KIRBY ALL-STARS
A young woman is thrown into another galaxy, and wakes up to find herself in Dreamland on Planet Popstar! Realising that the characters from the Kirby franchise that she loves are real - including the loveable 'pink demon' himself - and armed with a mysterious pendant that grants her equally as mysterious powers, it eventually becomes apparent to her why she ended up in Dreamland and just where she belongs!
~ Parental Warning ~
The following chapter contains:
. Adult themes
Reader discretion is advised.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Read And Believe!
"King Dedede!" Escargoon was aghast when he saw the state that Dedede was in the following morning. "Have you been awake all night?!" This is bad, this is bad!
King Dedede was currently slumped over in his throne, with such heavy eyes that he could barely keep them open. But, he managed to groan, and say: "Es-car-goon … co-ffee . . . " In a feeble voice. He then slumped to the floor.
Escargoon raced out of the throne room as fast as he could, slamming the doors shut behind him, before he spotted a random Waddle Dee and fairly yelled: "CODE BLACK!"
The Waddle Dee hesitated, looking mildly confused, and then he pulled a checklist out of subspace, running his stubby little hand down the list.
It was quite an extensive list, and all of them had colour names - one could say how dark the colour was to indicate just how serious the threat was.
The good ones were Code Yellow (girl scouts at the door with cookies) and Code Rainbow (a new one, that meant that Emma was here).
There were a lot more bad ones. Code Red (fire / fire-breathing Monster / Galbo), Code Blue (flood / rain for more than three days in a row), Code Green (Caterpillar Monster came back), Code Pink (Kirby), Code Grey (somebody invented land sharks), Code Brown (Kabu Witnesses were at the door), Code Turquoise (Dyna Blade witnesses were at the door), Code White (ghosts - or, in the most recent case, Escargoon's squad dressed up as ghosts), Code Orange (another Waddle Dee revolt), Code Purple (the king's family is coming / is already here), and Code Black (the king has not slept properly).
The Waddle Dee's eyes widened, and he looked up at Escargoon, clearly asking a silent question.
Escargoon looked grim. "With no chance of a Code Rainbow in the next few days, this situation is darker than black." He said flatly. "It's a black hole! We're close to the event horizon, and if we cross that rubicon then we don't have a prayer!"
The Waddle Dee screamed and took off at top-speed. Hopefully to get some coffee for the king and to warn the others of the danger at hand.
He ran past Bow Waddle Dee, who was holding an identical list, and she said to Escargoon: "Umm, at the front doors, there's a Code . . . " She consulted her list. "Umm … Turquoise? Although, I guess it'd be a Code Cyan, since they're not talking about Dyna Blade."
Oh, great, the lack of prayers is happening already! Escargoon thought, rolling his eyes. This was going to be a long day. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
"Okay." She replied.
Halfway down the hall, Escargoon stopped, however, and turned back to Bow Waddle Dee. "Well, then what are they talking about?"
"Umm … Active Blade?" She replied and, when he just looked at her, she added: "They're not the same thing."
"Riiiight . . . " Escargoon sighed. I should've gone with Emma and those prisoners.
"Absolutely unbelievable." Fuego muttered, as he realised that half of his coworkers were so tired because they'd stayed up for most of the night listening to one of their captors reading from some children's book.
"Did you say something?!" Bandana Waddle Dee asked him sharply and, because the Waddle Dee's spear tip was so very close to Fuego's back, that was enough to stop Fuego from complaining.
He went back to glaring silently up ahead at Emma, who was walking next to that dragon keeper who had that yellow dragon draped across his shoulders just like a scaley fur stole.
He wondered if Mr. Hugo and Gerald had made it back to Nightland, and what they would do about rescuing them. Fuego briefly debated whether or not he should dob Gerald in for clearly all-but betraying them to these people, but he decided to wait and see what happened.
Meanwhile, he just listened in as Emma said, for the hundredth time, that she was worried about what they were doing.
Yeah, right. Fuego thought. If she was so worried then she'd let us go. He felt the spear tip poke slightly into his back, and nearly had a heart attack. They can read minds?!
"Stop glaring at Emma!" Bandana Waddle Dee told him sternly.
Aurgh. Fuego thought, rolling his eyes behind a new pair of sunglasses (a cheap, tacky pair from the rest stop). This is all because of her and that bloody book!
"Here you are, your majesty!" Bow Waddle Dee said, somewhat cheerfully, as she handed Dedede a mug with his insignia on it.
"What is it?" Dedede muttered weakly.
"Drip black coffee with a triple shot of espresso, also known as the Dead-Eye Coffee, your majesty!" Bow Waddle Dee told him. This was her first Code Black, and she was still trying to understand why her fellow Waddle Dees had been so hesitant to let her go - they had wished her immense luck, and one of them had even made the sign of the cross. Sure, the king seemed tired and was probably going to be a bit grouchy, but that was nothing out of the ordinary for him.
"Hmm." Dedede took a sip of the coffee, and then he paused. "Say … you've spent some time around Emma, haven't you?"
Bow Waddle Dee blinked. "Umm, yeah, a bit . . . "
"Tell me … what kind of coffee does she like?" The king was staring into his own cup of coffee, and Bow Waddle Dee couldn't quite make out the look in his eyes.
She said: "Umm, well … I-I don't know, because she and I haven't actually had coffee together yet, uh … but, I know that she and Sailor Waddle Dee had a coffee together at the old lady's place — " She then froze, as the king lowered his coffee cup and she could now very clearly see his face for the first time.
"Find. Out." He said, in a dangerous-sounding voice. "Right. Now."
"Run." Said a voice from behind Bow Waddle Dee, and she jumped, before turning to see Escargoon standing there, with a crushed-up pamphlet in his hand. "I'll handle things here." He added, going over to turn on the TV.
"'So, this winter,'" a lady's voice on the TV was saying, as it showed a couple walking together across a snowy bridge, holding hands. "'Stay warm with that special somebody and our range of designer drinks from Popstarbucks. It's coffee for the star in your life - with more than a touch of heart.'" She added, as the camera panned up from a combination heart and star shaped design made out of chocolate powder on top of a cappuccino, to show the couple from before who were now kissing under the moonlight.
Escargoon (who was not impressed) and Bow Waddle Dee (who was actually slightly mystified) just stared at the TV, but they then looked over at Dedede when he spoke.
"Easy for you to say, TV Lady . . . "
His tone was light, but it was the look on his face that made Bow Waddle Dee hightail it out of the throne room. She ran all the way back to the Waddle Dees' living quarters, where she was greeted like a brave soldier returning from a war.
Waddle Doo congratulated her and then, when he heard about what the king wanted, urged the Waddle Dees to all start looking for Sailor Waddle Dee.
Bow Waddle Dee and her group managed to find Sailor Waddle Dee in a corridor on the fourth floor, but he wasn't alone. He was talking with Meta Knight, and something made Bow Waddle Dee signal to the others to wait, as they stood just out of sight around a corner.
" — I wish that I had been here when that happened." Meta Knight was saying, somewhat heavily. "So, she's gone with him to protect him . . . ?" He added, almost to himself.
"Affirmative." Sailor Waddle Dee responded.
"At least her blisters were healed by the powder from the dragon's wings." Meta Knight mused. "I must remember to tell Shield Knight."
"It was pretty amazing." Sailor Waddle Dee told him. "When added to some other stuff, it even healed Tuff's broken arm … after he stopped screaming that Kirby was gonna cut off his arm when he sliced through the plaster with his Cutter Copy Ability … hmm . . . ?" He suddenly looked out the window, and observed something. "I wonder where they're all going . . . ?" He turned back to Meta Knight. "Well, that's the whole story. From Emma finding the dragon in the well, through her and the king's 'date' at Kawasaki's," (Meta Knight looked away from him, just for a second). "To her and Kirby and the dragon escaping from the airship and being saved only because Tiff summoned the Warp Star," (Meta Knight's briefly eyes flashed from red to blue so rapidly that they resembled an emergency vehicle's lights - he was angry that Emma had been put in danger, but proud of both her and Tiff for how the situation had been resolved). "To Emma somehow repairing Skye's diamond pendant, and now she's going to be gone for a couple of days."
