In Times of Crisis

Chapter 1
A King and His Subjects

(Uploaded on August 17, 2018)
(Updated on April 24, 2022)


Summary: As the Robobot crisis rages on, a king does his best to keep hope alive – for both himself and his people.


Notes: This fic is set during the events of Kirby: Planet Robobot, sometime before Kirby encounters Susie in Overload Ocean. As usual, there are some light headcanons in play.

This chapter was updated on November 29, 2019 to better match the later two chapters of this fic (and Make a Friend series lore added in retroactively). It was updated again on April 24, 2022 to touch up the writing.


Kirby has always been the premier protagonist of Dream Land.

For friends and acquaintances alike, they could always look to their happy-go-lucky hero to save them from danger, cosmic or otherwise.

And though the latest Villain of the Week may wreak havoc across Pop Star and beyond… there was never a sense of bleakness to wreck everyone's serene and sleepy lives.

That is… until now.

Pop Star, as many people know, has a reputation for being a World of Miracles. As such, it makes sense that it would have a rich collection of natural resources, befitting the lofty status it has achieved.

These two factors have drawn in the Haltmann Works Company to this peaceful planet—and with them comes a tidal wave of technological horror to be unleashed on the unsuspecting populace.

Kirby can only do so much. Though he'll do whatever he can to save his home from this threat… he can't be there for everyone. Before the day of salvation finally arrives, many will suffer—and many will despair in the face of it all.

Luckily for Pop Star… Kirby's not the only one able to stand against the wicked company.

Each of the future Star Allies may lay separated from safety, but there's no doubt that when the going gets tough…

…they won't hesitate to step up and become heroes in their own right.


[King Dedede]

Castle Dedede
Balcony

It's a good day, today. A good day to nap, or relax, or hang out with friends.

To be fair, most days in Dream Land are like that. I mean, there's a reason Dream Land is sometimes called the Country of Peace.

But it's something to appreciate nevertheless.

We've earned this, several times over. Between Dark Matter and Nightmare, Magolor and Queen Sectonia, we've fought hard to stay happy and independent, to keep everyone else relieved and at ease. Me, Kirby, Meta Knight, Dee… there's not a whole lot we can't do, so long as we can put our minds to it.

Right now, though… I'm happy just putting my mind toward playing chess with Dee, my faithful assistant.

"Awwww…" he slouched, watching as his last piece on the board was eliminated yet again. "Th-That's the third time I've lost today. You're—You're too good for me, G-Great King."

"Hey, you're not that bad, either!" I replied, idly picking up and twirling a king piece with my fingers. "I mean, you're still giving me a pretty decent challenge to sink my teeth into!"

I let out one of my signature laughs. "Hey, maybe if you keep this up, you might even be able to match up against Meta Knight!"

Dee scratched the back of his head, affectionately blushing. "Heh heh… You—You really think so…?"

"Of course!" I laughed. "There's a reason you're considered one of the four most proficient fighters on Pop Star!" Next to Kirby, then Meta Knight, and then me. That's a pretty high achievement, if you ask me. "And it's not just 'cause of your skill in battle."

"I—I could s-say the same to you," he stammered. "It wasn't t-too long ago we were going up the Dreamstalk to save F-Floralia! R-Remember? You wanted to help 'em, and I wanted to help 'em—every one of us is like that, a-actually!"

"Yeah… I know I can count on our friends to give us a hand, so long as they've got the power."

I laid back in my throne, smiling contently. "Maybe next crisis, we'll actually be able to show that for real, instead of being frozen and completely unable to move. That's a process I definitely don't want to repeat."

Lemme tell you this: it's not fun being blindsided by big, out-of-nowhere cosmic threats. Meta Knight, Adeleine, and even Daroach can tell you that. The whole of Planet Pop Star was out of commission last year thanks to Dark Crafter, as Kirby called him—and I'm not in any mood to relive that hot mess.

It makes me worry a little about the future, to be honest…

I know Kirby'll always be there to dethrone the latest ensemble of Big Bads, and he'll always have us to act as his supporting crew.

