The king and the knight

Surprised, perplexed, stunned... There were quite a few words that could describe how Tiff felt when she met that alternate universe's version of Dedede.

She had guessed that many things about the king were going to be different when she first saw his castle on top of a mountain. It was smaller and less ostentatious than the one she had grown up in. The placement of the windows and the front gate made its facade look like an angry face. It was like the architecture itself was saying "A villain lives here."

However, the interior of the castle, in contrast to the exterior, was vibrant and luminous. Tiff preferred it over the one in her dimension, even though it was her home, as its hallways were gloomy due to the dull green walls. Its furniture and decor were also more opulent. The only thing she didn't like about it was seeing Dedede's logo, as well as statues and paintings of him, almost everywhere.

The Waddle Dees were also quite different. They looked happier and more joyful than the ones she knew, and some of them could even talk! She also noticed that there were fewer of them, yet they seemed to be more efficient at their tasks.

As for the rest of Castle Dedede's inhabitants, Kirby had already informed her that there was no alternate version of her, her family or Escargoon living there, though he couldn't confirm if they did exist or not. Also, there was no Captain Waddle Doo, but Waddle Doos did exist as a subspecies of Waddle Dees, and only a few of them worked for Dedede. That dimension's Meta Knight didn't live there either, as he had his own base somewhere else.

But none of those changes were as drastic as the king himself.

Tiff first saw him after Kirby led her to a boxing ring. There, that universe's Dedede and Meta Knight were fighting each other, hammer and sword colliding in an intricate dance of blocks and counterattacks in which each blow was precisely timed. As he fought the knight, there was no fear or anger on Dedede's face, only determination and enjoyment. However, the battle seemed to be private, as the seats that surrounded the ring were empty except for a single Waddle Dee.
The king not only managed to keep up with the knight's pace but was on equal footing with him. And it wasn't like the alternate Meta Knight was any worse at fighting than the one she knew. Based on the way he moved, he was as experienced and even more agile than her friend. In addition, that version of Meta Knight also wielded the legendary sword Galaxia, which only made Dedede's ability to match him more impressive.

"I can't believe my eyes. If I didn't know better, I would think that I was still dreaming," she said in disbelief.

"Uh? What are you talking about?" Gooey asked.

"Dedede. The one I know wouldn't last even three seconds fighting against Meta Knight," she replied, poiting at the self-proclaimed king. "Are you sure he isn't using some sort of evil artefact or something similar to make himself more powerful?

"Our Dedede has always been very strong despite his laziness, and he has gotten even stronger over time, poyo," Kirby explained. "Also, I doubt he and Meta Knight would willingly use 'evil artefacts' ever again after what happened with those creepy masks," he added, his words only raising more questions in Tiff's head.

"Hey, Kirby, Gooey!" the sole Waddle Dee in the room greeted upon noticing the trio. His blue bandana made Tiff guess that they were the same one portrayed in Kirby's photos.

"Hai Bandee," Kirby greeted back as the Waddle Dee approached them. The puffball and Gooey welcomed the peculiar Waddle Dee with joy and enthusiasm, implying that they were friends.

"Who is your new friend?" the Waddle Dee asked curiously when he noticed Tiff.

"Her name is Tiff. Tiff, this is Bandana Dee or Bandee for friends," the pink puffball introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Tiff said with a polite smile.

"Same. Kirby's friends are my friends," the Waddle Dee greeted back. "At least in most cases," she heard him mutter in a less gleeful tone.

"Bandee, do you know how long they're going to keep sparring? I'm hungry, poyo," Kirby asked while pointing at the king and the knight.

"Now that you are here, they should be done soon," Bandana Waddle Deee answered. "They are taking the upcoming battle very seriously. Defeating them is going to be harder than ever."

"Defeating them?" Tiff repeated, puzzled. Why would those two battle Dedede and Meta Knight? She could understand Kirby fighting Dedede or wanting to test his skills against Meta Knight, but she didn't get why a Waddle Dee would aid him in a battle against his king.

"Oh, in a few weeks we're going to hold a charity tag team tournament in the Waddle Dee Town of the Forgotten Land, and Bandee is my partner," Kirby informed her. "Gooey, are you going to participate?"

