Chapter 2: Differences
Tiff was in another dimension.
That was the conclusion that she and Kirby had come to after the two of them had talked for a bit, sitting around the table. It was hard to believe, but somehow she had ended up in a parallel world. She felt like the protagonists of a couple of fantasy novels she had read, though she didn't have a pair of red shoes that could bring her back home, and she hoped that this world didn't have a deranged monarch who wanted to chop her head off.
"Oh, wait. Dedede also exists in this dimension, so the deranged monarch is guaranteed," Tiff realised. Even if it seemed like that world's Dedede got along better with Kirby, that didn't mean that he wasn't an egocentric tyrant with a bad temper just like the one she knew and the queen from that novel (minus the chopping heads part).
As for how they had figured that out, two pieces of information were the key. The first was the obvious age difference between the two Kirbies. The second was eNeMeE, though he was better known as Nightmare in that world.
That dimension's Kirby had defeated the villain a long time ago, albeit under entirely different circumstances. The being made of nightmares had tried to corrupt something called the "Fountain of Dreams", and the King Dedede of that dimension had sealed him by breaking the Star Rod. However, as that had made the whole population of Pop Star unable to dream, Kirby had to take action.
"So, in this dimension, you are also the one who has to fix the problems caused by Dedede," Tiff commented once the alternate Kirby was done telling his story. She was unable to hide her disdain for the monarch in that sentence.
"Uh? Dedede stopped being the cause of the problems a long time ago, poyo," he denied, a little upset. "And the Star Rod thing was just a big misunderstanding between us two."
The alternative Kirby seemed offended by how Tiff talked about Dedede, so the girl decided to think of other thing she could ask about.
By the way Kirby had described it, the Fountain of Dreams seemed to be the natural antithesis of Nightmare. Why didn't it exist in her dimension? How had the Star Rod become something only obtainable in dreams? Perhaps that was why the Nightmare from her dimension had gained so much power. Instead of the Fountain of Dreams, the Star Warriors were the only thing that her dimension had to defend against eNeMeE, and they lost the war against the wizard and his creations.
"If this dimension has the blessing of the Fountain of Dreams to protect you, then do Star Warriors exist?" Tiff asked Kirby.
"I have never heard of them, so I guess not. But it sounds like something Meta Knight would like to be part of," the pufball answered.
"Well, you're not totally mistaken there: he is one in my dimension," she confirmed. Kirby smiled confidently because he had guessed right. "And so are you," she added.
"Even if I am just a baby?" Kirby asked. Tiff nodded. "That is so cool, poyo!"
Tiff finished eating the Maxim Tomato that Kirby had given her. She was not surprised that they were the favourite food of that version of her friend. Not only did it taste way better than any regular tomato, but she also felt totally rejuvenated, as if she had never had a fever. It was a shame they didn't exist in her world: her Kirby would have loved them.
"I wonder how he is doing. I hope I can go back home soon..." she thought longingly.
That dimension's Kirby had promised her that he would find a way to get her back home as soon as possible. It seemed that the puffball had travelled to other worlds before and knew a few people who were well versed in inter-dimensional travel. The young hero was convinced that Tiff would soon be back in her world with her friends and family.
But, as she was thinking about reuniting with her loved ones, Tiff felt like she was forgetting something important. Something related to that dream that she could barely remember. What was it? What was she missing?
"Gooey is taking a long time... how weird, poyo" Kirby suddenly said with concern, interrupting the girl's thoughts.
"Who is Gooey? You mentioned that when you found me you were with him," Tiff asked intrigued.
"When he is not traveling around Pop Star on his own, he is my roommate. I tasked him to find some extra food while I brought you here, but he should have been back by now... "
So instead of Tokkori, this Kirby was sharing his house with this Gooey guy. She hoped that he would be a better partner than the bird, although the bar was not very high.
"He may be in trouble. He is a bit absent-minded, but this is taking him way too long. I'm going to go look for him," Kirby decided as he got up.
"Wait!" Tiff stopped him. "I want to go with you. I would like to learn more about this new Dreamland. Maybe we will even find a clue about how I ended up here," she explained.
