With Novo by my side, I fell asleep without any trouble. But my dreaming mind did not really feel like it was dreaming at all. While I cannot recall the instant I went from being barely awake to sleeping, I actually felt like I had not fallen asleep at all. My vision was filled with the vast blue sky above with bright white clouds drifting overhead. And the mattress under me... It felt like thick grass?

I sat up promptly to find that I was now alone. Novo was nowhere to be seen. And I was far from the tropics while clad in only the pair of boxers I had fallen asleep in. I looked like I was further north on the mainland. Vast meadows and hills surrounded me along with a deep forest on the horizon. But some of the foliage around me looked...too fantastical to be real. Even by the magical standards of Equestria. Several great...windmill trees stood tall with their tops slowly spinning in response to a warm summer breeze. "Where have I seen those before...?"

"I concur. I seem to remember seeing those at one time." I heard a familiar voice speak up from behind. No wonder I felt so aware and awake. I was not alone. I turned around and found Nightmare Moon walking towards me. She spoke with an uneasy smile, "I suppose you are wondering why I am here."

"Kind of... When you or Luna show up in my dreams, there's usually a good reason behind it." I replied while not at all displeased in having my dreams intruded upon by someone very dear to me.

Nightmare Moon spoke while her eyes wandered for a second. "I suppose I... We hardly had time to speak yesterday. Your attention was spread a touch thin with so many familiar faces being happy to see you. Perhaps this way... Perhaps we can compensate for lost time by having tonight for ourselves. Shall I summon my sisters?"

A clever idea. And I was more than happy to agree. "Sure. Call them on over. It's always a good time with your ladies."

Nightmare Moon went right to work and summoned two rift in space beside us. She quickly called out, "Celestia! Luna! A word with you!"

I did not even did to see what was happening on the other side. The Princess of the Dawn and Princess of the Night hopped on through with the rifts closing behind them. Luna then asked, "Yes? You sum... Oh, hello! Is it that time again, James?"

"Huh? Uh... Not really. I think? Nightmare Moon just thought it was a good idea for us to spend the night together since we didn't get much time during the day." I replied while Celestia cast me a hopeful smile. She especially was happy to be there.

The Princess of the Dawn came up to me and promptly placed a kiss upon my cheek. Her horn was then lowered to my brow as she said, "We would be more than happy to share an evening with you, my sunshine. And your mind has... Um... Wait, haven't we seen this world before?"

"Yes, I was getting the same feeling too... Those windmill trees are hard to forget." Luna mumbled as she and her sisters surveyed the vast and beautiful green vistas around us. It was starting to come to me, but Luna then realized the truth first. "Wait! Isn't this where we ended up at the end of the first time we started doing this? Those strange dream duels against bizarre opponents from fictional worlds?"

She was absolutely right. I was honestly surprised I did not come to that conclusion sooner. I looked all around me and said, "Yep, sounds about right. Looks like we're back in Dream Land."

"Yes, we are in the realm of dreams as we speak. Although I suppose some do call it 'dream land' at times." Nightmare Moon replied while clearly not remembering the specifics of our previous visit to that world as well as her sister. At least at first. "Ah, yes. The time where I somehow angered a tree with it dropping a giant apple on my horn."

I decided it was a good time to elaborate on the world we were in. "No, I mean... This place we're in? It's literally called Dream Land. A region on the planet known as Pop Star."

"Pop Star? How does a planet end up with a name like that?" Celestia asked while stepping to the side to look past me. But in the process, her hoof bumped into a large flower that had not yet bloomed. The mere touch was enough to cause its petals to suddenly spread outward. And it ended up expelling a large soft pretzel from its face. Somehow. We all stared at the utter nonsensical and impossible display before Celestia looked at us with a crooked smile. "Dream Land, huh? We must be dreaming if that just happened. Is it safe to eat?"

"Should be." I retorted before snatching the pretzel up and tearing it into four pieces to share with my companions. It sure tasted like a pretzel. Nice and soft too. "A shame it didn't come served with honey mustard."

Nightmare Moon hardly seemed to mind the simplicity of our snack. She then spoke up with a bold tone. "Well now... I must say I am most intrigued by this world. Perhaps there is a good reason your mind decided to revisit it in your dreams. Where to, my friend?"

It would be a shame to pass up on such an opportunity. Any visit to the fictional Dream Land was a vacation in and of itself. I turned around and cast my gaze out over the vast green valley before us. But on the horizon while partially obstructed by a forest... A manmade stone structure? "How about we head over there?"

Luna was about to speak, but her eyes then widened in caution. "Wait... James, I must ask. Do you believe we may find danger even in a world such as this?"

"Not really? Most of the creatures and even people of Pop Star are pretty passive and aren't much of a threat even if they do lash out." I replied while also being very aware of that world's deceptive nature. A pleasant and peaceful world in a universe with some very dark concepts lurking out of sight and out of mind. Kind of like Equestria itself, come to think of it.

Celestia noticed how I worded that statement and looked past my shoulder for our eyes to meet. "Most creatures?"

I felt silly with how I worded that. And I needed to provide some context. "Uh... Yeah. Most. But not all. For how idyllic this world is, there are...exceptions. There are some very powerful individuals on this planet. Some creatures can even be quite dangerous. I mean that tree you messed with, Nightmare Moon? That thing could've given you a much harder time if it decided to throw more than one apple at you."

"You don't say?" Nightmare Moon asked with cautious curiosity. Although something then came by and began to circle us. A butterfly with warm scarlet hues fluttered around us before lightly setting down atop the tip of Nightmare Moon's horn. She glanced up at it and said, "Hm. I suppose even worlds of peace have their own hidden terrors. Nothing like this little creature, of course. Even the butterflies of this world are trusting."

While butterflies are common in Dream Land, I could not help but feel like I recognized that specific butterfly. Those scarlet wings with a warm yellow closer to the body... Regardless, it soon finished resting and took to the air before fluttering off. The Princess of Dreams then looked at me and said, "But if this world does have its dangers... Shall I summon your armor, my friend?"

A certain hesitation filled my heart. I had already worn that armor daily for too many weeks on end very recently. But I did nod before Nightmare Moon cast her spell. A flash of light engulfed me for an instant as I felt myself wrapped in a soft flexible bodysuit covered in a full set of plate armor. Even my head was securely wrapped. I looked down at myself, feeling like I was back in Equestria again while armed for something that world should never come to know.

I took a deep breath and reached for the shield on my left arm. My armored right hand grasped the sword hilt sticking up from behind it and slowly drew the pure white blade of the Celestial Sword. I gazed upon that enchanted blade, its usual bright glow being absent in the light of the midday sun. The three royal sisters watched as I slowly swung my sword elegantly and slowly. Just to test my balance and reacquaint myself to the way of the sword. I soon sighed before gazing upon the blade of the Celestial Sword. "For as much as I hope to never see another battlefield, I just can't bring myself to resent the elegance of a sword. It is an art form after all."

"Well said, my friend. Embrace the sword, but reject war. That is way of the knight." Nightmare Moon spoke profoundly to me. It was not much, but what little she said soothed my soul. I am an artist, not a warrior. And yet I have always been fascinated by the sword. Not for its use to destroy, but for its use as an art form. I suppose I just needed to be reminded of that.

With the Celestial Sword returned to its scabbard, the four of us began to trek across the vast meadows ahead. And it was such a soothing stroll. We followed simple dirt paths and sank our feet and hooves into the countless strands of wavering grass. Such strange creatures we passed by too. Dancing mushrooms that had a completely different creature hiding under the caps, plant creatures drifting on the wind, and the occasional waddling heads with some having a single giant eye on the front. Waddling heads... That is the closest thing I can describe them as.

My companions were quite taken with the locals as we passed them by. They were all very passive too and showed no hostility to us. Celestia spoke up in awe as she said, "This world feels so similar to Equestria... But maybe...more peaceful?"

"I kinda get that feeling too. Maybe Pop Star and Equestria aren't so different... Although I'd say this world feels a lot more fantastical with how most of its inhabitants look. Stuff like that just wouldn't ever happen in reality." I retorted as I found myself smiling at the simple yet vibrant beauty of Dream Land. I had forgotten just how much I adored that world. And I was glad I could share it with my royal companions.

"I can't complain. These little waddling creatures just brim with quiet charm. Even these cyclopean creatures are adorable in their own way. Such vibrantly expressive eyes!" Luna chuckled as we passed by another waddling cyclops. Although as she said that, we passed a large tree. And Luna just happened to look back and see that someone was seated at the base on the other side. "Uh... Hello there?"

My blood chilled as I suddenly noticed that someone was right there beside us. We all turned and looked down as I instantly felt like we were in very possible danger. Another one of those waddling heads was seated at the base of the tree, but...this one was quite different. Its round body was a dark blue with its face covered by a metal mask. The two eyes peering out from an angular slit across the middle glowed a bright yellow. Its feet was clad in purple sabatons with a pair of pauldrons set where a pair of shoulders would be. The tips of its arms were covered in a pair of silvery gauntlets with a mitten design. A matching blue cape hung behind it and only added to the mysterious and bizarrely dangerous air this masked entity was giving off.

The four of us stared at this masked creature while he stared right back. But in his gloved hands... A book? He was simply reading while in the shade of a tree? After a moment of confused silence, the masked creature finally spoke. And he spoke with a very thick and mysterious Spanish accent that surely would not be out of place among the people of the Republic of Aquila. "Can I help you?"

"We... Uh... We'll just be on our way." Nightmare Moon mumbled in a confusion that we all shared. The masked creature paid us no mind as we started to step away and turned his gaze down to the book in his hands. Nightmare Moon then spoke to me once we were well out of earshot. "Such a mysterious look to that masked stranger... Almost...knightly, in spite of such a silly appearance. Who was that?"

"Not someone we wanna mess with. Let's try to not give him reason to think we're up to no good. He's one of the more powerful and dangerous defenders of this world." I replied while glancing back at the round masked knight. He did not know us, but I knew him. And I knew we would be in for a challenge if we crossed swords with him. And I had no idea how I would fight a swordsman who was no larger than a beach ball.

Thoughts of the mysterious masked round knight faded from our minds as we neared a great forest that loomed higher over us the closer we drew near. It was now completely obstructing our view of our intended destination. Luna looked up at the rest of us and said, "We could just soar over this forest. Or if you all would prefer a more leisurely pace, we could simply go as the crow flies."

"I see why not. We have seen the meadows of this realm. Let us partake in the forests as well." Nightmare Moon replied while Celestia and I smiled at each other in agreement. And so we were off. The forest ahead was filled with towering trees that were reasonably spaced out between each other and allowed a fair bit of light to reach the forest floor. And we were not alone. Nightmare Moon's wings suddenly sprang open in surprise as she said, "Ah, what's out there?!"

"Huh?! Oh, hey! I forgot about these guys." I retorted as we stood our grounds. More of those silent little orange waddling heads were riding through the forest on what looked like wild boars with bold red snouts. Just for the fun of it. "They do that sometimes. Leave them be."

We passed more of Dream Land's inhabitants along the way through the forest. Some more wild boars galloping along and even some surprisingly cute yellow spiders that would drop down from a line of thread. Celestia even let out a giggle as she said, "I see why they call this place Dream Land. It's so serene and safe that I could easily settle down for a nap out here."

"I concur, sister. Were we not dreaming already, I would suggest... Oh my, now those are some impressive apples!" Luna started to say before a great apple tree came into view ahead. And hanging from its thick leafy braches were huge bright red apples. Easily as large as my head if not larger. Luna even got a laugh out of their sheer size as she added, "My, if only Applejack could see these."

"She would be very jealous indeed... Better make sure she doesn't see these or she'll never stop obsessing over how to get her trees to grow apples this big... Wait." I replied with a silly smirk over my lips before I suddenly had a realization. There was only one tree in the entirety of Dream Land that grew apples of such size. "Uh oh... We better not mess with those apples."

"Now that you mention it... I think I know this tree." Nightmare Moon growled as her eyes narrowed. She had seen apples that large before. And had one dropped right on her horn. Hard to forget something like that. She scanned the tree and said, "Where is it's face? I know it had one last time I saw it."

Celestia stepped closer in confusion. "Wait, you mean this tree is haunted? Is that how it dropped an apple on you last time?"

"I wouldn't say the tree is haunted. More like...alive in ways it wouldn't be where we came from. He just really doesn't like visitors. And I really don't wanna get into a fight with a tree today. Let's get outta here, all right?" I replied while my three royal companions were in agreement. But as we started to walk past that tree, the branches rustled. Three round holes in the bark opened up silently to resemble two eyes and a small mouth. There was even a small stumpy branch between them that could have passed as a nose. And those round eyes soon narrowed as the sentient tree glared down at us. Now faced with a forest spirit that was really not happy to see us, there was only one thing I could say. "Nope! Not today!"

We bolted in an instant and left the anchored tree far behind with it having no way to pursue us. At least we were out of danger. Although Nightmare Moon soon tripped right over something and almost fell flat on her face. Only the frantic flapping of her wings kept her upright long enough to find her footing. "Ack, wha... Who was that?!"

We stopped and turned around to find exactly who had stepped out from behind a tree to unfortunately get in Nightmare Moon's way. It was another one of those round waddling cyclops creatures. And now its one huge eye was glaring at Nightmare Moon with a scowl. Having her almost trample it could not possibly have felt good. The Princess of Dreams spoke apologetically, "Ah, forgive me, tiny creature. We were simply fleeing from a haunted tree and... Ah?!"

Nightmare Moon took a step back as the waddling cyclops unleashed an ability Nightmare Moon could not have known about. A crackling arc of lightning burst from the creature's one eye before gradual swinging downward. Except...it was well out of range. While that was a potent attack, the cyclops had gravely misjudged the range of its weapon. Nightmare Moon glanced over her shoulder at me and asked, "This creature can wield electrical energies as a weapon?"

"Uh...yeah? You'd be surprised at what the creatures of Pop Star can do to defend themselves... Hey, knock it off. You know you're out of range." I replied as that tiny cyclops did it again. Was it even trying to hit Nightmare Moon? Or was it just trying to intimidate her into fleeing?

Nightmare Moon began to scowl at the cyclops in such a cocky manner. And my eyes widened when her magic aura began to billow around her horn. "You want beams? I can show you beams."