"I pass, but I'll be watching," the blob answered. "I want to visit the 'New World' after hearing everything you've told me about it. The amusement park sounds cool."

Forgotten Land, Waddle Dee Town, New World... Tiff had never heard of those places. The differences between that Dream Land and hers kept growing and growing, and her head was beginning to ache. "Just accept it and let it be for your own mental health. Focus on finding a way to get home," she advised herself. Although she was curious, she shouldn't forget what her objective was.

"And what about you, Tiff?" Bandana Dee asked, snapping her out of her musings.

"Well, I'm not much of a fighter myself, so I don't fit in a tournament," she declined. "Besides, I hope to be back home by then."

Bandana Waddle Dee was about to ask her about that, but his casual demeanour suddenly changed when a shadow was cast over the four children.

When Tiff turned around, she found that dimension's Dedede standing behind them, an annoyed expression on his face. Next to the king, Meta Knight stared at the girl silently but intently, as if he were analysing her. She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"Hey you, little menace. Were you spying on us?" Dedede asked as he picked Kirby up with both hands, the pink puffball letting out a surprised noise.

"This is the part when he hits Kirby or does something mean to him. I'm not going to allow it!" Tiff hissed inside as she prepared to defend Kirby as a reflex act. Even if that Dedede was stronger than the one she knew (and lacked his peculiar accent), she wasn't going to let him hurt any version of her friend.

But instead of doing what Tiff had feared, the self-proclaimed king smiled as he said to his rival:

"What took you and Gooey so long, you rascal? We had to extend the training time because Bandana Dee refused to eat without you. You should thank my generosity and patience by letting me have a bigger portion of the pie!"

"Sorry for being so late, but something unexpected came up," Kirby apologised as he pointed at Tiff.

It was then that the penguin-like king noticed her for the first time.

"Oh, and who is this little girl supposed to be?" Dedede asked, intrigued, as he put Kirby back on the ground. "I have never seen her face around here..."

Tiff decided to waste no time and get straight to the point.

"My name is Tiff, and this is going to sound crazy, but I actually come from an alternate version of Dream Land."

Her words seemed to elicit some sort of reaction from Meta Knight, but Tiff couldn't tell what it was. His eyes didn't change colour according to his mood, which made him even more difficult to read.

The king and his knight exchanged a quick glance, which Tiff couldn't interpret, before the former proclaimed:

"Welcome, Tiff from an 'alternate Dream Land.' I am the awesome, almighty, perfect, and great King Dedede," Dedede introduced himself, showcasing that if he had anything in common with Tiff's dimension's Dedede, it was his ego."And this is my faithful knight and sworn partner, Meta Knight," he added, introducing his companion. "Come on, Meta. I know it's not easy for you to open up to newcomers and all that, but it's rude not to say hello to a guest," the king insisted to the knight in a lower tone as he tapped him lightly with the hammer.

"You are right, sir," the knight finally said, breaking his silence. Tiff noticed that he sounded deeper and more intimidating than the one from her dimension (was he using some kind of effect to alter his voice?). Just like Dedede, he lacked his usual peculiar accent.

The knight continued, bowing in greeting:

"Tiff, please accept my apologies. I can't help but be wary of a new face, especially when that person claims to be from an alternate dimension," he finished, trying in vain to conceal his suspicion. Tiff, however, was relieved to see his reaction to her claim. That dimension's Meta Knight, like Kirby, didn't seem to be much different from the one she knew: mysterious, cautious, and strong. With all the drastic changes between the two worlds, the few similarities manage to soathe her.

Still, she was perplexed by the king's and the knight's relationship. Seeing them train together was strange enough, but what was even stranger was how close they seemed to be. Not even she called her Meta Knight just 'Meta', despite both of them being good friends. Furthermore, her Dedede would never refer to Meta Knight as his faithful knight, let alone his sworn partner (whatever that implied).

Suddenly, the stomachs of Dedede and Kirby (or whatever the puffball had inside him) rumbled at the same time.

"Well, you'll have to explain to us everything about that coming from another dimension thing while we eat," Dedede said, trying to recover a dignified posture. "Though I will not tolerate my portion of the cake being reduced," he added, looking at Bandana Dee. Although the tone sounded authoritative, the look he directed at his vassal was filled with pleading.

