Chapter 2: Differences

Tiff was in another dimension.

That was the conclusion that she and Kirby reached after a brief talk. It was hard to believe, but somehow she had ended up in a parallel universe. She felt like the main characters of a few fantasy stories she had read, though she didn't have a pair of red shoes that could bring her back home, and she hoped that this world didn't have a deranged monarch who wanted to chop off her head.

"Oh, wait. Dedede also exists in this dimension, so the deranged monarch is guaranteed," Tiff realised. Even though it appeared that Dedede and Kirby got along better in that universe, that didn't mean that the penguin wasn't an egocentric tyrant with a bad temper, just like the one she knew and the queen from that novel (minus the chopping heads part).

As for how they had figured that out, two pieces of information were the key. The two Kirbies' obvious age difference was the first. The second was eNeMeE, who in that universe was better known as Nightmare.

That dimension's Kirby had defeated the villain a long time ago, albeit under entirely different circumstances. The being made of nightmares had tried to corrupt something called the "Fountain of Dreams", and the King Dedede of that dimension had sealed him by breaking the Star Rod. However, Kirby was forced to take action because that had made everyone in Pop Star incapable of dreaming.

"So, in this dimension, you are also the one who has to fix the problems caused by Dedede," Tiff commented once the alternate Kirby was done telling his story, unable to hide her disdain for the monarch.

"Uh? Dedede stopped being the cause of the problems a long time ago, poyo," he denied, a little upset. "And the Star Rod thing was just a big misunderstanding between us two."

The alternative Kirby seemed offended by how Tiff talked about Dedede, so the girl decided to think of other things she could ask about.

By the way Kirby had described it, the Fountain of Dreams seemed to be the natural antithesis of Nightmare. Why didn't it exist in her dimension? How had the Star Rod become something only obtainable in dreams? Perhaps that was the reason why the Nightmare from her dimension had become so powerful. The Star Warriors were the only defence her universe had against the villain, and they were defeated by the wizard and his creations in the war.

"If this dimension has the blessing of the Fountain of Dreams to protect you, then do Star Warriors exist?" Tiff asked Kirby.

"I have never heard of them, so I guess not. But it sounds like something Meta Knight would like to be part of," the pufball answered.

"Well, you're not totally mistaken there: he is one in my dimension," she confirmed. Kirby smiled confidently because he had guessed right. "And so are you," she added.

"Even if I am just a baby?" Kirby asked. Tiff nodded. "That is so cool, poyo!"

Tiff finished eating the Maxim Tomato that Kirby had given her. She was not surprised that they were the favourite food of that version of her friend. Not only did it taste way better than any regular tomato, but she also felt totally rejuvenated, as if she never had a fever. It was a shame those didn't exist in her world; Kirby would have loved them.

"I wonder how he is doing. I hope I can go back home soon..." she thought longingly.

That dimension's Kirby had promised her that he would find a way to get her back home as soon as possible. It seemed that the puffball had travelled to other worlds before and knew a few people who were well versed in interdimensional travel. The young hero was convinced that Tiff would soon be back in her world with her friends and family.

But as she was thinking about reuniting with her loved ones, Tiff felt like she was forgetting something important. Something related to that dream she could barely remember. What could it be? What was she missing?

"Gooey is taking a long time... How weird," Kirby suddenly said with concern, interrupting the girl's thoughts.

"Who is Gooey? You mentioned that you two were together when you found me," Tiff asked, intrigued.

"When he is not travelling around Pop Star on his own, he is my roommate. I tasked him with finding some extra food while I brought you here, but he should have already returned."

So instead of Tokkori, Kirby was sharing his house with this Gooey guy. Tiff hoped that he was a better roommate than the bird, although the bar was not set very high.

"He may be in trouble. He gets easily distracted, but this is taking him way too long. I'm going to go look for him," Kirby decided as he got up.

"Wait!" Tiff stopped him. "I want to go with you. I would like to learn more about this new Dreamland. Maybe we will even find a clue about how I ended up here," she explained.

"Well, if you really feel well enough to travel, then you can come with me!" he replied with a smile. "Nothing like an adventure to get to know someone better! Especially if that someone is my best friend in another dimension!"