"Nightmare Moon, play nice. This little creature appears weak." Celestia said cautiously as her black sheep of a sister lowered her head to align her horn with the eye of the cyclops. Completely unfazed, it unleashed another lightning whip only for Nightmare Moon to fire a singe blue beam of magic that shot right through that trail of lightning. The cyclops was sent rocketing backwards into the forest and far out of sight. With the Princess of Dream raising her head high with such a smirk on her lips, Celestia then asked with a disapproving scowl. "Are you proud of yourself?"

"Calm yourself, sister. I simply blew the silly thing away. I did not use a spell that would harm it." Nightmare Moon replied while I just shook my head in amusement. Luna then rolled her eyes and continued on while we followed her. At least until we remembered that none of us had any sense of direction at the time. Nightmare Moon then looked around and asked, "Um... Which direction were we headed in again?"

"We... Uh... Drat. That encounter with the tree threw us off course. Give me just one moment." Luna grumbled before she spread her wings and threw herself into the air before rising past the canopy above. We waited in silence for a moment before she fell back below the leaves above and landed gracefully before us. She then pointed in one direction that was definitely not he way we had been heading before we stopped. "If we were heading to where I think we agreed upon, it's that way."

We were much more careful to not wander off an any other direction from that point forward. We marched through the forest while taking in the sights and sounds while being very mindful of any small creatures. We did not want to annoy them into becoming hostile, even if they would hardly be a threat. And in due time, we did emerge from the forest as a great stone structure did stand before us. And Celestia beat me to the punch. "Wait... Haven't I seen this before?"

Across the green plains and up a great hill stood what could only be designed as a stone castle. It had two levels to it, its sandy brown form bordered at the four corners on each level by thick cylindrical towers with dull red spiral patterns wrapping up around them. The wall of the second level of the castle facing out direction had a pair of open windows set into it that strangely resembled angular glaring eyes. Almost as if it had been designed that way to keep any random wanderers from approaching. I recognized that castle in an instant and said, "Yep. Even Dream Land has a king."

"Ah, a king resides there? Not the most opulent design for a castle I have ever seen, but there's something about that simple design and rugged pure stone material that radiates strength." Luna replied while knowing nothing of the kind of king who rules over the peaceful realm of Dream Land. And I felt a certain tension in my heart as I had a strong suspicion of what we were doomed to experience that day. I would have to take up the sword soon, but...I was also strangely excited. Luna then looked up at me and asked, "What of you, my friend? You are familiar with this world. Is the king within those walls a force to be reckoned with?"

"Ooooooh yeah, he most definitely is. He's one of Pop Star's greatest heroes and can handle almost any threat. I mean he didn't start out that way. Kind of a selfish tyrant at first, but Pop Star's greatest hero ended up being a really good influence on him. At least that's how I assume it worked out." I replied while fondly remembering who we were likely about to meet for the first time.

Celestia was far from convinced by what I had just said. And she was quick to remind us of why. "Wha... No! No way. There is no way that strange bird thing wrapped in red who sounded like he was on vacation from Appleloosa could possibly be the king you're talking about... Is he?"

Oh right, I had forgotten about that. After the very first time we experienced a thrilling battle in one of my dreams, the three royal sisters went off on their own just to explore for the remainder of our time asleep. And it sounded like Celestia had found her way to that castle and had wandered in uninvited. I started to smirk at the Princess of the Dawn and said, "Oh, I dunno. How about we head on in and find out?"

"You almost look excited, James... Interested in having a friendly spar with the mighty king of this land?" Nightmare Moon asked while also looking more and more interested in what we were heading towards.

"You know what? Maybe I am. Sure, let's head on in and say hello." I replied while actually excited about testing my sword against the might of a king I was very familiar with. With looks of curiosity, excitement, and uncomfortable confusion, we all headed on our way up to the grand castle ahead.

The further up the hill we marched, the more it became apparent that the castle had been built atop a hill overlooking the ocean. The faint sounds of crashing waves began to reach our ears. And once we reached the front doors, we looked to our right to see a great blue bay beyond the hill. Luna smiled as she said, "At least this location makes for quite the view."

The door to the castle... Actually, there was no door. The entrance consisted of a rounded arched doorway with a pair of stone pillars set in the middle to allow for more orderly entrances and exits for multiple people. And once inside, we were greeted with tile flooring consisting of golden yellow and warm white squares. A red rug was present down the middle of the halls as well. The walls were a warm white and had star shapes embedded in the stone. Nightmare Moon took note of these colors. "The colorations chosen for the interior decor... It does feel almost...dreamy. King of Dream Land indeed."

"It is... I even recognize these colors from some of the nursery toys and decor I had for Cadence when she was just a little thing." Celestia said softly as we walked through great halls of the castle. The interior was admirably restrained in how it was designed. Not as glorious as maybe the likes of Canterlot's castle and most certainly nowhere close to the opulence of the Ivory Palace, but there was a certain air of humbleness in the caste's interior without losing any sense of pride. And along the way, we passed by even more of those orange waddling heads with mouthless faces. Some were carrying tomes and boxes over their heads as they walked along while some were clearly serving as guards with spears in hand. The guards watched us, but did not take any action. They could probably tell we had no malicious intentions. Although after passing by so many, Celestia finally asked a question I am surprised she and her sisters did not ask sooner. "James... They're everywhere. What even are these creatures?"

"Waddle Dees." I replied in brief without even looking back at her.

"Waddle...what? But then...what about those red ones with a giant eye for a face?" Nightmare Moon asked with a tone of confusion. I almost laughed when I turned around and saw the weird stares I was getting from the three royal sisters.

My response was just as brief as the first. "Waddle Doos."

"Dees...and Doos? Must be a related species. And they do waddle quite a bit." Luna retorted while cracking a very confused and amused grin. They asked no further questions for a while longer. At least until we started to notice a recurring pattern in the banners hung along the walls. Red with blue and gold edges with a specific symbol emblazoned towards the middle. We all stopped and stared at one after passing so many. "What sort of emblem is this? It looks like...the silhouette of a rabbit's head?"

That was something I had to agree on. The shape had two extensions reaching up and out of a round central shape that vaguely resembled short rabbit ears. But...that made no sense when considering my knowledge of Dream Land. I cocked my head to one side and said, "You know what? I've been wondering that for the longest time. I never could figure out what that symbol is even supposed to be."

We continued on through the castle with only the voiceless Waddle Dees as our witnesses. We climbed stairs that took us to the second floor, but we were still inside only the lower half of the castle. It was jarring of just how much larger on the inside it was. And when we reached the far end of that floor, we ascended another staircase to reach the upper half of the castle. And we were greeted by a room that included an open balcony overlooking the vast ocean beyond. An ocean that appeared to be turning orange despite the sunset having not yet started. Nightmare Moon's eyes widened at such a grand design choice for an otherwise more modest castle. "Oh my, now this is some good taste. Grant me a moment here, please."

"Huh. The guy's got good taste in location." I said as we all lined up at the balcony to gaze out at the ocean. It really was such a good view. We never could have known when viewing the castle from the other side.

After a moment though, I thought I heard something. Like soft footsteps. And sure enough, a voice called out to us. And it was just about the last voice I ever expected to here. "Hey! Visitin' hours are over, chumps! Beat it!"

"Oh no... Don't tell me that voice belongs to..." Celestia cringed as we all jumped at the sudden shout we received. And when we turned around...

The sheer confused happiness I felt when I beheld who was standing before us. Although I expected him to be taller. I think he only came up to my chin. The closest thing I could describe what I was seeing was some kind of blue penguin with a very wide and stubby orange bill that blurred the lien between that and a pair of lips. A pair of large and annoyed eyes sat between that bill and a rounded red cap atop his head. While not a crown, it did give off a royal air with its thick gold band around the rim and a soft orb of fluff atop it. His thick red coat shared similar feature with the cuffs of the sleeve and the entire outer edge of the coat lined with identical white fluff. His hands were covered by soft orange mittens with his large feet coated by identical featureless shoes. He had no visible legs to speak of, but that was a common feature in the strange creatures of Pop Star. His somewhat rotund body under that coat was wrapped a soft creamy colored robe with a wide sash across the middle bearing an alternating pattern of red and yellow triangles. And grasped in his right hand while hoisted over his shoulder was a massive wooden mallet with a head that was easily half his entire height. The faces of the mallet were lined with steel rims and sported a large yellow star in the middle. Rather than be intimidated by the mighty monarch before us, I could only crack an uneasy smile. "Well now... Your majesty."

The three royal sisters glanced at me very suddenly when I said that. Luna spoke up first and asked, "Wait, truly? This...penguin creature is the king of this land?!"

"Hey, that's emperor penguin, ya sissy pony!" The robed bird barked at Luna with a voice that really did not fit how he looked. Celestia was right. He really did sound like something who was born and raised in Appleloosa. And yet, it was a bizarrely endearing voice in spite of how he really did not look like it suited him. But he then lifted his chin and displayed a proud smirk. "And yeah, you're not wrong! King of Dream Land, at your service! But seriously, what're you weirdos doing in the castle of the big triple D?"

"Triple...D? Excuse me?" Celestia asked with an utterly perplexed stare. Even her sisters shared her confusion while I could only keep smirking in amusement at this very self-styled king.

I decided to provide an explanation to the three mares before any chaos could unfold. "King Dedede."

The robed king before us finally put on a smile at the sound of his name. "Yeheheheh, yep! This guy gets it! Come ta think of it, how do you know so much about me anyway? The buncha ya don't look like yer from around here. You weirdos vacationing?"

Nightmare Moon grumbled as she continued to give the very strange king a cockeyed gaze. And I soon found out why. "I just cannot get over the way you sound... You sound like a drunk Appleloosan! How are you possibly a king?!"

All this did was genuinely offend the guy. King Dedede promptly shook his mighty mallet at us while shouting, "Hey, who asked you?! This king marches to the beat of his own drum! And I beat a lotta drums in my spare time!"

I found the guy funny, but my companions found him to be varying levels of mystifying. Except for Luna. She started to look genuinely amused by the very unorthodox king before us. "Come to think of it... A king who sounds and speaks in a very unorthodox manner... Doesn't he remind you of someone we all know?"

Celestia immediately cast her little sister a harsh gaze. "Don't you dare say Novo."

"Oh man, can you imagine how a conversation between them would sound?" I asked while almost laughing at my own thoughts. A sassy queen of soul chatting up a king born and raised in a frontier town? They would probably be very good friends in the end. Luna and Nightmare Moon even got a laugh out of the notion, but Celestia did not like the sound of that. For as much as she loves her best friend, there is no denying Novo can be a bit much when it comes to engaging with people as quirky and unorthodox as her in their mannerisms.

King Dedede did not appreciate being ignored. Certainly not by a quartet of uninvited intruders. He loudly tapped the handle of his hammer on the floor to get our attention again. "Ding dong, you dummies! How about we get back ta what're you bozos doin' in my house?! Visitin' hours are done for the day!"

I suppose he had the right to be rude. We were being rude first by showing up uninvited. Nightmare Moon decided to cut to the chase and cast her eyes on the hefty wooden mallet hoisted over Dedede's shoulder. "Yes, back to that... I must say that is quite the impressive hammer you have there. Is it as mighty as it looks?"

"Yeheheheh, you bet it is! Perfect for clobberin' anyone who's up to no good! Nobody swings a mallet like old Dedede!" The king laughed while looking very proud of his trusty weapon. Just the fact that he could lug around such an oversized mallet was a testament to his might. I doubt I could ever use it even with my armor bolstering my strength.

Nightmare Moon's eyes then narrowed as her tone became a bit more smug. "You don't say? Then I assume that you must be quite the warrior. Is that the case as well?"

King Dedede's eyes widened before they started to narrow in suspicion. He was starting to put the pieces together with the inflections in Nightmare Moon's voice betraying her civility. "What're you gettin' at here?"

Luna then took a step forward as she too spoke with a confident tone. "What we are saying is that we challenge you, mighty king of Dream Land. To a duel!"

Upon hearing that, Dedede just...stared. As if he could not believe someone had wandered into his home only to dare him to pick a fight with them. And before long, he lifted his head high and started to howl with laughter. "Yeheheheheh! Lemme get this straight! You think you bozos can just waltz on into my castle, come on up to the top floor uninvited, and then y'all think you can just step ta me like that?!"

I could not blame King Dedede for being more than just a little cocky. He had absolutely no idea how powerful my companions and I were. But I knew not to underestimate him either. The heroes of Pop Star are truly a mighty bunch that have vanquished evils of grand scope and scale well beyond anything Equestria has ever seen. After having a moment to laugh at the sheer audacity of our intentions, Dedede brought his face back down and chuckled at us through a sneer. "I dunno if you weirdoes are tougher than ya look or you got rocks for brains. Because nobody monkeys with Triple D! Yeheheh...heh... Hey, what's with that look? Somethin' on my face?"

All three of my companions recoiled with silent shock with their eyes wide. Dedede had just bared his teeth at them. Quite literally. Celestia spoke loudly, "Teeth should not be there!"

"What?! Whaddya got against my pearly whites?! I got the best dang chompers on the planet! Just look at that shine!" Dedede replied before once again grinning widely to show off the set of very shiny white teeth...in his bill. Celestia was right. No bird had any right having a set of teeth in their beak. I am aware that the avian races of Equestria do have teeth, but only a set of molars in the back for chewing. Seeing a full set of teeth in a bird's bill was simply unnatural and uncanny. But when considering how the creatures of Pop Star seem to outright defy the laws of reality in regards to their anatomies, who were we to complain?

"Yes, yes, we see that! You must have an impeccable dentist!" Nightmare Moon winced as she beheld the king's royal smile. She then turned to her sisters and I before asking, "But enough of that. A duel is what we are here for, yes?"

"This day just keeps getting weirder... But yes. I think I'm mentally prepared for it now." Celestia grumbled as she tried to collect herself. She was not used to dealing with creatures like our opponent for the night. At least the world of Equestria still feels like a plausible world rooted in reality in spite of how magical and fantastical it can get. Dream Land felt like something that could only exist in the realm of fantasy.

Luna flexed her neck from one side to another while also flexing her wings. She was just making certain she was ready for a new challenge. But she then looked up at me and asked, "Ready, my friend?"

I started to reach for the hilt of my sword only to hesitate. I glanced at Dedede and back at the hilt of the Celestial Sword. A profound sense of unease filled my heart. I knew just how sharp the pure white blade of my sword was. A single stroke would often be enough to slay anything. My three royal companions took note of my hesitation and looked at me. I then raised a hand towards Dedede and asked, "Can we just have a quick huddle for a second?"

