#The Waddle Dees would be wondering the same thing until he just shows up like 'hey need something?'

[starlytenight]

...how does orion knight get through narrow doorways???

They can move. He's used them as extra weapons/projectiles in the fic and they can move independently of each other. He just has to move them with his brain, like moving an arm or wing.

The kids think it's pretty sick.

Also. Portals. Man's been through enough portal training to make Chell and GLaDOS blush.

[theultimateultimateweapon]

Kirby: Meta Knight and the Knight of Hades (Chapter 3)

Kirby, King Dedede, and Waddle Dee boarded the battleship Halberd.

After hearing the story, they were surprised.

“Eh!? The Galaxia has been stolen!?”

“Troublesome, Meta Knight. I guess you weren’t careful…”

Dedede was going to laugh, but when he saw Meta Knight’s enraged mood, he quickly shut his mouth.

“Then, the Meta Knight I found was a fake but his sword was real. This is terrible!” Kirby said with a furious face.

“I hope no one else was hurt with the Galaxia. If it had a heart, I think it would be sad. I’m sorry for the Galaxia!” Waddle Dee was worried.

“He may be doing bad things on other stars. Maybe he’s going to disguise himself as Meta Knight, rampage, and damage Meta Knight’s reputation…”

Captain Vul nodded. “Well, I’m worried about that too. He may be trying to destroy Meta Knight’s honor. We need to act quickly…”

At that time, the communications desk rang.

When Axe Knight hit the switch, a surprising face was projected on the screen.

Captain Vul.

Everyone was shocked, seeing Captain Vul sitting next to Meta Knight.

Taken aback, the eagle stared at his face on the screen.

The Captain Vul on the screen said with a serious look, “Meta Knight, it’s a disaster! I was kidnapped by a bad guy and locked up. That eagle next to you is a fake and is aiming for your life!”

“What did you say!?”

The Meta Knights, upset, compared the two Captain Vuls.

Sword Knight said, stunned, “The voice is the same… which is the real one!?”

Captain Vul, sitting in his seat, shook his fists and shouted. “No, I am real! Don’t be fooled~!”

Captain Vul on the screen also shouted. “Believe me, Meta Knight! I’m the real Vul…”

“Stop this nonsense.” Meta Knight said in a cold voice to the screen. “I know the real Captain Vul is here. What do you want?”

“...”

The Captain Vul on the screen suddenly gave a fearless laugh.

“Hmm, I can’t help it. As you can guess, I’m not Captain Vul. I am the best disguise master in the universe, I can transform into anyone I’ve seen before. I am Beryl.”

“I don’t care about your name. Tell me what you want.”

“It’s about this,” Beryl showed off the Galaxia. “It’s a great sword, just like the legend says. Just swing it lightly and one thing will cut in two!”

Beryl shook the Galaxia and laughed. “If you want this guy to be returned, prepare 10,000 point stars.”

“What?”

“Isn’t this your favorite sword? Compared, 10,000 point stars should be cheap.”

Captain Vul burst into anger and shouted, “You’re asking for a ransom! Monster!”

“Hmm! Don’t you want me to return it? If not, I guess this is mine.”

“Bastard!”

Captain Vul was about to hit the screen until the Meta Knights stopped him in a hurry.

Meta Knight said, “I want the Galaxia back. Tell me where to meet you.”

“Hehehe, you’re different from your subordinates. You seem to understand. The place is the planet Magnus. Come to the southern plains of the largest volcano. Ten thousand point stars, don’t forget.”

The communication was cut.

Kirby spoke. “I can’t believe it! It looked just like Captain Vul, but I couldn’t tell which one was real!”

Captain Vul looked up and said to Meta Knight, “You saw the real eagle without any hesitation! I am deeply moved by this! Thank you, sir!”

Meta Knight nodded silently. 

The knights all whispered.

(There was a fake, but he could tell them apart!)

(That was the coolest thing!)

“Meta Knight,” King Dedede spoke. “Are you really willing to pay all those point stars to that guy?”

“No way,” he replied. “We will regain the Galaxia by any honorable means.”

“In other words, you’re going to take it back with force?”

“It belongs to me!” Behind the mask, the swordsman’s eyes were shining with a strong light.

Planet Magnus.

It’s a rough star with many volcanoes. There are a few inhabitants, and the vegetation is scattered.

The Meta Knights came to the plains on the south side of the largest volcano.

What was waiting there was a sword fighter who looked just like Meta Knight holding the Galaxia.

“He disguised himself as Meta Knight again…!” Blade Knight screamed in anger.

Beryl spoke in Meta Knight’s voice. “There you are. First of all, let’s get the promised 10,000 point stars.”

“Promised? You’re a real rotten guy, you know that?” King Dedede said with a moody face. “You monster, while pretending to be Meta Knight, you rampaged through Dreamland. You should have left us alone. As Dreamland’s ruler, I’m going to make you pay, be prepared…”

“Before you attack, your majesty,” Meta Knight said.

King Dedede raised his hammer and replied. “Just leave this to me.”

“This is my fight. There is no need for you to get involved.”

“But you don’t even have a weapon.”

“I may not have the Galaxia, but this will be enough.” Meta Knight held a regular sword sold at any weapons store.

“With such a puny weapon…”

King Dedede looked dissatisfied, but Captain Vul spoke.

“For Meta Knight, any weapon is powerful. He could even use his bare hands.”

Meta Knight walked towards Beryl.

Kirby and Waddle Dee cheered aloud.

“Go for it, Meta Knight!”

“Rally, rally, Meta Knight!”

Meta Knight was full of rage. Even Kirby and Waddle Dee stopped cheering and took a breath.

However, Beryl did not seem to flinch and held tight the Galaxia.

King Dedede muttered, “He seems to have confidence in his grip, it’s not a bad grip either.”

Sword Knight, annoyed, replied, “That’s just a pose. It just looks strong because he’s imitating Meta Knight!”

While everyone was watching, Meta Knight started.

“Let’s go!” He shouted and leapt at Beryl. He lifted his sword and tried to slash at that moment.

Meta Knight disappeared.

Kirby and the other screamed involuntarily.

“What!? Meta Knight…!”

“He disappeared!?”

Beryl burst into laughter as if he had won. “Fufufu! Hahaha, it was a trap!”

“Wanna… see?”

Kirby and his friends rushed to the points where Meta Knight disappeared. 

There was a deep hole there. It seems there was a thin plate placed on the hole and covered with soil so that it could not be seen. Meta Knight hadn’t noticed and fell in.

“Oh no! Looks like your precious swordsman fell into a pitfall!”

“Meta Knight! Are you okay!?” Captain Vul called to the bottom of the hole, but there was no reply.

Sword Knight shouted, “Pitfalls don’t work for Meta Knight. You may not know, but Meta Knight can fly in the air!”

Beryl laughed louder and louder. “Fufufu! You don’t know anything!”

“What…!?”

“This hole is called ‘Magnus Hades Hole’. It’s so deep that there is a legend that it continues to Hades. Moreover, the hole is filled with poisonous gas.”

“Poisonous gas…!?”

“If you inhale it, your whole body will quickly become numb and you will not be able to move.”

“What did you say…!?”

Kirby and the others were stunned.

The immobile Meta Knight has no choice but to fall to the bottom of the deep, deep hold. And if he keeps breathing the poisonous gas…

“I’ll help him!”

Kirby was absorbed in trying to jump into the hole, but was stopped by King Dedede.

“Knucklehead! The poisonous gas could kill you!”

“But if he stays in there, Meta Knight…!”

“Fufufufu… hahahaha!” Beryl laughed. “Don’t you see? I didn’t come here for some point stars. I want to replace Meta Knight as the number one sword fighter in the galaxy!”

“Monster!”

King Dedede swung his hammer up and attacked Beryl.

Beryl quickly jumped and ran away.

