Bandana Dee wandered through the cavern nervously, jumping at every little sound and swinging his spear at nothing. He was a brave Waddle Dee, sure. But even a brave Waddle Dee is still not a lion-heart.
I sure wish I was at home. Me and Kirby could prank the king, Sakura could read to us, we could eat shortcake. It'd all be good. But no. We have to go on this dumb quest.
Yet another stalactite dripped a drop of water onto the floor, and he jumped about four feet in the air for the third time in as many minutes. Just water, just water, he thought, taking deep breaths. I wonder if the others have made it out yet? I'm hope I'm not the last one out... Kirby'd think I'm such a wimp.
He found a door. Oh, good, the exit, he relaxed and walked through, then couldn't believe his eyes when he appeared in the Waddle Dee sleeping room. He was so surprised, he dropped his spear.
What? How did I get here? Oh, well. I'm home! He gave a mental sigh of happiness and went to pick his spear back up, but it had disappeared. His head felt weird, too, so he reached up and felt his head. My bandana and spear! Where'd they go? he wondered, confused.
Suddenly his head was full of voices, all talking about chores and work and other boring stuff. Why on earth am I part of the one mind again?!? he panicked.
A Waddle Dee sweeping the sleeping shelves looked at him. You never quit being part of the one mind, it thought at him. Don't be ridiculous, now, why don't you go find some way to serve?
Uh-uh, no way, he disagreed, shaking his head hard. I'm not being a servant again!
Did you ever quit? the other asked, disbelieving.
This is really weird, Bandana Dee mentally muttered.
I'll say it is, another Waddle Dee agreed as it walked past carrying the king's lunch. Seeing a Waddle Dee not working is always really weird.
No, it's weird that I can hear you guys, Bandana argued, glaring at him. I got kicked out, and I sure don't want back in.
The other Waddle Dee shrugged. We practically never 'kick' anybody out, it disagreed. In fact, we're having someone rejoin us today after supper. Now go find someone to serve.
He felt less like disagreeing now, which was strange, but whatever. He waddled off and helped a few Waddle Dee who were washing some windows, why, he didn't know.
As the day went on, though, he became more and more frightened. Why am I not fighting? Why am I just doing all the chores? Why aren't I thinking out of the box anymore? he puzzled, then scared himself even more when he mentally answered with, Who cares? Just serve some more.
Even later, he was sent to take in the king's tea. When he accidentally dumped it all over the place because the king threw a fit, he didn't feel mad at the king for it. He just automatically went and got another cup of tea, then sat there patiently while he got reamed out for taking so long. What is wrong with you, dude?!? a tiny bit of him panicked, but the rest of him ignored that bit.
The final blow, though, came after supper. All the Waddle Dee had gathered in the sleeping quarters, excited. Even he felt sort of strangely happy, but that happiness disappeared when he saw who was coming back.
"I'm tired of fighting and being someone special," Sakura's voice came from the front of the room. "I'm hanging up my sword and abandoning my speech and Pink-Devourer-like powers. I want to serve with you all again." She threw the flower off her head onto the floor, and suddenly his head filled with cheers, including hers, now.
No! he ran over and thought at her, as loudly as he could. No! You're the one that taught me to not just put up with slavery! Why are you coming back?!?
She gave him a strange look. Why wouldn't I want to come back? This is where I belong. We're just Waddle Dee. It's not our job to be the heroes, let The Pink Devourer and Scary Sword Man do that. We're meant to serve! she finished in a gleeful mental shout. All the other Waddle Dee roared their approval.
He shook his head, quickly at first, but then slower and slower. She had a point. He could never be a hero. He began to shiver in fear and sadness. Waddle Dee could only be Waddle Dee. He had always known that, deep inside of him somewhere. He had wanted to be a hero, but Waddle Dee couldn't really do that. Even Sakura had eventually agreed, so why shouldn't he? You're right, he thought mournfully. Let's get serving. The Waddle Dee cheered again, as his worst fear came to life before his eyes. He had quit fighting.
