Hey there! Wow, I haven't written anything for the Kirby section for like...five years. The last thing I wrote was Shadow Wings on an old account of mine. Good to be back, though I'm doubtful this story will get many views.
I actually wrote this a few years back. I always found myself wishing the Kirby anime had stuck closer to the games so at one point I took it upon myself to try and write them more...theatrical. So this is basically a novelization of Kirby Superstar Ultra. Of course, with more drama. I think I planned to try and include a bunch of the bigger games in the Kirby series along this timeline such as Kirby's Dreamland, Crystal Shards, Amazing Mirror, and more. I never got that far...still, it's a good standalone since it includes all of Kirby Superstar so I thought why not put it up? I put time and effort into it, plus it gets pretty emotional towards the end.
I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to leave a review if you do! :)
EPISODE 1: Spring Breeze
It was sickening.
For the first time in his life, Kirby didn't feel hungry. His eyes were glued to the scene that was unfolding before his very eyes. His friend, warped with a dark energy, was mutating into a hideous monster. Limbs sprouted mercilessly from his body, scattering droplets of blood. His face was pulsing and sweating feverishly, his eyes rolling around in his head. His mouth opened; farther than it should have, in a silent scream of pain.
Or was it a plea for help?
Kirby wished he could do something to help this poor creature. At the same time, he wished he could look away. But he couldn't move. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion.
When the gruesome transformation had finally come to a close this newborn monster, dripping with blood, turned to him.
"Isn't this great? And we can share this power…together…"
It was the dead of the night.
The crescent moon cast a soft glow on the peaceful land that was known as Dreamland. Its ever-hungry residents were snoozing blissfully unaware in their nests and dens, dreaming longingly of their next meal. What they didn't know was that their next meal wasn't going to be as soon as they expected.
As they slept on, shadows, swift and quick, darted among their sleeping forms snatching food from their storages. These thieves, bags slung over their tiny shoulders, took off down the main path that ran through Dreamland towards an ominous castle silhouetted on a high hill.
Rounder, slower-moving figures followed them, separate articles of food held high above their head. Among them was a large, peculiar penguin. He was an abnormal shade of blue and dressed in fine, red robes, a large shaft of meat held high over his head like a trophy.
"That's it!" The penguin growled softly as his minions swarmed around him. "Make sure you get all of it, you Waddle Dees! Dreamland's food is mine for the taking!"
At the sound of his intimidating command, a flustered Waddle Dee tripped, dropping his bundle of stolen food. The penguin, eyes flashing with anger, turned to face him. He opened his beak wide, as if to shout, but instead gave a great gasp and inhaled the food right off the ground. The Waddle Dees scurried away, fearful of their leader's display of power.
But nothing more happened. The robbers melted into the night, disappearing in the direction of the large castle far in the distance.
Cake! Sweet, delicious cake! One of Kirby's favorites. His mouth watered as the cake floated toward him on a cloud. It was coated in creamy vanilla icing, a ripe strawberry delicately resting on the top. He reached for it, relishing in the moment…
"Kirby! Wake up, wake up, wake up!"
Something heavy slammed him into the ground, knocking the breath out of him. It bounced up and down on him repeatedly, screeching "wake up!" as he struggled to get out from under it. And it had been such a nice dream too…
Marx leapt off of Kirby and back onto his ball, hopping from foot to foot nervously. Disoriented, Kirby sat up and rubbed his eyes. He tried to glare at his friend, but couldn't wipe the sleepy expression off his face.
"It's King Dedede! That greedy ol' penguin went and stole all of the food in Dreamland!" The little white puffball was so ruffled, his blue-and-red jester hat fell over his eyes and he barely noticed. His bowtie was also partially unraveled and twisted on its side. He was a mess, but for good reason. Their food was gone!
No food! This was an abomination. Kirby's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Dedede…?" He breathed, tasting the name of his rival on his tongue. Dedede had never been nice to Kirby, envious of his gluttonous appetite. He played cruel pranks on him from time to time, but now he was going too far.
"Just look up," Marx interrupted Kirby's thoughts, shaking his hat out of his face and peering upwards.
Kirby looked into the tree above him. All day he had been snoozing peacefully in the shade cast by Whispy Woods. He hadn't even noticed that every last apple was gone. The poor tree couldn't have looked sadder.
As if on cue, Kirby's stomach growled.
Marx's eyes were huge. "Come on." His friend began to roll away on his ball. Kirby dashed after him, worry plucking at his empty insides. The two arrived on the main road and came upon what served as the town square of Dreamland. Everyone was gathered there, faces creased with worry, holding their empty tummies.
