United by the Crystal Shards
Chapter 2
Not Just a Pretty Face
(Uploaded on April 7, 2020)
Summary: Bandana Dee has always wanted to be more than a bystander, to find his own self-defined purpose in life.
Luckily for him, a chance encounter with Kirby will finally give him the opportunity to do so.
Notes: This chapter is set at the end of Pop Star's first stage.
Bandana Dee was a simple guy.
A simple guy living a simple life.
…maybe a bit too simple.
He was much like the other non-Dedede affiliated Waddle Dees (save for his trademark blue bandana) in that he was a wanderer. He was reclusive, something of a mystery to Dream Land at large – if you asked anyone about him, they'd consider him a ghost of some sort. Friendship didn't come easily to him—though panic and uncertainty certainly did.
He wasn't like Kirby, bright and friendly. He wasn't like Gooey, oblivious yet well-meaning. He wasn't like Meta Knight, cool and enigmatic.
He was just… another pretty face in a crowd full of them.
Moving from place to place, going everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
…he wished he could be more.
(It was such a shame that he often hesitated to take the first step forward.)
With his character being what it was, however, he resigned himself to maybe never seeing that prospect come to life.
And so, he continued to drift aimlessly through Dream Land, subsisting purely on the tales of miracles shown to him second-hand…
…that is, until now.
Dream Land – Fenced-In Area
On this fine day, the accessory-wearing Waddle Dee was taking a walk through the grassy fields of Dream Land. The sun was shining overhead, and combined with the spring breeze, it made the perfect weather to go out and relax.
Bandana Dee didn't have any set goal in mind. True to his nature, he was strolling randomly across the land, letting his instincts carry him wherever he felt.
I—I wonder what I'll see t-today; if it'll be any d-different from yesterday… he wondered. I mean, they say you learn s-something new every day, r-right?
…wait, th-that doesn't sound like the right phrase…
He continued to waddle around for a good while, the light of the sun washing over him all the while. Eventually, he stumbled upon a strangely fenced-in area… and with it, a Crystal Shard sitting innocently on the floor.
He blinked. "H-Huh?"
That… That was unusual.
(The right kind of unusualness for him, perhaps?)
"What… What's this?"
Cautiously, he poked the glowing shard a few times. It reacted, its light dimming a bit as to not be so blindingly bright.
"It doesn't… l-l-look dangerous… in fact, it looks kinda… p-pretty!" He didn't know why, but he was getting somewhat attracted to the gem. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened in his life thus far, in spite of having lived through two consecutive Dark Matter crises—so, in that light, it was no wonder he was feeling that way.
Nevertheless, his feelings were strong enough for him to willingly picked the Crystal Shard up. He tilted his head left and right, the shard held up to his eyes, before nodding in satisfaction. "W-Well, it's—it's not like it'll hurt if I just—take it!" he affirmed to himself. "So… y-yeah! Maybe I can sh-show off it o-off or something…?"
While he was considering this course of action, something darkened on the floor behind him. It soon coalesced into a black sphere poking out of the ground—a sphere with a sinister eye staring at Bandana Dee.
Dark Matter.
He didn't immediately notice it, given that he was preoccupied with his latest catch. He did, however, sense a malicious aura creeping up from behind him.
"Wh-Wh-Who's there!?" Feeling jumpy, he swiveled to face the disturbance—but instead found nothing of consequence.
"Was I… Was I imagining things…?"
While he was a little concerned, he tried to shrug things off and go back to admiring the Crystal Shard. That didn't last long though, for he felt said traces of evil again shortly afterward.
Freshly agitated now, he juggled the gem between his hands, looking around for the thing haunting him. "O-O-Okay, this isn't funny anymore!" he stammered, sweat pouring down his head. "C-C-Come on out a-a-a-and show yourself!"
He couldn't have known that his only crime was being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He couldn't have known that the object in his hand was anything more than a simple cool and shiny gem.
And now, he was about to pay the price for it.