King Dedede rolled his eyes in annoyance. He then very begrudgingly turned his mallet upside-down and placed the head on the floor before him with both hands resting atop its handle. "Fine, but make it quick. You're doin' this on my time here!"

We all turned away from the impatient king and huddled together to speak quietly. I spoke up first and said, "OK, um... I'm perfectly fine with sparring with this guy, but I really don't want to actually hurt him."

Luna raised an eyebrow at my restraint. "Harm him? Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean that the Celestial Sword is too sharp for its own good. I don't want to risk fatally injuring the guy. Do you have...I dunno... A less lethal option for me?" I explained as quickly as I could. With no knowledge of how deadly my primary weapon was, Dedede would not have the necessary urgency to defend himself effectively.

Celestia then asked with a quiet and curious tone. "You're actually concerned with him? Why?"

I looked at the Princess of the Dawn and smiled at her. "I know you wouldn't know it with how he was acting a minute ago, but the guy's a hero of Dream Land. Nothing good will come outta it if we put him down for good."

"Hm. So this truly is just a friendly spar we have agreed to? Very well then. Allow me. I think I can conjure up just what you need." Nightmare Moon replied before she began to focus her magic through her horn. Frigid mist appeared before us as magic blue ice began to form. It stretched and crackled as it took on a very familiar form. A sword. Very similar in proportions to the Celestial Sword and composed entirely of that unmelting magic ice. I took the sword in hand and found that my gauntlet protected my fingers and palm from the chilling effects of that frigid substance. The blade did not even look particularly sharp. "Will this suffice?"

"Yeah, this is perfect. Shouldn't bust him up too bad with this." I said with a relieved smile. We then turned to face our opponent and stood ready. "Sorry about that. We doing this?"

"Heh. You better believe we are. If we're doin' this on my turf, we're playin' by my rules. And rule #1?" Dedede replied with a huge confident grin on his bill. He swiftly hoisted his mallet back onto his shoulder. He then called out with not a shred of doubt in his eyes. "Kowtow to Dedede, you bozos! Because I'm the emperor penguin and I'm keeping it cool!"

The four of us spread out as the mighty king of Dream Land took his mighty mallet in both hands. He glanced back and forth at us as the three royal sisters readied the magic in their horns. I was tempted to charge in, but I dreaded a direct hit from that mallet. How well would my armor hold up to a hard blunt blow? Deciding to play it safe, I tapped my sword of ice against the face of the Lunar Shield. "Your move, your majesty."

"Don't mind if I do!" Dedede laughed before suddenly breaking into a shocking quick sprint. No one with no proper legs should have been able to reach that speed, but he did! We were all startled by this sudden quick approach and jumped to the sides. Dedede knew what he was doing as he used his forward momentum to carry himself forward while making a few quick rotations of his hammer in hand. He was smarter than he seemed, trying to strike us all at once with a whirling swing of his mallet. "Better start runnin'! Because Triple D is comin' for ya!"

"What strength and speed! Consider us all impressed, your majesty!" Nightmare Moon called out before she and her sisters unleashed a barrage of magic beams into the sturdy King Dedede. But he was hardly fazed at all. They kept bursting into him in a flash of blue and yellow sparks, but he just lifted his chin high and took it with a smile. The Princess of Dreams called out as even I looked on in shock, "Wha... That should have at least thrown you around!"

"Not this rock hard king! Y'all got no idea what I've gone through to toughen myself up! Now I can go toe to toe with that there Kirby! Yeheheheheheh!" King Dedede laughed as he shrugged off that simple magical barrage. And when considering just how strong the magic output is for the royal sisters, even I was left stunned. The mighty king then turned his gaze to me before readying another charge. "How about you show me whatcha got, pretty boy?! Get that sword ready!"

"Right, gotcha ! En garde!" I readied my stance as Dedede came in swinging with impressive swift and wide arcs of that heavy mallet. It was actually terrifying to get so close to someone swinging around such a heavy weapon with such speed. Even trying to parry with my shield was difficult. I could feel the power with every glancing blow to my shield. A direct hit might have ended up break my arm.

I had to take a risk. I tried to push away that mallet with as much force as I could before landing a quick pair of slices on the king's head. He grunted from that blow before sending me sailing into the far wall with a heavy blow from that mallet. Celestia called out to me in fright, "James! Are you all right?!"

"That...hurt..." I groaned as I reeled from the full force of that mallet slamming squarely into the entire front of my cuirass. The wide and round face of the mallet prevented it from striking with a focused point, but the sheer force of that blow was dizzying. Lacking a small impact point mattered little when the wielder was just that strong. My body sore yet still unbroken, I rose back to my feet. "I think I'm kind of scared of this guy now!"

"Oh, you better be shakin' in your boots, boy! Unless y'all wanna start runnin' for the OW!!!" King Dedede laughed before suddenly getting basted in the side of the head with a burst of blue lightning. That definitely made him stagger to the side. He suddenly turned to look at Luna and yelled, "Hey! I felt that one! You wanna piece of me now?!"

"Come get some, your majesty. My sisters and I have faced worse!" The Princess of the Night spoke fearlessly as she stared down the king with her sisters at her sides. Their eyes scowled in preparation to take the fight to him directly. Perhaps elemental magic would hit hard enough to faze him.

"Heh! You pretty ponies aren't all about the looks, huh?! I guess you three are packin' after all! Yeheheheh! Fine by me! I've dealt with weirder bozos than you!" Dedede laughed heartily as he readied another charge. But instead of coming for us, he instead started to whirl in place with his mallet. "Here! Catch!"

We all flinched as Dedede hurled that whirling hammer right for the three sisters. Acting quickly, they combined their magic to create a barrier to insure it would not hit hard enough to get through. The barrier held, but that mallet still hit hard! I could feel a ripple in the air when it glanced off that barrier and was sent bouncing high. And Dedede was already on the move. The mighty king made a huge leap through the air to grab the mallet and come down hard right onto the sisters to almost push them to the floor! "Hey, what's with the magic bubble?! Guess I just gotta pop it!"

King Dedede once again leapt high from that barrier to the point of almost reached the ceiling. But this time, he readied his mallet to bring it down hard onto the barrier. This was enough to intimidate the three sisters into dropping the barrier and scattering. I am not so sure the barrier would have been broken, but Dedede only barely missed. He smashed his falling hammer into the floor with such force that it sent out a shockwave that knocked the nearby princesses off their feet!

I could not stay back any longer. With Dedede adjusting his footing to try and go after one of my companions, I rushed in and smashed my sword over his head. He barked in pain while I readied another strike from above. But the wily king brought up his mallet to block the swing from above with that solid mass of wood. He gave me such a smirk before effortlessly shoving my sword high and giving me a firm shove into my armored chest with the top of his mallet. I could feel the sheer strength in such gentle moves. I barely regained my footing in time before raising the Lunar Shield as the king brought his mallet high for a heavy strike from above. With no time to think, I raised my shield and braced myself.

That blow sent me crashing to the floor. Had I not blocked it, I surely would have been slain and the dream would have ended abruptly. Thoroughly stunned by the impact, I could only gaze up at Dedede as he rushed forward with his mallet raised high. "Looks like it's lights out for you!"

I had to think quickly. I readied my armor's wings under me to serve as a means to springboard myself up into the air and away from my opponent. But before I could act, a flash of blue lightning burst right above him with Dedede and I squinting our eyes shut as piece and pieces of splintered wood was sent flying everywhere. When we started to carefully peek out with one eye, Dedede still had his arms raised high and had come to a complete stop. And that was when his eyes widened in confusion. "Hey... My mallet's feeling kinda light right now."

My eyes opened wide as well since I could see what was being held above the king's head. Or rather what was missing. And I burst into a sly snickering fit as I saw all King Dedede was holding up was just the handle of his hammer with no sign of the head. Dedede then brought his handle down to inspect his hammer only to have his eyes go wide with utter horror. "Wha... Hey! What happened! What'd you bozos do to my baby?!"

"There was no contending with that mallet. So I disposed of it to give us a fighting chance!" Nightmare Moon called out slyly. Even her sisters looked a bit more smug now that the king's mightiest weapon had been destroyed. All that remained of it was jagged bits of wood and the two steel rims that bordered the faces scattered around the room. But even so, with the strength he had displayed in swinging it, he could surely pummel us with his bare fists. The king was not out of the fight yet.

Rather than carry on with the duel, Dedede raised the handle of his ruined mallet high and sounded like he was genuinely upset about it. "What's your problem?! I've been swingin' this baby around since 1992! And now you go and make kindling outta her?! That was my first and favorite mallet, you chumps!"

King Dedede threw what was left of his hammer in futility at Nightmare Moon. The Princess of Dreams easily caught it out of the air in her levitation spell before just letting it drop to the floor. Dedede even looked like he was about to start crying despite looking utterly furious. Nightmare Moon glanced at her sisters as they all started to look like they were finding the situation to be awkward. Even I backed away from Dedede once I was back on my feet. The Princess of Dreams then said, "I... Um... My sincerest apologies, your majesty."

"You sorry? Well, guess what?! That ain't good enough now! Y'all went and made this personal! I'm gonna mop the floor with you bozos now! Last chance to start runnin' before I really clobber ya!" Dedede roared before stomping his foot hard in a very intentional way. As if...to call for something.

It was then that the four of us happened to notice something that we had overlooked. A rail system was installed along the center of the ceiling above. For making quick deliveries throughout the castle? Dedede glared us down with his arms crossed as he waited patiently. He then spoke to us in warning. "I ain't kiddin' here. Last chance ta bail if you're gettin' cold feet!"

I started to feel a pit open in my gut. The king had been disarmed. His mighty wooden mallet destroyed. But I knew that it was not his only weapon. And I was starting to feel both excited yet anxious over the imminent escalation of this conflict. I looked over at the three royal sisters while they also looked skeptical of the situation. Celestia soon extended her wing and used it to beckon me over to them. I stepped carefully past Dedede while he watched us all with a scowl. Celestia then whispered to us, "I don't have a good feeling about this... What do you suppose is coming?"

"Basically if you thought he was tough before, he's about to become a nightmare." I replied before looking back at Dedede. He noticed and reached into his heavy red coat before pulling out what appeared to be a metal mask. It consisted of dark gray plating with a large gap for his eyes and was bordered by three yellow horns at the sides and top. As we watched him brandish that piece of armor, Dedede grinned menacingly at us while using his other hand to make a slicing motion at his neck. I recognized that armored mask instantly and recoiled in unease at the sight of it. "Yeah... He's really not happy with us now."

"That mask... It looks sturdy, but is that the only piece of armor he intends to wear? The rest of him is still exposed." Luna asked while Dedede waited with that mask still in hand.

Nightmare Moon beat me to the punch and said, "Luna, have you not seen how he reacts to our strikes? Only a blow to the head seems to provoke any sort of a reaction out of him. Armoring his face is all he likely needs."

"Huh. I was wondering why he's so much more resilient when he dons that thing... I guess it isn't just for looks after all." I added while looking back at the waiting king. The situation was starting to get rather comical with how nothing was happening and Dedede somehow had the patience to just wait for whatever he had summoned to show up. And then I heard it. A faint whirring sound of some kind of device at work. I glanced up and said, "Uh oh, I think it's here..."

A large metal box was moving along that rail system above us. And it was large enough for me to stand inside. We all suddenly looked back at Dedede and saw him grinning with those pearly whites on display. "Yeheheh, you chumps are in for it now! The exit's right there if you're gonna start runnin'! Ya got the wings for it! Just fly away if ya don't wanna get clobbered!"

He was not wrong. The balcony was right over yonder. The scuffle had not taken us out of that room. I looked at my three royal companions while they began to show glares of uneasy conviction. It would be a shame to miss out on facing the king at his best. We all watched in cautious unease as a hatch opened on the underside. Once it was open, something was dropped out of the bottom. Something that I swear shook the entire castle when it hit the floor!

My companions stared with gaping jaws at the behemoth of a hammer that had smashed a hole through the tiles covering the floor. The head of that wooden mallet may have been half of Dedede's size, but the size of this new hammer's head was easily the size of his entire body! It was no simple mallet either. The hammer before us was entirely mechanized and far heavier than any hammer made of wood. An industrial marvel of a weapon comprised of metal, much of the hammer's head was covered in blue plating with two round orange heat vents on each side that suggested some kind of active machinery inside. The rear of the head confirmed this by displaying the port of a rocket engine. The face of the hammer consisted of an octagonal steel plate that bore a yellow...rabbit head symbol like those we had seen on the banners strung up around the castle. I shook my head at the sight of that mechanical monstrosity and muttered, "Man... Seeing this thing up close just hits different."

"What...is this thing?! There's no way you can possibly lift such a... Oh dear." Celestia called out before she was silenced by Dedede making her eat her own words. He reached out and took hold of the upside-down hammer's metal handle before effortlessly hoisting it onto his shoulder. He was literally carrying around something his own size and it was daunting to behold. And with a quick move of his hand, the mighty king placed his sturdy metal mask upon his face. "James. I think I'm actually scared here."

"And ya should be! Because this is where it gets real, ya chumps! Y'all went and made this king mad! Now he's bringin' down the hammer!" Dedede laughed as he held his head high. He then glared at us with hammer in both hands and at his side. We wisely chose to spread ourselves out to make us less of an easy target. But that sound reaching our ears... The rocket engine was flaring up?! And he completely resisted its pull! The sheer strength required to keep that thing from flying out of his hands was unimaginable! "Let's party! Triple D style!"

"He comes!" Nightmare Moon shouted in fright. Only then did Dedede let his hammer's rocket engine carry him forward. He went into a rapid spin towards us with the fiery exhaust leaving blue flames in its wake. His approach was sudden and swift, forcing us all to throw ourselves back with our wings before he smashed his mighty hammer into the floor between where we had been with such thunderous power that it ruined the floor itself! Collateral damage was no longer an issue to that furious king. All he wanted was to clobber us!

King Dedede had very suddenly gone from being strangely amusing to genuinely intimidating. One good hit from that rocket-powered hammer would be all he needed to crush either of us. A direct hit needed to be avoided at all costs. Luna was the first to notice this and called out to all of us, "James! Sisters! Prioritize the use of barrier spells!"