"Watch it, watch it, coming through!" Marx yapped, using his oversized ball to run over the nearest Waddle Dee. He stood there, puffing out his chest as if he were the most important person there. Kirby crept up behind him and stood there, face bright with curiosity.
"…probably wants to tax us for eating," a nearby Poppy Bro Jr. was saying, eyes narrowed. "Before you know it, we won't even be allowed to…Kirby! What great timing."
Everyone turned their attention to Kirby, looking much more hopeful now that he was here. After all, he was the strongest creature in Dreamland, being able to steal any power and use it as his own. At the same time, many feared him and would rather have nothing to do with him since to steal one's power, he was required to eat them. But today was different.
"Did you hear?" A Waddle Dee squeaked. "King Dedede stole all of the food in Dreamland!"
"Jerk," Poppy Bro Jr. huffed. "Who died and made him king, that's what I want to know."
"He made himself King!" A Bronto Burt pointed out.
"Either way, who cares! How are we going to get this food back?"
"Not by complaining about it, that's for sure!"
The two faced each other, eyes blazing with anger. The absence of breakfast was already shortening everyone's temper. Kirby pushed by Marx, who was watching the exchange with interest, and got in between the Bro and the Burt.
"No fighting!" Kirby pleaded, waving his stubby little arms. "We'll get the food back!" He pounded his chest in an effort to show everyone how brave he was.
"Who's we?" Marx asked, looking around at the surrounding village. No one had raised their hand to volunteer.
Bronto Burt stared at Kirby and then Marx in surprise. "You will?"
Kirby nodded vigorously.
"No, we won't!" The jester-hatted puffball interrupted. "Kirby, you realize that psycho penguin has a hammer, right? You wouldn't stand a chance. He'd send you flying before you could even get near him with a copy ability."
"Yeah, you wouldn't even last ten seconds," Poppy Bro Jr. snickered.
Marx turned on him furiously. "Hey! Who says?!" He snapped at him, causing the guy to flinch back.
"You did! Just now!" Poppy Bro responded, flabbergasted.
Everyone else's hope had seemed to dissipate for some reason. They were all casting doubtful glances at one another now, as if Kirby's copy abilities had become useless in that moment alone. After all, he had a reputation for being lazy and hungry all of the time. Who's to say he wouldn't eat all the food without returning?
A lot of them were shooting nasty glances Marx's way too. He was possibly the least popular of them all, known for his mischievous behavior and unforgiving tricks he played on the locals. A good amount of injuries had resulted from his little pranks he hadn't thought through.
Marx looked at each of the villagers; rage bubbling up from inside him. Kirby was always there for him and now he felt the need to stick up for his buddy. "Don't you guys know who you're talking to? Kirby's strong! He can handle himself. Show'em Kirbs."
"NO!" Everyone screamed in unison.
"None of us feel like being digested today!" The grumpy Poppy Bro snapped. "If you think you can stop Dedede, then go for it, but leave us out of it!"
"Fine!" Marx spat. "Sit here and starve!"
He then turned to his pink friend and nudged him along with his ball. Kirby reluctantly allowed himself to be led away from the meeting. As they walked , they could hear Bronto Burt say loudly and purposefully, "We should have asked them what color flowers they wanted at their funeral."
"I don't feel like dealing with those freaks," Marx grumbled, his face dark. Kirby could tell his friend was already scheming up a revenge plan. But that would have to wait. Right now, their first priority was filling bellies. "Where's your Warp Star?"
"Right over here!" Kirby led Marx to the end of the main road, where a shimmering star lay in wait. Kirby had a special bond with the strange star, but he was always misplacing it. Usually, he would have to fight a powerful monster and the star would come to his aid. Luckily, they had easy access to it today. Kirby hopped neatly onto the star, his face bearing a wide grin. "Let's go!"
Marx hesitated. "Umm…maybe not, Kirby. I'll probably just get in the way." Despite this, Kirby reached down and snatched Marx by his hat and dragged him onto the star. "W-wait!" He cried out, little brown feet flailing. "My ball!" He managed to clasp his beloved ball between his feet just as the star took off into the sky. The white puffball squeezed his eyes shut, scared for his life. The fear of heights was a terrible thing when you didn't have arms to keep you from falling.
They soared through the sky towards the ominous castle up on Mt. Dedede. Obviously, this was where the king lived. He had taken the liberty upon himself to name the mountain as well as the castle after himself. The star shot towards the ground and landed rather roughly in front of the castle doors. Two Waddle Doos standing guard nearly jumped out of their skin.
"What business do you have with the Great King?!" One called rather bravely.
Marx shook himself off and hopped onto his ball. He towered over the two guards. "Why do you care?" He mocked, sticking his tongue out, leering down at them.
"We want our food back!" Kirby said, following Marx's example and puffing himself up.
