Kirby All-Stars

by Edward Emma

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!

5. Shake 'N' Bake!

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:

. Infrequent violence

Reader discretion is advised.

---

CHAPTER FIVE

Shake 'N' Bake!

---

Hana was in the kitchen, making a cake for no special occasion other than the fact that her three grandchildren wanted to learn how to make it.

The family butler, whose name was Jeeves, was assisting.

"Eggs, flower, milk — " Hana sang, as she finished measuring out the corresponding ingredients, and then the doorbell rang. She now pointed to the cookbook that was on the bench, and said to Jeeves: "Just do it like it says here in the book." And, ignoring his startled expression, went to get the door.

She opened it, to find a woman wearing a blue ankle-length circle skirt with a matching blouse and red necktie, lace-up brown leather boots, and a blue peak cap. She also wore a brown satchel bag across her body, and it was from this bag that she took out a handful of letters as she said: "Here is your mail!"

"Thank you, Emma." Hana said, as she took the letters. "I must say, it's so nice of you to be helping Melman with his work while he recovers."

"Do we still not know how he managed to end up with a broken bone?" Emma wondered, trying to ignore the compliment, since she had no idea how to respond to it.

"Oh, I suspect that he was hit by a careless driver," Hana said calmly, checking through her mail. "And, we all know that my husband is a very good driver." She added.

"Oh, don't say that . . . " Emma sighed. There was only one other known vehicle in Cappy Town, after all. "Escargoon's a good driver, too."

"I was talking about the king."

"Oh."

They were silent for a moment, before one of Hana's grandsons could be heard saying: "I knew it! There's maths involved!"

"I wanted to learn to cook, not measure out ingredients!" Another added.

"This cake is a lie!" The third chimed in.

"Mrs. Blustergas . . . " Jeeves called, somewhat feebly. "Help . . . "

"I'll be there in a minute!" Hana called back to him. "Boys, you do as you're told!" She added sternly, and then she noticed something. "Oh, wait a minute . . . " Hana handed Emma back a rather large envelope. "This one's not for us, it's for Escargoon, by the looks of it."

"Oh, it must have been slipped into the pile of letters for you guys by mistake, since it's all by itself." Emma realised, checking her satchel. "I'll take it to him." She added, just as there was a sharp cry from inside the house behind Hana.

"It's on fire!" Jeeves cried.

Emma's eyes widened. "Will … you be okay?" She asked quickly.

Hana grimaced as she turned to go back inside. "Oh, yes, catastrophic events are quite normal when my grandsons try and take shortcuts. They're probably trying to do the hardened sugar for the decorations or something. I'd better go before one of them touches it."

Emma also grimaced, knowing exactly what could happen if somebody touched sugar that was being boiled with water, but nodded all the same. "Well, then, I'll let you get back to the cake-tastrophy, Mrs. Blustergas.

She also turned and, as the door was closing, she heard Mayor Blustergas calling out: "Help! Help!"

She wasn't too concerned, though, especially when she heard Hana's voice saying loudly: "Oh, for goodness sake, just put the saucepan lid over it and turn off the heat!"

There was a very audible clunk sound.

"I don't get paid enough for this . . . " Jeeves sighed.

Smiling slightly, Emma went over to Gypsy Moth; the mare was looking mildly interested in what was going on, but seemed eager to get back to the job that she and her new owner had gladly taken up recently. It was good for both of them - Gypsy Moth was able to slowly but steadily get more used to strangers (especially men) and get some exercise, and Emma could work on both her riding skills and on strengthening her friendships with the residents of Cappy Town.

Plus, it was a way to pay for things that they both needed - not including the new outfit, because Madam Synger was still insisting on providing Emma with outfits for free, since she saw it as a challenge.

And, Emma wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak.

She put one foot in the stirrup of the saddle, and then swung herself up onto Gypsy Moth's back.

"We just have to deliver this letter to Escargoon up at the castle," Emma told Gypsy Moth, as she took up the reins. "I'll bet the letter's from his mother, it feels like there's more than just a letter in here. I wonder when I'll get to meet her. Anyway, after that we have the rest of the day and all of tomorrow off! Isn't that great?"

Gypsy Moth nickered in agreement, and they set off towards Castle Dedede.

Along the way, Emma couldn't help but notice that her excitement was building, slightly, and she didn't have to wonder why.

She knew exactly why.

She just wasn't ready to say anything out loud yet, and especially not to anyone.

She said it in her own mind, though, as she moved Gypsy Moth into a bouncing trot and then, as they approached a straight stretch of road before the hill leading up to the castle, a rolling canter.

Cantering was, in some ways, easier than trotting, because it was less bouncy; but, it was also faster (with Escargoon's help, Emma had estimated that Gypsy Moth's average trotting speed was about 19kph and her average cantering speed was around 27kph) and so could be considered to be both scary and fun.

Kind of like the truth that Emma was saying in her own mind right now, as she and Gypsy Moth raced along.

I actually like-like King Dedede!

It wasn't exactly love - that, like galloping (which they had measured, with Emma safely on the ground, Gypsy Moth's average speed of doing to be precisely 56kph), was going to come.

In time.

For now, Emma was just going to sit back and enjoy the ride.

---

Emma found Escargoon easily enough; he was watching the many Waddle Dees who worked at the castle march into the dining hall.

"Escargoon, I have a letter for you." Emma told him, handing him the envelope. "I think it's from your mother," she added. "Not that I read it, but … hey, when do I get to meet her?" She wanted to know, knowing full well that the last thing Escargoon wanted was for his mother to visit him in Cappy Town, which she hadn't done yet (Emma had learned this just from casually asking Tiff, who had said that she didn't know anything about Escargoon's mother).

"Probably sometime . . . " Escargoon was clearly distracted by something and then, as he and Emma watched, a trio of little round beings marching by caught their attention.

One was an orangey-brown and tan Waddle Dee with orange shoes and a blue and white sailor hat.

Another was a more reddish-orange and peach-coloured Waddle Dee, with yellow shoes and a blue bandanna.

And, walking in between them was . . .

Feeling slightly amused, Emma followed Escargoon into the dining hall as the Waddle Dees prepared to eat their meal.

Kirby expertly used a pair of chopsticks to pick up what was either a piece of tofu or an asparagus tipped spring roll. He popped it into his mouth, as Emma squinted and tried figure out what the dishes actually were without having to resort to putting her glasses on.

Escargoon hadn't noticed the actual food, yet, though. He picked up Kirby, and said: "Well well, caught ya pink-handed, ya mooch!" Kirby just looked at him. "Hit the road, freeloader! This is the Waddle Dees' meal — " It was at that point that he realised what that meal actually was, and he immediately tossed Kirby aside.

Emma quickly caught Kirby, and together they watched as Escargoon's eyes just about bugged right out of his head.

"Baby string beans … spring rolls with asparagus tips — "

Oh, so that's what they are.

"Black truffle risotto … vegetable tempura — "

Oh, I wondered what that bit was.

"And a deluxe sushi platter?!"

He can tell that it's deluxe just by looking at it? Emma couldn't believe it.

Neither could Escargoon. "Aaahh!" He took off out of the dining hall at top speed. "Siiiire!" They heard him calling.

"Oh dear . . . " Emma sighed, suddenly realising what might be about to occur, and also noticing that Escargoon had, in his disbelief, left his letter behind. She set Kirby down in front of his meal again, and picked up the letter. What else is in this thing?

"I'll come with you." Said Sailor Waddle Dee, hurriedly finishing his meal, and using the rather large napkin that had been at his place at one of the long tables to wipe his non-existent mouth as he followed Emma.

Meanwhile, Kirby was happy to be allowed to enjoy the meal again, although in his exuberance, he tried to take some of Bandanna Waddle Dee's sushi.

Bandanna Waddle Dee immediately countered Kirby's chopsticks with his own, and the two engaged in a chopsticks sword fight as Emma and Sailor Waddle Dee walked out of the dining hall.

"That is why you should never try and steal food from a Dee who's been to sea." Sailor Waddle Dee said wisely.

"Yeah, but Kirby — " Emma began, just as there was a cry from Waddle Doo back in the dining hall.

"Hey! You almost took out my eye!"

"Sorry, Waddle Doo!" Bandanna Waddle Dee gasped. "I got disarmed!"

"You were saying?" Sailor Waddle Dee said, as he and Emma looked at each other.

"I was gonna say that Kirby is a skilled swordsman somehow," Emma said, as she and Sailor Waddle Dee continued onwards. "But, maybe it's more accurate to say that nothing stands between him and food."

"He is one of a kind." Sailor Waddle Dee agreed.

"Well, perhaps not one of a kind . . . " Emma trailed off, and then stopped, seeing two figures approaching from the opposite end of the hallway.

One of them was King Dedede (Emma's heart skipped a little beat), and the other was Escargoon who was trying desperately to hold his king back.

"No, sire!" Escargoon was saying. "I don't think you should go in the dining hall 'til you've calmed down!"

"I am calm, and hungry, too!" Dedede complained, struggling against Escargoon so much that he didn't notice Emma and Sailor Waddle Dee just standing there.

