Characters: King Dedede, Captain Falcon, Fox, Bandanna Dee, Mace Knight, Master Kohga, and Sooga
Settings: Castle Dedede, Dreamland
Dedede sat on his throne, anxious to hear back from the healers, currently caring for Fox and Captain Falcon. Their condition before, was critical, however, based on recent reports, they were sure to live. Dedede had long hoped to see the Smash Brothers once again, however, this was not how he expected the big reunion to go.
What struck him as rather peculiar, was that both of them, arrived almost fatally wounded, hours after an attack from unknown origin, by an enemy that was long thought dead. It...made the King remember what Captain Falcon's last words were before he fainted.
"Dead! They're all Dead!"
Could whatever have attacked him and Fox, also been some deceased enemy? Or were the "dead" people in question simply others killed in the attack that had so grievously injured them? And what had transpired, to bring 2 different members of the Smash Brothers together, for what seemed like a large battle? Was the team being reformed?
All of these questions were raring to be asked once Dedede actually got the chance to sit down with his old comrades, and talk with them.
It was though the stars aligned, as much to Dedede's fortune, a Waddle Dee healer walked into the throne room, before saying exactly what Dedede wanted to hear. "Sire, they're mostly done with the healing process, and have requested to speak with you. Do you wish to join them?"
Dedede nodded eagerly. It was time to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Bandanna and the Mace Night had trekked through the woodland areas of Dreamland for most of the day, and it was quite possibly the most annoying and excruciating experience that Bandanna had ever faced. For one, while he was a soldier, and was inherently strong for his species, the walk made his muscles ache profusely, due to how long they'd been at it.
Secondly, his company, the Mace Knight, was not a pleasurable presence to have for long periods of time. Bandanna was an avid Meta Knight follower, however, the Mace Knight was not among those in the group he revered. Mace Knight constantly would wise crack loudly, tell the most horrible stories of brutal killings, and would try to scare him at every available instance.
It was a mental battle for Bandanna Dee. He didn't wish to continue this journey to the Halberd, however, at the same time, he also wanted to get to the other Meta Knights, to drown out the personality of the Mace Knight, with their own, more sane presence.
More hours went by, and Bandanna was questioning Mace Knight's knowledge as to where the Halberd was. Surely they should already be there by now?
"Um...Mace? How close are we to the Halberd?"
"The what?"
"The Halberd! You know...YOUR SHIP!" He didn't mean for his words to come out angry, however, he also didn't understand how a long time member of the ship had no knowledge of it's location. To his surprise, Mace Knight started to chuckle.
"Hehehe... About that... I just kinda wanted to piss you off, and...we've been walking in circles through the woods for the whole day."
Bandanna should have been surprised at such a fucked up attempt at self humor. However, at this point, nothing that the Mace Knight did was surprising to him. That did not stop the indignation that rose within him, at the notion that they had been achieving nothing for the whole day. "So...this whole time...we've gotten nowhere?"
Mace Knight nodded excitedly, practically bawling with laughter. Bandanna tried to keep his voice even. "You do realize, that this mission...was under direct orders...from our King?"
Mace Knight waved. "Relax kiddo. It-as just a prank. If we follow the trees for about, eh-"
"You don't understand!", Bandanna bellowed, now unable to hold back his frustration that all of their efforts had been fruitless. "The kingdom is under attack, and we've been sent to rally forces so that we don't all fucking die! And you're...making...PRANKS?!"
Mace Knight was about to respond, when both heard the same thing in the distance. It was a sound Bandanna recognized completely, and one that puzzled the Mace Knight.
It was the sound of a portal opening.
Dedede hurriedly followed, which was hard given his rather large size, the healer, down into the catacombs under the castle, in which the healers' stations were. Due to the attack, there were a large assortment of Waddle Dees being treated, but the 2 walked past all of them. They were headed to the largest healing room, reserved for only those of high status that needed healing due to their importance, or those that were so badly wounded, that they needed the best service possible. As such, Captain Falcon and Fox were residing there.
The healer opened the door, moving aside to let the King enter, and then closed it behind them to ensure their privacy. Dedede's eyes now sought out the 2 figures lying in adjacent recovery beds. Both Fox, and the Captain, were covered in many bandages, and had stitches lining all visible skin on them. Both of their uniforms had been taken to cleaning chambers. Dedede had never imagined to see 2 Smash Brothers like this. Not after Galeem.
Captain Falcon's head raised, as his eyes(one of which had a scar always known to be there) met Dedede's. "Dedede... They're all dead..."
"Who is dead", the king eagerly asked. He needed answers and fast.
"Mute... Mute City... Shulk... Samus... all dead."
What? It was the last thing he'd expected to here. Smash Brothers had been...killed? Dedede had known some of them to capable of being defeated, such as Luigi and Marth, during the Galeem wars, however, there was no current threat that was strong enough to kill a Smash Brother, to Dedede's knowledge. What was even more baffling was that Mute City was supposedly destroyed. From what he understood, the city contained over 1 billion people, and had many powerful warriors living there. Destroying Mute City was a pipe dream. There could be no way that Captain Falcon had spoken right. Surely he was still delusional from the crash. Right?
"I'm...afraid you're going to have to elaborate."
Fox sat up in his bed, in obviously better shape than the Captain, as he opened his mouth to speak. "Mute City was...under attack by these weird...portal things... Captain here reached out to a few of the old gang, bringing in me, ...Fal-Falco," - he struggled to say the name, swallowing hard, and wincing - "Shulk, Cloud, and Samus... We'd fought off the portals for a bit, but then they wouldn't stop appearing... We tried to call out to few other Smash people, but...by then it was too late..."
