a conjecture when she and the children looked so distressed.

"Don't worry: it's more than likely those memories will return soon, given the rate at which you're recovering," Meta Knight tried to reassure them.

"I hope so," Tiff said. The more details they knew about what happened there, the easier it should be for them to prepare for the second attempt. Especially, they needed to recall what actually went wrong so they could avoid making the same mistakes.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" Dedede said, and a Waddle Dee timidly opened the door.

"Excuse me, Great King. Am I interrupting something?" the Waddle Dee asked.

Dedede looked at his guests from the other dimension. Tiff and Tuff were trying to jog their memories, while Toni shook her head to deny a possible interruption.

"Not at this moment. What do you need?" Dedede asked the Waddle Dee,

"Nothing, sir. I just wanted to tell you that Kawasaki has arrived with the food," the Waddle Dee answered. "We're delivering it around the castle."

The Waddle Dee opened the door, revealing the chef. Kawasaki was carrying a bag with a logo resembling a simplified version of his face printed on it. Tiff, Tuff, and Baby Kirby gasped in surprise. Of all the people they had expected to meet in the other dimension, he wasn't on the list.

"Oh, that's great! Come in, please!" the king invited them with a smile.

"Hello, everyone!" Kawasaki saluted. Everyone greeted him back, some still surprised, others with their usual politeness, and the two Kirbys and Gooey with excessive enthusiasm at the idea of food. "I'm sorry it took this long, but the amount of menus Dedede ordered doesn't get cooked in two minutes precisely. Also, Marx stopped by, and you know how he gets if he doesn't get fed..."

"Way too well," the older Kirby murmured. Beside him, Baby Kirby “poyoed” happily upon hearing one of his new friend's names. This made Kawasaki notice the elephant in the room.

"Wait, why are there two Kirbys of the same colour?!" the chef exclaimed. "Does this have something to do with the 'other' Dedede that caused all that ruckus yesterday?"

"What does he mean by 'same colour?'" Tiff couldn't help but wonder. Were there more Kirbys out there but coloured differently? "Nah, that's too absurd even for this dimension," she dismissed, trying not to think too much about it. It reminded her way too much of when Slice n' Splice had divided her Kirby (and Dedede) in two.

“Did you tell this man about the existence of my dimension?" Toni whispered to Dedede.

"Your Dedede caused quite a scene at the market yesterday, so I had to explain what was going on to protect my hard-earned reputation," he excused himself.

"Why am I not surprised?" the spider replied, rolling her eyes.

"And who is she?" Kawasaki wanted to know, giving a curious look at Toni. "I think I have seen her face before..."

That statement made Taranza nervous. The spider had shown a picture of how Sectonia looked before her corruption to the Star Allies on one of Kirby's picnics, and as a member of the group, the cook had also seen it. That, however, could become a problem in the present, as Toni most likely didn't want her identity to be exposed. And a look at her face, which showed an uncomfortable expression, confirmed it.

"She is Taranza's cousin!" Dedede quickly lied to cover for Toni. "Come on, let's go somewhere more private to discuss your payment," he added as he approached Kawasaki and began to escort him out of the room, Kawasaki's face going from confused to expectant at the word "payment". Dedede then turned to the Waddle Dee and requested, "Would you mind distributing the food to everyone here? We need to continue this meeting as soon as possible."

"Sure thing, Great King," the Waddle Dee agreed cheerfully.

Before leaving the room with Dedede, Kawasaki handed the bag to the Waddle Dee, who pulled out a bentō, and then another one, and then another one. The bag was small, but the Waddle Dee kept pulling out bentō after bentō until everyone in the room had one. Meta Knight stuffed his into his cape, resigning himself to waiting until he was alone to eat.

"That bag was made with Inventory Magic, turning it into what is commonly known as an 'infinite pocket'," Taranza explained, upon seeing the children from the other dimension staring at the bag amazed. "It's very useful, and any self-respecting wizard should master it. Though Kawasaki only studied that part because it was convenient for his business and not because he was actually interested in magic."

"Still, that even a chef can learn how to enchant objects in this universe is a testament to how common and abundant magic must be here," Toni commented. Taranza gestured for her to elaborate. “N.M.E. ended up practically monopolising magic in our universe. It became very difficult to study magic of any kind unless you joined their cause, and they even hunted down any magic user that didn't pledge allegiance to them,” she revealed. “Floralia was one of the few remaining independent magical kingdoms.”

“That's a pity,” Bandee said, saddened by that fact. His sentiment was shared by the rest of the inhabitants of his dimension present in the room. Why was every detail they heard about the other universe so negative?

A grim thought assaulted the older Kirby's mind. What would have become of some of his friends in the other dimension? Magolor, Francisca, Zan, Flamberge, Vividria, Adeleine, Elline, Claycia, and even Marx and Ribbon, to some extent, were all dedicated magic users. Would they be fine, or would they have suffered a terrible fate at the hands of the alternate Nightmare and his minions, like the other Taranza?

The older Kirby's heart still hurt after learning that his friend was dead in the other dimension. Baby Kirby hadn't even had the chance to meet, let alone save, him, and all because of Nightmare. How much damage would that creepy wizard have done to Dream Land and the Galaxy if, after freeing him, the puffball hadn't stopped him?

While the older Kirby was pondering, Tiff and Tuff, whose curiosity about the bag had been satisfied, had turned their attention to the bentōs in their hands. The thought of opening them and eating their contents filled both with dread. Baby Kirby, however, was eager to do so, but he knew he had to wait until the nicer Dedede came back. He had learnt that it was not only the polite thing to do but also that food tasted better in company. If only that person was also there…

"I thought this world's Dedede was the good one, but it turns out he wants to poison us," Tuff joked.

"Don't be so mean, Tuff," his sister scolded him. "Kawasaki doesn't cook well, but his dishes aren't toxic."

"He doesn't cook well?!” Gooey reacted, indignant. “Kawasaki is the best chef in the entire galaxy!"

"Really?" Tuff asked, weirded out by the blob's reaction. Gooey, the older Kirby, and Bandee nodded. "Wow. Now that's a big change!" the kid exclaimed.

"Is Kawasaki a 'disaster' chef in your dimension or something like that?" Bandee guessed.

"Basically. Only our Kirby likes his food," Tiff replied. "We've tried to help him improve his cooking skills several times, but he seems unable to make any progress," she sighed dejectedly.

"Uh, that's weird. Ours is not only a master chef, but he is also teaching me how to cook without using my copy abilities," the older Kirby commented, his spirits lifted a bit by the change of subject into something more cheerful. But was the other Kawasaki actually so bad at cooking or was it simply Tiff and Tuff's taste? There was only one way to find out: pay him a visit and, in the process, learn more about the dimension his new friends came from firsthand! Though, first, they had to disconnect the Harvester.

It was at that moment when the current dimension's Dedede returned, forgetting to close door behind him.

"And it's done. Besides paying him, I've also explained to Kawasaki what is going on, and he told me to call him if we need extra help or some food for the trip," Dedede informed the rest as he took his seat. "Don't worry, Toni: I haven't revealed anything about your identity," he added when he saw the spider tense up again, his words relieving her. Now that she knew that her other self had been a tyrant in that reality, her need to hide who she was to avoid trouble had increased. And, given his behaviour, it was clear that the alternate Dedede shared her opinion.

The fact that the chef had offered to help them didn't surprise Tiff, Tuff, or Baby Kirby, as their Kawasaki had played an important role in the final offensive against eNeMeE's fortress. It seemed that, unlike their cooking skills, both Kawasakis had the will to lend a hand as a common trait.

"I don't think his abilities will be of much use against 'digital' enemies, but his intentions are appreciated," Meta Knight said.

"Especially the food part," Gooey added. Bandana Waddle Dee rolled his eyes.

"So, does that mean we can count on your help in this ordeal?" Toni asked, realising that the king and knight had revealed their intentions.

"Of course! Did you doubt us?" the king asked, half surprised and half offended at Toni's mistrust.

"Kind of, to be honest," the former princess admitted. "After all, all I know about you four is what our Meta Knight has told me, and while I trust his judgement, he could have been mistaken given his lack of an objective perspective. I'm glad to see that my doubts were unfounded," she added.

"Still, there are a couple of issues we need to address before we proceed to disconnect the machine," that dimension's Meta Knight claimed, his words worrying the visitors. What could those issues be?

A strange noise reverberated through the room. It was similar to that made by an empty stomach but way more exaggerated. That dimension's Dedede, Meta Knight, and Kirby threw accusing glares at each other, but Gooey's embarrassed chuckle soon revealed the true culprit.

"I think it would be wise to replenish our nutrients before continuing," Taranza said, trying too hard to recover a formal atmosphere for the meeting after the awkward moment.

"True. We can't make proper plans on an empty stomach," the king agreed with a smile as he opened his bentō. Everyone, except Meta Knight, followed his example.

The food looked very tasty, but Tiff and Tuff were still hesitant to dig in. Appearance had never been the “weak point” of Kawasaki's dishes, as that role belonged to their flavour. The inhabitants of that dimension (except Meta Knight), Baby Kirby, and Toni began to eat, and since nobody's face contorted into an expression of disgust, the Ebrum siblings decided to finally take a bite.

They both immediately regretted not having done so sooner.

"This is the best food..." Tiff began.

"...that I've ever eaten!" Tuff finished.

The two children began to eat with renewed energy. It was unbelievable that a version of Kawasaki had cooked that food, and Tiff found that to be one of the differences between both worlds that made the least sense. Many of the things Tiff had noted up to that point could be explained with "it was probably eNeMeE's and his war fault", but what could have caused Kawasaki to be so good in one universe and so bad in another? It seemed like magic.

Wait. Magic? What if that was the key to explaining the most “drastic” differences? The strange landscape of that Dream Land compared to hers, the mysterious telekinetic/gravitational power the alternate Meta Knight had used the day before (and which the one she knew in no way possessed), and the fact that Warp Stars were common and worked differently... The "abundance of magic" seemed like a sound cause, although it led to two new questions. How had N.M.E. seized almost all control of something as abstract and dificult to comprehend (for her at least) as magic? And was the “monopolisation” of magic, as Toni had called it, the reason her Dream Land lacked it, or was there something else in play?

