Chapter 2: Dictatorship
King Dedede ruled over Dream Land. His castle rested atop Mt. Dedede (which he had obviously named), northeast of Vegetable Valley. The Dream Landers, however, never cared much about him. Why should they? King Dedede was a self-proclaimed king and performed no administrative role. He did have huge armies that were ready to do his bidding at a moment's notice, but the Dream Landers just went on living their happy lives without giving him a thought. He didn't bug them; they didn't bug him. It didn't even matter that King Dedede wasn't their same species. He resembled a giant, blue penguin, dressed in red emperor's robes and a beanie-like crown with a white tuft atop it.
Yet, King Dedede's life was just about to take a dramatic turn. For, from far across the galaxy, a dark entity had been slowly making its way toward Pop Star. For a near eternity it had traveled from planet to planet, never sleeping. At last, it had arrived. The innocent lives of Dream Land were to be forever altered.
In the black of night, it descended. It spied King Dedede sleeping in his resting chamber on his grand four-poster bed. Wasting no time, it struck, cutting short the king's slumber.
King Dedede awoke. It had begun.
The next day, the king's servants were puzzled to hear him tell them to organize a mass gathering of all Dream Landers in Vegetable Valley. They did as instructed and sent the message to every dwelling in southern Dream Land.
The Dream Landers came in huge crowds, amassing an impressive sight at the front of Castle Dedede. As each one was a different color, a view of the horde from above was dazzling.
Then the drawbridge was lowered, allowing the Dream Landers to cross the moat into the castle. When every last one was inside, the drawbridge creaked shut.
The throng now occupied a giant, grassy courtyard within the castle walls. There was a fountain in the center, beyond which the great doors to the inner castle stood.
These doors opened and King Dedede walked out, but not with his usual air of superiority. He was slumped, apparently tired, with his eyes almost closed. He put a microphone to his beak and spoke slowly.
"Dream Landers, thank you for coming to my castle. You will never leave it again. That is all."
