I saw the morning light filtering through my one dirty window as I opened my eyes. Just another morning in Dreamland, just another morning where nothing would change. I would go out and try my hardest to have fun like anyone else, but it was hard when everyone else already decided that they didn't like me. They all just had to make fun of me. I would have liked it better if they just decided to shun me. "Maybe I'll just stay inside today. Maybe I'll stay inside forever." I thought to myself. No one would care. I was going to close my eyes again, but I was shocked out of bed by some kind of excitement outside. The noise made sleep impossible, so I cautiously cracked open my door to peek outside. The sight greatly surprised me. What was going on? It seemed like everyone was heading toward King Dedede's castle, not too far away. Someone in the mob tripped over my feet, bringing both of us down. Already several feet from my house, I decided to keep going. The whole crowd, a mass of orange-red, was moving quickly, so I stood up to avoid being stepped on. We raced through the maze of dirt roads lined with huts made of soil, where everyone in that area lived. Soon enough, we arrived at the castle. It was impossible to see, considering everyone in front of me. My curiosity overpowered my fear, and I took a risk and nudged someone next to me. I just hoped that they wouldn't say something mean, like usual. "Hey, what's going on up there?"

"The king made Meta Knight mad, and they're having a fight." Thank goodness he didn't seem to notice who he was talking to. After all, I was Shadow, the odd Waddle Dee girl out. The dark one, the black colored one. But I stopped my thoughts in their tracks. Who was this Meta Knight? Usually, my shyness would prevent me from going anywhere, but uncharacteristically, I felt like I needed to know. I shoved a path to the front. There, not three lengths of a house in front of me were two people, a penguin and someone…surprisingly cute? The penguin was obviously the less-than-smart King Dedede, but was the other one Meta Knight? How come I'd never heard of him before? He was wearing a mask which only revealed two blazing yellow eyes and a blue cape on his back. I couldn't help but stare as he talked to the king, not like I could hear anyway. Time didn't seem to matter, but before I even knew it, everyone started to move again from their fixed positions. Confused conversations played out all around me. What happened? What about the fight? The crowd swirled around me as I just stood there, my mind still in a dream-like state. A sharp push on my left side brought me back to reality though. There was another push on my back, this one more powerful, that sent me to the ground. The impact created a cloud of dust, which got into my eyes. I forced myself up before I was stepped on and pushed my way through the mob until I reached the far side of it. A stone lamp post sat not far from me, so I took the opportunity to lean on it, grateful for the rest after the rushed experience. I needed to get my head together. Staring at the dirt on the ground, I supported myself with one arm. The hot summer sun shone down on me like the glare of an angry mother. Tired from what could have easily turned into a fight for my life, I was only faintly aware of the footsteps coming my way. The crowd had cleared out, leaving the stranger and me in almost perfect silence. Only the light breeze disturbed it. I looked up, breathing softly, to find myself staring into a pair of blazing yellow eyes.