"Please, majesty! This is not - a good - idea!" Escargoon protested. "You won't be able to control your temper or your appetite!" He suddenly succeeded in getting in front of the king and pushing him back a few paces. "Your majesty, we can't afford to upset the Waddle Dees - they do all the work around here! Sire!" He added, somewhat sternly. "Let it go! Back off!"

It was at this point that Dedede noticed who was behind Escargoon. His eyes lit up when he saw Emma … and then he happened to notice who was standing beside her.

"YOU!" He shouted, pointing at Sailor Waddle Dee, who took one look at the king's beyond furious expression and decided to take drastic action.

"For king and country!" Sailor Waddle Dee cried, leaping out of the nearby window and, using the napkin that he had taken with him from the dining hall as a parachute, glided down to land on the curtain wall that surrounded the castle. He landed right next to another Waddle Dee carrying a spear, who watched as he folded up the napkin neatly and then traded it in for his own spear (that had a blue ribbon tied beneath the tip) via what could only be described as hammer space, and the two saluted before marching off in opposite directions.

"You see, sire?" Escargoon said, as he, Dedede, and Emma watched from the window. "Everything these guys do is for you!"

Dedede gave him a wry sort of look, before he looked over at Emma when she spoke up.

"Y-yeah," she nodded. "You're lucky to have so many loyal servants, King Dedede … umm … why is that a problem?" She then remembered something, and handed the letter to Escargoon. "Here."

"Thanks." He sighed. "And, the problem is — "

"I'll tell ya why it's a problem!" Dedede began, and then realised that he was speaking to Emma. His tone immediately softened. "It's not so much how many of them that there are - it's that they're eating like princes and I'm eating like a pauper! I mean, just look at me!" He added dramatically. "Wasting away to practically nothing!"

Emma and Escargoon looked at him, and then exchanged a glance, silently agreeing not to comment on this assessment.

"And, meanwhile," Dedede went on. "Those chunky chumps are … hey, hold on . . . " He suddenly said.

"What?" Escargoon and Emma both said.

"It don't make sense to me." Dedede said. "How can them Waddle Dees eat gourmet grub when they ain't got no mouths?"

Even as Escargoon suddenly seemed to realise this as well, Emma just sighed slightly. And, even though she already knew what the answer was going to be, she decided to go with the two of them on their quest to find out. She wanted to try and remind Dedede that he was lucky to have the Waddle Dees working for him, even though she had a feeling that he might not listen.

---

As Emma stood around and listened to Escargoon trying to explain to Dedede that all creatures needed nourishment to survive, mouth or no mouth, and the Waddle Dee who they had seen before just regarded them all calmly (Sailor Waddle Dee had seen them coming and leapt into the moat), she wondered how the prelude to such a late episode of the anime could be happening now. She then realised that it was probably going to be the case that she couldn't rely on the anime for any kind of a set timeline from now on, and that thought made her both relieved and uneasy.

Escargoon was tearing into the large envelope that he had received, and pulled out what looked like flat pale cracker that instantly reminded Emma of the communion crackers from her days at a Catholic high school (before they'd switched out the nice chunky crackers with some smaller, thin ones).

"Let's see if it eats this mentaiko senbai!" Escargoon suggested.

"This what?!" Emma couldn't help but say.

Escargoon handed her another one of the crackers, and then held the first one out to the Waddle Dee.

The Waddle Dee promptly absorbed the cracker into the area where its mouth should have been, much to the shock of both Dedede and Escargoon.

"No way!" Dedede cried.

"It absorbed the senbai!" Escargoon added.

"Hey, how'd it do that?" Dedede wanted to know, peering closely at the Waddle Dee. "It's munchin', alright . . . " He observed, because indeed it was.

"Wonder how it flosses?" Escargoon mused.

"That's weird!" Dedede proclaimed.

The Waddle Dee finished its cracker, and seemed to nod in confirmation to what the king had just said, before it turned and walked off to continue with its guard patrol.

Escargoon glanced at Emma, who was just eyeing the senbai in her hand, and said: "Why aren't you at all fazed by this?"

"Because I already knew." She shrugged. "I mean … hang on … you two have been here with the Waddle Dees for a lot longer than me, how did you not know?" She asked them both, and they just exchanged a glance. She then decided to try the senbai, which started out light but then became spicy. "Ooh! No, not for me - I can't handle spicy foods."

"Really?" Dedede sounded interested.

She nodded. "Mmhmm. I take after my mum . . . " She trailed off. She had been trying not to think of her family back home. No matter what, she missed them.

Escargoon picked up on this and understood the reason but, before he could say anything, Dedede spoke up again.

"So, you're not gonna finish that?" He asked Emma, pointing to the rest of the senbai cracker.

Emma smiled, dispelling her wistfulness. "You can have it." She handed it to him, just as a pair of voices called to her.

"Emma! Emma!" Fololo and Falala flew towards her.

"Hey guys, what's up?" She asked them.

"Kawasaki's looking for you." Falala explained.

"Huh?" Emma blinked at the unexpected news.

"He said it's kind of urgent." Fololo added. "So, can you come straight away?"

"Yeah, sure, of course I can." Emma replied, and glanced at Dedede and Escargoon.

Dedede seemed to be considering something, and so Emma took the opportunity to say to Escargoon: "Hey, listen, as you're calculating how much it costs to feed the Waddle Dees, do you think you can make sure that the king doesn't do anything that might be considered a bit … uh . . . ?"

"Extreme?" Escargoon supplied, and Emma nodded. Escargoon sighed. "This is King Dedede we're talking about here. You and I both know that it would take a power greater than I."

"I have faith in you." She said seriously, her eyes full of worry.

"That makes one of us." He admitted. He then reached into the envelope that he'd gotten and pulled out another senbai, as Emma began to walk away.

"Ooh, senbai!" Falala exclaimed, and grabbed the cracker. "Thanks, Escargoon!"

"Hey!" Escargoon protested, shaking his fist at her. "Give that back, you other pink mooch!"

"I can't!" She responded. "I've already bitten into it, see?" She showed him the cracker with the bite taken out of it.

Escargoon was flabbergasted. "How?!"

Falala just giggled.

And, while Escargoon was preoccupied, Fololo flew behind him and grabbed another senbai out of the envelope.

"Seriously?!" Escargoon complained, clutching the envelope with the remainder of the senbai tightly to his chest. "You two don't even have mouths, either!" He added, recalling something that the king had said right after he'd given Fololo and Falala to Sir Ebrum and Lady Like.

"Hey, Escargoon?" Dedede asked, as he finished his own senbai. "How much does it cost to feed them?"

"Who?" Escargoon asked tentatively.

"Them Waddle Dees!"

"Uh . . . "

---

"Oh, wow," Emma sat back after hearing Kawasaki's story, as they sat there at the table in the living room that belonged to Sir Ebrum and Lady Like and their family. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's a tough old cookie," Kawasaki replied casually, like he wasn't talking about his elderly mother who had broken her foot when she'd slipped upon a thimble and fallen into her koi pond like some twisted version of the song about Clementine. "But, she's getting on in her years, and now she needs my brother to go and take care of her."

"Right . . . " Emma nodded slowly. Wait, he has a brother?

"The trouble is," Kawasaki went on. "That he's two days away from where she is, whereas Cappy Town is only a day away."

"And . . . ?" Emma wondered where this was going.

She was about to find out.

Kawasaki clasped his hands, and said, in a completely pleading kind of voice: "I can't go because I'm the only chef in town! But, if you take Gypsy Moth then you could make it in only half a day! Can you pleeeaaase stay with her until my brother gets there?! Pleeeeeaaaaase?!"

Emma had found herself leaning back and now she just stared at him, unsure of what to say.

Does this kind of thing happen to … anybody?!

Kawasaki began speaking very quickly, even as Sir Ebrum and Lady Like and the kids walked in.

"Gus and Gangu have finished work on a carriage and harness for Gypsy Moth, and I've already made some pre-cooked meals for my mother because I'm so worried that she's not eating properly!" He said, his dark eyes filling with tears. "I know what you must think of me … being so close by to my mother but sending somebody else to go and take care of her … I'm not trying to take advantage of your kind heart, but … how do I take care of both my mother and the hungry Cappies?"

Emma dropped her head, utterly defeated. "We'll leave tomorrow morning." She muttered.

"Great!" Kawasaki was all smiles now. "Now, she can be a bit hard to manage but I'm sure that you'll do fine, just stay out of reach of her cane and agree with everything that she says, even if it's not right!"

"You are totally taking advantage of her kind heart!" Tiff exclaimed, and everybody was so busy either agreeing with that or disagreeing with that or simply sighing with defeat, that none of them noticed who was listening at the door.

---

Emma set out early the following morning, feeling more than a little bit nervous, but she had a map and, if worse came to worst, then somebody would eventually come out looking for her. That alone was incentive enough for her to not get lost.

Besides, Stellar had suggested that she take Fen with her.

"If you get lost, igara, then Fen can fly up and scout ahead for you!" The pink bird had said. "I would come with you as well, but, somebody has to stay here and make sure that Tokkori doesn't wreck the house!" She had glared at Tokkori, who had just glared right on back at her. Kirby had just looked at them. He had seemed a bit quiet, as he'd joined the others in seeing Emma off, but Emma wasn't sure why.