If only Tiff could study magic to understand where it came from and how it worked, but she doubted there was enough time for her to do so given the current circumstances. “Well, maybe I could ask Taranza or Magolor to teach me once we are safe,” she thought.

Tiff then realised her bentō was empty. The girl sighed in disappointment. She'd gotten so lost in her thoughts while eating that she hadn't savoured the delicious food.

"Phew, I'm so full," Tuff commented, satiated, as he leaned back in his chair.

"What did you think of the food, Little Me?" the older Kirby asked his counterpart.

"Yummy, yummy, poyo!" he celebrated.

"It was truly one of the most exquisite meals I've ever tasted. Someone please send my compliments to the chef," praised Toni. "And thank you for inviting us, Your Highness. It was very kind of you," she added, addressing Dedede with utter respect.

"Oh, come on, there is no need for so much formality,” the king said, a soft blush on his cheeks as he wasn't used to being treated in such high regard by someone who wasn't part of his Waddle Dees. “Besides, it would have been very unruly of me to not feed my guests, especially when we have so much to face," he added, and the way he'd finished the sentence indicated it was time to get back to the point of that meeting.

Upon hearing that, Tuff suddenly said:

"While I was eating, I've been thinking a bit about what might have happened to us, and I've had some fleeting 'visions,'" the kid began to explain. Everyone looked at him with interest. "I know something hit me pretty hard with a big object, and it's quite blurry, but I remember our Dedede being scared of it," he continued. His sister, noticing that he sounded a bit distressed, put her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "It hurt pretty bad, and I think Sectonia—I mean, Toni—snatched me up to pull me to safety." The boy sighed. "Sorry, this all sounds way too vague to be useful. It feels more like a dream I can't quite remember than a memory...”

"Hey, no info is useless," the older Kirby tried to encourage him. "Right, Tiff?" he turned to his new friend, but she didn't answer. "Tiff?"

Tiff had frozen at her brother's words. A dream he couldn't quite remember? That felt familiar. Her mind went back to the moment she had woken up in the older Kirby's house. She recalled a voice asking her to wake up, to find “those on the other side”. Whose voice was it? Could it be the Harvester? No, it was a male voice. It was...

"Meta Knight!" the girl suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong?!" the one from that dimension asked, alarmed by Tiff's sudden scream.

"Sorry. I meant my dimension's Meta Knight. He took me out of the Void In Between and tried to remind me of his retreat plan," the girl explained. “I think he said something else, but I can't recall the words...”

Baby Kirby's eyes lit up at that. That meant his Meta Knight was okay after all, right?

“In that case, he must still have the crystals in his possession," Toni deduced. "Good, now we only have to find him, and then we can go to the Void In Between."

That dimension's Kirby, Meta Knight, Dedede, and Bandee exchanged dismayed glances, Gooey muttered "I don't like this," and Tiff felt her anxiety rise. After all, seven people entered the Void In Between, but only six had left it.

"No, no, no. This can't mean what I think it means," Tiff tried to convince herself while holding her head in her hands. Baby Kirby and Tuff looked at her with concern. What was wrong with her?

"Is something wrong?" Taranza asked.

"It seems we've confirmed one of the issues we were most afraid of," Bandee finally said, his voice trembling a bit.

"What do you mean?" Toni asked, though, given the others reactions, a part of her dreaded the answer.
"According to what Magolor said, you all arrived in two batches. Four portals opened almost at the same time, and the last two opened a few minutes later, although he didn't specify how much time passed between these," Meta Knight explained for those unfamiliar with that information. "With a total of six portals opened, by process of elimination, my counterpart hasn't crossed into this dimension."

Those words sent the visitors into a panic, and Tiff exploded as she had to accept what she had tried to deny.

"Meta Knight is trapped in the Void In Between?!" the girl screamed. “How are we going to rescue him if we don't have the crystals?”

"And how are we going to disconnect the machine? Worse yet, how are we going to get back home?!" Tuff exclaimed, terrified.

"This can't be true. He had the crystals! He should have been able to get out of there on his own!" Toni argued. "Are you sure you counted the number of portals correctly?!"

"Please calm down," the current dimension's Meta Knight demanded. "I understand your concern, but losing your heads over this won't solve anything."

But Meta Knight's words weren't what brought the silence; it was the sound of something metallic hitting the floor. Everyone turned to the seat it had come from: Baby Kirby's. The young puffball was facing down, avoiding making visual contact with the others.

"Meta Nini powmised..." they heard him mutter in a strange tone, somewhere between sad and angry, as he got up from his seat to pick up the metallic object he had dropped.

"Kirby?" his adoptive sister called as she approached him. That allowed Tiff to see the object that had fallen to the floor.

It was Galaxia.

Why did Baby Kirby have it? And where did he get it? Had he carried it in his pocket dimension all that time?

"He powmised... He powmised!" Baby Kirby cried, his eyes brimming with tears as he picked up the sword and ran out of the room.

"Kirby, wait!" Tiff and Tuff shouted.

"Little Me!" the older Kirby called at the same time.

Immediately, the children, except for Gooey, who was unusually stiff, rushed after Baby Kirby.

"For Nova's sake... Meta, why did you have to expose the worst-case scenario without giving us any room to discuss it?" Dedede scolded his knight. "We haven't heard from Magolor since yesterday afternoon, so we can't rule out the possibility that more portals have opened. The other Meta Knight could have arrived during the night and be lost somewhere in Dream Land!"

"I highly doubt so, my king, especially given what we just saw," Meta Knight denied. He was certain that the only portals that had opened after Tiff and the others' arrival were the ones the Echoes came out from. "The fact that my other self gave Galaxia to Baby Kirby is a sign that he already knew he wouldn't be able to escape with the others. Plus, there's the fact that the portals left Tiff and the rest in random locations, so I think they were opened in a hurry."

Toni couldn't help but slam her fist on the table in anger, fear, and frustration.

"Damn it! Why the hell can't I remember what happened in the Void In Between? Why did we leave Meta Knight behind?!" the spider yelled.

"Do you think he'll be fine?" Taranza asked, waiting for Meta Knight to say something about his stamina, durability, or some other trait that he and his counterpart could share that could bring them some hope.

However, a voice that didn't normally sound so dark and sinister crushed any hope with the following words:

"No. He can't be fine."

"Uh? Gooey?" Taranza said as he turned to look at the blob, half confused and half scared by his fellow Star Ally's odd behaviour.

"If the Void In Between is like the Hyper Zone and the other Meta Knight is still there, he can't be fine," Gooey explained, still speaking in that creepy voice.

"The Hyper Zone? What does that place have to do with the Void In…?” Taranza began to wonder until he realised something. “Oh, no. How could we have overlooked that?!"

"What's the Hyper Zone?" Toni asked, needing more context.

"It was a wandering colony inhabited by a hive of Dark Matter and other beings made of Matter of Darkness, all created by an entity named Zero. Gooey used to be part of it, but Zero kicked him out for being different," Dedede explained. "Well, it was that big mean eye's loss, because even though this little guy is a bit absent-minded and doesn't quite grasp how social interactions work, he's a good boy," he added.

"Am I a good boy?" Gooey repeated, regaining part of his usual personality.

"One of the bestest!" Dedede confirmed, rubbing the blob's head with a smile.

"Yay!" Gooey celebrated, fully back to his normal self.

Toni couldn't help but wonder about what Dedede had just revealed. It was hard to believe that such a goofy-looking being had such an origin. But there was something else in the king's words that had gotten stuck in her mind. "Zero? Why does that name sound familiar...and why does it terrify me?" she shuddered.

"If the Void In Between is like the HyperZone, that would explain everything," Meta Knight said to Toni, putting her out of her thoughts about Zero. “The fatigue that overtook my other self when using the crystals and the tiredness you both felt after leaving the Void In Between the first time, as well as the exhausted state you and the kids were found in alongside the temporary amnesia, are all side effects of exposure to different amounts of dark energy," Meta Knight explained after tying up all the loose ends. "At first, we feared that the origin of said energy was a being similar to Dark Matter or even Zero, but it seems that the cause is the Void In Between itself. According to what the Harvester told you, the Matter of Darkness is abundant there, and where there is Matter of Darkness, there is dark energy.”

"But why were the aftereffects much weaker on the first visit?" Taranza pointed out. It wasn't that he thought Meta Knight's reasoning was wrong. He had come to the same conclusion, but in doing so, he had encountered that contradiction.

And it was a good point. Meta Knight thought about it for a few seconds, searching for some clue in the story the alternate Sectonia had told. Then, he remembered a detail that could be crucial to explain it.

"Toni, you mentioned that when you entered the Void In Between, you felt a layer of 'static electricity' over your skin, right?" Meta Knight asked the spider, who nodded. "This is a conjecture, but it's quite likely that what you actually felt was some kind of 'force' used to repel the dark energy. The area where the Harvester is located must also be protected in some way against it, or else the corruption of her system should have been much faster. As for the crystals, it's possible that the crystallisation itself acts as a sort of mitigator.”

"That means that the protection stopped working at some point when they went to disconnect the machine, right?" Dedede deduced. "As if that thing weren't suspicious enough already..." he added to himself, gritting his teeth.

"Exactly,” Meta Knight answered. “The question now is, how and why was the protection lost? Was it an accident, or was it intentional?" The knight finished, leaving the question hanging in the air.

Faced with all that, Toni felt her heart sinking, and she could only think of one thing.

"Meta Knight, what has become of you?"

— — —

Susie hated when her routine got interrupted, especially when said interruption was caused by one of her creations unexpectedly failing.

As the current CEO of H.W.C., she couldn't tolerate that her "faultless" communications system presented errors. What would her customers and investors think? It wasn't that she was worried about Pop Star's residents; it was just business. She had to protect the company's reputation!