Even I did not want to go anywhere near Dedede with him swinging around such a behemoth of a hammer. I focused entirely on launching magic beams from my sword to whittle him down bit by bit. The royal sisters had the same idea and tried taking to the air as they bombarded him from above. Dedede began to pursue us through the castle as even all of his guards and stewards were sent scurrying for safety. Leaping with mighty hammer swings and performing rapid somersault swings, Dedede displayed impressive athleticism in his pursuit. But he just could not land a blow.

"Y'all ain't gettin' away now! How about some of this?!" Dedede roared as he suddenly came to a stop with hammer raised high. The rocket engine on it flared up again while we held ourselves aloft on our wings in those vast halls. He held his ground even as the fiery blue exhaust threatened to carry him backwards. King Dedede truly was a hurricane and a mountain all rolled into one. His next move was sudden and shocking. He brought his hammer down to his side and let it rapidly carry him forward before he performed a mighty leap and let the hammer carry him upward for a rising swing! Right towards Nightmare Moon!

"Heavens!" The Princess of Dreams shrieked while just barely getting a barrier up in time. That mighty hammer slammed into her hard, sending Nightmare Moon in her spherical barrier slamming into the ceiling before bouncing and rolling down the hall as she soon lost her focus and went sliding along the ground. The sheer and sudden pressure on her mind must have been immense. She looked dazed while struggling to get to her hooves. "What preposterous might..."

King Dedede hit the floor with a heavy thud after such an impressive uppercut swing carried only by the hammer's own rocket engines. And he was not done. The furious king used his hammer's rocket engine to rapidly carry him towards the dazed Princess of Dreams. He was too quick to even land a blow on with magical projectiles. But instead of trying to slam his hammer into her on the approach, Dedede performed a high leap above Nightmare Moon with his hammer raised high. The rocket engine went quiet during the jump only to flare up again as he raised his hammer high over his head. "Dedede's comin' at 'cha!"

Nightmare Moon gazed up at her imminent doom with an utterly dumbfounded look. With no way to stop him, all the rest of us could do was watch in stunned horror. The Princess of Dreams at the very least had enough presence of mind to generate another blue translucent barrier around herself as Dedede suddenly shot to the ground. His hammer struck hard atop the barrier and...sent Nightmare Moon crashing right through the floor and into the castle's lower section! Rather than be surprised with the sudden gaping hole left in his floor, that crazy king got a laugh out of it. "Huh?! Yeheheheh, I guess I don't know my own strength!"

"This just got...surprisingly cartoonish! Nightmare Moon, are you well?!" Luna called out to her sister while Celestia and I could only look on in bewilderment as the tone of that battle constantly wavered back and forth. Should we have been afraid or amused? It was just so hard to tell!

While a bit muffled, we did hear Nightmare Moon call out from the next floor down. "Go on without me for a moment! I'm seeing stars!"

"That's one down! Who's next?! Because this king's not about to quit dededemolishing ya bozos!" King Dedede laughed with his hammer raised high. Except he then brought it down and propped it up on its handle with the face of the hammer directed at us. I suddenly realized where this was going with my eyes widening in dread. The hammer face suddenly slid up to reveal the inner workings of that mechanical monstrosity. "Think fast, chumps!"

"Wha... Incoming!" Celestia shrieked as several missiles were launched in quick succession. I was not even going to ponder how he even fit those in there. Celestia thought quickly and used nothing more than levitation magic to grab and direct the missiles away from us even while they tried to veer in our direction. We flinched at the resulting explosions rattling the castle as bits of rubble fell from the wall. And Dedede was not at all bothered at the damage he was doing to his own home just to get to us. Celestia took a step back and gasped in unease. "I can't remember the last time we faced someone as... As... As unpredictable as you, your majesty!"

"Yeheheheh, you dopes better believe it! I come back every time with a few new tricks up my sleeve! And what're you chumps packin', huh?! Huh?! Come on, hit me with yer best shot here!" Dedede laughed before pounding his gut with a closed fist. Despite being so mad at us, he looked like he was giving us a chance to go on the offensive after forcing us to go so hard on the defensive. An unexpectedly honorable move.

After staying back for so long, I decided it was time to make a move myself. "Our best shot, huh? How about some of this?!"

"Huh? Wha... OW!!!" Dedede had no idea what was coming. I detached the Lunar Shield from my left arm and sent it flying at him with a magical push. I basically slammed his entire body with a metal wall! While he staggered from the full body hit, I rushed in with a flap of my wings and leapt at him with my sword of ice raised high. "Here you go!"

I came down hard, but was stunned when I heard the sound of ice striking metal. Dedede had moved his head specifically to make my sword smack him in the head Or rather against the side of his mask. He glared at me from inches away while I had no way of easily backing off. "I screwed up, didn't I?"

"I dunno, you wanna clue?!" Dedede laughed before grabbing me with one hand and dragging me past him with an unexpectedly hard yank. Before any of us could react, he firmly bumped the face of his hammer to the front of my body and swept me up with it, the hammer's rocket engine carrying the two of us far and fast across the castle! "How about we take this somewhere more personal?!"

"Gaaaaaah, the hell's going on anymore?! You can fly with this thing?!" I yelled as I was left pinned to hammer's face while Dedede's feet left the floor with us being carried through the air at breakneck speed with Celestia and Luna being left in the dust! He even swiftly guided us up a flight of stairs and turned us around to head towards the center of the castle's top floor! I heard the rocket engine go quiet before we both began to come out of that fall and into a very large darkened room. I went flopping noisily across the floor before coming to a stop only because some stretchy ropes caught me. "Oh man, that... Wait... Ropes?"

Dedede came crashing into the floor with a heavy landing. He stood before me before stage lights turned on along the edges of the vast ceiling to cast light upon us. Not so much a room as much as an arena. We...were in the middle of a large wrestling ring. One that Dedede was more than just a bit familiar with. And every last of his Waddle Dee guards and servants had turned out to cheer on their king. The bleachers around the ring were packed with the little guys. And up over the bleachers of the far wall were a pair of neon light signs displaying the names of that match's contestants. In red, it displayed the name of Dedede as the champion. And for the challenger in green lights, it displayed...something that was clearly not my name. I stood up, gazed upon the distant sign, and glared at Dedede with a feeling of utter dryness in my voice. "Chump? Really?"

"You're all chumps in my book! And yer the chump I'm gonna clobber with a live audience!" Dedede laughed before snapping his fingers in spite of wearing mittens. Something descended from the ceiling before lowering over all four sides of the ring. A chain link fence setting us up for a cage match. I even let out a snicker at the sheer absurdity of the situation. And Dedede noticed before he called out to me. "Hey, what's with that smirk, chump?!"

"Man, did someone spike my dinner with weird shrooms last night? How'd it come to this?!" I howled with laughter for a brief moment before having enough sense to summon the Lunar Shield to my left arm with teleportation magic. I stood ready with my ice sword in hand while still unsure of exactly how to deal with the situation. "OK then... Let's dance."

"You bet! Time for a hoedown!" Dedede laughed before lifting his massive hammer high and bringing it down hard into the floor. I know the floors of wrestling rings need to have a bit of bounce to them in order to cushion falls, but I still found my feet leaving the floor for just a second. And there was good reason for Dedede smashing his hammer to the floor when I was nowhere near him. The impact launched a wave of blue electricity along the floor at me! A quick leaping flap was enough to evade and taught Dedede a lesson in the process. "Dang it! Gotta remember ta not bother with floor attacks against anyone with wings!"

"Took you long enoAUGH!!!" I started to say before I felt such a jolt of pain surge through me, if only for an instant. I fell right back to the floor and only barely managed to not fall over. It was not so much that I was simply put in pain. I lost almost all control over myself for just an instant too. I look up at the chain link ceiling hanging over us and asked, "Wait... Is that fence electrified?!"

"Just the top! So ya don't get any ideas of flyin' too high! Yeheheheh!" Dedede laughed with hammer hoisted over his shoulder. Indeed, I could see arcs of electricity crawling over the many links in the ceiling. But if my armor did nothing to protect me from it... Was it possible that my armor could only protect me from magical lightning and not raw natural electricity? And metal does conduct electricity as well...

I flinched upon realizing that I was at a noticeable disadvantage. If my armor's large metal wings even clipped the ceiling of that cage, I would get a nasty shock. "You gotta be kidding me... Something so mundane can mess me up in this armor?!"

"Enough gabbin' and more slammin'! Come on, we got an audience here, chump!" Dedede laughed again before winding up for another big swing. His hammer's rocket engine flared up nosily and began to rapidly carry him across the entire ring in a whirling wheel of blue embers. I had no choice but to try and keep myself airborne just to avoid a direct hit. Around and around Dedede went while I barely managed to cling to the cage's wall on one side in an attempt to wait out this attack.

There was no way Dedede could keep that attack going for too long. And he did end up slowly coming out of that spin before staggering in place in sheer dizziness. Back and worth he wobbled while trying to not drop his massive hammer. "Whoooooaaa... Man, I gotta stop doing that!"

Seeing my chance, I smirked and dropped back to the floor before hurling my ice sword right at his head. It smacked Dedede right in the brow of his masked face, but was not enough to completely snap him out of his disoriented stupor. I rushed in quick as I channeled the fire magic in my right gauntlet directly into my palm to ready a sudden attack. And just as Dedede was desperately trying to ready himself for a counterattack, I brought that orb of golden fire right into his gut. "Kaboom!"

A fiery explosion blasted the dazed king clear across the ring and right into the ropes while he was shrieking the entire way. Although I was left staring in disbelief as those ropes stretched so very far with both Dedede and the weight of his hammer pulling on it. It reached further and further before I suddenly understood where Dedede was about to be launched. "Maybe I should've seen this coming."

I only barely stepped out of the way as those ropes stretched back towards the ring and sent Dedede flying right at where I had been standing. Feeling pretty good about that close call, I laughed at the helpless king once again being slammed against the ropes on the opposite side of the ring. But that laughter quickly stopped when he was sent crashing right into me that time. My body was enough to take the momentum out of his horizontal movement and I quickly found out just how much muscle was packed on that strange avian king. "Gah, you're heavier than you look! Get off!"

"You got it! Think fast, chump!" Dedede laughed before launching himself high with a massive jump while being just under the electrified ceiling above. And I gazed up in horror as I was about to be crushed by both his weight and the crushing mass of his hammer as well. A quick extension of my armor's wings was enough to push me back onto my feet. But I barely managed to hop forward to evade that crushing stomp when I almost fell flat on my face with the ring's bouncy floor and the shockwave of the impact behind me tripping me up. Dedede was quick to act and caught me with a sudden swing of his hammer to scoop me up before he went into a spin to build up some momentum. "Oh no ya don't!"

I was hurled to the far side of the ring and got thoroughly wedged into the chain link fence keeping us boxed in. And Dedede was not about to close the gap. He stood his ground at the far end of the ring and propped up his hammer as its face slid up to reveal a fresh missile salvo inside ready to fire. All I could do was tuck myself up into a fetal position and bring the sturdy Lunar Shield up to completely shield myself for the incoming barrage. At least a salvo of a dozen missiles were launched in quick succession with each of them exploding into my shield. That flexible chain link fence behind me ended up being useful in helping disperse the blast of each explosion against me. I started to lower my shield seconds after the last blast rattled my body and asked, "That's it? What's ne...AAAAGGHH!!!"

OK, I admit it. I shrieked like a little girl when I saw what was coming. Dedede was winding up for another wide swing of his hammer with the fiery blue exhaust of the hammer's rocket engine roaring behind it. In only a second, Dedede went whirling across the ring with terrifying levels of control over his ridiculous weapon and sent that lethal hammer right into me with my shield only barely getting in the way in time. That blow was enough to send me tearing right through the fence and out through the opposite end of the arena and flying down the hall. Flopping and clattering with such ridiculous speed and momentum that I had no idea how that blow did not break my arm!

I yelled and grunted as I flopped and rolled down the hall, too dazed and confused to even try to right myself. I finally came to a sliding stop at the far end of the castle's top floor. Right in the middle of what seemed to be the throne room. Now having a moment of silence to finally collect my thoughts, I just stared at the ceiling while lying flat on my back as the world spun around me. "Oh man... Now I remember why you don't mess with the king of triple D!"

"Dang straight!" A familiar voice barked before someone came running right over to me. Dedede wasted no time in closing the distance and was now glaring down at me from behind his metal mask. And while his bill was hidden behind it, I knew he was smirking at me. "Down for the count? I guess you know what happens next then."

All I could do was try and appeal to his better nature. "We all shake hands, call it even, and go out for pizza?"

"Yeheheheheheheh! Boy, I like you! It's just too bad you and your pony pals had ta wreck my baby! And under my watch, wreckin' someone's baby is one ugly crime!" Dedede laughed while having me think just maybe he actually would show mercy and we could spend the rest of our time there in Dream Land just having a good time over a hot meal. But no. The stakes had become far too personal for the king to call it quits by then. He then began to rather slowly raise that hammer high for the finishing blow. "So nah! I'm gonna clobber this here chump!"

"Not on my watch!" A voice shouted from down the hall. I suddenly tilted my head down to look down the hall I had just went flying through and saw a small orb of yellow fire rushing towards us. I heard the voice of Celestia call out to me, "James! Shield your eyes!"

I did not even question what was happening and raised my right arm between me and Dedede. The king saw the fiery projectile coming and stood ready to swat it away. But much to the surprise of us both, Celestia suddenly willed her fiery shot to arc widely to the side! Dedede could not read its movements and looked on in shock as it weaved behind him...and right up into his hammer's rocket exhaust port! The instant it got in there, the entire thing suddenly exploded in a massive blast that engulfed Dedede himself! The entire throne room was rocked by the shockwave and I was forced to close my eyes.

The instant the air had become still, I hurriedly climbed to my feet and backed away from the fallen king. Dedede was flat on his back, no doubt knocked unconscious by that massive hammer blowing up right over his head. Or worse. Celestia soon swooped over to me with Luna and Nightmare Moon close behind her. She draped a wing over me and asked, "Did I make it in time? Are you all right?"

"Yeah... More or less. That was about as crazy as I'd expect from this guy. Man, that was nuts." I muttered as I leaned gratefully into the embrace of my beloved. Luna and Nightmare Moon stood cautiously between us as we all looked down onto the fallen king nearby. The scattered scrap metal of his mighty hammer was strewn all across the throne room. "I hope he won't be too mad over you busting that hammer... I'm pretty sure he can at least have another built."