And, so, that was how Emma found herself sitting next to Fen, holding the long reins called driving reins loosely in one hand and the map in the other hand, as Gypsy Moth pulled the carriage easily out of town.

It was obvious from the get-go that Gypsy Moth had done this before. She responded just as well to commands as when she was being ridden, and Emma once again marvelled at how she had been gifted such a wonderful horse.

The landscape was both flat and hilly, and the perfect example of picturesque.

They went at a steady pace. Emma checked the map from time-to-time, and was fine with the silence. She was used to spending time either alone or with just animals for company, and not talking.

As it transpired, however, that was not to be the case.

Emma noticed that they were reaching a long stretch of road, and so she said: "Fen?" The Flying Fox's large ears pricked up. "I'm thinking that we might go a little bit faster here, so do you want to hop in the back so that you can hang on?"

Fen nodded, and jumped into the back of the carriage with the supplies as Emma tucked the map into her pocket.

She had just taken up the driving reins with her now free hand (as she knew that, at a canter, she would feel more comfortable holding the driving reins like this), and she was just about to signal to Gypsy Moth before giving her the command to trot and then canter, when Fen suddenly barked sharply.

This was followed by two small cries of panic.

It took all of Emma's focus not to react by yanking at all on the driving reins. With the way that her hands were positioned in that moment, it would have sent a strong and unintended signal to Gypsy Moth, whose ears had immediately flattened at the sound - a sure sign that she was agitated - and Emma was glad that she had switched back to two hands, as she gently signalled Gypsy Moth to stop, talking to her in a soothing voice.

As soon as she'd stopped, Emma jumped down from the carriage and went to check on Gypsy Moth. The horse seemed fine, but still looked like she wanted to know what had just happened.

"I know, I know," Emma said to her. "I'm finding out . . . " She went back to the carriage and, not even hesitating, jumped back up to see who Fen had found. "You guys!"

---

Kirby, Tiff, and Tuff were peering around the door of one of the kitchens of Castle Dedede, watching as Dedede and Escargoon tried to find the best meal for the cheapest price for the Waddle Dees.

"This is getting worse and worse . . . " Tiff muttered, watching as the prices got lower, and the food got unhealthier.

Kawasaki suddenly said: "I'll make a meal for one D-bill!"

Even Dedede and Escargoon were startled by this sudden proclamation, to say nothing of Kawasaki's fellow 'competitors' - Tuggle, and Buttercup, Spikehead's mother, Iro's mother, and Hana.

"Kawasaki . . . " Tiff guessed that the idea of money, even when the price was so low, was too much for him to resist.

Escargoon rang a bell. "The contract to feed all the Waddle Dees is awarded to Kawasaki!" He announced.

"Hold it!" Tiff cried, as she, Tuff, and Kirby burst into the room. She couldn't just stand by anymore. Ever since Tuff had told her about the presentation for this on Channel DDD, she had been growing increasingly agitated by the whole thing.

"Kawasaki . . . " Tuff sounded just as disappointed as Tiff felt.

"You can't make a good meal for that money!" Tiff said.

"It's too cheap." Tuff added.

"There's one meal I can make for almost nothing!" Kawasaki told them, sounding almost robotic, which only further confirmed Tiff's assumption about the money. "A Thinwhich!"

"What's a Thinwhich?" Buttercup wanted to know.

Tuggle, who had gone back to normal by now, tried to reason with Kawasaki. "Even a thin sandwich costs more than a D-bill."

"Not if you make it my way!" Kawasaki replied, in a robotic sing-song voice, as he prepared to show them exactly what he meant.

The first thing that he did was slice a piece of ham so thin that it did not cast a shadow.

"Oh my . . . " Escargoon murmured.

"Now that's thin!" Dedede said.

"If you slice the bread and meat thin enough," Kawasaki went on, as he now took the knife to a loaf of bread. "You can really get your money's worth!" He sliced a piece of bread that was so thin it couldn't stand up by itself.

"That's horrible." Tiff commented, as they watched what was happening.

"It's almost invisible." Tuff added.

"Poyo." Even Kirby seemed to agree.

"If I make all of them this skinny," Kawasaki declared. "I'll definitely make money!"

I knew it! Tiff thought, narrowing her eyes.

"Great idea!" Dedede told Kawasaki.

"Starting tomorrow, the Waddle Dees will be eating Thinwhiches!" Escargoon nodded happily.

The other 'contestants' were about as happy as this as Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby - they stormed out of the kitchen, muttering to themselves.

Kawasaki followed them out. "Do you think my bid went too low?" He said suddenly, sounding normal again.

"It sure was!" Tiff said.

Kawasaki looked horrified.

"But you made a deal and you're stuck with it!" Tuff reminded him.

"Good luck, Kawasaki." Tuggle told him, sounding like he didn't mean it at all.

"I hope you go bankrupt making those Thinwhiches!" Buttercup said. "And, I sincerely hope that they're not what you made for Emma to take to your mother!" She added, but Kawasaki didn't seem to hear her, because he was now trying to give himself a pep-talk about becoming a 'mean, lean, slicing machine'.

"Aww, man," Tuff said, as they all began to walk away from Kawasaki. "I hope that he didn't make those for his mother, either! Is this what it's gonna be like every time Emma goes away?"

"Poyo . . . " Kirby said, sounding sad.

Tiff immediately guessed what was wrong with him. "Cheer up, Kirby." She said kindly. "Remember, we got somebody to go with her and keep an eye on her. She'll be okay, and she'll be back before you know it!"

"Poyo . . . " Kirby nodded slowly.

"I mean, can you imagine what she'd be saying about Kawasaki's Thinwhiches?" Tuff said, and put on his best 'girlie' voice. "These remind me of the communion crackers in my last two years of high school!"

"I'd like to think that she'd be able to talk Dedede and maybe Kawasaki out of this." Tiff told her brother.

"Miracles are the school chaplain's department, Tiff!" Tuff responded, still in that same 'girlie' voice.

"You're gonna need a chaplain if you don't cut that out!" Tiff warned him.

"Eek!"

---

Bandanna Waddle Dee and Sailor Waddle Dee both stared up at Emma, who stared down at them.

Fen flicked her large ears back and forth a few times, as the two Waddle Dees tried to explain what they were doing in the carriage.

"You see, he was worried about you — " They said in unison. "So, I was asked to keep an eye on you — I mean, I was worried too, and I didn't want you to be lonely — !" They exchanged a glance.

Emma sighed. "Okay," she said, and looked at Sailor Waddle Dee. "I take it you were asked by Meta Knight?"

Sailor Waddle Dee looked surprised. "How did you know?"

Emma tapped the pendant that she had on the chain around her neck.

"Oh, yeah."

Emma then looked at Bandanna Waddle Dee. "And, you know . . . ?"

"Kirby, Tiff, and Tuff." He replied, and it was Emma's turn to be surprised.

"Really? They were worried about me?"

Bandanna Waddle Dee nodded. "Especially Kirby." He told her.

"Oh." She didn't know what to say to that, and so she just climbed back into the driver's seat of the carriage, and said: "Well, it's too late to take you guys back even if I didn't want you with me - I appreciate this, really." She assured them, as she took the map out of her pocket again, just to check.

Bandanna Waddle Dee immediately hopped up onto the seat beside her. "I can read maps!" He told her, holding out his hand.

"Can you make them, too?" Emma questioned, as she handed him the map. And, when he nodded, she smiled and said: "You little cartographer, you."

Bandanna Waddle Dee looked pleased.

"I can navigate using a compass." Sailor Waddle Dee spoke up, sounding slightly grumpy.

Emma glanced back at him, and smiled. "With you two on my side, there's no way that I can get lost! This is the Dream Team!"

Sailor Waddle Dee looked happier after that, and even led them in a 'land shanty' that Bandanna Waddle Dee also knew and Emma quickly picked up on, even when Sailor Waddle Dee changed some of the lyrics to suit the situation.

"O'er the ridge! I'm drivin' me carriage! Through woods and fields, across the stream, the Cappy Town Dream Team!"

---

Kawasaki's mother lived in what Emma thought of as a Japanese-style house, that was practically out in the middle of nowhere, but which had a large front yard where Emma was able to unhitch Gypsy Moth and tie her to a nearby post.

She, Bandanna Waddle Dee, Sailor Waddle Dee, and Fen walked up the garden path towards the house, taking note of the koi pond that had a few misplaced rocks, and a sign that said: No Solicitors.

"What's a solicitor?" Bandanna Waddle Dee whispered.

Emma was starting to feel nervous, as she remembered Kawasaki's warnings about his mother's personality.

And, her worst fears were confirmed, as the door was flung open, and an older, greyer version of Kawasaki stood there, cane in hand and a bandaged foot, and the expression on her face said just as much as her words.

"I don't want no legal aid!"

And, she slammed the door shut.

"Oh." Bandanna Waddle Dee realised what a solicitor was just then.

Emma, Sailor Waddle Dee, and Fen all just stared, before Emma sighed and knocked on the door a second time.

Kawasaki's mother flung the door open again, and told them: "I was born here and I'll die here, you ain't gettin' this house, you vultures!"

She slammed the door shut once more.