"Thank you." Meta Knight said.
Sailor Waddle Dee saluted, and watched as Meta Knight turned and walked away from him, disappearing around a corner at the opposite end of the corridor. He sighed.
"Hi there, Sailor." Bow Waddle Dee said from right next to him.
Sailor Waddle Dee jumped, and let out a small yelp as he turned to face Bow Waddle Dee and the other two Waddle Dees that she was with. "What are you doing here?!" He asked her.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, no reason." Sailor Waddle Dee said evasively. "It's a free world."
"Okay," Bow Waddle Dee put her hands on her hips. "Then, answer me these two questions - one, why was Meta Knight so interested in what had happened when he was away?"
Sailor Waddle Dee worked hard to keep his tone and expression neutral, as he replied: "B-because he's a knight here, and likes to know what goes on when he's not around - I mean, wh-why shouldn't he get a sit. rep.?" He added, with a slight shrug.
"You had to tell him about Emma and the king having brunch at Kawasaki's?" Bow Waddle Dee asked him.
"It was part of the story."
"Really?"
"Look," Sailor Waddle Dee said, now with just a touch of impatience. "If Emma marries the king then she'll be the queen - as a knight here, Meta Knight likes to be kept up to date on such developments, since he'd be answerable to both of them if Emma does become the queen."
Bow Waddle Dee still didn't seem convinced, but she decided to let it go for now, and said: "Okay, and secondly … what kind of coffee does Emma like to drink?"
"What?" Sailor Waddle Dee blinked at the sudden change of topic.
Bow Waddle Dee explained the situation to him.
Sailor Waddle Dee cringed. "Okay, fair enough. If I recall correctly, then she prefers mocha - that's coffee with chocolate in it - and she likes a lot of coffee, but it can't overpower the chocolate. Balance is important." He nodded wisely.
"Oh, thank goodness it's not anything complicated." Bow Waddle Dee said sarcastically. "Okay well, regardless, now we just have to tell the king … huh?" She noticed that one of the other two Waddle Dees was gesturing to her to look out the window. "What is it?" She peered out the window, and watched as an unfamiliar vehicle with two very familiar occupants raced out of the castle courtyard, heading towards the town. "When did they get that car?!" She exclaimed. "And, where are they going in such a hurry?"
"Oh, I hope that it doesn't have anything to do with the kids again." Sailor Waddle Dee said worriedly. "They're all excited for Tiff to read more from Pappy Pottey And The Fool's Stone … in fact," he went on, sounding more thoughtful, now. "It seems like the whole town just picked up the book overnight." He then became worried again. "It's unsettling . . . "
"Why?" Bow Waddle Dee looked at him. "Do you think that something bad's gonna happen because of it?"
"Well, without Emma around to rein in the king - who just sped off in his new fancy limousine and nearly took out three of our crew - it's highly likely." Sailor Waddle Dee replied and, when Bow Waddle Dee just looked at him again, he added: "Bandee and I decided that the other Waddle Dees are our crew. Like we're onboard a ship."
"That's gonna sink faster than the Titanium if this gets out of hand." Bow Waddle Dee said grimly. "Like when I first … came aboard."
"Well," Sailor Waddle Dee said, somewhat diplomatically. "Maybe Emma will bring back another new crewmate for us?"
"Yeah … maybe . . . "
"I had no idea that there was a train station like that in Dreamland." Emma admitted, as Skye finished telling her about their destination. "I mean, how can train tracks go from being on land to crossing the sea to going into outer space?!" Then again … I recall being in space last week before I came down into Dreamland … I could even breathe out there. Huh … I guess that not all space is created equal . . .
She was feeling a bit more alert, now that she'd had more coffee. She just wished that she didn't have to walk back to Cappy Town.
"Hey!" One of the men who was walking single file along the line of prisoners called to her. "Speaking of trains, read some more of that book!"
Emma just looked at him.
" . . . Please?" He said grudgingly. "They got off of that train, and then what? I must know!"
"Yeah!" Another of the prisoners added. "And, do those voices that you did before!"
"We're supposed to be escorting them to face justice, not befriending them." Emma muttered to herself, even as she got out her book.
"It's alright." Skye reassured her, as Flutterby purred softly from around his neck. "There is nothing wrong with showing kindness towards others - it speaks volumes to your own character." He added.
Emma blushed. "Umm … y-yes, well . . . " As she opened up her book, she glanced down at Bandana Waddle Dee, and said: "Please make sure that I don't trip over anything as I'm reading."
"I'll guide you." He promised her. "I want to know what happens now that Pappy is finally at the magic school." He added.
Emma smiled, and then focused on the book. "'Pappy and the other first-years were led into the most incredible dining hall that you could imagine - there were stained-glass windows that depicted moving pictures, candles floated in mid-air, and the ceiling looked exactly like the one outside! It was a beautiful, deep blue, and studded with millions of tiny stars.'" She suddenly switched to a voice that, in her own mind, sounded pretty much like how Emma Watson had portrayed Hermione Granger - it was perfect for Pappy's brainy new accquaintence, Hermelinda. "'The ceiling's been enchanted to look that way - I read all about, before we even came here.'"
"She sounds exactly the way that I imagined Hermelinda to sound." One of Mr. Hugo's men said.
"Yeah," the man walking next to him agreed. "And, that Hermelinda sounds like a real know-it-all. Nobody's like that in real life." He added.
Emma coughed, slightly. She would never say it, but, she could think of at least one person who was a little bit like that, and who was friends with a certain round and pink little guy . . .
"Well, that's all for today!" Tiff said cheerfully, as she snapped her own copy of Pappy Pottey And The Fool's Stone shut, much to the chagrin of the other kids and Fen, who had been listening to her reading.
"Please, just a little more?" Honey asked her.
"I wanna hear about the wizard!" Spikehead added.
"I'll read some more tomorrow." Tiff promised them. "It's getting late, and besides, this book's way too long to finish in just a day." She added, patting the book's cover lovingly.
"It's amazing," Falala said to Fololo. "That some things can be done in a day - like a letter being mailed express . . . "
"Yeah," Fololo agreed. "Just like Tiff's letter to the author … because she sped-read the first two chapters last night."
"I wanted the author to get my letter by today!" Tiff protested. "But, even I can't read the rest of these chapters in that same amount of time, it's impossible!"
"Yeah, nobody in Cappy Town got to the end of the book yet." Tuff spoke up. "In fact, I think that we're only this far along because of Tiff and her speed-reading . . . "
"You'll be thanking me when you know how the story ends before anybody else does, Tuff!" Tiff responded, but she was smiling, as they waved goodbye to Honey, Spikehead, and Iro, and she had to promise again to read some more to them tomorrow.
Tiff then turned to Kirby, and asked him: "Did you like the story too, Kirby?"
Before he could answer, however, a pink mechanical claw suddenly came out of nowhere and grabbed the book straight out of Tiff's hands!
The culprit turned out to be none other than King Dedede, who chuckled as he sat in the driver's seat of his brand new limousine.
"Wow," Tuff was impressed. "That is one cool car."
"Don't be impressed when he just took my new book!" Tiff scolded her brother, before she turned to face Dedede. "Give it back!" She told him.
"I'm 'confuscating' all the Pappy Pottey books in town!" Was Dedede's response, followed by more chuckling as he drove away at high-speed.