What felt like days (but in reality was a couple of hours) went slowly past, as he continued to serve. Every so often, he felt sad and scared, like something wasn't right, like he was supposed to be somewhere else. But even that slowly began to fade away.
Until one 'day,' when something weird happened. All the Waddle Dee seemed almost bored. This can't possibly be his worst fear. He just quit. It wasn't fun or anything, he heard one of the others thinking. When he gave it a strange look, it shrugged apologetically at him and waddled off.
This is my worst fear? Just that I'm forced to resume serving? he thought, then mentally exclaimed in joy, Dude! I'm pretty brave! Who says I can't be a hero?
He suddenly remembered where he actually was. I'm in the cave. I bet some monster is trying to scare me. Well, too bad, monster! I'm not really scared of much of anything! He laughed and laughed in his head. This isn't real! It's just the worst nightmare you dumb monster could find to give me! For I am... he paused, then sang out in his head, superhero-style, BANDANA DEEEEEE!
The castle faded away, leaving him in the cave again. Quickly noticing the way out and that he had his spear and bandana again, he joyfully ran out, then did a victory dance.
Meta Knight flew down out of a tree. "So, you are the third one out?" he asked.
Bandana Dee nodded proudly.
"Well, if you are happy now, it cannot have been too frightful. But it has been hours since Kirby came out..." he frowned deeply to himself. "Did you really take that long, or did Sakura give up before it found you?"
Bandana Dee just shrugged at him, having no way of answering.
"I have to find her," he declared, walking back into the cave. Without turning back, he ordered, "You and Kirby stay here!"
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Sakura shivered in the cold, dark cave. She had been wandering for hours and hours, trying to find her way out. (Of course, we know she couldn't, because she had been waiting for her turn to face her worst fear. It wasn't her fault Bandana had taken such a ridiculously long time, after all.)
"Face it, Sakura," she sighed, sitting down against the wall. "You're lost."
The monster blew past her, and she jumped up and drew her sword.
Muttering softly, it told her, "You're the last of the four."
"Did the others make it? Or did you defeat them, whatever you are?" she asked angrily. "Answer me!"
It ignored her. "Your old worst fear was being swallowed by the little pink hero, but now, you have different fears. Failure, rejection, still having a Waddle Dee's memory, being completely and totally alone. But which is your worst nightmare?"
Gulping, she shouted, "What does that matter? I'm not sc-scared of you!"
It chuckled, then blew away. Fading, she heard its voice finish, "Why not combine them all?"
She noticed a door and eagerly walked through. "Finally! A way-" she stopped suddenly. "The library? Why am I back in the library?"
The door suddenly slammed open. "Sakura," she heard Meta Knight hiss her name, as if it was a bad word.
Jumping in surprise, she spun around to face him. "How did we get back to the castle?" she asked nervously. "Why are you mad at me? Your eyes are red."
"Of course they are. You have failed us all. You are a pathetic coward!" he shouted at her in rage.
"What do you mean? How have I failed?" she yelled back, getting mad as well. "There's no reason for you to be mad at me, that's unfair!"
Drawing his sword, he spoke to her as if she was a stupid person. "In the final battle, when we needed you most, you ran away. We were unable to defeat the Monstrous Lightning on our own, and now, Dreamland will be covered in darkness forever. Without sunlight, we will all die."
"What? I don't remember finding the Monstrous Lightning! Where was he?" she yelled back, her sword out now too.
Meta Knight seemed taken aback for just a second, but then he continued, "If you cannot remember, I will not explain." Suddenly, he slid his sword back into its sheath. "Why am I wasting my time? You are not even worth dueling. You are a complete and total failure."
She shuddered. "I'm sorry!" she muttered, tears appearing in her eyes. "I don't remember being a failure!"
"Of course not," he sighed, walking away. "You have a poor memory, for you are just a simple, pathetic Waddle Dee. Maybe they would be willing to take you back in, they are all just failures as well."
