Clash of Kings
Tiff had never imagined herself cheering for Dedede. Well, she wasn't going to cheer for the Dedede she'd always known, but for the alternative version of him, so did it even count? It was a weird situation.
At first, when the alternative Dedede accepted her world's Dedede's challenge, she was quite sceptical. How was he going to face that machine alone? Was he so confident in his own strength that he was sure he could win, or was he just trying to make himself look cool? Tiff looked around to see if her companions shared her concerns, but they seemed to firmly believe that their Dedede would win. Kirby, in particular, looked eager to see his friend and rival fighting.
The ones who didn't look so confident were her dimension's Dedede and Escargoon, who were taken aback by the determined look on the other Dedede's face.
"Hey Escargoon, why hasn't this second-rate Dedede backed down from the challenge yet?" the Dedede she knew asked his lackey with a trembling voice. "There's no way he's going to beat us if we use this thing, right?"
"I don't know if he has a lot of guts or if he's got as many screws loose as you," the snail replied in a mocking tone.
"What do you mean by that?!" Dedede yelled at him.
"Nothing, nothing, sir," Escargoon replied, barely dodging a blow from his king.
"Can we start the battle, or do I have to wait for you two to get a divorce first?" the alternative Dedede interrupted impatiently.
"Stay out of this," replied the other Dedede. "Besides, what's the rush? Do you really want to lose so badly?" he scoffed.
"Heh, do you really think I'm going to fall for such a bad taunt? I'll take you seriously when you dare to fight me in hand-to-hand combat instead of inside a robot!" the alternative Dedede countered.
The Dedede from Tiff's dimension grumbled in frustration before retorting:
"A phoney imposter like you is not worthy of me showing off my talent and strength."
Escargoon seemed to be about to make a sassy remark, but in the last moment he decided not to. Either he didn't want to be on the receiving end of his king's wrath again, or he didn't want to prolong that absurd situation any longer. Instead, the snail suggested:
"Sir, I don't think we should waste more of our valuable time on this lesser Dedede."
"For once, you're right," he agreed. "I'll control the robot!" he added as he went back inside the machine through the hatch.
"But you haven't even read the instruction manual!" Escargoon objected. He clearly wanted to be the one to pilot the robot. After all, he had undertaken the task of stealing it and learning its controls.
"Who needs instructions? Just come here!" the monarch said as he dragged the snail down the hatch, which then closed due to the strong jolt.
The sound of the robot's powerful motors starting up reverberated throughout the throne room, but the owner of the castle was unfazed.
"Take cover. Things are going to get ugly," the alternative Dedede said to Tiff and the others.
"Don't destroy them too hard, poyo!" Kirby giggled. In a quick movement, he, Tiff, Gooey, and Bandana Dee took cover behind the throne, leaning out to the sides of it, while Meta Knight perched on top.
The machine completed the startup process and went live. Its claws, flamethrowers, and rocket launchers were all directly aimed at the alternative Dedede. Tiff didn't understand: how could everyone be so calm in front of that robot? She remembered how difficult it was to destroy the original Heavy Lobster in her dimension, and that thing was supposed to be an improved version! The girl observed Meta Knight because he was the one who had ordered its construction, but he appeared completely serene.
"Do you guys really think he can win?" Tiff asked her companions.
"Our Great King can handle this and more," Bandana Dee assured her. "The only person who can defeat him in a fair fight is Kirby!"
Tiff didn't have time to argue the Waddle Dee's claim as the battle finally began. Her Dedede tried to smash his other self with one of the Heavy Lobster MK2's massive claws, but the latter, after quickly dropping his hammer, easily stopped it with both of his arms.
"Wow, he is very strong!" Tiff commented, impressed. She could imagine how surprised Escargoon and her Dedede were inside the robot.
"That's nothing. I've seen him use big marble columns as weapons!" Kirby claimed.
"HE USED WHAT?!" she exclaimed, stupefied.
A noise brought Tiff's attention back to the fight. Upon seeing that he had failed in his attempt to crush his other self, the Dedede of her world repositioned the robot and activated the flamethrowers hidden within the robot's claws. Nimbly, the alternative Dedede retrieved his hammer and leaped out of the flamethrower's radius. However, the fire reached some of the throne room's curtains and tapestries, infuriating their owner.
"Kirby! Do something to prevent the fire from spreading!" he ordered his rival.