That was how she had excused being absent from her office. The reality was quite different.

"There have been way too many interferences in the last 24 hours, and on top of that, two hours ago the main satellite fell off from the atmosphere. I hope no one has tried to use the system for an emergency..." Susie grumbled as she tried to locate said satellite. She hated being uncommunicated from the rest of Star Allies in such an exceptional situation.

“The satellite should be around here. Luckily, it doesn't seem to have fallen in a populated area,” she mused. "The least thing I need is giving this planet's savages… I mean, inhabitants, more reasons to hate me.”

Susie sighed. She had promised to stop using that word, but it was a hard habit to break after so many years living by that philosophy.

Still, as inconvenient as it was, Susie perfectly understood why many of Pop Star's inhabitants hated her. And one of these inhabitants was Meta Knight.

Susie knew that Meta Knight only tolerated her because having her as an ally was convenient rather than because Kirby considered her (for some reason she still didn't understand) a friend. And she couldn't ask for more. Meta Knight couldn't forgive her for what she had done to him, and she knew it was useless to apologise for something that she not only couldn't compensate for in any way but also couldn't afford to regret. Meta Knight's mechanisation had been a means to an end, and if it hadn't been him, it would have been another. What she did regret was that she had caused so many tribulations for nothing, as her plan to "make the old man cry" had gone horribly wrong.

So yes, Meta Knight had every right in the universe to hate her, and she, as his ally, accepted and respected that. But it was not like him to be watching her hidden in shadows instead of giving her his usual formal and yet cold greeting.

"Look, I know that you don't like when I come to Dream Land unannounced, but I still don't think that is a reason to not talk to me," she said, tired of the knight's silence. " promise I just want to fix the communication system."

Meta Knight stepped out of the shadows, as he should have realised that now that Susie knew he was there, there was no point in hiding. Susie looked at the knight; there was something different about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Susanna Patrya Haltmann?"

Susie's mind short-circuited for an instant, but she didn't know if the cause was Meta Knight having referred to her by her birth name (something the few who knew it never did), the strange accent that had accompanied his higher than usual voice as he spoke, or both at the same time.

"Dark, I don't know what you're plotting, but this isn't funny," the cyborg angrily chastised who he thought was the mirror knight. "If Meta Knight finds out you're disguising as him again and, on top of that, putting on a ridiculous accent, he'll shatter you into so many pieces that putting you back together will be an odyssey I will not be participating in," she warned him.

"I'm not the one you're referring to," the strange Meta Knight replied.

"Oh, great. Now there are three of them," Susie thought sarcastically. What parallel dimension had the new Meta Knight come from, and what interest did he have in her?

"Who are you, then?" she questioned him.

"I'm a Meta Knight with a very important mission. I come from a universe that is soon to meet a terrible end, and I'm willing to do anything necessary to save it," he explained, speaking sternly.

“I don't like how 'willing to do anything' sounds, but I'll play along until I can figure out his true intentions,” Susie decided.

“And what do you want from me?” she asked. Kirby and the “original” Meta Knight were better candidates to save his world, but the strange alternate Meta Knight had decided to request her help. Why?

“Before I can proceed with my mission, I must first show you something,” the strange Meta Knight replied, offering her an odd-looking, petal-shaped crystal. Susie could see something at the other side of the crystal that didn't correspond to reality, but it was too blurry.

“What is this?” She asked, reluctant to take the crystal, as she didn't know what it was.

“This crystal contains data about my universe. By using it, you will be able to see a vision of what your life is like there. I need you to judge whether it is something you consider worth protecting,” the alternate Meta Knight explained.

Susie pressed a hidden button on her helmet to scan the surrounding area, via electromagnetic waves, in search of any hidden danger, and that included the strange Meta Knight and his crystal.

"To what end?" she asked, with the intent to buy the few seconds she needed until the analysis was complete.

"I want you to join our cause," he replied somewhat enigmatically. And Susie had to admit that everything he had said had succeeded in igniting her scientific curiosity.

The analysis began to yield its results in the form of data displayed through the implant in one of her eyes:

// Crystal of unknown origin. Unknown dimensional energy has been detected. Warning: Matter of Darkness has been detected. The outer crystallised layer reduces the effects of radiation by 95%. Use with caution to avoid mild symptoms (exhaustion, fatigue) and moderate symptoms (temporary mental instability). //

// Unknown life form. 98.08% physical match with subject Meta Knight. 0 weapons of known material have been detected. 1 weapon of unknown material has been detected. No magic has been detected. //

// Except for local flora and small local fauna (insects), no other organic life forms have been detected in the area. //

// No electronic, mechanical, or robotic components have been detected in the area. //

So the alternate Meta Knight was alone but armed. Plus, the crystal he wanted Susie to use contained Matter of Darkness. While the symptoms the analysis had listed weren't worrisome, she had to be very careful if she decided to handle it.

"There's something you should know: using this crystal will trap your visual perception, though you'll be able to recover it with a simple movement. Also, if you use it for too long, you'll feel exhausted," the Meta Knight from another dimension informed, revealing a crucial piece of information that Susie's analysis hadn't revealed. "And one more thing: here's my weapon," he added, drawing his sword and cleaving it in the ground. Susie looked at him, intrigued by his behaviour. "I can sense your distrust. Don't worry; as a war survivor, I understand you perfectly. That's why I'm showing you that I can be trustworthy," he added, extending his open palms.

A war survivor? That sounded like an interesting story that he likely didn't have time to tell, and she didn't have time to listen to. At least, it seemed that the strange and somewhat unnerving Meta Knight was being honest with his intentions, though it could very well be a tactic to gain her trust and attack when her guard was down. The Meta Knight she knew would never do such a dishonourable thing, but she had no idea if the alternate version standing in front of her shared that personality trait or if he was cunning and treacherous like Dark Meta Knight.

Susie examined the knight's weapon. It was an iridescent sword made of the same unknown material as the petal-shaped crystal. Looking at its blade, she saw herself reflected hundreds of times, as if it were a kaleidoscope or a broken mirror. And that should be impossible given the smooth surface, although even more impossible was the fact that in some of her reflections her appearance was different. "Could this weapon be imbued with some sort of dimensional power?" she rationalised.

She tried to grab the weapon in order to place it further away from its owner, but she found it too heavy to move. “Okay, I see that I'm not worthy, yada-yada. At least this one didn't electrocute me…” Susie thought, remembering how, when she took Galaxia from Meta Knight during the invasion, she received an electric shock that, thanks to her body enhancements, hadn't caused any major damage (except for her hairstyle).

Susie decided to give up on the weapon and approached the knight to receive the crystal. As she came closer to him, she could feel her instinct for survival and self-preservation fighting against her scientific side, which urged her to investigate what her "other life" was and why the strange Meta Knight needed to show it to her. But she had the situation under control: if the system integrated into her helmet detected the slightest sign of aggression, it would send a signal to her brain to take her out from the vision—as long as the alternate Meta Knight had told her the truth. Although, given the results of the analysis, it didn't seem like the crystal was capable of corrupting or possessing her, and that tipped the scales toward trusting the knight.

Susie finally grabbed the crystal and positioned herself at what she considered a safe distance from the alternate Meta Knight. The knight explained to her how to use it, and she did a final test. She fixed her gaze on the crystal until she felt it trying to capture her perception and immediately looked away to free herself from that sensation. She did it again, though this time she stared at the crystal for a few moments longer, and once more, she was "released" with no resistance. That confirmed that the strange Meta Knight had been sincere after all.

“Well, there goes nothing. Let’s see why this Meta Knight is so keen on showing me this 'other life' of mine,” Susie thought as she allowed herself to be completely absorbed by the crystal, the blurry images at the other side becoming clearer.

Susie had to hold back a gasp when she saw Susanna staring back at her.

Chapter Text

Once Susie got over her initial shock, she realised that Susanna was actually looking at her own reflection in a mirror. Susie was simply seeing the world through her eyes as if she were watching a film in first person.

Susie studied Susanna and her location. The mirror was placed over a sink, and Susanna was grasping it. A few drops of water ran down her face and fell into the drain. Susie deduced that they were in a restroom and Susanna had gone there either to clean herself up or to splash water on her face to refresh herself.

But how did Susie know that the reflection belonged to a "Susanna" and not to another "Susie"?

Well, the first clue was the lack of implants or enhancements of any kind on Susanna's face. Considering that, according to social constructs, being “good-looking” was a crucial part of being a secretary, the first thing Susie did when she started working at H.W.C. was use synthetic skin to cover her scars (after all, a young girl couldn't survive another dimension for so many years and come out unscathed). Susanna, however, had a single, old scar on her right cheek. By its fine, thin, and regular shape, it didn't look like the wound had been inflicted by a wild beast from another dimension but by a knife, a sword, or something similar. Furthermore, although Susie liked to wear her hair down, Susanna wore it in a bun.

On top of that, there were Susanna's eyes. A combination of life experiences and bionic enhancements had resulted in Susie's eyes having a cold, calculating glow, something that, combined with the synthetic skin, gave her face what others called a feel of "artificiality". In contrast, Susanna's face and eyes were completely organic and natural, and even if at that moment her gaze was tired, there was a lot of vitality in them.

Another factor was the clothing. Susanna wore a pale pink overall with some grease and paint stains, and a star-shaped patch decorated its central pocket. It was the opposite of the pristine, simple but elegant suits Susie usually wore at her job. Even when she had to work in the workshop, the technology and procedures used at H.W.C. were so clean that she rarely got her hands dirty, let alone her clothes. It all pointed to Susanna being a more traditional and rudimentary mechanic. The only piece of clothing she shared with Susie was the gold hairpin. Would it be as precious to Susanna as it was to Susie?

And yet, there was a strong indication that, deep down, Susanna and Susie weren't entirely different. After all, Susanna's "about to lose the last shred of patience” expression was equal to Susie's. In public, the CEO gave "smiles" (she didn't have a mouth, but she could evoke a smile with body language and a proper use of her eyes), and tried to speak in a lively tone, but behind closed doors, that expression was quite common. It was usually caused by an employee's incompetence or her getting caught up in one of her friends' messes. Magolor's messes most of the time.