Tiff couldn't help but smile at the pink puffball's contagious enthusiasm. His gentleness and sweetness, his love for food, his innate kindness, his desire for adventure... That Kirby may be older than the one she knew, had different friends and his adventures had also been way different, but he was still Kirby at his core.

And so, the two set off in search of Kirby's missing roommate.

The world that greeted Tiff on the other side of Kirby's front door was just as colourful and bright as the one in the photos. So no, it wasn't a saturation effect; that Dreamland was naturally like that. Tiff wondered if that was due to the power of the Fountain of Dreams. At first, all that brightness hurt her eyes a bit, but it didn't take long to get used to it.

As they walked, Tiff asked Kirby if Cappy Village existed there. He replied that his world's cappies lacked the coordination to build something like that. Furthermore, there were no cities in that Dreamland: each one lived where they wanted, as they wanted, as long as they didn't bother the neighbour. They didn't even have money! That sounded both idyllic and chaotic. Tiff couldn't imagine her own Dreamland working like that.

Suddenly, Kirby stopped in the middle of the road. Tiff looked at him, confused. There was nothing out of the ordinary in this place.

"This is where we found you," Kirby pointed out. "Do you see something from your dimension?"

"No. There is not even a landscape similar to this one there," Tiff denied, a little disappointed. She had hoped that finding the site where she had appeared would have revealed something.

"Mmm, maybe if I bring Magolor here, he can use his magic to detect if something is off, " Kirby wondered. Then he began to think about the last time he had seen Gooey to try to guess his location: "okay, so Gooey and I found you here and then we parted ways. I went home, while he went in that direction..."

Kirby turned towards the nearby forest. Upon recognising the place, an expression of mild aversion appeared on his face.

"Oh, no. So that is why he is taking so long. Follow me!" Kirby exclaimed.

Kirby ran off into the woods, closely followed by Tiff. The puffball knew exactly where to go and led her to a clearing in the forest. There was a figure Tiff knew well, facing another she had only seen in Kirby's photos. The first was Whispy, the wise tree who, in her world, protected the woods that shared his name. The second was a small blue blob with googly eyes and a long red tongue, giving it a goofy appearance. Whispy was blocking the path with his own trunk.

"Come on, Whispy: just give me one apple or two. They are for a sick child," she heard the blue blob plead.

"I'm not in the mood to share my fruit with anyone!" the tree declined.

"Then, at least let me pass so I can find something on my own!"

"No! Nobody is going to cross my forest today!" the tree exclaimed as he spread his roots to block the road even more.

That brief exchange had been enough to show Tiff that this Whispy was nothing like the one from her dimension. The Whispy she knew would never be so mean-spirited!

"I knew it, poyo: Whispy is angry again. Who knows what has gotten into him this time..." Kirby commented exasperatedly, as if that happened often. "Stay here. Things could get messy," he asked Tiff before running towards the tree and the blob. "Hey, you two! Stop arguing!"

"Kirby!" Gooey exclaimed, glad to see his friend. "I'm very sorry. I was looking for apples when I entered Whispy's territory without realising it," he apologised for his delay.

"Heh, I knew I shouldn't have worried that much," Kirby assured him with a warm smile. Then he turned towards the apple tree and asked him: "And what about you, Whispy? Why are you in such a bad mood?"

"Why don't you ask your friend the king about that?" the tree bellowed in response.

"Dedede has visited you today? That's weird... Well, whatever happened, I doubt it justifies you forbidding people to go through here!" Kirby scolded the tree.

"Of course it does! Dedede showed up unannounced and started yelling and disrespecting me for no reason! He even threatened to cut me down! After all I've had to endure for him in the past, how dare he treat me like this?"

"What? Dedede wouldn't do that!" Kirby defended the king. "Besides, he and Meta Knight have been training in his castle since the morning, so he couldn't have visited you today! "

"Are you saying I'm lying, brat?"

It was at that point that Tiff lost track of the conversation. Had she heard what Kirby had said correctly?

