Dedede was about to follow his counterpart from Tiff's dimension when someone grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop.
"Dedede, leave him alone," Meta Knight requested sternly.
"I can't do that! I'm sure that moron is up to no good..." he argued as he turned to face his knight.
"The Waddle Dees will be able to keep him at bay," Meta Knight reassured him. "Or do you want them to think you don't trust them?"
That made him hesitate. Of course he trusted his Waddle Dees! He should be upset with the knight for what he had just implied, but it didn't take long for him to comprehend why his sworn partner had said those words.
Since they had both put their quarrels behind them a long time ago, Meta Knight had always known what to say to make Dedede reconsider what he was doing. The king was sure that Bandana Waddle Dee was the only person in the universe who could read him better than the knight. The difference between those two was that whereas Bandana Waddle Dee always softened his remarks, Meta Knight had no filter, and sometimes the harshness in the knight's words was the reality check that Dedede needed. Meta Knight hadn't been particularly harsh this time, but his words had been effective nonetheless.
Before Dedede could respond, Meta Knight spoke again:
"Dedede, are you okay?"
Dedede gulped. There it was—the single question that he had been dreading. And of the three people he most feared hearing it from, the one who had asked had been the hardest to fool.
"Of course I am," he lied, somewhat nervously. "That guy just has a special ability to get on my nerves. But enough of that! I just came up with an infallible strategy for the tournament!" he exclaimed with feigned enthusiasm in an attempt to change the topic of the conversation.
"Dedede, don't do this," Meta Knight grumbled, not buying Dedede's stunt.
"If we combine my electricity with your Galaxia, we can make an electric combo that neither Kirby nor Bandana will see coming. Victory will be ours!" the king continued, pretending he hadn't heard the knight.
"Look, if you don't want to talk about what is going on inside your head right now, I'll respect it. Just don't lie to me and pretend you are fine when we both know you are not," Meta Knight requested.
Dedede sighed in defeat. Maybe he should tell the knight how he really felt, if only to regain some peace of mind.
"Fine, Meta. You win. I'll tell you everything," Dedede conceded. "But, could you please let go of my hand? My arm is falling asleep," he joked with a half-smile.
Meta Knight hastened to release him, slightly embarrassed for not doing it sooner.
"I know this is going to sound weird coming from a guy as cool and mighty as me, but I'm scared," Dedede confessed. "Even if Gooey and Kirby insist that the things that attacked us last night weren't related to Dark Matter, who's to say that whatever is behind this interdimensional stuff isn't something worse?"
Meta Knight remained silent. Dedede was certain that the knight shared those same concerns about the unsettling situation they were in.
"I don't know what we're up against, and I don't want whatever it is to use me to attack my own subjects again," Dedede explained, clearly distressed. "I don't want to be forced to fight any of you. Especially not after last time."
Meta Knight knew exactly what the king was talking about. Everything that had happened in the Forgotten Land had left a deep mark on Dedede. The months of solitude, the time he had been under the control of that creature, the way he had been used to capture his own Waddle Dees... Such a terrible experience could have broken anybody. Sometimes even Dedede wondered how he was still himself.
"Dedede, this is not like last time. We are all together in this," Meta Knight assured him in a calming tone. "For the first time, a crisis of this kind has not caught us off guard thanks to Tiff's early arrival and Magolor's quick investigations. I don't know if it will be an invasion from that other world or an attack by an ancient cosmic entity, but as long as the four of us fight together, we will get through it.
"But what if it happens like that one time all the colour from Dreamland was drained and we turned into stone? We didn't even have time to react, and if Elline hadn't saved Kirby and Bandee, we would still be nice-looking statues," Dedede reminded him.
"Well, in that case, we should strike cooler poses to become even nicer-looking statues," Meta Knight joked in an attempt to cheer up the king.
It worked. A soft chuckle escaped Dedede's mouth. Besides, if Meta Knight wasn't sure that something like that would not happen again, he wouldn't have made a joke about it.
"You're right, Meta," Dedede finally agreed, sitting down on the ground next to the knight. "If we're together, nothing can beat us." Besides, we can't let Tiff down; we're the only ones who can help her."
"That reminds me that we have to find something better than a tree branch for that girl," Meta Knight commented. "If what's behind this is really after her, she's going to need something more consistent to defend herself."
"If the other Dedede overreacted when he saw her with a thick stick, I can't wait to see his reaction when he sees her with an actual weapon," Dedede tried to quip, but Meta Knight saw that his smile had turned bitter when he talked about his other self.
"I believe that something else is deeply bothering you, and I'm sure it has to do with the other Dedede," Meta Knight insisted.