And Emma, who had had enough, knocked sharply on the door one last time and, as soon as it was opened, she began speaking.

"Now, look here! Your son Kawasaki asked me to come here until his brother shows up to help you, when I could be back in Cappy Town with my friends and the guy I like, so you let us in right now or else!"

She didn't even realise half of what she'd said, because she had just realised that Kawasaki's mother was at the other end of a long hallway, but had turned around and was staring at her.

"My son sent you?" She said slowly.

"Yes." Emma said, breathing heavily from her slight rant.

"Until my other son gets here?"

"Yes."

Kawasaki's mother looked at her for a moment longer, before she turned and began to make her way towards the door at the end of the hallway. "Let them in, Bow Thing." She called over her shoulder.

Emma looked down.

A pair of wide brown eyes stared back up at her, as Bandanna Waddle Dee and Sailor Waddle Dee peered cautiously out from behind her.

'Bow Thing' turned out be a Waddle Dee. One that was a chocolate brown colour with a cream-coloured face, and light honey-coloured shoes.

The large pink bow at the back of this Waddle Dee's head indicated where Kawasaki's mother had gotten the name from, and also suggested that this particular Waddle Dee was a girl.

"Right this way, please." She said politely, standing aside to let them in.

"Now I'm really glad we came — " Bandanna Waddle Dee began.

"Wipe your feet!" Bow Waddle Dee suddenly snapped.

Bandanna Waddle Dee jumped, but Sailor Waddle Dee quickly saluted and did as he was told.

As Bow Waddle Dee, with narrowed eyes, was watching Bandanna Waddle Dee hurry to do the same, Sailor Waddle Dee noticed both Emma and Fen looking at him.

"I've learned to obey orders without question." He said quietly. "It's part of my job . . . "

"Working for Meta Knight?" Emma asked him, just as quietly, and he nodded. "Okay, but … umm … Meta Knight doesn't seem … umm . . . " Emma trailed off, unsure of how to say what she was thinking.

Luckily, Sailor Waddle Dee seemed to understand. "He's not," he said, as they walked into the house. "And, he really was worried about you going away. That's why I'm here. Because he always has a good reason for everything."

---

"I didn't realise that my youngest son would be so worried," Kawasaki's mother said, as they sat around a low round table that looked like something out of a manga (in Emma's silent opinion). She sighed, and rolled her eyes. "He should worry more about himself, that no-good 'can't even come and check on his own mother' cheapskate!"

Emma didn't bother to point out how contradictory what she'd just said was.

"Still, he sent you and he sent some meals, so I guess I can't complain." Kawasaki's mother shrugged. "I can just get back to worrying about what will happen if those land developers get here before Yokohama does - my other son," she added, for Emma's benefit. "He's the only legal aid that I need, since he knows more than those greedy grubs do! They've been trying to get my land for years, and now that I've been injured they're going to swoop! I'd wager that's how Yokohama found out, through his network of connections . . . "

"And then he called Kawasaki, since Cappy Town is closer . . . " Emma realised. It was all starting to make sense now. "Why couldn't he just mention that bit, though?" She muttered, and then realised that Kawasaki's mother was eyeing her. "What?"

"Apron's are in the pantry over there," the old woman told her briskly. "Tea towels are in the — "

"Third drawer." Emma finished for her. It was just common sense, after all. Then: "Wait … why — ?! Your son sent heaps of food for you!"

"Would you eat my son's cooking?" The old woman asked her.

"Yes." Emma replied honestly.

"Is he the only chef in town?"

Emma hung her head. "Yes." She sighed and looked up. "Seriously, though, I can't cook." There, she had said it. She waited for the usual retorts.

At your age?!

Well, you need to learn!

Did you do any chores as a kid?!

Kawasaki's mother jabbed her cane in Emma's direction. "Do as I say, or starve, carrot-top!"

Okay, that was a new one.

"Carrot tops are green!" Emma protested, dodging the cane again as she hurried over to the pantry.

"There, you're not completely useless!" Kawasaki's mother laughed. "What else do you know?"

"Uh … d-don't let water touch chocolate that you're melting over the stove, or e-else it will seize up!" Emma stammered, as she struggled to tie her apron.

"What else?!"

"S-sometimes you can get away with just adding a pinch or however much looks necessary!"

"Except when — ?!"

"You're baking, which uses precise measurements!" Emma grabbed a tea towel out of the third drawer and then watched as Kawasaki's mother stood up.

"You," she said, looking at Bow Waddle Dee. "Show those two," she motioned to the other two Waddle Dees, who suddenly looked terrified. "Where the bowls are."

"Wh-what are we making?" Sailor Waddle Dee wanted to know.

"We are making spaghetti."

"Bolognese?" Bandanna Waddle Dee guessed, as Bow Waddle Dee handed him a mixing bowl.

"Mmhmm." Kawasaki's mother nodded. "It is an old family recipe. Four kinds of pasta, chopped vegetables, herbs and spices, the secret ingredient - I'll be doing that part, mind you — "

"Does it have meat in it?" Sailor Waddle Dee wondered. And, when Bow Waddle Dee nodded, he asked: "Wh-what if I'm a vegetarian?"

Kawasaki's mother looked at him. "No."

"Okay."

Do. Not. Tell her. You already know. How. To make it. Emma thought slowly to herself, trying to keep her expression neutral. Don't tell her it's one of the few things that you can cook!

She had not signed up for this!

---

Back in Cappy Town, unprecedented things were also about to occur.

It started that very night.

While Kawasaki's mother, Emma, Bow Waddle Dee, Bandanna Waddle Dee, Sailor Waddle Dee, and Fen were eating the spaghetti bolognese (which had spaghetti, rigatoni, conchiglie with knobs like spikes on them, and teddy bear-shaped pasta because nobody - even Kawasaki's mother - had wanted to use the Waddle Dee-shaped pasta), Kawasaki was serving the Waddle Dees, Waddle Doo, Kirby, Fololo, and Falala the dinner of Thinwhiches.

They were not allowed to have seconds - Falala found this out the hard way when she went back up there and said: "Can I please have some more?"

"More?!" Kawasaki repeated, in clear disbelief. He shook his head. "No, you can't! But, you can have all the water you want!"

"Really?"

"No."

Falala just stared at him. "Cheapskate." She muttered, before she turned and left.

"Why are we even here again?" Fololo asked her, as she came back over to him.

"Oh, you're right!" She realised. "We should just go and have dinner with Tiff and Tuff!"

A nearby Waddle Dee gave her a plaintive look, as if wishing to be able to go with her.

"Are you coming, Kirby?" Fololo asked Kirby, who shook his head.

"I guess he still misses Emma." Falala whispered to Fololo, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay, here." He handed Kirby his Thinwhich and left with Falala.

Kirby was a little bit happier to get a second helping of the pitiful meal … until he realised that all of the Waddle Dees who were sitting around him were looking hungrily at the second Thinwhich. "Poyo . . . "

---

Meanwhile, Dedede and Escargoon were busy congratulating themselves on coming up with this plan.

"Fair's fair." Escargoon snickered.

"Right!" Dedede agreed. "Them Waddle Dees gets one meal a day, just the same as I do!"

"There's only one difference . . . " Escargoon pointed out.

"My meal lasts all day!" Dedede looked out over the roast dinner. "This is the portions that I couldn't eat this morning!" He paused. "I just wish Kawasaki hadn't sent my Emma off on that errand, so that she could be here with me . . . " He added, somewhat grumpily.

"Oh, here we go . . . " Escargoon groaned softly.

"Somewhere … out there . . . " Dedede sang mournfully, and then switched songs to: "If my … heart had wings, I would fly to you — !" He then sighed, and finished up with: "And it's driving me mad, I miss you so bad . . . " He sighed. "This is all Kawasaki's fault for sending my Emma off on that errand!"

"Uh, but if he hadn't done that then he would've had to go himself." Escargoon pointed out. "And, then who would make the Thinwhiches?"

"I just can't win!" Dedede complained, just as the doors to the dining room burst open, and Waddle Doo came hurrying in.

"Majesty! Emergency!"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Dedede blinked.

"We're busy complaining here." Escargoon added.

What have they got to complain about? Waddle Doo wondered, eyeing the roast. "It's about what you're feeding the Waddle Dees, or more accurately what you're not feeding them!"

"Them there sandwiches is absolutely free!" Dedede informed him, like that settled the case.

"They're absolutely free of any taste or nutritional value!" Waddle Doo argued.

"What's your point?" Dedede wanted to know.

"The Waddle Dees don't get paid, your majesty," Waddle Doo reminded him. "But if you don't feed them right there's gonna be big trouble."

That stopped Dedede and Escargoon for a second.

"Trouble?" Escargoon repeated.

"Pretty soon you're gonna find the Waddle Dees revolting!" Waddle Doo warned them. They wouldn't know how to handle a revolt from those guys if their lives depended on it!

Escargoon suddenly sighed. "That's okay, we already find the Waddle Dees revolting." He said.

Dedede took the opportunity to smack Escargoon upside the head, as he told Waddle Doo: "If they don't like the food, too bad!"

"Fine!" Waddle Doo retorted, as he turned and marched out of the dining room.

