Renegade Dreams and Forgotten Gleams
Prologue
Metal Invasion
(Uploaded on May 19, 2022)
Summary: Kirby can't imagine what kind of person would allow this kind of cruelty to exist.
Susie can't imagine what kind of person wouldn't want to be a part of this revolution.
Notes: This fic is set during the events of Kirby: Planet Robobot. Major spoilers from up to the endgame and beyond will be featured.
This chapter, in particular, starts while Kirby is traversing through Area 2: Resolution Road.
Formerly the one-shot Regret for a Dream, this fic received a full-fledged rewrite starting on May 19, 2022 to expand on Kirby and Susie's characters and their relationship.
"I'm mistaken and I'm misunderstood, I really can't care less
All of you people, fighting the evil for your world; all that truth and pain
You don't know what's right or wrong, but you play along in this small game
Yes, I really don't care—
You are to blame!"
– That's Why I Gave Up on Music, Yorushika [AIDA's cover]
[Kirby]
Resolution Road
Above the Streets
This is an absolute nightmare.
Flying through the expansive cityscape, I couldn't help but grimace.
Skyscrapers covering the land in spades; pollution blowing through every straw-like chimney…
It's everything I've never wanted to see.
It's everything Pop Star shouldn't be.
I wonder how much of a mercy it was, missing the entire opening strike.
I've heard from around that Meta Knight and King Dedede had brought their best forces to bear—and were soundly defeated in an instant.
Castle Dedede? Partly buried in rubble.
The Battleship Halberd? Shot down and missing in action.
At least I could fell the Subspace Gunship with a well-aimed strike from the Dragoon.
If I tried the same thing on this giant mothership…?
I think I'd just bounce off.
…
…so, yeah.
It's not great.
All I can do now is head to each of its mechanical arms and break them down; release this organization's hold on our planet, one corner at a time.
Everything may have changed, but my resolve will always stay the same.
Unfortunately, that just gives me a first-hand look at the damage being done to my beautiful home—
—and to all the horrors of life that this company is capable of.
[▪]
There was a crowd of Waddle Dees running away.
There was a crowd of Waddle Dees running away, panic in their eyes and sweat flying off their heads.
"RUN!"
"SAVE YOURSELF!"
"HE'S GONE CRAZY!"
Sword in hand and still standing in place, I wildly twisted my head in an attempt to understand what was happening.
"H-Hey! Guys!" I tried to interject. "What's going on!? Why are you running!?"
I got only one response: "THEY'VE UNROOTED THE TREEEEEEE!"
But before I could inquire any further…
THOM! THOM! THOM! THOM! THOM! THOM!
…I heard these strange, metallic-sounding stomps approach me.
Suddenly full of dread, I turned around.
…
…
…
My jaw dropped.
Oh, there was a tree, alright—but only a facsimile of one. The leaves had been turned into green steel balls, connected to its 'trunk' by thin brown pipes. Four spider-like legs extended from its bottom, keeping it aloft via four shiny drills. It sported two bionic claws and pink-tinted monocles for eyes—and where once there was a mouth, there was extended a long, yellow-rimmed cannon.
I knew who this was.
It was painfully obvious.
As the thing-that-was-once-a-tree roared in fury, I shouted in horror—
"WHISPY!?"
[▪]
…
It's not enough that we're being forced through industrialization for industrialization's sake.
It's not enough that our world is losing the natural beauty that made me fall in love with it.
No, no.
They have to violate us.
Violate everything that make us us.
Replace our flesh and organs with cold, metal parts; take away our agency and leave us marching along in the dark.
It's sickening.
It's repulsive.
And I don't have a choice but to fight those caught in that heavy net.
…they don't have a choice.
At least I've got this new Robobot Armor to even the tides, if only by a little bit.
Pounding people aside, it's a lot of fun to use; as natural to me as any Copy Ability.
It's the one highlight in this discomforting ride of an adventure.
…I just wish it didn't come from such a blighted place.
How can a group of people look at this destruction and say that it's worth it? I asked myself.
How can they ruin so many lives without batting an eye?
How?
…
…there's no good answer for that.
At least, none that I'd ever accept.
But whatever the case may be…
…I can't let these guys go on with this invasion.
