Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It starts innocently: with a game of chess.

Bandee taps his hand slowly on the table, eyes narrowed, scrutinizing the board in front of him. In about fifty-six moves, he can have his opponent in check… Unless that's what he's being led to think? Maybe he should have the rook advance only one space and add seven more moves to Step Forty-Nine… No, that compromises Step Fifty-Two. He'd need eighteen more moves to compensate for that maneuver…

He glances up from the chessboard, hoping to discern information from his opponent's face, but Dedede is uncharacteristically inscrutable—beyond a slight, amused smirk, that is. Ugh, why'd Meta Knight have to teach him how to play too? Now none of Bandee's strategies work!

Tentatively, he returns his attention to the board and carefully moves a knight before leaning back in his seat, letting out a long huff of relieved air. As Dedede examines the board, Bandee steals a second to shift his eyes away.

It's a typical day in Popstar—tree leaves rustling in the wind, the green grass of the plains rolling across the earth like a blanket. The sun shyly peeks through the clouds, and little ponds far below glimmer in the light. Waddle Dees scurry around the outdoors table, sweeping and polishing and going about their tasks with practiced, familiar ease. Bandee looks at none of this, instead staring out at the horizon.

It's hidden behind a hill, but Bandee bets if he climbed up to the castle's highest battlements, he could see Kirby's house from here.

The click of wood against wood draws Bandee's attention back to the chessboard. Dedede's moved a pawn a single space up—it's getting a bit close to his side of the board. If his opponent gains another powerful piece back, that's going to turn his plan to pieces—he'll have to skip Step Twenty-Two to take care of it, but that leaves him with a gaping blindspot…

He's so focused on the chessboard he doesn't notice the sudden shadow draping over them—it's the startled squeaking of his fellow Waddle Dees that gets his attention. He lifts his head, and—

A massive, spherical something is descending upon Popstar. Five massive legs are folded up beneath it, gleaming bright green. Ever so slowly, they begin to extend outward.

Dedede is quicker to get his bearings together. "Canonneers!" he shouts, leaping to his feet so fast that his chair wobbles and falls over.

The Waddle Dees bolt into action, forming neat lines to each cannon. Heavy cannonballs are passed along the line to be loaded in, with the same practiced style that was saved for cleaning before.

Before they can fire, the world begins to shake. Bandee gets thrown off his chair, and barely manages to save his head from an unfortunate collision with the wall. The ground rumbles, rumbles, rumbles, rumbles—and then stills.

He remains curled up on the stone floor for a few more seconds before carefully lifting his head, and—

The spherical thing has anchored itself, apparently. One of its legs has drilled deep into the plains, its green glow quite different from the grass it upturned. If he narrows his eyes, he can see another one, made smaller by distance—and yet, it still seems to loom over the land.

Bandee doesn't think he can see Kirby's house anymore.

Above, the spherical object has come to a halt. A hatch opens up at its bottom, and strange, indistinct shapes begin to rain down from it. Some swoop up and fly in formation, heading off in different directions. None of them approach Castle Dedede, which means either this new enemy doesn't know about their status as heroes, or—far worse—they don't care. Bandee swallows down a gulp and gets to his feet, coming to stand aside his king.

The lines of Waddle Dees have also pulled themselves together, and the cannonballs have finally made it to their destination. They're loaded in, the cannons aimed upwards, and—

Dedede roars "FIRE!" and the cannons burst to life. Quickly, another set of cannonballs makes its way down the line and is loaded in.

Bandee's not entirely sure they can even reach—if the strange spherical thing has legs that large, it's likely way out of reach from their cannons. Still, they have to try something, right? They have to.

Then, across the battlefield—a familiar shape sails into view.

The Halberd is too far away for Bandee to make out any details, but if he had to guess, Meta Knight is likely out on the ship's deck, Galaxia in hand. He's always had that sense for dramatics, even when it was to his detriment.

A loud humming fills the air, and Bandee tilts his head back. Above them, a strange pulsating light is burning bright on the lower end of the spherical thing. Was he wrong? Did they hit after all?

The light coalesces into a pulsating, pink-purple ball, and—

It cascades down in the form of a beam, almost too fast for Bandee to process the movement. It pierces straight through the castle's towers, and he can hear the faint wails of Waddle Dees plummeting to earth with the rubble.