Tiff, Tuff, Kirby, Fololo, Falala, and Fen watched him go.
"Can he even do that?" Fololo wondered.
"I'm the king!" Dedede's voice called back to them. "I can do whatever I want!" His laughter faded away as he drove into the distance.
"I guess that that includes driving and terrorising the town when he hasn't had any sleep." Falala commented. "Oh, I hate Code Black days . . . " She added. "I just hope that it doesn't go down in flames!"
"I hope that he doesn't wreck my book!" Tiff said woefully.
"I hope that he doesn't wreck that car." Tuff added.
"Would you stop being so impressed by the car that he probably got from you-know-where!" Tiff exclaimed.
The next morning, Emma continued walking and reading, unaware that back in Cappy Town Dedede had confiscated and burned all of the Pappy Pottey books (Tiff had been devastated, and Falala had lamented about it all going up in flames) and was currently busy putting his own novel plan into action - all because he really couldn't read, and just wanted to know how the story ended. Unfortunately for the Cappies, it wasn't going to go so smoothly.
And, unfortunately for Mr. Hugo's men, they were going to be left on a cliffhanger with the book, because they had reached the train station, and were to be handed over to . . .
"Whoa!" Bandana Waddle Dee leapt back. "What the — ?!"
Emma tore her eyes away from the huge train station, which was a large and impressive building, to look at the group who was standing outside of it. Could they be waiting for them?
There were quite a few of them, and they looked like knights … dressed all in black from head to toe, and Emma was trying to figure out where she had seen that look before, even as Bandana Waddle Dee looked nervous.
"Wh-who are they, Skye?" He asked.
"Those are the knights of the kingdom of Nightland." Skye replied calmly, as one of the knights silently directed the other knights to take Mr. Hugo's men into custody. "They serve Prince Zuz — "
It was at that point that Fuego, who had secretly been working at loosening the ropes around his hands whilst everybody else had been too busy listening to the story, managed to break free from the others and immediately ran into a large crowd of people.
Everybody was frozen for a fraction of a second, before Bandana Waddle Dee cried: "Can't you guys help?!" To the knights.
"No, they cannot." Skye told him.
"We have no authority here," the head knight, who turned out to be a woman, spoke up gruffly. "Other than to escort the prisoners onto the train, where we do have authority."
"Then, who has the authority to do anything here?!" Bandana Waddle Dee demanded to know.
It was impossible to see the head knight's expression beneath her helmet, when she replied: "You do."
"I don't even know where he is in that crowd!" Bandana Waddle Dee cried desperately.
"If we could somehow get above the crowd, then we could easily him." Skye said, and Flutterby shuddered. "No, it is alright, little one. You cannot fly yet."
She can't . . . Thought Emma, who had looked back at the knights all of a sudden and realised where she had seen that style of look before - the Maajiknights from Fantasy Life. Her hand flew to her pendant . . . But … maybe … I can!
Skye, Flutterby, and Bandana Waddle Dee suddenly looked back at Emma, when the purple glow began to emit from her necklace. It reflected off of the black armour of the knights of Nightland, and stayed that colour as it became ribbons that quickly wrapped around Emma, forming the black folds of a long dress with a hood … black boots … a flowing black cape . . .
"Bandee . . . " She said, in a slightly low voice, as something flew through the air towards them. "Can you hit a moving target from the air?"
Bandana Waddle Dee watched as she caught the broomstick deftly with one hand. The other hand was held out to him. He swallowed nervously. "Y-yes, but … I don't wanna kill him . . . "
"You won't." Emma assured him, smiling - and, it was that smile that convinced the Waddle Dee to go up with her on the broomstick.
"She can transform like that, too?!" One of Mr. Hugo's men cried.
"She's a witch!" Another of the men exclaimed. He then jumped, when one of the knights of Nightland jabbed at him with his spear - he was a lot harsher about it than Bandana Waddle Dee.
"Incredible . . . " Skye said quietly, watching as Emma suddenly located the target, and Bandana Waddle Dee raised his spear and threw it with what would have been deadly accuracy.
But, as Skye discovered later, when Fuego was marched back to them by Bandana Waddle Dee and Emma (who seemed embarrassed by the stares that she was getting), the spear had been transfigured into a rope just before making contact with Fuego.
"I didn't think that I could make a rope out of nothing." Emma admitted, as Fuego was handed over to the Nightland knights. She de-transformed as she said this, and the rope that was binding Fuego became Bandana Waddle Dee's spear again; he picked it up, as one of the knights roughly took Fuego by the arm. "It just didn't feel like it would work that way."
"You handled the transformation beautifully." Bandana Waddle Dee told her and, when she looked at him quickly, he added: "Is what I imagine Meta Knight would say."
She nodded. "Yeah, well, I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you."
Bandana Waddle Dee blushed. "I-I am Waddle Dee employed by King Dedede … I-I may not be as tall as a knight of Nightland, b-but … y-you can always count on me!"
A few of the Nightland knights exchanged glances.
Skye and Flutterby also exchanged a glance, but then Skye said to the head knight: "Of course, Flutterby and I will accompany you, uh . . . "
"Zara." She replied stiffly.
That was the name of one of my best friend's dogs. Emma thought, but, she didn't say it. Some people wouldn't take that as a compliment, and although she wasn't at all intimidated by these Nightland knights, she had a feeling that this Zara didn't need to know about Krystal's German Shepherd. Krystal and Mayling … I wonder what they're doing now … I wonder what my family is doing . . .
Emma's mind started to wander, the way that it always did whenever she thought about home. But, luckily, a voice suddenly came over the loudspeakers that were over the entrance to the train station, which distracted her.
"All passengers bound for Nightland are advised to proceed to Platform One. Repeat, the next train for Nightland will be departing shortly from Platform One. It stops at Southern Sandland Station and the Sandland-Centro Border Station before running express to Nightland Central Station."
"That is our train." Zara informed them, before she turned to Skye and Flutterby. "You are accompanying us." It wasn't a request. "His royal highness wishes to meet with you and discuss what had occurred with Mr. Hugo."
It was Mr. Hugo's men's turn to exchange glances. Fuego, whose glasses had been broken again in the recent scuffle, just looked furious. But, tied up together, the men could do nothing but accept their fates.
Zara then turned to Emma and Bandana Waddle Dee, and went on: "Dreamland's king has already organised for you to spend the night at the Train-Inn." She pointed to the building next to the station. "Your room, meals, and anything else that you may require have all been paid for." After a brief pause, she then added: "That was quite generous of him."
Emma was about to respond to this (and, she really had no idea what she was about to say), but Bandana Waddle Dee spoke up quickly.
"It's just business as usual." He said, quite briskly. "Nothing more, nothing less."
And, when Emma asked him about this response later on, she was surprised by the answer that she got - that Nightland's prince was trying to get more information about her.
But, she wanted to know something too. Which is why, after she'd bade goodbye to Skye and Flutterby (the former had asked Emma to come and visit him in Lightland, and the latter had used her powers to show Emma a gorgeous mountain range with crystal clear streams and a beautiful and magical-looking forest that had been a part of the reason why Emma had said 'yes' straight away), she asked Zara a question.
"Who is the prince of Nightland?"
And, the response that she got left her with more questions than answers.
"His Royal Highness, Prince Zuzuzu."
Back in Cappy Town, King Dedede was feeling quite pleased with himself, even as he marched jauntily towards his throne and had to listen to Escargoon's lecturing.
"Listen," Escargoon said. "This is an outrage! You can't ban Pappy Pottey willy-nilly!"
Dedede just laughed, as he sat down on his throne and held up the only copy of the book that had survived the burning. "There's just one copy left, and it's mine! And ain't nobody else gonna read it!"
