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:
. Low-moderate adult themes
. Mention of character death
Reader discretion is advised.
If this chapter raises any issues with you, please don't hesitate to talk to somebody about what you're feeling.
CHAPTER NINE
Forgiven Not Forgotten
The following day started off like any other … sort of.
Shield Knight found Blade Knight and Sword Knight waiting for her where she'd left them, after they'd insisted that she go and check on Emma.
"Well?" Sword Knight said straight away.
"She's fine." Shield Knight told them. "Although, she said that she had a restless night," she watched as the other two knights exchanged a glance. "Because she was dreaming about trying to summon a Sphere Doomer. So, I let her go back to sleep for a bit. Now, would you two please tell me what this is all about?" She expected Meta Knight to be concerned about Emma's wellbeing (to the point where he'd probably neglect his own) but, for Blade Knight and Sword Knight, it was a little bit … unusual. "What were you saying about a glowing orb of light?"
Before either of them could tell Shield Knight about what they had seen in the corridor outside of Emma's room the previous night, however, something very interesting happened.
They sensed movement behind them, and turned to observe the figure whom was marching angrily towards the front doors.
"After everything I've ever done for him, this is the thanks I get?!" The purple snail complained. "Well, I'd like to see him win over Emma without me to coach him through!" He added, pushing through the castle doors and then turning to slam them shut so hard that the windows shook.
"Who was that?" Blade Knight muttered.
"One very angry man." Shield Knight commented.
"Yeah, who seemed to know about the king's campaign to marry Emma." Sword Knight pointed out.
"According to Bandana Waddle Dee," Shield Knight said, glancing towards the front doors again and wondering who that purple snail had been. "It will be a minor miracle if the whole of Nightland doesn't know about it by now."
"Has anybody told the king about this?" Sword Knight wondered, just as Sailor Waddle Dee approached them.
"Don't tell him right now." He warned the three knights. "He's a bit angry because that stranger was somehow able to enter the castle and everything."
"Well, that makes two of them." Sword Knight commented.
"Okay, seriously," Shield Knight said. "Who was that man?"
The other three shrugged. They didn't know who that purple snail was, either.
Today was just not Escargoon's day. There was no way that the entire population of Castle Dedede (all two thousand or so of them) didn't know who he was! But, the idea that they were all conspiring against him was even more ridiculous!
So then, what on earth was going on?!
Escargoon found himself wandering on the outskirts of Cappy Town, near to where the mayor's house and sheep paddocks were.
He found the mayor himself outside, tending to the mother sheep and her week-old lamb.
The mother sheep took one look at Escargoon, and immediately placed herself between him and her baby. Mayor Blustergas turned around as this happened, saw Escargoon approaching him, and said, somewhat apologetically: "I'm sorry, she is rather protective with her young one around strangers at the moment."
Escargoon was about to flinch, when he realised that his up-close interactions with the mother sheep and her lamb were zero, so of course he was a stranger … to them, at least.
Ignoring the somewhat politely distant way that the mayor was speaking to him (and, not really noticing the fact that the other sheep were starting to eye him suspiciously), Escargoon said: "Well, either way, it sure is a beautiful day to look for a new job!" Because I sure as heck can't go back to the castle! This is all King Dedede's fault!
The mayor took off his hat and, still speaking apologetically but now with no mistake to the distance in his tone: "Sorry, have we met some place before?"
This time, Escargoon couldn't help but flinch back in horror, as he cried: "Aahh! You don't know me?! But, I've been tormenting your town for ages, now . . . "
"How interesting." The mayor said politely.
Escargoon leaned closer to him, unable to keep the slowly simmering anger out of his voice when he said: "You really don't know me?" Just to be sure.
"N-no, sir." The mayor shook his head. "I'm very sorry … maybe you're confusing me with the mayor of another town?" He suggested.
"So, you've never seen my face before?"
"No."
Escargoon sighed. "Oh. Then … maybe it's me who's all mixed up?"
"If you're lost, sir," Mayor Blustergas said. "You can always visit our police station and the chief will assist you — " He broke off abruptly when Escargoon suddenly got up even closer to him.
"This is some kind of mind game, isn't it?!" The snail said angrily. "I bet you're in cahoots with his highness!"
"I'm sorry, I — "
"Look, buster, I wasn't hatched yesterday, you know!" Escargoon's voice had risen, and so he didn't even notice the two figures who were approaching him. "So, unless you want trouble with a capital T, I suggest you drop the amnesia act now — " It was his turn to stop talking abruptly, as the sheep suddenly began to advance on him, and he began to back away, which is when he had the sense to turn around.
Bow Waddle Dee was standing there, with Gypsy Moth.
"What's going on here?" Bow Waddle Dee asked with confusion.
"You've gotta help me!" Escargoon said immediately and, forgetting about Gypsy Moth's mistrust in men that she didn't know too well, he approached the Waddle Dee and the horse - the former immediately looked on guard, and the latter's ears flattened against her head. "Please!" He added, throwing his arms up in the air. "Everybody is acting like they don't know me! The king's conspiring against me! Please, go and get Emma, he listens to her — !" Gypsy Moth suddenly spun around and kicked, sending Escargoon flying. "Aaaaahhhhh!"