Below them, the castle rumbles, its internal structure giving way. Another beam fires, and the upper battlements are shorn clean off. The chessboard wobbles and tilts to the side, knights and rooks and bishops scattering across the stones.

The world begins to give way beneath his feet, but not before Bandee can spot another beam fire towards the Halberd.

A blur of movement obscures his vision, and suddenly large arms are around him. The fluffy sensation of Dedede's cloak presses against his back, and his face is forcefully plunged into the king's feathers. Bandee's eyes widen. "My king—!"

"I've got you—!" Dedede grunts.

Then they fall, and the rubble comes down, and Bandee squeezes his eyes shut.

He seems to be facing upwards when they hit the ground—the air shifts around them as if Dedede had spun in mid air, but Bandee still feels the sudden collision through his king's arms. The world spins briefly, the cracking and collapsing of the castle drowning out everything.

The castle—his home—is falling to pieces around him, and Dedede is suffering for it. The Halberd is probably nothing more than shredded metal, and if Meta Knight was on it with his crew…

Kirby might be—

And Bandee did—

Around him, the sound of stones falling against stones eventually dies into nothing. He doesn't get up, though, clinging to Dedede's shirt, trembling underneath the fluff of his cloak.

he doesn't even notice when the rocks shift over his head.

Chapter Text

The first thing he notices when he wakes up is how cold it is.

Shivering, he wraps his arms around himself and squeezes his eyes shut. Maybe if he just goes back to sleep, the chill will leave his bedchambers…

Except—wasn't it midday? Slowly, dimly, memory returns to him, and—

"MY KING!!"

Bandee jolts upright with a frantic gasp, eyes shooting wide. He's been laying on a cold, metal cot, in a cold, metal cell. The cold, metal door is just across from him, and Bandee rushes to it, slamming his shoulder full-force into it. Pain zings down his side, but he doesn't care.

"WHERE'S THE KING?!" he screams at the door. "WHERE HAVE YOU TAKEN HIM?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

No response. Bandee's breath is coming too fast.

This isn't getting me anywhere. Bandee drags a hand down over his face, trying desperately to steady his breathing. I need to think.

A quick glance around reveals exactly nothing of use. His spear is gone, likely somewhere in the rubble of Castle Dedede, and every wall is smooth steel. There's no clear way out.

But he can't just stay here! Bandee paces up and down his cell, carefully examining each panel of metal on the walls. Maybe one of them is loose, and he can… Well, he can do something with it? He hasn't exactly gotten that far yet.

He's on his fifteenth loop around the cell when the door whizzes open.

"Ah, you're awake," says a feminine voice, making no effort to hide her disappointment.

Bandee whips around to face the door. "Who's—?!"

A strange woman is standing in the door, mostly painted in shadow. Her bright blue eyes gleam through the dark, unblinkingly fixed on Bandee. "You poor, poor native. You must be so scared right now."

Carefully, he slides one foot back. "What do you want?"

She holds out her hand. It's not connected to her body. "We, the Haltmann Works Company, are here to help."

Bandee can only blink. "The… Haltmann Works Company?"

Finally, her piercing gaze shifts away as she shakes her head. "Really? You don't know the biggest conglomerate in the universe? How shameful. And to think you're such a high-regarded member of this primitive planet…"

"Primitive?" he says, indignant. "We aren't—"

"Yes," she says, gently. "Yes, you are. That's why we're here in the first place."

"We aren't primitive," Bandee repeats, trying to comport himself with as much authority as he can. Being that he's the imprisoned one, his effort fails. "You don't need to be here."

"Do you really believe that?" she asks, staring at him again with that uncomfortable gaze. "Or are you just saying that to make yourself feel better?"

He hesitates, probably to his own detriment. "I—"

"It doesn't matter," she cuts him off. "Soon enough, your kind won't be primitive anymore. Isn't that exciting?"

"Wh-what?" Bandee's eyes widen. "Won't be… What are you doing to the Waddle Dees?!"

"It's nothing to be worried about," she says, waving a hand dismissively. "We're just helping."

"You and I have very different definitions of help!"

"That we do, it seems." She backs out of the doorway. "Go on, then, little ones. Show him what you can do."

Bandee backs up until he hits a wall. No spear, no nothing—he's at a loss. Whatever she wants done to him will be done, and there won't be anything he can do about it.

