Bright sunlight flooded his closed eyelids, his senses slowly returning. He let out a small groan, feeling desperate to fully awaken, to fully regain consciousness; even with all that hard throbbing in his head.
That had been a massive fall; he probably must have fallen a very long distance.
Kirby struggled to move an arm; the rest of his body felt like lead. His mind reconnected to his body, it started with his limbs. He wiggled his feet, then his consciousness recovered its connection to the eyes, the sense of sight; the window from which Kirby viewed the world around him.
With as much effort as possible, he opened his eyes to the sight of greenery with a very large tree next to Kirby, reaching up towards a bright blue sky high above as the smell of fresh air flooded his nostrils. Kirby rolled around, moving left and right, the intrepid pink puffball took a minute to take in the forest around him.
Now this location was different from his previous one. Sure, Kirby had visited forests before, but he had been fighting the Bolt Boger at Lightning Canyon Tower just a short notice ago.
Kirby rolled around on the ground, moving his little feet slowly.
He felt like a turtle, laying helpless on its back and unable to get up again. But this was not where it ended for Kirby; he had to get back up and keep going, no matter how much life seemed to knock him over.
Despite the force of gravity weighing him down, despite his roly-poly disadvantage, Kirby eventually turned his body over, lying flat on his face. Then, very slowly, he put his squat little arms on the ground and pushed himself up.
One foot first; he wobbled in his effort to get on his feet. It took a little longer, but then, Kirby moved another foot and, with all the strength he had, he stood again.
Kirby wobbled on his small feet; the puffball flailed his arms. But thankfully, his balance returned to him and the dizziness left him entirely.
Now that he had that problem dealt with, it was time to take care of the other matter.
This place looked strange, despite the greenery. But something was off, it didn't feel like he was in Dream Land or any of its regions. Kirby took a step forward; his feet shook a little with the first step he took. That made it evident he was still a tad dizzy, especially after whatever just happened to him.
Rustling perked his senses and Kirby turned, seeing the leaves shake. He thought he saw a pair of eyes watching from the shadows, then they vanished and the bushes stood still.
Click-click-click-click-click!
Kirby turned, nothing there, what was that all about?
"Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah!"
"Huh?"
The weirdness was intensifying, the strange voices and sound effects were getting louder, making the heroic puffball feel a sense of uneasiness with all of those sounds going on around him.
The clicking picked up again, someone yelled "yeah" several more times and pattering sounds prompted very cold chills to crawl all over Kirby's round body.
And then...
"Do you know da wae?"
He was surrounded, surrounded by several strange-looking red-colored creatures that were his size, and they were all looking at him with beady black eyes and strange snouts. The creatures clicked their teeth in a sinister manner.
One close look and they looked like… anteaters, red-colored anteaters; but what else were they, where did they come from and what did they possibly want with Kirby?
"My bruddah can know da wae." One of the creatures said.
"Do you know da wae?" Another asked again.
"You can know da wae."
"Click-click-click! Da wae; do you know da wae? My bruddah can know da wae."
The wacky creatures seemed to be closing in with every second they asked a similar line, something about "the way", whatever they were looking for or whatever was related to whatever culture they were from. And that accent; it sounded pretty strange.
One of the creatures then let off an animalistic growl and lunged at Kirby, gnashing its teeth. The puffball squeaked in alarm and made a leap into the air, puffed up and flapped his arms.
Kirby floated off and hovered several feet away while the creatures attempted to attack him. Just then, a strange-looking butterfly landed on Kirby's face and the puffball gasped.
But when he did so, he reverted to regular size and plopped back down on the ground. The butterfly-like creature made a strange noise similar to that of a sound-wave, a very loud noise, giving Kirby the impression that it was growling, roaring or trying to tweet like a bird.
He took a minute to observe this strange new butterfly, and then, it flew away. Kirby shrugged and wandered off into the nearby bushes, all while the strange red things seemed to follow him.
Kirby walked through the forest, weaving around the trees and looking around with curiosity. He looked up at the sky, wondering if there were any clues related to his new environment.
The answer was here somewhere and there had to be a way back to Dream Land, perhaps he could call a Warp Star, assuming there was one somewhere close by.
The squat pink-colored hero stopped, looked around just in case there were any strange characters observing him and planning to strike, and then he closed his eyes. Kirby focused, thinking as hard as he could, hoping he could find it.
"PUUUYOOOOOOOOOO! (Come, Warp Star!)" He yelled.
Nothing, no response.
He waited a little longer, and when nothing came up, that was when Kirby tried again.
"PUYO! PUYO! (Come, Warp Star!)"
The puffball looked to the sky, keeping his eyes sharp. There had to be a Warp Star coming for him, any second now. It didn't matter where he was, what this place was, the pink puff had a strong connection to the Warp Stars and the power of wishes. Anything could happen, everywhere!
He waited a little longer, a little more…
And yet, there was still nothing.
Something wasn't right, Kirby had called a Warp Star to him before in the past and it came when he called. It then occurred to him; he was in a different place far from Dream Land, way beyond the realm of Dream Land.