Bow Waddle Dee, the mayor, and the sheep watched as Escargoon disappeared in the direction of Cappy Town.
"Oh my . . . " The mayor muttered. "Poor old chap . . . "
"Yeah," Bow Waddle Dee looked up at Gypsy Moth. "Hey, wasn't that a bit extreme, huh?" She asked the horse, who just whickered in response. Bow Waddle Dee put her hands on her hips. "Hey, I mean it! He was new here, and looked more than a little bit upset!"
"He seemed to want a job, by the sounds of it." Mayor Blustergas mused. "I should have suggested the castle . . . "
"Everybody there was so nice to me when I first showed up!" Bow Waddle Dee remembered. "Even my induction was a lot of fun … and then came the … hey … wait a minute . . . " She thought of something. "When it came to me passing my character check … who did I report to?"
"Waddle Doo?" The mayor suggested.
Bow Waddle Dee shook her head. "No. It wasn't Waddle Doo. He would've just hired me on the spot like he did with Sailor Waddle Dee, because apparently he's biased towards Waddle Dees . . . " She rolled her eyes, but she seemed troubled by something.
"According to . . . ?"
"I … actually don't know . . . "
"The king ordered a Monster last night?!" Tiff exclaimed quietly. "And, here I was thinking that he wouldn't do anything like that because Emma came back . . . " She was standing on a bridge overlooking a small creek. Fen was on her right, and Meta Knight was on her left - he was the one who had told Tiff about the Monster.
But, that seemed to be all that there was to it. Meta Knight hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary today, and neither had Tiff. But, of course, that didn't mean anything.
fen's large ears suddenly pricked up, and she jumped off of the bridge railing and growled, as somebody swiftly approached them.
Upon seeing the purple snail, Meta Knight immediately stood in front of Tiff.
The snail, however, stopped just after he got onto the bridge, breathing heavily like he had just run a marathon (and, considering how swiftly he had approached them, the idea of him being in a race wasn't so far fetched). He then suddenly pointed at Tiff. "Now look, Tiff," he then pointed at Meta Knight. "And Meta Knight," he then pointed at Fen, just for good measures. "And, you too, Fen! Don't tell me you're plotting against me with the king, too!" He wailed slightly.
Tiff's expression changed, and she said: "Oh, don't worry. We wouldn't help King Dedede to hurt anybody."
"We will do everything in our power to assist you, my friend." Meta Knight added.
The snail looked visibly relieved, as he said: "Oh, I knew I could count on your guys! Even though we've had our differences in the past . . . "
"Uh . . . " Tiff paused, and exchanged a glance with Meta Knight. She then looked back at the snail and said kindly: "Just tell us what's wrong."
"Oh!" The snail just about broke down at that point. "Everybody knows I'm Escargoon, but they're pretending they don't know me!"
Tiff and Meta Knight exchanged another glance, and now the knight could see how concerned the young girl was starting to get - whatever the problem was of this stranger … this Escargoon … she couldn't just ignore him when he was clearly in such distress.
She wasn't even thinking that, even if he did turn out to be dangerous, that Meta Knight was at least there to protect her. She thought about it later, but, right now, she was just too concerned about the crying snail on the bridge in front of her.
He just sounded so heartbroken!
"Aww, come on." She said, going over to him and patting him reassuringly on the shell. "You don't have to cry. We can help ya, okay?"
"Thank you!" The stranger known as Escargoon said to her, looking at her with tear-filled eyes that were the same colour as his shell. "I'm so grateful you guys know who I am! I thought I was losing my mind!"
Meta Knight, who hadn't said anything since offering his assistance before, now came forwards and said: "Uh, excuse us a moment, Escargoon … uh, Tiff, come here." He motioned for her to walk with him.
"You wait here." Tiff told Escargoon. "We'll be right back. Fen will keep you company." She added, and Escargoon glanced down at the Flying Fox, who gazed back up at him. It was impossible to tell what the little animal was thinking.
That is, until Escargoon wailed: "Oh, she's such a sweet kid! I promise I'll never be mean to Tiff again!"
And, Fen rolled her eyes. Escargoon took that to mean that she was thinking 'yeah, right' which meant that she didn't believe him but that meant that she remembered him!
However, Fen was actually rolling her eyes because of how overly dramatic Escargoon was being.
Meanwhile, Meta Knight was quietly asking Tiff if she had ever met the melodramatic snail before.
Tiff responded that she hadn't, and that she was only being nice to him because he seemed so upset.
Meta Knight mused that despite never having met the stranger, he had known all three of their names.
And, Escargoon chose that moment to say to Fen: "You know, Gypsy Moth kicked me into town before and nobody there knew who I was, but you guys did! I bet that Emma will, as well!"
"Yeah, and he knows about Emma and Gypsy Moth, too . . . " Tiff commented, not noticing that Meta Knight was now gazing even more into intently at Escargoon. "But, they haven't actually been here that long, and I don't think that she ever mentioned somebody like this … hmm … what if he's come here after losing his memory . . . ?"
"It is a possibility." Meta Knight replied. "We'd better keep an eye on him. In case his condition worsens."
