it's a new day, a new game
A Kirby One-Shot
Summary: Kirby, in the Forgotten Land.
(Well, it wasn't like this was unexpected.)
Notes: This one-shot is vaguely set during the events of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and was written not long after its reveal trailer. Presumed story elements may be rendered non-canon by the time of the game's actual release.
This fic is canon-adjacent to the Make a Friend 'verse.
The title is derived from the last line of izabellwit's history may not remember; but you will (works/9427268).
Kirby woke up to the sound of the sea and sand in his face.
It doesn't take him long to rise up after this.
Wha—Where am I? What is—?
He looked about, hoping to find some kind of familiarity—
—but nothing here was familiar, and no one else was around.
This wasn't Ice Cream Island, or Onion Ocean, or Reef Resort.
Heck, he wasn't even sure if this was still Pop Star.
This was…
…this was a whole new world.
Just like Patch Land, just like Floralia, just like Seventopia.
And as he stared into the overgrown jungle ahead, the sandy path beckoning him to come forth—
—one thought came into his head: Dedede's gonna kill me after this.
Kirby couldn't hide his amazement at the sight before him.
There was a freaking city here—a freaking city!
Just like the one that hosted all their City Trials—except that was barely a comparison.
It was huge, sprawling; a complex metropolis of a type he'd scarcely seen, save for Haltmann Works' efforts a few years back.
And it was completely abandoned.
The streets were silent; the electricity had long since gone out.
Plants and mold covered the infrastructure, their spread indicating an inactivity period of thousands of years—maybe even more.
…
It reminded Kirby a lot of Shiver Star.
There used to be a world here. A civilization.
A wide array of people, all with their own hopes and dreams.
How could that all just disappear, as if it were but a nascent dream?
What… could've caused that…?
…
…this was Halcandra all over again, wasn't it?
(Halcandra, with all its Ancients, Mages, Void Terminas, and everything in-between.)
So, that meant… whatever this was, he had to keep his guard up.
His friends were waiting for him.
He couldn't let them down.
There was something both comforting and upsetting about this derelict mall.
On one hand, it was pretty spacious, with enough shops and leftover food (still somehow edible!) to serve as a shelter.
But on the other… it was another reminder of how forlorn this world was.
Of how it had been deprived of all the things it had once had.
The pink puffball sat on the rims between two broken-down escalators, chewing on a sandwich freshly formed from his Cooking Pot.
The mall wasn't completely bereft of life: there were a few bluebirds flocked near some rubble, and a couple of fox-esque creatures sitting by the escalators' base.
It was only a little bit of nature—but it made him feel a little less alone.
He took another bite.
I wonder if I'll find Dee here, waiting for me with an Assist Star like always.
It was a comforting thought, all things considered.
Wherever Kirby went, Bandana Dee was sure to follow.
Even if it meant leaping headfirst into danger, he'd do it in a heartbeat.
That's just what he'd do for a friend. What all the Star Allies would do.
…NOVA, he already missed them.
Their sweet smiles, their joyous laughter…
Remembering them only made Kirby more determined to leave this place alive.
Until he figured out what was going on, he'd just have to endure.
If nothing else, it was nice to see his Copy Abilities were still useful.
All the catalysts for his usual set of tools were here: Sword, Cutter, Fire, Ice… There was even a guy for Needle; he hadn't needed that Ability in quite some time.
His combat skills were great for warding off the more hostile creatures. Enemies of their type were just as plentiful here as they'd been throughout the Gamble Galaxy, and he knew exactly what to do with these ones as a result.
Freeze a foe, then slide 'im toward another in place—
Swing a cutter up high and watch it boomerang back—
Set ablaze a field, letting others be caught as collateral—
Roll around at the speed of sound, spikes extending all over—
Yes, it was business as usual, and Kirby couldn't exactly say he wasn't at least a little happy to see that. Any bit of familiarity helped, especially in strange situations such as this.
And speaking of…
The puffball had seen primates before; Goriath had been a sterling example of one.
That didn't mean Kirby was prepared to have a huge one grab him through a building's window, though.
Naturally aggrieved, the puffball had tried to demand some answers from the black-furred gorilla—but none were forthcoming; the danged ape just really wanted to pound him to the floor, for some reason.
Well, if that's how he wants to play, then fine! I can play ball!
With his ever-faithful sword in hand, the infamous Harbinger of Miracles leaped into the fray, docking rocks and swipes and NOVA only knew what else. Though he was alone, his instincts were still on point; slowly but surely, he was whittling down the monster's stamina as it fruitlessly tried to bring him down.
It didn't matter that he was lost in this new realm.
It didn't matter that his friends were as far away from him as could be.
Right now, a grand adventure stood before him—
—and by all the Stars was he gonna see it all the way through!
He flashed a smirk at the Beast Corp minion, basking in the way it growled animalistically at him.
"I'm still here, you oversized angry brute! What are you waiting for me? Come at me!"
The great beast let out another roar and charged toward him—
—and Kirby followed suit, the light of the stars shining brightly in his eyes.
Mainline Kirby's finally going 3D.
Heck yeah.
I'm excited for this game, so I decided to write a little something! I kept things relatively vague here, since details are still scarce for Forgotten Land – in exchange, though, we get to see Kirby being a little more introspective. (I always love doing that.)
There's clearly a lotta lore here to unpack, and I can't wait to see it all this coming spring. It's gonna be a show, y'all – I'm ready for it.
Well, that's all for now – see you around!