This is directly based off Revenge of the King in Kirby Superstar Ultra, going as far having a significant amount of dialogue coming from canon (aside from a few awkward lines being changed here and there), but is also almost entirely from the POV of the bandanna-wearing Waddle Dee. Many thanks to Chilltown betaing this, and thank you for reading!

(1-4-12: Minor edits done to fix awkward phrases and formatting.)

The flash of light from the explosion commanded his attention. He looked up in time to see Kabula, the king's prized blimp, sink from the sky in flames. Kirby had breached their best aerial defenses.

With little thought, the Waddle Dee ran from the window where he watched, and headed for the throne room. He slammed the doors open with all his might, but remembered to bow down in the presence of his king.

From his throne, King Dedede sat up straight, looking annoyed at this sudden arrival. "Who said you could barge in unannounced?"

The Waddle Dee began to stutter, fearing his wrath. "Well, you see, uh…" The castle was then rocked by something crashing into it, and he blurted out some of what was going through his head. "Great King, Kabula has been defeated! What should we do?"

Dedede's eyes widened, knowing exactly what that meant. "You mean Kirby's coming here now?"

This didn't exactly ease the Waddle Dee's mind. If the Great King was starting to panic, what could keep a simple servant from doing the same? "Relax, Great King! You must stay calm!"

Dedede sighed, still noticeably shaken. "R-right… Well… Here's what we'll do! Kirby will be ours!"

He stood from his throne and began to briskly walk out of the room. Instinctively, the Waddle Dee followed, taking two or three bounds to keep up with a single step from Dedede. The halls seemed eerily empty for this time of day. The other attendants must have been on the floors below, fighting to keep Kirby at bay.

Dedede entered a doorway, which the Waddle Dee recognized as leading to the observation room. As simple as the castle seemed, the Great King was gifted with mechanical prowess. As such, the rooms were outfitted with cameras, all leading to a wall of screens. One of the screens showed Kirby heading down the halls, approaching a doorway. Dedede approached the control panel in front of the monitors.

"First, we'll test him…" Dedede pushed a button, activating the intercom in a different room. Many of the elite guards were stationed there. "Go, my servants!"

An animated clock, known as Mr. Tick-Tock, left the room first without hesitation. Shortly afterward, he and Kirby had encountered each other in the middle of the halls, and they immediately engaged each other in combat, fighting fiercely.

The Waddle Dee adjusted his bandanna out of his eyes, and watched on as he walked to Dedede's side. That was the fate of Dedede's army, wasn't it? They would fight to their limits just to protect their king. There were a few dissenters, sure, but for almost everyone, this was what they accepted. Protect the king, be happy.

The two watched as Kirby backed away, trying to ignore the shrill ringing bombarding his ears – did he have ears? – and opening his mouth to inhale some of the energy fro, the sound. Once he had a clear shot, he spat it back out. Already battle-worn, Mr. Tick-Tock collapsed. This was the chance Kirby needed. With a mighty inhale, he swallowed his foe whole, gaining his abilities, although it was not immediately obvious what Kirby had gained.

"Ah, Great King! He had an easy time!" The Waddle Dee nearly kicked himself afterward for stating the obvious.

Dedede was visibly upset, and groaned. "We'll see how he likes the next!" As Kirby started his run once more, he activated the intercom again. "Grand Wheelie, you're up next!" Doing as much of a nod as he could, the wheel sped out of range of the camera and out the room he was in, ready to meet his opponent. They reached each other in a matter of seconds.

"What power do you think Kirby got from Tick-Tock, Your Majesty?" The Waddle Dee tilted his head in curiosity.

Dedede thought about it. "Um… He used sound to attack, and Kirby's got some abilities based on sound… I think his most notable is–" He jumped in surprise, coming to a startling realization. "Oh, no!"

It was a good thing the cameras did not record audio very well. On the screen, they watched Kirby activate the short-lived Mike ability, resulting in him belting out tunes in all his tone-deaf glory. The force and volume was simply too much for the Grand Wheelie to handle, and he soon fell, with Kirby simply moving on, as if the fight had not fazed him.