"He claims to know Emma … but, would she have a friend who's that weird?" Tiff wondered.
But, she'd spoken too loud, and Escargoon had overheard her.
"Oh, mercy!" He could barely get the words out. "This is the darkest day of my life!" He hurried away before Tiff and Meta Knight realised what was happening.
"He might need our help . . . " Tiff said slowly. "But … what if . . . ?" She glanced at Meta Knight, somewhat uneasily.
He knew exactly what she wasn't saying - that she wanted to see what Emma had to say on the situation, since she might have heard about this snail as a character in that anime. "It might be a good idea to let Emma know what is going on." He said, somewhat reluctantly.
Tiff was once again reminded that Meta Knight seemed to have an almost connection with the young woman who came from another world. He was somewhat protective of her, for one thing, which was why Tiff had hesitated to mention her in a situation like this. She couldn't help but point out: "I'm sure that Emma will want to help him."
Meta Knight had to agree. "Yes … amnesia is a terrible thing . . . " He glanced past Tiff, and then he froze.
She looked. "He's gone!" She gasped, seeing that Escargoon was no longer there. "Fen! Did you see where he went?" The Flying Fox shook her head. "Well, can you see if you can find him? Try and keep an eye on him, okay?"
The Flying Fox nodded, and then paused, glancing at them both quizzically.
It was Meta Knight who answered: "We are going to go and get Emma."
Emma was, at that very moment in time, scribbling in her diary as fast as she could, trying to write down the dream that she had had before she forgot about it.
She was still intrigued as to who this princess was that she had started dreaming about, and why she was dreaming about her in the first place.
And, this princess's first knight (it sounded like something in a story!) … he seemed so familiar . . .
Emma set down her pencil on the bedside table, next to the crochet hook that Rowlin had given her the day before (the author was being escorted back to the train station by an entourage of Waddle Dees, and had left late yesterday) … her eyes then drifted over to a bag of wool that was also there . . .
"That's . . . ?" She trailed off.
A Waddle Dee had come by and given her the bag, she knew, but he hadn't done that on his own … had he . . . ? No . . .
Had he been sent?
Also no … somebody had been with him … because … somebody had explained to Emma about King Dedede's siblings … who had done that . . . ?
And, why . . . ?
Glancing down at her diary, Emma turned back a page . . .
At the same time, King Dedede was looking through a different kind of book. It was a photo album that he had just started a few days ago, and he vowed to add more to it - he just needed to get some more pictures of his beloved Emma, and maybe even some more of the two of them together!
He had even cut out some love hearts from magazines and glued them into the book. This had prompted somebody to ask him if he was still in high school, and what annoyed the king more about the comment was that he couldn't actually remember who had said it!
And, furthermore . . .
Looking past a picture of him, Emma, and Kirby after they had fallen into a pond (he had no idea who had taken that picture), King Dedede caught sight of one. "How'd that nutcracker get himself into this here picture with my girl?!" He demanded to know, staring at a picture of his Emma and that purple snail … oh, and that bow-wearing Waddle Dee was in the picture, as well … Dedede knew when this picture had been taken; it was when Emma had brought the new Waddle Dee back with her, and they had served all of the other Waddle Dees spaghetti bolognese (which Dedede hadn't even gotten to try!).
So then, what was that strange purple snail doing in the picture?!
Even the caption below the picture didn't help him out, since he couldn't actually read it … and, besides, who had even written those captions?!
It was at that point that there came an unwelcome interruption in the form of the Nightmare Enterprises Salesguy appearing on the monitor screen.
He had some news that was just as unwelcome, to which Dedede immediately protested.
"What'd you mean you sent a Monster?!"
"Yes," Salesguy said calmly. "Our records show you received a Monster last night called Erasem."
"What'd you say?!" Dedede was still in a bad mood over what had transpired earlier on, and he wasn't about to take this lying down. He stated that he hadn't gotten the Monster and that he wasn't going to pay for it because of that!
Salesguy's suggestion was for the king to search the castle with a magnifying glass, since the Monster that had been sent - Erasem - was so tiny.
"What?!" Meta Knight said, after he listened to what Blade Knight and Sword Knight had to say. "You saw a floating light enter a room here last night?"
Blade Knight nodded, and Sword Knight said: "After it went into Emma's room . . . "
Meta Knight visibly flinched, but then he said: "It did not attack her, that much is for certain . . . " He was gazing at the door that they were standing before and, before any of them could ask him how he knew that, he elaborated that they were quite possibly facing a small but fiendish foe named Erasem. And, the reason why they couldn't remember whose room was beyond this door was because Erasem would block out all memories of their existence … although, sometimes there could be gaps.
Tiff didn't bother to ask what that part meant. She had just realised something else, and was quick to share her theory - that the stranger who seemed to know all of them was the one who had been attacked by Erasem!
It was all starting to make sense now!
"Exactly." Meta Knight replied, and that was when he noticed Sailor Waddle Dee nearby, listening in; he caught the Waddle Dee's attention, and said: "Please find Emma."
Sailor Waddle Dee saluted quickly and took off … but, he met up with Meta Knight and Tiff (and, also Tuff) out the front of the castle again shortly after, bringing not Emma with him, but, Bandana Waddle Dee.