"But...is he...dead? I'm sure having an explosion that powerful go off into his head would surely prove fatal." Luna asked with caution. I could not even tell if Dedede was still breathing. But I was not too concerned. He has endured worse.

Nightmare Moon was the first to start approaching the fallen king. And her gait was very stiff and cautious. Being nearly killed by that wild king had instilled a healthy amount of wariness in her. "He swung that hammer around as if it was as light as a feather... A very mighty king indeed. Does he still live?"

Just as Nightmare Moon drew near enough to reach out and poke his gut, Dedede finally stirred. He grumbled and groaned lightly with Nightmare Moon rapidly backing away from him. We all stood ready, unsure of what to expect. And our eyes widened once he got back onto his feet. His red hat and robe was only lightly singed from that fiery blast, but his mask... Almost the entire right side of it had been blow off. He glared at us in concerning silence for a good ten seconds as if he was just trying to process everything that had happened up to that point. And after a moment, he grumbled to himself before suddenly letting out a roar at us! "Raga fraga braga GAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

Dedede may have been disarmed, again, but he was far from done in trying to bring the fight to us. Not with rage like that in his eyes. And just when we were wondering if he had yet another mighty hammer tucked behind his throne or something, he completely subverted our expectations! He made another mighty leap across the room towards one of a pair of two tall suits of plate armor that was clearly meant for decorations and not meant to be worn by anyone in the castle. And grasped in its gauntlets was a tall and ornately designed poleaxe with an impressively large head. Luna suddenly gasped with her eyes going wide in realization, "Please tell me he's not about to..."

Yes. Yes he was. Dedede snatched that poleaxe right out of the armor's hands, the axe being at least as tall as he was. And out of sheer frustration, he swung it with one hand and scattered the entire suit of armor in a single blow. Our jaws collectively dropped open as this served as an effective display of just how poorly my own armor would stand up to a direct hit from that axe. Wounded, battered, and thoroughly ticked off, King Dedede turned and pointed his axe at us with fury in his eyes. "I'm gonna serve y'all up like Texas toast!"

"Oh hell no, not this! Get away!" I yelled in confused nervous laughter as we all bolted from the furious king. He was not having fun with that duel anymore! He just wanted us all dead! He came charging right at us and performed a quick leaping chop with the axe striking the carpet where we had been standing. We all lost our nerve and just bolted down the hall with that crazy king in hot pursuit. "When did this guy get so scary?!"

"I'm not sure if I should laugh or be frightened! Has he done this before?!" Nightmare Moon shouted as we thankfully had no trouble outrunning Dedede. Should we just cut our losses and flee the castle? Or would he chase us to the ends of the earth regardless?

Something did not sound right behind us after a moment of rushing down the stone hall. And Celestia was the first to glance over her shoulder. Those eyes shot open wide in terror as she shouted, "Incoming! To the sides!"

With no time to think, we all stopped and hurled ourselves out to the edges of the hallway. And Celestia was wise to warn us. Dedede had sent himself whirling through the air with his spinning axe generating enough lift to carry him along! He came out of that spin upon missing and slid along the floor with axe ready in both hands. There was no goofy gloating or wisecracking coming from that crazy king anymore. His actions were doing the talking by then. Luna, frustration taking hold, readied the magic in her horn. "Enough of this! We settle this now!"

I could not find the courage to even try to get anywhere near that mighty king. Once good strike from that axe, even if it would not pierce my armor, would crush any bone beneath it. My royal companions then began to bombard Dedede from a safe distance, but he did not simply stand there and take it. He swiftly swung his axe while standing his ground and somehow smacked those incoming magical projectiles back at them! And so swiftly too! When considering how quickly he could swing around an immensely mechanized metal hammer, swinging around a much lighter poleaxe would be even easier. There was absolutely no way I could match him in melee combat.

While the reflected spells were poor in accuracy, Dedede did finally send some of them flying right back into the faces of their casters to stun them. The king quickly took the opportunity to come rushing in with axe ready, forcing me to get between them all. He was...scary! Dedede's lack of boisterous laughter and that constant glare almost made it feel like we were not even facing the same person anymore. With my shield raised, I stood ready to focus entirely on defense. "Sweet lord, you're scary!"

Dedede offered no retort. With axe raised high, he began to lash out with deft and elegant swings of that beautiful yet deadly axe. The sound of metal striking metal echoed down the halls as I did everything I could to deflect every strike. I especially had to mind his lower blows to make certain that deadly axe head would not slip under my shield to crush my ankles.

Further and further I was pushed back. Each blow was heavy in spite of its speed. And my nerves were on fire with tension. The fear of even a single blow getting by my shield kept me from even trying to lash out with my sword. At one point, Dedede even shot past me with an impaling charge that I only barely pushed aside. The poleaxe had a sturdy pike atop it to make for brutal stabbing strikes. But that was not enough. He immediately came out of his charge, quickly turned around, and charged right back at me before I could even get my shield up!

I really thought that was the end, but I managed to get lucky. I managed to step to the side just enough to avoid a hard impaling strike and only got struck by the very top of the curved axe head. I was still stunned by the sheer force behind that blow and was swept off my feet regardless. The instant Dedede came out of that charge and I fell to the floor, a sudden combined burst of magic beams blasted him through the air while he let out a confused yell. Nightmare Moon yelled out, "Get away from him! James, are you well?!"

Luna and Celestia rushed past me to contend with Dedede for the moment while Nightmare Moon hurried to my side. She very abruptly yanked me back onto my feet with a levitation spell and asked, "He landed a blow! Did you... Is your armor?"

"Uh... Looks like that was a close call. All it did was knock the wind outta me..." I grumbled as I glanced down at my breastplate. A think puncture had been formed on the left side. It surely would have been much worse had the pike struck me instead. My heart was still racing from the thrill of just barely avoiding a fatal blow. I looked back down the hall as Dedede threw himself at the two royal sisters while just shrugging off their magical barrages. I gulped hard as I felt immense reluctance over approaching him again. "I really don't think we can fight this guy... He's too fast. Too strong. Especially now that he's packing something so much lighter and sharper than a hammer."

"Just getting near him is a death sentence... You picked a wild one for us to face tonight. I'm almost out of ideas..." Nightmare Moon grumbled while watching her sisters desperately trying to put themselves out of harm's way. Even when going airborne to put themselves out of reach, Dedede would either leap after them for high chops or even just hurl his axe at them like a boomerang. They especially did not expect that second tactic and had to generate barriers to avoid a fatal blow. Nightmare Moon's eyes widened in stunned horror as she saw that mighty axe go flying through the air only to glance off of Luna's blue barrier and being expertly caught in the hands of its wielder. "The fool's gone mad! How do we contend with that?!"

"Oh he's mad, all right. Mad at us. I don't think we're gonna be able to wait out his anger at this rate. Any suggestions besides...I dunno...making a run for it?" I asked with equal dread as we beheld the unrestrained fury of that normally goofy king being unleashed on the sisters of the dawn and night.

Nightmare Moon grunted in irritation. She was trying to not let fear get the best of her. "Getting anywhere near him is not an option. We will have to strike from a distance. And yet, he is swift. That axe can deflect our spells. Or at least...the smaller ones."

I started to see where she was going with this. I dropped my sword of ice and readied my empty right hand. "You mean...we hit him with something too big and explosive for him to stop?"

"Precisely. Let's blast him so hard that he won't be getting up again." The Princess of Dreams said with a smirk. Her deep blue magic aura began to surge around her horn as a tiny orb of bright blue light began to form at the tip. She then looked ahead and said, "Draw his attention for the moment so I may inform my sisters of our stratagem."

"Gotcha. Hey! Triple D!" I shouted out before readying a levitation spell in my left gauntlet as my shield's clasps loosened. Whether he heard me or not, I was not about to miss. With a swing of my arm, I sent the Lunar Shield flying right at him. "Ding dong, dummy!"

King Dedede only barely had enough time to look my way as that huge shield slammed right into him hard enough to send him staggering in a circle. No matter how hardy he was, no one could take getting their entire body slapped by a metal wall. I then quickly summoned the shield back onto my arm with a teleportation spell before thrusting out my right hand and blasting him right in his armor face with a beam of bright golden yellow magic. "How about you leave the ladies alone and we settle this like gentlemen?!"

That crazed king was so out of his skull with rage that he could not even try to speak coherently. He raised his axe and shouted at me in a strange garbled gibberish that really did sound like an utterly drunk Appleloosan trying to pick a fight with someone for a tavern brawl. That jumbled mess of sounds coming out of Dedede's bill caught me by surprise so hard that I just had to ask, "I... Uh... Sorry, what was that just now?"

Dedede let out another jumbled slew of failed speech before performing another great leap at me with axe raised high. I had to swiftly swoop to the side as that deadly axe head split the rug and the stone floor beneath it. Nightmare Moon took the opportunity to rush to her sisters to reveal to them our plan to bring the king to his knees. If he even had knees to begin with, that is.

Now it was all a waiting game. I started to charge my magical focus into my right hand to simply build energy. Just to get ready to cast a big spell. Dedede came charging at me with more rapid chops of his axe that struck the floor each time. This was getting too risky for me and I performed a strong flap of my wings to get some more distance as the glow in my armored palm grew progressively more brilliant. I glanced at the three royal sisters as they stood nearby with their magic auras surging around their horns. "Just...uh...let me know when it's time to let it rip!"

"Not yet! And think fast!" Celestia replied before pointing a hoof at our opponent. He lifted his axe high and started to whirl it over his head just to build up momentum. And as he did, embers began to form around the axe head. The mighty king sudden performed a great somersaulting leap towards us with a wheel of flames surrounding him. We glanced up at me with eyes wide in dread before he suddenly came down with that flaming axe held high.

We only barely had enough time to throw ourselves backwards when that axe hit the floor. The very impact sent a great dome of fire towards us that left the coat and feathers of my companions slightly stained black. And Dedede was still not done. His attack having failed, he suddenly held his axe high in both hands as its ornately designed head began to glow. Luna then suddenly asked, "Is that weapon enchanted?!"

"Get behind me!" I shouted before raising the Lunar Shield high. We could not afford to lose our focus by ditching our preparing spells for a barrier spell. The three royal sisters huddled tightly behind me as the enchanted axe head unleashed a chaotic barrage of pale crackling orbs of lightning through the air. Dedede's aim was poor, but he may have been too mad to care at the time. They just went flying in all directions and rained down on us. It would have been much more effective if we were not rooted to one spot.

"Enough! Are we all ready?!" Nightmare Moon shouted as soon as that magical barrage ended. The three sisters quickly stepped out from behind me with their horns holding orbs of surging blue and yellow magical energy atop the tips. The orb of golden yellow light in my right hand was of equal size to theirs and ready to be unleashed. We all smirked at each other in anticipation while even Dedede suddenly looked at us with a shocked gaze from behind his fractured mask. The Princess of Dreams then asked, "Think you can stop this one, your majesty?"

This was going to be an attack too big to get around and Dedede knew this. He stood ready with his axe in hand, preparing to parry this incoming assault. Luna, her horn being lowered, spoke confidently. "Batter up, my liege!"

We stood in line and unleashed our focused bolts of magic together. Those four orbs of explosive magical might merged together and formed a spiraling orb of blue and gold that took up more than half of the hallway's size. And while we could not see past it, we did see it come to a stop. Dedede was struggling to swat it away and we could hear him grunting while trying to hold it back. But it was all for naught. That straining groan quickly turned into a loud yell as his defenses finally failed.

Our combined magical might exploded with a brilliant flash of blue and gold that sent a shockwave through the entire castle. We stood behind a magic barrier provided by the three sisters and had to shield our eyes from the resulting flash. But when the rumbling died away and the flash dimmed, we stood astounded by the resulting carnage. Teh walls were cracked and the flooring torn asunder by the blast. Not that Dedede himself minded much in causing some collateral damage just to get to us, but the localized damage to the hallway was still impressive.

And there he stood King Dedede remained standing with his hat and coat even more tatter than before. His axe remained in hand as he appeared dazed. We stood ready in case he was not done only to flinched when his mask broke apart and felt to the floor in a clatter of sturdy metal. His axe fell from his hand with a clatter as he began to stagger back and forth. He finally spoke somewhat coherently as he grumbled, "I ain't... I'm gonna... Just y'all wait... I'm... I'm gonna..."

Down he went. King Dedede fell flat on his face with a loud sigh of exhaustion. That last blast took what little stamina he had left and floored him. The four of us let out a collective sigh of relief before I muttered under my breath. "Good grief, that was nuts..."

"It's over... I mean it IS over, yes? Please tell me he's not about to pull a sudden reversal on us." Nightmare Moon wheezed with a very harsh sigh. Even I could never have expected the wacky King Dedede to be such an arduous challenge in combat. The Princess of Dreams soon relaxed and bowed her head to our fallen opponent. "I see why you spoke highly of this mighty king... His status as one of Dream Land's mightiest heroes is well earned. Well played, your majesty. Well played indeed."

While he did hear that, Dedede did not provide much of a response. All he did was raise his fist while still lying flat on the floor and shook it at us while incoherent grumbling could be heard from him. Luna snickered at the display and said, "I do not believe he shares your sentiment, sister."

All I could do was shake my head with a big smirk on my face. I was just glad it was over. Although I then noticed that Celestia's eyes were very narrow. And her ears... They were folded back against her head. As if...trying to listen to what was happening behind her. I asked softly, "What's up?"

"Is there...someone approaching?" Celestia asked while sounding very cautious. And then I heard it too. Soft and almost squeaky footsteps drawing closer. Until someone small came waddling right past us. Celestia immediately glanced down at the small waddling creature and asked with wide eyes, "Wait... That one's not like the others. It's...pink?"

"Huh... Look who showed up." I said with a growing smile. I knew we had nothing to fear from the little creature before us. Being the same size as the Waddle Dees while also noticeably rounder, the creature had a spherical body and two stubby arms with two featureless red feet. An alien and simple anatomy that could only exist in the realm of fantasy.

Nightmare Moon and Luna also happened to notice the waddling intruder once it strolled past them. They stared with wide eyes that had never seen it before. It was only then that the little pink waddling head noticed that it was being watched. They then turned around to reveal a pair of bright blue eyes and a small mouth showing a display of curiosity. But that look of surprise was replaced by one of joy as they then raised one of their little stubby arms high in greeting before speaking with a happy voice high in pitch. "Hiii!"