"Unthinkable! He beat that one, too?"

The Waddle Dee took note of the path Kirby was taking. The puff had been here before, and thus knew exactly where to go… "Kirby's approaching here, Your Majesty!"

"Cursed pink lump! I can't believe it!"

The Waddle Dee stared in shock. Dedede's voice had hitched, and his breathing had grown somewhat strained. Was he on the verge of losing it completely? How painful it must have been, to have his plans starting to crumble right before him. Frankly, though, the Waddle Dee was more concerned about how much seeing Dedede like this scared him.

"Great King, pull yourself together!"

He clasped his hands over where his mouth would have been. Was that out of line? The Waddle Dee was ready to apologize, or even shrink back in case Dedede responded violently, but noticed that instead he simply looked back at him, as if rational thought had come back to him.

"…How long has it been?" Dedede asked, strangely calm and quiet.

"W-what?"

"Since you joined me. You weren't any older than a teenager, I believe?"

The Waddle Dee gulped, unsure of where Dedede was going with this. "Y-yes, sir. I ran away from home to be with you. It's been almost nine or ten years since then."

"And you've stayed with me all this time…" Dedede looked away. "…You are very devoted to your job. I like that in a Dee."

The Waddle Dee understood that this was the closest thing to a 'thank you' that he was going to get under these circumstances. Still, it was so, so much more than he could have ever asked for from his king. "Th-thank you, Great King."

"No problem."

And with that, Dedede's expression hardened again as he turned to face the screens, pushing yet another button as Kirby entered another room.

The crackle of the intercom was enough to sign the final guard to run out; the elephant-like creature was already rolling into and knocking down Kirby by the time Dedede started to bark out a command. "Third one's the charm! Get him, Phan Phan!"

The Waddle Dee was on a rush from the joy of being praised, and couldn't help but chime in with some encouragement. "Fight!"

The bipedal elephant was already gaining the upper hand, swinging Kirby around with his trunk like he was a toy. Dedede laughed at the sight of his rival finally running into trouble. "Keep an eye on that, will ya? I need to see if the other paths are open."

"Other paths?" The Waddle Dee did as instructed, watching as Kirby escaped the hold and floated above Phan Phan to try and see how to attack.

"To my secret weapon, of course!" Dedede grinned. "If it comes down to it, you'll watch, right?"

"Oh, yes, yes! I would be honored to watch you, Great King!" The Waddle Dee looked away momentarily to nod at Dedede and gaze in admiration, before turning his attention back to the fight…and seeing Kirby spitting an apple out at Phan Phan, making the elephant collapse. Oh, no. "Great King, he beat Phan Phan, too!" There weren't very many elite guards left in the castle; most had been dispatched to deal with Kirby on his way here.

Dedede snarled, going back to watching Kirby's progress. "Alright, call the cavalry!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" The Waddle Dee jumped up, pressing several buttons, broadcasting throughout the whole castle. "Attention, all able fighters! Please assist in trying to keep Kirby away from the throne room or the observation room–"

"And the arena!"

"–and that too! His Royal Highness greatly appreciates your efforts!" The Waddle Dee took his hands off the buttons, and realized he had been held up by Dedede while he made the announcement so that he could keep the buttons held down. A light blush from surprise touched his cheeks. "Thank you, Great King…"

"Yeah, you were just short and needed a boost to reach that." Dedede put the Waddle Dee back on the ground. "…Ohoho! Do you see those, my dear servant?"

The Waddle Dee looked at where he was pointing. Two fiery lions were prowling the halls, waiting to pounce on Kirby when he passed them. "Both at once?"

"Why not?" Dedede chuckled, activating the intercom. This time, he spoke directly to Kirby. "Enough, Kirby! Face Twin Fire Lions!"

"Go get him!" The Waddle Dee cheered as the intercom was turned off, just in time for both lions to double team Kirby, one of them grabbing him with his teeth and clawing at him.

"Wow. Those guys are really going at him." Dedede seemed surprised at their fierce display, and for a fleeting moment, the Waddle Dee wondered if he really meant to hurt Kirby as badly as he seemed to intend.