Two figures loom in from either side of the door, slowly marching into the room. It's in unison—Bandee can tell from the way their shadows move. They're rather small, but their footsteps carry weight. What are they going to do?

They round the corner, and—

Oh, Nova.

They're Waddle Dees.

Both of them are covered head to toe in strange armored suits, complete with a strange visor that seems to be entirely made of glass with indecipherable figures flashing across it. Their gazes are utterly empty, and an unfamiliar metallic box sits on their backs. One of the Waddle Dee's holds what looks to be a half-finished suit of armor, with leather wraps and silvery metal. A red H sigil adorns it.

"He—hey!" he shouts, hoping his voice doesn't tremble too much. "I'm your Senior, remember? Stand down!"

No response. They don't even flinch, let alone obey his order. They simply keep marching onwards.

His gaze flicks up. The door's still open.

She's still watching.

"What did you do to them?" he hisses.

This time, she doesn't answer. Just keeps observing, with those big blue eyes.

The Waddle Dees keep getting closer.

Bandee closes his eyes for a split second. Sucks in a breath.

The clunking of footsteps stops, for only a moment.

He leaps.

It's a practiced move, from years and years of spear fighting. He sails right over the Waddle Dees' heads, onto his hands, into another flip. Now, he just needs to get past her.

But how? She's going to be a lot more difficult to get around, especially without weapons. She's blocking the whole door, and while that thin string bean of a body means she's probably pretty unstable, her disconnected hands might provide her an advantage when she's getting up. It would be really bad if one could just launch after him and drag him back.

There's only one course of action he can take here, and it's far from a guarantee of success. Determinedly, he breaks into a sprint, tearing towards the door at full force, then lunges into another leap—

The door slides shut with a mild hiss, and Bandee slams full-force into it. "Gah—!!"

He bounces back, stumbling over himself as he clutches at his head. Dammit, how could he not have considered that alternative? He should've been more subtle about it! Maybe bowled one of the Waddle Dees into her? No, she'd just shut the door still—and he can't use one of his own kind as a weapon! What is he THINKING?

What to do, what to do—There's no solution to this problem. This isn't one of the games he plays with Dedede. There's no hand of cards, combination of moves, questions for extra points. He's the only piece on the board, and this is a no-win condition match.

The Waddle Dees loom ever closer. Even if he dodges them again, he has nowhere to go. Yeah, he figures he could probably try to take them head on—he's got a little combat experience outside of just using his spear, after all—but… he can't hurt Waddle Dees, especially if they don't know what they're doing. They'll catch up to him eventually, and he won't be prepared to handle what they've been assigned to do. If he waits, here and now, then maybe he can figure something out.

They stop directly in front of him, one on his right and one on his left, their visors flashing with lights and colors so fast Bandee's surprised they can see anything.

The right Waddle Dee reaches out and grabs Bandee with a surprisingly firm grip. They tug him away from the wall, wrenching his right hand behind his back and pulling his left hand away from his side. He tries desperately to wrestle free, but it's to no avail.

"Wait," Bandee pleads, no longer bothering to hide the fear in his voice. "You don't want to do this. I'm your Senior!"

The left Waddle Dee adjusts their grip on the device in their hands and slowly drag it onto Bandee's left arm.

Suddenly, the world explodes into pain. Hot, burning pain, crawling into his nerves and scurrying its way into the rest of his body. A scream rips out of him before he's even aware of what's happening. The pain builds, and builds, and builds—

and then it stops.

As if on cue, the door slides open.

"There, there," Susie, secretary of the Haltmann Works Company, coos from the doorway. "Isn't that all better?"

Two figures turn to face her in tandem. The third is still slumped on the floor, breathing heavily, his gaze hollow and aimed at some small screw on the floor.

"What," Bandee whispers, "did you do to me?"

Susie's brow furrows a bit. "How are—"

"What did you DO TO ME?!" Bandee's shout echoes off the cold walls, his head snapping up. He pulls himself to his feet and pushes past the two Waddle Dees.

One falls over onto the ground with a clunk. He doesn't even look over his shoulder.

"We made you better!" she says, with forced delight in her voice. "Aren't you better?"

"Better? Better?!" he snaps. "Look at me! Look at what you've done!"