"Don't worry, Great King. I'll make sure that your portion is the biggest and juiciest of all," Bandana Dee assured with an amused tone. A somewhat childish smile appareared on the monarch's face.

They left the fighting ring and went straight to the rooftop, where someone had set up a picnic table filled with food, including the famous apple pie. Tiff glanced at Kirby, who was salivating and had starry eyes. When he realised they needed an extra seat, Dedede quickly called out to a nearby Waddle Dee, who up until that point had been watching the horizon with a spyglass.

"Bring Kirby's friend a chair, and then take a break," the king instructed his vassal.

The Waddle Dee nodded, left his lookout post, and ran downstairs. He soon returned with a chair. Dedede thanked him, and after the monarch gently rubbed his head, the Waddle Dee put on some sunglasses and lay down on a nearby lounger.

"Okay, I think I have figured it out: this person isn't Dedede," Tiff reasoned. "An impostor must have replaced him a long time ago, and no one has said anything because they prefer them over the original." She could handle an older Kirby, an intimidating Meta Knight, a grumpy Whispy, and the talking Waddle Dees, but a stronger Dedede who, despite his big ego, was actually kind, was just too much for her brain.

"Hey Tiff! If you don't join us soon, these three will eat everything!" Bandana called, snapping her out of her thoughts. Dedede, Kirby, and Gooey had already begun to eat, or rather, devour the food.

Tiff apologised and sat down at the table. Dedede asked Gooey about his trips in between bites, but Tiff couldn't focus on their conversation because Meta Knight, who was sitting next to the king, kept staring at her in that intimidating way. He didn't seem to trust her at all, and she couldn't blame him. She wouldn't trust a Meta Knight who claimed to be from a universe where Dedede was nice either.
Or maybe the real reason Meta Knight was staring at her in that way was because he didn't want to remove his mask in front of a stranger and thus couldn't enjoy the apple pie. Instead of eating it, the knight put his portion in a small plastic container and then stored it inside his cape.

Once the others stopped eating in such a showy manner, Meta Knight decided to start questioning her.

"So, an alternative Dream Land, you said," he said, trying unsuccessfully to sound casual. Tiff gave a nod. "Would you mind giving us more details?"

Tiff proceeded to explain the main differences she had found between the two Dream Lands so far. She also told them about the GSA, the Star Warriors (though she withheld some details, especially those involving her Meta Knight's personal life), and their war against eNeMeE/Nightmare, which piqued the alternate Meta Knight's interest. Lastly, she told them about how she, her Kirby and their other friends defeated Nightmare in her dimension. The only thing she avoided mentioning was Dedede. Tiff didn't think it was a good idea to talk about someone she despised in front of an alternate version of him.

"Your dimension sounds quite fascinating," Meta Knight said once Tiff finished telling her story. "But tell me, how did you end up here?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know," Tiff replied, sad and frustrated. "As much as I try to remember what happened, I just can't."

"When I found her, she had a very high fever," Kirby remembered. "Could that be a clue?"

"Hmm, lost memories and a fever. This doesn't sound like regular dimensional travel," Meta Knight replied thoughtfully. "We must ask Magolor about this. He is better versed in this sort of stuff than any of us."

"Well, everything you've told us about your world has been pretty interesting, and the way you guys defeated Nightmare in such a big battle sounded epic," Dedede interjected. "What about me, though? Is the 'me' of your universe as cool and strong as I? What was my role in all that Nightmare stuff?" the king asked eagerly.

Tiff sighed. She should have seen it coming. Anyone would be curious about how their life is in another world. She herself wondered what that dimension's version of her would be like, if she had one.

Seeing that she had no way of avoiding talking about her Dedede, she asked the one in front of her:

"Do you want me to be fully honest?"

"Well, I can tell from the way you are looking at me right now that you don't like your Dedede, but yes, be fully honest," he replied. His eagerness to hear about his 'other self' seemed to have dropped significantly.

"Can you promise me that you won't take it badly?"

"Why would I? Even if he is basically me, he is still a different person," Dedede assured.