"Well, if you really feel well enough to travel, then you can come with me!" he replied with a smile. "Nothing like an adventure to get to know someone better! Especially if that someone is my best friend in another dimension!"
Tiff couldn't help but smile at the pink puffball's contagious enthusiasm. His gentless and sweetness, his love for food, his innate kindness and desire for adventure... That Kirby may be older than the one she knew, had other friends and his adventures had also been way different, but he was still Kirby at his core.
And so, the two set off in search of Kirby's missing roommate.
The world that greeted Tiff on the other side of Kirby's front door was just as colourful and bright as the one in the photos. So no, It wasn't a saturation effect: that Dreamland was naturally like that. Tiff wondered if this was due to the power of the famous Fountain of Dreams or if it was just that this dimension was like that. At first, all that brightness hurt her eyes a bit, but it didn't take long to get used to it
As they walked, Tiff asked Kirby if Cappy Village existed there. He replied that the cappies of his world were too disorganised to build something like that. Furthermore, there were no cities in that Dreamland: each one lived where they wanted, as they wanted, as long as they didn't bother the neighbor. They didn't even have money! That sounded idyllic as well as chaotic. Tiff couldn't imagine her own Dreamland working like that.
Suddenly Kirby stopped in the middle of the road. Tiff looked at him confused: there was nothing out of the ordinary in this place.
"This is where we found you," Kirby pointed out. "Do you see something from your dimension?"
"No. There is not even a landscape similar to this one where I come from," Tiff denied, a little disappointed. She had hoped that finding the site where she had appeared would have revealed something.
"Mmm, maybe if I bring Magolor here, he can use his magic to detect if something is off, poyo," Kirby wondered. Then, he began to think about the last time he had seen Gooey to try to guess his location: "okay, so Gooey and I found you here and then we parted ways. I went home, while he went in that direction..."
Kirby turned towards the nearby forest. Upon recognising the place, an expression of mild aversion appeared on his face.
"Oh, no. So that is why he is taking so long. Follow me!" Kirby exclaimed.
Kirby ran off into the woods, closely followed by Tiff. The puffball knew where to go and led her to a clearing in the forest. There was a figure Tiff knew well, facing another she had only seen in Kirby's photos. The first was Whispy, the wise tree who in her world protected the woods that shared his name. The second was a small blue blob with googly eyes and a long red tongue, giving it a goofy appearance. Whispy was blocking the path with his own trunk.
"Come on, Whispy: just give me one apple or two. They are for a sick child," she heard the blue blob plead.
"I'm not in the mood to share my fruit with anyone!" the tree declined.
"Then, at least let me pass so I can find something on my own!"
"No! Nobody is going to cross my forest today!" the tree exclaimed as he spread his roots to block the road even more.
That brief exchange had been enough to show to Tiff that this Whispy was nothing like the one from her dimension. The Whispy she knew would never be so mean-spirited!
"I knew it, poyo: Whispy is angry again. Who knows what has gotten into him this time" Kirby commented exasperated, like if that happened often. "Stay here, things could get messy," he asked Tiff before running to get between the tree and the blob. "Hey, you two! Stop arguing!"
"Kirby!" Gooey exclaimed, glad to see his friend. "I'm very sorry. I was looking for apples and I ended up getting into Whispy's territory without realizing it," he apologized for his delay.
"Heh, that is typical of you. I knew I shouldn't have worried that much," Kirby assured him with a warm smile. Then, he turned towards the apple tree and asked him: "And what about you, Whispy? Why are you in such a bad mood?"
"Why don't you ask your friend the king about that?" the tree bellowed in response.
"Dedede has visited you today? That's weird... Well, whatever happened, I doubt it justifies you forbidding people to go through here, poyo!" Kirby scolded the tree.
"Of course it does! Dedede showed up unannounced and started yelling at me and disrespecting me for no reason! He even threatened to cut me down! After all I've had to put up with for him in the past, how dare he treat me like this?"
"What? Dedede wouldn't do that!" Kirby defended the king. "Besides, today he and Meta Knight have been training in his castle since the morning, so he couldn't have time to visit you!"
"Are you saying I'm lying, brat?"
It was at that point when Tiff lost track of the conversation. Had she heard what Kirby had said correctly?
