Well, here it is guys! Here's that side-story that I promised I'd get to you! I'm quite the fan of Kirby as you can see, but I'm more so a fan of that one adorable awesome Waddle Dee that has that spear and bandana! After seeing him in action in Kirby's Return to Dreamland and Rainbow Curse, I thought that he might make a pretty good fighter for Smash Bros.! At the time, the ballot was currently taking votes, so I think you know who I picked. Sadly, my efforts were for naught, but hey, I figured that I may as well make an AU of it (besides, we know that he and a bunch of other characters'll have a shot on the Switch, which we know WILL happen eventually; it's only a matter of time). Before we start, you might noticed that I am a little less developed in my writing in this one than my main project, which is because I was pretty much a novice at the time of writing it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one-shot! And as always, Nintendo owns its characters, not me.

Bandana Dee's Smashing Experience

It was another lonely day in Castle DeDeDe. Well, at least for Bandana Dee. Sure, Escargoon, Commander Waddle Doo, and the other Waddle Dees were there. Sure, Tiff, Tuff, and all the other staff were there. They were great friends to have around, but they weren't his best friends. Usually, your best friend isn't always some hero of the place you live at, but this fellow's best friends were more than that. They were a certain pink hero from Dreamland, the King of Dreamland, and another shady hero of Dreamland (complete with a mask!). You know who I'm talking about; Kirby, King DeDeDe, and Meta Knight! Everyone cared for him truly, as he did for them. In fact, if it wasn't for them, he wouldn't be brought up to where he was today; he would just be among the other Waddle Dees, wandering aimlessly around Dreamland. One adventure with Kirby, King DeDeDe, Adeline, and Ribbon changed that completely! He was brought even higher when he got to adventure with Kirby, King DeDeDe, and Meta Knight on an adventure to save the universe! And when King DeDeDe was kidnapped for the next adventure Kirby had, Bandana Dee assisted him, and even DeDeDe when he went on his own adventure after Kirby had saved him. Finally, when King DeDeDe and Meta Knight could do nothing to help Kirby in his latest adventure, as they were felled by the life and color draining curse, Bandana Dee saw to it to join Kirby, along with two other copies of himself, created by a paintbrush fairy friend, Elline, born from his own spirit and personality. They were still among the living after his adventure, and they were with him, but they too, missed their three friends. Where were they, speaking of which? They were at the best place ever, the place where other heroes came from their own universes and fought for glory, to brandish their fighting skills, where new friends (and enemies!) were made! In Smash Bros.! So, what were the Bandana Dees doing here? Just watching over the other waddle dees in Castle DeDeDe. As fun as that was, it was only fun with their friends around. "This must be how Kirby felt like when he was adventuring alone all those times," they thought to themselves. The saddest thing about the situation however, is that they couldn't join them. Not without an invitation to Smash Bros. They felt worry for their friends. They wanted to help. They wanted to be there too and be let in on some of the fun and action. They missed their friends. It would totally be sensible to let Bandana Dee be a fighter in Smash Bros.! There were so many reasons! He would be the fourth representative of Dreamland! He would introduce spear fighting to Smash Bros.! And he was more than just another waddle dee! When they went to bed that night, they looked up in the sky, and then back down, entering their imagination. They could see it now; fighting alongside Kirby, King DeDeDe, and Meta Knight! They just wished so badly that they could be accepted…

4 Days Later…