"Hahaha, that's a laugh!" Escargoon said sarcastically, crossing his arms. "You're gonna need somebody to read it to you!"
For just a few seconds, Dedede indulged in a daydream about Emma reading the book to him - and, only to him - and he honestly thought that it would be great. But, that would mean her finding out about one of his greatest shames - that he couldn't actually read - and so (forgetting that she probably alreadyknew, thanks to that anime back where she was from), he instead just laughed again, and pressed a button on the arm of his throne, which activated the Monster teleporter and also brought up the screen.
The .N.M.E. Salesguy was there, and he said: "Per. your request, it's my great pleasure to introduce," he paused for dramatic effect, as the electricity disappeared from the teleporter, to reveal who was there. "The author of Pappy Pottey!"
"Ah!" Escargoon was shocked. "You downloaded the writer?!"
There was no denying that it was her. From her yellow skin and short, wavy hair, to her somewhat sharp eyes, the cat-eye sunglasses that she wore on her head, and even her light pink lipstick … she wore a turquoise jacket over a dark blue dress, and purple shoes … and, held in one arm was a copy of Pappy Pottey And The Fool's Stone.
She looked like she'd just stepped off of the dust jacket of that very book.
Dedede was in a very cheerful mood, as he laughed again, and said: "She done come all the way here just to read me her book!" He really didn't care if this woman found out that he couldn't read (although, it was preferable if she didn't).
"Of course you must realise that best-selling authors such as myself only do readings for large audiences."
Dedede and Escargoon just stared at the self-proclaimed (but, also actual) best-selling author, and then Dedede said: "You mean everybody?" Wait, that goes against what I had originally planned out!
"And to attract a large audience," she went on. "We could transform your castle into a magic school."
"Magic?" Dedede repeated.
"School?" Escargoon looked skeptical.
And, watching secretly from around the former of the doors leading into the throne room, Bow Waddle Dee and Sailor Waddle Dee edged back into the hallway.
"I can't believe that King Dedede actually got the Rowlin here!" Sailor Waddle Dee whispered.
"She sure looks like her," Bow Waddle Dee narrowed her eyes. "But . . . "
"But what?" Came a voice from behind them, and the two Waddle Dees jumped, to see the woman that they had just been talking about standing right there.
Bow Waddle Dee froze, but Sailor Waddle Dee was quick to come up with: "But, we - we were just wondering wh-why y-you didn't release the edition w-with your picture on it initially!"
"Y-yeah," Bow Waddle Dee added. "I-I heard that it had s-something to do with you being a woman . . . "
Rowlin tilted her chin up, her magenta eyes somehow managing to appear even more sharp when she did this, and she said: "It wouldn't have made nearly as much money if the readers had known that I am a woman."
"That … doesn't make any sense." Bow Waddle Dee told her.
"It doesn't have to." She replied. She left them with that, and walked back into the throne room, shutting the doors with a loud thud behind her.
Sailor Waddle Dee looked at Bow Waddle Dee. "Well?"
She still seemed suspicious. "I dunno … it just doesn't make any sense . . . "
"The reason for keeping her gender a secret a first, or, the fact that she came here through Nightmare Enterprise's computer system?" Sailor Waddle Dee said.
"Both."
The next day, the residents of Cappy Town had formed a mob outside of Castle Dedede.
"Well," Bow Waddle Dee said, as she and Sailor Waddle Dee peered over the edge of the outer wall's merlons, along with a few of their fellow Waddle Dees. "At least they don't have pitchforks … oh no, wait … that guy does . . . " She pointed.
Sailor Waddle Dee looked. "That's the sheep shepherd." He told Bow Waddle Dee. "That doesn't count, he probably brought it with him from work … I mean, look, even Kawasaki has his frying pan . . . "
"It looks like the whole town has shown up because of this." Bow Waddle Dee observed.
"Yeah . . . " Sailor Waddle Dee nodded. "Hey, wait a minute, that guy owes me money . . . "
"We demand that you replace all of the books that you burned!" Tiff suddenly shouted. "Your savage act won't be forgiven!" She added.
"Yeah, we want to read!" Tuff yelled. "I can't believe I just said that." He added quietly.
And Stellar, who was perched on his shoulder, said: "Why not? Even we were reading it," she indicated to herself, and then over to Tokkori who was perched on the shepherd's pitchfork. "And, I'm a former pirate and he's a forever hermit!"
"Hey!"
"Free Pappy!" Kawasaki suddenly called.
"Free Pappy Pottey!" The rest of the crowd agreed.
It was at this point that the drawbridge to the castle was suddenly lowered, accompanied by a small fanfare.
"Seriously?" Bow Waddle Dee turned to the reddish-brown Waddle Dee with orange-yellow shoes, who had just lowered his trumpet and now he shrugged. "That was great, but, you should probably stick to playing the keyboard."
Of course, she didn't know it just then, but he was about to go back to playing the keyboard.
He played a mysterious-sounding theme using the 'music box' setting on his keyboard, as everybody in Cappy Town - who were now dressed in black robes and with different coloured bow-ties - sat at one of the four long tables in the dining hall of the castle … which had now been turned into a magic school.
"Seriously . . . " Bow Waddle Dee sighed, and then she happened to notice something high up, on one of the rafters.
Shield Knight, Blade Knight, and Sword Knight watched as 'Head Master' Dedede addressed the dining hall.
Bow Waddle Dee glanced at Sailor Waddle Dee. "Hey … has Meta Knight gone to get Emma?"
"Yeah." He replied, and then he suddenly realised what he had just said. "I mean - y-yeah, probably!"
Any answer that Bow Waddle Dee might've had for him was suddenly interrupted by gasps from the crowd. That was because Dedede had just announced that there was no better person to tell them how Pappy's story ended up than the author herself.
Tiff gasped the loudest of them all, as the woman whom she instantly recognised from the portrait in the book stepped out of the shadows and came to stand beside Dedede.
"Hello, class." She said, smiling and waving to them. "Nice to be here."
"It's her!" Tiff couldn't believe it. She was sitting with Tuff, Kirby, Tokkori, Stellar, and Fen, and all five of them had on red bow ties (they had, of course, wanted to be in the same house as Pappy Pottey - so had the rest of the town but, with only a limited number of bow ties, Stellar and Tuff had nearly killed everybody to get to the accessories box first).
"Alright!" Tuff cheered. "She must know how the story turns out!"
"How'd somebody like him meet somebody like her?!" Tiff was glancing from Dedede to Rowlin, and then she heard the author ask if anybody had any questions for her. She immediately wanted to know if Rowlin had read her letter.
She was excited to know if she had … but, that excitement almost immediately turned to disappointment and embarrassment, when Rowlin admitted that she couldn't bear fan mail. The author went on to explain that she had a warehouse full of unopened letters from her readers.
Not to be dissuaded, Tiff had another question for her. "Was there anything thing special that inspired you to come up with such a wonderful story?!"
Rowlin's response was: "It was money, of course." She also rolled her eyes, but she had turned away, so that nobody in front of her could see it.
Watching from the rafters, however, and already suspicious enough as it was, Shield Knight, Blade Knight, and Sword Knight saw it all.
"I knew that story would make me scads of money." Rowlin went on, and then she gave Tiff a slightly condescending look with those sharp magenta eyes of hers, and added, through gritted teeth: "Why else would I write it?"
Tiff couldn't think of any response to that, other than to say: "Uh, y-yeah, why else would ya?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
"N-no, not at all." Tiff shook her head. She tried not to let her disappointment cloud the fact that she was meeting the author, but, she couldn't really shake off this feeling of unease, either . . .