But… how soon will it be until there comes a threat even he can't handle alone?

Will the rest of us be able to step up and take the reins where it matters? Aid our sleepy home where he cannot?

Man, listen to me—I sound so pessimistic right now. I should think positive, have a little more faith! The last two years may have been a bit eventful for one reason or another, but it shouldn't necessitate an additional serving of world-ending catastrophe to go with 'em.

I stood up and stretched my arms.

"Well, 'nuff of this! I'm in the mood for a good snack. C'mon, Dee—the kitchen awaits!"

"O-Okay!" He leapt up out of his own seat with an excited expression. "M-Maybe we can pull something outta the cake fridge! Cakes are always… nice… to… h-have…"

His voice trailed off as a shadow suddenly swept over my entire castle.

The two of us blinked.

What the—isn't it supposed to be sunny today…?

Sounds of confusion was voiced by my Waddle Dees as their gazes darted around the area. Dee and I looked at each other nervously, taking out our respective weapons just in case. Finally, we slowly turned to look at the sky—

—and saw it covered by this massive spherical mothership, with mechanical arms extending out from the bottom and reaching into the horizons beyond. Strange spires and flying armors were raining down from the luminously rainbow entrance, the former doing something with our land upon contact with the ground.

It was… horrifying; a nightmare I could never have imagined.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh—! Wh-WHAAAAAAAAAAAT is THAT!?" Dee shrieked, flailing about his hands even more than his norm. "It's—It's—It's—! It's humongous!"

Screams filled the air from servants and subjects alike.

I grit my teeth and hoisted my Deluxe Dedede Hammer over my shoulder. The latch for my Rocket Launcher lifted, and a barrage of homing missiles went soaring toward our new foes. Down, down, down went several of the squadrons, the carriers of the mechs offering no resistance to our attacks.

I briefly glanced at everyone else.

"ALL SERVANTS!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "GET TO A CANNON AND FIRE, NOW! Any enemy who's in range, TAKE THEM OUT!"

The Dees snapped out of their trance and rushed to the cannons. Projectile after projectile were blasted away, as fast as my Dees could reload, targeting the various light bulbs and the mechs closest to them. That was when a horde of minions – Capsule Js and cloaked weirdos and fighter ships – started descending as well, forcing my flight-capable servants to take off and duke it out with them.

Off to the side, I could also see a thankfully familiar 'face': the masked visage of the Battlefield Halberd, its Combo Cannons helping to clear out some of the crowd.

I grinned; never let it be said that Meta Knight wasn't proactive when it came to the defense of our beloved planet.

All things considered, we were doing a lot better than we normally tend to on occasions like these. We're doing some damage from the outset, at least, which is more than I can say about the Dreamstalk crisis from two years ago.

But that damage is barely even a dent compared to the clear might of our foes, I reluctantly noted.

Dang it, where the heck is Kirby when you need him…!?

"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap—!" Meanwhile, Dee was panicking hard, flailing his limbs around at speeds a Wheelie only wished they could reach. "This can't be happening, this can't be happening, I can't believe this is happening—!"

"We need more firepower," I groused—"but we don't have anything coming even close to that beast of a mothership! We'd need Galactic NOVA just to take it on, and none of us have the time to go out and summon him!"

I took aim with my hammer, and shot down yet another falling spire.

"I swear, if this thing happens to be a clockwork star itself, I'll—!"

I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

A flash of purple—

and two growing lights.

My grip tightened.

My eyes widened.

"Oh, shi—"

"GREAT KING!"


BOOM! BOOM!


Just in time, Dee dove into me and moved us both out of the way of the incoming lasers. In front of my eyes, they demolished the top of my castle, searing through the towers and the cannons like they were paper.

Dee and I just sat on the ground for several moments, hands over our chests (or what passed for a chest), as we tried to catch our breaths.

Those beams may have only lasted about three seconds—but they might as well have been an eternity.

"Dear NOVA…" I swore. "We—We almost—" My words proceeded to fail me.