The leather wraps have been tugged and secured on his arm. Heavy metal plates rest along his arm, with a massive plate sitting atop his head. No screws are visible—they seem to simply be flush with his flesh. They don't seem to impede his movement at all, though, as he continues towards the door. "I didn't need this! I didn't want this!"

Suddenly, he stops, jolting back a bit. "Wait. Did you…?"

"There must be a glitch in your systems!" Susie suddenly announces. She floats back from the door, reaching out to a panel alongside it. "Waddle Troopers, knock him down. We'll have to do repairs."

Once again, the door shuts. Bandee whirls to face the so-called Waddle Troopers, narrowing his eyes. "… Okay."

In unison, their expressions still unchanging, the Waddle Troopers begin to advance. Bandee does not back away. He simply holds up his left arm, and…

BOOM!

The door blows out into the hallways, dented panels of metal slamming against the walls and clattering to the floor. Loud alarms ring out throughout the ship, and red lights burst to life on the ceiling. Bandee casually steps out into the hall, quickly glancing up and down. A pair of goggles sits upon his forehead, and a metallic set of boosters adorn his back. Back in the room, the Waddle Troopers lie limp on the floor—still breathing, but unconscious.

Susie's nowhere to be seen. She must have run, he reasons.

It doesn't matter. He needs to find the King. Dedede can fix this whole situation—Bandee knows he can.

He turns to start making his way down the hall, and—

Standing in his way is a whole horde (maybe around ten to twenty) of Waddle Troopers, all dead-faced. In sync, cannons emerge from their backs, and a thousand little tiny dots of light converge directly on Bandee.

The cannons begin to hum, glowing with a familiar pink-purple light.

"Alright then," Bandee says.

He spins on his heel and sets off on a sprint through the halls of the Access Ark.

Far away, a man sits upon an elaborate golden throne. In front of him are several monitors, depicting the halls in chaos—troops marching in perfect formation, hotly pursuing that one tiny dot of orange-blue that still yet flees.

The door to the room hisses open, and Susie tears in, panting as if she'd sprinted the whole way—despite not having any legs. "Sir! He's—"

"I know," the man intons, pulling thoughtfully on his purple mustache.

"… Right," Susie mumbles, glancing at the monitors. "Of course you do."

"It'll escape," he continues, ignoring her. "We'll need to reconfigure some of the Waddle Troopers to prioritize agility, so no more of this occurs."

"Yes, sir," Susie nods. "I'll see to it that this is handled right away. I'll capture it myself while Doctor—"

"No," the man interrupts.

"N-no?" Susie repeats.

"You will not pursue it." The man shakes his head. "It just isn't as valuable as the rest of our merchandise. Not worth your time."

"It has valuable equipment!" Susie points out, floating up so she's standing next to the monitors and gesturing at the tiny orange dot tearing down another hall. "Look at it! We can't seriously let it get away with that, can we?"

"Actually, yes," he says. "Yes, we can. And we will."

"What?" Susie turns to face him, eyes wide.

A smile spreads across his face.

"It's a perfect test for our newest products, don't you think?"

Chapter Text

They're always there.

Every time he stops to gather his bearings, there's Waddle Troopers, marching straight towards him. He can't escape.

Bandee blasts down the hallway as fast as his new boosters will let him, glancing around for any possible solution. Finding the King like this is going to be impossible!

"C'mon, c'mon," he mutters to himself. There has to be some solution.

He keeps running, even as his breath begins to heave. Just a little farther, just a little farther—

He rounds a corner, and sees a door at the end of the hallway. A blindly bright red sticker is posted on it, reading "NO UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY."

Bandee spares a glance over his shoulder at the approaching army, then quickly refocuses his gaze ahead. Considering how recent the… reprogramming was, he highly doubts they'll have authorization. Maybe he can use that to buy himself some time to breathe?

Leaving nothing but smoke in his wake, he charges down the hallway and slams, with all of his weight, into the door.

It heaves under the pressure, then creaks, and snaps clean from the wall.

Bandee goes down with it, hitting the ground with a huff of air. He shakes off the momentary daze and jerks his head up, and—

It's like he's in an entirely different world.

The room's walls are colored a soft pink, and the floor is covered in a fluffy carpet. There's wooden furniture—a well-made bed, a pristinely-kept dresser, a perfectly-organized bookshelf—all painted a calm white. Papers are held up by magnets on each wall, decorated with little stick figures and messy scribbles. A window spreads across the far wall, likely giving an amazing view of Popstar down below.