"I just can't hide anything from him, can I?" Dedede thought as he shook his head. For a moment he had thought they were done talking.
"What do you think would happen in Tiff's world if Dark Matter attacked it?" he questioned the knight.
"That is a difficult question. I've been thinking about it as well, and it's hard to know without knowing everything that is different between one dimension and another," Meta Knight answered. Dedede wasn't surprised that the knight had also been mulling over the matter. "For example, while the Love-Love Stick may not exist in that universe, it may have its own mechanism to defend itself against Dark Matter, just as the Star Warriors did against Nightmare."
"Well, I do know one thing: the other Dedede would not survive," Dedede stated. The bluntness in the king's words took Meta Knight aback. "You know what happens during a Dark Matter possession, right?"
"Yes. Even if I, fortunatelly, have never experienced it firsthand, I've read about how horrible it is," the knight replied in a sombre tone. "The fact that you survived not once, but three times proves how strong your heart and will are."
Dedede looked away and clenched his fists. "If it were as you say, I should be able to resist when someone controls me, just like you did last time," he was about to reply, but he swallowed those words, not wanting to start an argument about that touchy subject.
"And what about him?" he asked Meta Knight instead, referring to the other Dedede. "I know well why he acts the way he does: It's for the same reasons that I stole all the food from Dreamland all those years ago. And if he continues down that path, for Dark Matter to consume him will be like Kirby eating candy."
"So you want to save him from that possible fate, but you don't know how to," the knight intuited. "Why don't you tell him the truth?"
"How do you think he is going to react if I just tell him 'you better start working on becoming a better person, or else these dark beings that exist in all the universes will consume you from within, feeding from your negative emotions and erasing the positive ones until you are but an empty husk of your former self and may even become one of them'?
Meta Knight paused for a moment, pondering the question.
"You're right: that won't solve anything," the knight decided after imagining the possible scenarios. "If he believes you, that will only make him afraid, and the changes born by coercion are usually not sincere. And if he doesn't believe you, he surely will just laugh at you," he finished, shrugging.
"I wish I could somehow point him in the right direction, helping him to realise the harm he is doing to himself with his current behaviour. Maybe he could even end up discovering that he can be a great king if he actually tried," Dedede revealed. "But for NOVA's sake, he really gets on my nerves. How can someone so stubborn and difficult to have a serious talk with exists?!" he exclaimed with an effusive gesture. Upon hearing that, Meta Knight gave him a look that clearly said 'are you being serious right now?' Dedede looked away and cover the visor of his companion's mask before saying: "Come on, don't look at me that way. I know very well that I have also had my bad moments, but he is in a worse state than I ever was."
"Perhaps you could ask the Escargoon of that dimension for help," Meta Knight suggested, a bit annoyed by the king's gesture, as he pushed the other's hand away. "He seems to be close with the other Dedede."
"Honestly, this alternate version of Escargoon looks like someone who enables his bad behaviour rather than trying to stop it," Dedede argued, sounding disappointed with the snail, who was very different from the one he knew. Their world's Escargoon would never get into so much trouble. "He stole your Heavy Lobster MKII after all," he reminded the knight.
"Don't remind me of that security breach, please," Meta Knight growled.
"Well, there's a lot of talk about me and my counterpart, but what about you? How are you handling all of this?" Dedede asked the knight, turning back to look at him.
"I'm worried too. It is impossible not to be in this situation," Meta Knight admitted. "The uncertainty of not knowing what is behind those portals and the beings that attacked us last night is leaving me restless. You know that normally I don't hesitate to draw my sword and go against the enemy, but this time I don't know anything about it, not even where it is or when they might attack us again. We can't do anything but wait for that person who comes with Taranza to have some answers," he explained, visibly weighed down by not being able to take action. Dedede knew that the knight hated to stay in a defensive role. "The only thing that comforts me is knowing that at least there isn't a version of myself wreaking havoc across Dreamland," he added in a somewhat teasing tone in an attempt to shake off his stress.
"It's not THAT bad," Dedede argued. "He 'only' started two or three fights and destroyed my castle. But I truly hope that your counterpart from that universe will be calmer than the other Dedede if we happen to meet him."
"I'll be content just with him not having a weird accent."
"I bet the big hammer that he has an accent fit for a 'telenovela'."
They both looked at each other in silence for a few seconds before laughing. Even if the stiuation was unsettling, it had certain degree of absurdity that turned it kind of comical at the same time.
After that brief comic relief, Dedede sighed, feeling more collected. Although he hadn't put an end to his worries, sharing them with Meta Knight felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Meta Knight also looked a bit more relaxed.