"…I, I, I'm—" Dee gulped. "I'm s-s-s-s—scared…"

In my numbness, I barely registered another laser flying overhead, striking the Halberd in the wing and sending it crashing past the skyline. Several of my troops were picking themselves off the ground, helplessly gawking at the absolute monstrosity above us.

This is…

This is way worse than I expected it to be.

…Kirby's gonna need all hands on deck for this. If he's gonna save our world again… if we're gonna come out of this with our happiness more-or-less intact… then we've gotta pull our weight however we can.

"…Dee."

"Y-Yes, G-Great King…?"

"You can still make those Assist Stars, right?"

"Yeah… Are—Are you telling me to—?"

"Kirby's gonna be out there, I know. And my troops and I, we'll be fine for a while." I gave Dee a heartfelt smile. "Right now, he's gonna need your help more than I do. Just… be careful, alright?"

Dee stared blankly at me for a little bit. Then, he saluted me with a determined gaze.

"C-Can do, Great King. I—I won't let you down, I promise!"

With that pledge declared, he pulled out his spear and leapt over the balcony, heading his way toward the closest fortifying appendage I could see.

I watched him go over the increasingly patched-over land with a heavy heart, before I turned to face the rest of my servants, looking to me for guidance.

I breathed in deep, let it out…

…and prepared myself for the days to come.


Several days later…


Castle Dedede
Throne Room

It's been a rough week. A really, really rough week.

In different circumstances, I'd be out in the field, fighting against this… technological conglomerate with my own strength. When Queen Sectonia and her minions had returned to Floralia, stronger than ever, it was me (and Dee, and Taranza) that went up and thrashed them all—plus that false Dimensional Mirror for good measure.

But maybe things were easier then because the danger was confined to Floralia; it hadn't come close to encompassing the entirety of Pop Star.

The after-effects of this invasion were made clear from the get-go: those light bulb spires were turning Dream Land into an industrialized dystopia, forcefully transformed into the antithesis of the World of Peace we've always known. An untold amount of damage was being dealt onto our home—to the environment, to the villages around… to even the subjects I reign over.

Yeah, that's right. As I soon discovered from the refugees seeking shelter at my castle, Dream Landers the planet over are sporting electronic parts – some functional, others only barely working. And with their homes wrecked and the invaders seeking to bring them to heel, by any means necessary… there's no way I could refuse them a place to stay.

How could I? I'm not the person I was twenty years ago.

It was a good thing the rest of my castle was still intact, including my rather expansive basement – otherwise, I'm not sure what I'd do.

(…and that's not even bringing up how everything about this seems so… unnervingly familiar…)

I sat back in my throne, tapping my finger along the armrest. With a sigh, I turned my attention to the two guards standing in front of me.

"Waddle Dees—give me a status report," I commanded.

Several display monitors, each attached to an extendable arm, lowered themselves to meet my vision. They lit up one by one, various scenes displayed on their screens: a diagram of the whole planet, an image of that great big mothership, security footage captured outside… you get the picture.

One of my Dees brought out a baton and pointed it toward the monitor with the diagram—the picture of the spherical contraption drilling into Pop Star was burned into my memory.

"Great King, the situation in Dream Land is currently most dire," he stated. "Based on our scouts' findings, we are being invaded by the organization known as the Haltmann Works Company. We know not their goals beyond their alleged reputation for being a massive conglomerate, but they appear to express an interest in harvesting our planet's resources for some nefarious scheme."

The TV screen then switched to showing me images of several of Dream Land's provinces in succession. Each one I saw earned a deeper and deeper grimace on my face.

"Every inch of the landscape, from Vegetable Valley to White Wafers," the Dee continued, "has been affected by the mechanization spires from the invaders. Our best analysts report that the mechanization is growing at a rapid pace—it is likely that, by next month, all of Pop Star will have been affected by this process."

"That… doesn't sound too good," I muttered. Pop Star's at its most beautiful when its ecosystems are free and allowed to shine.

