Chapter 23: Wendy

Samus's group enters the forest once again in order to find the village pointed by Nana. However, not long after they enter said forest, Roy suddenly decided to turn back. This prompts a question from Popo.

"Hey, Roy, why are you going back?"

"Well, um, I have a feeling that pink parka girl may need some help, so I decided to silently follow her. All of you can go ahead." Roy runs back right after he told the rest of the group.

"Roy! Wait!" Marth exclaimed, but Roy ignores him as he continues running.

"Perhaps we should leave him be. Maybe he is up to something." Jeff said to Marth.

"Well, let's continue our journey then." Popo said.

The seven travelers go deeper and deeper into the forest, getting closer to the chosen destination with each step. Along their journey, all they can see are trees and other sorts of plants. So far, it's mostly a peaceful journey, until…

*step*

Popo, who is leading the group now, manages to step on a hidden rope, which triggers a trap involving a huge net underneath the group, which captures all but Samus, who is slightly further back, but she ends up being grabbed and pulled by somebody else into the bushes.

"GAH! It's a trap!" Popo exclaimed.

"I shouldn't really trust this place…" Marth commented.

"I don't see Samus anywhere!" Jeff said.

"I think she didn't get caught in the same trap as us… but she might be kidnapped by somebody else… urk." Mario said.

"Not again…" Popo groaned.

Somewhere else in the forest, Samus gets up to see an anthropomorphic turtle-like thing standing in front of her. Said turtle-like thing seems to be a female. She wears a large pink bow with white polka-dots on her head, a red beaded necklace, golden bracelets on both wrists, and pink heels. Her shell is pink and has spikes.

"Ugh… who are you?"

"The name's Wendy. I'm the village's resident witch!"

"…You must be planning something sinister, aren't you?"

"What? No! Don't mistake me for somebody evil just because I'm a witch! In fact, being a witch here is a good thing!"

"I don't believe you. Where are my companions?!"

"Ugh… You're really quick to judge people by their looks, huh? Anyway, your companions? Well… they got in trouble. Must be that Meta Knight…"

"Meta Knight?"

"Sigh… Meta Knight is a long-time villager in the, well, nearby village. He has zero tolerance to outsiders because of a horrible past or something like that. As a result, the village rarely gets visitors. Even if we do get visitors, they usually end up being held hostage and more often than not… rotting in whatever place Meta Knight used to store his victims…"

"So… you actually saved me?"

"Yes. You're slightly lagging behind, so looks like you were lucky there."

"I guess… but I have to find them! Where's that village?!"

"Come follow me." Wendy shows Samus the way to the village, which is still on the same path as where Samus's group previously walked on.

After a little bit of trekking through the thick forest without triggering any traps, the two arrive at the village's gate. It's a rather small village. As soon as they enter the village, Samus begins to wonder about something.

"Something about this place seems to be familiar…"

"Huh?"

"Oh. It's nothing. I must be imagining it."

"Alright then. But… before we continue, I'd like to know your name. Forgive me for not asking."

"Eh. It's fine. I tend to encounter people like that. Anyway, my name's Samus."

"S-Samus?!"

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Does your full name happen to be Samus Aran?!"

"Uh, yes. And how did you make such guess?"

"You see, Meta Knight has been uttering that name for a long time. Every time I'm keeping my eye on him, he's always like 'Samus, I'm still waiting for you' or something like that."

"How does he know my name anyway?"

"You might be acquainted with each other at one point in time…?"

"I… I don't know anyone named Meta Knight in my past."

"That's weird. Let's see if we can meet him in person."

As the two continue to walk, Samus notices a small house, around 30 square meters in area and around 5 meters in height. Its roof is red and its wall is turquoise. The house is surrounded by small wooden fences painted white. A monkey wearing a red cap and shirt can be seen relaxing on a chair in front of the house. Samus walks closer to the house, causing Wendy to stop on her tracks and follow Samus.

As Samus is staring at that particular house, Wendy asks, "Um. That's Diddy Kong's house. Actually, from what I heard, this used to belong to someone else a long time ago."

"Huh."

"Perhaps you can check the house again after meeting Meta Knight…"

"Oh. Right." Samus immediately focuses back on finding her companions and Meta Knight.

Now, Wendy takes Samus to what appears to be an entrance to a cellar. It's located behind a warehouse.

"Are you sure we can find the others here?" Samus asked.

"Not entirely sure. But Meta Knight's favorite place to store his victims is often this place, so we might as well check this place first."

"But it's locked. How are we supposed to enter?"

"Don't worry. I can use magic. Here I go." Wendy generates a ball of magic from between her palms and then directs it to the lock, somehow unlocking it.