"I never get to just enjoy the show..." the puffball complained before proceeding to absorb the flames. For his part, the now-angry alternative Dedede jumped with his hammer in hand, the weapon engulfed in flames.
"Wait a second. I didn't see the hammer catch fire, and it doesn't seem to be burning down. Does he have elemental powers or something?" Tiff realised. "What exactly is this Dedede?!"
With a powerful blow of the fire-infused weapon, the penguin shattered one of the machine's claws and its corresponding flamethrower. Tiff couldn't see her world's Dedede and Escargoon's reactions inside the robot, but it wasn't hard to picture the king blaming his vassal for the claw's loss and the latter retorting that it happened because he had refused to read the manual.
Tiff guessed that Escargoon had taken over the robot because, after that, the Heavy Lobster MK II's strategy changed to a defensive stance. Dedede, probably, had said something like "Do it yourself if you're so smart!" before rudely handing the snail the controls. Escargoon was more talented with the machine, as he used the remaining claw to deflect the alternative Dedede's advances with great skill. Tiff deduced from the way the alternative Dedede was jumping that his ultimate goal was to smash the machine's visors. But his attempts were frustrated: with a cunning manoeuvre, Escargoon managed to hit the alternative Dedede hard, throwing him to the ground.
"Oh, no!" Tiff exclaimed in alarm. "Is he okay?"
"Don't worry. It takes more than that to bring down our Dedede," Meta Knight calmed her down. Gooey and Banda Waddle Dee nodded in confirmation, putting Tiff at ease.
The Heavy Lobster MK 2 leaped like a frog to crush its opponent, but the alternative rolled on the ground to avoid the attack and regained his feet. The impact of the robot had caused the floor to cave in, trapping and burying half of the machine. Dedede saw that as an opportunity to launch a powerful counterattack. With a powerful battle cry, the king firmly grasped his hammer and ran towards the machine.
"You can do it, Great King!" Bandana Waddle Dee cheered his king.
"You got this, Dedede!" Gooey also cheered.
"Dedede, Dedede, Dedede!" Tiff couldn't resist joining them.
The king of the alternative Dreamland smashed the remaining claw, followed by the visors. He then climbed to the top of the machine and began pounding on the hatch area to force it open. The robot began to shake aggressively in an attempt to shake him off, but it was to no avail.
Tiff could easily imagine the situation inside the robot as the alternative Dedede got closer and closer to breaking the hatch's lid:
"Escargoon! Get rid of him, you useless snail!" a frightened but furious Dedede ordered his vassal.
"That's what I'm trying to do, Your Majesty! But this guy has stuck to us like a sticky stick!" Escargoon replied nervously, shaking the machine's controls from one side to the other.
"Move! I'll do it by myself!" Dedede growled impatiently as he pushed the snail away.
Tiff knew her Dedede had retaken control of the machine because only an idiot would activate and shoot the rocket launchers just as they were aimed at the ceiling, which soon began to collapse from the missiles impact. Tiff braced herself for the worst when it began to fall on their heads, but Meta Knight stopped it with some kind of gravity-controlling power. Tiff couldn't help but look at him, fascinated. Was it magic or telekinesis? How and where had he learned to use that power? She was sure that her Meta Knight was not capable of doing that.
"I won't be able to hold it for long. Get out of here!" the knight commanded, with a shout to everyone present, taking Tiff out of her thoughts.
Gooey wrapped his tongue around Tiff and jumped out of one of the now-shattered windows. They were soon followed by Bandana Dee, who used his spear like a helicopter's propeller, and Kirby. Once outside, Tiff watched as a crowd of Waddle Dees rushed out of the collapsing castle. The last one to leave was Meta Knight, who landed next to them.
"Meta Knight! Where is the Great King?!" Bandana Dee asked, alarmed, as he had noticed that the king had not left with the knight. His concern was shared by the rest of those present.
"He is..." Meta Knight began to say, but he was interrupted when a rather battered Heavy Lobster MK 2 emerged from the rubble. Kirby assumed a fighting stance, getting ready for a possible second round against the robot and its pilots, but something was hurled out of a hole on top of the machine at high speed.
With a loud cry of pain and an even louder thud, one of the Dededes crashed in front of the five. Escargoon soon followed, suffering the same fate. Finally, the person responsible for sending the other two flying emerged from the machine's hole.