Finally, he managed to catch his stalker in the air—and his eyes immediately widened in horror.
"Oh no! I—I—I've seen you before…!"
The cloud of Dark Matter rocketed into the air, only to spiral back down toward Bandana Dee at lightning speed.
He flailed his arms around in panic and screamed.
"And that's four total Crystal Shards already under our belt!" Kirby grinned. Ribbon was trailing behind, the partially-restored Great Crystal in her hands. "Not too bad, if I do say so myself!"
The fairy was of a similar mood. "I didn't think we'd find some this fast," she admitted. "When all the pieces when flying, I expected they'd be further away from each other…"
About an hour or so had passed since the duo began their journey, and they had made a lot of progress in that time! They were good for each other, Kirby and Ribbon; he gave her a source of optimism and confidence, and she provided company while he traveled the lands.
"Eh, fate has a funny way of making sure things go relatively smoothly. Not that I'm complaining." He spun around an explosive shuriken on his hand. "I've managed to figure out how to make Power Combos using my Copy Abilities, so it's a win-win, in my opinion!"
She hummed happily as she handled her Crystal. "Power Combos, huh?"
Ribbon hadn't expected anyone to be able to use Copy Abilities the way Kirby did. Sure, she knew what Copy Abilities were—but to the best of her knowledge, you either had one or two, or not at all. (She was in the latter camp.) To see the puffball able to swap to multiple Copy Abilities, and even mix them together…
…well, she was glad she got him as a partner.
She giggled. "You're really something else, Kirby. I don't think there's anyone else in the galaxy that's like you."
"I'd be surprised if there was! I mean, I'm only the biggest eater there is on Planet Pop Star!" He smiled ever wider, thoughts of food rushing through his mind. "You should see me doing a Gourmet Race sometime—when it comes to plowing through entire buffets in seconds flat, I'm uncontested!"
The fairy remembered how he seemed able to put anything inside his own mouth. "Yeah, I'd bet."
In a way, Kirby reminded her of Queen Ripple. When it came to food, there was nothing else that could get her eyes to sparkle that much. Heck, half the time, she didn't even bother with manners and just devoured her meals whole. It was something her subjects never failed to be surprised by – save for Ribbon, the queen's closest confidant.
Her smile froze a little, as she remembered the fate Queen Ripple was likely being subjected to.
Oh, Your Majesty… hang in there, will you?
We'll save you in time. I promise.
"So, any idea where the next Crystal Shard is?" Kirby asked. "It's gotta be somewhere close by, knowing our luck."
"Lemme see…" Ribbon held her Crystal up and let its magic wash over her. This way, the Crystal could act as a sort of radar for finding the others. It wasn't perfect – it could get pretty imprecise with its directions – but it was better than nothing. "I think there should be another one a few yards ahead! Something's weird, though… Th-That's not the only thing I'm sensing…"
Suddenly, the duo heard a scream echo through the air. They looked at each other with startled expressions.
"Wh-Wh-What was that!?" Ribbon queried, wide-eyed.
Kirby frowned. "I dunno… but we can't just ignore it!" He sped up his pace, his fairy friend doing the same. They arrived at the nearby fenced-in zone as quickly as they could—right in time to see a Waddle Dee lying face down on the floor, motionless.
"It's a… Waddle Dee! With a blue bandana!" the puffball said, surprise clear on his face. "Huh, never seen him before…"
"He must've been the source of the scream," Ribbon surmised. "But why…?" She looked at the floor, and recoiled. "Wait, why is his shadow so large…!?"
Kirby followed her gaze. Indeed, a black circle was surrounding the Waddle Dee. In fact, it was even going into the poor creature, if he was reading things right.
He knew where this was going. "Oh no…"
The Waddle Dee slowly got up, bringing his hands in front of his eyeless face. Kirby and Ribbon tensed as his whole body pulsed with darkness. "Wh-What's going on!?" the fairy shouted.
"He's been possessed by Dark Matter!" Kirby explained—"that means we're gonna be in for a fight!"