Friends. After so many years alone, it was weird for Susie to be able to use that word at all. It even conflicted her. On the one hand, there was strength in numbers, and absolute loneliness was detrimental to mental stability, something she had experienced firsthand during the time she had been stranded in Another Dimension. On the other hand, opening up and trusting other people generated weaknesses that could be used against her. Besides, did someone like her actually deserve to have friends?

Suddenly, Susanna let out an exhausted sigh, taking Susie out of her introspection.

"Keep a cool head, Susanna," Susanna said, trying to calm herself down. Her eyes were arched in a way that gave the impression of a smile that, rather than happiness, reflected denial and suppressed anxiety. "Yes, you've discovered that a client has been misusing our technology, but that is not your responsibility. The contract's clause 23 protects the company, so there's nothing to worry about."

Susie recognised that tone of voice. It was the exact one she used to try to convince herself that everything was alright despite it all going wrong. "She will snap in three, two, one..."

"Oh, who am I kidding? How could we let this happen?!" Susanna snapped after Susie finished the countdown, clutching her head in stress. "If people find out that the pieces we're providing are being used to fabricate robots to fight Star Warriors, it will be our downfall!"

Star Warriors? Susie had never heard that term, but given Susanna's reaction, she deduced they were some kind of acclaimed celebrities. "And this is why you always have to do a thorough background check before signing a contract with someone," Susie thought in disappointment.

Susanna left the restroom and exited into a workshop that Susie would nicely describe as “archaic.” All the pieces, tools, and technology present looked like they belonged in the previous century. Susanna approached a workbench on which rested some kind of mechanical arm. While the metal it was made of and its design were of good quality, Susie couldn't help but find it antiquated and crude, especially when compared to the projects she was capable of developing in her universe thanks to the procedures designed by the Mother Computer. "As much as I hate that cursed machine, I can't deny that it brought about so many advances..." she thought bitterly.

"Well, at least my newest baby turned out good," Susanna said, her pride sounding a bit more dull than expected due to the circumstances. "Your receiver is going to be very happy," she added, giving the metal arm a couple of gentle taps. "If only that report hadn't ruined my day, I might even go out and celebrate..." Susanna sighed before adding, "Anyway. Let's see if we can get out of this mess before it gets out of hand."

Susanna hurried out of the workshop and crossed a corridor that was painfully familiar to Susie. It wasn't one of the Access Ark's cold corridors, but rather the one she had run through as a child with the intention to show her father a drawing or a new song she had composed.

A corridor from a time before the Mother Computer.

"But this Susanna is an adult. And taking into account the outdated technology, it seems that in this universe, my father either never found the Star Dream's blueprints or he didn't recreate or activate it," Susie deduced. "Does that mean that he...?"

Susanna continued forward until she stopped in front of a door. Susie pretended not to read the nameplate that identified its owner.

"Dad, we have a big problem!" Susanna exclaimed, flinging the door open.

Susie could no longer deny the truth when Max Proffit Haltmann dropped the papers he was checking out, startled by Susanna's sudden entrance into his office.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? It's strange to see you so upset..." the man said once he recovered from the shock. He looked very concerned.

Although she had already anticipated it, Susie's heart sank when she saw Max's warm gaze. He wasn't the man she had encountered upon returning to the cold, mechanical place her former home had become. No, he was the man who had cradled her. He was the man who had read her bedtime stories and taught her how to make simple but useful tools, awakening her interest in engineering and mechanics. He was the man who had desperately tried to grab her before that portal took her away.

He was her father.

"No. He's this Susanna's father, not mine," she had to remind herself, keeping her feet on the ground (figuratively speaking) so she wouldn't run to hug him while bursting into tears. "This isn't my life."

But a part of her wished it was.

"Have you read the report we received from the researcher I sent to Dream Land?" Susanna asked her father as she took the seat in front of his desk.

"The one about the suspicious orders and returns of pieces that King Dedede is making?" Max asked back while rearranging his papers.

Susie was flabbergasted. Dedede? The problematic client was Dedede? The one she knew would never buy anything from H.W.C., as he detested her. It almost felt like what she had done to Meta Knight had offended him more than it had offended Meta Knight himself. However, it seemed that the Dedede of that dimension not only didn't have qualms about acquiring technology manufactured by the H.W.C., but he also "misused" it for his purposes. But why would he be attacking those Star Warriors?

"Yes, that one," Susanna confirmed. "It took him a while, but what he discovered is not good at all."

Upon hearing his daughter's words, Max put aside his papers and began to look at something on his computer. Since she was limited to Susanna's line of sight, Susie couldn't see what the monitor was showing Max, but she could see his expression shift from concern to alarm as his eyes scanned the screen.

"This can't be true," the man commented in denial as a cold sweat ran down his forehead.

"I thought so at first, but the investigator has sent proof in the form of a video. We also have the testimonies he has gathered from the locals, but you definitely should check the video first,” Susanna pointed out.

Max didn't respond. Instead, he moved his computer's mouse and, in a couple of clicks, played a video. Sounds of a fight, two unknown children's voices (probably a boy and a girl based on how they sounded) shouting instructions to a name she knew very well, explosions... Susie couldn't see the screen, but she could imagine what it was showing based on the audio: a battle between Kirby and whatever Dedede, who had such a strange accent in that universe that she almost didn't recognise him, had built with the pieces he'd bought.

"It looks like this Dedede still has a grudge against Kirby," Susie noted. She hadn't witnessed those times, but she'd heard more than one anecdote.

Finally, with a final explosion, the sounds of battle ceased, and the voices of the two children congratulated Kirby. For some strange reason, the puffball only replied with the adorable "poyo" sounds that he sometimes did when speaking. But if Dedede's target was Kirby, where were the Star Warriors Susanna had mentioned earlier?

“Maybe this dimension's Kirby is a member of those 'Star Warriors', and an attack on one of them could be seen as an attack on the whole collective," Susie guessed.

Suddenly, the children's celebrations and Susie's musings were drowned out by Dedede's screams.

"No! No! No! I refuse to lose this time!"

"Sir? What are you doing?!" another unfamiliar male voice said. His astonished words were accompanied by the sound of heavy footsteps running.

"Watch out, Kirby!" the girl-like voice yelled.

Whatever was happening was interrupted by the sound of wood hitting metal and Dedede groaning in frustration.

"That's enough, sir," the strange Meta Knight's voice said. He sounded disappointed. "The fight is over. Accept your defeat and retreat with dignity."

"Does Dedede have any of that?" The boy-like voice remarked in a mocking tone.

"Shh, don't make things worse, Tuff," the girl-like voice scolded.

"The fight will end when I say so! Step aside, Meta Knight," Dedede's voice demanded.

"Please, sir, reconsider. There's no honour in attacking an unarmed opponent from behind. Your victory will be tarnished and... "

"This is terrible!" Max suddenly exclaimed, pausing the video, much to Susie's dissatisfaction. She wanted to learn more about that dimension... and see how the drama between those two unfolded. "I thought that guy was modifying and reselling the pieces under his name, but this is a thousand times worse!” he continued. “And Meta Knight has witnessed it all. Meta Knight, one of the most famous Star Warriors in history! Meta Knight, the one who led the offensive against N.M.E!" the man ranted, throwing up his hands in despair.

"This confirms that Susanna was indeed referring to Kirby when she talked about the Star Warriors, though I should also add the strange Meta Knight to the list. Duly noted," Susie pondered. “ I wonder if that term designates a species or an organisation. Also, what could N.M.E. be? They sound like bad news."

"And are you going to ignore the name of the young puffball Dedede was attacking?" Susanna pointed out.

Understanding what her daughter was implying, Max's already pale face turned even whiter.

"He can't be the same Kirby who freed the galaxy, can he? He's too young!" the man gulped.

"Unfortunately, the locals' testimonies confirm it, not to mention the power he displayed while dealing with that robot. Besides, how many Star Warriors named Kirby do you think exist? There are only about six or seven left, and their names are all well-known!" his daughter countered. Before Max could say anything, Susanna slammed her hand on the table and continued, "We have to do something! We can't let people associate us with thugs like King Dedede!" she finished.

"Clause 23: The Haltmann Works Company is not to be held directly responsible for the use its customers make of its products," Max stated, desperately trying to cling to something that could get them out of that mess.

"That clause may protect us legally, but not morally," Susanna reminded him. "The tabloid press is going to eat us alive if they ever find out about this. Oh, I can already see the headlines: 'Haltmann Works Company: the new Nightmare Enterprises!'" she added dramatically. It was clear that she wanted to convince her father that they should act.

Susie saw Max's anxious face twisting into an expression of hatred and fury at the thought being compared to that other company. Whoever those guys were, they didn't sound like simple business rivals.

"Absolutely not. I won't let those self-proclaimed journalists put me on the same level as those bastards!" Max shouted, pounding his fist on the table. "Haven't they done enough damage with their rumours?"

"N.M.E. sounds way too similar to Nightmare Enterprises to not be its acronym," Susie deduced. "I wonder if when Susana and Max talked about the strange Meta Knight leading an offensive that company them and Kirby freeing the Galaxy, they were referring to the same event... Yeah, I can totally imagine those two liberating an oppressed galaxy from an evil company."

Ah, how ironic.

Max continued to rant about N.M.E and those who compared it to his H.W.C in increasingly “non-polite” words. Susanna let him vent until he said something that made her recoil.

"Do they really think I gave eNeMeE my research willingly!?"

Susie watched as Susanna raised a hand to her scarred cheek and slowly rubbed it. That simple gesture was enough to make the cyborg understand why Max hated that company so much.

Max's anger faded completely.

"It wasn't your fault, sweetheart," Max assured Susanna in a saddened tone. The man tried to grab one of his daughter's hands in a clear attempt to comfort her, but she pulled it away at the last moment.

