The group had backtracked their way through the entire desert, though along their walk back, Ness was keeping his attention on the shadow creature in a jar. It had woke back up, and it was not really looking too active. Its three tiny eyes looking around everywhere. They were thankful it couldn't possess glass jars like it did to the statue earlier. When they arrived back to the castle, the group could see the captain of the guard, Waddle Doo, lying in front of one of the few trees outside the entrance to the castle. He looked like he had deteriorated from the time they were last there. He looked like he couldn't get up anymore. His energy was drained.

"Whoa, Waddle Doo! What happened?" King Dedede asked. The Waddle Doo coughed his head leaning back on the tree.

"My energy is gone. I am glad you captured the beast, your majesty…" he was thankful. Meta Knight and Dedede were trying to get him up so they could get him inside. Ness, Kirby and Adeleine were looking to one another fearfully, wondering if this had gotten worse while they were gone. The king carried one of his most loyal guards inside the castle, the others following. They found Waddle Dee as well, lying near the entrance. He looked like he had fainted. The overweight penguin rested the captain of the guard, down by their blue bandanna wearing friend. Adeleine felt his head. It was still very warm.

"He's burning up…! Ness, what are we going to do? We caught it, but how do we cure them?" Adeleine worriedly asked. They had subdued the beast and captured it alive. None of the five of them were sick either, like they were immune.

"We need to find out how it poisons them, then I can focus my healing more and it might heal them," Ness explained while looking at the shadow monster. Its three beady eyes stared back at him. It looked a little cute, really at this close. The dark shadowy color to it was actually fuzzy fur. He still didn't want to touch it with his bare hands if he could avoid it.

"So someone has to risk themselves to test it?" Meta Knight suggested, Kirby jumping.

"Poyo!" the pink star warrior volunteered, but his artistic friend patted his head. She knew he was too injured to undergo a dangerous disease, though Dedede was having an anger boiling in him. His subjects were either dying or near death now. Normally he was lazy, but he knew his subjects didn't care for him blindly for the fact that he was the ruler due to a monarchy. He knew they would give their lives up for him. Still, in the end it was looking like he would have no kingdom to rule.

"I say we just smash the darn thing!" Dedede shouted, his hammer raised angrily, startling the others, Adeleine and Kirby moving aside. Ness stepped back away from the angry penguin. He tripped over his own feet, dropping the jar. It didn't break, but it rolled on the ground a bit.

"King Dedede, halt!" Meta Knight implored, his sword drawn, warning the king that he would not be against assaulting him to get him to calm down. Dedede held his hammer high it was fully charged, and hurting his arms the longer he held it like this. He let out a huff of anger, retracting the charge and dropping his hammer on the ground, giving in. His faithful knight sheathed his sword.

"Uh… guys?" Ness suddenly spoke, gaining the others' attention. He picked the jar back up. He had noticed something odd about the tiny shadow monster. It looked like it was crying its tiny beady eyes out, like it had been startled from the jar shaking, let alone the in comparison huge penguin trying to hurt it.

"Poyo-sad?" Kirby took the jar from his friend, seeing the tears that looked thicker than usual tears. The pink puffball took the cork off the jar and pulled the shadow monster out, its fur feeling nice on him.

"Kirby! Are you insane?!" Adeleine said, worried about the risk of the monster fleeing again, but her fears were extinguished when they saw the star warrior petting the head of the shadow creature. The jar had the bottom filled with the tears from it, though its beady eyes had stopped crying upon being stroked reassuringly.

"I have an idea…" Ness smiled. He went over to Waddle Dee going on one knee beside him and tilting the jar, letting the small amount of water in it drip out onto the blue bandanna wearing guard. He felt his forehead. It took only seconds for the fever to go down. They then saw his eyes open.

"Oh… hey guys… I feel a lot better," Waddle Dee finally talked. He seemed a lot better, even able to stand on his own and saluted the king. Meta Knight looked to the tiny creature, trying to ponder why it was so strange. The king picked his loyal subject up and threw him in the air, catching him. He felt relieved, hugging him in joy.