It would look idyllic, if everything wasn't coated in a thick layer of dust.

The clank of footsteps snaps him back to reality, and Bandee quickly stands up, backing away from the door. The Waddle Troopers have formed a massive, organized unit just outside the door, their gaze unshakably fixed on him.

Then, in a thousand squeaky voices, all at once—

"You are unauthorized to enter this location. Leave immediately."

"Wha…?" Bandee blinks.

"Leave immediately!" The lead Waddle Trooper's cannon unfolds, but it doesn't target. "Leave immediately!"

Frantic, he glances around and finds no other exits. It's either march straight into the army of his enemy, or sit here and hope that they don't vaporize him. Both are not very good options.

Urgh, he should have paid more attention to where he was going! Some thought might've kept him OUT of this situation!

"Leave immediately!"

Could he move something in front of the open doorway to block their attacks? Somehow, he doesn't think they'd allow that. Maybe he can wedge the busted door back into place? They'd probably knock it back down again, but maybe that'll buy him some time…

"Leave immediately!"

Panic wells in his throat. He has nowhere to go and nothing to try. He has to turn himself back in, except that's not an option either!

His frenetic gaze sweeps across the room, looking for anything—

Wait a minute…

"Leave—"

"You want me to leave?" he demands, breathlessly.

The Waddle Troopers don't respond. They just keep watching.

"Fine!" Bandee shouts. "I'll leave!"

He leaps up on the bed, feeling the sheets rustle beneath his feet. Without hesitation, he kicks his boosters back into gear and slams, full-force, into the window.

He bounces right off, back onto the bed. Blinking, he glances up and sees a network of cracks have formed in the glass. They must've reinforced it, or something.

Behind him, the voices of the Waddle Troopers rise up in unison. "Damage detected! Emergency authorization to enter requested!"

That's not good. Bandee quickly rushes back to his feet and slams against the window again. The cracks expand further, but the window still doesn't shatter.

"Emergency authorization granted!"

"No, no, not yet," Bandee murmurs, voice shaking. He pulls back, lunges forward, and—

Suddenly, he is in empty air.

The world spins around him—grey, green, brown, black, all mixing together in some sort of shapeless mosaic. Little fragments of glass glimmer around him, catching the sunlight and indubitably reflecting it right into his eyes. Bandee throws out his arms in a desperate attempt to regain some balance, but that ends up working more to his detriment, as the movement only makes it harder to tell up from down.

Just over his shoulder, he hears the roar of an engine turning on, and with a jolt, the world stabilizes.

It's night—deep and dark. Above him, blotting out all the stars, looms a massive, metallic spherical ship—the Access Ark, he realizes. He'd fallen far enough that he can't clearly make out where he'd jumped off anymore.

Below him is Popstar, still thousands of feet below. Everything is indistinct from this far up, but he thinks he can see the rubble of Castle Dedede from here…

Wait. Crap. Dedede. He'd almost forgotten.

Bandee twists back around, looking up again. The Access Ark is massive, and likely on high alert after his breakout. There's no way he'd be able to find a safe way in to get to the King now.

But he can't just fly off and leave Dedede in there. There has to be something he can do… Maybe he can circle back around and find another way in…?

Staring up at it now, floating alone in the air, Bandee suddenly feels… so, so small. Escaping it was a fluke—how could he ever think he could repeat that feat, let alone rescue Dedede? Especially since they're likely reinforcing security right now…. The Waddle Troopers haven't even bothered to chase him any farther. Clearly, he's of no real importance here.

Strategically, the best option right now would be to retreat. Let the Company stretch themselves thin chasing them down, and then sneak back in when he can. Hell, Dedede's far from the only person who needs his help right now.

But that's not a solution. Bandee needs a solution.

If it were any of the others in this position, they'd already be solving the problem by now. Kirby'd be making his way through the Ark, Dedede'd be smashing through the opposing army, and Meta Knight'd be directing the Halberd to destroy the Ark.

Bandee can do none of that. Bandee doesn't have a solution.

All he has are problems.

Shaking his head, he turns away from the Access Ark. If he goes back in right now, it will be a disaster. He'll get recaptured and that won't do anyone any good.