Susanna said nothing, but Susie intuited what she was thinking: "If I hadn't existed, my father wouldn't have had to give up his research." 

Wait... Did that mean the Star Dream blueprints had ended up in the hands of that so-called Nightmare Enterprises? Based on the information Susie had, they didn't exactly sound like a company that would make good use of that machine. Quite the opposite.

"Could that be the reason why the strange Meta Knight decided to ask for my help?" Susie guessed. "No. That can't be it. This world's Kirbys and Meta Knight are still better options to stop any use of that machine," she dismissed after further consideration.

After a few moments of silence between father and daughter, Susanna spoke again.

"I'm going to Dream Land," she announced as she stood up from her seat. Max seemed surprised by the sudden decision. "We must take our share of responsibility and do damage control. I must prevent this situation from escalating, and I don't mind getting my hands dirty to do so," Susanna finished.

"Sweetheart, what are you going to do?" Max wanted to know, concerned.

"Oh, nothing illegal. Don't worry," she answered, a tint of playful mischief accompanying her words.

// Warning: radiation levels from exposure to Matter of Darkness have reached the minimum threshold//

Susie decided to follow the warning that had popped up over the vision and took the crystal away from her face. While she would have liked to see how Susanna was planning to deal with the alternate Dedede, she would rather not suffer what her system had called “mild symptoms” from using the crystal. Besides, her arm was starting to feel a bit sore.

As her perception adjusted back to reality, she took a moment to reflect on what she had seen. There was a lot going on that dimension, but one thing was clear: it was a world where the Mother Computer had never crashed into her life.

Susie had always believed that if the Mother Computer had never been awoken, Susanna wouldn't have "died", and she would never have been born. Her family's company wouldn't have become the cold corporation she found upon her return, nor would her father have lost his heart and, in the end, his soul. Finally, the dream of using technology to improve people's lives that father and daughter once shared would not have been twisted into a pursuit of eternal prosperity that implied the mechanisation of planets and their inhabitants as a way to achieve it. Not even her homeland had been spared.

Despite it all, Susie still wanted to make the Haltmann family dream a reality. However, after everything she had been through, she couldn't even decide which path she should take to achieve it. Having deeply assimilated the company's philosophy, she had come to view mechanisation as a way to improve people's lives, but in recent times she had realised that the method they had used until now wasn't the right one. After all, if the benefits of mechanisation included losing your will to the yoke of a machine, could they be called benefits at all? Either way, it wasn't like she could continue down that path even if she wanted to. That absolute level of mechanisation was not possible without the Mother Computer.

Susie hadn't realised how much the process that had once been H.W.C.'s pride actually relied on Star Dream to function until Kirby destroyed it, reverting everything to its original state. And by everything, she meant not only Pop Star but all the planets whose resources they had appropriated before it. After that, Susie could have followed her self-preservation instinct and gone into hiding, but instead, she decided to take up her father's mantle and assume the leadership of the crumbling company, saving it from its complete disappearance. That probably made Susie one of the most wanted people in the galaxy, since the savages on more than one planet that had been freed from the H.W.C.'s control wanted to take revenge on her.

Susie let out a groan of frustration. She has used that word again.

"Not savages: inhabitants,” Susie corrected herself for the second time that day. “Their rejection of the prosperity and security that lies in technology doesn't mean they live like animals. And their anger is justified since we forced the change on them..."

"Excuse me, Susanna. Are you done with the crystal?" The strange Meta Knight asked, breaking the silence and bringing Susie fully back to reality, who simply nodded as an answer. He hadn't moved an inch from his position in the time the cyborg had been mentally absent. "In that case, could you give it back?" he requested, making a gesture for her to come closer.

Since Susie didn't want to hold the crystal any longer, she accepted the invitation. Cautiously, the cyborg approached the strange Meta Knight, positioning herself in a way that blocked direct and easy access to the sword, and returned the crystal. The Star Warrior rubbed it gently before sighing and storing it "behind" him. Did he have a dimensional cape like her word's Meta Knight?

"Well? How do you feel about what you just saw?" the knight asked.

Susie remained silent. How did she feel? Weirded out, jealous, pained, interested, relieved... She had many mixed emotions about the scene she'd just witnessed.

On the one hand, it almost felt as if she had opened a window into the life she would have lived if that accursed machine hadn't separated her from her father, but on the other hand, that universe had a whole history behind it she had no knowledge about nor part in, alienating her. What was all that business between Star Warriors and Nightmare Enterprises about anyway? It was like she had started watching one of Magolor's favourite shows in the second season. Had she noticed more similarities than differences between both universes, the vision would have probably hit her differently.

And there was also the fact that nothing she'd seen explained why the strange Meta Knight had wanted to show her that life. The only reason she could think of that made minimal sense was that he intended to use it as an argument to convince her to help him, though that raised an important and somewhat unnerving question.

"Did you already know what 'my' life was like in your universe?" Susie avoided answering the so-called Star Warrior's question with another one, though it sounded more like an accusation.

"Indeed," the strange Meta Knight admitted.

"How? Based on what I've seen, it doesn't seem like you and Susanna know each other in person," she insisted.

The strange Meta Knight stopped to think for a few seconds. He looked like he was debating with himself about whether to answer or not, but he finally did so.

"The Saviour shows me everything I need to know. About you, about my dimension's Susanna, about all of us. You see, not only is my world on the verge of a terrible end: all universes will eventually meet their doom. But She can grant us the True Salvation."

Susie studied the strange Meta Knight with caution. That he had someone telling him "everything about her" was disturbing enough, but his way of speaking, much reminiscent of a rabid cultist or even a sectarian, was very offputting. The cyborg didn't know what he was trying to "sell" her, but it was giving her a dreadful feeling. If it were up to her, she would have left immediately, but she couldn't do so after he had implied that all the universes were in danger. Perhaps they were the ramblings of a madman, but what if they weren't? She needed to find out everything she could about what the strange Meta Knight was up to and whoever this "Saviour" of his was.

"The True Salvation?" she asked, pretending to be genuinely interested.

And like a preacher, the strange Meta Knight didn't hesitate to answer her.

"Tell me, Susanna. How many 'yous' do you think have been as fortunate as the one who resides in my universe? While you and uncountable Susannas struggled to survive in Another Dimension, or died trying, she got to live happily with her father."

"Are you implying I should hate her?" Susie remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not," the strange Meta Knight replied. "But don't you find it unfair that while you've suffered loss after loss, she can continue to carry on with the Haltmann family dream with no grief in her heart? I'm not saying her whole life has been a bed of roses precisely, but what happened to her is nothing compared to what you went through. Don't you think you deserve that happiness too? Don't you think you deserve to be saved?"

Susie took a step back. She didn't like where the conversation was going. While she couldn't deny that, for a moment, she had wished that life to be hers, realistically, it wasn't, and it never would be. She may have found in the other Susanna a few psychological and physical traits very similar to hers, but Susie's identity had been built on radically different experiences that had affected her worldview, her morals, and her personality. Had she lived the life of the other Susanna, she would surely have been happier, but would she have been "herself"?

"If you join Our cause, you will not only prevent other Susannas from being thrown into the arms of the tragedy you went through, but you will also be able to reclaim the life that machine took from you," the strange Meta Knight tempted her, closing the distance between them, as if he had read her thoughts.

But, as sweet as it looked, Susie wasn't going to take that apple, for she knew it was poisoned. She'd studied the universe well enough to know that there were forces not to be trifled with and rules that should never be broken. Her father did so, and he ended up paying the ultimate price for it, so she knew not to make the same mistake. What the strange Meta Knight was offering could only be achieved by manipulating time or altering reality itself, and either option would most likely end up destroying everything Susie had struggled to build. She couldn't allow it.

"You wanted me to judge whether that alternate life is something worth protecting, not something I should yearn for or envy," Susie reminded the strange Meta Knight, adopting a defensive stance. All the trust he had made an effort to gain to convince her to use the crystal had vanished.

"And you still haven't answered me," he retorted.

"I don't know what you expect me to answer. You haven't even explained to me what will cause that 'tragic ending' or what exactly I'm supposed to protect that life from," Susie argued. "You haven't even told me what this 'True Salvation' you praise so much consists of. I can't judge you as a warrior, but as a salesman, you don't amount to much," she criticised.

For a brief moment, the strange Meta Knight looked annoyed at being compared with a salesman, but he soon returned to his somewhat unsettling neutrality.

“You’re right. I’m being so vague that I'm not honouring Her benevolent plan. The thing is that I can’t reveal anything about the True Salvation until you willingly join our cause,” he finally admitted.

“Well, I’m not even going to consider joining your cause until you tell me what the True Salvation is, so we’ve reached a stalemate,” Susie replied while shrugging. It was time to change her tactics in order to extract information from the strange Meta Knight. “But I believe this True Salvation of yours is nothing but nonsense,” she tried to provoke him.

Susie expected the strange Meta Knight to react aggressively and begin effusively defending his cause, but instead, he closed his eyes and let out a short, tired chuckle.

“Much like you, I was blinded when She told me Her plan for the first time, but I ended up seeing the light," he said after opening her eyes. "Her work will be glorious."

"Geez, not this way of speaking again. He sounds like a member of the Jambastion," Susie thought in annoyance.

"Believe me, Susanna. The True Salvation is the most convenient thing for everyone," the strange Meta Knight insisted.

"My name is Susie," she angrily corrected him. She was tired of him referring to her by the name she had buried long ago. "This dimension's Susanna is dead."

"A metaphorical death," he replied. "Deep down, you are still one and the same."

"Nuh-uh," she retorted. "I'm not a naive little girl who wouldn't hurt a fly, and she would hate the person I had to become to survive. Besides, with all the implants and enhancements in my body, I can't even say I'm completely her on a biological level. The Susanna of this universe is effectively dead."

And given the way things had turned out, maybe it was for the best.