The Waddle Dee spread out his arms—and an eyeball and two eyelashes sprouted onto his face. Somehow, Dark Matter had transformed him into a Waddle Doo!
Kirby furrowed his brow and whipped out his explosive shurikens. Strange, but nothing I can't deal with. Let's go!
Chaos flew by overhead.
Peeking out near Dedede's Tower in the Ice Mountains, Bandana Dee watched as Kirby and Gooey clashed with the forces of Dark Matter head-on.
"W-W-Wow…!" he breathed. His idols were pushing on through the storm, Love-Love Stick and Mock Matter forms in hand. Even from this distance, he could tell that they weren't afraid at all—they were determined to end this crisis, come what may.
Bandana Dee had spent most of the last few weeks hiding away from the bad guys and their possessed minions. He had gotten pretty good at sticking to the background, as loathe as he was to admit it – Dark Matter had even left him alone for the most part, being seemingly content to focus on the rest of the populace.
He didn't quite know how to feel about that.
(Relief? Frustration? It was all so very complicated…)
But sitting here, looking up at the darkness in the sky—and the two lights shining within it…
…I—I wanna be up there! With Kirby's other friends, cheering him on…!
He shook his head. "Wh-What am I thinking?" he muttered to himself. "They'd—They'd never accept me, j-just like th-that! I'm a complete stranger to them!"
He hadn't really been a part of the restoration process; he hadn't even been willing to step outside his comfort zone while this was going on! No amount of excuses could change that fact.
And yet… didn't people say that Kirby would accept anyone anyway? Make friends with whoever, wherever, whenever he wanted to?
…
…
He sighed. "I'll… I'll try for it later. It—It wouldn't be any good if… if I went up to them h-here."
For now, though… he'd settle with simply watching everything happen from afar. Like he'd always done.
It was… better than nothing.
Bandana Dee woke up.
The cloud of Dark Matter had expelled itself from his body, turning him back to normal.
I'm… I'm alive? he thought. I… didn't become a monster for all eternity?
Vaguely, he could hear two voices—one sassy, one girly—cheering close to his position.
"Ha ha! We sent that Dark Matter minion packing! High-five!"
"High-five!"
He stumbled to his feet, shaking off the disorientation he was feeling. "Ohhhhhhhhh… That was… That was t-t-t-t-terrifying!" he muttered to himself with a shiver. "If—If I never have to do that again, th-that would be great…"
"Hey there, little buddy! You doin' alright? It's not every day Dark Matter decides to possess you, after all."
Bandana Dee jolted. That voice… Could it be…?
He lifted his head to check—and lo and behold, there was Kirby, Hero of the Stars, smiling at him as brightly as humanely possible.
"WAH!" Bandana Dee leaped high into the air, unwittingly awing the two adventurers in front of him.
"Wow, what did you say to him, Kirby?" the pink-haired fairy wondered. "He looks like he's seen a ghost!"
"I… said hello?" Kirby replied, tilting his head. "
"O-O-O-Omigosh!" the blue-wearing Dee chattered. "You're Kirby! Kirby's here, actually t-t-talking to me!" His blush abruptly became several shades of red deeper. "This is—This is the best day of my life…!"
The fairy girl blinked. "I—I didn't know you had a reputation on this planet…" she said, bewildered.
"It comes from dealing with Nightmare," the puffball shrugged. "And Dark Matter. And Marx. And Dark Matter again. And doing that 'Super Smash' tournament thing." (Huh… You know, when he put it that way, it was really amazing how much he'd accomplished in the last eight years alone.)
He turned to face Bandana Dee again. "Well, based on your reaction, I'm gonna guess you're doing just fine. So, what's your name? I'm Kirby—but you already knew that—and this is Ribbon." The fairy waved a hand gleefully.
The Waddle Dee rubbed the back of his head. "I'm—I'm B-B-Bandana Waddle Dee, b-but you can call me B-Bandana Dee! I p-poke around here and there, and… y-yeah! That's what I do!"