“Wait-!”

Kirby tried to chase after them, but Beryl escaped quickly. He soon lost sight of them.

Captain Vul said, “Kirby, leave them alone. Now, the first thing to do is rescue Meta Knight.”

“Uh, yeah, but how…?”

“Hmm… if only there was a way to get into the hole without inhaling the gas…!”

Captain Vul pondered with his head in his hand.

Axe Knight shouted, “Captain, there’s a hose used for deck cleaning in the warehouse of the Halberd! If it’s long enough, do you think it’ll be useful!?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea!” Captain Vul clapped his hands. “Get the hose right away! Hurry up!”

Kirby and Dedede can both hover in the air. Unfortunately, King Dedede got hungry so Kirby decided to go down into the hole.

“Be careful, Kirby.”

Waddle Dee seemed uneasy, but Kirby cheerfully replied.

“It’s okay! I’ll bring Meta Knight home.”

Captain Vul shouted. “Hurry up, Kirby! We don’t have much time!”

“Alright!”

Kirby grabbed the hose and jumped into the hole.

The inside of the hole was dark and difficult to see.

Kirby went down into the dark at full speed.

He wanted to call to Meta Knight, but he couldn’t speak with the hose in his mouth. In his heart, he kept screaming.

(I’m coming! Hold on Meta Knight!)

As the name Hades Hole suggests, the hole was horribly deep.

There seemed to be no end in sight.

As he went down the rocky interior, the air felt thinner.

(How long does this last… The hose, I wonder if it’s long enough… I might really fall into Hades…)

At that moment, Kirby’s hand finally touched something hard.

(Ah! Meta Knight!)

He reached the bottom of the hole that seemed to continue forever.

Meta Knight was out cold. Even if Kirby shook him, there was no reaction.

(Firmly now…!)

Kirby held the body of Meta Knight tightly with both hands.

He was hovering as hard as he could! He was approaching the light above where everyone was waiting. Kirby sped up.

Rescued by his friend, Meta Knight was immediately brought to the Battleship Halberd.

“Meta Knight! Meta Knight-!”

Captain Vul and his men continued to speak, but Meta Knight’s consciousness did not return. His body temperature was getting lower and lower. He was hardly breathing.

King Dedede said wildly, “Hey, Meta Knight! Buddy, how long are you gonna sleep? Hey, I’ll wake you up!”

Meta Knight’s subordinates rushed to stop him when he raised his hammer.

Captain Vul said. “Calm down, your majesty. You can’t use your hammer, we need a doctor. Find the best doctor in the universe!”

The Meta Knights ran off and began to look in the database.

Kirby and Waddle Dee were sitting in the corner of the lobby drowning in worry.

“...It’s okay, Kirby. Meta Knight will be fine, right…?”

“He’ll be alright. Meta Knight is… strong.” Kirby replied, but his voice was weak.

Sword Knight and Blade Knight called out to him.

“Kirby. Let’s leave this to Captain Vul, we’re going out.”

“Eh? Where are you going?”

“We’ve decided. We’re going to catch this disguise master!”

Their voices were powerful.

Kirby stood up in a heartbeat. “That’s right. We can’t let them get away!”

“I’m going too!” King Dedede interrupted. “I’m not doing this for Meta Knight, I just don’t like that disguise guy! I’m gonna have to hit him with my hammer. And…”

Dedede was quiet.

“If he’s still disguised as Meta Knight, making him bruised will feel all the much better.”

“...Sheesh, what a guy.” Sword Knight was disappointed, but regardless, the goal was set.

Captain Vul came in. “Meta Knight will be saved. You guys go take care of this business! Go on!”

“Leave it to us!” Kirby nodded loudly.

(Chapter 2 - Table of Contents - Chapter 4)

[deafeninggardenerpanda]

This was Diamond Town. It was a small town surrounded by huge diamond mines and filled with diamonds dug out of said mine. It was also divided into two areas. The center was the "Town of Light" where aristocratic mansions were lined up. Surrounding it was the "Town of Wind" where ordinary, but cheerful residents lived. Kirby, Waddle Dee, and President Dedede were residents of the Town of Wind.

Kirby's home was a room in an apartment where no one lived. He was secretly living in a building that would soon be torn down. It was a rundown apartment, but Kirby loved it. The first reason was the the window. The window was partially broken, so it was well ventilated. Second, even if he sang as loud as he could, no one would get angry. The third thing was that a small airplane could be parked on the roof of the building. Kirby was very good at flying airplanes. He enjoyed carrying his luggage, taking an airplane, and going on an adventure to a distant city. 

Dedede, the president of a nearby factory, was his airplane racing rival. The maneuvering skill of President Dedede was not bad, but he was not as good as Kirby. In the race yesterday, Kirby brilliantly achieved a hundred consecutive victories against him. 

Even though the sun was high in the sky, Kirby was sleeping comfortably. A wooden apple crate placed near the window acted as his bed. In his dream, Kirby was boarding an airplane and flying around the sky. 

" ... Let’s ... do it ...  Somersault ...! " he said sleepily. The front door opened and Kirby's friend, Waddle Dee, jumped in.

"Good morning, Kirby! Hey, get up. Big news!" Waddle Dee gently woke Kirby. He rubbed his eyes and got up, still half-asleep. 

"Hmm ...? Ah, good morning, Waddle Dee. Breakfast, I'll have it ... "

"Yes, yes, finish up," Waddle Dee took a sandwich out of his pouch and handed it to Kirby. He always carried food with him for his gluttonous friend. Kirby's drowsiness immediately disappeared.

"Wow, egg and ham sandwich! I love your sandwiches!" Kirby smiled and bit in. 

"Hey, listen. There's big news," Waddle Dee announced in a loud voice. "This is this morning’s newspaper." Waddle Dee spread the newspaper and showed an article with a big photo.

Kirby stared at the newspaper blankly. "’An Ancient Machine Discovered in the Diamond Mine!’ ...? What is this?" 

"A mysterious machine was found in the mine. It's so old that it's buried all the way in the back. It seems that it was dug out by chance." 

"Hmm ... " Kirby wasn’t interested in diamonds or ancient machines. Waddle Dee grew frustrated.   

"It's a nice machine. Look at millionaire Mr. Fugo's photo and comments on it," Waddle Dee said. He showed Kirby a photo in the newspaper. 

The one in the picture was a smiling gentleman with a beautiful mustache. He was no stranger to the inhabitants of this town. Mr. Fugo was a rich man and the owner of a diamond mine. Not only that, Waddle Dee explained that most of the city, from railroad companies to bread factories, belonged to Mr. Fugo. 

"It seems that this ancient machine has great power, but it doesn’t work now."

"Why not?" 

"Because important parts of the machine are gone: the gears. So, Mr. Fugo put a prize on them. A prize of ... one million Point Stars!" 

Kirby wasn't interested at all when he heard the amount of money Waddle Dee shouted. He finished eating his sandwich and opened his hands with a bright smile.

"I’d like tuna and cucumber sandwiches tomorrow! Ah, but bacon and tomatoes are also good. It's delicious with fried shrimp and potato salad ... " 

"Ah, Kirby," said Waddle Dee. He spoke a bit louder so that Kirby could understand the greatness of the prize. "Listen carefully. Don’t you know how much that is? You can buy thousands of nice clothes!" 

"Hmm."

"You can buy thousands of high-end hats!"

"Huh."

"And ... and ...! You could eat a deluxe lunch for 100,000 people at Chef Kawasaki's restaurant!" 

" ... Eh!?"

Kirby, who hadn’t been listening until now, squealed with widened eyes. "100,000 servings ...!? Of the most luxurious deluxe lunch!?" 

"Y-yes, but that was just an example ... " 

"Wowwww!" Kirby grabbed Waddle Dee's hand tightly and started running. "Let's go, Waddle Dee! Fast, fast! If we don’t hurry, lunch time will end~!"