How callous are these invaders, that they'd take a look at it and decide to tear it all away from us…? (And for a reason as petty as… profit?)

"The damage being done to the environments are just as bad, too." A few screens switched to showing graphs and charts, the information presented on them only adding to my sense of discomfort. "The company is showing much disregard for the purity of our ecosystems, and we are reporting a massive upscale in plant deterioration and air pollution. Factories and large metropolises have sprouted over wide areas, using massive amounts of fuel and producing an equal amount of strange commodities in turn."

He shook his head, looking incredibly grim.

"I wish this was not the case, Great King, but… should this continue…"

He hesitated briefly.

"…then Pop Star may suffer a similar fate to that of Shiver Star."

I froze in realization.

A memory, half-forgotten, replayed itself in my mind.


Coming into Shiver Star, we expected it to be just like any other planet—peaceful and serene, with a few villages and commoners here and there to greet us.

I was not expecting desolate buildings and creepy factories to stand in our way.

A cold breeze washed over my back—but whether it was from the air or from dread, I didn't know.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh—" Bandana Dee stammered, his head rapidly flipping back and forth between all the weird stuff down this corridor. "What is… any of this!?"

The lights in this derelict workshop were flickering on and off, barely able to illuminate our surroundings, but what we could see was still… enlightening, in a way I never could've expected.

Humongous capsules lined the walls alongside a series of smaller containers. Each capsule held a different, clearly experimented-on creature inside it, swimming in this strange blue liquid and giving us this disturbing gaze as we passed. Conveyor belts were moving on their own, despite a lack of maintenance—in fact, every piece of technology in this laboratory was like that.

"They're—They're out of this world… literally…!" Ribbon whispered, hugging a Crystal Shard tightly to her chest. "Why did the Shards have to fall here, of all the planets…!?"

"Dang right," I muttered. "This place gives me the willies!"

There's about a dozen places I'd pick as a vacation spot—and this ain't it!

I caught sight of a nearby window—and for whatever reason, it got me to stop and stare at the endless snowscape outside. A whole city laid beyond the glass barricade, coated in white and clearly having seen better days. The empty streets really emphasized how lifeless it all was – aside from us five, there was no trace of any actual civilization to be found.

Say what you will 'bout the idiots back home, but they're a lot nicer than the miscreants we've run into here!

…and then, I noticed Adeleine looking out the window with me, with something in her eyes that was hard to decipher.

Well, that just won't do.

"Hey, Adeleine!" I called out to her. "Do you wanna cry, or—?"

"This place must've been so beautiful, once."

I blinked. "Huh?"

She turned to me with a mix of emotions. What's she gotta be all worried about?

"…my mom once told me about Shiver Star, a few years ago; that it used to be a bustling world, with a multitude of distinct communities. I always wondered why she always looked so sad about it—until now, anyway."

Her frown got deeper, her eyes moving to face the ground. "I… I never thought that any home, any world could turn out like this. To be so bleak and devoid of happiness…"

"It's definitely not my first pick for a vacation spot, that's for sure. I'd even say that it's Dark Matter's ideal planet."

I jolted; Kirby had snuck up beside us while I wasn't looking. (Did—Did he just steal my thoughts?)

I scowled. "As much I hate to agree with you, that's… not inaccurate."

I turned away.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter! Let's hurry up and get what we came here for! The sooner I can stop thinking about this place, the better!" And so, I marched off, doing my best to ignore all the looks lazily pointed my way.

Ugh, do all of these freaks have to do that…?

Strange, hybridized creatures; an overabundance of technology; completely snowed-over cities… whatever the commoners on this planet did, I'm glad that it'll stop being relevant to me once we're done with it!

If this is what industrialization does—then leave me out of it.


I couldn't help but… well, shiver.

Pop Star, turning into an abandoned wasteland like that…?

As much as I hate to admit it, I think I'd rather have another Dark Matter invasion.

I swallowed and decided to switch to a different topic. "Any news on our other allies? You know, Kirby, Meta Knight, everyone?"