"Oh, hello to you too! James, what is it with this world having such preciously adorable creatures all over it?!" Luna replied in greeting as she began to fawn over the simple and small creature before us. She gently stroked the top of their head with a wing that immediately got a ticklish giggle out of the little creature. The Princess of the Night then smiled at me and asked, "Do they have a name? What's your name, little one?"

"Hi!" The little creature replied again as if not understanding Luna's question. They then stepped forward and gave her a nuzzling hug in thanks for her pleasantness.

The three royal sisters looked at me for answers in response to the little creature seemingly not understanding Luna's question. It was just too cute to watch and a welcome reprieve after all the chaos we went through. I began to approach and said, "He doesn't really know how to talk, in case you're wondering. Although he does know how to listen. He just can't return the favor."

It was just...so nostalgic to be seeing that little guy there. Someone I had been familiar with for most of my life. I kneeled before the little pink creature while they looked up at me with happy curiosity. I soothed my subtle excitement with a deep breath before saying, "I was there when you started. Been watching you ever since. It's...so amazing to actually get to meet you, Kirby."

Kirby was all too happy to shake hands with me. Or at least with what humble excuse of a hand he had. Nightmare Moon surveyed our guest for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Kirby, you say? Luna, doesn't this creature...remind you of something? A certain character in one of those games you play from time to time?"

"You mean Hoover? Now that you mention it, they do bear an uncanny resemblance... Except Hoover is not so adorably round." Luna giggled while I too recognized the similarities. Almost as if one inspired the creation of the other. She then asked, "And what is this little creature, James? They appear so meek and gentle, yet they come wandering into this castle with no worries?"

When considering the reputation of King Dedede, it would take courage to wander in uninvited. But I knew better. I smiled at my companions and said, "Don't let his looks fool you. This little guy is probably the greatest hero Pop Star has. He's much more powerful than he looks."

"You...don't say?" Celestia asked with a look of uncertainty in her eyes. Not that I could fault her. Kirby has always been one of the most deceptively capable heroes in all of fiction I have seen. Although Kirby then turned his attention away from us and to the fallen king nearby. He waddled away from us and over to the grumbling fallen monarch. "What do you suppose he's doing?"

"I guess...checking up on his friend? Maybe he heard the ruckus from outside and came in to see what all the noise was about." I replied before noticing that the royal sisters were giving me some very strange looks. I glanced back and forth at them before almost laughing as I understood what sounded so strange about what I just said. "What? Yeah, they're friends. Even if they have a healthy rivalry now and then."

Kirby leaned over Dedede's head with a renewed look of concern. The exhausted king did not even seem to know that Kirby was there. Nor had he responded to us confirming the little guy's presence. Had he passed out from sheer fatigue? Not one to overlook a friend in need, Kirby patted Dedede on the head to try and rouse him.

King Dedede did indeed response to that gentle tapping. He grumbled and finally turned his head up to look right at the smiling pink face in front of him. And he did not return that smile while grumbling in annoyance. "Well now... If it ain't the one puny pink pipsqueak I just wasn't in the mood to see today."

Celestia then leaned my way and asked with a whisper, "Are you sure they're friends? It really doesn't look like it."

"Trust me, they're really good buddies now. I mean sure, they started out at each other's throats, but they've become good pals over time. I mean they've even gone on heroic adventures together." I replied while finding some humor in Dedede trying so very hard to act aloof in front of longtime rival. Kirby was having none of it. He waved at Dedede and even hugged his head in relief.

"Yeah yeah, I get it. And I ain't in the mood for a cuddle, Kirb. What're ya even doin' here anyway? Ya heard the commotion and wanted a piece of the action? Too bad, pinky. Yer a little late to the party. And I ain't in the mood to..." Dedede grumbled while Kirby extended an arm to him just to help get him back on his feet. And then I saw it. A growing smirk spreading across Dedede's bill. Hs eyes narrowed as he observed the smiling friend before him. "Yeheheh... Yeheheheheheh... Ya know what? Seein' that dumb smile on yer face right now... I think I still got enough juice in me to be a good host and make sure y'all didn't come here for nothin'. Gimme a second here..."

Dedede refused Kirby's offer to help. He instead brought both hands to the floor and slowly pushed himself back onto his feet. The humbled king was truly exhausted. He struggled to not topple over for a second as he stood before us. And we all looked on in caution as Luna muttered, "Please tell me he is not about to continue this scuffle... He's already gone through two hammers and an axe. What else could he possibly use against us?"

"I dunno, but I don't got a good feeling about this..." I whispered back to my companions as we stood in a row. We watched for danger. Dedede looked too exhausted to even try and pick up the axe lying on the floor by then. And even Kirby did not appear to sense any danger.

The wheezing king did not once let that smirk leave his face. He looked down at Kirby before looking back at the four of us. "I think I'm feelin' pretty good after that power nap. Guess I just found my second wind. And I know what y'all are thinking. Just what is this loser gonna throw at ya now? Because I gotta admit... I'm all outta toys ta play with, thanks to you chumps."

"So we truly have exhausted your armory. What then, king of Dream Land? You seem to be at your limit regardless. I suggest we call it a day and go our separate ways." Nightmare Moon spoke with caution in her eyes. We had run ourselves ragged against Dedede by then. Although I must confess that even I had no idea what he had left to use against us despite being very knowledgeable about him. And I was almost hoping he would try something unexpected.

Kirby was being very patient as he let his friend speak. And speak Dedede did after letting out another hearty chuckle. "Yeheheheheh! You're kiddin' me, right? Y'all think I'm just gonna throw in the towel on my home turf? This is MY castle you're trespassin' on, chumps! And this king don't ever call it quits on his home turf! And besides..."

King Dedede then looked down at Kirby while Kirby smiled right back at him. "Whenever this pipsqueak comes waltzin' into my castle uninvited, he's always lookin' for trouble. And he definitely came lookin' for trouble today. So I'm gonna give him trouble!"

Celestia suddenly raised an eyebrow at this new threat. "Wait, you mean that you would rather duel your friend here?!"

"Hey, I didn't say you bozos were off the hook! You bet I'm gonna clean yer clocks before the day is done! But right now..." Dedede laughed before raising his arms as if he was trying to flex. Even Kirby appeared to finally detect Dedede's simmering hostility towards him and took a step back. The king then flashed us all a big toothy grin one more time as he said, "Right now? I'm gonna clobber that there Kirby!"

Dedede closed his eyes as we all stood ready for trouble. He took a long deep breath while his upper body began to expand... As if rapidly gaining muscle. His big red coat began to expand with the robe covering his chest starting to reach its breaking point. And...in one swift motion, the robe covering Dedede's chest was torn asunder along with the sleeves of his coat and the mittens covering his hands. And as we beheld the scene before us, my companions and I could only stare with shared gazes of utter disbelief and confusion. Luna was the first to speak as she asked softly, "James. Be serious with us here. What did you drink last night? And where can we get some?"

As for me... I lost it. I took one good at Dedede's form and immediately burst into hysterical laughter. His arms had suddenly extended and put on immense amounts of muscle with his hands being revealed to consist of nothing more than...penguin flippers with a thumb that looked like natural blue boxing gloves. His exposed blue chest was outrageously buff as well. But...he looked like nothing more than a torso, head, massively long and muscular arms, and with no legs to speak of! How could he even run on his two little feet when the rest of him was so overbuilt?! Someone must have spiked my dinner with something weird for my mind to dream up something so utterly absurd! I pointed at Dedede and just started cackling madly. "Pahahahahahahah, what the actual hell am I looking at here?! Oh my god, where are your legs?! How do you run... No! How do you even walk like that?! Where did this total beefcake look even come from?!"

Even Kirby himself was stunned by the ridiculous sight before him. His eyes were wide and looked like they were about to bug out of his head. And Dedede was wearing the biggest and most confident smirk as he said, "Laugh up while ya can, chumps! This is the kinda bulkin' up you can only get by swingin' around hammers like mine for years! And I feel a song comin' on!"

"Wait... Wait, you're about to what?!" Nightmare Moon shrieked while I still could only laugh at what I was seeing. How could that night get any goofier?

I could not stop howling as I even began to stagger backwards. I was feeling genuinely lightheaded by then. Eyes closed, I noticed too late that the brightness under my eyelids was rapidly darkening. I felt something big suddenly hit me from above while Dedede shouted out at me. "SHADDAP!!!"

He got me good. With one hammerfist blow, Dedede pounded me into the floor with nothing but his massive fist. My wings and even the rug under me helped absorbed the impact, but that really knocked the wind out of me. The three royal sisters looked down at me with gazes of confused concern while having had no time to even process that Dedede was about to lay the smackdown on me. At least he did succeed in mostly shutting me up. I stared up at the three princesses above me while letting out a weak chuckle. "Eheheh... I asked for that, didn't I?"

"Ya got that right! And that's just for starters! And like I said..." Dedede called out while even Kirby came running over to me before getting behind me and pushing me back up onto my feet. Just because he was that good of a boy. I gently patted the little round friend on the head before regaining my footing. With no reason to delay this ridiculous climax any longer, Dedede raised a hand high and somehow managed to snap his fingers with only his mitten hand and thumb. "Hit it!"

On cue, slots in the walls opened up far down the hallway right below the ceiling to the point where I had to wonder if the entire castle had them installed. And out of those slots emerged large audio speakers. Definitely something only a king as self-styled as Dedede would have installed in his own castle. And no sooner had they emerged did they all started filling the entire castle with a tune...that was simultaneous familiar and unfamiliar. I recognized some parts of it, but it was also something brand new to me. Celestia ears flicked at the melody blaring across the entire castle as a surprised smile spread across her lips. "Oh, some kind of battle ballad? That makes this a lot more fun!"

"You better believe things are gettin' good now! Because I'm gonna wipe the floor with you chuckleheads now!" Dedede roared almost like he was hardly angry at all. He raised his arms high in a threatening manner to remind us that we were not out of danger. Even little Kirby seemed to understand that his friend was not about to give him a good time and stood ready with a much more determined scowl on his face. As we all stood ready with a new friend to help us out, Dedede called out his challenge. "I've just about had it with you bozos! Time for me to break out the big guns!"

Rather than attack right off the bat, Dedede followed through on his claim. He did say he felt a song coming on and that was exactly what he gave us. Instead of attacking us at the first opportunity, he flexed before us as he even began to sing in time with the melody filling the air. "Menacing beef, I'm armed to the teeth! You pipsqueaks should hide 'cause I'm the baddest dude!"

"For the love of... He's really doing this, isn't he?" Nightmare Moon groaned as the tension was let out of the air for a moment. We all relaxed just enough at the bizarre scene playing out around us. King Dedede was jacked from head to foot in a way that defied reality and now was just busting out a song for us while flexing with quite a bit of enthusiasm. Even Kirby lost his scowl as he just stared in confusion as if he really was not sure if he was about to get into a fight or not.

Luna was more accepting of the situation as she cracked a crooked smile. "You must admit he does have a surprisingly good singing voice."

"Look at my biceps, my delts, and my triceps!" Dedede yodeled while really showing off his bulging muscles before I finally cracked up again. I could not help myself, the situation was just too ridiculous not to laugh at! And Dedede adjusted his lyrics accordingly with some very impressive improvisation. "So you think I'm a freak?! Well that's kinda rude!"

"Ahaha... Hey, I never said you... WHOA!!!" I started to say before Dedede decided to put an end to the theatrics and go on the offensive. I am not so certain he could even walk at all with a body like that because he instead performed an impressively high leap at us with fists raised high. With such a sudden shift in tactics, the five of us had no choice but to scatter to avoid getting flattened by a double-fisted pounding. "OK, he's mad now!"

"Watch me flex with my Herculean strength!" Dedede howled while bringing both fists down so hard that it sent out a shockwave that swept us even further off our feet before we could even regain our footing. Kirby was surprisingly the first to lash out with an attack as he tried to land a kick on Dedede's head only to be promptly slapped away and sent shrieking into the wall like a bouncing ball. "Because these arms totally befit me!"

I felt more confident approaching Dedede now that he was not packing a weapon that could crush me flat or sever a limb with a single blow. I summoned a sword of golden flames in my right hand, but was promptly smacked away with a swift twist of Dedede's body. Even if not as overtly lethal as before, the sheer reach of his arms would make just getting close to him difficult. And he was much quicker than he looked. I was sent sailing backwards into a wall before Dedede once again took the time to sing along with his newest melody. "Feel the girth, the power, torsion, and length! MACHO DEDEDE!!!"

"Macho is an apt term to use!" Luna barked before blasting Dedede squarely in the head with a beam of her blue magic. It exploded in shimmering sparks, but he did not even flinch while flashing her a huge cocky grin. "Oh dear..."

"Kirby!" Dedede shouted as he turned his attention to his primary target. Even though we had given him more trouble up to that point, that macho king apparently only saw us as a secondary concern. He just wanted to finally top his rival for once. Kirby, gazing up at the raised fist of his longtime rival, looked genuinely unnerved. "Im'a smash you!"

Dedede only barely missed as Kirby threw himself to the side with a clumsy yet acrobatic flip of sorts. The supercharged musclehead of a king then turned and began to pound his fists into the floor to try and smash the scampering pink puffball. "I will bury you! And pound you into the ground! Kirby! You can't beat me, so follow these instructions!"

That crazy king quickly proved he was not all muscle. With Kirby frantically staying ahead of the dropping blue fists behind him, Dedede cut him off by suddenly spinning around and slamming his fist into Kirby's face with one mean backhand. The bouncy pink hero was sent yelling shrilly as he was sent flying across the hall. All while Dedede made his decree. "Submit to Dededestruction!"

"My, this has turned into quite the grudge match. He's hardly paying us any mind at this point. Are you sure these two are friends?" Nightmare Moon asked as we all stood near each other. It felt weird to barge in now that Dedede was all but ignoring us.

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Yeah, they are. At this point, I'm not so sure the guy wants to destroy Kirby or just wants to smack him into submission. But I'd rather not wait around and find out if he's planning on the little guy surviving this. Especially when Kirby looks like he has no idea how to deal with the guy in this state."

"Kirby!" Dedede yelled while Kirby started all but dancing around him with bouncing hops and rolls while looking utterly afraid. He was completely outclassed in strength and reach and Dedede was not giving Kirby much in the means to attack by dropping any debris to throw at him. It was not long before he got smashed back into the wall again. "I'mma smack you...real hard! Kirby! You're a little pink blob of lard!"