"Oh, calm down, Kirby," Waddle Dee said while being dragged along. "You need the prize to eat the deluxe lunch for 100,000 people, and you have to find the gears to get the prize." 

"Uh ... yeah ...? " 

Waddle Dee spread the newspaper. "The article. Read what it says."

According to millionaire Fugo, the ancient machine had the power to make everyone happy, however, the gears were stolen by an evil wizard and the machine stopped working. The stolen gears should still be sleeping somewhere in town.

"If the gears are found, the machine will work again. I want to make the citizens of this town happy. For that reason, I’m willing to put my entire fortune into it,” he had said, so he promised a huge prize for the gears of the ancient machine.

"But even if there wasn’t a machine like that, everyone would feel happy if they ate Chef Kawasaki's deluxe lunch," Kirby said curiously. Waddle Dee laughed. 

"If it were you, maybe, but everyone's wishes aren't the same as yours." 

"Eh?"

"I think ... " Waddle Dee said with shining eyes, "the wonderful ancient machine will surely fulfill each and every one of our wishes. Kirby's wish is to eat a lot. President Dedede's wish is to win an airplane race. I hope it’s a machine that can fulfill each and every one’s wish."

Kirby smiled. "What kind of wish do you have, Waddle Dee?"

"Huh?" 

"You must have a wish too, right? What kind of wish do you want to make?"

"I ... I, uh ... " Waddle Dee closed his eyes shyly and spoke. "I want to eat a sweet called ‘chocolate.’ Just a bite."

" ... Chocolate ... " 

You couldn’t get sweets in the Town of Wind. Only the aristocrats of the Town of Light could eat such luxury goods. Kirby sometimes flew to distant cities, so he had eaten delicious sweets from all over the world. Waddle Dee, however, had only eaten sweets by listening to Kirby's stories and imagining it. Even if Kirby bought souvenir sweets, they were all picked up by the guards at the entrance of the city. The rules of Diamond Town were strict, and people were not allowed to bring sweets in without permission. Kirby spread his hands wide.

"Don't say just a bite! Let's eat a lot—as much as we can!" 

Waddle Dee nodded. "That's right. Let's eat a mountain of chocolate together! I'm looking forward to it."

"Yeah! To do that, We have to find the gears!" 

"Let's do our best!" the two cheered.

Around the same time, President Dedede was visiting a café in the neighborhood. The store manager smiled at the president.  

"Welcome, President Dedede." 

"Give me the lunch special. I’ll have a large serving of bread with it."  

"Yes, the lunch special and a large serving of bread."

President Dedede was a regular customer of this shop, "Daroach’s Café." It was a small shop, but it was popular because it served good coffee and lunch. The store manager was a hard-working man named Daroach. 

President Dedede sat down by his favorite window, spread out his newspaper, and started reading. He spoke while Daroach brought out the plates.  

"Did you hear, manager? The big news in the newspaper?"

"Hm? Oh, do you mean yesterday's airplane race? I heard from a friend—it’s a shame." 

Dedede gave Daroach with a sour look. "Hmph! That’s boring, I don’t care about stuff like that. I'm talking about the ancient machine."

"What? Ancient machine?" 

"It seems a great machine was found in the diamond mine." President Dedede pointed to the newspaper.

Daroach read the article. He seemed amused. "Heh, I don't know about the truthfulness of it, but it's a fun story. What kind of machine makes everyone happy?" he said.

"Read the rest of the article. It says that someone will pay a prize for those gears."  

"Huh, really? Such a large amount of money. Just finding some gears can make you that much ...? " 

"They’re not just any old gears. They’re special gears that can make ancient machines move. They’re not easy to find. Hm, I don't know ... " 

"Right, but if anyone could find them, I bet it’d be you." President Dedede was quiet as he thought about Daroach’s words. 

"Really? You think so?"

"I do. You’re smart and have a lot of courage. I think you could do it."

"Wise words. Well, I think so, too."

"Heh, please find them. And if you get the prize, please order a special lunch every day at our store."

"Hahaha! I'll buy the entire store, more like it."

"I look forward to it."

President Dedede finished his meal in good spirits and began to leave. After he left, however—the aura around the store manager changed. Daroach muttered in a low voice, with a harsh light covering his face and a fearless smile in his mouth. 

"An ancient machine. Isn't that an interesting story?" At the same time, the door opened and a new customer came in. As soon as they did, Daroach returned to the face of a working store manager and greeted them with a cheerful voice.  

"Welcome! Seat yourself! Today's lunch special is hamburger steak!" 

The manager of the popular café was merely a guise. No one knew his true face in the Town of Wind.

The Town of Light, which was lined with aristocratic mansions, was a quiet area that was completely different from the messy streets of the Town of Wind. The road was wide and there was no trash to be seen. The scent of flowers from the gardens here and there was just right, and beautiful music could be heard from somewhere nearby. Every day and every night, a party was held in a mansion somewhere.

Tonight, a certain mansion in particular was crowded with guests who had arrived. Luxury meals were carried out one after another, and conversation was lively. During this, one of the guests stood up. He was a fine gentleman with a masked face and a red rose in his chest pocket.  

"Oh? Are you leaving already, Meta Knight? If you’d like, you can take the dessert home with you." The lady of the mansion, unfortunately, stopped the guest.

"It's an exquisite chocolate cake handmade by our chef. By all means, I insist you—"

"No, it's fine. I'm done." When Meta Knight left, the aristocrats whispered.  

"Maybe Meta Knight isn't interested in cakes ... "

"He's a cool person. I don't think sweet foods are good for his reputation ... " 

"Oh, such a shame. I’ll have to tell the chef not to make such a sweet dessert ... "

After leaving, Meta Knight got in his car and returned to his own mansion.

"Welcome back, my lord," the butler, Vul, greeted respectfully. "How was your party?" 

"The same as usual. Nothing but conversations and heavy food. I'm sick of it."

Meta Knight was polite in public, but not so much at home. He continued to speak as he walked down the corridor.

"Has anything changed while I was away?"

"No. There were no phone calls, and as for guests ... " Butler Vul opened the living room door. Just then ... 

"Hey, I’m home~!" 

A cheerful voice rang out from inside. Vul was so surprised he nearly fell over. Someone was sitting on the sofa, but Vul didn't remember guiding anyone.

"Huaghhhh!? Da- Da- Daroach ...!? Why you ...! From where did you ...!? " Meta Knight stopped him before he burst a blood vessel.

"It doesn't matter. The usual."

"It's because it's the usual that it's troublesome! Time and time again, in this house without my knowledge, sneaking into these halls—! Today, I have to say it's gutsy ...! "

"I said you’re dismissed."

"But ...! "

"Get me two cups of tea."

Butler Vul looked as if he was about to be sick, but when his lord, Meta Knight, commanded, he had to obey. When Vul left, Meta Knight turned to Daroach.

"Good grief. When you come next time, ring the doorbell and come in through the front door. Don't upset the butler." 

"Sorry, I’ve never gotten along with that guy." Daroach grinned and held up a paper bag. "For you: an eclair. I used a lot of the chocolate you gave me the other day. I was thinking about what kind of sweets to make since chocolate is a luxury item that I rarely get, but I thought a simple eclair was best."

" ... Thank you." 

Meta Knight’s countenance didn’t change, but his voice sounded happy. He didn’t dislike sweets. On the contrary, they were his favorite, however, the sweets that Daroach made were so delicious he couldn’t be satisfied with anything else. Aristocrat Meta Knight and Daroach, the café manager in the Town of Wind. Although they lived in different worlds, for some reason, they became friends after getting to know each other during a certain incident. It was rare, but if there was something wrong Daroach would sneak in from somewhere, like tonight. Butler Vul angrily brought in tea and left again. Daroach started his story. 