"Why do I get the feeling that this Queerditch player might become important later on?" Emma wondered out loud, as she sat at a little table inside of the Train-Inn, waiting for Bandana Waddle Dee and finishing up the last of her iced mocha. She was reading another chapter of Pappy Pottey, and was most interested to see how it differed from a very similar series from her own world … like how the broomstick sport was called Queerditch, and the inclusion of a mysterious hooded player whom nobody seemed to know the identity of. "Hmm … probably Rowlin will reveal the character at a later date … I wonder what they're like . . . " She watched as a pre-teen boy and somebody who must have been his father walked past her.
The man was saying: "Moore, I am so proud of you for winning first prize in the Young Space Program - imagine, my son was able to engineer his very own spaceship!"
"Wow!" Emma couldn't help but say, and the father and son duo looked over at her. She ducked her head, but continued to smile as she said: "That is really amazing!"
"Yeah," the kid, Moore, who looked a little bit like Tuff except older, glanced to the side. "Tell that to my classmates . . . " His father gave him a Look. "I mean … th-thanks, uh . . . ?"
"Emma." She replied. "And, your classmates are probably just jealous." She added.
Moore looked thoughtful. "Yeah … maybe . . . " He said, as he and his father began to walk away.
Emma watched them go. "Even the kids here can do stuff like that … I feel sountalented … hmm . . . ?" Her eyes had travelled away from Moore and his father, to observe something that was going on across the room.
Two people had seemingly just walked into each other - one had just come out of a doorway, and the other had walked around a corner and straight into her . . .
"Watch where you're going, peasant!" Snapped the woman who had come around the corner.
And Emma, who had instinctively stood up at that point (from behind her glasses, her eyes had spotted quite a few things tumbling from the arms of the woman who had just come out of the doorway), froze.
Of all the places, of all the times, who would've thought that she'd run into a female member of King Dedede's race, who even had some of his arrogant attitude?! She was mainly pink, with a yellow beak, and long wavy blonde hair that fell across the magenta material of her gown. She wasn't exactly portly, but, she was still fairly big. Her hands were on her hips, and she sounded outraged.
Emma then looked at who this arrogant woman had run into, and immediately hurried over there, so that she was there in time to hear what the outraged woman had to say next.
"You, with your four-eyes and knitting needles — "
"Ha!" Emma said without thinking. "Shows what you know! It's a crochet hook!" She said, picking it up.
The bird-like woman turned her angry blue eyes towards Emma, and then she said: "I've no time to be associating with another four-eyes who also happens to be a space alien!" She had a very haughty-sounding voice, and Emma disliked her immediately.
She was extra glad when the woman turned on the heel of one of her pink shoes, and marched out of the inn.
Both Emma and the third lady, who had yet to speak, breathed a sigh of relief, and then Emma turned to help her retrieve the rest of her belongings.
By that time, Bandana Waddle Dee had come back, and now he stared in shock.
He had retrieved Emma's book and backpack from off of the table, and now he opened up the book. He looked at the picture that was inside of the front cover. He looked at the lady that Emma was helping. He looked at the picture. He looked at the lady. He then looked at Emma.
"E-Emma!" He cried. "Do-do you know who that is?!"
"Shh, Bandee, yes." Emma replied, although she was also smiling, as she went to hand the crochet hook back to Rowlin. "Here."
"No, no, you keep it." Rowlin told her, shaking her head. "As thanks for helping me in the situation with that rather unfriendly individual."
"Well, I can crochet." Emma admitted, looking down at the silver crochet hook in her hand. "I'm not nearly as good as my Nanna was, though . . . "
"Well, you can only get better." Rowlin said diplomatically. "When I was little I used to pretend that that crochet hook was a magic wand . . . "
Emma's eyes widened. "You've had it since you were a kid?! Oh, now I really can't keep it!"
"I insist." Rowlin said firmly, before her brown eyes swept over to where Bandana Waddle Dee had just picked up a stray letter that had fallen out of Rowlin's bag.
Bandana Waddle Dee looked up. "Emma, this is Tiff's handwriting!"
"How can you tell?" Emma asked him in surprise, as Bandana Waddle Dee handed the letter back to Rowlin.
"Being in charge of maps onboard the Sand Star, I had to learn to read lots of different types of handwriting." He replied.
"Ah, so you're a handwriting expert, too?!"
Bandana Waddle Dee blushed.
Rowlin was busy carefully tucking the letter into her handbag.
Emma said to her: "That letter was written by a girl who lives in Cappy Town, like us … umm … when did you get it?" She was frantically trying to piece together some sort of timeline.
"Yesterday." Rowlin replied. "Your friend's letter explained how she couldn't put my book down, and sped-read it throughout most of the night. She then express mailed it — "
And here I thought that Melman was exaggerating when he said that express mail can be same day delivery. Emma thought.
"And, I wanted to answer it just as quickly, but I wanted to do it in person." Rowlin finished up.
Bandana Waddle Dee was watching Emma, who was staring at nothing, and asked her: "What are you thinking, Emma?"
"I have a bad feeling all of a sudden, Bandee . . . " She told him.
"Oh, why did you have to go and say that?" He sighed. "You know I hate it when you get bad feelings . . . " He looked up at Rowlin, who was looking down at him. "B-because … she's usually always right." He explained.
"Unfortunately." Emma nodded, just as the doors to the inn opened, and in came Meta Knight.
"It's Meta Knight . . . " Bandana Waddle Dee said, looking from the knight to Emma. "If he's come here to get you, then … Emma, you may just have been right . . . "
Meta Knight looked around, spotted them, and came straight over to them.
"You don't have to tell me." Emma said immediately, holding up her hand before Meta Knight could even speak. "I already know. We need to get back straight away, don't we?"
He nodded. "Yes."
Rowlin looked worried. "Oh, my … should I postpone my visit to see Tiff, then?"
Meta Knight turned to look up at her. "Actually, it would be best if you came back to Cappy Town now as well, Ms. Rowlin. I will explain the details on the way." He added, turning.
"Yeah, let's go." Bandana Waddle Dee also looked worried.
Emma suddenly thought of something. "But, how are we going to get there before . . . " She trailed off, as she saw what was waiting for them out the front - a shiny white and green limousine, with gold embellisments. "The king … got a new car?"
"Wow . . . " Bandana Waddle Dee stared at the car, sounding much like Tuff had yesterday. "Meta Knight … you told the king that you were going to borrow his car, right?" Meta Knight just looked at him. "You told him, right?"
Emma just sighed. "I'm sure that he'll be fine with it."
"Yes, he will be." Meta Knight said, in a way that left no room for arguments, opening the passenger-side door. "I'm afraid that there is not a lot of room," he went on, apologetically now, as he got into the driver's seat, where things had clearly been adjusted to accomodate for his height. "But, I promise you that I will drive carefully."
"I trust you." Emma told him, as she sat in the middle, and Rowlin got in next to her, leaving Bandana Waddle Dee to sort of sit on both of their laps. "Just don't tell Chief Bookem." She added.
Meta Knight nodded, as he started the car. "Hold on." He advised them. His eyes gleamed.
Bandana Waddle Dee began to look nervous. "Why — ?"
The car suddenly accelerated with such speed that Bandana Waddle Dee almost felt his very voice leave him. Had it not been for Emma and Rowlin both grabbing onto him, then, he might've been blown out of the car! He was terrified.
Emma, on the other hand, sounded almost thrilled, when she exclaimed: "Did we seriously just go from stand-still to one-hundred k's in two point eight seconds?!"
"What?!" Bandana Waddle Dee cried.
"We went from zero to sixty-two miles per. hour in less than three seconds!" She told him.
"Why aren't you scared?!"
"I don't know!"
Rowlin was looking both stunned and somewhat amused, as she held onto the car with one hand and put on her glasses with the other hand, before she asked Emma: "Is it because you trust this gentleman?"