After the two open the door to the cellar, they're immediately greeted with cries of help from Samus's companions, who are all tied up.

"Samus! You're here! We really need help now!" Jeff exclaimed.

"I thought we won't be rescued." Mario said.

And so, Samus and Wendy go down the cellar, only to be suddenly surprised by someone behind them. It's Meta Knight.

"You! Why are you in my cellar?!" the round masked creature said.

"Meta Knight! I'm sorry! I just want this woman's companions to be free! They mean no harm, sir!" Wendy replied.

"And who's that woman?" Meta Knight points to Samus.

"M-my name's Samus! I want you to release my allies!"

"Samus? ...Are you really her, Samus Aran?"

"…How did you even know my name in the first place? You're not affiliated with any armies, right?"

"What? No way! I know that name because the Samus I know is my childhood friend!"

"Childhood friend? Wha-?" Wendy is confused.

"Excuse me? I don't really remember anyone named Meta Knight, even in my childhood." Samus said.

"Don't you remember, Samus, when we used to get along in this little village… until that horrible invasion happened and you ended up having to live with the extraterrestrials out there because you lost your parents?!"

Samus then finally realizes something after that explanation.

"Now I remember… No wonder this place feels familiar… This was my place when I was a little girl…"

"Wha-? Am I really hearing this?" the tied-up Popo said.

"The house that I saw… it was my old house. Same paint color and everything. I'm surprised that it was finally rebuilt with nearly the same features."

"It was rebuilt that way so that I won't forget you, Samus. We got along well before." Meta Knight said.

"I believe I gave a nickname to a certain friend long time ago…"

"And that friend was me, Samus. When we were little, you chose the "Swordfighter" nickname for me… It has been a really long time… and you managed to forget nearly everything about this village that you used to live in… Whatever. It has been several years anyway."

"I… I'm sorry… I just… have so many thoughts in my head…"

"Meta Knight, so you really were friends back then…" Wendy said.

"That's right." Meta Knight replied.

"…I don't remember seeing you with a mask, so I can't really recognize you, Swordfighter." Samus said.

"Sigh. It's a long story. The truth is, this mask has been a part of me for years."

Samus is left speechless, while Wendy is unsure about what to say about the current situation. Suddenly, Marth says, "Come on! We just need to be untied! We can't stay like this!"

Noticing this, Samus asks Meta Knight, "…Swordfighter, I mean, Meta Knight, can you please just do us a favor and release all of these innocent people? We're in the middle of a really important journey right now, and I need their help."

"Are they really that trustworthy?" Meta Knight asked back.

"Yes, they are. I wouldn't have reached this far without them. Please, Meta Knight, release them."

Suddenly, silence. Meta Knight is thinking for a while, while Samus is getting more anxious.

"Fine. I'll release them. But if they end up harming the villagers, I'll have no hesitation on tying them up again and leaving them to die."

Meta Knight goes down the cellar and begins untying his victims, one by one. Samus and Wendy choose to stand on their spot and watch, in fear that Meta Knight might accuse them of bothering him if they choose to help out. Once all six of Samus's allies are untied, Meta Knight begins to question Samus.

"What brings you here now, aside from finding your companions?"

"We're looking for a trophy holder. That holder is said to live here." Samus answered.

"Trophy? Isn't that a figurine-like item with a gold round base?"

"Yes. Have you seen that trophy holder?!"

"I believe I've seen one. But unfortunately, that holder had moved out a long time ago."

"Hmm…"

Wendy then asks, "Samus, I don't understand about your current situation right now. What do you need that trophy holder for?"

"Look, we have to gather all the trophy holders in order to restore this world back to normal. This world is currently being infested by blob monsters that keep gaining power until they can destroy this world."

"Wow. I was never aware of that. I don't know that our world is in danger."

"Huh. I wish that you can stay in this village much longer, Samus. But I guess you're busy with your own thing…" Meta Knight said.

"I'm sorry, Meta Knight. But that's the current situation I'm having right now…"

Meta Knight then walks up to Samus.

"Samus, before you can go, I have to say, I never expected you to grow into a tall, beautiful and tough woman. If you think that what you're doing is good for this world, then go for it. I wish I can see you again after you're done. Stay safe out there."

"Thanks, little buddy. Anyway, do you know where that trophy holder moved to?"

"Unfortunately, I have no idea. But I'm sure you'll run into that person soon enough."

"Thanks for motivating us, Meta Knight. We'll do our best to find that person."

And so, Samus and company leave the cellar, leaving Meta Knight and Wendy behind. They then leave the village, now trying to find where the aforementioned trophy holder is.