"Tonight's errand is about gears. Are you listening?" 

"Are they from a machine that was found in a diamond mine?"

"Oh. If you already know, I’ll make it quick. If someone finds all of the gears, they will get a great amount of money awarded to them."

"I'm not interested," he simply said.

Daroach looked disappointed. "Hmm. You're a very rich aristocrat, however, even if you’re not interested in gold, what about an ancient machine? Don’t you think it’s fascinating?"

" ... Not particularly."

"It's a machine made by a lost civilization. Its power is probably far greater than anything we can imagine."

" …………… "

Meta Knight was silent. He was not interested in money, but he was strongly attracted to mysteries and adventures. Daroach knew it well.

"To tell the truth, I don't want the prize, either." 

" ... What?"

"I want to know what Fugo’s true motive is. Why would he have such a ridiculous prize? I wonder if he's trying to take the gears for himself ... He says, ‘I want to make the citizens happy,’ but that can't be true."

Meta Knight nodded immediately. "I wonder." 

Mr. Fugo was known as a kind-hearted millionaire. He was grateful to everyone for holding parties and made donations for the residents of the Town of Wind, but Daroach and Meta Knight both knew it wasn’t how it seemed. 

Daroach had excellent subordinates. They dug into newspapers and worked in aristocratic mansions and passed on the information they gathered to the boss, Daroach. Mr. Fugo was anything but a kind-hearted millionaire. He tricked people, made sly deals, and made a lot of money. Daroach wanted to reveal the truth right away, but there was little evidence. He couldn’t stand by, though. If one turned a blind eye to evil, they would inevitably be crushed by its weight. He strengthened his voice.

"I'm sure he’s planning to use that ancient machine to make a lot of money. If we can get proof of that, we can expose him."

"Exposing evil ...? It doesn’t seem like you," Meta Knight laughed. "You're not a hero of justice. You're a thief, right? I thought you were only interested in treasure." 

"C’mon, stop it." 

Daroach stood up. Out of nowhere, he took out a red top hat and cloak and donned them gracefully. He grinned as he tipped his brim.

"You don't need to worry when you’re with someone like me. I am the great thief Daroach who travels the world!"

Yes, this was his true identity. In the daytime, a cheerful café manager, but at night, in the darkness, a bandit who steals the treasure of bad aristocrats. His technique was splendid and artistic. He didn’t hurt anyone, nor leave any sort of evidence. 

"Oh, I know. I'm sorry." 

When Meta Knight apologized, Daroach stowed his hat and cloak. He was back to how he was before.

"Please, tell me your reply. Let’s find out what Fugo’s up to, and let’s find out the mystery of the ancient machine, together. You and I."

"Okay." Meta Knight nodded. Daroach smiled.

"If that’s your decision, we’re ready to take action. First, we have to gather information. I'll use my subordinates to search. You investigate around Fugo." 

"All right."

"See ya," Daroach said.

He jumped with light footsteps and left through the open window.

In the blink of an eye, the great thief Daroach was gone.

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[writesology]

So, I'm considering a Role Reversal AU where Haltmann Robotics was the villain of the anime, not Nightmare Enterprises.. The setup is the same (Monster of the week ordered by Dedede), but the backstory is changed to accommodate the change. (Likewise, Nightmare Enterprises would take Haltmann's place and replace Planet Robobot.) How do you think things would change?

HC of the Day: sent in by this wonderful anon! Thanks for asking! This is actually a really cool idea, and though I’ve never thought much about switching the antagonists like this, it’s very interesting! As for changes though, let’s tackle the anime first because I feel like that one will have the most prominent changes.

Haltmann would, of course, send mostly robots like (correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t have a 3DS and thus have never played Robobot) Dubior and Masher. As a company that strictly uses mostly robotic parts and produces robots to mechanize planets, Haltmann would make sure that only robots are sent to Dedede- at a price, of course. His name is literally Max Profitt Haltmann, so of course, he’d want to make a lot of money. Dedede, on the other hand, is still the lazy lunk that refuses to pay his bills XD When the end of the anime comes, instead of the Destrayars coming to attack Popstar, it’s that giant ship with the drills that drill into Popstar and start to mechanize it. Meta Knight is able to herd everyone into the Halberd before anyone can get mechanized, Kirby finds the Invader Armor that MK got from somewhere, and they take down Haltmann and Star Dream that way. 

Nightmare, instead of mechanizing everyone, would have a better idea that works just as well- turn everyone into his demons. He’s able to get the Waddle Dees under his control very easily, and most of the demons shown in the anime would come out as mid-bosses here. But Kirisakin and Chilidog/Wolfwrath are area bosses for sure, mainly because of the prominence they had in the anime. The NME salesman would take the place of Susie. Dedede would probably be possessed again like he is in most other games, but Nightmare sees something special in Meta Knight. Whether that be because Meta is half-demon or he’s just really strong and Nightmare likes him, Nightmare takes this chance to fully demonize Meta Knight, just like how Susie mechanized him in the original Robobot. Meta Knight, as usual, does not want to help Nightmare with his plans, so Nightmare tortures him- both physically and mentally- until Meta falls fully under his control.

Kirby shows up to the MK boss fight and automatically sees how unnatural Meta is acting. He fights him, Kirby wins. Normal boss stuff. But the next time Kirby sees Meta, Nightmare has “engineered” MK to have another set of wings- a process that was extremely painful- and Kirby is horrified to see blood still dripping from Meta’s extra wings. It would definitely explain Meta’s other wings in Smash Ultimate, and this AU provides a valid explanation! Once Kirby defeats him again, Meta Knight is in too much pain to fly off, so he stays slumped against the wall while Kirby fights the NME salesman. After that, Meta’s recovered enough to let Kirby help him to one of the Destrayar ships, and the whole shooting thing happens again. Except this time, it’s Nightmare shooting at you instead of Star Dream.

The Soul OS battle (is that what it’s called?) is replaced with a man inside a cage with the pillars of Nightmare around him. This man is Nightmare before he was corrupted with power, and he’s been trapped in the bindings of power. He represents everything that Nightmare doesn’t want to show- compassion, love, sympathy, etc. The man pleads for Kirby to destroy the pillars and let him free, knowing he’ll get destroyed in the process. Nevertheless, Kirby does so and returns Dreamland back to its regular state. 

Whoo! That was a really fun AU to explain and it’s got lots of potential! Thanks again for the ask :)

[razzleryan]

Top 10 Most Wanted Newcomers and Echo Fighters

NiI’d like to start this post by saying this is all my own personal opinion. I respect all feedback, be it positive or negative, so feel free to message me anytime! Fair warning, there’s a lot of characters I’m not familiar with, so please go easy on me!  I’ll present my #10 echo fighter and then my #10 newcomer until we reach number one, each with a paragraph describing why I want them. Let’s start with...

ECHO #10 - KEN (Street Fighter) (Echo of RYU)

I haven’t played a lot of Street Fighter, but I do know that Ken is a fan favorite of the series. I can’t see any third party characters getting a unique rep (RIP Chun-Li) so the best thing would be a Ryu echo fighter. The only person who I feel deserves that role is Ken. As stated before, I’m a novice to Street Fighter so I can’t name any differences between the two, but Smash Bros. would be a fantastic way for me to see these differences.

NEWCOMER #10 - RAYMAN (Rayman)

Remember when Artsy Omni made that fake leak of Rayman in SM4SH? I was one of the many people who thought it looked too real to be fake. Nearly everything about the leak looked real, and the fact that there was a Rayman trophy in the game only lead me to believe it further. With his detached limbs, I could see Rayman having one of the longer grabs in the game, with his hands and legs flying far from his body to deal some damage. 