Emma found herself nodding, just as Meta Knight slammed on the brakes and they all pitched forwards - however, it was to allow for two people to cross the road; Emma recognised them instantly as Moore and his father. "Absolutely." She told Rowlin. "I mean, not just because he's one of the strongest warriors in the whole entire galaxy and is always getting stronger, but … it's also because he cares about his comrades. That sort of thing kind of inspires faith, you know?" She found that once she started talking about Meta Knight, she couldn't stop, and it was only because of Bandana Waddle Dee tapping her on the forearm that she shut her mouth.
Rowlin looked thoughtful. "I see." She said. "And, tell me about this king of yours . . . "
Whether it was because she suddenly didn't want to talk, or because Meta Knight had just taken off once again, nobody knew, but Emma didn't seem to be able to answer her. Rowlin also took notice of the faint blush that had just crept over Emma's face, but she decided not to comment on it.
Emma, meanwhile, was grateful when Bandana Waddle Dee tactfully asked Meta Knight what had happened back in Cappy Town. They listened in silence as he told them . . .
"If I hear one more person say that it's 'levAre', not 'levarE' one more time . . . " Stellar muttered through gritted teeth, as she and Fen perched on a brick wall (Tokkori had taken off half an hour into the 'magic lessons', saying that he was 'expelling himself'). "I'm just here to find out what happens at the end of the book, igara!"
Fen nodded her head, and then her large ears pricked up, as she heard something.
And, a moment later, the residents of Cappy Town all marched out, carrying broomsticks and what looked like hockey sticks, and followed by the king, Escargoon, Rowlin, Sailor Waddle Dee, Bow Waddle Dee, Tiff, and Kirby.
They all watched as the others mounted their brooms and took to the skies, much to the shock and amazement of those not in the know (which was basically everybody except for the king, Escargoon, and especially Rowlin).
"Amazing!" Curio, who was wearing a blue bow-tie, was heard to exclaim, as he flew around. "I'm soaring like a bald eagle!"
"Igara!" Stellar ruffled up her feathers.
Mable, who was also wearing a blue bow-tie, laughed happily in agreement.
Tuff was busy flying loop-the-loops around the place.
"Show off." Stellar muttered, as she and Fen glided over to where Tiff was.
Tiff, however, had noticed something else. "How come their eyes are glowing?!" She asked Dedede angrily. "What kind of brooms are they?!"
Dedede just chuckled in response.
Meanwhile, some of those who were hovering up in the air on their broomsticks were talking about the rules of Queerditch, and wondering what they were supposed to use for a ball.
It was then that Rowlin proclaimed: "We'll have to use Kirby!" She pointed at him.
Tiff and Stellar both gasped, as Kirby himself looked surprised.
And, that was when Dedede sprinted forwards with a hockey stick of his own and, with a tremendous swing, sent Kirby flying into the air.
"FORE!" He yelled.
"Sire, this isn't golf." Escargoon sighed.
Tiff was horrified as she watched Kirby get beaten around up in the air by the clearly mind-controlled townsfolk. His robes had fallen off, and so she could see every scratch and bruise that was starting to appear on his little pink body.
"Everybody, you've got to snap out of it!" She called desperately, as she watched her own brother hit Kirby across the skies, away from the goal hoop. "King Dedede is using this game to hurt Kirby!"
"It's too late, Tiff," Rowlin said, and Tiff looked back at her in shock. "You can't break my spell!" The author added, and then she laughed derisively.
Tiff couldn't believe it … how could somebody whose book she loved already … want to hurt Kirby? Above all else … this was what was hurting Tiff the most . . .
And, that was when two things happened.
One, was that a voice that sounded exactly like Rowlin's, shouted: "You imposter!"
Tiff, Stellar, Fen, Dedede, Escargoon, Sailor Waddle Dee, and Bow Waddle Dee all turned, in complete shock to see another woman who looked almost exactly like Rowlin, standing there. Meta Knight and Bandana Waddle Dee were with her, but they were watching the skies . . .
"Igara!" Stellar suddenly cried, making the rest of them look skywards as well.
A figure in black robes, with the hood of their cloak pulled up to hide their face, was riding on a broomstick towards Tuggle, who had Kirby balanced on the end of his hockey stick and who was so surprised that he immediately dropped Kirby.
"Oh no!" Tiff cried.
The mysterious figure immediately angled their own broomstick downwards and, before Kirby could hit they ground, they caught him, managing to then turn their broomstick around and head straight to where Shield Knight had just joined Meta Knight.
"It's alright, Emma!" The medic called.
And, that was when Kirby's saviour landed, and her hood fell back to reveal that it was indeed Emma.
Escargoon looked at Dedede, who was looking between Emma and the two Rowlins.
"You got snookered again, sire." Escargoon pointed out. "And, the worst part is, now Emma knows about it!"
Dedede flinched. "Did … did she see how Kirby ended up there?"
"She probably already knew."
Emma, meanwhile, had her mind on other things. "But, he's unconscious!" She cried, scarcely seeming to notice that her broomstick hovered in mid-air beside her, as she stared at Kirby in her arms. "Bruises are already starting to appear! That's bad and you know it is, Shield Knight!"
"It's alright." Shield Knight said again, reaching them and placing both of her hands onto Kirby's body - her hands immediately began to glow. "I'll revive him."
Emma nodded.
The real Rowlin was busy explaining that Kirby was not supposed to be the ball in Queerditch, and perhaps that, along with Emma's unexpected transformation, is what prompted the Cappies (and, Chef Kawasaki, who was wearing a yellow bow-tie) to return to the ground. Their eyes stopped glowing green. They were back to normal.
They began asking questions. Like, if she was really the author, then why did she write about Pappy Pottey in the first place? Was it to be famous, or for the money?
"I heard that you were poor when you first started writing." Nettle suddenly spoke up, from where she was wearing a dark green bow-tie.
"It's true some people write books hoping to make a lot of money," Rowlin said. "But, that isn't why I wrote mine. I was on the train from Lightland to Centro — "
"Why were you going to the capital from Lightland?" Iro, who had on a yellow bow-tie, wanted to know.
Without hesitation, Rowlin explained. "I had just been forced to leave everything behind, and, with nothing to my name, I was starting completely anew."
"Why did you leave if it was so scary and you had nothing?" Iro wanted to know.
"Because what I was escaping from was decidedly worse." Rowlin replied carefully.
Shield Knight noticed the way that Emma's eyes became very bright at these words. She had clearly understood the meaning behind these words, as had many of the other adults.
"You see, I wrote my book hoping to inspire my readers to live their dreams." Rowlin said. "Because, no matter who you are or where you come from, you always have the ability to reach for the stars."
"Just like Pappy Pottey!" Tuff exclaimed.
"Yeah, or like Emma . . . " Sailor Waddle Dee said, and Bow Waddle Dee and Bandana Waddle Dee both nodded.
"When I imagined Pappy's world, I felt like I was really there." Rowlin was saying. "That's the power of imagination. No matter how sad we are, or how bad our circumstances, we can use our imaginations to dream something better! We should never give up on our dreams, because they're what build our tomorrows!"
Tiff's eyes were sparkling like emeralds, and she found herself starting to applaud Rowlin for her inspiring speech. She had no doubt in her mind that this was the real Rowlin.
And, as the others started to applaud as well, Tuff asked Emma: "How'd you manage to find the real Rowlin?"
Emma left Kirby (who had started to come to) with Shield Knight, and went over to Rowlin as she said: "We met by chance at the train station, and … just from something that she told me, I knew that she must be the mind behind such a magical story!"
Bow Waddle Dee was nodding, and then she said: "But … why didn't the publishers want people to initially know that a woman had written the magical story?"
Rowlin sighed. "In truth, they believed that young boys would not want to read a story written by a woman."