I may not be in touch with as many friends as Kirby has, but it's still my duty as his closest companion to figure out everyone's status.

The two Dees somehow looked even more grim.

"It's not good, Great King. We have little information on the status of many of our allies." Portraits of the guys I knew showed up on the monitors as they spoke, accompanied by images of their last seen location.

"None of us have seen Meta Knight since the Halberd went down near what the civilians are calling the Gigabyte Grounds. The Animal Friends have presumably gone into hiding, though Coo, Pitch, and Chuchu have been sighted hovering over the Great Forest where they reside. And finally…"

He hesitated.

"…Adeleine, Ribbon, and Gooey are currently MIA. None of our scouts have managed to confirm their being alive and intact yet. Right now… we can only assume the worst."

I closed my eyes in frustration.

Adeleine and Ribbon were two of my closest confidants, ever since we went on the Crystal Shard hunt. And Gooey's something of a good acquaintance too, though we're not quite as chummy.

To hear that all three of them are potentially in danger, with no way of checking up on them…

…c'mon, Dedede! Think positively, think positively!

They'll be fine. You gotta believe that!

I let out a small huff. It's been bad news after bad news after bad news. Meta Knight's spoken to me before about the need to be prepared for any threat to Dream Land—and I'm really beginning to see why he insisted on it, now that we're in the middle of disaster.

If the issue was simply 'a Big Bad and their minions are terrorizing people', I could at least be out there doing something truly useful.

But it isn't.

Not by a long shot.

I seriously need a break after all is said and done…

Suddenly, a ringtone began to chime from the monitor, shaking me out of my contemplation. In response, one of my Dees brought out a touchpad connected to the castle's servers, taking a moment to read who was calling.

"Great King," he said, "we are being contacted from the area surrounding the Dreamstalk. Shall we accept the call?"

A while back, I added a video call feature to my systems out of boredom—and also so I could talk with my friends from the comfort of my throne room. Haven't gotten as much use out of it as I'd like… but it's really come in handy this past week.

I nodded assent. I knew who this was.

"Yeah. Hook us up."

Static briefly popped up on the middlemost display in front of me, before a discernable image finally emerged.

The Dreamstalk could be seen rising high up in the background, amidst a crowd of commoners—flower fairies and Dream Landers alike—either lingering around or climbing up the great plant to the Kingdom in the Sky. Two central figures (plus some Squeaks) were standing front-and-center beside a miniature blimp, the screen showcasing them talking to each other on something. One was a tall mouse, tall and confident, wearing a dignified red hat and cloak; the other was a short arachnid, meek and introverted, a silver-horned helmet atop his head and a red scarf around his neck.

Soon enough, they realized the camera was on.

The chief thief tilted his head and flashed me a smug smirk. "Yo, Dedede. What's up?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Hello to you too, Daroach," I replied. "Good to see you and Taranza still have things covered out there."

The aforementioned spider waved shyly. "Hi, Dedede…"

It was a bit of a surprise to learn that the Squeak Squad had found a way to reverse-engineer Haltmann Works' tech. In no time at all, they had a functional makeshift network fully prepared; their first action with it was to contact me to coordinate our efforts. Before I knew it, the mousy treasure hunters were aiding me and Taranza in managing this rescue operation of sorts.

The only drawback is that their field of influence only stretches out so far. Past Cookie Country and the like, getting a signal is incredibly tough.

Daroach—their leader, and self-styled phantom thief—may be no stranger to storming my castle, sure (though I suspect it was more as a challenge than to steal my collectibles), but we've gotten along fine in the past. He's polite and charismatic—and when push comes to shove, I know he'll do the right thing.

"Yes, well, one doesn't stay in this type of occupation unless you learn how to stay one step ahead of your enemies." He raised the brim of his hat, making his twinkling eyes more visible. "This Haltmann Works Company is no exception. Their reach extends far, but they cannot focus on all of us – especially not when Doc's tech can discreetly punch through their communications blockade."

An accented voice echoed in from the back, "Iz very good work!"