The mail for the day came to Castle DeDeDe. Commander Waddle Doo, as usual, collected the mail for everyone. However, as he handed out mail to everyone, when he got to the Bandana Dees' mail, he noticed a familiar red stamp with a cross logo on it… This could only mean one thing! In alarm, he quickly scurried to Escargoon's room and showed it to him. He too, was surprised. Eventually, they discussed their plans of who would command the waddle dees and when, and made a little good-bye and congratulations party for the Bandana Dees, all done before they even woke up! (Well, in truth, they kept them asleep until they were done.) When the Bandana Dees woke up and looked at the time, they saw it was 10:00 A.M. In shock, they quickly reported to work, hoping Escargoon and Commander Doo wouldn't be too mad. Instead, they found a Congratulations and Good-Bye Party. "What?!" said the red Bandana Dee. "Are we being replaced?!" asked the green one worriedly. "What's goin' on?" asked the yellow Bandana Dee. "Oh, nothing, just that you won't be seeing us for a while," said Escargoon standing next to a few bags. "Huh?" They all said in confusion. "It's time we stop hiding it from them, Escargoon," Commander Doo said. "Hiding what?" asked Green. "Oh, just this," said Escargoon, presenting them that envelope Commander Waddle Doo found in the mail that morning. As the blue bandana clad original of the three waddle dees looked at the envelope, his eyes suddenly brightened with interest as soon as he saw the stamp on the envelope. When he opened it, and read the letter, his eyes widened, and he froze in place. "What? What does it say?" asked the yellow Bandana Dee. "Let us see!" said the green one. The red Bandana Dee handed them the letter, fainting in the process. When they read the letter, they did the same. "Guys, wake up!" said Escargoon. "The Halberd's going to be here soon to pick you up!" "I-I just can't believe it!" said Red Bandana Dee. "We're finally recognized!" said Green. "Took them long enough!" said Yellow, humorously. "This is so great!" said Green. "Finally, we get to fight alongside King DeDeDe, Kirby, and Meta Knight!" Right after he said that however, he felt curious about something. "But wait, who's gonna watch over everything and everyone while we're gone?" he then said. "Don't worry about that!" Commander Doo replied. "We'll make sure everything's nice and tidy for you until you come back," he assured the bandana-clad Waddle Dees. "Thank you!" they all replied. They enjoyed the little good-bye party until the Halberd came for the Bandana Dees. "Bye, and congrats on the invitation again!" said Escargoon as the door to the ship was closing. "See you later, and thank you for everything!" the Bandana Dees replied in unison. As the ship was taking off, the three couldn't help but imagine and discuss with one another what they were going to do once they got there. As they were sitting around, waiting to get to their destination, a screen lit up with an image of a pair of two hands that, to them, looked quite similar to the Grab Hands they encountered on their latest big adventure with Kirby. "Welcome to Smash Brothers!" the pair of hands said in unison. "I am Master Hand," one said. "And I am Crazy Hand," said the other. "We look forward to seeing you fight in Smash Bros. real soon! We will teach you the basics of fighting, help you choose the moves you want to utilize, and overall, make sure that you have an awesome fighting experience!" The Bandana Dees looked at the video with interest, until the screen went static for a moment, and the hands were in a place that had Bandana Dees of multiple colors in the background. "Now, the message you just saw is for everyone, but this one is just for you, personally!" announced Crazy Hand. "We know how soon you want to get back together with your friends, so we will try to train you as fast as possible for a beginning team fight with your friends, against some adversaries! We will do our best to help and put this plan into action, but you will need to put in time and commitment into doing this as well!" "What do you say?" asked Master Hand. The three bandana-clad Waddle Dees looked at each other before saying anything. "I would do anything to fight alongside Kirby, King DeDeDe, and Meta Knight as soon as possible!" said Green boldly. "Same here!" said Yellow. "I agree with the both of you!" said their red leader. "Well, knowing you, what other answer could we possibly expect?" said Master Hand. "But then comes the question: which one of you will fight alongside your pals?" That made the Bandana Dees stop in their tracks and do some thinking. "We could become one again," said Green optimistically. "No, I like us how we are," said Red. "Actually, that is possible," Master Hand claimed. "No, there is another way! I just know it! They were almost there when