"For as catchy as I find this karaoke session to be, I think we really should intervene here. And...if this Kirby creature is as similar to Hoover as I suspect he is..." Luna started to say as a smirk formed on her lips. She summoned a small chunk of enchanted blue ice above her horn before sending it flying right at the stumbling pink hero. "Little Kirby! Try using this!"

Kirby knew exactly what to do when he saw that shard of ice flying his way. He jumped right over another wide swing of Dedede's arms before opening his mouth very wide. A veritable vortex of wind began to suck that shard of ice right into his gaping mouth. And before Dedede could intervene, it was drawn in. An instant after Kirby closed his mouth, his raised his stubby little arms high as a sudden flash engulfed him. And Celestia spoke first as we saw that something had changed. "What the... He's blue?! And he's got a tiara of ice on his head?!"

"Huzzah! It's just like with Hoover's Adventure! This little creature possesses a profound copy ability! Unleash the blizzard, little one!" Luna called out while Kirby gave us a quick nod in thanks for the assistance. He was looking much more confident too with that scowl being joined by a smile.

"Kirby! You can't beat me, not while I have this power!" Dedede shouted out in song as he leapt towards Kirby with fist raised high. Kirby only barely had enough time to turn around to see that blow coming. And that fist came down hard. "It's Triple D hour!"

We all flinched as Kirby took that hit with no time to dodge. But...it did not quite connect. Even Dedede himself flinched when he found that Kirby had encased himself in a sturdy block of ice. It was not even cracked by that blow. Frustration immediately formed on the face of that mad king now that Kirby had started to tap into the infamous ability that had insured victory against many powerful foes. And so he began to repeatedly pound with alternating fists on his rival within his icy armor while Kirby could only watch from within. "Now you face the strength of a mighty king! Kirby, you are in for a clobbering!"

Unfortunately for Kirby, while his icy armor was holding out, something else was starting to give. The floor under the block of ice was starting to crack with that block of ice being literally hammered through it blow by blow! Even Kirby's eyes went wide in sudden realization as he seemed to notice that his defenses were not entirely foolproof. And Dedede seemed to be aware of this progress. "I will pound you in the ground, I will make you sing!"

Sure enough, Kirby did indeed sing. With one last blow with both fists, Dedede sent Kirby crashing through the floor and down into the hall under us while the little hero let out a yell of shock as he went falling. Dedede, feeling pretty proud of himself, raised his fists high as his confidence was restored. "Who needs a mallet when my fists can make ya cry uncle?!"

"Oh yeah?! What about us?!" I shouted now that we had Dedede all to ourselves. My royal companions and I quickly surrounded Dedede and launched blasts of element magic at the massive target. Golden fire, blue ice shards, and blue lightning were launched. And yet Dedede did the one thing he could do to evade. He jumped straight up to the point of almost reaching the ceiling. When I looked up, I upon froze seeing him bring his two massive fists together. "Uh oh."

"Bow to the mighty King Dedede! The machoest king of all tiiiime!" Dedede dropped back down and slammed his fists into the ground. And with far more force than either of us could have expected. That blow sent out a shockwave so hard that we were launched straight up and into the ceiling! Almost the entire floor of that hallway was pulverized as Dedede went falling to the next floor down in the castle to pursue his rival.

What a blow... My companions and I went flat against the ceiling with such force that we were almost too stunned to break out of the resulting fall with our wings carrying us down. All we could do was keep our wings spread wide and just float on down. Nightmare Moon grumbled as we descended, "I'm about ready to strangle that lunatic..."

"You and what fists?! He'll strangle us first!" I called back as we descended to the ravaged hallway below. Jagged chunks of stone rubble littered the floor with no signs of any guards in sight. They must have all went running to the most distant sections of the castle to avoid getting swept up in the carnage. And Kirby... He stood ready with his icy blue complexion and equally icy blue tiara still atop his head.

We all landed near Kirby now that we were more prepared to join the brawl in earnest. And Dedede still sounded like he was the star of the show. He pointed at us all, or maybe just at Kirby, before he sang some more. "Show a little respect or I will snap your neck and do it in rhyyyme!"

That last line actually ended up confusing us. He said that to Kirby, but... We all looked down at the little blue ball while even he looked confused by that oddly specific threat. He even brought the tips of his arms forward to examine his midsection. As if to check for something that just was not there. Celestia titled her head to one side before she looked at Dedede and said, "Um... I don't think Kirby here even has a..."

"YEAH, I KNOW KIRBY AIN'T GOT NO NECK!!!" Dedede suddenly barked at us with such a look of pure annoyance on his face. As if we had completely missed the punchline of a joke. He wiggled his fist at us and added while momentarily breaking out of his song, "It's a metaphor! I know what a metaphor is! I went to night school back in the day! Yeheheheh!"

"Oh my god, this guy..." I suddenly burst into a snickering fit while even my royal companions displayed stares of varying levels of amusement. I get Dedede was not trying to be funny, but lord help us if he was trying to make us laugh.

Kirby did not find the situation to be quite so funny. He suddenly pursed his lips and unleashed a frigid gale of ice from his lips. And Dedede just stood there and took it with a huge grin on his face. "You think we're done here?! I got one more verse to clobber that there Kirby and I'm gonna use it!"

With one swift straight punch, Dedede threw his fist right through that blizzard and plugged up its source. And even Kirby's eyes went wide in horror as Dedede shocked us all. He had stuffed his entire right fist into Kirby's mouth and had him stuck on it with no way off! The blue puffball flailed his stubby arms and legs helplessly as Dedede held him off the floor. I stared in shock and said, "Now that's just mean! Let him go!"

"Yeheheheh! Make me, chumps!" Dedede laughed before performing a sudden swift leap right towards one of several large support pillars that happened to be in the room we had fallen in. He went bouncing off of it before using the building momentum to let him throw much harder punches into the floor with Kirby feeling the full force of the impact every time. All while getting back into his infuriatingly catchy song. "Bouncing around off the walls and the ground! Every muscle of mine can squash ya like a pancake!"

Dedede was making himself a very hard target with just how quick his jumps were. He may not have been able to walk with those stubby feet on such an oversized upper body, but he could leap like a flea! Bolts of magic went flying everywhere as the four of us tried our best to rescue Kirby. The poor little guy was entirely helpless and shrilly groaning in pain with every time Dedede smashed him into the floor with his arm's full strength behind each punch. All while Dedede gleefully rocked out to the music he was singing to. "Check out my pecs and the traps on my neck! Their size should tell you that the win is mine to take!"

"Enough of this! Grab him! Just grab him!" Nightmare Moon shouted before just trying to snatch Dedede up in her levitation spell. We all joined in and surrounded him with four layers of magic to hold him in place. The king gritted his teeth in shock as he was held helplessly in place while we all started to pull in opposite directions. Just to pry Kirby off of his fist. It took a moment with Dedede momentarily distracted from singing, but we suddenly got Kirby to pop off his fist like a champagne cork and was sent flying far and into the wall. Nightmare Moon gasped at how hard he went flying into that wall and called out to our ally. "Oh dear, I should have provided a softer landing! Are you well, little one?!"

"Hey, don't you bozos go interruptin' my groove here! I'm the one on the mic right now, not you chumps!" Dedede barked at us with his fist shaking in the air. He then performed a swift leap to one of the pillars again only to suddenly start performing a very acrobatic swing at the top with his long arms gradually whirling down the entire length of the pillar like a gymnast pole. It was clearly an attempt to swing his whole body into us, but it was just such an awe-inspiring sight that we just had to stop and stare for a moment. "Who needs hammers when you got arms like these?! They're way heavier, as you can see!"

We had enough sense to stand back and just let Dedede swing around his pillars. I think he was even genuinely having fun with it since he would springboard off the pillar when he neared the bottom and start at the top from another even if we happened to be out of range. With a brief lull in the action, we glanced over at Kirby. And we all were alarmed to see him staggering to his feet with no sign of that icy tiara on his head. He had returned to his natural pink complexion and was staggering about. King Dedede had literally beaten that icy ability right out of him. And Celestia was quick to come up with an idea. "Looks like the cold isn't enough here. How about the other end of the spectrum?! Kirby, think fast!"

With a flash of her magic aura, Celestia conjured up a small orb of golden fire and sent it right at our little friend. Kirby, in spite of his fatigue, was quick to suck it up. And with a sudden flash, his appearance had changed again. His complexion had become a bold red with another golden tiara set atop his head. But instead of ice, a constantly billowing head of fire was contained within it. He was looking more confident too and gave us a big smile in thanks. But we were suddenly interrupted when Dedede came flying in off of his pillar swing for a flying dropkick right into my three royal companions! I swear I heard a set of bowling pins get knocked over somewhere... "Tussle with my muscles, it ain't a Spring Breeze! MACHO DEDEDE!!!"

"He's...much heavier than he looks!" Luna groaned as she and her sisters remained pinned under the hulking brute of a king while he hilariously flexed atop them as if trying to rub salt in the wound. It was rather humiliating on how effectively he had blindsided them while even crashing into them while they stood in a row. Just the looks on theirs faces was hard not to laugh at! They had no idea what hit them!

Kirby was on the move before I could even decide on a means of attack. He suddenly hurled himself at Dedede while wreathed in an aura of lame and burst into the hulking king with that aura exploding out from Kirby. But Dedede hardly looked fazed as he stared his shocked rival down. "Kirby! You can't beat me! I think..."

I raised an eyebrow at the little mutter at the end of that line. Was Dedede doubting himself. He had failed at every prior opportunity in defeating his rival, so perhaps he still knew the odds may have actually been against him. But that did not stop him from sending Kirby flying high into the ceiling with a sudden uppercut before he could even drop to the ground. "Kirby! I'll put you into the drink!"

"This guy is nuts... Is he really just unstoppable now? Is that what years of getting pummeled by that little guy does to a dude? What a hellish training regime..." I grumbled as Dedede went chasing after Kirby and leaving his prior targets in a very ungraceful pile. If I got close, he would just introduce my face to the floor all over again.

"Kirby! You can't beat me, I said so already! So get yourself ready!" Dedede was having the time of his life even as Kirby resorted to an resourceful means to quickly get away from his opponent. He went into a fiery cartwheel and began to quickly roll along the stone floor with Dedede hopping along and trying to pound him into the dirt even if it meant scorching his hands. And he did finally succeed with his fist coming down ahead of Kirby and letting him roll right into its path. "Kirby! I'mma wallop...YOUR FACE!"

That blow instantly snuffed out the flames coating Kirby and even knocked that fiery ability right out of him. Dedede's rising fist revealed that Kirby had been laid out flat like a deflated balloon while back to his little pink self. He quickly tried to puff himself up with a deep breath as Dedede loomed over him. "Kirby! This ain't no Gourmet Race, oh Kirby! You can't beat me, not while I have this power! It's Triple D hour!"

As Dedede sang the closing lines to his verse once again, he continued to pound onto Kirby with fist over fist to keep him from getting back up. There was no way he would be getting out of that pummeling without aid. With my royal companions back on their feet, we all charged to attack Dedede from behind. But when we started to get near, he once again put the great reach of his arms to impressive use. He glanced over his shoulder, saw us coming at the last second, and swept us all up with a double clothesline lariat! With two of us on each arm, he sent the four of us flying into opposite walls to really knock the wind out of us. The only thing we did was give Kirby just enough of an opening to round himself out and get back onto his feet. Just so he could fall flat on his round face.

"Yehehahahaha! You think a little hot air's enough ta topple these guns?!" Dedede cackled at his longtime rival finally literally beaten to the verge of defeat. Kirby could barely even stand as we all looked on while also rattled. Dedede had even stopped singing regardless of the fact that his anthem was still blaring across the castle. At the end of the day, the mighty King Dedede had ultimately outlasted us. He then raised his arms high for another flex as he laughed in triumph. "I'm about ta squash you into a Kirby waffle! And there ain't nothin' you can do about it! Yeheheheheh!"

I had to think fast. Dedede was sturdy enough to resist blasts of our magic and getting close for a melee strike would get me swatted away like a fly. Kirby was the only one small and agile enough to weave around those massive arms. We had tried giving him ice and fire. What else did we have to offer? And then it hit me. I held up my hand and focused the magic in my right gauntlet. A tiny orb of bright white solar magic formed over the tip of my finger. With Dedede raising his fist high for the final blow, it was not or never. "Let's see what this gives him. Kirby! Here you go!"

I launched that tiny orb of explosive celestial energy at our ally in the hopes that he would see it and suck it up. If he did not... Well, there would have been nothing left of the little guy. Thankfully, Kirby did glance over at me with his eyes widening in hope. He quickly sucked it up, was engulfed in a bright flash, and... No... No! Not that one! "AW CRAP, I FORGOT ABOUT THAT ONE!!!"

Even Dedede barely stopped his fist from falling right onto Kirby as he now stood before his unstoppable friend and rival. Dedede's eyes went wide with horror as even the melody playing throughout the castle came to a very abrupt stop. An awkward silence fell over us as we all stared at Kirby in his new headgear. He was still his natural pink color, but the object atop his head... It was basically a glass dome reinforced by four metal bands stretched over it with a little star spire on the top. And contained within that glass dome was a brightly glowing and pulsing orb of volatile energy. As if the solar magic I had just given Kirby had been converted into whatever was inside there. And when considering even the smallest orbs of solar magic are basically miniaturized supernovas...

We all stared in tense unease. King Dedede himself was no stranger to that particular ability and began to awkwardly waddle backwards with his open hands held out to his sides. All of his bravado was gone as he very carefully tried to back down. "Now... Now, uh... Hold on there Kirby! No need ta go and do anything crazy! We can...uh...settle this nice and quiet here!"

My three royal companions were more confused than wary. They had no idea what kind of power Kirby was packing in that helmet. They snuck over to me with looks of confusion on their faces. Celestia asked softly, "What did you give him? That was solar magic, right? Why the sudden shift in tone?"

"Crash. That's the ability I just gave him. And if that goes off..." I muttered as I understood giving Kirby that ability was a mistake. If he used it, even that supercharged king would be blown away by it. And us. And probably the entire castle. Kirby was a walking megaton bomb now.

King Dedede began to desperate try to appeal to Kirby's hunger. He brought his hands together and started to rub them with a big nervous grin on his face. "How about we go out for ice cream?! Or maybe some watermelons! You like yer watermelons, right? Call it a day, call it even, and just let bygones be bygones, yeah? What say you, Kirb? No hard feelings, right?"