Captain Falcon nodded drearily, however he was gaining more consciousness and continued. "After a while, a big portal opened up... Really fuckin big... And some kind of, tower, or spike" - he paused in thought - "I don't really know what it was, but... It...made a portal that was even bigger than the one that brought the tower... That's when it happened. An army...bigger than anything Ga-Galeem had came out of it. They...killed everyone... Fox and I barely managed to escape, but...our ships were damaged, and we had been injured during the fight... We'd located a nearby planet...being yours, and...landed.
Part of Dedede was humored by the notion that they had "landed". They'd done anything but land. However this humor was blighted by an insurmountable feeling of dread. So these portals that had attacked his kingdom...were not...isolated. And based off of what the 2 bloodied Smash Brothers were saying, there was a...tower controlling them? The sorrow at hearing of the deaths of his old comrades coursed through his veins as well.
"Dedede", Falcon said sharply. "They're going to come here. They're going to come everywhere. I've heard reports about these attacks happening on other planets. Your kingdom...everything you rule...and care about, is going to be destroyed by these...things. If they killed..." - he shuddered - "Has your kingdom been attacked yet?'
"Indeed it has. By a portal, sprouting an enemy named Marx, who was killed many years ago by Kirby."
Fox practically jumped. "Wait! Kirby is still here?"
Dedede nodded. "As are the Meta Knights. In fact...now that I think of it...I believe Ness also lives here. After Galeem, his hometown had been...well...destroyed, and he came with Kirby to escape the haunted memories he had there. I assume he still lives with Kirby."
Fox looked over to Captain Falcon, exchanging glances with him. "Then all hope...may not be lost", Fox mumbled to himself. "Do you have any way to contact other members. Anyone at all?"
Dedede shook his head. "I do...not. I've not been able to keep into contact with anyone after Galeem."
Fox nodded sadly. "Besides Kirby, Meta Knight, and Ness, do you have anyone powerful you may have...imprisoned, that would be willing to help? I know this place has faced a large amount...interesting enemies."
Dedede thought to himself.
About a month ago, in the forest of Nibel, located not too far from the castle, Waddle Dee explorers had found an odd creature that possessed what looked to be...light powers? They'd brought it to the dungeon, to be used for further study. Perhaps he could be of some use. Also, about a week before the portal attack, Dedede had been notified of some odd species of creature that looked to be made of...yarn, it had seemed. It was found by guards outside the walls, simply walking, but nothing like it had been seen before, making it an eager capture for the Waddle Dees.
"I might have a few we could speak with."
"Good", Captain Falcon said. "If this place is to survive, we'll need all the help we can get."
He then, much to Dedede's dismay, began to stand up, wincing as he did it. Dedede could tell it was a painful endeavor, however, the Captain's face held pure resolve. "Let's get to work.
Bandanna Dee and the Mace Knight had tracked down the sound to a clearing in the woods, and as Bandanna had suspected, the sound was indeed caused by an oncoming portal. The Mace Knight grabbed his mace swinging it in circles, preparing to swing it at whatever exited the portal. Bandanna Dee, however, wanted to find out what the intentions of the newcomer was before they attempted to fight it.
"Not yet!", Bandanna whispered harshly, causing the Mace Knight to relinquish his weapon.
Something began to exit the portal, and unlike Marx, it was not a being that either of them had seen before. The newcomer was...tall, yet rather...obese. In fact, he was insanely fat. He had a tight red suit, with a white mask, and a red eye symbol painted on it. He rubbed his mask, and peered around the forest, clearly unsure of his location. He didn't seem to be hostile, however, he was out of breath.
"Stay here", Bandanna whispered to the knight. He could tell that his comrade's nod was reluctant, but accepted the sentiment nonetheless.
Bandanna walked out into the clearing. "Hello?"
The fat red man, turned around in a flash. "Who-wha-the?', he spluttered in an unrefined fashion. His mask met the Waddle Dee, and his posture became even more tense. "What...the...fuck...are...you?"
Never seen a Waddle Dee apparently. Well...at least he hasn't attacked me. Yet. "I am a Waddle Dee, the primary species here in Dreamland. Who are you, and where did you come from?"
The fat man studied Bandanna for a moment. Without properly being able to see his face, Bandanna was oblivious as to what the man's expression entailed. He then blurted out a call, out of nowhere, that made Bandanna's heart stop temporarily.
"SOOGA! GET THE HELL UP HERE!"
Much to Bandanna's surprise, another portal opened right next to where the first one had. A man, much taller, yet in the same red outfit, with a similar mask(although his mask was cracked), came out of it and immediately knelt. He was noticeably more muscular, and had not an ounce of fat on him, unlike the other masked man. In dual sheathes, he had what looked to be large katanas.
"Apologies Master, for taking so long."
"Did that Undead freak notice you come out?"
"No sir. I managed to access the tower without him or his apostles noticing."
Bandanna watched the exchange, soaking in their words. Undead? Tower? Apostles? The topic of conversation was ambiguous as can be, and Bandanna was sure to ask questions afterward.
"Good... good... Now" - the fat masked man looked away from the man that was presumably known as Sooga, and towards Bandanna - "where the fuck did you say we are again?"
Author's Note: For anyone that knows what Nibel is, know I am altering it's origin to be located on Dreamland. Same will be done about the "Yarn Person". See you next Chapter!