No, no, of course! All enemies of the Great King had to be punished. He was showing his great mercy by pretending to be concerned for the creampuff! Yes… Yes, that was it.

Not believing pretty much anything about that thought, the Waddle Dee chose to bring up a different subject. "May I ask what your secret weapon is?"

"A secret," Dedede responded in a singsong voice, immediately switching to a more cheerful mood. "But I've been working on it for months now! I think it's worth it, too! I just have to get used to it…"

The Waddle Dee looked up at Dedede, not caring that Kirby was fighting back at the lions with equal ferocity now. "Have you tested it?"

Dedede's mood changed fast once more, and he looked a little uneasy. "Not yet. But in theory, it should work."

The Waddle Dee had to trust him on this. That was what a true follower would do.

He then looked up, seeing one Fire Lion collapse on top of the unconscious form of the other. Sometimes, it was like a whole army was packed into a little pink ball. But, more importantly, the last of their elite forces had just been defeated. All that was left were low-rank minions. "Oh, no! He beat everyone we have!"

Dedede only grew that much more nervous, letting out something between a whine and a groan. "Can't anyone beat that guy?"

The two could only watch with growing worry as Kirby came closer and closer to the heart of the castle, swiftly disabling the few soldiers that separated him from the king.

"Great King! Kirby made it here! W-what do we do?" The Waddle Dee tugged nervously at Dedede's robes, forgetting his place for a moment. He did not want to see that one-man army up close.

Dedede closed his eyes for a while, deep in thought, before responding. "O-okay, then. I guess it's your turn."

The Waddle Dee jumped back in surprise. "B-but, Great King, I can't do it alone!" It wasn't fear that made him say this. It was common sense. If Kirby could take down a pair of flaming lions, then how could one little Waddle Dee even hope to beat him? This one in particular hadn't even been trained for combat, instead focusing more on duties like cooking and sending messages.

Dedede sighed, and he almost sounded sad. "…Fine, you can go." He began to walk towards the doorway. "You've been spared."

Was he intending to go out on his own? Oh, no, no! If Kirby got to him before he was prepared… "Don't go, King!" The Waddle Dee was near tears now. This wasn't what he wanted to happen when he refused…!

Dedede stopped in the doorway, clenched fists at his side. The Waddle Dee could have sworn he heard him whisper, "I'm sorry," but that had to have been his imagination; kings didn't apologize to disobedient servants. Dedede left the room, not once looking back.

"Great King!" The Waddle Dee chased after him, but came out into the hall to see Dedede dashing around a corner, out of sight.

Tears were now streaming down the Waddle Dee's face, and with no one around to see them, he didn't try to hide them. He had disobeyed his king, and now the one he idolized the most was in danger. He knew the king had a trump card, and was likely going to go get it, but would he have enough time to get it ready before Kirby found him?

He looked back at the screens. One showed Dedede opening a trapdoor in the arena, then walking into it. Another showed Kirby running just out of sight of the camera, on his way to said arena. That was where he and Dedede had their first fight, and likely, it was to be their battleground once more.

The Waddle Dee gulped, wiping his tears away bitterly. If he truly was one of Dedede's followers, then why hadn't he stepped up to the plate when asked?

He disobeyed a direct order. He had said 'no' right to his face. He had let down Great King.

The only way he could even come close to making it up was if he bought his king some time. He'd fight a thousand Kirbies if he could give his king a chance at success.

The Waddle Dee barely registered running down the halls, on a collision course with the enemy. Was he really going to face Kirby all alone? But, he had to, and he didn't have a choice now. There was the pink blob, in all his pudgy glory, standing there. The two shared a shocked glance – perhaps Kirby didn't expect the final guard to be a Waddle Dee – and waited for the other to make the first move.

The Waddle Dee charged first, arms flailing, screaming uncontrollably in fear. His eyes were closed shut, and he braced himself for the possibility of being swallowed whole.