Not like he's going to do anyone any good out here on his own anyways…

Descending proves to be a chore in and of itself, but he manages to do it safely with little bursts from his jet engines. On his way down, his shoulder begins to ache, and ache, and ache. His muscles are twitching, pressing against his flesh as if they were trying to break out. His engines begin to sputter, and his short falls become less orderly and more desperate as the pain increases, evolving from a dull pulsing to an intense throbbing. Eventually, he makes contact with the ground, and what was supposed to be a smooth landing turns into a stumbling collapse.

Breathless, Bandee slumps onto the cold panels of metal. His arm is burning, like something is moving beneath the skin. He curls up, clutching desperately at the offending limb, squeezing his eyes shut as hard as he can—

And then it stops.

The pain eases, and Bandee doesn't move for a very long moment. Then, he squeaks an eye open, and—

Bouncing away, there's a bright blue star enscribed with some sort of strange insignia. It vanishes into several little pieces before he can get a clear look.

Bandee glances down at his hands, pats his head. The goggles, the boosters—all of it is gone. The device they put on him has reverted to its original form.

Frankly, he's not quite sure what he did to make it change forms… or, well, to make him change forms. It just sort of happened, and he didn't exactly have time to question it.

Groaning, he pushes himself to his feet. Every inch of his body tingles with exhaustion, and it doesn't take long for Bandee to deduce that his adrenaline has well and truly run out.

It's harder to pinpoint his location now that many of his usual landmarks have been obscured by technology, but he's been to this area enough times not to need them.

Bandee turns, tugging himself up the nearest hill. At its crest, he stops to breathe, staring down at the miniature valley below.

He'd never say that Castle Dedede was stifling, or tiring, or anything bad! But sometimes, it would just get too much, and that's when he'd slip away to Kirby's house to catch his breath and recompose himself. Kirby never seemed to mind—he always had apple juice ready when Bandee was coming over.

He probably shouldn't expect apple juice now.

A pipe has pierced directly through the roof—bronze metal, it seems, connected to a strange lightbulb-like structure. It plunges into the earth, surrounded by randomly placed metallic plates. Bandee's not exactly sure how that's helping the Haltmann Works Company's effort, but he's too tired for questioning right now.

Carefully, Bandee makes his way over to the house and slowly pulls the door open. "Kirby?"

The ruins are worse on the inside. Everything's been knocked to the floor—books and pillows and piles of food. Moonlight cuts cleanly into the room through the gaps the pipe made, and tiny bits of rubble and dust decorate Kirby's floor.

There's no sign of Kirby himself. Bandee slowly walks over to the bed, and leans down to pick up the picture frame that had been vibrated off the nightstand.

It's an old picture—they'd had it taken back when they'd first met, after they'd helped rescue Ripple Star from Dark Matter. Their medals are still around their necks. Nova, that had been a rush and a half—he still doesn't feel like he really deserves the honor.

Still, they're both there. Kirby's smiling and Bandee's waving for the camera. Kirby is safe, and he is safe, and everyone is safe. There's no dangerous, domineering universal corporations destroying their homes.

Bandee sighs and sets the picture face down on the nightstand. Quietly, he brushes the rubble off the bed and pulls down the covers, crawling into it. The metal edges of his arm press into his body, but he shuts his eyes anyways.

Maybe the others will have solved the problem by the time he gets up.

Just like always.

Chapter Text

Bandee is awake in time with the sun.

Really, it's his fault. He should've figured that sleeping directly under a gaping hole in the roof wouldn't have lended itself well to rest.

Regardless, Bandee needs to get moving. The others are still out there, probably doing their best to fight back against the Haltmann Works Company. If he wants to meet up with them—and he really, really does—joining that battle is probably his best bet.

Flying up to the Access Ark is no longer an option, though, after he lost whatever power up he'd gotten last night. He'll have to find another way in. And, lucky for him, the company's provided an easy way up—right through the legs.

Five in total, with the closest one being right here in the plains. It'll take some trekking to get there, and usually Bandee would have full faith in himself to handle it. However, he doesn't have his spear at the moment, and he highly doubts he'll be able to get close to the leg peacefully.

So, he'll make a detour. Go round and cut through the woods (or what's left of them). He doesn't doubt that most of their supplies got crushed, but some of Castle Dedede's armory could still be standing. He'll even take a parasol if he has to!