"Emma's up in your living room, with Shield Knight." Bandana Waddle Dee told Tiff and Tuff. "Your mum let them in."
"Did you find out where that Escargoon guy is?" Sailor Waddle Dee wanted to know.
"Yeah," Tuff nodded. "He's hanging out at the beach with Kirby and Fen."
"We're going to see if we can get him to come back here and talk with us." Tiff added.
"Here, you can use this to help." Bandana Waddle Dee said, holding something out. "Look at this photograph."
The picture showed Escargoon, Kirby, Tiff, Tuff, Emma, and Bandana Waddle Dee at the picnic that they'd had after stopping the Bad Dream Pirates - Escargoon was chasing Kirby, who was holding a bottle of tomato sauce.
They all looked at the photo, and then Tiff said: "I don't remember that happening … I mean, yeah, Kirby did run off with the tomato sauce, but . . . "
"But, nobody chased him." Tuff said.
"And, yet, we have this picture . . . " Meta Knight finished up.
"Emma said that you might have to lie a bit and pretend that you do remember Escargoon," Sailor Waddle Dee told them. "Just … make something up about the picture, since she can't remember what happened, either." He shrugged.
Meta Knight glanced at the photograph again, and then asked the two Waddle Dees: "Is Emma okay?"
The two Waddle Dees exchanged a glance.
"Well . . . " Bandana Waddle Dee said slowly. "She's a bit stressed out because she knows what's happened to Escargoon, and she's worried about what it might do to his state of mind . . . "
Tiff made a mental note to not mention just how upset Escargoon seemed to be, before she realised that Emma probably already knew.
"So, she's putting all of her energy into making some mentaiko senbai and green tea for when he shows up." Sailor Waddle Dee finished.
"Good idea." Tiff nodded. She noticed that her brother was looking longingly up at the castle, as if he could already taste the senbai. "Come on, you're coming with me." She told him. "I need to know which beach they're all at."
"It's the one with the — "
"I need you to show me, not tell me!"
"Aurgh," Tuff muttered, as he resigned himself to being dragged along. "Sisters . . . "
They found Escargoon on the beach with Kirby, Fen, and also Bow Waddle Dee - she had been watching from a distance, and now explained to the siblings that the snail had just finished having an existential moment.
"What's he doing now?" Tuff wanted to know.
They turned around and watched as Escargoon stood before the sea with his arms up high.
"Probably trying to control the waves or something." Bow Waddle Dee rolled her eyes. "He is one strange fellow … do we really know him?"
Tiff nodded. "Apparently … watch … actually, maybe you'd better do it - he already told me his name … it's Escargoon . . . "
Nope, doesn't sound familiar. Bow Waddle Dee thought. But … perhaps he'sthe one who I reported to when I got inducted? And, so, she raised her voice and called out: "Escargoon!"
The look on Escargoon's face said it all, as he lowered his arms and slowly turned around, to see the three who were coming towards him. "Did … did somebody really just call my name?"
"Hey, Escargoon!" Tiff led the way over to him.
"You really did just call my name!" He realised.
"Sure did, Escargoon." Tiff wore a big smile.
So did Tuff. "If you like, I'll say your name too, Escargoon." He said.
"Ah," Escargoon said fondly. "Doesn't it sound wonderful? Escargoon is such a lovely name!"
"Poyo!" Kirby agreed, as he and Fen came up to them as well.
"I bet you're pretty hungry." Tuff pointed out suddenly.
"Come with us." Tiff offered. "We'll have some green tea and senbai that Emma's making."
"This is great!" Escargoon said happily. "So, you all finally remembered who I am, huh?"
"Uh-huh." Tiff nodded. "We just needed a little help."
"You don't really know who I am." Escargoon shook his head. "You're just pulling my tail."
Tiff smiled. "Escargoon, you're so silly." She told him, and pulled out the picture that they had. "In our family album we have this picture of you and Kirby playing at the picnic."
Escargoon glanced at the picture, and then he looked at Bow Waddle Dee. "What about you?" He asked her.
"Well, I haven't got a picture of it, but you were the one who signed off on my character check." She replied, deciding to just go with the gut feeling that she had about the whole situation.
And, from the way that Escargoon's eyes lit up, she knew that she'd gotten it right.
He then seemed to think of something. "What about Emma?"
"Well, she's making some mentaiko senbai just for you, Escargoon." Tiff pointed out.
"Yeah, and I want some, too!" Tuff added.
Tiff rolled her eyes, but Escargoon was too busy dancing around with Kirby and Fen to care. Tiff noticed that Fen was still somewhat suspicious of this snail, but Kirby seemed completely at ease with him - did Kirby remember everything that they couldn't?
However, as it transpired, Escargoon was still somewhat skeptical that they really did remember him, and by the time they snuck him into the castle and up to the living room where Shield Knight and Meta Knight were waiting, he was getting moodier and moodier.
"Where's Emma?" He asked Shield Knight and Meta Knight, by way of greeting.
"She's just making seconds." Shield Knight said calmly, watching as Kirby ate his tea cup, and then tried to reach for plate of senbai but couldn't quite get there.