"Anyway, I'm going to see if the Waddle Dees need me to lend them a hand and to check that the other Dedede hasn't wrecked anything else," Dedede said as he jumped up and stretched. "I want this to look more or less presentable for when Taranza arrives. What are you going to do?"
"I'll keep watching the surroundings," replied Meta Knight. "It's not like I can do anything else," he mumbled, still a bit frustrated. Dedede patted the knight on the back to encourage him.
"Let me know if you see anything weird or if Kirby and the others return. See you later!" Dedede said as he waved goodbye to the knight.
As he headed back to his castle, Dedede looked up at the sky and thought:
"I hope the kids are all right."
After an uneventful journey, the Warp Star landed softly in a mountainous canyon. Tiff couldn't help but be fascinated by the landscapes of that Dreamland, strange but beautiful in their own peculiar way. The mix of colours along with the strange geography made that place look like a fantasy world. The only things it had in common with her homeland were its name and some of its inhabitants.
On their way there, Tiff had asked her companions about Daroach, wanting to learn more about the person who was taking care of her brother. The fact that Meta Knight had mentioned that Daroach was a thief had made Tiff feel a bit uneasy. Would Tuff be safe with a criminal?
Kirby had then told her that Daroach was a treasure thief and that, despite once stealing something he shouldn't have and caused a bit of chaos, he wasn't an evil person. Bandana Waddle Dee also asserted that Daroach and his gang adhered to a "code of morality" and that they tried not to hurt anyone during their thefts. "He's a white-collar thief, then. Well, if Meta Knight and Kirby trust him, I guess I can give him a chance too," Tiff decided despite her misgivings.
According to the map Meta Knight had given them, Daroach's lair was just ahead. Bandana Waddle Dee led the march, as the knight had entrusted him with the task of carrying and reading the map (the Waddle Dee being, after all, the most responsible member of thea group).
"It's a good thing that, despite those portals, Dreamland is not in chaos," Gooey remarked. "Good, I didn't feel like fighting my neighbours today."
"What do you mean by that?" Tiff asked, a bit perplexed.
"Usually when this sort of stuff happens, many of the Dreamlanders get very aggressive and territorial, so we have to end up fighting them just to reach our destination or collect the key item we need for our quest," Bandana Waddle Dee explained.
"It's quite annoying, poyo. Saving the day would be a lot easier if everyone cooperated," Kirby commented, sulking. "I know sometimes it's not their fault and they're under the influence of something that makes them act that way, but other times they're just angry because their routine gets interrupted."
"At least they are not like the cappies of my world. I appreciate them a lot, but I can remember many times when most of them not only didn't cooperate but also blamed my Kirby for the problems caused by others," the girl complained. By 'others' she meant mostly Dedede and Escargoon, but she didn't feel like she needed to specify to get her point across.
"Really? It would be outrageous if people blamed our Kirby for what happens when he is the one who fixes everything,"" Bandee said, annoyed. "Well, if we don't count that one incident with the cak..."
"Oops. We shouldn't waste time talking when Daroach is waiting for us!" Kirby interrupted his friend before he could finish what he was saying, leaving Tiff intrigued. "Come on, let's find the entrance to the lair!" the puffball exclaimed as he ran away, clearly to prevent Tiff from asking him about that incident.
Bandana Waddle Dee rolled his eyes and motioned for Tiff and Gooey to follow Kirby. Tiff was tempted to question Bandana about the incident, but in the end, she opted against it. She didn't want to cause trouble between Kirby and his friend, and it was clear that whatever this incident was, it was a topic the puffball didn't want to talk about.
After a couple of minutes, they caught up with Kirby, who had stopped and was looking around, most likely trying to locate the entrance to Daroach's lair.
"Hey Bandee, are you sure we're close?" Kirby asked his friend. "Maybe the Warp Star landed farther away than we thought."
"According to the coordinates that Meta Knight gave us, Daroach's lair should be..." Bandana Waddle Dee began to respond while as he checked the map,"...right here."
The group stared at the area to which the Waddle Dee was pointing, but the landscape was the same as what they had seen so far: a semi-arid land with rocks, dried plants, adorable lizards that appeared to be made of sand and were either sunbathing or walking, and some small round creatures flying around.
"There is nothing here," Gooey pointed out.
"Thanks, Gooey, I hadn't noticed," Bandana replied with subdued sarcasm, though he looked frustrated with himself rather than annoyed at the goop. "Did I get the coordinates wrong?"
"If it's a secret lair, the entrance is most likely hidden," Tiff remarked. "The problem now isfiguring out how to find it."