they finally made their decision. "It doesn't seem like there's any other way," said Yellow. "No! I might be the original, but that doesn't mean I want to do that!" "Now hold on," said Master Hand. "I have a solution. Just for this first fight, you guys can become one, and then afterwards, you can split up again! What do you say? You guys would share the same fighting experience in one body. It's up to you." "Mmm, fine. If that's the best way to do things, then that sounds plausible," said Red, trying to hold his sad thoughts from the others. "It's fine Red!" said Green rather excitedly. "To be honest, I feel sad too, but our dream is finally gonna come true!" Yellow, trying to cheer up Red, tried pepping him up by saying, "After all, we're not saying good-bye to each other! Well, we sort of are, but only for now! Now come on, we've got some friends to say hello to and impress!" If he had a mouth, he would have a bold smile right now. He really wanted his brother to cheer up. They were finally going to be there along with their friends. Not something they wanted to pass up! When they got off the Halberd, they put their bags in the "Kirby Family's Room," and went straight to the cloning room where they would become one again. "All right, here we go. Everyone ready?" Crazy Hand asked. "Yes," said the Bandana Dees in unison. While the beam was charging up, Red decided to say a few last words. "Guys, thanks for helping me fight alongside and protect Kirby. And, while we were one, which we will soon be again, thanks for being there, inside of us as a whole, driving our fighting spirit to where it was today, and helping everyone else! We all wouldn't be here without each other," he concluded. "Aww, no problem," Green happily cheered. "Always glad to help!" "When we're one again, let's all work our hardest to become the best player four King DeDeDe, Kirby, and Meta Knight have ever seen!" Yellow shouted in triumph! If Crazy Hand had eyes right now (which would be creepy), he would totally have just shed a tear for this scene. The beam hit the Bandana Dees, turning them back into the one Bandana Dee we all know (and love) today. When Bandana Dee picked himself up from the ground again, he saw that he was just one, yet he never could have felt closer to his brothers. Though not physically able to be seen, the three Bandana Dees raised up their spear, and shouted triumphantly, "We will do our very best! We will make them all proud! King DeDeDe, Kirby, and Meta Knight, all the same! When trouble approaches, we'll be at their side! For now, with special thanks to Master Hand and Crazy Hand, we can! BRING IT ON FOES! OUR FRIENDS HAVE ONE MORE ALLY AT THEIR SIDE NOW!" The two hands of Smash Bros. could do nothing but clap at this exciting battle cry. "Where do we start?" asked Bandana Dee confidently. Bandana Dee trained the hardest he could for his upcoming battle. He made sure every special, every smash attack, every fine detail of his battle strategy was created so as to make him a suitable fighter, not only for his friends, but for Smash Bros. as well. However, Crazy Hand had another plan up his sleeve: he wanted to do everything in his power to keep Bandana Dee from seeing his friends until the big fight. Crazy as the plan sounded, it worked. The day came 2 days from Bandana Dee's arrival, and he was ecstatic to finally get in on some action and reunite with his best friends. However, they were fighting on Palutena's Temple, meaning everyone would start pretty far away from each other. When the fight was beginning, Bandana Dee, as well as his friends, saw their opponents, and immediately the whole concept of "enemies sparking a fire of rivalry into you" made sense to the blue bandana wearing Waddle Dee. For these opponents were faced quite often by Kirby, King DeDeDe, and Meta Knight. They were none other than King Bowser and three of his kids, Bowser Jr., Larry, and Lemmy. They were all quite mischievous, both in fighting, and in what they would bet for the fights. One time, they bet the Links that if they lost, they would turn them into Koopas! Fortunately, Shadow Link saved them all from the inevitable. Anyways, no bets were used, but since neither side (with the obvious exception of Bandana Dee) knew of Team Kirby's "player 4," Team Bowser thought that a 3 vs. 4 loss would be humiliating enough. Well, Bandana Dee was about to surprise everyone with his presence.