Bow Waddle Dee looked somewhat outraged, until Emma pointed out: "But, she sure showed them!"
"Indeed." Rowlin nodded, and the two women smiled at each other.
It was at this point that the fake Rowlin, whom had mostly been forgotten about up until this point, and whom had not looked away from Emma for just as long, suddenly moved.
Eyes glowing magenta, the imposter swiftly lunged for the real Rowlin … only to be deflected by Meta Knight - he didn't draw Galaxia, he just use his fist to block the attack. Even though he could tell that this was a Monster, at the present time it was taking on the form of a woman - which meant that he would not strike back (unless absolutely necessary).
The fake Rowlin leapt back and then, with a slight scream, became covered in smoke … when the smoke cleared, what was left there was a large broomstick Monster, with arms, glowing magenta eyes, and an opulent crown.
"So, all along she was a Monster in disguise?!" Rowlin said.
"That's Broom King." Meta Knight, still standing protectively in front of Rowlin and Emma, stated.
"I prefer Broom Hatter." Emma muttered, and that was when she realised that King Dedede had somehow managed to make his way over to her without anybody noticing.
"Hey, uh . . . " He looked somewhat nervous. "Y-you know … I had no idea that she was actually a Monster, you know?"
Before Emma could answer, Tiff said: "A likely story!"
"Tiff, it's okay!" Emma said quickly. She was looking at Dedede, forcing herself to make eye-contact with him. She swallowed. "I believe him."
"You do?" Tiff looked at her and, when she nodded, she said: "Well, you should know, that he," she pointed at Dedede, who was looking furiously at her. "Is the one who hit Kirby up into the sky to get the others to hurt him!"
Escargoon rolled his eyes. "Nobody asked you, Hermelinda!" He said sarcastically.
Emma was still looking at Dedede, and now she said: "King Dedede — "
She was interrupted by Broom King, however. "I'll show you who's the king!" The Monster declared, raising his arms and, at once, the broomsticks that had been ridden by the others sprang to life and lined up in formation in front of him. "Attack!" He ordered the broomsticks, which wasted no time in sweeping up the townsfolk with powerful wind gusts and attacks.
Tiff managed to escape from the onslaught by diving to her right, and noted that Emma and Dedede had not moved - they were just staring at each other, as the brooms whipped up a storm around them.
Tiff looked around quickly, and located Kirby, who had just finished being revived by Shield Knight.
Shield Knight looked up, and met Tiff's gaze.
The two of them nodded and then Shield Knight grabbed Kirby and threw him over to Tiff, just as one of the brooms swept itself up.
"Kirby, suck it up!" Tiff immediately cried, and Kirby did just that.
Everybody in the vicinity except for Emma and Dedede, and Broom King, watched as Kirby now donned a yellow headkerchief with green stars on it, and grabbed a purple-handled broomstick when it tried to harass him.
"Who's that?!" Tuff wanted to know.
"He is now Cleaning Kirby." Meta Knight explained.
As Cleaning Kirby began to do battle against the rogue broomsticks, Emma and Dedede still seemed to be trying to work something out.
Tiff didn't understand how they could just stand there, without even saying anything to each other, when all of this was going on around them.
Emma hoped that her expression didn't betray what was going through her mind right then. If I say something about how he shouldn't try and hurt Kirby, he'll get upset with me … but, if I don't say something now - that is, if I don't learn to speak my mind when I'm around him - then . . . She bit her lip. I might as well call off my feelings before they get too far ahead of themselves . . .
That wouldn't be so easy to do and she knew it and so, with that in mind, she said: "I believe you when you said that you didn't know that that was Broom King. But," she steeled herself for this next bit. "I really didn't like that you tried to hurt Kirby." There, she'd said it.
But, what Dedede said next really took her by surprise. "I know, and I'm sorry."
Emma's eyes widened slightly, but then she narrowed them and said: "Are you sorry because I'm upset, or because you shouldn't hurt others (including Kirby)?"
"Uh … the first one." Dedede admitted.
"Well, it's a start." Emma sighed. The Star Pendant gleamed against her chest, and she wondered idly what colour ribbon should be there … she'd just been brave, which was a key trait of Pappy's house in the book … no sooner had she realised this, when a red bow-tie appeared there, much to hers and Dedede's surprise.
The king then glanced down at his own bow-tie, which was green, and an unhappy look crossed his face.
"It's because you're very ambitious." Emma told him, and he looked a little bit happier.
"So sorry to interrupt . . . " A voice suddenly said.
"Then don't!" Both Emma and Dedede snapped, before they turned and realised that the interrupter - Broom King - was right in front of them.
Emma's eyes swiftly scanned around for Kirby - he had just taken out the last of the brooms, and was now looking back at her - and then she looked back at Broom King, feeling a slightly burning anger start to well up inside of her and, without really knowing what she was doing, she grabbed onto the broomstick that had stayed hovering faithfully beside her for this whole entire time, and said: "You disguised yourself as a good person and nearly ruined her reputation, and you brainwashed the townsfolk into hurting Kirby," as she spoke, the fire that was welling up inside of her seemed to travel down her arms and into her broomstick; she barely even noticed. "All the while taking advantage of my king! All three of those things," and, drawing back her now flaming broomstick, she leapt forwards and struck Broom King (who was actually looking terrified) with her rage-filled strength. "Are absolutely unforgivable!"
Broom King, who was now partially on fire, went flying into the air … where he was met by Kirby, who swished his own broom around in a shower of stars and sparkles, to deliver the finishing blow that ensured that the Monster was destroyed in a fiery and sparkly explosion.
As everybody cheered at the defeat of the Monster called Broom King, Kirby flew down to where Emma was still breathing heavily, and patted her on the shoulder.
The touch seemed to calm her down in an instant, and the flames dissipated from around her broomstick. Kirby then flew over to Rowlin, dismounted from his broomstick, and said: "Poyo poyo . . . "
"What?" Replied Rowlin, who wasn't used to Kirby's poyo language in the slightest.
"I think Kirby's asking to hear the rest of the story." Tiff suggested.
The rest of the townsfolk all agreed with that idea.
"I promise I'll have replacement books sent to everyone in Cappy Town." Rowlin told them.
This was met with more cheering from the crowd.
"Thank you so much!" Tiff said.
Rowlin turned to her, and then glanced at Emma and said: "Ah, so this is Tiff."
Emma nodded.
Tiff looked surprised. "Uh, yes, but . . . ?"
"You sent a letter, didn't you?" Rowlin reminded her. "I liked it so much that I came here to meet you."
Tiff gasped, unable to keep the blush off of her face to hear such an inspirational author say that. "You came here to meet me?" She asked, just to be sure.
Rowlin started to nod, but before she could answer, Dedede's chuckling could be heard.
He was walking towards them, dragging Emma along with him, and with Escargoon in tow. "Here come your biggest fans," the king said cheerfully, also holding up his copy of Pappy Pottey And The Fool's Stone. "For your autograph!"
"But you and Escargoon are the ones who started this trouble!" Tiff protested.
"We were fooled by Broom King, like the rest of you!" Dedede reminded her. "You heard what my Emma said before she swept that Monster up in flames!"
Emma's face was as red as the bow-tie that she was wearing, even as Rowlin said: "Yes, she was unexpectedly fiery towards the end there."
"Witch Emma is certainly one of her more surprising transformations." Meta Knight agreed.
Emma ducked her head and, in a swirl of ribbons, de-transformed.
Smiling, Rowlin signed King Dedede's book for him. "Here, King. For you."
"You know, ma'am," Tiff said to the author. "I hope I can use my imagination like you someday, and write a great book!"
"Keep writing!" Rowlin encouraged her.
"Right!" Tiff agreed.
"Make sure to put a lot of pictures in your next book!" Dedede interrupted.