"That's good," I said. "It's always nice to know that they've got some sort of weakness we can capitalize on."

I leaned back and tried to relax my nerves a little.

"How's the whole 'rescuing people from tyranny' thing been working out?"

"We've—We've been getting a—a lot of people up to F-Floralia," Taranza supplied, rubbing the back of his head. "It's been a b-bit chaotic, but e-everyone's been mingling well enough with each other. It helps th-that the metal guys haven't been able to touch us since we're so high up."

He pulled out a clipboard, happily checking off the numbers listed on it.

"A-As far as I can tell, we've gotten j-just about everyone in the general area! I think that's a real v-victory for us!"

I smiled.

While Taranza's… mostly healed from the fall of Queen Sectonia, it still left some scars on him. Scars that, perhaps, may never fade. He'll probably never be as upbeat as when he was with his former friend – but at least he's trying to live past that as best as he can.

"It's the closest thing we've got to one, I'll give you that," I replied.

Daroach slung a hand around the acting regent, a casual demeanor clear in his posture. "And we couldn't have done it without everyone giving it their all—including you, little spider."

Taranza blushed, burying his face in his palms.

"I caught you defending your territory a few hours back, y'know; using your spidery magic against the employees harassing your guards." Huh. That happened? "It takes guts to stand up to your foes so daringly."

"It's—It's not that im—impressive," he whispered, barely audible. "Everyone else's done a m-much better job than me…"

"Doesn't change the fact that you've been a great partner," I chimed in. "I'd be less able to keep my subjects safe without you, trust me."

Taranza flushed.

I smiled. He's adorable when he's embarrassed.

(If only we could do this at a better time…)

The red-clad mouse coughed lightly, bringing us back on topic.

"That being said… I believe my squad and I have done everything we can to assist this region of Dream Land. There are other places where we can do good—so we will be setting out for Resolution Road in short time. We have plenty of safehouses for everyone stored up; now's a good time as ever to make use of them."

"That's fine," I replied. "I think we'll be able to handle things from here, anyway."

"Y-Yeah!" Taranza made a thumbs-up with one of his limbs. "E-Everything'll be under control!"

"Glad to hear you're receptive. I'll leave some of our networking devices here for you two to use. We'll be off the grid for an extended period of time though – Doc may have rigged the systems so that the corporation can't find you through incoming calls, but it's best not to risk us being traced. So on that note… is there anything we should know before we head out?"

I took a moment to think.

Well, if nothing else…

"…Dee's still out there," I said. "Bandana Dee. He's been out and about, assisting Kirby and whoever was unlucky enough to get caught up on this mess. I know he can take care of himself, but I still worry about him—so if you see him, give him a hand, will ya?"

"Your faithful assistant, with the blue headscarf, huh…?"

He dropped the brim of his hat to cover his eyes. If possible, his smirk seemed to get even wider.

"Well, he has interested me for quite some time. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for him, don't worry."

He lifted it back up, and started marching to his airship.

"I wish you luck in your endeavors, Dedede, Taranza. Squeaks, assemble!"

As the Squeak Squad rejoined their leader, Taranza looked back to the camera.

"It—It was good seeing you again, D-Dedede! I guess I'll… talk to you later, then!"

And with that, the video call ended.

I closed my eyes and let the silence settle for a little bit.

"Keep me updated on the situation," I told the two Dees, getting off my chair. I pressed a few buttons on the armrest remote, letting the TV ascend back to its resting place. "I'm gonna go check on the refugees in the basement."

"Your wish is our command, Great King."

With that, we dispersed, a few Waddle Dee guards coming to my sides as I waltzed on over to the basement level. We passed by a few windows on the way, and I took another glimpse at what had befallen my poor Dream Land.

Light bulb fixtures were everywhere, contaminating literally everything they touched – from the grass, to the trees, and I think I could even hear a train going off in the distance. That wasn't even mentioning all the tubes littered throughout, acting as the cherry-on-top this disgusting sundae that my land had become.

This place really does deserve the title of Patched Plains, I thought to myself.