Holding the hatch's lid in one hand and a hammer in the other, the second Dedede ran to where the rest of the group was and asked:
"Is everyone okay?"
That question was enough to determine which one of the two Dededes was.
"We're in one piece around here," Gooey replied.
"And what about the Waddle Dees?" the king of that Dreamland insisted.
"We all managed to evacuate on time, Your Majesty," the closest one reported. The rest of the Waddle Dees let out adorable, loud "wanyas" in confirmation.
"Good. We only have to regret material damage," the alternative Dedede sighed, relieved.
"Only material damage? I think that final hammer blow broke something inside me, you brute. It hurts..." the Dedede that Tiff knew complained as he and Escargoon attempted to get up.
Upon hearing the voice of his counterpart, an expression of pure anger spread over the face of the victorious Dedede.
"YOU. WHAT WERE YOU EVEN THINKING?!" the alternative Dedede furiously yelled at the other as he lifted and shook him.
"It's all his fault. He was the one who stole that thing!" the other accused Escargoon as he pointed at him.
"But you were the one who activated the rocket launcher when I told you not!" he defended himself.
"I don't care about excuses! Are you aware that you could have KILLED someone?!" that dimension's Dedede yelled at both of them as he released his counterpart, who hid cowardly behind Escargoon.
"Is this guy really an alternative version of you? I find it hard to believe," Escargoon commented as he shifted his gaze from one to the other. Tiff didn't know if the snail was referring to how the other Dedede cared for others or how brave he was in comparison to the one they both knew.
The alternative Dedede, for his part, ignored the snail's comment and continued scolding them both equally. Tiff couldn't help but enjoy the scene: someone had finally dared to put those two in their place! Although it was strange to see that the person performing such a feat was another Dedede.
"It is a shame Tuff is missing out on this," Tiff thought of her brother, as she was sure he would also had enjoyed that situation. Had he ended up in that dimension as well? And, in that case, would he be okay? Kirby had told her that Dreamland was usually a peaceful place, but even so, Tiff couldn't help feeling worried about her brother and her Kirby. " I wish I could remember what happened..."
"What a big mess those two have caused..." Kirby commented after sighing dejectedly. The pink puffball watched with a bit of sadness as what was left of the castle sank little by little.
"Yeah. They've gone way too far," Tiff concurred. Then, she turned to Meta Knight and told him: "I don't think you can say there's no reason to lock them up anymore."
The knight nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, time to reset the sign that counts the days without incidents to zero," Gooey joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"What in Halcandra happened here?!" a voice Tiff didn't recognise exclaimed behind the group. "I swear neither Marx nor I had anything to do with this mess!"
Those present turned to look at the newcomer: a yellow-eyed, egg-shaped being dressed in a blue hooded robe decorated with stars. Tiff couldn't tell if the two triangular shapes protruding from his head were cat ears or horns.
"Magolor!" the inhabitants of that Dreamland exclaimed. Kirby approached the newcomer and enthusiastically greeted him. The alternative Dedede paused his scolding to welcome the newcomer, but not before ordering a few Waddle Dees armed with spears to surround the other Dedede and Escargoon so they wouldn't flee.
" So this is the magician who, according to Kirby and Meta Knight, can help me..." Tiff pondered as she examined Magolor. She felt a little disappointed. She had imagined someone more sophisticated and wise-looking, like the wizards in her books, but that strange Dreamland had shattered all of her expectations yet again.
"What are you doing here?" Meta Knight asked Magolor. "I mean, we were going to call you anyway, but I didn't expect you to show up on your own."
"Well, my friend, I'm always a step ahead!" Magolor giggled proudly. "And I have some worrisome info to share with you all," he added in a more serious tone, his words surprising everyone around. "Wait, who is this girl?" he asked when he noticed Tiff.
"Her name is Tiff, and she comes from an alternative Dreamland!" Kirby introduced her once more.
"Nice to meet you, Tiff," Magolor greeted the girl, who gently returned the gesture. "So people from another universe have arrived. That explains several things," the magician said as he turned to look with curiousity at the Dedede from Tiff's universe, who was yelling at the Waddle Dees in an attempt to scare them away. It was futile, as the small creatures continued to point their spears at him. "This is worse than I thought!" Magolor exclaimed.
"Do you know what's going on?" Bandana Dee asked him.
"Of course I do. Let me show you."