Tiff took a deep breath. She finally had the chance to get everything she felt about the monarch of Dream Land off her chest, and she wasn't going to let it go. If her Dedede ever heard what she was about to say, he would send her straight to the dungeon.

"I can't stand my universe's Dedede. Sharing a roof with him is an ordeal. As a ruler, he is an incompetent, lazy, stupid, and greedy tyrant. As a person, he is even worse. He is cocky, petty, self-centred, mean, and has a temper shorter than an eyelash. He believes he is superior to others, but in reality, he is just a cowardly bully who enjoys tormenting those who are weaker than him. He is always trying to get rid of my Kirby, even though he is only a baby. Oh, and his stupid plans to do so put everyone in danger! Do you want to know his role in the eNeMeE mess? He usually ordered monsters from that villain's company in order to get what he wanted. On top of that, he almost ruined our final mission by collaborating with them until they betrayed him! I can't think of anyone more unworthy of the title of king than he."

Tiff sighed to calm down after she finished her rant. She was relieved. The others, on the other hand, were taken aback by it. They had thought of her as a modest and calm person up until that point, so they had not expected her to hide so much rage. Dedede even seemed a bit upset, and she saw Meta Knight calm him down with a gesture.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I've been wanting to get all of that out for a long time. I despise him, and the feeling is mutual."

"Wow... I don't know what to say," Dedede began to say, an awkward smile plastered in his face as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sure, I haven't been a saint either, but I don't think anyone has ever hated me as much as you hate the other Dedede."
"Although, personality-wise, he only sounds slightly worse than how you were a few years ago," Meta Knight remarked in a teasing tone.
"Meh, I guess. Those were not my best years," Dedede admitted reluctantly. Tiff could tell that he was not proud of that period in his life.

That piqued Tiff's interest. Did that imply that this version of Dedede had once been like the one in her world, and thus the one she knew could change? No, that was absurd. Her Dedede was far too stubborn. It would take a miracle for him to change. She couldn't imagine him training to be as strong as his alternate version, let alone being nice to someone unless the world was ending.

"Still, I don't think that even back then I would have attacked a baby," Dedede continued after thinking about it.

"The first time you lost to Kirby, he wasn't much older," Gooey reminded him.

"Although he was young, he was older than a baby and he had already defeated all my minions when I faced him, so I knew he was not a normal child. Also, what do you know? That happened before you moved to Dream Land!" Dedede replied.

"Please don't argue," Bandana Waddle Dee requested. In an attempt to change the subject, he turned to Tiff and said, "Why don't you tell us something else about your dimension? For example, what do Kirby and you do now that Nightmare and his company are gone?"

"Well, we still have to deal with the troubles caused by Dedede and his right-hand man, Escargoon. Now that they can't get any monsters, they are building robots and other machines for their plans, although we don't know yet where they are getting the pieces and the technology to do so," Tiff explained.

"So Escargoon is my assistant there instead of Bandana Dee?" Dedede asked, curious. "Now that is a weird change. I can't imagine that tranquility-loving snail living in a busy and noisy castle like this one. Here, he is an engineer who has helped me with several personal projects, though he has been retired for a few years. He even taught Weapons-Shop Waddle Dee everything he knows about weapon crafting."

"I don't think I have ever met that Escargoon guy, poyo," Kirby said thoughtfully.

"Because he lives on his family farm far away from here and does his best to stay out of all the messes you get yourself into," Dedede explained.

"So Escargoon does exist here, but he has a completely different life apart from Kirby's adventures. Does that mean that the people in Kirby's photos also exist in my world, but we haven't met them yet?" Tiff wondered. According to what Dedede had just said, Gooey showed up in Dream Land later than Kirby, so maybe the blue blob hadn't arrived in her dimension yet. Bandana Dee could easily be one of her Dedede's many Waddle Dees, but what about the rest of those new faces? Would she and Kirby ever cross paths with them? Did she really want to meet them?

"Mmm, I'm getting bored of all this talk, poyo," Kirby commented. "Can we stop asking Tiff stuff about her home for a bit and play something? All these questions are only going to overwhelm her."