Did he get warped to another dimension, was he in some cursed forest that blocked off the power of magic wishes; what was going on here?
Either way, whatever it took; Kirby had to find a way out of here. If he was in another dimension, then there had to be a portal around here somewhere.
It was time to start looking, do some thorough exploring, find that path home.
Kirby poked around a tree and looked up into the thicket of branches and leaves, batting an eye left and right for any secrets that were worthwhile. The puffball then climbed up an oak tree, wondering what he could find. In the end, all he found were leaves.
He climbed down and kept walking around the forest, his little feet making crunching noises whenever he stepped on dried patches of grass and various random twigs that lay on the ground.
The little puffball heard a rustling sound and looked up; his instincts warned him of incoming trouble. It had to be those red things; there was no doubt that they were still after him.
Or perhaps, it was the source of that wonky "yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah" that Kirby had heard.
More rustling, all around Kirby, leaves shook and something came closer, closer, closer...
"I LIKE CEREAL!"
A yellow banana thing jumped out of the bushes with wide eyes and little cartoon-y arms waving in the air, the banana looked at Kirby with blue eyes and ran towards him while flashing a dangerously red-colored glow and screaming; "I LIKE CEREAL!"
Kirby yelped and made a dive for cover behind a rock, the strange Banana Bomb ran by, let off another wacky shriek of "I LIKE CEREAL" and then, it exploded!
The dust soon settled and Kirby pulled himself out of hiding, seeing the scorched and smoking crater from where the Banana Bomb thing last stood. He took a good peak around, wondering what other wild surprises this place had in store for him.
First those red things, then that strange butterfly creature and, now, a freaking banana bomb that screamed about cereal.
Sure, Kirby's world was wacky and almost cartoonish, but this place was taking things all the way to the next level of bonkers. In fact, this environment was NOT going to be on Kirby's vacation spot list. Once he found a way out of here, he was not going to revisit this place any time soon.
Looking around to make sure that there weren't any further surprises like that Banana Bomb thing waiting to jump out and attack, Kirby waddled away from his hiding spot and the smoldering crater, strolling further into the woods.
The heroic lad felt more alone than he'd ever been in his life, he'd been alone before, but being here with no friends or Warp Star made things scarier.
Lost, far from home, feeling uncertain, Kirby only felt certainty as to what he was doing. But here, all he had to do was find the way back or deal with the terrors of this place forever.
He traveled onward, wandering through the forest shrouded in mystery, traveling the mysterious woodland filled with strange and mysterious dangers that could appear at any time. Those red things and that Banana Bomb, they were just the start of the madness.
But Kirby would hang on, he wouldn't lose himself; the little guy was always hopeful and the Star Rod resonated with hope, which fueled the world of hopes and dreams that was Dream Land.
Kirby thought endlessly of his home, giving himself the encouragement to keep going, believe in his strengths and push forward no matter the odds like anyone else would in a situation like this.
The sound of hooting often made Kirby look up into the trees, wondering if an owl was watching him from the branches above. He shook his head; it was probably just his nerves getting to him.
Perhaps, this was some strange dream he was having. Yes, maybe it was.
But even then, Kirby seemed to worry a little too much; he'd already decided that he was going to be brave and find the way out, then he could rest afterwards. Kirby looked upon the forest that surrounded him; the leaves were so thick; it was near impossible to even find the way.
'No.' He thought, 'Stop thinking like that.'
"IMA FIRIN' MAH LAZOR!"
He dove out of the way right as a beam of blue energy rained down, lighting the leaves of a bush on fire. A bewildered Kirby looked around, his heart thumping intensely and his defense reflexes already kicking in.
The little pink hero heard a thrumming noise and wheeled around, watching as a disembodied red mouth with bulging eyes made its appearance with its gaze fixed on Kirby.
The creature, whatever it was, shouted its declaration again and a blue beam erupted from the mouth. Kirby rolled out of the line of fire, hiding in the bushes when the "lazor" streaked past him and blasted a tree to bits.
'Very unfriendly.' Kirby thought.
Kirby waited for the Shoop Da Whoop to leave and stop looking, the strange creature kept firing its strange laser and blasting trees all while shouting its line. Kirby tried to be patient, but then...
"Hey! Hey, Pink Marshmallow!"
The pink puffball turned sharply, finding an orange with human-like eyes and a wide mouth with human teeth staring at him from behind a leaf. Kirby put his hand up to his mouth, but that stupid Annoying Orange thing howled loud enough to shake the leaves.
"OH, SHOOP DA WHOOP!" The Orange yelled, "WE GOT A PINK MARSHMALLOW HERE, COME AND GET IT, VERY TASTYYYYYYYYY! Nyahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
'Darn it.' Kirby thought.
Brsh! "IMA FIRIN' MAH LAZOR!"
The puffball yelped and leaped out of the bush right as the Shoop Da Whoop unleashed its lazor, setting the bushes in flames. Kirby didn't look back, he ran for his life, jumping and rolling to avoid laser blasts while the sounds of that orange thing screaming reached his ears as the flames burned the bushes away and roasted it alive.