"Yeah," he says to himself, nodding calmly. "That works as a plan."

Instead of moving, he just stands there, staring into space.

Then, trembling, he sinks to the floor and grabs his head, his breathing suddenly unsteady.

Why does he know what the Haltmann Works Company is? Where did he learn the name of the Access Ark? No, forget that, HOW did he learn it? Who is Susie and why is she important?

(Was that power from last night a Copy Ability? He banishes the thought from his mind the moment it appears. There's no way the Haltman Worms Company would ever be able to understand Kirby's abilities enough to mechanize them. That would require catching Kirby first, after all, and that just doesn't happen.)

Sobs catch in his chest as he tries to breathe. What did they do to him? What are they doing to Popstar?

Focus, he tells himself sharply. You won't get any work done like this.

And that's true. Their quartet has already been reduced to a trio—if the Company had found Bandee, they'd found Dedede too, after all—and he has to take up responsibility accordingly.

But before he leaves, there's one last thing he has to do.

After everything with Ripple Star, Kirby had asked Adeline to teach him how to paint. Bandee knows those supplies are still here somewhere… Ah! There! Inside that cupboard!

He pulls out the set of acrylics and sifts through them until he settles on a shade of gold. Determinedly, he squeezes some out from the tube onto a bit of rubble, than haphazardly dips a paintbrush in it and slaps the paint against the logo on the device he was equipped with. The result is a sloppily painted golden star over the Haltmann logo, tiny little drops staining the panel of armor, but Bandee doesn't care.

He doesn't belong to them, no matter what they think.

Forcing his breaths to even out, Bandee pushes himself back up to his feet and exits the house.

Apparently, the Waddle Troopers are only one subset of the roboticized Waddle Dees.

Some were wandering around dazedly in bright yellow walker machines. Some were carrying massive spike pillars between them for no discernible reason (seriously, how does that help 'improve the planet' or whatever?). They don't show him any hostility, or really acknowledge his existence at all, so Bandee just weaves past them as best he can.

His journey is put to a flat halt, however, by perhaps the most ridiculous obstacle possible: a massive oil barrel, blocking the entry to a small tunnel shortcut they'd installed years ago.

Bandee sighs and glances behind him. The Waddle Dees don't seem bothered by his presence, so he supposes he can take his time. Turning back to the bigger issue, he narrows his eyes and puts a hand to his chin.

All of the others would have simply busted through it by now, but Bandee doesn't exactly have the strength to do that. Going around is possible, but that would require going off the path—and with the havoc that's been wreaked on their environment, it would be much harder to navigate.

He steps forward and knocks at the barrel. Hm… Sounds hollow. Maybe he could roll it out of the way? No, that would require him to knock it over, and without his spear or even a parasol, he's the exact same as any average Waddle Dee.

Is there anything around that can help him? Bandee turns around, blinking and carefully looking for an opportunity when his eyes land on one of the Waddle Dees in hard hats.

Maybe…

"Excuse me!" he calls, hurrying over. "Could you help me with something?"

The Waddle Dee does not respond. Their expression doesn't even change, bumping into his shoulder and trundling onwards. Bandee turns to follow them, reaching out with his left hand. "Hey, wait—"

One of the armor panels suddenly folds open, and with a pinprick of pain, a small device rises out of the freshly-made slot. Before Bandee can even progress what's happening, streams of blue light burst from the device, wrapping around the Waddle Dee as he walks away. Just as suddenly as they'd appeared, though, the lights disappear, and the device slides back into the slot. Some sort of miniature cannon emerges next, with its own shot of pain.

In front of him, the Waddle Dee sways back and forth on their feet for a moment. Then—

They slump to the ground, face first.

"Nononononono—" Bandee tears over to their side, carefully rolling them over. "Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Their eyes are completely shut and they don't respond no matter how much he shakes them. His breathing shaky, Bandee presses a hand against their chest. Please, please—I didn't mean—

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

It's slow, but it's there.

Bandee's hackles drop, and he lets out a sigh of relief. Thank Nova.

Carefully, he lifts the Waddle Dee over his head and places them to the side of the path. If anyone else comes through, they won't be trampled.

Then, he glances at the cannon on his arm.