Magolor then used magic to summon a device that looked like a laptop. Those present approached the screen, intrigued by what the magician was going to show them. Even the Dedede from Tiff's dimension had quieted down, probably because he wanted to listen to their conversation. Tiff turned to look; he was trying to get closer to them, but the Waddle Dees kept blocking his way, irritating him more and more.
Tiff looked away from the scene and put her attention back on the laptop. As much as it amused her to see Dedede being harassed by a group of Waddle Dees of all creatures, she needed to focus on what was important. On the screen, she could see a map of that Dreamland with various locations marked, along with annotations written in a language unknown to her.
"This morning, the Lor systems detected abnormal energy sources," Magolor began to explain. " After analysing the data, I discovered that the energy came from small dimensional gaps. Because they were only open for a few seconds, I assumed that nothing could have entered or left them. Clearly, I was mistaken," he admitted, looking askance at Tiff. "I know it's very rare for a magician as great as me to be wrong, but even the best make mistakes."
"Get to the point," the alternative Dedede interjected.
"Okay, okay. As the analysis of the Lor continued, I realised that there was something very wrong with the energy readings. It turned out that the dimensional gaps were imprinted with some sort of dark energy."
"Could it be Dark Matter?" Kirby inquired, clearly concerned. Tiff noticed the alternative Dedede flinch at those words, and at the same time, a sombre expression appeared on Gooey's normally goofy face. That dark matter thing had to be something very dangerous to cause such a reaction in the group.
"The data is not enough to either confirm or deny that a form of Dark Matter is the cause," Magolor answered. "They are far from being the only ones in the universe who can use dark energy to their advantage."
"That would explain Tiff's memory gaps," Meta Knight said. Tiff looked at him, intrigued. "Prolonged exposure to high concentrations of dark energy can cause alterations in the body and mind, from muscle weakness to memory loss and even personality changes," the knight elaborated. "That would also explain why you were in a feverish state when Kirby and Gooey found you."
"Should I be worried?" the girl asked, alarmed.
"Nah, don't think about it too much," Magolor soothed her. If you were only exposed to it rather than directly possessed, any residual dark energy or magic in your body should completely disappear in no time, though the exact amount of time depends on how long you were actually exposed to it. Anyway, in your case and given your age and health, I'm confident that a good rest, a large meal, and being surrounded by good company will suffice. It's also very likely that once your body is clean, your memory will fully return."
"Since when are you a doctor?" Bandana Waddle Dee asked the magician.
"I'm not. I just know a lot about this stuff from experience," the magician said, shrugging off the question.
"I doubt that I will be able to properly rest in this situation," Tiff pointed out.
"Well, at least Kirby will make sure you're covered in terms of good company and food," Magolor chuckled. Kirby proudly puffed out his cheeks. "How about you, two?" Magolor then approached Escargoon and Dedede and inquired. "Have you also experienced any negative effects similar to Tiff's?"
"Both mine and the king's memories are cut short at the same point," Escargoon replied. "As for my own arrival, I felt kind of sick when I woke up, but then a strange girl approached me. She painted a tomato, which then became real. Because of how surreal the scene was, I assumed it was a dream, so I accepted it, and when I ate it, I felt better," the snail narrated.
"Wait, did you just say a painted tomato became real?" Tiff repeated, puzzled by something so absurd. Escargoon nodded.
"Oh, that's definitely Adeleine's doing," Gooey realized. "She's a friend of ours and has the ability to make anything she draws come to life!"
"Now that's a power I'd like to have!" Tiff exclaimed joyfully. That magic sounded both practical and unique. Furthermore, having the ability to create food at will was ideal when your protégé was someone who ate far too much.
"I felt sick, too, but I ate several apples that were scattered in the woods and I got better," Dedede explained, despite the fact that no one had asked. He sounded irritated because no one was paying attention to him. "I ended up in that strange market that works without money after wandering around for a while."
"Don't skip the part where you insulted Whispy!" his counterpart, who knew about that because Kirby had told him, scolded him. "Now I will have to calm down and apologise to that old grumpy tree despite me not doing anything wrong! I've worked so hard to earn a good reputation, and it only took you a half-day to almost ruin it."
"Ahem. Let's go back to the main topic, please," Magolor requested. The alternative Dedede grunted an apology. "As you can see from the marks on the map, there have been six dimensional gaps in total. Four of them opened at practically the same time, followed by a fifth a few minutes later. The sixth was the last one to open," the magician stated while pointing in order to the marks on the map.