ECHO #9 - FUNKY KONG (Donkey Kong Country) (Echo of DONKEY KONG)

I’ve been playing a lot of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and with the Switch port adding a fifth playable character in the form of Funky Kong (only in Funky Mode), he’s gaining a new following that he hasn’t had before. Rather than rolling in his dash attack like Donkey Kong, Funky could ride his Surfboard. If not a dash attack, it could work similar to Wario’s bike where it will disappear for a bit if it’s destroyed. His recovery could involve him surfing upwards, too!

NEWCOMER #9 - REX AND PYRA (Xenoblade Chronicles)

I haven’t gotten around to beating Xenoblade Chronciles 2 yet, but I really like the dynamic between these two. I don’t have much to say about them, they’d probably function semi-similar to Shulk but not close enough to be an echo fighter. Rather than giving Rex alternate costumes, each costume could be a different sword rather than Pyra.

ECHO #8 - IMPA (The Legend of Zelda) (Echo of SHEIK)

Using her Hyrule Warriors appearance, obviously. She’d play as a fast moving just low damaging attacker like Sheik, but I could see her dash attack and other moves using her sword like she does in Hyrule Warriors. 

NEWCOMER #8 - SPRINGMAN (ARMS)

So I’ve heard that Sakurai is primarily drawing from the Smash Ballot back in SM4SH, which means we may not being seeing any ARMS characters in the base roster. The game may have been underwhelming, but Nintendo rarely releases new major IPs, so bringing in a character from ARMS may help with sales. As Springman is the primary posterboy, he would fit best into the roster. Similar to Rayman, he’d have long range due to his spring-like arms.

ECHO #7 - NINTEN (Earthbound) (Echo of NESS)

I know absolutely nothing about this character because the only Earthbound/Mother game I’ve played was Mother 3, but I’d love to see another representative of the series. Seeing as Ness and Lucas were the protagonists of Earthbound 2 and Mother 3, I see no reason to not include the protagonist of the first game in the series.

NEWCOMER #7 - DECIDUEYE (Pokémon)

I’m going to be quaint. I don’t want Incineroar to be our Gen. 7 rep. It may be easier to implement than an owl with a bow and arrow, but we already have Greninja to represent a water starter and we have/had Charizard to represent a fire starter, so I would much rather have our first grass starter in the form of the unique Decidueye. He’d have a fantastic recovery due to his being an owl, but his kit would be primarily ranged based. You could take a lot of his movement from his Pokkén Tournament incarnation.

ECHO #6 - ISABELLE (Animal Crossing) (Echo of VILLAGER)

Isabelle’s assist trophy has not (at the time of making this) been reconfirmed, so I believe there’s a strong possibility that she’ll make it as our second Animal Crossing representative. She’s quickly become one of the most popular characters of the series and with her very expressive faces, I’m sure Sakurai can make her into one of the cutest characters we have.

NEWCOMER #6 - FAWFUL (Super Mario)

Nintendo seems to have forgotten about the Mario & Luigi franchise, which saddens me because they were my favorite games. Fawful is an important character in Superstar Saga, Partners in Time, and Bowser’s Inside Story, even being the main antagonist in the third. He could be a very unique fighter, using his head-jetpack-thing for his recovery and his final smash could be the Dark Star Core.

ECHO #5 - VIRIDI or MEDUSA (Kid Icarus) (Echo of PALUTENA)

Viridi is a fan favorite who could echo Palutena, but rather than using general light magic, Viridi could focus on more nature-based magic. Another echo of Palutena could be Medusa. I’m not quite sure what a moveset for her would be like, but more villains is a must.

NEWCOMER #5 - SKULL KID (The Legend of Zelda)

Apparently there’s a lot of people who believe Skull Kid is confirmed already? I don’t know if I’d go that far, though I admit the proof is very believable. I don’t know what a potential moveset for Skull Kid could be, and his final smash probably wouldn’t be the Moon, as it’s an assist trophy now. But who knows, maybe it’s possible?

ECHO #4 - SHADOW (Sonic the Hedgehog) (Echo of SONIC)

Shadow just makes sense to me. We know third party characters are open to echo fighters, and Chrom showed us that “echo” doesn’t mean “exact copy”. Shadow could echo Sonic but keep his unique dark and edgy attitude. He could be a stronger but slower Sonic who skates on his shoes and uses the power of the Chaos Emeralds for his attacks, with Chaos Control and other emerald-based powers. No guns though.

NEWCOMER #4 - PAPER MARIO (Super Mario)

With five games to take from, the Paper Mario RPG series is a classic and loveable series to Nintendo fans. While the recent games have failed to live up to what The Thousand-Year Door built, the series still has a strong following. He could use jump based moves and his hammer would be an integral part of his moveset. Various partners from the series, like Goombella, could also be part of his moveset.

ECHO #3 - OCTOLING (Splatoon) (Echo of INKLING)

Now that we know that not all Octoling are evil, this may be their chance to make it into the lime light as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. The major problem I see with the Octoling is how to differentiate between their ink and the Inkling’s ink. Plus I just really want an Octoling amiibo.

NEWCOMER #3 - MONSTER HUNTER (Monster Hunter)

I have never played any Monster Hunter games and to be honest they just aren’t my cup of tea, but since Rathalos is in the game as both a boss and an assist trophy, I’d be kind of upset if we didn’t get a hunter as a character.

ECHO #2 - DIXIE KONG (Donkey Kong Country) (Echo of DIDDY KONG)

Another fan favorite character that I’m honestly surprised hasn’t made it yet. Her hair could whip forward like Shantae’s does in the Shantae games, and it could also be used as her recovery, working the same as Donkey Kong’s, low height but long distance. 

NEWCOMER #2 - GENO (Super Mario)

I haven’t played Super Mario RPG personally, but I’ve seen my friend play a bit of it and I know how popular Geno is. With his appearance as a Mii Costume in SM4SH, I don’t think it’s unreasonable that Sakurai put him in. It seems like all those who got Mii Costumes have made it in as playable characters (except Ashley, RIP).

HONORABLE MENTIONS  Amaterasu, Banjo-Kazooie, Chibi-Robo, Chorus Kids, Dillon, Elma, Isaac, Leon Kennedy, Lloyd Irving, Marx, Quote, Tetra, and Wonder-Red

ECHO #1 - DARK BOWSER or MIDBUS (Super Mario) (Echo of BOWSER)

Psst, hey. Fun fact. This is actually my most wanted character in the entire list. Even more than my #1 Newcomer. Dark Bowser is the final boss of Bowser’s storyline in Bowser’s Inside Story, happening the same time as the Mario Bros. fight the Dark Star Core. He’s bigger than Bowser and a lot tougher. He breaths blue/purple fire among other powers, and I plan on making a whole separate post dedicated to why I want this character in Smash Bros. For now, I’ll just leave you all with Dark Bowser’s battle music.

NEWCOMER #1 - BANDANA DEE (Kirby)

Bandana (Waddle) Dee has become a stable character of the Kirby franchise, usually being a boss character or a playable character, his popularity rivals that of King Dedede and Meta Knight. He could throw his spear as a neutral attack, and spin it around for his recovery like he does in Star Allies. If you want to see what this looks like in action, I suggest checking out some gameplay of him in Super Smash Flash 2 (Please ignore Goku, he’s never getting in).

[josephstoontown]

Fox Hunt, Ch. I

Chapter I of "Fox Hunt," a Joseph's ToonTown story. (Originally one-half of a one-part story of the same name.)

Ten days later…

Word count: 4,228 – Character count: 24,603 Originally written: December 18th - 19th, 2016 Slightly revised: January 18th, 2017 Revised further: August 30th, 2017

Even when left to pick up the pieces of a shattered heart, some 'toons just can’t leave things as they are.