He marched all the way down the hall, around the corner, down the staircase, and into the Waddle Dees' living quarters.

The spread of food on the table looked even better than the one that Dedede had been preparing to tuck into. Roast potatoes, roast pumpkin, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, peas, corn on the cob with butter, Brussel sprouts with butter, gravy and white sauce, and a whole entire turducken.

"'And, now we're back, with Marvel On Forty-Third Road.'"

The Waddle Dees were drooling as they watched the holiday movie on TV, looking like they wanted to dive right into the screen. A few dazed expressions here and there indicated that some had tried to.

It was more than Waddle Doo could bear.

"We'll show that lousy cheapskate." He muttered, going over to help a group of Waddle Dees who fainted as the dessert was shown - the figgy pudding with custard and raisins and brandy, port wine jelly trifle, shortbread cookie assortment, and Pfeffernüsse being too much for them to handle.

---

Things went from bad to worse between then and breakfast time the next day.

The Waddle Dees were so hungry and lethargic that they could barely move, and things took a turn for the absolute worst when it came time for lunch (it had been decided that yesterday's dinner was the last dinner - all other meals for the Waddle Dees would now be lunch and lunch only).

If you could call the Thinwhiches lunch, that is.

Which no one in their right mind would.

Even as Kawasaki served the practically non-existent meals again, he paused. "Hmm … is something wrong?"

Waddle Doo ran up to him. "You ain't serving them enough chow!" He said. "How they s'posed to work when they're hungry all the time?!" He exchanged a glance with the tired-looking Waddle Dee next to him. "They want you to turn your Thinwhiches into Thickwiches!"

"Uh, I'm real sorry!" Kawasaki said. "But if I make them thicker I can't make money!" He then had to duck as a plate suddenly came flying at him. "That's rude!" He admonished the Waddle Dee who was standing near Waddle Doo … and then he froze.

That Waddle Dee, who had been wearing a lethargic expression up until now, was glaring at Kawasaki with such unusual ferocity for a Waddle Dee that he was suddenly at a loss for words.

And, looking around to see that every single other Waddle Dee in the vicinity was now glaring his way with the exact same expression made him realise that something was about to happen.

Something bad . . .

But, even he didn't realise that that meant that the Waddle Dees would take over the whole entire castle, capturing everyone who wasn't one of them, and raiding every single food source they could find!

"You mean this uprising is over food?!" Meta Knight asked, trying to mask his surprise. "Hmm . . . " He suddenly recalled something that had happened a few years back … when a certain young Waddle Dee wearing a sailor's cap had wreaked havoc onboard the Halberd after ending up there by mistake . . .

'GIMME FOOOOD!' He had practically screamed, and only once he had been fed did he start to calm down, and even apologise for his actions. 'It's in the nature of a Waddle Dee to be forever grateful if we're offered food, but the opposite is also true.'

Meta Knight hadn't completely interpreted what Sailor Waddle Dee had meant at that stage. But, with a start, he now realised what that warning had meant . . .

---

Emma hummed to herself as she finished carrying the pot over to the sink for Bandanna Waddle Dee to wash. She then realised that she was humming the theme song from the Two Fat Ladies Cooking Adventures, and sighed. Just under twenty-four hours at Kawasaki's mother's, and she was already turning into a chef.

Sort of.

She couldn't help but wonder how things were going back in Cappy Town, though. She hadn't wanted to tell Bandanna Waddle Dee and Sailor Waddle Dee, but, she had a bad feeling about something.

Her thoughts about the potential situation back in Cappy Town vanished, however, when there was a sudden knocking on the door.

"Can you get that?!" Kawasaki's mother called from the TV room, where she was watching Circle Of Prosperity. "It's probably Yokohama!"

"Isn't it too early for him to be here, though?" Emma wondered, as she walked to the front door with all three Waddle Dees and Fen in tow. She opened the door. "Hello — ?" She broke off abruptly.

A group of men (of a similar race to Kawasaki and his mother) were standing there, and something about their appearances gave Emma such an ominous feeling that she couldn't speak.

Some of them were wearing black suits, and some of them were wearing work clothes … they were probably the ones who were responsible for the machinery that Emma could see, on the road just beyond the front yard.

Bow Waddle Dee took one look at the situation and gasped. "Madam!" She cried, turning and running back into the house.

Sailor Waddle Dee looked shocked. "They can't just go ahead and demolish the house like this!" He exclaimed.

The man at the front of the group, who wore dark sunglasses to go with his suit, stepped forwards. "Actually, you will find that we can." He held up a piece of paper briefly, so fast that it could barely be seen, and then said. "We are giving you all five minutes to vacate the premises before we start our demolition."

"Five minutes to pack up a whole entire house?!" Sailor Waddle Dee cried. "That - that's just despicable!"

"Sailor Waddle Dee," Emma said suddenly, in a low voice. "Take Gypsy Moth over to the southern field, with the carriage — "

"Yes, yes, move the horse, but hurry up about it!" The man with the sunglasses said briskly.

Emma's head snapped up. "If you want to take this house," she said, her hand flying up to the Star Pendant, and her voice shaking. "Then you'll have to go through me!"

"And, me!" Bandanna Waddle Dee added, as Sailor Waddle Dee scurried off to move Gypsy Moth away from the impending fight.

The men didn't seem to take much stock of this, considering that all they saw was one woman and a Waddle Dee in a bandanna.

"Mr. Hugo's not gonna like this . . . " The man with the sunglasses muttered, shaking his head. "We can't afford anymore delays . . . "

"It's a permanent delay." Emma said sharply, as her pendant began to glow; the light was reflected in the man's sunglasses. "So, either you leave here, or we're taking out those construction machines!" In the back of her mind, she said a silent apology to her nephew back home, as he loved construction machines and tools and stuff. She hoped that he would be proud of what she was about to do, though.

"Men," the man with the sunglasses said, just as sharply. "Remove all occupants of the house, by force if you have to!"

"Looks like we're doing this the hard way." Emma realised.

"I'm with you!" Bandanna Waddle Dee told her, taking out a spear with an orangey-yellow ribbon tied just below the tip. I don't even feel scared!

"Thank you." Emma said to him, and, she meant it.

The purple light from the pendant changed to a soft creamy-pink colour, that transformed into ribbons that immediately swirled around her . . .

---

"I'm glad Emma's not here." Tiff said suddenly.

"Why not, Tiff?" Her brother said. "She'd probably be able to help, you know."

They were still holed up in Meta Knight's living room, hoping that they wouldn't be discovered by the Waddle Dees and wondering who would get eaten first if they did find them.

"Is there a transformation for this kind of situation?" Tiff wondered, and looked at Meta Knight. "Well?"

Meta Knight sounded thoughtful. "Not exactly … there is a transformation that can create a food-like substance, but it is almost as tasteless as you say these 'Thinwhiches' were, and really only suitable for combat."

"Oh." Tiff and Tuff said in unison, looking disappointed.

"However," Meta Knight went on. "There is another power of that transformation — "

He was cut off suddenly by a loud pounding sound from the door of the room, and they all froze, staring in horror as the door was suddenly smashed to pieces by a group of Waddle Dees who had gotten ahold of King Dedede's hammer.

"Ahhh! They ate the king first!" Tuff cried. "Now I'm glad Emma's not here!" He added.

"Oh, Tuff, they didn't eat Dedede, they just stole his hammer!" Tiff said impatiently, even as she edged back, pushing her brother with her as the Waddle Dees advanced on them.

Blade Knight and Sword Knight immediately drew their swords and prepared to hold back the onslaught, as Fololo and Falala (who had been chased throughout the courtyard by a group of Waddle Dees brandishing garden rakes, before finding their way to the room) were instructed by Meta Knight to open up a secret passageway in the fireplace.

"Hurry, Kirby!" Tiff called, and they, Tuff, Fololo, and Falala dived into the escape route.

Meta Knight then turned, and prepared to be the last line of defence against the Waddle Dees. Not that he expected Blade Knight and Sword Knight to fall. Based on skills and experience, those two outmatched every single Waddle Dee in this castle. But, that was one problem. There were just so many Waddle Dees!

Plus, it was incredibly hard to not kill an opponent who wasn't thinking clearly enough to share that same resolve.

You could only do it for long before something gave.

And, Meta Knight couldn't help but share in the sentiment that it was a good thing that Emma wasn't here. And, that she had taken Sailor Waddle Dee and Bandanna Waddle Dee on her trip with her.

---

One would have thought that being dressed the way that Emma was would inhibit movement. But, when you thought about how quickly chefs had to move around kitchens, it actually started to make sense.

Plus, Emma thought, as she twisted out of the way of one of the men in black suits who knew martial arts. This ensemble is kind of cute!

She was wearing a white button-up shirt with dark red hems on the puffy sleeves, and a pink and red plaid calf-length skirt with a white petticoat underneath and a white apron over it. She had on white tights and dark red ankle boots, and around her neck was a light pink foulard with her pendant clipped to it. On her head was a white chef's hat with a red stripe around the lower part of it.

"Just get on with it, it's just one woman playing chef!" The man with the sunglasses had told his men, not knowing that the transformation did more than just change its user's outward appearance.