Instead, he felt a hard kick in the face, knocking him back. Before he knew how to react, he was kicked again, into the wall. With such a frail body, the Waddle Dee could not force himself to get back up, and opened his eyes, watching Kirby run off; he hadn't even tried to knock the Waddle Dee out before leaving.

He hadn't stopped Kirby, but he expected that. Buying the king precious time was the intention. The Waddle Dee knew of a shortcut to the arena, at any rate. After all, he had promised to be there for the final fight. He hit the wall behind him. A section of the wall rotated with him, moving him the the other side, into a secret, narrow tunnel. Slowly getting up, the Waddle Dee sprinted as well as he could down it. Soon, the tunnel became wider and wider, eventually opening up into a room. Cool air rushed over him, but it was still dark, wasn't it?

"You made it here…" a familiar voice spoke up. The Waddle Dee tensed automatically, even though it wasn't directed at him. "Now, arm yourself!"

The lights flooded on, and the Waddle Dee had to shield his eyes. Once it no longer hurt to look, he realized he was in front of the bleachers of the arena, and he quickly took a seat. The ring itself had been modified from how it was the last time it was used, and a fence had now been placed around it. It was buzzing from the electricity pumped into it by batteries. In the middle, Kirby stood in front of a hammer, apparently set up by the king.

So, where was the Great King?

The questioned as answered as soon as Kirby picked up the hammer, a blue and white rope headband appearing on him. Dedede's voice rang out again. "Our grudge will be settled at last…"

Dedede jumped out, seemingly from nowhere, into the ring. Instead of his usual hammer, he now held a completely mechanized hammer. The most striking thing about him, however, was the metal mask he wore, concealing all but his eyes. Both the mask and hammer were sparking with electricity, and it was painfully obvious that Dedede truly hadn't been able to test either out to work out all the bugs.

But the Great King was the embodiment of strength, and the minor shocks he got every few seconds did not faze him. "Meet my powerful secret weapon… The brand-new Dedede Hammer!"

"W-what are you doing…?" Kirby stepped back, shocked at this twist. The Waddle Dee couldn't blame him for being startled at the new gear; he certainly wasn't the only one who felt that way.

There was no time to chat, however. Dedede took the chance to show just what his weapon was capable of. Part of the head opened up like a lid, and fire spewed out. Kirby jumped to avoid it, but his feet were still scorched. As if that wasn't enough, he had forgotten about the electric fence. In his attempt to avoid injury by staying in the air, he ending up hitting the ceiling of the a pained scream, he plummeted to the ring floor, stunned.

"Go, King, go!" The Waddle Dee cheered. No one else had showed up. Likely, they were all still licking their wounds. The pain from being kicked still lingered, but it was well worth it to see such a fight play out.

Dedede lifted the mask up, inhaling deeply. Kirby scrambled out of the way, once again taking to the air. This time, he was careful not the touch the fence, and stayed airborne as he watched. Dedede saw this, and chose to just suck in air, letting the mask cover his face once more as he too began to float. It became a game of chicken, with the two trying to ram the other, but instead backing out at the last moment. Eventually, it was Kirby who landed the hit, smacking Dedede with his hammer. Kirby then landed, and watched as Dedede swung his hammer above his head, clipping the fence.

Both Kirby and the Waddle Dee squeaked in surprise as Dedede was jolted with electricity, but he didn't seem to care. He slammed the hammer down onto the ground, sending a bolt towards Kirby. He rolled out of the way, barely avoiding it, but thankfully looked up to see that, once again, the hammer had opened up. This time, small rockets were coming out of it. Kirby had to jump once more to avoid getting hit.

As he came back on the ground, though, he saw that Dedede was leaning heavily against the hammer, his breathing pained. He was now starting to flinch every time his mask or hammer sparked. The Waddle Dee realized he was pushing himself far beyond his limits, and bought his hands to where his mouth would have been, whimpering. Kirby carefully approached Dedede, reaching out. "Are… Are you okay?"