…I wish it didn't have to be that way.


Castle Dedede
Basement

"Ha ha! I've got the hat, I've got the hat!"

"Aw, no fair! It was still my turn to wear it!"

"If you want it, you're gonna have to catch me first! Nyehhh!"

Laughter and happiness filled the air.

A group of children – a Driblee, a Birdon, a Beetley, and a Poppy Bro. Jr. – ran around the middle of my vast living room, playing an impromptu game of tag with a spare cap of Mario's.

I sat on a nearby couch and watched them go, the corner of my lips twitching every time I saw one of them get close to the 'it' for this round.

All around the room, there were Dream Landers of various ages and sizes – from GIMs and Capsule J2s to Bonkers and Phan Phans. They were engaging in all sorts of conversations, their spirits visibly healing as they confided in each other. Even though some of them were partially roboticized themselves, they weren't gonna sit down and let the Haltmann Works Company trample over their lives.

…it's a comforting sight to see, honestly.

The Driblee with Mario's cap was surfing around the room, playing keep-away with his newly-acquired piece of equipment. He was sticking out his tongue and overall being incredibly mischievous. That is, until a little Birdon—Coco—swooped in and snatched it with her feet, snickering at her current rival's flabbergasted face.

"H-Hey!" he protested. "Coco, you're not supposed to fly in this!"

"Why shouldn't I be able to?" she shot back. "Nobody ever said that was a rule!"

"She's right!" the Beetley realized. The wing flaps on his back opened up, and he began to flutter about in the air. "There's no rule about bein' able to use your stuff here!"

Coco understood her mistake immediately. "Aw crap!"

"Don't cause a huge mess, kids! No weapons or explosives allowed!" I preemptively called to them. "My Dees are already working hard, so I'm more than willing to have you help them out in exchange!"

"Yes, Mr. Dedede!"

Poppy groaned. "I like explosives, though…"

I wasn't alone in observing the kids' playtime. Birdon and Simirror—Coco's parents, and two more acquaintances of mine—were sitting next to me, snuggling up beside one another. In the time since my reconciliation with Kirby (with the aforementioned Helpers as witnesses), I've gotten to know them among my other subjects, and they're… alright. We're not the best of friends or anything, but they're good people.

…though I've gotta say, I didn't expect them to marry each other.

(I guess it's true, what they say about opposites attracting…)

"It feels like forever since we've gathered together like this," Birdon mused, nursing a half-mechanized wing. "I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"You and me both," I sighed. "We never seem to catch a break 'round here."

"For a land of dreams, we do seem to be swept up in more nightmares than most others can say," Simirror agreed. "Except this nightmare in particular is more all-encompassing than usual. I scarcely remember a moment prior where we have been this depowered in our agency."

"Tell me about it, Sim. It's all so—so—so frustrating!" the red hen low-key shouted. "How the heck are we supposed to survive this time!? Our homes are gone, our bodies are sore, we're outmatched in every way—and there's absolutely no leg up we can get!"

Her voice was significantly more aggrieved than usual; I wondered if she was still feeling the phantom pain of her feathers turning into metal.

She buried her face in her wings and shook uncontrollably.

"…how do you handle dealing with this all the time, Dedede?" she whispered. "It's all so much! I—I can't even imagine what I'd do if—if it was Sim or C-Coco out there…"

…I'll admit – sometimes, I wonder that too.

My friends are scattered across the kingdom. The threat to our worlds is bigger, badder; the worst that we've seen yet. If this had happened ten years ago, I'd probably have crumbled from the weight of it all.

Heck, I'm barely keeping myself aloft as it is.

And yet, despite everything…

"…there's a lotta darkness in this world, sure," I began, "but there's also just as much light to be found. Case in point…"

I turned my attention back to the kids happily juggling Mario's hat, oblivious to the gift of innocence they were taking for granted. Then, I looked to the Dream Landers sitting on the carpeted floor, hugging friends and family as if they might disappear the next day. I saw my troops behind them, still guarding my subjects and my castle valiantly against any intruder.