Kirby only had one answer for Dedede by that point. His bright eyes suddenly narrowed into a scowl. And that was all I needed to see to know what was about to happen next. "Run."

I bolted. Began sprinting down the hall as swiftly as my enchanted greaves would carry me. And my three royal companions had enough sense to take me seriously and rush after me at full gallop. Nightmare Moon asked uneasily, "What's happening?! How big a blast will it be?!"

"Big! Just keep running! That balcony's right over there!" I shouted back as we rushed down the hall with the open blue sky visible at the far end of the castle. And a quick glance over my shoulder filled me with horror and dread. A growing bright shine was beginning to fill the area behind us as Kirby charged up for the big one. And there was nothing Dedede could do to stop it. "Oh god, go go go go go!"

It was coming fast. We only had seconds to get ourselves out of the castle. And Dedede's frantic panicked laughter echoed down the halls as he could only stand there and stare his impending defeat in the face. "Yeheheheh... Eheheh... Heheheh... AAAHAHAHAHOOOOO!!!!!"

I felt it coming. A rumbling wave of raw explosive power coming up from behind. All four of us started pleading and stammering in a cacophony of desperate fear. And right when we were almost there, the resulting shockwave of that colossal blast swept us all off our feet and sent us screaming out of the castle through our only way out. We were sent tumbling through the air and out over the ocean at ridiculous speed. As our momentum started to weaken, we had the presence of mind to break out of our resulting fall with our wings. And I cannot even begin to describe the elation of knowing we had escaped that explosion. Luna touched her hooves all over her face as she giggled nervously, "Oh thank heavens, we're alive!"

"Good god, that was too close... I should've thought twice about... Oh... Well... That's something." I replied as we hovered out over the ocean far below. But when we turned in place to face the castle we had just been ejected from... There was no castle. The resulting dust cloud was still lingering, but the castle itself... It had been thoroughly and utterly demolished with only bits of its foundation remaining. And as we began to drift closer to shore, we all happened to look up and notice there were many objects falling. And not simply the many bricks that made up the castle. The many servants and guards of the castle had been launched sky-high by the blast and were now tumbling back down to earth. "It's raining Dees!"

"Well, would you look at that! It's raining Dees! Waddle Dees!" Celestia laughed at the sight of those adorable little guys just tumbling out of the air. We all swooped low to bring ourselves back down to the plains right in front of where the castle once stood. And the Waddle Dees themselves... They were not even being harmed by the great fall. They even seemed to bounce a bit upon landing before looking around in silent confusion. Celestia glanced about as those dozens of Waddle Dees rained down all over the countryside and asked, "Wait, they're not hurt? Not even by the fall?"

"Come to think of it... I don't think any of Pop Star's creatures can be hurt by long falls. Maybe they're just too light and soft for the impact to hurt them... Wait, you hear that?" I asked as something started to reach my ears. A long yell of increasing volume. And when we all looked up, we saw Dedede himself tumbling out of the sky while shrieking in terror. It looked like that blast had literally blown his body back down to its original form if the size of his arms was anything to go by. And just seconds later, him hit the ground headfirst with an impressive crash. We just stared at the half buried king with his upper body now buried in the soft earth. And I could only crack a smirk at his graceless posture. "Well...maybe not everyone on Pop Star is light enough to stick the landing."

"I just can't believe he's still in one piece after such an explosion went off in his face... Truly a mighty king indeed. Perhaps all that bravado was not just all talk after all. I will assume he is simply unconscious right now..." Nightmare Moon muttered while we gazed upon the motionless Dedede. But she then turned her eyes to the sky and asked, "But...what do you suppose became of our little pink ally? Did he destroy himself?"

"Nah, he never gets hurt by that ability. And it's always single use too, so don't worry about him using it again today." I replied before I happened to glance up and notice a pink balloon drifting down towards us. A balloon with two red feet. "There he is."

We all stood back as Kirby came drifting down with his round stretchy body puffed up with air. He let out a shrill sigh to let all that air out once right above the ground. The four of us gazed down upon the little pink creature before he glanced back and forth at us. With one of his stubby arms raised high, he greeted us in a way only he could. "Piyii!"

"What a deceptively mighty creature. So simple and gentle, yet possessing immense versatility. If you are no different from Hoover, then I can only imagine how his series will evolve!" Luna giggled as stepped forward before gently bowing her head. She touched her horn to the top of Kirby's face while he just giggled at her touch. "As Princess of the Night, I must say. Well done, little one. Your assistant was greatly appreciated today."

Kirby reached out and gave his new friend a nuzzling hug. We all took turns shaking hands with the little pink puffball before he happened to turn around and noticed King Dedede still motionless with his upper body buried in the dirt. He went waddling over to him with a look of concern while we stood back and watched. Celestia softly asked, "He's worried about the king? Even after he received such a beating from him?"

All I could was sigh in quiet admiration as I beheld the scene playing out before us. And I sighed with a smile on my face. "I really don't think Kirby has the capacity to genuinely hate anyone. When I said those two are friends, I really meant it."

Pop Star's greatest hero examined Dedede closely and soon gently patted him on the back. Kirby said nothing, but he then suddenly jumped a bit before glancing around for something. We watched in silence as the little guy went scampering over to a large flower that had not quite bloomed. And I could only crack a smirk when he tapped it once. The flower suddenly bloomed and...produced a round doughnut from its face. A doughnut topped with a layer of chocolate. Kirby then came running back over with that doughnut held over his head before gently setting it down next to Dedede. As if offering him a get well gift. All I could do was sigh as I said, "Oh Kirby... Never change."

"Not a shred of animosity at all... Even after such a harrowing brawl, he feels nothing but concern for his opponent." Nightmare Moon said gently while we watched. Kirby then patted his friend on the back again as if to wish King Dedede well before he let out a long yawn. Not that it was hard to see why. The Princess of Dreams then asked, "That battle must have exhausted you, little one. Why don't you run off for home? You seem to be in need of a nap."

Kirby nodded with such a sleepy look in his eyes. He proceeded to waddle by us while waving goodbye. The little pink hero went waddling down the road before the castle with only the horizon ahead of him. And we all saw him off with a smile.

I looked back at Dedede, but my eyes then fell upon what was left of his castle on the hill ahead of us. That dust cloud was all but gone by then to reveal just how empty that hill really was by then. And I felt such a profound sense of shame and embarrassment as I saw the results of our actions. The three royal sisters too beheld the ruins of King Dedede's castle while I spoke with an uneasy grin. "I gotta admit... We were kind of jerks today. He wasn't even doing anything wrong. Just minding his own business until we barged into his house and challenged him to a duel."

Just the sheer look of shared embarrassment on their faces... My companions knew how selfish our actions were that day. Celestia stammered with such a crooked sheepish grin on her face, "I... You... I suppose we did. We were simply looking for a challenge, but I never imagined it would escalate to the point of bringing the house down."

"Yeah, old Dedede really didn't deserve this... Come to think of it... Luna. Nightmare Moon. You can fix this, right? Just...put it all back together?" I replied before suddenly realizing who I was talking to. The Princess of the Night and the Princess of Dreams have absolute control over the fabric of the dream realm. Whatever they wish to see, they can make it happen.

Nightmare Moon snickered briefly at my suggestion. She then glanced at her fellow sister of the night and said, "Yes, I do believe it would be proper for us to undo this unnecessary collateral damage. Luna, if you would assist me here?"

"Gladly. We have a castle to restore." Luna replied as the two of them channeled their dream magic through their horns. A great blue dome of magical light began to engulf what little remained of the castle and where it had stood atop the hill before us. And in a matter of seconds, that dome faded to reveal King Dedede's castle standing tall where it had always been. As if nothing had even happened to it. But Luna was not quite done. She then looked over at Dedede and added, "And we must not forget the king's prized treasure!"

With another cast of her spell, Luna summoned a familiar object out of their in a flash of blue light. King Dedede's trusty wooden mallet. It dropped to the ground with a very firm thump right next to him. And that tremor must have been just what Dedede needed to wake up. His feet started to wiggle before his body squirmed. We could hear his muffled groaned before he very suddenly pulled himself out of the earth before falling right back into a sitting position. And he just stared at us with a very dry stare while overlooking the mallet beside him. "Ya happy now? Got whatcha came for?"

We were all hesitant to speak. We had given that poor fool so much trouble over literally nothing. Now that we had come to understand that we were all in the wrong, it was impossible to defend ourselves. Dedede then rose to his feet and pointed his bare blue hand at us. His mittens were still gone and his red coat was just as torn and tattered as before. "What's your beef with me anyway?! You come moseyin' on into my castle, wreck my baby, and then drag that there Kirby into the mess and get him ta blow my pad to smithereens?! Why?! What's yer problem?! You bozos got a bone ta pick with me?!"

At this point, there was absolutely no faulting Dedede for his anger towards us. But Nightmare Moon was quick to try and defuse the situation with such a smug smirk on her face. "Your majesty, I fear you may have hit your head a little too hard there. Have you failed to notice what's right next to you?"

"Right next ta... Eh?!" Dedede stuttered before his eyes opened wide in disbelief. Only then did he happen to see his trusty mallet on the ground beside him. Sheer joy filled his face, but was quickly replaced with a skeptical scowl. "Waaaait a minute... You sure this ain't one of my spares? Lemme see here..."

King Dedede snatched up his mallet and began to very closely examine the head. He checked one face on the mallet before rotating it and examining the other. And then he let out a laugh of delight. "Yeheheheh, yep! That's her all right!"

Even I was not sure of what kind of proof he was looking for. And so I asked, "Wait, how can you tell? What's so special about this one?"

The overjoyed king then held out his mallet to us. "Take a good look! Y'all see that notch on the rim? That got there when Kirby sent me flying for the first time and I've never stopped swingin' her around since!"

A close examination of the steel rim around revealed that there was indeed a small notch in it. A little inconspicuous dent. Nightmare Moon smiled in amusement as she spoke, "Hm. So there is."

Dedede then hoisted his mallet back onto his shoulder, but he glanced at it and then back at us. "But I could swear you bozos turned my baby into sawdust a little while ago. And my castle! I mean did ya have to go and do that?! I mean just look at what you and that there Kirby did to... To... Huh?!"

It was only then that King Dedede turned around to see what was left of his once mighty castle. Except that it was never gone at all. I had to do everything in my power to not start snickering like a fool as Luna doubled down on gaslighting the confused king. "Are you feeling all right, your majesty? All this talk of hammers being destroyed and castles being demolished... Did you just happen to hit your head that hard recently?"

Dedede began to look back and forth at us, his mallet, and his castle in the distance. All while looking and sounding increasingly panicked. "But... But... Y'all were there! And ya busted up my baby! And then I... Yeah! I got out my super clobberin' hammer and... And then I picked up and axe! And then... Then that there Kirby showed up and...I went all super macho on yer butts! Then Kirby went big boom on me and... But my castle's still... And my mallet's right... But ya...and they...but it didn't...and it's still... Yeh... Yeheh... Yeheheh... Yeheheheheheh!!!"

We started to back away from Dedede as he began increasingly unstable while glancing back and forth rapidly until he started to burst into outright hysterical laughter. He fell flat on his back as he let out increasing shrill bouts of confused mad laughter to the sky for maybe a good thirty seconds. Just going mad with confusion. But just as we were wondering if he was all right upon falling silent, Dedede hopped back up onto his face and let out a loud sigh. "Man, Triple D needs a vacation! I wonder if the Float Islands are good this time of year..."

King Dedede turned to us again while hoisting his mallet to his shoulder again. He then gave us a big grin and said, "Well, if you bozos are just passin' through, then I guess y'all are good in my book! Just stay outta trouble or yer gonna get really personally acquainted with my lil' friend here, got it?"

Good lord, it was hard to keep a straight face. We had King Dedede totally fooled. But it was for his own good. No real lasting harm was done. But right when Dedede turned to walk back to his castle, his foot finally brushed against the donut on the ground. He glanced down and reached for the oddly placed snack. "Huh? How'd this get here?"

I decided it was for the best that he knew. "Kirby wanted you to have that."

Dedede stared in silence at the donut for a moment before a very warm smile spread across his face. He let out a long sigh before speaking much more kindly. "That there Kirby... For bein' such a puny pink pipsqueak, he's a true blue friend. Gotta remember ta call up the gang ta see if they wanna catch some rays too."

The calmed king finally waddled off with a snack in hand without looking back at us once. And not just him. The entire castle crew of Waddle Dees started to come from all over and began to follow their king back into their home. Celestia winked at me as we all watched the rather cute spectacle playing out before us. "Looks like you were right. They are friends."

"Yeah, Dedede's weird with friendship like that." I replied before I suddenly felt a familiar sensation. A rippling feeling through the air. The sensation of my own dreaming mind being on the verge of awakening. "It's almost time, huh?"

"I would assume so. But we really must pay another visit to this world of Pop Star. It feels...reminiscent of Equestria in so many ways. I honesty enjoyed myself here tonight. For the most part." Nightmare Moon chuckled while she beheld the great castle of King Dedede in the distance.

Luna then spoke up with a smile, "And speaking of vacations, today is when we can finally get started on ours! We've spent enough time settling in. Time to let the real fun commence!"

My dream was fading fast. I was so ready to wake up. And with a kiss, Celestia said her goodbyes to me. "See you soon, my sunshine."

"Yeah... Have a good morning, ladies." I retorted before my vision was filled with a white void. The feeling of my armor covering my body was replaced by a soft fabric and a layer of comforting feathers. I was no longer on my feet. I was instead lying upon my back. And at my side while keeping me in her winged embrace was the beautiful Queen Novo.

I felt...good. That dream, for as chaotic as it got, was a surprisingly fun time. And I greeted my beautiful beloved with a kiss upon her beak. Novo immediately stirred before opening those lovely eyes while I whispered to her. "Good morning, dear."

"And a very good morning to you too, baby. Someone looks like they dreamed well." Novo cooed as she returned the kiss to my cheek. She then asked, "What happened in your head last night? Something worth writing home about?"

"Yep. And I met someone I think you would have some very fun conversations with. Much to Celestia's annoyance." I replied while Novo could only flash me a curious and confused smile. She would never understand. Not that she needed to.

I wanted to make sure my memories of that dream would not be forgotten, so I jotted down some notes as a means to jog my memory once I returned home to Ponyville. But I could not dwell on it for long. Our first full day of the vacation was beginning. It was time to really start having some fun.

Author's Note

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