Dedede was beyond reasoning now. Consumed by the desire to win, he raised the hammer once more, and with an enraged shout, he swung it, using the momentum to spin around, creating something of a dangerous top. Kirby stuck with his usual dodging tactic, jumping up once more and staying in the air. Dedede tried to stop, but the momentum was far too great to simply halt. He spun out of control, and was heading right for the fence.

"Great King!" the Waddle Dee shrieked, moments before the crackling of electricity mingled with screams from the pain.

Dedede was knocked back, and stumbled around, the hammer falling out of his hand. He was completely disoriented from both the shock and dizziness, and never saw that Kirby was charging his hammer.

The Waddle Dee got up, ready to intervene, perhaps even jump in and take the blow for his king, but he was far too late. He could only watch as the fiery hammer connected right with Dedede's face, shattering the mask. The force propelled him right through the fence, and through the weak ceiling. "N…No!" He had lost! He wasn't supposed to lose! This was supposed to be his moment!

He looked down at Kirby, eyes tearing up with anger and disappointment; for a moment, he wondered if he could go down there and finish what his king had started, even though it was an unrealistic wish. Despite his blurred vision, though, he could see Kirby's sympathetic glance. …Sympathy?

"…Dedede is not a bad person," Kirby eventually said, sighing as the adrenaline rush ended. "Please, help him. I don't like it when he's hurt."

Was Kirby just naive? For someone that was always butting heads with Dedede, he seemed easily willing to forgive him. There had been years of bad history, and yet, completely opposite of Dedede, Kirby did not seem to hold a grudge. The Waddle Dee didn't spend much time dwelling on this, however. He needed to find his king, and fast.

-0-

It took several hours to make any progress on that search. By then, the sun was beginning to set. However, one Waddle Dee had found a red-robed figure wandering the canyon, and they followed it on a hunch. The canyon widened out into a desert area by the time they caught up, but the feeling that they should track down that lead had been correct.

Dedede was walking alone on the trail, silent. He barely acknowledged the Waddle Dees that approached him, just giving them a glance before going back to staring at the ground in front of him.

For some time, it was like this. The Waddle Dee wearing the blue bandanna was becoming increasingly distressed, however. He began to make his way to the front of the crowd. The king had lost. Again. He had been trying so hard to just land one win. Soldiers had been training, weapons had been developed… And Kirby still trounced them all just as easily as he had the first time around.

The Waddle Dee could understand why Dedede just looked so crushed by this, but he couldn't help but get upset seeing him that way. He was a boisterous person, always preferring to get angry rather than sad at his defeats. Then again, come to think of it, the first time Kirby had beaten him…

Suddenly, Dedede tripped, falling flat on his face. One Waddle Dee had gotten too close to his feet, and had been stumbled over. The one that wore the bandanna stood near Dedede, trying to help him up. "Great King? Are you okay?"

Dedede pushed himself up, and out of reaction, the Waddle Dees stepped back. Would he yell at them? Blame them for his misfortune? His temper had led him to do these sorts of things from time to time.

But, instead, they saw an even worse situation. When Dedede lifted his head up, the full extent of the battle was obvious, and not just from the light burns on his face from that mask. His whole body was trembling, and instead of the usual confidence, anger, or even worry that was on his face, their king – their leader, their idol – had tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Great King!" The Waddle Dee slowly approached him, not knowing how to react. "A-are you crying?"

"I'm… I'm not!" Dedede responded, looking about ready to shove him away so he could have some peace and solitude. "I just got a lot of dirt in my eyes, okay?"

…Of course. Their king was right. He was strong, and he would never give in to such a weak emotion. They could not argue, for that was the way of his army.

That didn't prevent them from providing comfort, however. Just because they could, of course.

The Waddle Dee nudged him, pressing his forehead against his. "Of course. My apologies." The other Waddle Dees began to follow suit, hugging Dedede.

Normally, he might have reacted with annoyance, and he almost did shove them all way. After a moment of hesitation, however, he reached out, hugging the Waddle Dee with the bandanna. "…Thank you," he whispered, as the crowd of Waddle Dees around him provided him with the warmth the setting sun tried to take away. "Thank you."

It was more than Dedede could ask for.