"You're cured! We did it!" Dedede laughed. Waddle Dee had never seen the king so passionate about his subjects before. Ness looked at the jar of water. There was a lot it in it. If all it took was a few drops to cure, then healing everyone seemed easy. He smiled, looking to the artist and Kirby. They looked like the weight of the world had been removed from them. The psychic boy poured a few drops on the captain of the guard, and similarly, he miraculously recovered in seconds.

"Here, take this and go around treating everyone," Ness ordered, handing the jar over. The captain of the guard nodded.

"Thank you for saving us," he extended his gratitude to the heroes before he ran off to begin treating the others. Ness looked over to Kirby who seemed to have grown close to the tiny creature that was now cuddling him, even though an hour ago it had tried to kill them.

"What are we going to do with it?" Ness asked. He saw Adeleine take it from her pink friend, letting it rest in her hand. It seemed a lot friendlier, but it was still not safe to leave unattended.

"I think I'll keep it. I could always use some company when travelling while the others are away," the raven haired girl said while scratching its head. She knew that letting it roam the land on its own would be disastrous. Kirby felt sorry for the fact that his friend got left out on his adventures a lot, but he was glad she got to be with him on this one. He just wished it had been less catastrophic. She looked to her friends, a bit saddened, knowing that with the plague on the land being cured, this meant her friends were going to go back to what they were doing before at the Smash Mansion.

"Ness… can I talk to you privately?" she requested. He was confused by her request, but he nodded, agreeing to this. He walked away, letting Kirby, Meta Knight and the king talk to Waddle Dee so they could make sure he was one hundred percent alright.

"What's on your mind, Ado?" Ness attempted to query once the two were out of earshot from the others.

"Well… I'm glad I got to meet you. You're interesting and great. I'm glad we're friends, and I think you're one of the fastest people I've grown attached to… it gets lonely without those guys around," Adeleine began looking at her friends, Kirby, Meta Knight, Waddle Dee and Dedede. She had another friend, too, but that friend was long gone. Ness was so far following her explanation, taking his hat off to brush some dust off. She rubbed a finger through the tiny shadow creature's head. It enjoyed being petted.

"I want you to do me a favor. Kirby likes you a lot and clearly trusts you. Please protect them for me. I want to make sure someone is watching over them. Even Meta Knight needs help sometimes. Promise me you'll help them if they need it?" she pleaded. He was aware at what she was getting at, knowing how she didn't get to see them that often. Clearly they were close enough to practically be their own kind of family.

"Sure. I promise," Ness agreed, nodding, promising to take care of her friends if they needed it. She dug around in her pocket and pulled out a feather that was rainbow colored. She handed it over to him as a memento.

"That's a feather from Dyna Blade. I usually use it to write my signature on my paintings, but you deserve it… Thank you for everything," the artist told him, before wrapping her arms around him, hugging him. He smiled, patting her back, though the two's attention was drawn when they heard footsteps. They saw the captain of the guard come rushing out with a bunch of the loyal servants. They all looked completely cured and they looked ready to celebrate. They all swarmed around the heroes, cheering their heroes in joy. Adeleine had to hang on tight to her new pet to make sure it didn't get startled again, but it seemed to be enjoying the cheers.

"Hah, my subjects! I, the great King Dedede, saved you all!" Dedede tried to take all the credit, but Kirby was drawing most of the attention. The king though still got his own fair share of praise.

"I think it's time for us to go," Meta Knight commented. Ness didn't mind celebration parties, but they had been in Dreamland for a long time. It was time to return to the Smash Mansion.

"Please be safe, you guys," Waddle Dee told them as they saw a bright yellow Warp Star come down from the sky. Kirby could summon this star whenever he wanted. The pink puffball jumped up, grabbing on, holding it tight. Dedede and Meta Knight grabbing hold as well, Ness coming and grabbing onto the bottom part of the star.

"You better keep your promise, Ness!" Adeleine called to him. She looked happy though to see her friends, nonetheless. He gave a thumbs up with one hand.

"I will!" Ness laughed as the Warp Star began to take off with the four on it, flying high in the air, going faster and faster by the second. Before the subjects knew it, they saw the group vanish. Adeleine and Waddle Dee looked to one another, thinking they could still enjoy the party. She was happy to be with her new pet, knowing she and Waddle Dee would see their friends again one day.

"I'm going to miss them…"