"Although deep down, the existence of the Susanna from your world comforts me somehow," Susie said next. "I guess I'm glad to know about a reality where she was able to continue living. So yes, I consider the life you've shown me to be something worth protecting, but because I want her to live it, not me," she continued resolutely. "And I got the feeling that this doesn't align with that 'glorious' cause of your Saviour," she accused the warrior while pointing at him, hoping that he would reveal something about his plans in his rebuttal.

"You're making a grave mistake by rejecting my proposition," the strange Meta Knight warned her. Susie sensed that his neutrality was hiding something dangerous, but she wasn't sure. The strange Meta Knight was even harder to read emotionally than the one she knew.

"Oh, is that a threat? You need to take a marketing course urgently. Too bad I'm not offering them right now," Susie mocked. "But I can offer you a guided tour across Dream Land, and the first stop will be your counterpart's base. I'm sure he'll be eager to hear about the True Salvation, and he has the means to make you speak," she continued while reaching behind her back to take out her H.W.C. Blaster. Then she pointed the weapon at him and ordered, "Hands up."

Logically, the strange Meta Knight should surrender, as he was alone and unarmed, and Susie blocked the way to his sword. However, he remained impassive.

"Is this the path you're going to choose?" he asked.

"It is. Now, hands up," Susie demanded, her tone denoting that she wouldn't hesitate to shoot him if he didn't comply.

"I see. So be it," the warrior said as he began to make a move with his hand.

Susie didn't wait a second longer and shot the strange Meta Knight directly in the hand with the intent of incapacitating him, but he was faster. The so-called "Star Warrior" wrapped himself in his cape and disappeared.

"What a useful ability," Susie heard him comment with wonder behind her. She turned. The strange Meta Knight had teleported next to his sword and was retrieving it.

"How did he do that?" Susie wondered as she attacked him again. The strange Meta Knight simply blocked her shot with his blade.

"I must confess something," the strange Meta Knight said suddenly. He kept his sword raised in front of him, but he still seemed reluctant to attack. "The Saviour didn't want to recruit you at first: She wanted to eliminate you. You're an obstacle for Her."

"So all of this was just a trap?" she asked, although she doubted her statement. If that had been his intention from the beginning, he would have attacked her while she was using the crystal.

"No," he answered. "I asked Her to give me the chance to recruit you," the Star Warrior replied sternly. "At first, I only wanted to prevent this world's inhabitants from suffering unnecessarily because of your death, but after I learnt of your story, I saw in you the potential to see the light, just like I did."

Susie fired at him again while moving backwards, laughing dryly. Would anyone actually mourn her death?

“Kirby, maybe Magolor, Taranza for sure... Wow, that's three people in the whole galaxy,” she thought bitterly. “A ridiculously low number, but still more than I deserve.”

“...Now I see I was wrong. What a shame,” the strange Meta Knight finished, closing the distance between him and Susie while blocking her shots. “I didn't want to do this, but I don't have any other option.”

Seeing that just shooting wasn't working, Susie pulled out her PDA and pressed the button to summon her “business suit”. A flash of light, and she was mounted on it. If her rival was impressed, he didn't show it in any way.

“Bring it on,” Susie challenged him with her gaze.

In response, the strange Meta Knight's sword lit up. Two ethereal copies of the sword materialised behind its wielder. With each step he took to approach Susie, more copies of the sword appeared, until there were ten hovering around the warrior.

“Susanna Patrya Haltmann, for the sake of the True Salvation, you shall perish,” he finally announced, before launching an attack at her.

Chapter Text

A delicious smell brought Dedede back to consciousness.

The otherworldly king opened his eyes and blinked a few times. The ceiling above him belonged to a tent, but it was higher and wider than the one he had been assigned to. Where was he? Who had brought him there, and why?

He felt a little drowsy, just like he had woken up from a pleasant but very long sleep. He didn't remember his dreams, but they had left a comforting feeling in his chest. And that didn't make much sense. Considering the terrifying events he had recently been through and the stress he'd been under, shouldn't his dreams have been nightmares?

Dedede decided to sit up to get a better look at his surroundings. The inside of the tent looked like some sort of improvised infirmary. He noticed that he had been put on a stretcher and that Escargoon was sitting in a chair in front of him. The snail was eating from a bowl of ramen with absolute delight, and next to him was a small table on which rested an open bento box, a closed one, and a first-aid kit.

"So that's where the smell is coming from..." the king thought, salivating while looking at the bentos. Where had Escargoon gotten them?

Dedede's stomach growled with hunger, causing his right-hand man to snap out of his reverie and focus on him.

"Sir? Are you finally awake?" Escargoon asked.

"No, I'm just sleeping with my eyes open while sitting up," Dedede replied, annoyed because of the obvious question. "Of course I'm awake, you fool!"

"It seems you are back to normal..." the snail said after letting out a resigned sigh due to his boss's insult, but at the same time he was relieved to see that he had recovered.

"What do you have over there?" Dedede asked, pointing at the bento boxes, eagerly hoping that one of them was for him. If not... well, since Escargoon had two boxes, Dedede would only had to force him to share one. Or both.

"The lesser Dedede called the local chef to get some food delivered for everybody. I'll admit I was a little scared at first when I heard that Kawasaki had cooked this..." Escargoon began to tell. Dedede couldn't help but stare at the food in disgust upon hearing who had made it. "...but there is no comparison between this and what we can get at home. Apparently, this dimension also took 'the good Kawasaki' home in fate's lottery," the snail explained, setting aside his bowl of ramen. He then carefully moved the open bento box aside and grabbed the closed one. "Here, this is for you," he said as he handed the king the item with a smile.

"Wait, my counterpart also ordered for me?" he asked, as puzzled as he was excited.

"Indeed. I suppose he doesn't want us to starve," Escargoon commented while shrugging. "Though I'm surprised our food is of the same quality as the others'," he added.

Dedede rolled his eyes.

“That ridiculous goody-two-shoes. I'm sure he only did this to make it look like he is better than me,” Dedede grumbled to himself. “What a jerk. Does he think he has won just because he offered me a minimal amount of hospitality? No! I'm going to hire the best chef in my galaxy, and then I'll show him what a true feast looks like. He is going to find out who is the best host of both of us.”

Still, he didn't let his anger stop him from devouring the food the lesser Dedede had treated him to. It was delicious, with a taste so rich and flavourful that it even made his eyes teary. “Ugh, I hate to admit it, but this is going to be hard to top,” he conceded.

“By themmph way, wheremmph are themmph lesser Dededemmph and his lapdog of ammph knight ?” Dedede asked, speaking with his mouth full. He remembered seeing his counterpart and the intimidating Meta Knight coming to his rescue before he lost consciousness, much to his surprise.

"They are in a meeting with that disrespectful princess of Floralia. Remember her?" Escargoon said, trying his best to contain his disgust at the king's “unroyal-like" manners. Dedede nodded in response to the question, his frown reflecting that he was still upset with her due to how rude and unnecessarily aggressive she had been towards him. "They're probably arguing about this whole dimensional fiasco," the snail continued. "Also, our Kirby arrived with her, safe and sound, and the rest of the kids are also back with Tuff," Escargoon finished updating the king.

Upon hearing that his Kirby was okay, Dedede's heart leaped with joy. "Wait, what?" he internally exclaimed, surprised by the odd reaction. Oh, wait. He wasn't actually happy but just relieved. If Kirby were lost forever, Dedede wouldn't have the chance to defeat and humiliate him in public to prove he was better than him, while also losing his best source of entertainment. It wasn't like he genuinely cared for him or anything; it was pure selfishness.

"After all, if I did, I wouldn't have caused all those troubles that could have ended with his life..." he told himself. A feeling he wasn't used to had overtaken his stomach, making him almost lose his appetite.

"Ugh. Now we don't only have to deal with one pink menace and two meddling kids, but two pink menaces, two meddling kids, an annoying Waddle Dee, and a weird blue blob with goofy eyes," Dedede grumbled aloud to try to forget that feeling. He hated Kirby, so there was no way he could feel guilty, right?

Escargoon stared at him. Even though Dedede had tried hard to act normal, the snail must have noticed something odd about the way he'd said that.

But how could Dedede act normal after what had happened in that place? Escargoon probably hadn't remembered anything about it yet; otherwise, he would have already left Dedede's side... Or maybe not. For some reason, beyond Dedede being his boss, the snail always remained loyal to him no matter what he did, how mean he supposedly was, or how many mistakes he made. Did Escargoon really care about his job that much, or was there something else going on with him? That was a question that Dedede had been wondering about for a while, but he never got around to actually asking it because he didn't want to look weak. If Escargoon ever stopped being afraid of him, then the snail would surely abandon him, just like everyone else.

Escargoon, lost in thoughts, was still staring at Dedede. The king was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"What are you looking at?!" he blurted out.

The snail quickly looked away.

"Oopsies. I just remembered Nurse Dee told me to let them know when you woke up so he could check you over," Escargoon said with obvious intent on getting out of the awkward situation. He immediately seemed to hesitate, though. "Will it be okay if I leave you alone?" the snail asked.

"I'm not a kid who needs to be watched over," Dedede replied reluctantly.

"I'm just wo..." Escargoon began to say, but he stopped before finishing his sentence. The snail let out a sad, tired sigh before speaking again. "Forget about it. I'll go find that Waddle Dee."

A part of Dedede almost wanted to ask him to not leave him alone, but in the end no words came out of his mouth. Dedede stood still and silent, watching as the only person who tolerated him turned his back on him, leaving the king alone in that makeshift infirmary.

"Meh. Maybe I don't need him after all," Dedede muttered before putting his attention back to the food. Now that it was cold, it had lost all of its taste. Frustrated, Dedede threw the bento to the floor and lay back on the stretcher.

With both Escargoon and the food gone, Dedede had no choice but to stay in solitude with his thoughts. Thoughts that, without distractions, quickly dragged him into the spiral of negativity rooted in the events that transpired before he and the others arrived in that crazy alternate dimension.