"All right, based on its location and the information we have, we can deduce that the Dedede from the other dimension came from the opening in Whispy's Forest and Escargoon emerged from the one near the market," Meta Knight recalled. "This one here is near one of Daroach's lairs. I'll have to contact him and ask if he's seen anything."
"The fourth opened in a forest not far from Taranza's house, and the fifth opened next to it," the Dedede from that dimension informed. "He's staying in Dreamland for a few days, so he definitely had to notice something."
"And the sixth is definitely on the road where we found Tiff," Kirby identified. Gooey nodded in confirmation.
"So I was the last to arrive," the girl realised. "What could this possibly mean?"
"Take that, you meddling girl! I was the first and you were the last, so I win! Once again, it is proven that I am the best!" the Dedede she knew celebrated. Tiff grumbled in frustration. She liked it better when he kept his mouth shut.
"Sir, I don't think there are winners or losers in this situation," Escargoon told him, embarrassed by his king's childish attitude.
"Who cares. The important thing is that I was the first!"
"Sometimes I envy such a simple mentality..." Escargoon let out a sigh.
"Of course you do. Everything about me is enviable," Dedede burst out laughing.
"Does he really think that was a compliment?" Magolor whispered to Tiff, confused.
"He's not the sharpest tool in the shed," she replied.
"Well, ours is not a bastion of intelligence either, but he is not dumb."
"What are you two talking about?" the alternative Dedede interrupted. "You're not stuffing your lies into Tiff's head, are you?" he accused Magolor.
"No, no. I was simply asking her if she had any idea who else might have come out of the openings," the magician quickly improvised, surprising Tiff with how quickly he had pulled that lie out of his sleeve. Magolor gave her a pleading look, asking her to help him out of his predicament.
Tiff didn't like to lie, but she couldn't ignore what Magolor had just brought up. If more people from her dimension had indeed arrived, she couldn't abandon them. But who else had found themselves there?
Tiff remembered what Dedede had said back at the Halberd. Her world's Meta Knight and Kirby, her brother, herself, and someone the king didn't know had burst into the throne room. If three people from that group had ended up there, it wasn't unreasonable to assume the rest would as well. There was only one problem: there had been six openings, but Dedede had counted seven people. That meant that one of them had not crossed over into that dimension. Internally, Tiff wished that person was Tuff because it meant he was safe at home. She doubted that Kirby or Meta Knight had stayed behind, so the only other possible option was that mysterious person. Were they someone she didn't know either, or were they someone she had forgotten?
"Come on, try to remember. Who is that seventh person? I have a feeling that Meta Knight introduced us to someone recently, but I can't even remember their face..."
Tiff suddenly felt extremely dizzy, to the point where she would have fallen to the ground if someone hadn't quickly grabbed her.
"Tiff, are you okay?" Bandana Dee asked her as he held her carefully.
"Yes. No. I'm not sure," she replied, a little stunned. Everyone, including Dedede, looked at her with concern. "I was trying to recall something, but I couldn't."
"Don't try to force yourself to remember. As I already said, your memories will return sooner rather than later," Magolor repeated. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to show you. I'm going back to the Lor to investigate further into the matter and to make sure that Marx has not eaten all the food in the pantry in my absence. If I discover anything new, I'll give Meta Knight a call."
"Thank you for everything, Magolor," Kirby thanked him.
After a brief goodbye, Magolor left, leaving the group with a few answers but also new questions.
"So, now what?" the Dedede from Tiff's dimension asked, breaking the silence.
"You and your right-hand man are going to assist my Waddle Dees in rebuilding the castle!" his counterpart replied. "Although first we will have to set up a camp so we don't sleep outdoors..."
"Yay, poyo! Camping with the Waddle Dees!" Kirby cheerfully exclaimed.
Tiff watched Escargoon nod, seemingly accepting the punishment in silence. He probably thought it was better than ending up in a cold cell. After all, his mother would be very disappointed and sad if that happened.
Dedede, on the other hand, was not pleased with what his counterpart had said.
"What? Do you want me to work? Do I look like a peasant to you?" he protested. "Someone of my status and greatness is above these physical labours!"