"Not that I'm complaining, but why?" Tuff wanted to know, as he too reached for a senbai.
Just then, Kirby couldn't take it anymore, and he suddenly inhaled not only the senbai but the plate that they were on, and everybody else's tea cups as well. He would have probably gotten the tablecloth too, if Escargoon hadn't hung onto it.
"That's why." Shield Knight said simply, as Kirby looked very happy.
"Well, it's not like this is the first time that this sort of thing has happened with those particular senbai." Escargoon sighed.
"Huh?" Nearly everyone said.
"Oh, I can't take it anymore!" Escargoon wailed, leaping up from his chair, still with the table cloth in his hand. "I don't want to live this way anymore!" He added, running to the window and wrenching it open.
Everybody immediately let out yells of panic, but it was Emma who yelled the loudest.
She came flying out of the kitchen, with her chef transformation still active and with rice flour not the only reason why her face was sheet white. She grabbed Escargoon from the side as he tried to climb up onto the windowsill, and wouldn't let go.
"Improvised parachuting only works if you're a Waddle Dee! Escargoon, I knowthat you're upset, but we can work through this! I may not remember you yet, but I don't want to have to remember you this way!"
Five minutes later, they were all back around the table, and Shield Knight and Bow Waddle Dee had just gotten more crockery from the kitchen, along with the seconds, as Tiff and Tuff returned the tablecloth to the table.
"Kirby," Tiff said sternly to the little Star Warrior. "No inhaling."
"Poyo." He said contritely.
Meta Knight was watching Emma, who had her chair right next to Escargoon's, between him and the window.
She was glaring at him, like he might try to make a break for the window again, but Meta Knight suspected that there was something more to this.
"Hey, relax." Escargoon said to Emma. "I promise that I won't do it again."
Emma muttered something that sounded like: "He probably told her the exact same thing."
Now, Meta Knight was sure that there was more to this.
First things were first, though.
Escargoon ate one of the senbai whole, smoked like it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and then asked Emma: "So, how did you end up here?"
"Something seemed strange when I woke up this morning." She explained, and Shield Knight coughed. "Okay, so it was late morning, I slept weird, blame the Sphere Doomer dreams." She waved her hand dismissively, even as Shield Knight and Meta Knight exchanged a glance. "But, as Is as writing about those dreams in my diary, I happened to notice the bag of wool on my bedside table, and I couldn't remember where I'd gotten it from - I'm really sorry!" She added, as Escargoon looked despondent again. "But, then I turned to the previous page to find out, and it said . . . " She suddenly whispered something to Escargoon, and he looked considerably happier.
"Really?" He asked her.
She nodded. "I mean, even if I don't remember it, something within me obviously does, because I'm not stammering!"
"Oh, yeah . . . " Tuff realised. "You always stammer when you meet somebody new . . . "
Except for Meta Knight. Emma suddenly thought. But, what she said was: "So, Escargoon's name kept on appearing in my diary, and I knew that he was a character in the anime … and then, I remembered the episode where this all happens (more or less), and this is not me relying on the anime for information … because it's the only logical explanation." She nodded firmly, and then added, in a gentler voice: "I got worried about Escargoon, because if I was upset by it then he obviously was, as well. Because … when does somebody truly die? When they're forgotten." She finished up, somewhat bitterly.
"This is all Dedede's fault." Tiff suddenly proclaimed.
Emma just sighed. "I guess that, in this case, we'll have to agree to disagree - this is not really King Dedede's style, he didn't know what was going to happen. It's like when you kill somebody - if you intended to do it then it's murder, otherwise it's manslaughter."
"Murder's still murder." Tiff responded flatly. She then glanced at Meta Kbight at the same time that Emma did, and the two of them stopped talking. They were both remembering what had happened with Jecra, and so was Meta Knight.
He wisely decided to avert the situation, before it got out of hand, and asked Escargoon if he had noticed anything strange the night before.
Escargoon thought about it, and then recalled how he'd had a strange nightmare about a tiny light floating around in his head.
"As I feared." Meta Knight said gravely.
"As what you feared?" Escargoon demanded to know.
"That Monster that Dedede ordered ended up inside of you." Tiff told him, much to his shock.
"It's not true!" Escargoon immediately protested.
"Which bit?" Bow Waddle Dee asked him.
"Uh … that a Monster ended up inside of me." Escargoon replied, not really looking at anybody.
"It really is the truth, Escargoon," Emma told him, taking a piece of paper out of her apron pocket, and showing him the quick sketch that she had made from her memory. "This is what the Monster looks like."
"Huh . . . " Escargoon looked at the strange question mark-shaped creature with the single horn on its head and big dark eyes. "It doesn't look too threatening."
"Looks can be deceiving." Emma said wisely, as she allowed Tuff to take the picture and look at it with Kirby and Fen. "And, I want Erasem gone and my memories of you back, Escargoon." She added firmly.
Meta Knight was nodding. "We must remove it immediately, Escargoon, or else you will be forgotten forever."
"Forgotten forever?!" Escargoon repeated. "Not even a scheming fink like me deserves a fate that terrible!"