Despite his best efforts to impress those who looked down on him, in the end he had been easily displaced and dismissed. When he had seen that monster, fear had instantly taken over him, leaving him paralysed. In the end, his presence during the mission had been incidental, insignificant even.

[ You? You're worse than insignificant...]

Those words echoed in his mind and tore into his heart. They hurt. They hurt so much because he knew they were true. He wasn't stupid or naive enough to negate them, not anymore. In the past, he had managed to convince himself otherwise, whether by lying to himself, letting himself be manipulated by those who told him what he wanted to hear, or blaming others for his misfortunes and missteps. But after what he had seen in the Void In Between, after learning of the existence of Dark Matter and how bound his destiny was to that horrible creature, he could no longer deny what, deep down, he had always known.

The root of all his problems lay in himself.

The images of those events shook his mind violently, causing the fake king to bring his hands to his head as he curled up in a ball. "Damn it. Why did these memories have to come back?!" he screamed internally, trying to contain his tears. Kings didn't cry; they ruled. "I hate this. I hate these thoughts, I hate these memories, I hate these doubts, and I hate feeling so powerless and hopeless. If only I hadn't followed them into that place, maybe things could have stayed normal!"

But they weren't normal anymore, and most likely they would never be again. Knowing what the future had in store, he wouldn't be allowed to keep ruling his Dream Land for much longer. Instead, he would probably be put in jail or maybe exiled. In fact, it was strange that he was still “free.” After all, if the others left him locked up and strained in that dimension, that future would never happen.

Wait a second. What if the reason no one had done so yet was because he was the only one who had regained his memory? Furthermore, hadn't Escargoon just said that the inhabitants of that crazy dimension were talking with Sectonia and the kids about the mission? From what he understood, his counterpart and his companions were Meta Knight's backup plan, and that meant...

"Those idiots are going to walk right into the lion's den!" he exclaimed, leaping out of the stretcher indignantly. "Forget that future. They're going to doom us all even before it even has the chance to happen!"

Dedede started to leave the infirmary with the intent of interrupting that absurd meeting before they made a grave mistake, but when he was a foot away from the exit, he suddenly stopped.

“Why bother? They aren't going to believe me anyway,” he internally grumbled, once again assaulted by doubts and negativity. “I'm sure Tiff will yell at me and call me a lying coward, and everyone will agree with her,” he added, crossing his arms in frustration.

Dedede turned and looked at the bed. How tempted he was to go back to it and ignore everything. Why would he even try to make himself heard when everyone was against him? Wasn't it better for him that they didn't remember anything? He wouldn't have to deal with the consequences if the others were unaware of the future, after all. Besides, everyone believed they could save the day without him, didn't they? When everything went to ruin, they'd come back crying and apologise for ignoring him.

But by then, it would be too late to prevent the end of all.

“Though, now that I think about it, isn't this situation similar to when that meteorite was about to destroy Dream Land?” Dedede realised.

Dedede still didn't quite understand what had happened to him that day. Why had he granted the children's wish? Why, despite the end being so close, had he felt comfortable and warm beside Kirby? Why hadn't he experienced those emotions again? If he warned them, if he shared with them what he knew... Would he feel that way again?

“Ugh, I'm getting too sappy. This is not like me at all,” he groaned as he shook his head. He needed to come up with a better reason to help. “Oh, right. If I stay quiet, she will win. Am I really going to let that happen after she humiliated me? No way!" it ocurred to him. Acting out of pettiness was more fitting of him.

Having made his decision, Dedede finally took a step forward and left the infirmary. His “escorts” were surprised to see him, and when Dedede walked past them, they hurriedly followed him, saying in squeaky voices, “Are you feeling better?” “Wait, where are you going?” “Nurse Dee wanted to see you. You should wait for them.” Dedede ignored the trio and marched onwards. His motives might not have been entirely pure, but for once, he was going to do the right thing.

_ _ _

While the adults and Gooey were talking about the other Meta Knight's fate, the rest of the kids had gone after baby Kirby. Where could he be? He couldn't have gone far since all the castle's exits were well guarded, but still the four children split up to search for him faster.

The older Kirby was passing by the kitchen when he heard a sound similar to a sob. He took a peek inside, only to find that, with the exception of a pair of butterflies sunbathing on one of the windowsills, it was empty. Thinking that it had been his imagination, he was about to leave, but a second sob stopped him. After listening closely, Kirby noticed that it was coming from a badly closed pantry, so he approached it to check inside.

"Ah, there you are, Little Me," he said upon seeing the Kirby from the other universe curled up inside the pantry. His other self had probably gotten lost in the castle and had ended up taking refuge in the first quiet corner he could find to cry. Or maybe he had instinctively been drawn to the kitchen even though it wasn't functional at the moment.

Baby Kirby, who was clutching Galaxia with all of his body, almost embracing it, didn't greet him back. The younger puffball's eyes were teary.

Kirby was no stranger to sadness, contrary to the popular belief of him being a “jolly fella” all the time. Still, he wasn't someone who cried a lot. On the rare occasions he did, it was for some "childish" reason, like, for example, missing a delicious treat on the jumping game he liked to play at picnics. When he was truly sad, sorrow ran so deeply that tears refused to come out of his eyes. However, that was clearly not the case for his counterpart, whose anguish was fully visible.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he sat down next to his other self. Baby Kirby shook his head. "Do you want to talk?"

"Poyo, Meta Nini powmised... come back.... Gala," the baby replied between sobs.

"Did Meta Knight promise that you would see each other again so that you could return Galaxia to him?" Kirby guessed.

"Yes, poyo. But powmise is bowke, poyo."

From these words and the way he was acting, Kirby deduced that his counterpart was thinking something along the lines of, "Meta Knight promised we'd meet again in this world so I could give him Galaxia back, but if he's trapped in the Void In Between, he won't be able to keep that promise. So, did he lie to me, or was it me who let him down?"

"My Meta Knight never breaks his promises, and I'm sure yours doesn't either!" he reassured Baby Kirby encouragingly. "I'm certain you'll be able to bring Galaxia back to him."

"But he tawpped," Baby Kirby argued, insecure.

"Then we'll go to his rescue. He's strong, isn't he? I'm sure he'll hold out until we get to him. He believes in us, so we have to believe in him!" Kirby tried to convince him.

"You suwe, poyo?" the baby replied while wiping away his tears, though his eyes still looked a bit sad.

"Of course. I'm certain you'll be together again very soon!" Kirby insisted, gently patting his counterpart's head.

Kirby yawned, and so did his counterpart. The inside of the pantry felt kind of comfy. He had managed to resist the urge to take a nap while Toni told her story, but in there, fighting his tiredness was becoming harder. How much he wanted to curl up and sleep.

"Kirby! Where are you?" Tiff shouted, distressed. Her voice lifted Baby Kirby's spirit, while Kirby was forced to fight off his desire to sleep once more.

"Come on, Little Me. Let's go to Tiff," the older Kirby said, taking his counterpart by the paw to lead him out of the pantry. "Hey! I found him! We're in the kitchen!" he shouted to call the others.

Tiff, Tuff, and Bandee soon came out to meet them. All three were relieved to see Baby Kirby safe and sound.

"Are you alright, Kirby?" Tiff asked the younger one.

"Bettah, poyo," he replied while giving his alternate version a grateful look.

"He misses your Meta Knight a lot," the older Kirby explained. "It seems he lent him Galaxia and promised he'd come back for it."

Tiff was taken aback by that statement. Her Kirby had only used Galaxia twice. Both were times of extreme need where he faced two of the most dangerous monsters created by eNeMeE, and her Meta Knight had been injured or completely incapacitated. That the older Star Warrior had willingly and directly loaned Galaxia to Kirby was unprecedented. Why had he done it? And even more importantly...

"When did Meta Knight make that promise to you?" Tiff asked her adoptive brother.

"Void In Bihtween, poyo," he replied.

"Wait, does that mean you remember what happened there?" Tuff asked for everyone. Baby Kirby nodded. "That's great! Come on, let's go back to the others so you can tell us everything!" he exclaimed before beginning to rush towards the meeting room.

"Wait, Tuff!" Bandee tried to stop him to no avail. In his excitement, the boy from the other dimension had missed an important detail. "And he's already gone..."

Still, Tuff was partly right about them having to go back to the meeting room so they could continue discussing how to proceed, making the rest hurry after him.

When they arrived there, those who were inside turned to look at baby Kirby expectantly.

"Tuff just told us that Baby Kirby remembers what happened in the 'Void In Between.' Is that true?" Dedede asked to make sure.

"That's right, but..." Tiff began to say.

"Come on, Kirby!" Tuff interrupted his sister with a bit too much enthusiasm.

Baby Kirby hesitated before answering, though his doubts didn't seem to be caused by fear.

"So dawk... scawy things... dangy, poyo," he answered slowly, trying hard to find and pronounce the words correctly but failing. He frowned in frustration at being unable to communicate what he knew.

Tuff's enthusiasm faded. In his joy, he'd forgotten that his Kirby still couldn't speak very well. As he watched the young Star Warrior growing frustrated and stressed, he felt like he'd messed up for putting his friend in that situation.

"Calm down, Baby Kirby. Take it slow. Try to start with simple concepts first," Taranza tried to instruct the puffball.

Baby Kirby tried again, but due to how nervous and pressured he felt, he either couldn't find the right words or didn't say them in a way that was understandable for the others.

"Maybe he could draw," Gooey suggested. "That's how I communicated before I learnt how to speak."

"It wouldn't be a bad idea if the results wouldn't be almost more impossible to decipher than his speech," Tiff dismissed. Her Kirby drawings were adorable for someone his age, but terrible.

"Heh. That's what you get for relying on a baby. Luckily for you, I'm here!” someone with a peculiar accent said.

Upon recognising both the accent and the voice carrying it, everyone turned to look at the door. There stood the Dedede from the dimension Tiff and the others had come from, staring at them with a smug expression and followed closely by the three Waddle Dee guards. How much had he heard of the conversation?