Dedede and Meta Knight training together was an oxymoron. Dedede was extremely lazy and preferred to pay others to do his work. Also, why would Meta Knight train with Dedede? The knight did not feel any kind of respect or appreciation towards the king. Yes, he was still his employee even after the fall of N.M.E, but only because Meta Knight wanted to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't join another evil company (and because he was very comfortable living in the castle).
Tiff shook her head and reminded herself that she was in a different Dreamland. She shouldn't judge the Dedede of that dimension by how the one she knew was like, especially after meeting that Whispy. Where the Whispy she knew was someone gentle and wise who always treated Kirby well, the version from that world seemed to be someone very grouchy who felt a certain animosity towards the young hero.
The argument between Whispy and Kirby had escalated so much that the tree started throwing apples at him and Gooey. Tiff, who hadn't moved from her spot, watched Kirby's expression change from annoyed to determined before he began to retaliate against the tree by inhaling the apples and spitting them out directly into the tree's face. Gooey did the same, but he grabbed the apples with his tongue.
Barely a minute after they began fighting, one of Whispy's roots raised a white flag, causing Kirby and his friend to stop attacking the apple tree.
"Fine! I will move away!" the tree growled, giving up and clearing the path. "Today isn't my day."
Kirby and Gooey began to jump up and down, as if they were doing a celebration dance for their victory over the tree. Tiff was pretty amazed at how skilled the Kirby of that dimension was at fighting. If he had defeated Whispy in such a short amount of time without a copy ability, what would he be able to do with one?
It was clear that this Kirby didn't need someone like her at all. And when her Kirby grew up, he wouldn't either.
"This is not the time to think about that," Tiff scolded herself, pushing that gloomy thought from her mind as she approached the two of them now that the argument was over.
"Ah, you're the person we found earlier," Gooey greeted her. "I'm glad to see you're okay! I am Gooey, though I imagine that Kirby has already told you about me. Nice to meet you."
Gooey extended his tongue out, and Tiff guessed he wanted her to shake it like if it was a hand.
"Nice to meet you too, Gooey. My name is Tiff," she answered politely as she shook the tongue, while trying to hold back an expression of disgust as best she could. Luckily, although the tongue was a bit slimy, it didn't leave any saliva on her hand.
"She comes from an alternate Dreamland!" Kirby explained happily to his friend.
"Oh really? Is it any different from ours?" Gooey asked Tiff curiously.
"I haven't seen much, but I can already say that it is very different," she replied, looking askance at the grumpy Whispy.
"Don't worry. Kirby will surely find a way to get you back home. When he sets his mind to something, no one can stop him," Gooey assured her.
"You can count on me, poyo!" Kirby exclaimed.
"Thank you very much. I'm sorry that my appearance has caused you two a problem," she apologised. After all, she was the reason Gooey had entered the forest in the first place.
"There is no need for that, poyo. I am always willing to help whoever needs it. It's my duty as the hero of Dreamland" Kirby replied, puffing out his cheek proudly.
"Although, you should be wary of people trying to take advantage of your kindness and determination," Gooey reminded his friend. Then, turning to Tiff, he added: "I hope you're not one of those."
"Is it my imagination or did that sound like a threat?" Tiff wondered, a bit spooked.
"Hey, you three. Can you continue the conversation outside of my woods?" Whispy interrupted them abruptly. "I'm trying to take a nap."
"Okay, okay. We'll leave," Kirby said to the grumpy tree. Then he turned to his companions and said: "come on, let's meet with Dedede, Meta and Bandee!"
"Uh, Why?" Tiff asked surprised, as she followed him. She didn't know who Bandee was or why Kirby had suddenly decided that the next thing they should do was visit those three.
"So they can help us!" Kirby replied as if it was the most logical thing in the world. "Besides, me and Gooey were supposed to hang out with them today, so they must be waiting for us. Bandana Dee has made apple pie"
"Oh, Bandee's apple pie. I missed how delicious it tasted," Gooey commented.
"Well, in that case, lead the way," Tiff said as she followed the duo, intrigued to know what more surprises and, above all, differences, would await her beyond Whispy's forest.
After all, her adventure in that strange Dreamland had only just begun.