"I must warn you though, Escargoon," Shield Knight spoke up suddenly. "That the cure could be … uh … painful . . . "
Escargoon paused. "How painful?" He wanted to know.
Emma suddenly grabbed his wrists, and said: "It will be absolutely excruciatingly painful, and you're going to have to be braver than you ever have been, but we will all be there with you!"
"You won't be able to intervene." Meta Knight warned her. He was thinking about what Emma had said, about how she had spoken to Escargoon the night before and how he had given her a bag of wool for her crocheting … he was starting to suspect why the Monster had targeted Escargoon, but he chose not to say anything about this, as he and Shield Knight just dispatched Tiff, Tuff, Kirby, and Bow Waddle Dee to check for a safe route for Escargoon to go and not encounter the king, and to also enlist Blade Knight and Sword Knight to help.
He didn't elaborate on what they would have to help with, but, he looked at Emma when he said it, and so it was fairly obvious.
Meanwhile, Escargoon looked at Emma, and said: "I'll go through anything to get this Monster out of me, but will you be able to handle it?"
Emma kind of shrugged. "Honestly, if it's the only way then it's the only way. The physical might be more doable than the emotional pain."
"For you or for me?"
"Both of us."
"Wait . . . " Escargoon thought about something. "What would have happened if I had jumped out the window?"
Emma visibly flinched, and then she said, in a very low voice: "Our emotions make us react the way that we do … you tried to do that because of your emotions, and the pain of being forgotten. And .. I stopped you with such emotion … because . . . " She sighed. "His name was Ben. He was my old sister's partner … well, ex-partner. They'd broken up, but they were still in love, you know? He told her that being with somebody like him would destroy her. But … she moved to the other side of the world, and he thought that she was moving on with her life … meanwhile, his life was falling apart. He lost his job, and then his 'ex' wife stopped him from seeing their kids. That was the final nail in the coffin. Dad even said that she might as well have been the one who physicallydid it … but, I guess that she had no way of knowing what the consequences of her actions would be."
Escargoon's heart was pounding by this stage. This was the very last thing that he had expected.
And, it got worse.
Emma's face was pale, and she seemed to be miles away, as she went on with: "So, exactly one year to the day when he'd told her to leave, he went out to his garage, and — " She broke off abruptly, thankfully. Her hand was at the thin white scar on her throat.
Meta Knight hadn't realised that he was gripping the edge of the table. Shield Knight had gone very still.
Emma sighed. "My mum had to be the one to tell my sister, before she found out via social media. But, because she was still on the other side of the planet, Mum had to tell her over the phone. That Ben had … that this time nobody had been there . . . " She shook her head quickly, her eyes brimming but her voice surprisingly steady, when she looked at Escargoon, and said: "There's actually not many days where I don't think of Ben for some reason or another, but I don't ever want to have to remember anybody else like that. And, I don't ever want to have to make a phone call like that. And, I want to keep on making newmemories with you, no matter what."
Tiff, who had come back to tell them that the coast was clear, and who had unwittingly heard the whole dreadful story, waited for a few moments, considering the fact that Emma's capacity for forgiveness clearly went beyond her own. She hoped that she could learn even a fraction of that same kindness as she got older.
Would that mean ever forgiving King Dedede? He was the only person that she really disliked. Well, it wasn't like he had killed Kirby … Tiff would have to wait and see how she felt . . .
It soon became apparent that Blade Knight and Sword Knight weren't going to be there just as moral support for Emma, who was still in her Chef form, and who had walked with Kirby and Bow Waddle Dee.
Realisation had started to set in when they'd all crept down to one of the dungeons, past an actual skeleton, and then Meta Knight had instructed for Escargoon to be tied up to a literal torture device … with a certain flourish, he began to press buttons on a machine.
"How does he know what he's doing?" Bow Waddle Dee whispered to Shield Knight.
"Don't ask, little one." Shield Knight advised her. "Also, don't look." She added, just as the machine electrocuted Escargoon, who naturally started screaming in pain.
Tiff covered her eyes with her hands, and Fen covered her own eyes with her ears.
Tuff said: "I don't want to look … but, it's so hard to turn away . . . " He then happened to look up, and observed on the small platform above them as Blade Knight and Sword Knight had to physically hold Emma back from losing her resolution and putting a stop to this.
Blade Knight urged her to be strong, and Sword Knight added that at least it wasn't salt.
Emma didn't respond, but Escargoon did. "I don't rely on such a high water content in my body like that!" He then added: "I wouldn't object to water, though . . . "
Kirby took this as his cue. He had grabbed a bucket, water bottle, and towel from somewhere, and now he wiped the sweat away from Escargoon's pale face.
"Poyo okay?"
Escargoon managed to look up. "Thank you, Kirby . . . "
"Escargoon," Meta Knight spoke up. "I'm increasing the power. Can you handle it?"
Escargoon gave him a wry sort of look. "Even if I say no, you'll do it anyway, right?"
"Kirby, come back here." Shield Knight called to Kirby, who came over to her, just as claws appeared from the torture machine - they grabbed onto Escargoon's arms and tail, and began to stretch him out without mercy.
"Help me!" Escargoon cried.