Winnie Woodpecker, Wally Walrus, Woody Woodpecker, The Woody Woodpecker Show, and related characters and properties created by and © Walter Lantz Productions Dot Warner, Animaniacs, and related characters and properties created by and © Warner Bros. Animation Snap White, ChalkZone, and related characters and properties created by Bill Burnett and Larry Huber and © Viacom Media Networks

[ ↶ Prev. Story | ← Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter → | Next Story ↷ ]

    ToonTown.  A fast-paced, bouncy sort of town located south of Los Angeles and full of some of the strangest people you’d ever meet.  Some would call ToonTown “wacky,” some would call it “silly,” but the ‘toons who lived there just had one word for it: “Home.”

    On a particular day, a well-known, redheaded woodpecker by the name of Winnie had decided to stay at home and watch cartoons – her own, to be specific.  From her first appearance as a throwaway character in the early Woody Woodpecker shorts to her last appearance as a recurring character in The Woody Woodpecker Show in 2002… it was a relatively short task for her to watch every single cartoon she’d ever been in.  But, something was bothering her… and, it bothered her enough to make her watch the cartoons several times.

    “Whee-ney,” called a voice as she watched “Everybody’s a Critic,” an episode from 2001.  “What are hew do-ing?”     “Research!” was her immediate response.  Indeed, a notepad rested in one of her gloved hands and a pen was in the other as she watched that episode intently for the 17th time total.     “Hew’ve been wat-ching for a loong time now,” the voice called again.  “Maybe hew should take a break?”     “Not until I figure this out…”     “Fi-gure what out?”     Winnie paused the cartoon and turned to face the owner of the other voice.  She had a concerned scowl on her face and her eyes were a bit bloodshot – likely from staring at the screen for so long.  She also looked pretty tired…

    “I need to figure out when I lost my stuff, Wally!” she explained.     “Lost yoour stuff?” the walrus asked, a confused look showing on his face.  “I don’t under-staand.”     “Neither do I…” the woodpecker said as she turned back to the cartoon.  “I mean, look at this gag where accidentally threw that bowl of salty soup on your head!”     “Yees.  Veery fuunny,” Wally said with a snort.  “Whee-ney, hew’ve been hog-ging the com-pu-ter all day.  I need tew check my e-maail…”     “The timing…” Winnie mused, ignoring the walrus.  “The execution…!  This is funny!”     The pear-shaped man shifted his large moustache from side-to-side, standing with crossed arms.  He was getting annoyed…     “I know it’s been a while, but… is it true?  When did I stop being so funny…?” she asked no one, in particular.  “When did I lose my stuff?”     “Wait…”  Wally gave a blink.  “Is that what this is all a-bout?”     “Well, yeah!” Winnie said, as if it should have been obvious.     “Whee-ney…  Why do hew care if you’re stiill fu-nny?  Neeither of us work in the en-ter-taain-ment biz-ness a-ny-more.”     “Because!” she exclaimed as she slammed her hands down on the desk, dropping her pen and pad.  “I know… I absolutely know… that I’ve still got it!”     “That’s niice and aall, but…”

    The bird spun around in the office chair, fully facing Wally for a second time.     “And, I want to know why he said I didn’t!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up.     “What?  Whoo?”  The walrus scratched his head.  “Woo-dee?”     “Joseph!” she half-shouted as she hopped out of the chair.     “Whoo?”  Wally paused…  “Oh, hew mean that threee-deee fox?”     “Yeah!  Who did you think I meant?”     “Woo-dee,” he answered honestly.  “Un-tiil hew said ‘Joo-seph.”

    “I just… don’t… understand…” Winnie mused as she looked down with a troubled expression.  “Why… why would he say something so… so mean, to me?  Why would he question my credentials as a ‘toon?  How could anyone be so cruel…?”     “May-bee he was juust ha-viing a baad daay,” Wally offered.  “Why dew hew caare, aanyway?”     Winnie looked back up with a frown…     “Because I thought… I thought…”  She gave a sniffle as she quietly whispered, “I thought he liked me…”     “Theere theere,” Wally said as he knelt down.  He withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket, dabbing it under her moistening eyes.  “Wee’ll have noone of that, noow.”     The lady gave a blink, looking up at the taller, moustachioed man.  She still looked confused and upset… but, she was attentive, as he continued to speak.

    “Hew’ve been a-roound for loong eenough to knoow that not eeveryone is go-ing to laaugh at your coo-medy.  Not eeveryone haas the same seense of huu-mor as hew.  The woorld would be a veery boo-ring place if they did.  But, if this Joo-seph fox deed liike hew aand he toold hew that hew weren’t fuu-nny, then he was either bee-ing hoonest or hee wus haa-ving a baad daay.  Eeither way, I would not taake it to heart.  There will aalways be cree-tics out there no matter whaat hew do or no matter whaat hew say… but, as the old saa-ying goes… ‘O-pi-ni-ons are liike stin-kee breath: E-ve-ry-one gets eet, soometimes, but no-body waants eet.’”

    For several moments, all Winnie could do was stare up at the bulbous-nosed walrus smiling her way.  He was really doing his best to make her feel better.  However…     “I… don’t think that’s how that saying goes, Wally.”     “Eet’s noot?”  Wally looked genuinely surprised.     “No, but…”  She smiled.  “I think I get the idea.”     “Ah!  Good, good!”     Wally slowly rose up, getting off his knee with a few audibly cracks.     “Ah, thee old, graay waal-rus,” he commented.  “He ain’t what hee h’used to be.”     “I guess not!” Winnie giggled.  “But, you know what he is?”     “Wut?”     The woodpecker wrapped her arms around the taller form’s round belly.     “He’s a mighty good friend.”     “Ah… hew flaa-tter me,” was his reply as he ruffled her bangs.

    “And, you know what else?”     “Wut?”     Winnie gave a confident to her friend.     “I’m going to go find that stupid fox and get some answers!”     The walrus tilted his head.  “Ree-lly?”     “Yeah!”     The woodpecker’s stomach gave a sudden, very loud rumble.     “Um… after I make a sandwich, that is.”     “You’re go-ing out too-night?” he asked.     “‘Tonight?’” was Winnie’s confused reply.  “But, it’s only…”     A glance at a nearby wall clock caused her eyes to shoot open wide.     “Ten o’clock?!  How?!”     “Hew’ve been waatching caar-toons aall daay…” Wally said as he waddled over to the computer chair and sat down.  “I’ve been paa-tiently waaiting foor hoours, now.”     “I… I’m sorry, Wally!” she apologized with a frown.  “I just got so caught up in watching my old cartoons and trying to figure out where I lost my stuff that I–”     “Eet’s fiine, kee-do,” he replied, cutting her off.  “Wheen Faarmville has a doouble-gaains weekend… I, too, lose traack of tiime.”     “I should get something to eat and head to bed!  I have work tomorrow!”     “Proo-bably,” the walrus said as he began to check his e-mail.     “Um… thanks for the pep talk, Wally!  I’ll see you tomorrow!”     “Good niight, Whee-ney.”

    It didn’t take long for Winnie to whip up a sandwich for herself – as well as one for Wally since he’d been so nice – and, even less time to eat it.  Soon enough, she was prepared and tucked into her bed for the night.     I hope things go well tomorrow, she thought as she started to doze off.  I’d hate to think that Joseph is really that cruel…  He seemed so sweet!  Not to mention warm and cuddly…     She mentally giggled to herself before frowning.     I don’t want to lose a friend like him over something like this…  Maybe he’s really sorry…     And, on that thought, she finally let herself fall asleep.