Dedede and Meta Knight training together was an oxymoron. Dedede was extremely lazy and preferred to pay others to do his work. Also, why would Meta Knight train with Dedede? The knight did not feel any kind of respect or appreciation for the king. Yes, the Star Warrior was still the king's employee even after the fall of N.M.E., but only because Meta Knight wanted to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't join another evil company (and because living in the castle was very comfortable).

Tiff shook her head and reminded herself that she was in a different Dreamland. She shouldn't judge the Dedede of that dimension by what the one she knew was like, especially after meeting that Whispy. Whereas the Whispy she knew was gentle and wise, always treating Kirby well, the version from that world seemed to be grumpy and hostile to the young hero.

The argument between Whispy and Kirby had escalated so much that the tree was now throwing apples at the puffball and Gooey. Tiff, who hadn't moved from her spot, watched Kirby's expression change from annoyed to determined before he began to retaliate against Whispy by inhaling the apples and spitting them out directly into the tree's face. Gooey did the same, but he grabbed the apples with his tongue.

After only a minute of fighting, one of Whispy's roots raised a white flag, causing Kirby and his friend to stop attacking.

"Fine! I will move away!" the tree growled, giving up and clearing the path. "Today isn't my day."

Kirby and Gooey began to jump up and down, as if they were doing a celebration dance for their victory. Tiff was pretty amazed at how skilled the Kirby of that dimension was at fighting. If he had defeated Whispy in such a short amount of time without a copy ability, what would he be able to do with one?

It was clear that the alternate Kirby didn't need someone like her at all. And when her Kirby grew up, he wouldn't either.

"This is not the time to think about that," Tiff scolded herself, pushing that gloomy thought from her mind as she approached the two of them now that the fight was over.

"Ah, you're the person we found earlier," Gooey greeted her. "I'm glad to see you're okay! I am Gooey, though I imagine that Kirby has already told you about me. Nice to meet you."

Gooey extended his tongue out, and Tiff guessed he wanted her to shake it like if it were a hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Gooey. My name is Tiff," she answered politely as she shook the tongue while trying to hold back an expression of disgust as best she could. Luckily, although the tongue was a bit slimy, it didn't leave any saliva on her hand.

"She comes from an alternate Dreamland!" Kirby explained happily to his friend.

"Oh really? Is it any different from ours?" Gooey asked Tiff curiously.

"I haven't seen much, but I can already tell that it is very different," she replied, looking askance at the grumpy Whispy.

"Don't worry. Kirby will surely find a way to get you back home. When he sets his mind to something, no one can stop him," Gooey assured her.

"You can count on me, poyo!" Kirby exclaimed.

"Thank you very much. I'm sorry that my arrival has caused you two a problem," she apologised. After all, the reason Gooey had gone into the forest in the first place was to find food for her.

"You don't need to apologise. I am always willing to help whoever needs it. It's my duty as the hero of Dreamland," Kirby replied, puffing out his cheeks proudly.

"Although you should be more wary of people trying to take advantage of your kindness and determination," Gooey reminded his friend. Then, turning to Tiff, he added: "I hope you're not one of those."

"Is it my imagination or did that sound like a threat?" Tiff wondered, a bit spooked.

"Hey, you three. Can you continue the conversation outside of my woods?" Whispy interrupted them abruptly. "I'm trying to take a nap."

"Okay, okay. We'll leave," Kirby said to the grumpy tree. Then he turned to his companions and said: "come on, let's meet with Dedede, Meta and Bandee!"

"Uh, Why?" Tiff asked, surprised, as she followed him. She had no idea who Bandee was or why Kirby had decided that the next thing they should do was visit those three.

"So they can help us!" Kirby replied as if it were the most logical thing in the world. "Besides, me and Gooey were supposed to hang out with them today, so they must be waiting for us. Bandana Dee has made apple pie."

"Oh, Bandee's apple pie. I missed how delicious they tasted," Gooey commented.

"Well, in that case, lead the way," Tiff said as she followed the duo, curious to see what other surprises and, most importantly, differences awaited her beyond Whispy's forest.

After all, her adventure in that strange Dreamland had only begun.