"Kirby, did Daroach ever tell you how to enter his base?" Gooey asked the puffball.
"Well, I never asked because then his secret lair would no longer be a secret lair but just a lair," Kirby answered innocently. Tiff repressed the urge of facepalming upon hearing his logic. "I didn't even know he had a base in this area."
"Honestly, I'm surprised how much you and Meta Knight trust Daroach despite him being a thief. Has he ever helped you in the past?" Tiff asked, curious.
"Yay. Daroach helped me in a very dangerous adventure in which I was very weak and vulnerable," he revealed. That made Tiff a little scared. This alternative version of Kirby seemed to be very strong, so what could have happened to make him feel that way? Seeing that she seemed interested, the puffball began to tell: "It all started when this big bad evil godlike wizard from a dark dimension divided my body into ten tiny versions of myself in an almost successful attempt to kill me..."
"A WHAT FROM WHERE DID WHAT TO YOU?!"
Tiff's horrified scream cut Kirby's story short. Immediately, just by imagining that something so terrible could happen to her Kirby, Tiff's strength left her, and she collapsed into the ground due to the shock, nearly passing out.
"Tiff! Are you okay? her companions asked in unison.
"Yes, don't worry," Tiff replied, her voice trembling. "Give me a moment to recover..." she added as she half-rose from the ground, resting her arms on it but not fully getting up.
"Kirby, I think you shouldn't talk so lightly about your near-death experiences with people who aren't used to dealing with that kind of stuff," Bandana Waddle Dee reprimanded the puffball.
"But it wasn't that bad. We've been in worse situations," Kirby said. " Kirby said.
"... What kind of crazy dimension have I ended up in?" Tiff mumbled.
Tiff stayed in that position until she felt her strength coming back. As she finally got up from the ground, she noticed that there was something odd in the landscape.
"Is it me, or does the ground in this particular area look different?"
Sure enough, the ground just in front of her had a lighter color. Furthermore, that "discoloured" area formed a perfect square. It didn't take a brainiac to figure out that there was something hiding there.
Tiff walked over to the area that had caught her eye and stamped her foot hard on it. The first thing her brain registered was that it made a metallic sound when she hit it. The second thing was a strange noise, like a metallic door opening. The third...
... that she was sliding at great speed through a dark tunnel.
Under any other circumstances, something like that would be fun. But Tiff wasn't at an amusement park; she was at a thief's secret lair. What if she had activated some sort of anti-intruder trap and the slide ended in a wall, a cliff, spikes, or something equally deadly? Tiff began to try to slow down her fall through the slider, but was unsuccessful.
"Calm down, Tiff. Remember what Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee said: Daroach and his gang always avoid harming others. They can't have a death trap in their secret base," she reminded herself. Behind her, she could hear the others screaming too, though theirs were joyful screams. "At least they are having fun."
In the end, Tiff's unfounded fears didn't come true. The slide did not end in a death trap, but rather on a soft floor that slowed her down. Tiff sighed in relief when she finally stopped. The others soon caught up with her, or rather, landed on top of her. Fortunately, the combined weight of the three was still quite light, so no injuries resulted.
"Can we do it again?" Gooey, who had ended up on top of the pile, asked as he hopped happily, seemingly unaware of the others being underneath him.
"I would prefer not to. Also, can you please get off of me?" Tiff requested her companions, slightly irritated. They apologised and moved away, with Bandana helping Tiff get up off the ground.
Tiff then decided to take a look around. The slide ended in an underground facility where various crates, some containers, and a few aeroplane parts could be seen. Tiff figured they were in some sort of storage area.
"So Daroach's secret lair was underground all this time. I wonder if Meta Knight was aware of this or if he only knew the approximate location," Bandana Waddle Dee pondered. "I think if he had known about it, he would have told us to save us trouble, but maybe he just forgot..." he continued, overthinking the situation.
"Anyway, now that we found it the secret lair is no longer secret," Gooey stated.
"Oh no, you are right! We ruined it, poyo!" Kirby exclaimed, alarmed.
At that moment, a mechanical door opened in front of them. Through it emerged a being similar to a grey mouse. He was taller than Tiff and her companions and wore an elegant red cape with a matching top hat. Though she hadn't imagine him looking like that, Tiff was convinced that the newcomer was Daroach.
And if there was any doubt, his first words, said in a very polite tone, were enough to put an end to it.
"Welcome to my lair, dear guests."
The part of Meta Knight's and Dedede's conversation where they talk about "turning into stone" is a reference to the Rainbow Curse comics. Also, as I said in the Spanish version, I'm not completely happy with the second part of this chapter, but at least I'm no longer stuck on it.