A Few Minutes into the Fight…

Things weren't really going as expected. Team Kirby was losing pretty badly, 20 stock remaining, compared to Team Bowser's 28. What was Bandana Dee doing? Trying to get to the others, only to get knocked back by some attack, forcing him to attack from a distance. It was barely keeping Team Kirby on the edge; he needed to get in there. He didn't lose any stock yet, though he was at 89%. It didn't matter. "Even if we don't win, I at least want to leave this fight knowing I made myself known, and that I did something useful," Bandana Dee exclaimed. Then the Smash Ball came into view. He needed that. That was his team's only chance. That was his only chance to prove himself in battle and reveal himself. "You done yet?" asked Bowser mockingly. "Aww, you tired?" asked Jr. nonchalantly. "Face it: you're done!" said Lemmy. "Yeah, after this move owns you!" said Larry, already approaching the Smash Ball, when suddenly, it vanished! "Wha-?" Larry exclaimed in confusion. "What's wrong? Did you get it?" asked Bowser. "No," Larry said, still confused. "Did any of you two get it?" Bowser asked the other two. "N- No?" they said in unison. "I heard the sound of someone getting it," Bowser said in growing confusion. "I didn't get it, you didn't either, and they didn't get it," he said pointing to the exhausted Kirby, King DeDeDe, and Meta Knight. "So who did?" He wondered to himself, hand to his chin. It was a bad idea just standing there in confusion, all together not to mention it, because, out of nowhere, all four members of Team Bowser felt a painful jab go through them. This left them vulnerable to the next phases of this mysterious attack. All Kirby, King DeDeDe, and Meta Knight did was watch in awe and confusion; they never saw a Final Smash like this before! All they saw was a flurry of spears, which reminded them of the spears the Waddle Dees used back at the castle. Were they even awake?! This couldn't be real! No one in the history of Smash Bros. ever used a spear to fight! So what was this?! Could Bandana Dee finally have been accepted to Smash Bros.?! No! This had to be their imaginations! Or was it?! As the final blow of the attack was prepared, a familiar voice was heard. "All right guys!" it said. "Time to wrap this up!" "HeeeeeeeeeeeeYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Multiple voices soon cried. Bowser, Jr., Larry, and Lemmy were all thrusted far beyond the smash line, and exploded in a brilliant array of red colors! As the glow from the attack died down, King DeDeDe asked in shock, "B- Bandana Dee?" "Is it certain?" asked Meta Knight in awe. "I- Is t-t- that you?" Kirby asked. "Who else would wish so desperately to fight alongside you?" the voice replied. Before the glow from the Final Smash dissipated completely, they knew it was their friend. When the little orange-red warrior turned, Kirby, King DeDeDe, and Meta Knight's eyes met his eyes. Everyone, even Meta Knight, tried very hard to hold back their tears of joy, resulting in very adorable and glossy "puppy eyes." Finally, he had been accepted. "I- It's just so wonderful! I can finally help you guys!" Bandana Dee said. "We're finally whole again!" said Kirby happily. "Took them long enough!" King DeDeDe said. "This is indeed a wonderful moment," Meta Knight said, eyes, now green, closed with a smile under his mask. Just then, Team Bowser approached from behind. "Aww, isn't this such a touching reunion?" said Bowser, smirking. "You guys should be, no doubt, a lot easier to beat, now that you're soft!" Jr. laughed. "Don't think that you'll beat us now, just because you've got a fourth person on your team!" Larry said. "We're gonna wipe the floor with that red marshmellow!" said Lemmy, threateningly. Expecting Bandana Dee to back behind him, King DeDeDe held him close, saying, "It's all right, Bandana Dee. Just stay close. No silly Koopa's gonna get to you!" Surprisingly however, Bandana Dee got out of his grip and stepped in front of him, looking like he was protecting not only him, but everyone on his team! "No! It's my turn to step deep into the line of fire! You guys have done so long enough! I'm in this fight too! LET ME AT THEM!" he cried. "Wow!" DeDeDe said. "Really?" "Yes! I'm finally part of the team again, which means I've got to help out the best I can!" Bandana Dee replied. "All right then! Let's do this thing!" Kirby exclaimed. Everyone charged into battle, now 4 vs. 4. "Okay, they're only 4 stock ahead of us now," Bandana Dee said. "We should all go after the right person." "All right then, I've got Bowser," King DeDeDe said. "We're both heavyweights, so we're mostly the same." "I will take on Jr.," said Meta Knight. "He has the fastest reflexes on the team." Before Kirby spoke, he thought over the whole ordeal. Should Kirby go after Larry or