Authors Note- *deep breath*

I just found out Meta Knight is confirmed, and, well...

IM FUCKING CRYING.

I'm so excited! Meta Knight is my all time favorite character in all existence and I cannot wait to play as him!

XXXX

In The End by Linkin Park

King Dedede was very happy. Lucky for him, Master Hand was in a good mood because he had asked the boss of the Smash Brothers if he could go and visit his castle. The hand had said yes, which made the king whoop in joy (in his head, of course. He may be a little rude but he still had manners). Though he wasn't planning on bringing any of the Smashers, some asked him several times if they could tag along. He said no every single time, as he wanted his trip to be short and simple. Basically, all he wanted was to see that all was well in his kingdom, not to have a week-long vacation with parties and hot girls...though Dedede didn't think that would be such a bad thing.

Ahem.

So anyways, Dedede was about to leave for Dreamland. He carried his hammer in hand in case of any run-ins with some bad guys. When the teleporter began stirring and creaking, Dedede let a smile form across his beak. He couldn't wait to see his people and his land, he was even excited to see his cranky snail assistant Escargoon! When his eyes began getting clouded with a sudden bright light, he made an unusual squealing noise, gripping his hammer tightly in excitement.

But then he remembered why exactly Master Hand stopped the use of teleportation during the tournaments. It hurt like hell.

Dedede gripped his hammer even tighter and grit his teeth. His whole body felt like it was getting stabbed by every single one of the swordsmens' swords. And that's a whole lot of swords! The king then remembered the impression he got the first time he ever used the transporter...also known as his first day in the Brawl era. He recalled saying something like "This place better be worth feeling like I got a refrigerator stuffed up up my butt getting here".

Dedede made an uncharacteristic screech and dropped his hammer, holding his burly hands to the sides his head. The feeling of transporting somewhere is not a fun thing to feel. It was very, very painful.

The experience went on for about 15 more minutes. 'How long does it take to travel to the darn planet?' He thought, eyes shut in annoyance. Then just like that, the pain stopped. The penguin opened his eyes and looked around, removing his hands from his head in surprise. A wide smile spread across his face and he gave a small laugh. "I'm home!" He whispered. Dedede found that he had landed a couple of miles away from his castle. He would've liked to order someone to carry him there, but he wasn't the lazy king he was before. Being a Smasher had encouraged him to work out more, so of course walking a couple of miles was hardly anything.

His eyes closed in utter bliss, the king was skipping happily to his beloved castle. However, he couldn't help but lift an eyebrow in confusion when he heard nothing. Literally. He didn't even hear a peep from Tokkori, the obnoxious yellow bird who was Kirby's roommate. Snapping his eyes open, Dedede frantically moved his eyes left to right. And he was right, the place was quiet.

That was because it was destroyed.

Letting out an odd, fearful noise, the royal penguin spun in a slow circle, taking in the sights around him. Buildings were burnt, and the ones that weren't were collapsed on the ground. Suddenly, as if that wasn't bad enough, a surge of panic found its way into his heart. What of his people? The citizens of Dreamland were always somewhat scaredy cats. Realization hit him like both of the Ice Climbers' hammers. Without Kirby, their protector, Meta Knight, a very skilled knight, or their own king with them, who would save them in times of danger? Sure, Dedede entrusted Blade Knight and Sword Knight, Meta Knight's companions, to help in times of danger, but it hadn't occurred to him until after he left for Brawl that they were still only in training and that though they may be able to fight well enough to protect themselves, they wouldn't be able to protect a whole lot of the Dreamlandians. And his theory was proven correct. It seemed as though the little planet was stripped of life and was replaced with dread and sorrow (or maybe that was the very intense smell of smoke that was in the air burning his lungs, either way he felt very terrible). His breathing became quicker and more panicked as he sped up his pace, starting to evolve his speed into a sprint. The king didn't like to run, so obviously he was freaked out to be moving so fast or even at all.

No matter where he went, all he saw was burning houses and smushed stores. Finally, his eyes looked upwards and landed on his castle...or where his castle was supposed to be. Skidding to a stop and flailing his arms, Dedede gasped when he didn't see his home. But then, looking down, he saw it. His face fell drastically when he saw the state of his castle; broken, crumbled, and burnt. It was obvious that someone attacked it. That thought alone upset Dedede more than he would've ever wanted. The fact that his whole kingdom was in ruins made him want to cry hysterically. What he saw now brought sudden thoughts to his mind.

What kind of king was he? He left his kingdom for a fighting tournament. His people needed him, but he spent his time in a mansion hanging out with walking/talking animals, some cute creatures with elemental powers, a couple of plumbers with mustaches, princesses, and more. Dedede felt so disappointed with himself that he didn't even want to leave Dreamland, just to bury himself in the ashes of Kawasaki's restaurant and cry. But alas, he knew Master Hand would get extremely pissed at him if he stayed. Grumbling, Dedede turned away from his castle, tears brimming his eyes and his body shaking in fear.

Teleporting back was painful, sure, but not nearly as painful as how he felt about Dreamland. When he returned, Smashers immediately surrounded him and began asking him about his trip. Instead of blowing them all off like they expected and were used to, the large penguin broke down sobbing and fell to his knees, screeching something incoherent to his fellow Smashers. They tried to comfort him, but it was to no avail.

For King Dedede was a king without a kingdom.

XXXX

Author's Note- Deep. Chapter is deep. I really wanted to make this it's own Oneshot, but it's a part of this story.