    The next day, work was thankfully pretty slow.  Most of the cases Winnie had to deal with in Warner General Hospital were relatively minor, ranging from simple household accidents to more ‘toon-specific incidents.  One such case happened when a slapstick ‘toon tried to eat an entire watermelon in one go.  Everything turned out fine, though, when the doctor took a mallet to his head, causing the melon to shatter and making it considerably easier to swallow.  Such was the sort of thing Winnie had to deal with at her job…

    “I’m heading out for the day, Dot!”     What looked to be a black-and-white puppy girl with a red nose gave a nod as she typed something into a computer terminal.     “You’re all clocked-out!” she said in an energetic voice.  “Have a good one, Winnie!”     I always did like her, Winnie thought to herself as she walked from the front of the building and out into the parking lot.  Her brothers, though…

    Once Winnie was buckled into her compact convertible car, she adjusted her rear-view mirror, turned the ignition, and was off.  Rather than head straight home, though, she had somewhere else she needed to be.     I really wish I knew his work schedule, better… she thought as she drove along the road leading toward the Universal District.  But, if I remember right, he only works half-a-day at the diner… so, he should be home!     As Winnie drove through familiar streets, she began to wonder…     What should I say, to him?  What sort of questions should?  Should I be straightforward… or, should I skirt around the issues?  Should I apologize for what I said to him?     She briefly paused to consider that.     I’ll see what he has to say, first…

    After a few minutes of driving, Winnie had arrived at the parking lot of the Rubber Arms apartment complex.  She got out of her car, taking a moment to adjust her red skirt and make sure all her feathers were in-order.     Wait…  Why am I straightening myself up? she suddenly thought.  This isn’t a social call…  I’m here with a purpose!     Still, she couldn’t help but give herself a quick look in the side mirror, just to make sure she didn’t have anything on her beak or in her bangs.  With herself sorted, she marched up to the front door of the apartment complex and entered.

    The place looked the same as it ever did, she noted.  The mail room sat to her right and a set of stairs sat some distance ahead, leading to the next floor.  A brief look in the mail room told her that it, too, had remained unchanged since her last visit.  No one seemed to be there, at that time, but she figured she should check just in case.

    There were still some balled-up papers lying on the floor, mostly surrounding an overflowing trash can.  The pen-holder was still empty, the pen and its chain missing for as long as she could remember.  And, of course, the mailboxes remained looking spiffy and clean against the far wall with a large outbox sitting in the middle of them all.     I wonder what they do when packages get sent here? she briefly wondered before taking her leave and starting her trek up to the third floor.

    By the time Winnie had climbed two floors up, she started to feel a little uneasy…  There were butterflies in her stomach and her hands had turned cold under her gloves.  She really wasn’t sure why… but, she was starting to feel really nervous about the visit…     Worst-case scenario, she started to tell herself, Joseph turns out to be a big jerk and I end up never talking to or seeing him, ever again… just like I said…  Oh, why did I tell him that…?     She nervously swallowed, wringing her hands as she walked up to a specific door.     Inversely, best-case scenario, she continued to think, I get some straight answers out of the guy and we go back to being friends!     She hesitated, staring at the plate on the door which read “3C.”     Hopefully… she thought as she closed her eyes and started to knock, that’s what will end up happening…  Oh, I hope he’s not too mad to talk to me like a rational adult…

    Winnie stood there for a while, waiting.  She waited… and, waited… and, waited even more.  She must have waited there for a good minute before she decided to knock again.     Come on…  You’re supposed to be home, right now… she internally muttered.  Don’t tell me I wasted my time, coming over here…     Again, she waited… though only for a handful of seconds.     Is he… ignoring me? she suddenly thought.  How would he even know it was me?  Did he see my car pull up?     “Joseph?” she called as she rapped a little louder.  “Are you in there?  It’s me, Winnie…”     Still, there was no answer.     “I want to talk to you!” she said in a raised voice.  “Open up!”     Not a peep could be heard from behind the door.     What is going on?  I know for a fact he’s home!  He has to be!     “Joseph!” she half-shouted, impatiently pounding on the door.  “Open the door this instant!”     “Hey-hey-hey, what th’ heck’s goin’ on out here?!”

    Winnie gave a blink and turned toward the other end of the hallway.  She had to do a double-take as what looked to be a blue-and-white chalk drawing, standing a bit shorter than herself, rapidly walked toward her from apartment 3B.     At a glance, he looked like he could have been a superhero of some sort, wearing a blue bandanna with eyeholes over his head as well as matching gloves, shorts, and boots.  He also wore what looked to be either a neckerchief, scarf, or possibly a cape – though, it must have been heavily-starched since it pointed out like a lightning bolt.  He also seemed to move at a slower, more jittery frame rate, than her… almost as if half his keyframes were missing.

    “What’s all th’ mess out here, miss?!” he demanded in his tough-guy accent, pointing one… fist, apparently, toward the taller bird’s beak.     Does he not have fingers? she internally wondered before speaking.     “Um…  I-I’m sorry,” she offered as an apology, “but, I–”     “Do you realize what time it is?!”     “Erm…”     The bird nudged her left glove up enough to reveal a charming-looking real-world watch.     “It’s… 5:14 PM…?”     “Right’o, bird’o!” the blue figure said, pointing his hand at her, again.  “Some people are tryin’ t’ relax after a hard day’a work!  So, if you’d kindly shut your loud beak and–”     “Now, just a minute, buster!”  Winnie scowled, giving the shorter figure a dirty look.  “Who do you think you are, to be talking to me, like that?”     “Oh, excuse me!  Allow me to introduce myself!”     The figure graciously bowed to the female.     “‘Snap’ is the name, adventure is the game!  Normally, anyway…  Right now, though, I just wanna kick back ‘n relax whilst I watch a movie!”     He crossed his arms, giving an angry look of his own.     “But, some loudmouth bird-brain keeps squawkin’ at the neighbor, fer some reason!”

    Winnie couldn’t believe how incredibly rude the little ‘toon was being!  But, even so… he did have a point, she thought.  Maybe she had been making a little too much noise…     “Listen…”  She paused, biting her tongue to keep herself from insulting him.  “Snap…”     “That’s Mister Snap, to you, toots!”     She scowled, again, finding herself rapidly losing patience…  That rude little “adventurer” didn’t really seem worth her time, considering the way he kept talking down to her…     “Fine… Mister Snap…” she started, again.  “I was just trying to get my… ‘friend’s’ attention and–”     “Lady, you could get the entire building’s attention, with the way you were yowlin’!”     “Alright, you little troll!” the lady exclaimed.  “I’ve think I’ve had just about enough of your abuse!”     Snap pointed a hand her way, yet again… something which was really starting to get under her feathers…     “You started it, lady, with yer yellin’ ’n poundin’!”     “If you point that thing at me one more time…”     Snap gave a smirk.  He withdrew his hand… and…     “Point!”     Put it right back in her face!

    Winnie went bright-red with rage.  She had never met someone so rude… so immature… so absolutely infuriating, before.  And… she was tired of taking his flack!

    “You rude little hobgoblin!” she yelled, getting in Snap’s face.  “If you’d just come out and politely asked me to simmer-down, I would have gone on my merry way, but oooh-ho-ho no!  You just had to shuffle yourself out here, get in my face, call me names, and push my buttons, didn’t you?!”     “H-hoi polloi, lady!” was Snap’s startled reply as he backed away.  “I was just–”     “You were just butting into my personal business?  Is that it?  I was already upset from being ignored by the person in that apartment –” she pointed to room 3C “– but, that wasn’t good enough for you, was it?  You had to come out here and attack me instead of being nice and asking me what I was doing!  Well, aren’t you glad you did?!”

    Snap quickly found himself pinned up against the archway near the stairs.  We wore a terrified look on his mask-covered face as the little, redheaded woodpecker tore him a new one with her words, alone.  The resident of room 3A, curious as to what all the noise was, had peeked out their door… but, they didn’t dare say anything, just letting the situation play itself out…

    “Why don’t you just go back to your little apartment and watch your little movie!” Winnie shouted at the curled-up ‘toon.  “Or, would you rather keep ruffling my feathers?!”     “N… no, ma’am…!” was all Snap could say.     “Well, then?”  She leaned back, pointing to the door of apartment 3B.  “Go on!”     “Y-yes, ma’am…!”