He ran as fast as possible, making a mad dash through the forest while ducking every minute to avoid being roasted by that "lazor". But despite his stamina, Kirby didn't make it far.
A shadow suddenly loomed over and the squat hero of Dream Land looked up, his eyes widening with shock. A strange sun thing loomed over him, looking down upon Kirby with bulging eyes and a big mouth.
It floated in the air and hands appeared on both sides, the sun-looking creature then reached and grabbed Kirby with one hand, grabbing him as tightly as it could.
Kirby shrieked and attempted to break free, grunting and groaning as he tried to movie a muscle. But it was no use, he couldn't get away.
It was all over; he had been caught. The chances of getting home may as well be slim now.
The creature flew off through the forest, holding Kirby tightly in its hand, as the Shoop Da Whoop seemed to stop its pursuit and vanished into the bushes. Kirby groaned and his eyes drooped shut, his lungs unable to draw oxygen from how the pink puff was being held by that odd creature.
When he finally regained his full senses, Kirby slowly rose to his feet and opened his eyes.
He wasn't in the forest anymore; all he could see was stone and marble. The heroic puffball stood upon a large red carpet in a great hall, held up by pillars that ascended towards the ceiling above. Torches burned in their brackets, bringing light to a dimly lit room with curtains lowered over the windows.
Kirby heard voices and looked ahead, seeing an orange creature with brown hair waving its arms and shouting "yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah" while one of the red creatures from earlier hopped up and down as it said something in its bizarre "da wae" language. And they seemed to be talking to... a man.
The man was nodding his head as his subjects spoke, his eyes often glanced in Kirby's direction every couple seconds before they returned to the people he was conversing with.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it." The man said in English, "I know where you found him, let me handle this. No, no, you can't dispose of him. Like I just said, I will handle this in a dignified manner. There's no need to tear him apart and we don't need to menace him. I'm going to take care of this and you don't need to go and start ripping him to shreds, ok?"
The strange creatures stepped aside and the human being approached, he wore a crown on his head, over an odd floppy hat, and wore black and blue-purple overalls with brown boots. The man seemed to have a black beard of some kind upon his face, Kirby was curious about this... this fellow.
The Meme Guardian came to Kirby, looking down at him with shock in his eyes. "You can't be here, the Internet Graveyard's no place for someone like you." He said, "The fact that you somehow ended up here, that is against the very science this realm operates on. In order to be here, you have to be a meme like those guys and you had to have ascended if you're no longer relevant on the internet."
"It's a long story, I know. But what matters is, we need to get you home and I don't know how you ended up here, unless... Wait a minute!"
The Meme Guardian pulled out a remote-looking device from the pockets of his overalls, the device seemed to be emitting an odd red light and making a strange beeping sound as a few sparks appeared from it every now and again.
"By the Glitchy…" The Guardian remarked, "It must have malfunctioned recently and the A.I in this must've suddenly decided to bring you here. Oh no, this is not gonna do. Hold on a sec, Kirby boy."
He pulled out another device from his pocket, one that looked cylindrical and had a screwdriver-like appearance. The Meme Guardian pressed a small button on the device and the tip let off a gleaming blue light, he aimed the device at the remote and an aura surrounded it.
Kirby watched, getting curious with each second that ticked by, until the light faded and the Meme Guardian held the remote.
No sparking, no odd beeps and no red lights. It seemed to be in order.
"That'll take care of that." The man put away the Meme-Fixer Probe and looked at Kirby. "Ok, little guy. Would you like me to send you back to your home-world?"
"Puyo. (Yes.)" Kirby nodded.
"I was just about to do that anyway." The man began tapping in a couple buttons and then pointed the remote at Kirby.
A moment later, he pressed a large crimson button and a light enveloped the pink puffball. Reality seemed to warp around him, sending Kirby through a blue vortex. Bright lights flashed around Kirby and he shielded his eyes, wondering what came next.
He kept his eyes covered for a long time until he felt something on his back, something prickly. Kirby uncovered his eyes and rose to his feet, taking a good look at his surroundings; Green grass, tall trees, a bright blue sky and Waddle Dees roaming around as birds flew by.
Kirby was home!
The man had done it, the Meme Guardian of the Internet Graveyard had sent him home. He was safe and there was nothing to worry about, now the pink puff could finally rest.
'Home sweet home!' Kirby thought.
His stomach rumbled and Kirby rubbed himself; he hadn't eaten in some time. Perhaps this was a good time to get something to eat before helping himself to a nice little nap afterwards, that would surely be sufficient. Yes, it really would.
Kirby took note of an apple tree nearby, the leaves adorned with bright red apples hanging from the branches, just ready to be picked and eaten.
Kirby smiled and walked towards the tree, ready to get something to eat and take a post-snack nap afterwards. After that wonky transdimensional insanity, he could use a rest for a good long time until the next adventure awaited.
And until the next big adventure, Kirby was happy to be safely home without any trouble and without having any wild surprises to mess with his day for him to deal with...
The End