For, when Emma dodged, the nearby rocks were not only drawn in by her movements, they turned into what looked like cakes - cakes which splattered down on her enemies, giving Bandanna Waddle Dee the chance to swiftly knock them out (he inwardly apologised each time - even if they were the bad guys, he still wasn't thrilled about having to hurt anybody!).

When one of the men in suits backed Emma up to the koi pond, she quickly raised her arms.

The water and the koi immediately rose up - the water changed into something that looked like syrup, which was carried along in a river by the koi who had changed into … jelly fish?

"Mero mero mero mero!" The jelly fish chanted, as they flew along.

"Fly, my pretties!" Emma called, as the jelly fish wrapped up the suited man and made him trip.

The syrup and the jelly fish then reverted back into water and regular fish. Most of the fish made it back into the pond.

"Here you go." Bandanna Waddle Dee said, as he scooped up the last koi and put it back into the pond … just as he sensed something and froze.

One of the men was holding a gun, and pointing it right at him!

Bandanna Waddle Dee was terrified.

So was Emma. "No!" She cried, but she was unable to get to him as man in a suit was approaching her with a rope. And, even as she turned the rope into a piece of licorice, she could do nothing to save Bandanna Waddle Dee! "Please, don't do it — !"

There was a sudden shout, and then a small shape came hurtling at the man with the gun.

Wielding two spears with reddish pink ribbons below the tips, one in each hand, Bow Waddle Dee knocked the gun out of the man's hand, and simultaneously pushed him back using the second spear like a bo staff.

Bandanna Waddle Dee's eyes were very wide, even as Emma ran to him to make sure he was okay, and Bow Waddle Dee stood there looking like she was ready to do some serious damage from then on in.

"Hey, boss?!" One of the men in suits called nervously, from where he was perched atop the letterbox because Fen was growling savagely at him. "Uh, maybe we should just call it off — ?!"

"Do you have any idea what Mr. Hugo will do if we lose this land?!" The man with the sunglasses yelled at him. He then turned to the construction crew and said: "Begin demolition! We'll make them move!"

Emma, Bandanna Waddle Dee, Bow Waddle Dee, and Fen were horrified.

Kawasaki's mother was still inside!

Emma was staring at the demolition machines, and then she looked down as the machines were started.

She then snapped her head up, and raised her arm, feeling something appearing in her hand as she did.

---

Yokohama was a few years older than Kawasaki, and looked very similar to him, except that he wasn't a chef - he was a businessman.

He whistled cheerfully to himself, his briefcase swinging from his hand, as he walked with purpose down the road towards his mother's house - the very same house where he and Kawasaki had grown up, in fact, and he was very fond of it. He had worked hard to ensure that his mother could keep the home.

Yokohama was almost there, when two figures suddenly appeared on the road in front of him.

One was a Waddle Dee wearing a sailor hat, and the other was a white horse.

"Yokohama!" The Waddle Dee exclaimed, not even bothering to introduce himself or say how he knew Yokohama. He sounded panicked. "The developers showed up with the demolition crew!"

Yokohama gasped. "Mother!" He called, dropping his briefcase and running now towards the house. Those vultures! How dare they!

He came over the hill, and … he stopped.

He couldn't believe what he saw.

There appeared to be a number of what looked like very large pieces of cake in his mother's front yard.

Sitting atop a slice of carrot cake were two more Waddle Dees and a red Flying Fox, and all three of them looked both amused and confused at the same time.

The yard was littered with men in suits and construction workers - some were unconscious and some just didn't know how to react to the whole entire situation.

A man with dark glasses, whom Yokohama recognised as a land developer, was bent over on all fours and pounding the ground, wailing: "How could one woman turn all of our machines into cakes?!"

"Yuck!" A construction worker suddenly cried, from where he had just bravely tried a piece of what looked like Black Forest cake. "It tastes like bulldozer treads! I mean … what I imagine bulldozer treads would taste like!" He added hurriedly, when he got a few weird looks.

"Mr. Hugo is going to be furious!" The sunglasses-wearing land developer said.

"Not nearly as furious as I am!" Came a voice, and Yokohama looked up. Standing on top of a very tall piece of strawberry shortcake was a woman dressed in chef's attire, and wearing a gleaming pendant. Her hazel eyes were flashing, and she was holding a rather large and decidedly magical-looking whisk in one hand; her other hand was on her hip. She pointed the whisk at the developer suddenly, and said: "So, you can just tell this Mr. Hugo to keep his greedy eyes away from this place! Or else, I'll turn every single wrecking ball that he sends into chocolate balls!"

"B-but … Mr. Hugo hates chocolate!"

"So, tell him to stay away and it won't ever be an issue!"

---

"And, that's what happened." Bow Waddle Dee finished up.

Kawasaki's mother looked at her, and then at Emma, and said: "So, you've got a lot of spunk to go up against those developers, haven't you?"

Emma, now back to normal, just shrugged. "I had to do something. They were gonna knock down the house with you in it."

Kawasaki's mother rolled her eyes. "I'm tougher than I look." She said dismissively. "Nobody gets in the way of me and my shows." She added.

Emma couldn't doubt that. The old lady hadn't even emerged from her house when Bow Waddle Dee had told her what was going on, or even when Emma had started using her slightly crazy new powers to start turning bulldozers and wrecking balls into tasteless cakes.

She pictured what could have happened if she hadn't stopped the demolition crew - most of the house would have been destroyed, and Kawasaki's mother would still be sitting there amidst the rubble, yelling at the TV for the contestant to spin the darned circle and win a brand new Georgette Forewoman grill.

Yokohama coughed.

Emma glanced at him, marvelling at how he had taken everything in his stride. Both she and Yokohama had been thankful when Sailor Waddle Dee had retrieved his suitcase for him - it had meant that he could hand the developer some legal documents that said once and for all who the land belonged to. It left no room for questions at that point, and no need for whatever had been on that piece of paper that the land developer had not really tried to show them.

Emma wouldn't have been surprised if that piece of paper had been full of nothing but lorem ipsem.

---

Half an hour ago . . .

The land developer looked defeated, as he called off his fellows.

"If Mr. Hugo has any questions, just get him to call me." Yokohama said to them, straightening his tie. "Tell him that, as long as he's civil, I'm willing to speak with him."

"I can speak with him, too!" Emma spoke up, still holding onto her magical whisk. "Unless he'd rather do things the hard way!" She tapped the whisk against her palm a few times.

The developer cringed.

"Don't worry," Yokohama told him, sighing. "I'm approachable."

"I'm not!" Emma stated.

Yokohama had been wondering about this woman that his younger brother had sent to take care of their mother. The developers and the construction workers were absolutely terrified of her. After all, she had almost single-handedly cost them over two-hundred million in D-bills, since she admitted that she had no idea how to change the cakes back into construction vehicles.

"But … my wallet's in there!" Came a cry from one of the construction workers. "My kids' baby photos . . . "

Yokohama was surprised to find, once things had settled down, that this Emma was in fact a very kind-natured woman, starting with when she ventured into a large slice of berry cheesecake to retrieve the wallet.

She also thanked Sailor Waddle Dee for moving her horse away from the situation, fussed over Bandanna Waddle Dee since he'd nearly been shot at, and praised both him and Bow Waddle Dee for their help.

And, then there was that . . .

"Mother . . . " Yokohama ventured, as he wiped his shoes free of cake base before entering the house. "When did you get this Waddle Dee . . . ?"

"Oh, she showed up just after the doctor left! I told you that I didn't need any extra help!"

---

Present . . .

"I'm sorry you had to come all this way." Yokohama apologised to Emma, as they now all sat down in the TV room.

She shook her head. "It is absolutely fine, I learned a lot." She smiled.

"Just as long as she didn't tell you any family secrets — " Yokohama murmured, just as his mother cut him off.

"It's paprika."

Yokohama gasped. The secret ingredient!

"Whoa . . . " Sailor Waddle Dee whispered.

Emma looked pale, but then she nodded slowly.

"Can you cook it by yourself, now?" Kawasaki's mother asked her.

"Yes, I-I think so . . . "

"Good. At least you won't need to go off and get trained by some hotshot chef with his own TV show!"

Emma blinked. "You mean Chef Shi — Shiitake?" Or, is it . . . ?

"And, now, we're back!" The voice on the TV said. "Let's give it up for Chef Shiitake Osaka, as it's time for Kung Fu Cook!"

"Oh."

---

As Emma, Bandanna Waddle Dee, Sailor Waddle Dee, Fen, and Gypsy Moth were getting ready to leave, Yokohama helped them to get the ingredients that they had been given into the carriage.

"Guard it well." He said, handing Emma a gift pack of paprika, complete with a vermillion bow.

"You're not talking about what you just handed me, are you?" She guessed.

"No, I am not." Yokohama shook his head. "But, I can understand why she told you. Thank you, again, for saving her and this house."

Emma just nodded, as the mother of Kawasaki and Yokohama hobbled out of the house, followed by Bow Waddle Dee.

"It really is too bad," she said to Emma, like they had just been talking about whatever she was about to say (instead of this coming completely out of the blue). "That you had to come all the way out here just because my sons can't stop worrying for no good reason."