    The woodpecker watched as Snap scurried back into his apartment.  She could hear him lock the door behind him, as he did.  Suddenly… her attention turned toward the resident of 3A.     “What are you looking at?!” she shouted, causing the spectator to immediately close and lock their door, as well.     “I thought as much!” Winnie said with a nod.  “Now then…  I… I…”     With no one to level her anger at, the bird started to realize… she’d really made a spectacle of herself, just then.  The entire complex probably had heard her, then, just like Snap had said.  Bearing that in mind, she came to a conclusion…     “I… should probably leave.”

    The woodpecker rapidly descended the stairs, zipping down to the second floor… but, when she’d reached the first floor’s stairs, she found her progress impeded by something…     “Gyah…!”     Or, rather, someone!  The two quickly found themselves tumbling down half a flight of stairs, together.

    “Hey,” called a familiar voice once they’d landed.  “What’s the big idea, you…  Oh!”     “Oh…”  Winnie looked up with a bashful grin.  “Hello, Woody…”     The male woodpecker stared at his girlfriend, wearing a confused look as she lay sprawled atop him, rubbing her head.     “Gee, I was kinda hopin’ t’ run into you!”  Woody gave a grin.  “But, not like this!”     “Yeah, sorry, I…”  She paused.  “I was in a hurry, and–”     “Yeah, I figured!” the male interrupted.  “Where’s th’ fire, babe?”     “I kinda… made a fool of myself upstairs, and–”     “Was that you shriekin’…?”  He tilted his head.  “What was all that noise about?  And, what are ya even doin’ here, in th’ first place?  Come t’ see li’l ol’ me?”     “Weeell…”

    Winnie and Woody sat on the lowest step of the first floor stairs, the former telling the latter about why she’d actually come there and what had happened upstairs.  By the end of her short tale, Woody had the biggest smirk on his face…     “Babe, ya really need t’ work on that temper of yours!” he teased, giving her a nudge.     “I know, I know…” she said with a look of shame.  “But, I can’t stand it when people just… disrespect me, like that!  Especially when there’s just no reason for it!”     “Eh, Snap’s like that,” Woody said as he drew a cigarette from his chest pocket.  “That’s why I don’t talk with him much!”     “Woody…”     The male tilted his head, noting the annoyed look on his girlfriend’s face.     “Oh, oh right!” he said as he realized what he was doing.  “No smokin’ in th’ stairwell!”     “No…” she said as she took his unlit cigarette and stuck it back into his pocket.  “No smoking in the presence of a lady, silly…”     “There’s a lady present…?”     The two grinned at each other… then, they snuggled into each other’s arms, sharing a warm hug and a laugh.

    “So… you came over here straight from work?” Woody asked after breaking the hug.     “I did.”     “It’d be great if it was t’ see me!  But, Winnie, didn’t I tell ya?”     The female tilted her head.     “I kicked that fox’s tail outta my apartment days ago!  He’s long gone!”     She blanched upon hearing that.  “What…?”     “Yeah!”  Woody smiled.  “Anyone who makes my gal cry ain’t no friend’a mine!  So, I got rid’a that rude dude faster than you could say ‘Jimmy cracked corn and I don’t care!’”     Winnie gave a blank stare before speaking again.     “Do you know where he went?” she asked.     “Don’t know…”  Woody gave a shrug.  “Don’t care!”     “Woody!”     He jolted as he heard his girlfriend raise her voice.     “I need to know where he is!” she exclaimed.     For some reason… that made Woody narrow his eyes.

    “Whhyyy…?” was his suspicious response.     “Because, I want to ask him some questions!”     “Well… you’re fresh outta luck, on that one.”     Woody retrieved the cigarette from before and lit it, despite the scowl he got.  He then took a short puff-and-blow before looking back at his annoyed girlfriend.     “He ain’t showed up t’ work, lately.  Ain’t seen hide ‘r hair of that fleabag since I threw ‘im out.  He ain’t wanted ‘round here… or at Joe’s!”     Winnie gave another blink, blankly staring a second time as Woody took a long drag of his cigarette.  She couldn’t believe it…     “You mean… he’s gone?” she said in a weak voice.     “Like I said…” he answered, “don’t know, don’t care.”

    Once again, all Winnie could do was stare.  However, her focus had shifted, her head turning toward the bottom of the stairwell.  Her hands rested between her legs as she quietly sat and thought, her mind starting to wonder where Joseph could have gone… where he might be…  Her thoughts then turned to the question of whether or not she would ever see him again…

    “I’ve made a horrible mistake…” she audibly realized.     “Look at it this way, Winnie…  With that jerk outta the apartment, we can finally spend some quality time, together!” Woody offered.     “Oh, so, he was the reason you’ve been ignoring me.”     “What?”     The man leaned back as his girlfriend shot him a sharp glare.  He seemed genuinely startled by the sudden look…     “W… Winnie…?”  He gave a nervous chuckle and an uneven smile.  “Wh… what’s up?”     Winnie said as she got to her feet, then.     “I’m going to go find him…”     “Wait, what?”  Woody gave a confused blink.  “Why…?”     “I told you…  I have questions for him…”

    Woody was the one who was speechless, then…  His girlfriend had just walked right out the door, seemingly bent on finding the person who, not too long ago, broke her heart.  It didn’t make any sense to him.  Not in the slightest.  But, for some reason…     “H-hey, hey, hey!  Wait up!”     He decided to help her.

    “It’s probably better if we split up, for now,” Winnie said when she noticed Woody heading toward her car.  “Do you have your cell phone?”     “Yeah…  But, why–”     “We can cover more ground, that way,” she explained.     “Oh…  Yeah, that makes sense.”  The male paused…  “Ya know, he might not even be in ToonTown anymore, though!”     “That’s why my first stop’s going to be the bus station,” was her reply.  “Even with all the unique ‘toons in this town, I’m sure they’d remember a fox who looked like Tails.”     “Tails?” Woody tilted his head.     “Yeah, Tails.”  She gestured to him with one gloved hand.  “From Sonic the Hedgehog?”     “That’s what it was!”  Woody snapped his finger.  “That’s who he reminded me of!”     Winnie was the one to tilt her head, then.     “Ya know, that’s pretty funny!  I think th’ day we got our jobs at Joe’s, some guy called him ‘Giant Tails.’  Dang… can’t believe I forgot he looks like that fox kid!”     “Well… you’re not really a gamer,” the female woodpecker rationalized.  “Plus, I don’t think you watch modern cartoons.  Do you?”     “Naaah…” was Woody’s reply.  “Those 3D ‘toons are all-flash ‘n no-substance!  Where’s th’ style?  Where’s th’ imagination?”     “Well, I think Hotel Transylvania made a good attempt at bringing a little squash-and-stretch to 3D cartoons,” Winnie said with a smile.     “Mm… never seen it.  Looked dumb.”     “I’m sure some people have said the exact same thing about our cartoons…” she teased.     “Whaaat?”  The male bird scoffed.  “No way, babe!  Our wacky antics are timeless!  There ain’t no one out there who hates a Woody Woodpecker cartoon!”     Winnie offered a smile to her boyfriend as he gave one of his trademark “pecking laughs.”  While she didn’t agree with his opinion, she couldn’t help but be amused.

    “In any case,” she said after a moment, “we should get going.  The longer we wait around, the farther away he might be.”     “Or, maybe he’s been sittin’ under our noses this whole time!”     “That’s not likely…”  She offered a grin.  “But, it’s certainly optimistic.”     “Actually, I just said that so I wouldn’t have to go search for the big lunkhead.”     Her grin became a smirk, then.     “Go on, Woody…  I’ll keep in contact.”

    With that, the two split off to their individual cars and headed out in an attempt to find the errant fox.