"All right, let's take a break." Dedede agreed. "Go ahead and have some fun. We'll resume the interrogation...I mean, asking your friend about her world later. We also need to consider the best way to return her to her world. Elfilin and Magolor would be our best assets, and we could try to summon NOVA as a last resort."

Tiff couldn't help but notice that Dedede was looking at her strangely when he mentioned the last one, as if expecting a reaction from her. But before she could ask what a nova was, Kirby grabbed her hand and led her to another part of the roof where they could play together. Gooey and Bandana Dee followed them.

As the children walked away, Dedede turned to the knight and asked him:

"So, what do you think?"

"Her answers felt sincere, and her stories are too detailed to be improvised, especially everything regarding Nightmare and the Star Warriors. I don't think she has lied to us or that she's trying to manipulate Kirby. Though the fact that she can't remember how she got here intrigues and worries me in equal parts," Meta Knight exposed. "What about you? You look a bit upset..."

"I don't like what she has said about her dimension's version of me, not even a bit," Dedede replied, a frown on his face.

"Well, she clearly dislikes her Dedede, so I doubt she was objective in her description," Meta Knight shook his head. "Don't think about it too much. You are no longer a self-centred tyrant, but rather a great and respected king."
"I don't care if there are one or more versions of me around the multiverse acting like jerks. What irritates me the most is knowing that at least one of them has willingly collaborated with Nightmare," Dedede clarified.

A part of him had always wondered what would have happened if he had chosen differently when Nightmare first showed up in the Fountain of Dreams. Refusing to join forces with that villain for the sake of his kingdom had been the first step in the long journey to redemption that had transformed him into the actual great king he was at the present time. Thinking about what could have become of him when darker foes arrived if he had taken a different path, one where he was still a self-centred, lonely tyrant, terrified him.

"Forget about it. I'm just overthinking this," he shrugged it off to not worry the knight.

Meta Knight, however, knew exactly what troubled the king. Yet he didn't insist. It was best not to put any pressure on Dedede when he closed his heart. Meta Knight would be there when the king needed to let it all out.

Suddenly, both the king and his knight were startled by a noise. The communication device Meta Knight used to talk with his crew had been activated.

"Sailor? Is everything okay?" the warrior asked his subordinate.

"Sir, you're with Dedede right now, correct?" the Waddle Dee asked. A rumble could be heard in the background of the call, but Meta Knight thought it was the Meta-Knights being their chaotic selves whenever he wasn't present.

"Yes. We have been training in the castle all day," Meta Knight confirmed, taken aback by the question. He had informed everyone in the Halberd about his schedule for the day before leaving, and Sailor wasn't the forgetful type.

"I told you guys! The king is not possessed; that person is an impostor!" Sailor said to the rest of the crew. The response of the others was drowned out by the background noise, which turned out to be screams.

"What is going on, Sailor?" Meta Knight asked, worried and confused.

"Well, as you instructed, we went to the market to trade for provisions, and..." Sailor began to explain, but their conversation was cut short by the sound of a glass breaking in the background. "For NOVA's sake. Mace, why did you untie him?! Ugh, this is the third time this month that we have had to repair that window."

"Sailor, focus, please," asked Meta Knight, a little exasperated.

"Ehem, as I was saying, we were trading in the market when a person who looked like King Dedede arrived and began acting like a moron. He demanded free stuff, and when he didn't get it, he began insulting and threatening everyone! He was like that for a while until Bonkers got angry and they got into a brawl," Sailor explained. "Things were getting a little out of hand, so we decided to intervene and ended up capturing Dedede."

"It was too easy, as if he had forgotten how to fight," Meta Knight overheard Javelin Knight say.

Another Dedede? One that behaved similarly to the one Tiff had described? It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Sir? How should we proceed with this impostor?" Sailor questioned.

"Keep a close eye on him. I'll be there shortly," he instructed.

Meta Knight turned off the device after a brief goodbye. Dedede looked at him, expecting an explanation. The king had only heard Meta Knight's side of the conversation, so he had no idea what he and Sailor were discussing.

"I am afraid that Tiff is not the only one who has arrived from her dimension," the knight informed the king, who was left with an astonished expression on his face.

They could both feel that a storm was approaching.

I do not share Tiff's opinion on animeDedede. I do think that he can be reedemed.