The alternative Dedede chuckled before saying:
"Hadn't we agreed that the winner of the duel would be the superior Dedede? Well, since the victory was mine, that means you must obey me!" he declared in a tone of superiority. "Or wouldn't you have forced me to follow your every whim if I had been the loser?
"That's true, but..."
"No buts!" the alternate Dedede interrupted him, putting his hands on the other's shoulders. "I'm going to make sure you leave this dimension a better king for your own sake! And your first lesson will be that your actions have consequences!"
"I don't need to learn anything to be better! I'm already a great king!" Dedede claimed, irritated.
"Yeah, sure," Tiff was tempted to say sarcastically, but the words didn't come out of her mouth.
"We both know how big that lie is. And believe me when I say that the path you are on will not end well," the other Dedede replied, in a stern tone Tiff would never have expected to hear from him. She, Dedede and Escargoon stared at the king of that dimension, startled.
And just as it had come, the severity on the face of the Dedede from that dimension disappeared. He then moved away from them to talk to the other inhabitants of that strange Dreamland. The Dedede of her dimension, for his part, continued to think about what the other had said, muttering under his breath "nonsense" and similar things. Although he tried to hide it, it seemed that those unsettling words had made him nervous.
"This world's Dedede is weird, don't you think? I wonder what he meant by that. It has sent shivers down my nonexistent spine," Escargoon said to Tiff, who nodded. That was one of the rare occasions when she agreed with the snail.
"You two!" the other Dedede called to his counterpart and to Escargoon. "Stop being lazy and start working! My precious Waddle Dees have already brought the materials to set up camp, and I want it finished before night falls!"
Tiff looked up at the sky when she heard that. It was indeed getting late. Her arrival in that Dreamland, the encounter with the grumpy Whispy, meeting the inhabitants of that Dreamland, the visit to the Halberd, the battle in the castle... It was unimaginable that everything had happened on the same day, though her body's fatigue was proof enough of it.
Tiff waved goodbye to Dedede and Escargoon (just for the sake of being polite) and went to ask Kirby where she could spend the night.
"Uh? There's no way I'm letting my new friend spend her first night in Dreamland alone! You will stay with us in the camp!" Kirby exclaimed, excited. "We'll tell scary stories, we'll eat marshmallows and we'll play fun games, poyo!"
"Kirby, we haven't organised this camp for fun. We did it because me and the Waddle Dees are homeless," Dedede reminded the young puffball, while he raised a hand to his temple.
"Oooh, so there will be no games, no marshmallows and no scary stories?" Kirby asked with sad eyes.
The alternate Dedede held his rival's gaze for a few seconds, but in the end, he had no choice but to relent.
"Ugh, fine. We'll do it your way. I can't say no with your pitiful expression," he conceded with a grunt. Next, the king turned to his knight. "What are your plans, Meta? Are you going back to the Halberd or are you staying?"
"I'm going back to the Halberd to update my boys, but I'll be back for the night," he replied. "I want to keep an eye on... those two in case they try to escape."
Meta Knight had been about to say something else, but after looking at Tiff he changed the ending of his sentence. What were his true intentions? Did he still have doubts about her?
"All right, Meta," Dedede said. Then he went over to the pink pufball ball and told him: "So, Kirby, if you want to play camp, you'd better help out too. And, as for Tiff and Gooey... well, you're the guests, so you can do whatever you want."
"I'd like to help in some way," she offered. "It doesn't feel right to do nothing while everyone else works."
"I don't want to sit idly by neither," Gooey agreed. "Well, I can't sit, but you get the idea."
"In that case, why don't you go find something for dinner with some of my Waddle Dees?" the king suggested. "But don't eat what you find, Gooey!" he warned the blob.
"Okay," he replied, a little embarrassed.
Tiff let out a soft giggle. Yes, that Dreamland was strange and its inhabitants were even stranger, but she didn't dislike them. On the contrary, she now knew she could completely rely on them.
"Seek the help from the ones on the other side."
Those words echoed in Tiff's mind. Were they the remnants of a dream or did they come from one of her forgotten memories? Tiff couldn't recall the voice that had said those words, but she knew what they meant:
The "ones on the other side" were the people who were now standing next to her.
Boy, this chapter was long. I was debating whether to split it or not, but in the end I decided against it. I'm tired, so I will do a full revision of the chapter tomorrow morning.
I didn't expect this fic to get so much love. Thanks to everybody!