"Mother," Yokohama tried to say. "You can barely walk, the doctor said you hit him with your cane when he looked at your broken foot, and now there's giant cake slices all over your front yard — "

"Quiet you!" She snapped, and then turned to Emma, who was cringing because the cakes were her fault. "Now, I've been thinking, that I need to repay you, all the same." She held up her hand when Emma tried to speak. "You be quiet, too! I'm decades older than you, I've earned my right to speak without being interrupted!"

Emma glanced at Yokohama, who just shrugged.

"I know!" The old woman suddenly said. "Why don't you take this one with you?" And, she motioned to Bow Waddle Dee.

Emma gasped. "Oh, no!" She said immediately. "I really couldn't — !"

"I said be quiet!" The old woman snapped. "You're taking her with you and that's all there is to it! She can work at that castle where these two work!" She added, glancing at the other two Waddle Dees. "The king's your boyfriend, isn't he? Well, tell him you've got another hard-worker, he can't so no to free labor!" She laughed.

Emma swallowed. Even though she'd been warned to always agree with the old lady, one thing needed to be cleared up, first and foremost. "Umm … K-King Dedede is n-not my boyfriend - Yokohama, please stop shaking your head, this is one misconception that cannot be glossed over - but . . . " She sighed. "I don't suppose he'll mind. I mean, there's over two thousand Waddle Dees there as it is, he probably won't even notice an extra one. But," she went on, looking down now at Bow Waddle Dee, who was looking up at her. "I will certainly know you're there … I enjoyed cooking with you, and fighting alongside you. I'd be glad to take you along, if you want to come, that is."

Bow Waddle Dee nodded, her eyes lighting up. "I do! Because … I also had a lot of fun." She admitted. "Umm … will it really be okay, though?"

"Don't worry." Emma reassured her. "I know that we'll work something out. The king's not that bad . . . "

"He also really likes Emma!" Bandanna Waddle Dee pointed out, and Bow Waddle Dee glanced at him.

"And, Emma said that she liked him." Sailor Waddle Dee added.

"Hey!" Emma exclaimed. "It should be up to me to tell people that!"

"I already heard — " Kawasaki's mother said, in a sing-song voice.

"I want you guys to forget that." Emma told them all.

Sailor Waddle Dee was still talking to Bow Waddle Dee. "Also, the king listens to Emma!"

Emma blushed brilliantly. "Ahem … m-maybe . . . " I can feel something, though … oh, no … don't tell me that he didn't listen to me before I left!

---

Emma had to resist the urge to make Gypsy Moth go faster than was absolutely necessary on the return trip. Her heart was pounding, though.

Every step closer to Cappy Town, and she could feel that her fears were correct.

And, they were all-but confirmed when they were near the castle (she had let Gypsy Moth canter a good distance) and Sailor Wade Dee and Bandanna Waddle Dee suddenly gasped.

"What is it?!" Emma was almost too afraid to hear the answer.

"I-I'm not sure . . . " Bandanna Waddle Dee said softly. "But . . . "

"Is it the Waddle Dees?" Emma asked them. She knew that they had a telepathic connection, probably from working together or to do with their race or … something . . .

Bandanna Waddle Dee nodded.

"Everyone's angry," Sailor Waddle Dee said. "Like, really angry … no … wait, they're hungry … they're . . . "

"Could they perhaps be both?!" Bow Waddle Dee whispered, her eyes widening.

The other two Waddle Dees nodded.

"They're hangry?!" Emma couldn't believe it, and she pulled Gypsy Moth to a stop before they reached the castle grounds. She jumped down from the carriage, and said: "You three stay here and take care of Gypsy Moth!" She began running towards the castle.

"But, it's dangerous!" Bandanna Waddle Dee and Sailor Waddle Dee both cried in unison.

---

I should have tried harder to get him to listen to me! Emma thought, as she ran through the halls of Castle Dedede, dodging around broken statues and torn tapestries. Or, I should have spoken more to Escargoon about a potential crisis before I left!

She could hear the sounds of commotion coming from the dining room, and so headed there.

Bursting through the doors, she was quick to take in the sight before her.

Kirby, who was now Cook Kirby (complete with a chef's hat and frying pan), was busy either fighting against a Monster or trying to avoid being cooked by it. The Monster, whom Emma immediately identified as Fryclops, was unrelenting, although he wasn't exactly Emma's main concern right then. She knew that Cook Kirby (or, any Kirby) could handle it.

No, the problem was the Waddle Dees.

I thought that Kirby and Fryclops were supposed to have competed to see who could feed the Waddle Dees the best! Emma was shocked to see the hateful glares on the faces of the usually loveable Waddle Dees. But, these poor fellas are still hungry! Oh my God … their poor hearts are suffering! She didn't even really notice who else was in the room - King Dedede, Escargoon, Chef Kawasaki, Lady Like, Sir Ebrum, Tiff, Tuff, Fololo, and Falala. She didn't seem to notice that Meta Knight, Blade Knight, and Sword Knight had just come into the room via a secret passageway.

She didn't even notice that her pendant was glowing, with the purple glow changing to a creamy-pink that became ribbons that wrapped around her.

All she knew was that these poor Waddle Dees were hungry - no, starving - and that she had to feed them!

It wasn't going to be the same as before. That kind of power was used only for combat.

But, she had the ingredients … she had the knowledge … and, with her powers, she had the ability to cut down the preparation time and cooking time, and feed the starving Waddle Dees . . .

---

Emma may not have really paid attention to what was going on in the dining room when she ran in, but her presence was immediately noticed by everybody else, especially when she began to transform.

"Whoa, she's angry . . . " Tuff observed.

Dedede, who had been looking thrilled to see Emma again, began to look worried.

"Wait a minute . . . " Tiff peered closely at the red-haired woman who was now dressed as a chef. "Is she … crying?"

"Probably tears of anger." Tuff remarked.

It wasn't exactly clear and it really didn't matter because, right then, a frypan and a ladle appeared in Emma's hands, and she held both high above her head and began tapping them together.

All of the Waddle Dees in the room immediately turned towards her, still glaring but with an obvious question on their minds.

"A cook's job is to feed the hungry people." Emma said, in a slightly thick voice. "And, that means you fellas!"

There was a slight rumbling sound that followed this, and then suddenly ingredients were flying into dining room, swirling around the giant cooking pot that Fryclops had left unattended when Kirby had transformed into Cook Kirby and began their battle.

"Uh-oh . . . " Tuff looked around, and spotted Meta Knight, who was watching intently. "Hang on, Meta Knight, didn't you say that the food created with this transformation is always tasteless?"

"That is true," he responded calmly, watching as Emma stirred the contents of the pot with the ladle and used the frying pan to push Fryclops away from her, back to face Kirby. "However, these are not ingredients that she is conjuring up on her own. And, as long as she has been shown how to make the meal just once, then Chef Emma is about to impress with a culinary masterpiece!" He noticed that Blade Knight and Sword Knight appeared to be just staring at him. "What? It is true . . . " He looked back to where Emma was.

"What does Meta Knight know about culinary masterpieces?" Sword Knight whispered to Blade Knight, who mumbled something. "Yeah, you said it . . . "

"Said what?" Meta Knight asked, not taking his eyes off of Emma now, though.

Blade Knight and Sword Knight both flinched.

"Uh . . . " Blade Knight coughed.

"That this is probably going to be a meal beyond compare!" Sword Knight invented.

As they watched, Emma paused, and tilted her head to one side … just as three Waddle Dees ran into the dining room.

Bandanna Waddle Dee and Sailor Waddle Dee began distributing plates and cutlery quickly amongst their fellows.

And, a Waddle Dee wearing a bow and carrying something bound with a vermillion ribbon declared: "Secret ingredient!" As she hopped up next to Emma and handed her one of the bottles from the box.

"Add just that much!" Emma agreed, adding the reddish-coloured powder. "And, just like that, it's done!" She raised the ladle, as a timer dinged from … somewhere. "I've made enough for everyone! There's food for every Waddle Dee! You won't want seconds, wait and see! Some for you, and you, and you! And, also some for Waddle Doo!" She finished singing, and then pointed with her ladle. "Dinner is served!" She declared.

The contents of the pot started flying out, and distributing itself amongst the Waddle Dees, whose expression immediately changed as they began to tuck in.

"They're back to normal!" Tuff exclaimed. He was watching the Waddle Dees and Waddle Doo eat their spaghetti bolognese, and then realised: "Hey, I want some, too!"

A nearby Waddle Dee pointed to a vacant seat, and Tuff sat down as Bandanna Waddle Dee brought him a plate and cutlery.

"Hey, thanks!" Tuff cheered, as some spaghetti bolognese flew onto the plate. "Oh, wow, this is so good!"

"For once, I do not mind if he talks with his mouthful." Lady Like whispered to Sir Ebrum, who nodded.

"Thank you!" Fololo and Falala chimed in unison, also sitting down as they were brought plates and cutlery and served the spaghetti bolognese.

Waddle Doo paused in his vigorous eating just long enough to wave to Emma. "Yes, the Waddle Dees and I also thank you! You are truly the Cooking Princess! No … the Kitchen Queen! No … the Domestic Goddess!" He then flinched, as something came close to hitting him in the eye. "Hey, watch my eye! I'm not supposed to get mijiu in it!"