The braver of the two Waddle Doos laughed and stepped forward, while the other one shrunk back. "Ha! You won't be getting anywhere near his Majesty's food unless you go though me!"
Kirby and Marx exchanged a glance. Then Kirby opened his mouth wide and inhaled. It was as if a hurricane had started up. Everything in the area was sucked into the giant pink vacuum. The Waddle Doo gave a shriek and toppled into Kirby's mouth. Kirby gave a great swallow, and the Waddle Doo was gone for good. Marx stared at Kirby, who had turned yellow and now donned a hat much like his own. The remaining Waddle Doo fled, eye wide with terror.
"All right!" Marx exclaimed, jumping up and down on his ball. "It's Beam Kirby!"
Kirby gave him a withering look.
Marx had a sweatdrop moment. "Okay, okay. I know you don't like the introductions. I just feel so cool when I get to announce what ability you are! It's pretty much the only thing I know how to do…"
Kirby shrugged and the two entered the castle. It was surprisingly quiet. "Hello?" Kirby called out cautiously.
"Yeah, I'm in the kitchen, you want anything?" A Waddle Dee with a blue bandana popped his head around the corner. His eyes widened at the sight of Kirby. "Oh…oh!" The petrified puffball disappeared and the pattering of tiny feet could be heard as he fled down the hallway. Without a second to lose, the other two took off after him.
"Stop!" Kirby shouted as they closed in on him. The Star Warrior brandished his Beam rod and sent a flurry of little blue bubbles at Dedede's servant. The Waddle Dee tripped and lay there pathetically, trembling in fear.
"Where's Dedede?" Marx demanded, ready to go all torture-time on this guy's butt.
"He's in the throne room! Up the stairs, to the right, take a left and keep going straight from there!" He wailed, far too eager to give up his king's whereabouts.
Marx narrowed his eyes. "Some loyal servant you are. Finish him, Kirby."
But Kirby was already walking away, following the directions the Waddle Dee had given. Marx scrambled to catch up with his friend. The Waddle Dee remained behind, watching them go. He breathed a sigh of relief. The king had set up a trap for them. They were headed straight into it!
Kirby and Marx went up the stairs, turned right, took a left, and kept on going, just as the Waddle Dee had said. An elegant door lay ahead of them. "This must be it!" They threw open the door and stepped inside.
Only there was nowhere to step.
The floor had been completely removed. With shouts of surprise, the two tumbled into darkness. They landed in a cramped, green hallway. "What happened?" Marx moaned, forcing himself to his feet and shaking his head. Kirby was already up and looking around. At each end of the hallway were two dark tunnels. Small holes, perfectly sized to Kirby, dotted the floor.
Suddenly, there was a loud scraping noise. Marx let out a yelp and ducked behind Kirby. It was growing louder and louder…! Whatever it was, it was coming straight for them. Kirby wanted to run but stood there trembling. Marx whimpering in his ear wasn't helping. He braced himself.
Then…there it was! Emerging from the darkness came…
A blue puffball pushing a crate.
He paused in his crate-pushing, staring straight at Kirby with round eyes.
"Hiiii!" Kirby greeted enthusiastically, eager to make friends.
The blue ball's gaze hardened and he began pushing the crate towards them, faster now. "Back off!" Marx snapped, both he and Kirby backing away from the advancing ball. There was another scraping sound and before they knew it, a pink ball with a yellow ribbon was advancing on them from behind, pushing a crate identical to the blue one's. "I've heard of these jerks!" Marx shouted in Kirby's ear. "They're Lololo and Lalala! They work for Dedede! What do we do?!"
Thinking fast, Kirby grabbed Marx and dropped into one of the holes. They landed in another green hallway that looked exactly like the one above them. Lololo and Lalala passed harmlessly overhead, their crates too big to fit down after them. "Good thinking," Kirby's friend sighed in relief.
But before they knew it, Lalala had appeared from the dark tunnel on their level and was coming at them. "Split up!" Kirby shouted. Marx dove into another hole while Kirby leapt upwards, scrambling back up into the hallway above. When he was sure Lalala had passed the hole, he dove back down and let loose a powerful attack with his Beam rod. Lalala pitched forward and lay there, twitching. Kirby hit her on the head with the rod for good measure and this time she lay still.
"Kirby!" Marx wailed from somewhere beneath him. Kirby dropped down into the lowest hallway. Lololo had cornered Marx and was closing in for the kill.
"Use your mirror attack!" Kirby yelled encouragingly.
"What mirror attack?!" Marx screeched. Lololo shoved the crate into him and the poor puffball crumpled under its weight, crying out in pain. Kirby charged his rod and sent the strongest beam attack he could muster straight at Lololo. The blue ball met the same fate as his sister and collapsed. Kirby lifted the crate off of his friend. "Thanks…" Marx whimpered, voice laced with pain.