And, Escargoon spoke up with: "His majesty never learned how to read — !" He was cut off, suddenly, by Dedede slamming him into the ground with his hammer.
Shield Knight sighed, and came over to help.
"Keep reading, your highness." Rowlin said to Dedede, going to hand him back his book.
Emma, however, took the opportunity to reach out and take the book instead!
"Is this because you gave your copy of the book to little Bandana Waddle Dee, to work on his reading?" Rowlin asked her.
"In part." Emma said, and then she looked at Dedede, who was now looking thoughtful. "But, you see, I promised to spend some time with King Dedede when I got back, and so if I provide the book, then . . . "
"I'll provide the coffee!" Dedede said suddenly. "It'll give me the chance to work on getting the balance between the coffee and the chocolate just right!"
Emma's eyes lit up.
"It won't be the only thing that he can work on . . . " Escargoon muttered.
"So . . . " Tuff ventured, all of a sudden. "Does this mean that Bandee's now got one of the only two copies of the book right now?"
Bandana Waddle Dee suddenly started to look nervous.
"I ain't never owned a book with the author's own handwriting scribbled down inside it!" Dedede said happily, as he and Emma took a look at Rowlin's signature - it was very scribbly indeed. "Hey, how's anybody supposed to read that?"
"Mm-mm." Emma shrugged. Then: "Hey, Tiff? Your brother . . . ?"
Tiff sighed, and went to go and stop Tuff from harassing Bandana Waddle Dee about his copy of the book.
"Oh, and, speaking of which . . . " Emma hesitated, and then she said: "Say, King Dedede . . . " He glanced over at her. "Do you have a brother?"
King Dedede dropped the book - luckily, Kirby grabbed it before it hit the ground.
Escargoon noticed how nervous the king looked, and he also knew why, but then Dedede's response shocked him.
"No."
"Oh, okay." Emma seemed to accept that.
But, Escargoon, who suddenly realised that the king had both lied and told the truth, sighed. He also knew what he had to do . . .
That night, Emma was sitting up in her bed at the castle, writing in her diary, when there was a knock on the doors.
"Enter." She said in an important voice.
The doors to the room opened, and Escargoon entered. He gave her a Look.
"Sorry." She replied, putting down her diary. "But, even without the chandelier, this room is very fancy, and it makes me feel as such … what's up?" She suddenly realised how strange it was for Escargoon to be visiting her like this.
He said: "Look, I'll get straight to it … it's about what you asked King Dedede this afternoon - about if he has a brother."
"Yeah, and he said 'no'." Emma remembered.
Escargoon sighed. "Look, the thing is … is that he only said that because he doesn't just have a brother." He stressed and, when Emma continued to look at him, he elaborated: "He has two of them."
Whatever Emma had been expecting Escargoon to say, it wasn't that. She looked completely shocked, but managed to say: "A-and Nightland's ruler is one of them, right?"
"What?" Escargoon blinked.
"The knights of Nightland came to meet us at the train station," Emma explained to him, and he nodded; he already knew about that. "The head knight - Zara - said something that made Bandee think that she was trying to get some information about me to pass back to Prince Zuzuzu."
"It wouldn't surprise me." Escargoon muttered.
"Luckily, I'm pretty sure that Skye has enough sense not to say too much." Emma added.
Unless Prince Zuzuzu gets into his mind. Escargoon thought. He then said: "But, as much as King Dedede didn't want them to know about you, he reallydidn't want you to know about his two brothers . . . " He decided that he might as well tell her the other part, as well. "And, his three sisters."
He expected Emma to ask some questions about these three sisters, or about why King Dedede wanted her kept a secret from his family. But, instead, what she said was: "Then, why are you telling me?" She stared intently at him.
Escargoon swallowed. "B-because … when you inevitably did find out, I-I didn't want you to think that King Dedede was just straight-up lying to you … he really, really likes you, but … when it comes to his family … things are … complicated . . . "
"I understand." Emma said quietly. "I don't think that anybody's family is without complications … oh, and, speaking of which," her tone changed slightly. "I still wanna know when I'll get to meet your mother!"
Escargoon paused, and then he motioned to somebody outside of the bedroom. "Actually, that's the other reason why I'm here . . . " He said, as a Waddle Dee came in, holding a large bag full of . . .
"Wool?" Emma blinked. She was peering into the bag, which had balls of wall inside of it, in all different colours: blue, green, red, yellow, pink . . .
"Bandana Waddle Dee told us that you got gifted a crochet hook from that author," Escargoon explained, as the Waddle Dee came back over to him, now empty-handed. "And, well … my Mummsy sent me a bunch of things, but I'm taking a break from knitting - please don't tell anybody about that." He added, when both Emma and the Waddle Dee looked quickly at him.
Emma was smiling. "I won't. Please tell your mother thank you from me … actually, I might have to write her a thank you note … once I actually make something." She added, glancing at the wool, before she looked back at Escargoon and said: "And, thank you … for telling me why the king said what he said … you're such a good friend, Escargoon!"
And, although she didn't specify whether she was talking about him being a friend to the king or to herself, it didn't matter, because it was quite obvious that the answer was both.
Emma was still smiling, later on, as she signed off on her diary with: Because Escargoon and I are friends!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The princess, who was only young at the time, was listening with rapt attention to the story that was being described to her. Who would have thought that her first knight had done something so cool as summon the galaxy's strongest warrior and fought him! Okay, so he'd been gravely injured and the match had been a draw, but it was still more than anybody else had done!
The young princess of course, asked about a billion questions, and he answered them all.
However, after he'd left, she realised that she had forgotten to ask him a more current question - which was why he always seemed to like being in high-up places.
She had noticed that about him for as long as she could remember, and she thought that it was very cool . . .
The dream changed, to show a white room where sunlight streamed in through the windows, and the young princess was having her arm healed by … somebody . . .
An unfamiliar male's voice was explaining to the princess's first knight: "She broke her arm falling off of the railing of the chapel's mezzanine."
The princess sensed the shock that her first knight felt from hearing these words, but she stubbornly just looked at who was healing her arm and said: "How come he gets to always stand in high-up places?"
The healer seemed about to respond, but the man who had spoken up before responded instead. "Okay, put it this way, Princess - when you've done half of the stuff that he has done, then you can stand in places like that." From the way that he said it, his young age was highlighted a bit more than usual - he wasn't actually that old.
The princess was pouting. "So, never?" She then seemed to think of something. "Wait … half of the stuff? So … for example, I wouldn't have to battle Galacta Knight, I'd just have to summon him? That's half . . . " And, ignoring the shock from the other two, and the way that her first knight was sighing, she went on with: "Now, how to summon a cute little Sphere Doomer … they're attracted to Energy Spheres, according to that book … they travel along extradimensional roads, as such … hmm . . . " She paused, all of a sudden.
"What's wrong?" Three voices asked her in unison.
"It's just … because he's been sealed so many times but has never successfully been defeated … do you guys suppose that that's why he's so aggressive whenever he is summoned? There's only ever been one … who's survived both summoning and fighting him … but … for Galacta Knight … imagine being the galaxy's strongest warrior and only that? With nothing and nobody to fight for? Anybody would be so aggressive … spending an eternity waiting for the one who could defeat them … I feel sorry for him . . . "
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Something very small floated down one of the hallways of Castle Dedede. It had been ordered, but it hadn't actually been given an order - the customer had been so indecisive, muttering something about 'do I or don't I?', which this little interloper took to mean that the customer didn't have a target in mind, and so the original directive from .N.M.E. now stood.
Which is how the little Monster found itself hovering over the sleeping form of somebody in particular. It took a good long look at them, and then drifted slowly around the room, looking for clues … it then found something of interest on the bedside table, which it presently located the source of after searching further afield, and … it made its move . . .