Everyone's counting on me.
[▪]
"You've been alright, Dee?" I asked.
The spear-wielding assistant nodded.
"Y-Yeah," he replied. "No p-problems here! Aside from the usual…"
It had been a few days since this all started. Bandana Dee and I were breaking in the Patched Plains' Green Laboratory. I could name many words to describe the place: bright, cold, sterile…
There was no heart here.
Just a blind march toward an uncaring cliff.
"I worry for you, y'know," I said, taking a sip from a milk carton. "Neither of us are uncapable, but—you're the one who's got infinitely more to lose here. You're going at it alone."
"I know," Dee said. "I—I knew from the start that th-this was dangerous. But I didn't regret fighting the last three adventures, and I don't regret it now."
He twirled his spear around.
"I've grown; running away isn't my default option anymore. I've got a duty to help, and I won't turn back from it. After all—
"Dream Land needs us. It needs all of us."
I hummed.
"Yeah, it does," I quietly agreed. "Somebody has to take the initiative. If not us, then… who else?"
It's up to us to frontline the rebellion, and keep the heat off everyone we can.
And hopefully…
…we'll get the rest of Pop Star to follow in our footsteps.
[▪]
With my Robobot Armor in Jet Mode, I continued to fly through the air—up until I hit a blockade in the form of this humongous contraption: a floating, spinning wall of a base, filled to the brim with cogs, gears, and dangerous-looking rotary cannons.
The cannons shifted into place with a click.
I simply narrowed my eyes.
Mobilized Mechanical Menace
C.O.G.S.
"Can't even have a peaceful flight anymore, huh?" I scoffed. "Well, that's just fine. If you're going to stand in my way, I won't hesitate!"
I charged up a Missile Salvo.
"Whatever it takes, I'm setting everything right!
"Now, come at me!"
[Susie]
Overload Ocean
Command Center – Susie's Office
This is a dream of a moment.
Everything is going just as planned.
…well, almost.
Almost everything.
I tapped my finger against the mouse.
"I hope you have a good explanation for why two of the Access Ark's drills have been totaled within the last week," I calmly stated to a trio of Haltworkers standing in front of my desk. "Despite all appearances, this operation is vital for the continued success of our company. Our profit margins edge higher every quarter."
On my computer screen were several progress reports, each detailing a notable decline in productivity compared to previous endeavors.
More specifically, supplies were being destroyed, and costs were rising to discomforting heights.
This was not acceptable.
"Th-Th-This isn't an excuse, b-but—the enemy we are facing i-is tremendously strong!" one of the Haltworkers replied. "Nothing we have s-seems to faze him for long! The natives k-know him well… his very presence is enough to inspire revolt in them!"
"Quelling them is not easy, either," another supplied; "Copy Abilities here seem to be much more developed, and those with them have the combat experience to use them effectively. And that is not even getting into how their hero—that pink savage—can use so many…"
I raised an eyebrow. "Pink savage?"
"It's—It's in the footage here," the third Haltworker said, passing me a USB drive. "It took us a bit to compile it all, but—you'll see what we're talking about."
I took the drive and inserted it into my computer.
Watching the video files load, I double-clicked on the first one I saw.
For several years, the Haltmann Works Company has focused near-exclusively on our Mechanizing Occupation Project—with me as the lead benefactor, of course. A targeted expansion across the entire galaxy, elevating societies to new heights and harvesting their resources for our own gain. Thanks to the power of the Mother Computer, any resistance we faced was scuttled in short order.
The natives would complain, but they usually fell into place.
(I've never understood why their first instinct is to spurn our goodwill.
After all, our eternal prosperity is in turn their eternal prosperity.)
As such, we were fairly confident on extending our reach to this backwater planet. It looked like a perfect candidate for our purposes: there were no orbital defenses to speak of; no higher civilization to be found. The amount of untapped energy and resources here was astounding—honestly, it should've been ours ages ago.
This should have been an easy conquest.
With the might of the Access Ark, our primary mothership, all should be bowing to our will.
And yet…
And yet, despite our surface-level success…
…something clearly seemed to be going wrong.
I want to know why.
A silence passed as I took everything in.