Lemmy? Kirby won a 1 vs. 1 battle against Lemmy before, but at the same time, Bandana Dee was easily proven to be much quicker than Kirby. It was a tough decision. "Bandana Dee. You can decide who you want to fight," said Kirby. "Just think who you would be most comfortable fighting with." "…" Bandana Dee was really thinking over the situation. "I thhhinkkk… I'll go for Lemmy." "You sure?" asked Kirby. "Yes," Bandana Dee replied. Everyone on Team Kirby was then putting up a pretty good fight, Bandana Dee especially; Lemmy couldn't even lay a finger on him, while Bandana Dee was jabbing at him repeatedly, mostly from behind. Lemmy lost a stock in no time flat. Soon, another Smash Ball flew into view. It flew to King DeDeDe and Bowser's part of the battleground. When it came to getting the Smash Ball, Bowser was no joke. Unfortunately for DeDeDe, Bowser got it quite easily, and was prepared to use it, if it wasn't for a randomly thrown spear that threw his timing out of sync. "Go Great King go! Get it! Knock it out of him!" said Bandana Dee. King DeDeDe seized his chance, and knocked it out of him in no time at all, and quickly claimed it for himself. "Hmm," he thought to himself. "Everyone on Team Bowser should be able to be one-shot by my Final Smash." "Hey guys! See if you can round everyone up for me!" he then shouted out. Humorously enough, though everyone on Team Bowser thought they were distancing themselves from each other, they were actually drawing near each other! When Larry suddenly bumped into something, he turned around, and saw that everyone on his team was right next to each other. Dumbfounded, everyone could only watch in horror and shock as they were reeled in by DeDeDe's Final Smash. BOOM! When the big bomb of DeDeDe's Final Smash connected with them, they soared into the distance yet again, exploding in a flash of red. "All right! Now we're pretty much even!" DeDeDe said. Later into the fight, Team Bowser was starting to lose a lot of stock left and right. Meta Knight got a Smash Ball, and try as they did, Team Bowser cornered themselves again for Meta Knight's Final Smash. Not long after, Lemmy was starting to get very annoyed at Bandana Dee's tactics. He was always one step ahead of his strategy! "HOW?!" he thought. "I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE ANNOYING ONE THAT WINS IN THIS FIGHT HERE!" Bandana Dee was starting to put less and less effort as time went on. When your emotions take over, it is a challenge to win! Lemmy was so frustrated, that he forgot something very crucial: HIS STOCK COUNT! When Lemmy was defeated again, he didn't come back. Also, Kirby just got the Smash Ball! "Hmm, this is a familiar sight," said King DeDeDe, now being the smirking one. "Humph! Well don't think you can use your cornering strategy on us again!" Bowser replied. "Oh, we don't really have to," DeDeDe replied to his reply. "Look at how many people you have on your team." Every remaining koopa on Team Bowser was in complete shock! "REALLY?! THIS FAST?! HE LOST ALL 7 OF HIS STOCK THAT QUICKLY?!" Larry shouted in horror. "Now you have a choice," said King DeDeDe. "Take the pain, 3 vs. 4, like we did, or-" Before he could even finish his sentence, Lemmy appeared. "We thought you would do that," King DeDeDe said. "Everyone! Split u-" Bowser couldn't even finish his sentence as he turned around to the side to see Lemmy and Larry being jabbed into him and Jr. They all tried scrambling out of the way, but it was too late; Kirby already started his Final Smash, and the initial attack hit all of them. "Let's help him!" said Bandana Dee. Already, the Final Smash would have taken away Bowser's stock alone, but because of the team effort Kirby's team put into play, everyone was KO'd from it. Well, mostly everyone. Lemmy was fleeing to a special flag he saw. "No! We can't get there in time!" Kirby said. "We don't have to!" Bandana Dee exclaimed triumphantly, as he took his spear, and chucked it straight on to Lemmy. The process was nearly complete, when the spear hit him on the shell. "GRRRRRR!" he exclaimed. "THIS WADDLE DEE! HIS SPEAR THROWS, I DARESAY, ARE MORE ACCURATE THAN THE LINK'S BOW AND ARROW SHOTS! IT'S TOO ANNOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!" "Now Kirby, now!" shouted Bandana Dee, pointing to the special flag. Lemmy tried to escape with it, but Kirby and Bandana Dee cornered and defeated him easily. "Here Kirby, use it now!" Bandana Dee said. Kirby wasted no time in utilizing the special flag, receiving its effects in short time. The battle drew out for a little while longer before nearing the end. Lemmy was being as careful as he could, taking stock from his own team. They really didn't want to do this, but they would honestly be losing faster if Lemmy was out. Eventually, the battle reached the point where team