"He doesn't mean that, Emma!" Sword Knight told Emma. "He just hasn't realised that he's going to be a little bit taller after this!"
Emma still didn't seem to be capable of responding but, once again, Escargoon did, although all that he could say was: "Oh . . . " He seemed to realise that there might have been an upside to that.
Meta Knight apparently had that same thought, too, and he knew that Erasem would not emerge if anything good would come of the procedure. Which was why he hit a few more buttons on the machine's control panel, which caused another device to appear - this one was a red boxing glove, which came right up to Escargoon's face and just began to punch him repeatedly.
"Unless we inflict more damage, the Monster just won't come out." He explained, as Escargoon was punched and pulled repeatedly.
Kirby immediately came over to Escargoon as soon as the machine stopped, giving him some water and wiping his face again. He then stepped back, as Tuff called: "You can do it, Escargoon!"
"We'll win the next round!" Tiff added. She felt brave enough to watch now, as a giant claw picked up Escargoon and swung him around … faster and faster and faster, until . . .
"There!" Emma was finally able to speak, as she caught sight of a tiny glowing orb that suddenly came flying out of Escargoon. She could really only see it as a slightly fuzzy patch of light, because she didn't have her glasses on. But, there could be no mistaking it.
Meta Knight immediately powered down the machine, and Escargoon slumped to the floor.
Only then did Sword Knight and Blade Knight let go of Emma, and join the others who were gathered around Escargoon and remarking how they remembered him now.
Before he could respond, however, the dungeon door was slammed open by none other than King Dedede, who demanded to know what was going on.
He then noticed Escargoon, who was still slumped over on the floor, and said: "Escargoon?! Sleeping on the job?!"
That was all that Escargoon needed to hear - the king remembered him! He was about to comment joyfully on this, when he and Dedede noticed something at the same time.
"Huh? What's this?" Dedede picked up the piece of paper, which turned out to be Emma's drawing of Erasem that Tuff had accidentally dropped.
"Emma drew it." Tuff explained. "It's a Monster called Erasem and it's … hey, wait, where'd it go?"
"And, where's Emma?" Tiff added, just as there was a shriek from nearby.
They all turned sharply, to see the glowing ball of light that was Erasem slowly advancing on Emma, who was standing with her back against a wall and looking terrified.
A small sound came from the Monster - was it speaking to her?
Dedede obviously had no idea why Emma was so terrified by the glowing ball of light, but, he didn't care - he just wanted to get whatever it was away from his beloved!
Before he could move, however, Escargoon beat him to it. He flung himself across the room, getting between Emma and Erasem. His arms were out on either side of him, and he seemed just as scared as she was but also determined, and he said: "I don't care if this leads to everybody forgetting about my existence again because of you, but you are not attacking Emma because not only is she important to King Dedede but she's also my friend!"
Everybody seemed frozen just after that, and about ten seconds ticked by, staring at Erasem who was just hovering there.
The Monster then said something quietly, which most of the others couldn't hear but which made both Emma and Escargoon go: "Huh?"
Erasem then turned tail and fled - and, of course, they all went after it!
The chase led them into Cappy Town, where the townsfolk - who had just spent the whole day looking at pictures of Escargoon but only just now remembered him - came running out of the police station, in time to see Kirby create a vortex with his inhaling.
Not many of them saw the small, glowing orb of light that Kirby inhaled, or much of anything at all, really, since they were all just hanging on to things for dear life, to avoid being inhaled!
Once Kirby stopped, however, and things settled down, Tiff and Tuff ran up to him.
"Way to go, Kirby!" Tiff cheered.
"Great job!" Tuff added.
"Poyo, poyo!" Kirby looked at them both … which was when he suddenly saw the looks of confusion on both of their faces … which was mirrored by the expressions in the faces of the townsfolk!
They had forgotten about his existence!
"Hey, what is this little pink thing doing here?" Tiff wanted to know.
"I never saw him before." Tuff remarked.
"What an odd creature." Said Meta Knight, who was standing guard just behind the 'odd creature'.
"Did you order this thing, sire?" Escargoon asked Dedede, who looked just as suspicious about the pink puffball as everybody else.
"That sure ain't no Monster of mine!" Dedede responded, and then he looked around. "Hey, where did Emma go?"
"Did she make it down here?" Tuff asked, overhearing.
"Of course she did, she rode Gypsy Moth!" Dedede responded, just as they heard a familiar whinny, and they all looked up to see the mare galloping back in the direction of the castle.
"Now where she's going?" Chief Bookem wondered.
"Uh … that wasn't Emma riding Gypsy Moth." Tiff was beyond confused now.
"Yeah," Tuff said. "It was that pink guy who had the same eyebrows as Emma and a pendant just like hers . . . "
Meta Knight was silent for a moment, before he and Shield Knight then both cried: "What?!"
It was really a miracle that the sound barrier wasn't broken by both Meta Knight and Shield Knight who were both flying, not to mention Dedede's limousine which was driven at breakneck speed by Escargoon with Dedede in the passenger seat urging him to go faster and Tiff, Tuff, Sword Knight, and Blade Knight all-but clinging to the back of the car.
