Heroes of Dreamland Rewritten, Book 1: Stars Amidst Lightning

Chapter 6

Kirby Dee | カービィディ

Yeesh, Meta Knight walks so fast that I can barely keep up. If I follow him at a brisk jog, I can mostly prevent my getting left too far behind in the dust, but I probably wouldn't want to enter a footrace where he was my competition. I have to admit though; this Kirby Dee thing is pretty nice. The fastest I could go last night was an awkward, fall-prone quick waddle.

As soon as we get through the passages back into the main part of the castle, I notice a group of Waddle Dees and nervously walk over. Maybe they'll know why I can't hear them through the one mind anymore. Maybe they'll know how to fix things.

Feeling a strange shyness that's never been there between me and them before, I shuffle my feet a bit and awkwardly try to start a conversation. "Uh, hi guys. What are you doing right now? Cleaning, or...?"

They completely ignore me, making me frown. Starting to feel a bit upset, I keep trying with a "Hey, guys, it's me, the one-and-only she-Waddle Dee. You can't really have forgotten me already, or have you? I mean, sure I can talk now, but I'm still me. I'm still one of you- one of us, you know?"

One of them looks at me for just a second, filling me with hope as I give him an eager 'smile.' But then he looks away just as suddenly and waddles off. Well. That's nice. It's as if I'm just another inhabitant of the castle, one not even worth obeying.

All of them disperse in various directions, apparently done with dividing up tasks or whatever it was they were doing. In sad confusion, I sigh, "Why are they doing that? It's like I don't exist." After a short pause, I kick at the ground and mutter quietly, "Maybe this being-able-to-talk thing isn't all it's cracked up to be."

Suddenly, someone gives me a hug, making me look up in surprise. Before Kirby's spontaneous actions earlier, I'd never been hugged once in my whole life, at least not that I can remember. It was really nice to finally get to experience one, to tell the truth.

This hug is being gifted to me by Kirby again, which isn't much of a surprise. "Friend, poyo!" he comforts me with an adorable grin.

I blink back at him in grateful surprise, then murmur shyly, "Thanks, Kirby. I've never had a friend before."

Meta Knight suddenly speaks for the first time since my stopping to talk to the other Waddle Dees made him pause a little ways ahead of us. The only noises he's been making are impatient sighs, but now he questions, "How can you have never had a friend before, little one? You had all of those others. Did they not like you for some reason?"

Even though he can't actually see me since he has his back to us, I shrug in a knee-jerk reaction. "It's not that they disliked me. I was just... different. They didn't understand that. There aren't really friends or enemies among the Waddle Dees. It's sort of like we're all just each a single small part of one big thing, all working together. Each part always does whatever it needs to do to take care of and serve the others."

"Is that so?" he muses, then starts swiftly walking off again without another word. I suppose we're supposed to follow him without question.

Glancing at Kirby in curiosity, I look to see what he'll do. He has a whole lot more experience with 'Scary Sword Man' than I do, after all.

With a giggle, he shrugs and assures me, "That's Meta Knight, poyo."

Nodding in understanding, I start to run after Meta Knight, the little pink puffball close behind me, both of us laughing a bit when I try to trip over a piece of stone floor that's buckled a bit.

It's nice to have a friend. But I have to admit, I still miss my Waddle Dee family. Hopefully, I'll be able to get things worked out with them soon.