Focused on the other Dedede's arrival, no one noticed an enormous silhouette climbing past the window, leaving behind magical sparks and digital-like particles that dissipated into the air. As if sensing something was wrong, Meta Knight turned to look at the window, but it was too late to see anything.

The presence of the other monarch had provoked two kinds of reactions in the room. On the one hand, Tiff, Tuff, Toni, and, to a lesser extent, Bandee were exasperated by his mere presence, as none of them wanted to deal with him when the situation was so dire. On the other hand, that dimension's Dedede, the two Kirbys, and Gooey were rather relieved to see that he was okay. The exception to both reactions was Meta Knight, who was still staring at the window in tension, but since the other Dedede was monopolising all the attention, no one noticed him.

"I'm sorry, Great King. We tried to tell him you were in an important meeting, but he didn't listen," said one of the Waddle Dees. "His expression was so serious that we didn't think it was appropriate to stop him by force..."

The Great King Dedede assured his Waddle Dees not to worry about it while Tiff confronted the Dedede she detested.

"You are never serious. What are you scheming now?" the girl questioned, placing a hand on her waist and looking at him disapprovingly.

"I'm not 'scheming' anything, so shut up and let me speak for once," he rudely retorted, making Tiff growl. "What I have to say is important. None of you remember what happened in the Void In Between, right? Because I do." Everyone in the room stared at Dedede, stunned. Even Meta Knight snapped out of his stupor and turned to look at the monarch of the other dimension. "So if you still want to save the day, you better listen to me, or else you will doom us all."

"And why should we believe anything you say?" Toni snapped aggressively.

"What's wrong, Miss Princess?" He scoffed with a crooked smile, dismissing any diplomacy or subtlety in what he was about to say. "Are you afraid of me telling your 'four heroes' that you and our Meta Knight were lured into a trap like a good pair of idiots?"

Those words made Toni back away, not just physically, but also in her demeanour.

"What...what are you talking about?" the spider asked, her voice slightly shaky.

"Don't listen to him, Toni. Dedede is just lying. He's plotting something..." Tiff warned her, though her voice didn't sound as confident or assertive as usual.

"All I want is to survive, which I doubt will happen if you make the same mistakes," he stated defensively.

"If you're really telling the truth, then speak," the Meta Knight of that dimension suddenly said. "It might not be too late to save my counterpart."

"You mean my Meta Knight? Has something happened to him?" the other monarch asked, confused.

"Aha, I knew you were lying!" Tiff accused him with anger. "If you really remembered what happened to us in the Void In Between, you'd know that Meta Knight is trapped there!"

"What?!" the other Dedede exclaimed. "Then he... Look, it doesn't matter. There's a reason I don't know what happened to Meta Knight."

"Oh, yeah? And what is it, if I may ask?" Tuff asked condescendingly.

The Dedede from the other dimension's face went red with contained anger. He knew it. He knew these meddlesome kids weren't going to let him speak with their unfounded accusations just because they hated him, and yet he had tried. If that was how things were going to be, maybe he should just turn around and leave.

"Tiff, Tuff. Please stay quiet and let him talk," the older Kirby interrupted the escalating argument. The Ebrum siblings' behaviour was starting to get on his nerves. While he understood their reasons to dislike their Dedede, he found their hostility towards the king quite excessive at that moment. Didn't they realise that their actions were causing more harm than good?

"Stop, poyo. Listen to Dede!" exclaimed baby Kirby almost at the same time as his counterpart, glaring at Tiff and Tuff. In his point of view, they were being very mean to his Dedede. These two had taught him that it was very rude to interrupt someone when they were speaking, but they were the ones doing that right now!

Tiff, Tuff, and their Dedede stared at the two Kirbys, flabbergasted. These two were actually defending Dedede!

In another time, the tyrant would have screamed, “I don’t need the help of a Kirby, let alone two,” but seeing Kirby siding with him against Tiff and Tuff (who, for the puffball, were more like family than friends) of all people had left him speechless. Why? Why, after everything he’d done to him, did he keep giving him chances?

“It's not that he cares about you. He is just pretending to be kind so he can be praised as the 'good and mighty hero' while making you the 'petty tyrant that everyone hates',” his own negativity responded. "And the same applies to the older pink menace."

Suddenly, the ceiling of the room began to tremble. It was like something was hitting it from the floor above with great force. Everyone looked up, only to find it cracking.

“Oh, you gotta be kidding me,” The Dedede who owned the castle groaned. The repairs of the castle weren't even finished, and it was about to be destroyed again. “Let's get out here, quick!” he shouted to the others.

Everyone present left the room in time to avoid the ceiling collapsing on their heads. A cloud of dust and debris rose, almost completely obscuring the figure that descended from the hole.

Toni, Baby Kirby and the inhabitants of that dimension, with the exception of Taranza, stepped forward and raised their weapons (or arms or tongue in their defect) towards the cloud. The reason the spider wizard hadn't joined them was because he'd been frozen when he saw a pair of violently glowing eyes staring directly at him from inside the cloud of dust. The coldness and cruelty they reflected were all too familiar.

“Ḩ̶͓͑v̴̟͒s̵̥̦̄̈f̶̯͗s̴͍͙̔ ̶̦̓m̴͇̦͠ć̵̯͝i̷͙̚ ̷̤͓̀͝ō̵̩̱f̶͉̋̏s̶̳͈̐̈,̵̢̐͠ ̸̪̥̔̓ḧ̴̡̥́͘f̵̢̱̀õ̸͉͒ẘ̶̨̭͌h̶̦̳̿̈c̸̥͓̆̿f̴͎͔̉.̵̙͋͠,” said a distorted voice. The dust cloud began to dissipate, revealing the silhouette of a heavily ornamented huge wasp surrounded by digital-looking particles. It wasn't entirely visible yet, but the Kirby and Dedede of that dimension shuddered in anticipation.

The being inside the cloud then shot out at high speed toward the group, grabbed Taranza by his scarf, and dragged him into the castle, leaving digital particles in its trail.

"Taranza!" everyone (except for the Dedede from the other dimension, who didn't know the name of "that preppy-looking guy") screamed. The older Kirby immediately took off after them, and the rest soon followed.

"What was that thing?!" asked the Dedede from the other dimension as everyone ran. He had joined the chase out of inertia.

"A creature you should hide from," his counterpart replied. The other Dedede looked at him, offended. "The Meta-Knights took your weapon, didn't they? I don't know what kind of deals you had with your universe's Nightmare, but if that Echo is who I think it is, I guarantee it's way more dangerous than any monster you have ever ordered from him. Do you want to be useful? Then stay alive until we take that thing down. We need you." He then looked at the three Waddle Dees. "Stay with him and keep him and yourselves away from danger," he ordered, to which the three Waddle Dees nodded.

The Dedede from the other dimension stopped in his tracks. Someone needed him for real... Well, they actually needed the information he had, but did that small detail really matter when it was the first time someone had genuinely said those words to him?

"Fine. Try not to die," the alternate monarch agreed, the three Waddle Dees now beside him. Then, he pointed at Baby Kirby and shouted, "Especially you, little pink menace! We have unfinished business!"

Baby Kirby didn't reply as he was focused on following the group, but Tiff could see him smile at Dedede's word, making her frown.

The group pursued the kidnapping Echo down the hallway until it suddenly took a turn towards the stairs, gaining a head start. Up or down? The Echo's trail revealed that its destination was the rooftop, so the group hurried up. Once they arrived there, the older Kirby, Dedede, and Toni took the front line, while Bandana Waddle Dee, Gooey, and Meta Knight took the rear, leaving Baby Kirby, Tiff, and Tuff well guarded in the middle.

The rooftop was covered by a huge dome made of magically glowing cobwebs, and it stretched to the sky. From the outside, it most likely looked like a huge sphere with its lowest section located on the rooftop itself. When had it been created and by whom? Why hadn't anyone warned them? Something like that should have raised voices of alarm both in the camp and by the surveilling Meta-Knights, but not a single thing could be heard coming from outside the dome.

And yet, the dome wasn't the most concerning thing, as in the middle of the rooftop was the Echo, who had taken Taranza, looking defiantly at the group.

The older Kirby and Dedede gulped as they verified the Echo's identity. Just as they had feared, it was Sectonia. The creature held Taranza by the neck with one hand while the other pointed at the spider's head with a golden staff. It looked like she was saying, "One wrong move, and I'll shoot him."

"Let him go!" Toni shouted at the Echo in both anger and desperation as soon as she saw the other insectoid in danger. Several questions quickly ran through her mind. Why was the Echo looking at Taranza with such hatred and contempt? Was a personal resentment the reason it had taken him hostage when there were other options? And why did it have one of Floralia's royal staffs? Who had the Echo been in life?

"Behind you!" Taranza warned with a shaking voice and panic on his face.

The group turned just in time to see a monstrous spider enveloped in digital particles descend from above and block the only way out of the roof. The reactions were wide and varied.

The present Dedede was normally afraid of insects, so his face went pale with horror as his phobia rose to the sky.

Meta Knight couldn't help but let out a "What the f…", but the last word was too low for the rest to hear.

Tiff hugged Baby Kirby protectively, while Tuff took refuge beside them and, despite shaking a bit, readied his slingshot. The puffball, on his part, gripped Galaxia tightly, ready to face yet another monster.

Bandee shivered, but he still pointed his spear at the threat.

Gooey stared at the creature intently. No one could tell what was going on inside his head.

Kirby looked impassive on the outside, but on the inside, his heart had sunk as soon as the realisation of what the Echo's existence meant hit him.

Lastly, Toni's reaction was the most visceral one. Anyone would think that a person who had lost all of their loved ones and survived a war had already seen all the horrors of the world, and yet the Echo that loomed over them stirred in Toni the greatest of fears. It was a logical reaction, however, as the creature was the manifestation of a nightmare that still tormented her.

"No... not again, please," the terrified ex-princess mumbled.

Because even if the face of that monstrous spider was deformed and its eyes soulless, it could still be recognised as Taranza's.