An understanding reached Birdon and Simirror's eyes.

"I have a duty to uphold, to everyone here. A duty to all of Dream Land, as its Great King. I care for them, as much as I care for my friends. I trust my friends to stay safe, so I'll focus on making sure nobody's dreams get extinguished."

This is what I'm fighting for. These are the guys who'll suffer if I don't protect them now.

I can't let them down. Not here, not ever.

Birdon chuckled.

"…it's no wonder Coco really likes you," she said. "You really have a knack for stuff like this."

"When you say such noble sentiments, I truly am reminded of how much you have changed these past eight years," Simirror agreed. His beady white eyes twinkled. "Perhaps, that will be enough to hold back the tide."

With that heavy talk outta the way, I decided on something to lift our spirits up.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted in the kids' direction. "Hey, kids! You guys must be getting tired from all that playing 'round. How 'bout a story from Uncle Dedede?"

A bevy of cheers immediately began to fill the air.

"HECK YEAH! This is AWESOME!"

"Woo! A story! I love Uncle Dedede's stories!"

"Ooh, ooh! I want one with a lot of kabooms in it!"

"Hey hey, not so loud! There's too many of you in here…!"

I smiled, watching as they all rushed over to hear tales of my and Kirby's exploits. Somehow, just looking at them, I already felt reenergized like never before.

I'll do my part for you, Kirby. I'll take care of everyone, so you can focus on bringing down this monolith hanging over us.

We're all counting on you, okay?

Don't let our hopes go to waste.


It's Black Friday, everybody! Here's my little gift to y'all to celebrate.

Most Kirby games are all happy and jolly with the main villain only popping up sporadically to do things, but Planet Robobot mixes things up with the way it opens. The entirety of Dream Land is well and truly affected by what the Haltmann Works Company has set out to do, with both the land and the inhabitants patched over and mechanized without mercy. Even Meta Knight and King Dedede are taken down without any sort of real resistance, which is scary frightening and really hits home how much isat stake this time around – both locally and globally.

Given that this is quite possibly the biggest threat Pop Star has ever seen, it stands to reason that Kirby's friends would try their best to combat against this menace however they can. We may not see them on-screen with Kirby (for the most part), but there's a lot that can happen behind the scenes now.

This chapter was originally a lot shorter—but then the next two chapters happened, and this one didn't quite stand as well in relation to them. The bulk of the updated portion is Dedede's perspective during Planet Robobot's opening—I know canonically he gets knocked out for literally the entire game, but I'm allowed to take a few creative liberties here and there. This fic wouldn't exactly work as well without our favorite royal penguin, after all!

Ever since Revenge of the King happened, Dedede has noticeably been a lot nicer (starting in Return to Dream Land, funnily enough) – and as such, I think that the Robobot crisis would showcase an excellent time for him to be acting like the true king of Dream Land. It's only natural that this type of invasion would frighten many of the Dream Landers – and the Haltmann Works Company is quite hostile in their dealings. Even with half of Castle Dedede wrecked, I don't think it's a stretch to assume that there's enough room to a large amount of people seeking shelter from the invasion.

Since the situation here is ever-so-slightly reminiscent of Shiver Star… I figured a flashback to Dedede's time on the frozen wasteland couldn't hurt. It's one of the more fascinating parts of Kirby lore, and it really helps put into perspective how much the HWC's presence is a Bad Thing™ here.

And since this fic is something of a miniature Bat Family Crossover for our future Star Allies, I couldn't resist throwing in a few other friends into the mix. Taranza and Daroach in my 'verse are both the type of people to give out aid during a crisis like this (the thief certainly didn't mind aiding Kirby in Mass Attack)—and I thought it'd be fun to have Birdon and Simirror return as a nod toward One Last Time, I'll Fight.

It may be a dangerous time for everyone… but that's no reason to let the Power of Friendship fall by the wayside, that's for sure.

Well, that's all for now – tune in next chapter for a look at our favorite Artful Adventurers!