"You are certain of the accuracy of this information, correct?" I asked the first Haltworker, glaring at him with the utmost severity. "I don't appreciate being given false details, I hope you realize."
He gulped, and nodded frantically.
"It—It is! All of this was retrieved straight from our own databases! Honest!"
I continued to stare at him.
He started quavering nervously.
…
…
…
"Very well," I finally said. "You three are dismissed."
The trio wasted no time in swiftly making an exit.
I turned my attention back to the figure featured in the footage.
A small, pink, spherical being, able to wield various weapons and powers at the literal drop of a hat.
…
[▪]
"You'll never win."
I halted my movements.
"Hmm?"
Aboard the Access Ark, standing in one of the conversion labs, I whirled about to face the individual currently held aloft in stasis. The knight I had taken in for his impressive skills was glowering intensely at me, though the effect was lost with his mask off; such a face was ill-suited to create any sort of intimidation effect.
He growled. "You'll never win. Not truly. Not if you insist on keeping to this course. You may have the advantage now, but it'll escape you soon."
"The opposite was the case, last I checked," I replied, putting my hands together. "Almost all of this planet is under our control now. Any allies you may have will soon be scattered into stardust; such is our might."
His breath hitched.
"…no," he said. "There is one whose power can surpass yours. One who will never bend, no matter how hard you try. A true Hero of the Stars."
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "Is that the case?"
Hmph. He must still be delirious from his earlier defeat.
Dreaming up an invincible hero who can 'save' this planet…?
Apologies, but that's simply ridiculous.
"Both your paths will cross in time, and then you'll see," he continued. "Against that kind of resolve… you'll crumble."
…
"So you say," I huffed. "I had hoped that you would be amicable to offering your services to us… but seeing as you refuse to submit, I'll just have to reverse your thinking myself."
I went to the nearby control panel and tapped a few on-screen buttons.
"You should feel grateful, really," I added, just for courtesy. "You'll be serving a greater purpose than you could ever dream of. With your skills… we'll achieve all of our goals before long."
His glower only became sterner.
Lowly, he vowed—
"You'll regret this."
[▪]
…
A Hero of the Stars, huh?
How interesting.
I had dismissed his ramblings as mere fiction, but perhaps they have more basis in reality than I had expected.
I can't let this go uninvestigated. We can't afford to take any risks, not if the threat he poses to our operation is real.
He? She? They?
…well, that doesn't really matter.
They've gone through the Patched Plains and Resolution Road already. If they're going counterclockwise from there, then my current location—Overload Ocean—is next.
It's time I greet them personally, then.
"Well, you're in luck, Little Pinky," I said to myself. "My Business Suit just received a polishing; I've been looking for an excuse to get some exercise in."
I pushed my chair away from my desk.
"Come what may, I'll show you the follies of your reckless behavior. Now—
"Let's see what you're made of."
I feel like I've never given Susie her fair due. Of all the Dream Friends, she currently has the smallest number of appearances in the Prequel Era: the original version of this fic, and I'm Not Entirely Okay, But I'll Get There. Magolor and Taranza aren't much better, but the former at least will receive larger roles from the outset of the Friendship Saga, while the latter has the four-chapter Eyes in the Skies to fall back on.
This, largely, is thanks to my starting this series before Star Allies' Wave 3 update and then proceeding to write everything extremely out of order. As such, I feel as if an apology is in order.
Hence, eleven new brand-spanking chapters.
Instead of just touching up the one-shot this used to be, this fic will now be a novelization of Planet Robobot's spoken cutscenes, plus some bits covering the True Arena and its emotional aftermath. This way, we'll get a much more comprehensive look at Susie's character, and let her bounce off of Kirby more – after all, I'm not beholden to the whole Silent Protagonist schtick Nintendo likes to employ.
To kick things off, I decided to start off with a chapter of buildup. Y'know, to see our two leads' headspaces before things start to shift. I let Kirby stay unseen for In Times of Crisis, so it's only right to finally show his perspective in the moment. In addition, I wanted to explore what Susie's thoughts on the mysterious interloper would be, and what led her to be waiting in Overload Ocean.
Overall, it's not a whole lot of substance, but it'll get us going.
Well, that's all for now – tune in next time for Kirby and Susie's first confrontation in Overload Ocean!