Kirby had 10 stock remaining, Kirby having 1, Meta Knight having 3, King DeDeDe having 2, and Bandana Dee having 4. Team Bowser on the other hand, had only 4, 1 each! "Oh no, we can't be Ko'd again," said Larry, feeling tense as well as everyone. Lemmy was closest to defeat. He tried fleeing, but King DeDeDe and Meta Knight cornered and Meteor Smashed him. It was 3 vs. 4 now! "Shoot! We're starting to get outnumbered!" said Jr. "There's only 3-" Bandana Dee quickly jabbed Bowser to the sky, resulting in a screen k.o. Nope. There were only 2 koopas left on Team Bowser, Jr. and Larry. Larry tried escaping the trap, only to be kicked "to the stars" by Kirby. Bowser Jr. was the only one left. He fled for a good 2 minutes when the Smash Ball came into view. He needed that. Maybe somehow, with its help, he could win? He almost had it, but it flew to the bridge, where he was drawn to it, like a moth to the flame. Only, when he got up there, he was greeted by a yellow-eyed glowing Bandana Dee, who wasted no time in using his Final Smash on him. As he was tossed around by it, knowing how the outcome would be, he felt defeated. They were doing so well too! They shouldn't have underestimated Bandana Dee! That was their first mistake, which led to many others. As the final strike sent him flying, everything felt slow to him. He felt so humiliated, and the laughter from the others was yet to be heard even! Meanwhile, as the final red explosion took place, Bandana Dee couldn't help but feel like he contributed so much to the fight. He kept his promise to his friends and to himself. The goal he so longed for, was finally reached. As he turned around to the others, he saw them all smiling and applauding him, again, with tears of joy in their eyes. When they got to the victory area, it was clear who was to do the victory dance. "Go on kid! You've earned it!" said DeDeDe. Bandana Dee, taking the stand, did his Kirby's Return to Dreamland inspired victory dance. Everyone in the crowd cheered. "What a comeback!" announced Crazy Hand. "Truly an exciting, and touching, debut battle!" said Master Hand. While they were headed back to their room, fans cheering them all on, especially Bandana Dee (some even asking for an autograph), they felt so satisfied with the fight. "Great job out there, son!" King DeDeDe said. Everyone was congratulating him, while he was blushing all the more. "We're gonna have a Smash Bros. banquet tonight in your honor Bandana Dee!" said Kirby. "Wow, a couple of days, and I'm already a popular face in Smash Bros.! This is so great! But nothing's greater than sharing the fun with you guys!" he cheered. "Aww, thanks!" Kirby and King DeDeDe said. Then, something caught King DeDeDe's attention. "Hey, where are the others?" he asked. "Oh, uh…" Bandana Dee stuttered. Bandana Dee proceeded to tell everyone the story of how he and his brothers had a decision to make, on who would fight with Kirby, King DeDeDe, and Meta Knight, and that they decided to become one, but just for this fight, and that he could decide if he wanted to become three again after the battle. "Aww, that's so sweet of you," said Kirby. "That was a bold and fine decision to make!" said King DeDeDe. "The choice is yours to make," said Meta Knight. "Hmm, I think I want to be three again," said Bandana Dee. "Well, you can go on ahead then," said King DeDeDe. "We'll meet ya at the banquet." The bandana clad Waddle Dee rushed on to the cloning room, where he found the two hands that he expected to find. "Somehow, we knew you would make this decision," said Master Hand. "All right, ready?" Crazy Hand asked. "Yes!" said Bandana Dee. The beam hit him again, this time, splitting him into those three Bandana Dees, one red, one green, and one yellow. The beam was rather painful to get hit by, but it was all worth it. "Unnggghh…" Bandana Dee said. When he lifted his head from the ground slightly, he saw those two brothers of his who were inside of him for the fight. "Red, you the man," said Yellow, face still slightly on the ground. "What are you talking about?" asked Red. You contributed just as much as I did. Both of you!" "Man, that battle was intense," said Green. "But we did it," said Red. "For now on, let's just take turns helping them out, what do you say?" "Sure," said Green. "Yeah, let's do it," said Yellow. "But for now, we've got a banquet to attend to!" he said boldly. And so, the three Bandana Dees hurried on to the banquet, where they would meet up with their friends. For them, it was truly a SMASHING EXPERIENCE!

Well, there you go! Hope you enjoyed Bandana Dee's invitation to Smash Bros.! Who knows? Perhaps when Smash Bros. for the Switch comes out, this moment can finally happen. Anyways, as you might remember, I'm coming with Chapter 6 of Blue Happiness on Saturday Morning! Until then, farewell!