Somehow, though, Gypsy Moth had managed to outrun them all, and by the time that they all got to the castle, Kirby had been let inside by Bow Waddle Dee.
She didn't remember him. She didn't even know his name. But, what she did remember, was that as she had been walking to the dungeon, Emma had told her that a stranger wearing her pendant would arrive later on, and to get him inside and to the throne room. Considering what she knew about the day's events, Bow Waddle Dee was fairly certain that this stranger was actually somebody that she knew, but even she wasn't prepared for why he currently had such thick eyebrows and hazel eyes, and was wearing the Star Pendant, and why Gypsy Moth had let him ride her.
But, as everybody who had given chase from Cappy Town arrived in the throne room, they all found out.
And Bow Waddle Dee, who had remembered just in time what else she was supposed to do, cried: "It's ready!" As she activated the Monster teleporter.
"Bow?!" Tiff and Tuff both cried, but they were cut off by a yell of almost sheer horror from King Dedede.
That was because Kirby had just opened his mouth very wide, and from within the black hole that seemed to be within him tumbled Emma.
Four things then happened at once.
Kirby's appearance returned to normal.
Everybody remembered him.
King Dedede wanted to kill him.
And Emma, who could only just manage to stand up, drew back her arm, and then threw the glass jar containing Erasem as hard as she could - thankfully, it went right where she intended for it to go; into the Monster transporter, which immediately zapped it up.
And, Emma collapsed onto the floor of the throne room and lay there, staring up at the ceiling until Dedede's face appeared in her line of sight.
Meta Knight and Shield Knight were quick to join him. They were followed by Kirby, Tiff, Tuff, Fen, Bow Waddle Dee, and Escargoon.
But, before anybody could speak, Nightmare Enterprises Salesguy appeared on the monitor screen.
"What's going on, King Dedede?" He asked the king, before he noticed who said king was crouched beside on the throne room floor.
And, it was Emma, who could barely move, who said: "King Dedede is dissatisfied with his purchase, and is returning the product."
"Of course, you do understand that a refund is not going to be provided, don't you?" Salesguy responded promptly.
"We'll just call it a valuable life lesson." Emma told him wearily. She still hadn't moved.
"Naturally. And, would you like to provide a reason as to why the product was not to your satisfaction?" Salesguy asked, somewhat cheerfully.
And, it was now Dedede's turn to respond with something. "Yeah! It wasn't fearsome enough!" He told the salesguy.
"Not fearsome enough?" Salesguy said, just as the glass jar with Erasem in it appeared on his end of the teleporter. It fell to the floor and shattered.
"It was puny, got lost too easily, and was way too bright!" Dedede said. "You can see it for yourself!" He added. "It looks like a thumbtack!"
Erasem appeared on the screen. It shook its fist at them all.
And, Bow Waddle Dee took that as her cue to rush over and hang up on Nightmare Enterprises.
That had been happening a lot, lately.
Escargoon gave Dedede a wry look. "A thumbtack?" He repeated.
Dedede just shrugged.
Tuff was looking at Emma, and now he exclaimed: "Wow, Emma! You got inhaled by Kirby! What did it feel like?!"
"Like if a spider got sucked up by a vacuum cleaner." She responded.
"What was it like in there?" Tuff wanted to know.
"Well, I didn't have time to admire the atmosphere. Erasem was my main concern." Emma told him.
"But you must've seen something . . . ?"
"Only Erasem."
"Are you okay?" Tiff asked her worriedly.
Shield Knight, who by now had taken one of Emma's hands, said: "She will be, once she rests."
Tiff was shaking her head, but it was Dedede who said: "What if you'd been trapped in there forever?!" He was gazing down at Emma with a mixture of concern and shock, as if he couldn't quite believe what she had done.
"Kirby doesn't work like that." Emma told him quietly. "He's a good guy. I already spoke to both him and Bow about what needed to be done … thanks, by the way, Bow," she told Bow Waddle Dee, who bowed her head briefly. Emma then went on with: "And, I knew that Erasem needed to be caught by surprise … I'd had that glass jar in my apron pocket since I made those mentaiko senbai."
"And, where are those mentaiko senbai now?" Dedede asked her.
"Poyo!" Kirby spoke up, raising his hand.
"Figures." Dedede grumbled. He watched as Kirby handed Emma back her pendant.
"Thank you, Kirby." Emma said, as she sat up, and slipped the pendant back on over her head. It twinkled slightly, as if it was happy to be reunited with its owner again. She then looked at Dedede, and said, somewhat shyly: "H-how about I come over sometime soon and make some more, just for you?"
"Or, something else that we both eat?" He suggested. "Since you don't eat foods that are too spicy."
He remembered! "S-sounds good. And, after all, you still want to — "
"Find out how the book ends!" Dedede finished for her, looking incredibly happy now.
"Right." Emma nodded. "I-I may need a couple of days before I can use my powers again, but . . . "
"I wanna see you even when you're not using them powers of yours!" Dedede declared.
"O-okay!" Emma still looked shy, but, she was also smiling.
Tiff was watching this, and wasn't sure what to make of it all. She decided to just see how things panned out, and in the mean time she hoped that King Dedede had learned his lesson about ordering Monsters!