"Why didn't you use your mirror?" Kirby questioned.
Marx glared at him as he tried to climb to his feet. "Just because I wear a hat that looks like your Mirror ability doesn't mean I have that power!" He said hotly. "I would think you would've known that since we've been friends for so long!"
Kirby frowned, tipping his head to one side. They had never fought together before. He could have sworn that Marx had the same power as a Simirror, but then again, maybe not. Maybe a blue and red jester hat was the latest fashion statement.
"Let's go," Marx mumbled, glowering at the ground. Kirby nodded and the two exited the creepy chain of cramped hallways. As they went, Kirby shot furtive glances at his friend. He knew Marx was sad. After all, he had been born with a sharp tongue, the tendency to pull mean pranks, and no special powers. He had no other friends. He never talked about it, but Kirby could tell that deep down inside, his friend was hurting.
Kirby shook off these thoughts and pushed onward, focusing on the battle that lay in wait. After their skirmish with the twins, it wasn't too hard to find the real chamber—the door was gigantic and lavishly decorated.
"Ready for this?" Kirby asked, face alight with anticipation.
Marx gulped and nodded.
The two entered the throne room to find that it had been turned into a boxing chamber. Bleachers lined each end of the room, filled with Dedede's minions. The penguin king himself was standing in the middle of the arena, pumping his trademark hammer up and down. His servants were cheering with excitement. Kirby and Marx leapt into the arena to face him.
"I knew you would show up!" The king growled, turning to face Kirby. The audience quieted, leaning forward expectantly. "If you want any food, you'll have to pay for it!"
"No!" Kirby's voice rang out strongly, causing the crowd to gasp dramatically.
Dedede's eyes narrowed and he pointed the hammer directly at Kirby. "Then you'll have to fight me for it!" He bellowed and charged forward, hammer held high over his head. Kirby dodged easily as the hammer just missed where he was standing. Marx backed into a corner, shaking with fear.
King Dedede ignored him, keeping his eyes glued to his arch nemesis. He turned around and leapt high into the air. "Gotcha!" He blasted triumphantly as his hammer connected with Kirby's side, knocking the air out of him. The pink puffball squealed as his body was driven painfully into the ground. The penguin battered at him with his powerful weapon, laughing mercilessly.
"Hey! Leave him alone!" An unexpected screech filled the throne room. The king turned to spot Marx, who stood in the center of the arena. His ball quivered beneath him, betraying how frightened he was. Dedede grinned.
"Batter up."
He swung his hammer hard at the colorful ball, sending it flying sky high, straight through the roof. Marx tried to cling to it, and for a moment, was airborne. Then he tumbled off with a shriek and hit the floor. As Dedede raised his hammer to finish him off, pain shot up his side. Kirby had gotten to his feet and was sending a barrage of bubbles at him. Surprisingly, the harmless-looking bubbles stung like bees.
"You little blob!" Dedede roared, trying to reach Kirby. "Fight me like a—AACKK!"
Kirby charged up and let loose the finishing attack, which shot towards King Dedede and drove itself into his stomach. The force of it was so powerful, the penguin shot straight up and through the roof. The audience cheered at this, despite the fact that they were under strict orders to not cheer for Kirby.
When he had made sure that Dedede was gone, Kirby ran over to where Marx lay. "You okay?" Kirby asked, eyes glazed with concern for his friend. He hoisted him to his feet.
"My…my ball…" Marx whimpered, looking teary-eyed.
"It's okay." He patted his friend comfortingly. Since he was more concerned with his ball, nothing appeared to be broken.
Marx nodded, lip trembling.
"Hey!" Kirby exclaimed, eyes brightening. "We got the food back!" He turned and ran off, leaving Marx to stand there dumbfounded.
What happened next probably can't be explained too well with words. The villagers, bellies rumbling, were hanging out in the village. Suddenly, Dedede's castle came floating overhead. They gasped. Kirby had (somehow, in some unexplained way. Perhaps he was just THAT excited to reclaim the stolen food.) transformed into a giant hot air balloon and was flying the castle over Dreamland! As he did so, the residents of the castle dropped all of the stolen food onto the ground for everyone to eat.
Luckily, no five-second rules existed in Dreamland. All of the residents helped themselves to the food that rained from the sky. It was like a dream. Much better than any dream about white cake! Kirby thought approvingly, as he returned to normal size. He landed in the middle of Town Square, where everyone proceeded to surround him, shouting praise. Kirby wriggled with so much happiness, that he couldn't help but let it out by dancing. When he was done, he waved his arms at everyone, and then turned to leave.
After all, he was hungry too!