Ack! he internally panicked. I—I just embarrassed myself! Noooooooo!
Fortunately for him, Kirby took things in stride. "Not a very flattering job description," he teased, "but I guess it's not my place to judge. It's nice to meet you, Bandana Dee!"
"Same here!" Ribbon said.
It was official: Bandana Dee was in heaven. He had died and gone to the Overthere; that was the only explanation for all of this.
"S-S-So!" he said, "wh-what are you doing today, K-Kirby? A-Aside from the whole—Dark Matter thing, I mean."
"I'm glad you asked! See, Ribbon here needs to gather a bunch of Crystal Shards in order to save her home from eternal darkness and whatnot. They're scattered all over the galaxy, so I'm helping her get all of them back." He smiled. "It's gonna be a long few weeks, but for a friend, I'm willing to handle it all!"
"You're so brave…" Bandana Dee whispered. More dejectedly, he said, "I wish I could be like you… I—I didn't even get a ch-chance to fight Dark Matter…"
"Hey, I think you did as well as you could've, given the circumstances."
"You were caught off-guard!" Ribbon chimed in. "The same thing could've happened to anyone. Besides," she spun around him, "it's okay to be a little scared. Ripple Star getting invaded was scary, but… I'm still here! That counts for something, right?"
That struck a rung with him. He couldn't imagine what it was like to lose your home in such a way—and yet, here she was, trying to fix things however she could.
If she could keep fighting on against Dark Matter, then… he could do something too, right?
Something to help out on this latest crisis…?
He hummed. "I… I guess…"
Kirby yawned and stretched his limbs. "Well, we've gotta get back to business. Maybe we can hang out with each other after I'm done with everything." He waved the guy goodbye as he started to trek toward the horizon. "See you later, Bandana Dee!"
"Don't get caught up in any trouble!" Ribbon added, moving to follow her companion.
Bandana Dee hesitantly waved back, but then stopped. All his life, he'd wanted for somebody to give him courage—and now that he had, was he really going to let it return to the depths of his soul?
…
Surprisingly, it took him very little time to make his decision.
"H-Hey! I'm—I'm coming, too!" He ran over to the fence and hopped over it, joining the duo as they dashed to the next area.
Kirby raised his eyebrows. "Huh. You sure 'bout that, Dee?" he gently questioned him. "It's gonna be pretty dangerous out there."
Ribbon nodded. "Yeah. That Dark Matter guy we beat, he's not the only one we'll be facing! A-At least, th-that's what I'm suspecting."
For once, Bandana Dee didn't care. "I wanna go, anyway!" he asserted. "E-Even if I can't fight a-all that well, I… I have to do this." He stared directly into the pink puffball's eyes, shining with a new resolution. "So please, take me with you!"
"Hmm…" Kirby and Ribbon glanced at one another, and smiled simultaneously at their newest member.
"Okey-dokey!" he grinned. "Welcome to the team, Bandana Dee! Let's be good friends from now on, 'kay?"
"K-Kay!" the accessory-wearing Dee replied. "I won't let you down, I—I promise!"
Aaaaaaand we're back! Looks I can still do fast turnover times! Heh heh.
As I've long alluded to (and shown), Bandana Dee was retconned into being the Waddle Dee from Kirby 64, to help give some of his character more context. Flying into the Fray showed him as too afraid and/or indecisive to reach out to Kirby on his own, which is why his meeting with the puffball here carries so much weight. Sometimes, you can find courage from the most unexpected of places—and its this impulse decision that'll kickstart his Character Development.
Kirby does have a habit of improving people just by being around them, after all. And hey, wouldn't you love to go adventuring with a hero like him?
I'm gonna be skipping the battle sequences for all of Kirby's companions, as you can see. I'm intending for this to be a shorter fic, so anything that'll make this easier on me is appreciated. It also means I can spend more time making sure the fluff is up to snuff – so I hope this chapter feels comfortable enough.
Well, that's all for now – tune in next time for everybody's favorite painter girl! Yahoo!