"Wow, dinner and a show." Tuff commented, looking up as he continued to eat.

Cook Kirby was still battling Fryclops, and the battle was about to reach its fiery conclusion.

Fryclops came back around for Emma again, and she again hit him with her frying pan, with a lot more force this time which sent him straight back to Cook Kirby.

Cook Kirby held up his own frying pan, and fire seemed to swirl around him as he connected the heavy cooking equipment with the Monster, who fell back and, by the time he reached the ground, he was reduced to nothing but a deep-fried fritter, which exploded into nothingness as soon as it hit the ground.

Almost everybody cheered.

Cook Kirby landed on a chair, where a plate and cutlery had just been placed, and the last of the spaghetti bolognese flew over to him, much to his joy. "Poyo!" He cheered, as his chef's hat disappeared, and the frying pan returned to Kawasaki, who was watching in awe from nearby.

"I guess they don't need me anymore . . . " He said, a little bit sadly.

"It's not entirely your fault, you know." Tiff told him, somewhat gently, before she turned to Dedede and Escargoon and said, in a very harsh voice: "It's yours!" She pointed at them, and they both flinched. "You starved the Waddle Dees to cut back on costs — !"

"It was a necessary budget cut!" Escargoon interrupted her.

"Nearly got everybody killed either by that Monster or the Waddle Dees themselves — !"

"I don't know nothing 'bout no Monster!" Dedede said stubbornly.

"And, we can't control what the Waddle Dees do!" Escargoon added.

"And made Emma cry!" Tiff finished up, pointing to Emma now.

Dedede and Escargoon flinched again, and turned slowly to look at Emma.

She did indeed look like she was crying, or at least struggling not to. Her eyes were very bright, and her nose was red, and she was breathing shakily, and sniffling.

The Waddle Dees and Waddle Doo all stopped to look at her.

"You - you all - just looked - so - so hungry!" Emma tried to say, clutching at the hem of her apron, as she now looked to be on the verge of a complete and total breakdown. "I could hear it - because of my transformation - your hearts were - were crying out! You weren't just hungry, you were - angry, and scared - and, confused - because you've been - so loyal, and - you didn't understand why this was happening!" The tears were starting to fall, now. "I just hope that - you'll forgive King Dedede - and - Escargoon, too - and - continue to stay here, and - show Bow Waddle Dee the ropes — !"

"Oh, Emma . . . " Bow Waddle Dee whispered.

"I'm - I'm sorry that - you all felt - so hurt! If - if I had've been here, or - if I had've tried harder to - remind the king - how lucky he is - to have you all here, then - then this wouldn't have happened! I'm sorry! I really don't - ever want to - to hear your hearts hurt so much - ever again, Waddle Dees!" Emma finished in a sort of wail, as she sank to her knees and broke down completely.

The Waddle Dees all looked completely and totally shocked, and then they all leapt out of their seats in unison and swarmed Emma in what could only be considered the largest group hug ever.

"The Waddle Dees don't want to see you so upset either!" Waddle Doo called to her. "And, they want you to know that they bear no ill-will towards anybody now, including the king and Escargoon!"

Emma sniffled, still being hugged by Waddle Dees. She wiped her eyes, as her transformation reverted back to her normal clothes. "R-really?"

It was Tiff who answered. "As long as they promise to never do anything like this, ever again!" She warned Dedede and Escargoon.

"We promise!" Dedede said quickly, before Escargoon could talk. He was looking at Emma, and fidgeting slightly, and then he went on with: "After all, how could I ever do this to my girl again?! You'll marry me, right?!" He asked Emma.

She looked shocked, and that was when they noticed how pale she looked.

"She's gonna faint!" Tiff realised.

Waddle Doo's one eye widened, and he ordered: "Quick, Waddle Dees, catch her!"

And, as Emma did indeed faint, and Dedede looked absolutely horrified, Meta Knight sighed.

"How many times has she used this transformation today?" He asked Sailor Waddle Dee.

"Umm, just once, Sir Meta Knight." Sailor Waddle Dee replied. "She used it earlier on to battle some kung fu land developers and construction workers — "

"Who had guns!" Bandanna Waddle Dee piped up.

"And," Sailor Waddle Dee continued. "She also turned six construction vehicles into giant tasteless cakes!"

Meta Knight nodded. "Chef Emma is indeed a wonderful transformation, but … it is also one that requires much stamina and, so, it would seem that using it twice in one day has worn her out."

"Oh . . . " Tiff nodded, understanding.

"Wait, so . . . " Kawasaki seemed to realise something. "I'm not out of the job?!"

"It seems that you are not." Meta Knight agreed, turning to him. "Now, would you kindly please tell me why Emma ended up in a fight with . . . " He paused, and then glanced at Sailor Waddle Dee and Bandanna Waddle Dee. "What did you say they were, again?"

"Kung fu land developers and construction workers." Sailor Waddle Dee said, very clearly.

"With guns." Bandanna Waddle Dee added.

"They worked for someone called 'Mr. Hugo'." Bow Waddle Dee suddenly said, as she came up to them. "They tried to shoot Ban-Dee here, and even went so far as to attempt to knock down the house with somebody still inside of it!"

"I see . . . " Meta Knight's eyes flashed briefly from red to green and then back to yellow, as he watched Fen start to lick Emma's face as she came to.

---

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The warrior that had come to see her had reddish-purple skin and blonde hair, and wore shades of green, except for a silver face mask that hid all but his eyes, which were red.

To his enemies, he appeared fierce, but to his friends, he was both powerfully inspirational and supportive.

"It's been awhile, Princess." He said, bowing respectfully to the young royal, who pouted.

"And, whose fault is that?" She asked him, but then she smiled, and said: "Well . . . ?"

The warrior laughed, and said: "I see that you are not to be deterred. Very well . . . " He half-turned, and the Princess looked quickly past him.

A woman with short white hair was walking towards them, carrying a baby in her arms.

The Princess gasped. "You didn't tell me they were coming, too!"

"You didn't ask." The warrior replied simply.

The Princess held the skirt of her dress as she hurried towards the woman and the baby, who was only about a month and a half old, with the same reddish-purple skin as his father and white hair of his mother.

"Princess," the woman said, once the young royal had reached her. "It is so good to see you again."

"And you." The Princess said happily, smiling up at the woman before she looked down at the baby, and reached out a hand towards him. "Hi, there … umm . . . ?"

The baby suddenly swung his fist out at the Princess, his pinkish-red eyes never once leaving her golden ones, even as she jumped back, looking startled and holding her hand where the baby's fist had connected. Even at this early age, he was very strong.

His parents laughed, and his father explained: "We call him Knuckle Joe."

"Knuckle Joe." The Princess repeated, smiling despite the shock of being hit by a baby, and waving off the guards who actually looked ready to throw the baby into the dungeons. "I like him! Grow up strong, Knuckle Joe!"

The baby smiled at her . . .

But … not long after that … things became hazy, almost like everything was set to be chronically obscured by a cloud of tears.

The Princess was sitting down, holding the baby Knuckle Joe in one arm (which was resting on a cushion for support) as she pressed her free hand to her mouth and tried to stop the tears.

Next to her, Knuckle Joe's mother couldn't do the same - she cried openly for what the two warriors before them had just finished telling them.

No … it was like Garlude all over again, with so many similar factors in place . . .

The Princess knew that she must be strong … she wasn't just the Princess of her whole entire kingdom, she was the one who was destined to guide the Star Warriors and, by extension, the whole entire Galaxy Soldier Army to victory against their enemies. She must hold back her emotions … for the sake of the war widow who was weeping beside her … and, for the sake of the half-orphan who was gazing up at her intently . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

---

King Dedede had insisted that Emma spend the night at Castle Dedede, and Emma was too tired to protest.

Meta Knight had sort of tried to explain to her about her stamina and how the different transformations might use different amounts of her energy, even as she'd fallen asleep at four o'clock in the afternoon.

The last time that she'd done that, she recalled, had been when she'd flown to Bali one time and had two of those little 187ml bottles of red wine - or, four standard drinks all up but it might as well have been doubled at that altitude, because with a complete lack of sleep to go with it she'd been basically out of it since the plane had touched down on the island of the gods (thank goodness they hadn't gotten into any trouble in customs or something) and had had another glass or two when visiting relatives at the hotel across the street before returning to her room and sleeping from four in the afternoon until half past seven the next morning, when her sister had turned on Without Me by Halsey.

At that time, her mother and sister had come in regularly to check on her, waking her up once for chips, and making sure that she was okay.

Here in this other universe, though, the one who watched over her when she fell asleep in the afternoon was Meta Knight, which neither Emma herself nor King Dedede actually realised.

Meta Knight let Emma sleep throughout the night and was gone by the time that she woke up early the next morning, but, there had been one moment where Emma had woken up on her own during the night.

She hadn't opened her eyes, or really actually even been that awake at all, which is why she didn't feel Meta Knight's hand on her forehead when she came out of the dream that she'd just been having and which ensured that she had two tears falling from her own eyes.

And, she murmured probably the very last name that Meta Knight had expected to hear her say.

"Jecra . . . "