Next to it, a strange screen panel has emerged. He doesn't remember feeling anything—the panic must have obscured the pain. On the screen, a symbol of a star flashes.

Bandee glances up, back towards the oil barrel. Maybe…

He leaps over the spike pillar again and raises his arm, aiming directly at the barrel.

Nothing happens.

"Uh," Bandee says, eloquently. How does he—?

Suddenly, the cannon explodes in a burst of light, and he's flung backwards by the recoil. Bandee lands hard on his back with a "Whoof!"

Not so far away, there's a loud bang and the clattering of metal. Bandee rolls over, covering his head on instinct as he catches his breath. After a few moments of nothing happening, he sits up and looks over his shoulder.

The barrel's gone. The only sign it had ever been there are a few red, cracked metal panels sitting before the tunnel. Just down the way, he can see another oil barrel blocking the exit.

Well then.

Bandee glances at his arm, and blinks. The cannon has folded in, and the armor slot has sealed shut again. Why are these even here? he thinks.

Carefully, he stands up and makes his way back to the passed-out Waddle Dee. Determinedly, he points down at them with his left hand.

Nothing happens.

Damn it. Bandee pulls back and glares down at his arm. How'd he get it to work the first time?

… The Waddle Dee hadn't been passed out, he realizes. Turning around, he spots another blank-eyed Dee stumbling towards him.

Wait—no, he can't just do it! What if the Waddle Dees never wake up?!

Bandee lifts a hand to his chin. What else, what else… He needs to get through this barrel, preferably without putting anyone else in a coma.

Making sure his arm is pointed directly down at the ground, Bandee frowns at it. "Is there anything you can do without forcing me to hurt others?"

Nothing. Bandee shakes his head. He'll just have to find a way to muscle past it then. He takes a deep breath and—

Pain zings through his arm, and the cannon reemerges with its screen. Now, instead of a star on the screen, it shows a small puff of air.

Bandee stares at the arm for a few more seconds, but it does nothing more. Carefully, he aims towards the oil barrel, narrows his eyes, and—

There's no recoil this time, thank Nova, but the blast of air barely makes it past the spike pillar, still swinging in the middle of the path.

Sighing, he leaps the pillar once again and makes his way over to the oil barrel. He takes another deep breath, and the cannon reemerges.

The blast makes contact, and cracks spread throughout the barrel. He repeats the attack, and the barrel explodes like the other one, although with less fanfare.

It won't work as a spear replacement. But it'll do for now.

Bandee slips through the small exit of the tunnel and pops out, coming face to face with an empty-eyed Sparky.

Almost instantly, it bursts into volts of electricity with a high-pitched hum. Bandee stumbles back, just barely managing to evade the attack.

Weaponless as he is now, his ability to fight is almost null. He does know some moves that don't require any equipment, but there's no way he can get by on just those. And if the path is loaded with enemies like this—

The Sparky hops closer, and Bandee carefully shifts back, one step at a time. He can't let himself be stopped so early in his adventure.

With a huff, Bandee lifts his arm, sucking in a breath—

And out comes the bright, blazing blue light.

By the time he realizes what's happening, it's already too late. The Sparky is falling out of a jump, eyes closed, and it’s like Bandee’s been hit by lightning.

Bandee crumples on the ground, grasping his head. Every inch of his nervous system is burning. His entire body twitches, little bits at a time—first his hand, then his foot, then his eye. His breath keeps escaping him just when he thinks he's about to get it. Needles cut in and out of his skin, and his brain coalesces to a singular point of pain—

He convulses, once, twice, and then is still.

Head spinning, Bandee manages to get his feet under him. His body jolts again, against his will, and it takes everything to keep upright. He reaches up and pats his head, feeling some sort of strange ring wrapped tight around his skull—and some odd form of energy emerging from it.

"No…!” Bandee murmurs shakily, staring down at his metallic arm. The painted panel has folded up, revealing a brand-new, much heftier cannon. Within the barrel, he can spot a faintly greenish-blue glow.

He needs to be more careful. To hurt as few as he can.

Bandee scoops up the Sparky and lays it aside, underneath a couple bushes (he checked the heartbeat, just to be sure—and there it was, strong and hard.). Then, he lifts his head and closes his eyes, feeling… something tingle its way up his veins.

He just has to keep going. He'll find the others, and they'll put an end to this.

Together.