She started to sob. "Y-you're right. If I ran away when you most needed me to serve you, I really am a failure."
"Agreed," he nodded once, still looking away from her. "Now leave me. I never want to be able to tell you apart from another Waddle Dee again."
She nodded, still sobbing, as she left her cape, sword, and flower on the floor. "I will not fail you in that respect, sir."
She left the library and went to where the other Waddle Dee were, but even they didn't want her back.
"Nobody wants a failure," she muttered to herself, sitting down sadly under a tree in the courtyard. "Especially not a failure who can't even remember how she failed," she shivered, now all alone. She hated being alone, she always had.
She sat there for a while, then, frowning, she suddenly muttered, "The monster wanted to know what my worst fear was... is this all just... a dream? I'm not sure..."
"Oh, I hate wishy-washy types!" she heard the voice from earlier groan. Whining, it continued, "'Is it for real?' 'Is this a dream?' Well, how about this, then?" In front of her appeared a giant Noddy, who was around ten times her size. "If you won't have a nightmare, how about you just fight me?"
"But you're just a Noddy!" she began to laugh. "This has all been just a dream, because you're just a Noddy!"
"Not just any Noddy, fool! I am Waking Noddy! And you, little hero, are alone and defenseless!"
"No longer!" she heard Meta Knight shout, flying in with her things in hand. He tossed them to her, and she quickly prepared herself. "I knew you were a Noddy! And even if you are better at causing nightmares, you still have no way to attack and cause harm!"
"Is that so?" Waking Noddy hissed, making the floor fall out from under them. Sakura screamed, but then noticed that Meta Knight seemed to be standing in mid-air.
"Everything he does is an illusion! He cannot do anything to us in reality!" he told her.
She nodded, soon finding herself also standing firm on invisible ground.
Waking Noddy sent waves of monsters at them, but the heroes ignored them and let them fly past. They did so without incident, for they were only imaginary.
"I can still torture you!" he reminded them, starting to sound worried. Turning to Sakura, he shouted, "I can make you think he no longer wants you as a pupil!" To Meta Knight, "I can make you think your mask is gone, in front of your friend!"
"Maybe so," Sakura said, growing braver. "But the emphasis is on the 'think.' The other will see that it is a lie. Whatever you do to one of us, it will not affect the other. We'll just help each other through!"
Nodding proudly, Meta Knight informed her, "The only way to defeat him is two strikes, simultaneously. Are you ready?"
"Yes, sir," she agreed, sword drawn.
"On three. One."
"Two!" she replied.
"Three!" he shouted, and they jumped at the monster.
"Fools!" he shouted as he faded away. "You will never find my master! You are still doomed to eternal darkness!"
"Not true!" Sakura shook her head. "I'm sorry, but that's going to be gone too, as soon as a nightmare!"
"You have done well, Sakura," Meta Knight told her. "That was bravery worthy of a Star Warrior."
"Thank you, Sir Knight," she 'smiled.' "Where are the others?"
Turning and beginning to lead her out, he explained, "Outside. You were the last, but I think it is because Bandana Dee took a ludicrous amount of time to make it out of his nightmare that it has taken so long."
"Poor guy," she sighed as they walked out into the slightly lighter sky. It must've been about dawn.
"Whatever it was, it does not seem to have been that bad, for he came out dancing. Kirby, on the other hand..." he shook his head. "The poor child seemed to think he had killed you, somehow."
Shuddering a bit, she murmured, "That's terrible. Mine was that nobody wanted me anymore, that I was a failure, a coward, and that my memory was failing. What was yours?"
He shuddered. "I do not wish to talk about it, but trust me. I was definitely 'frazzled,' as you put it earlier." He turned to her as they arrived under the tree. "Just promise me you will never call me 'Sir Chibi.'"
Staring at him in confusion, she agreed, "Um, okay... But what does that even mean?"
"Do not worry yourself about it. I am just glad that it is over," he sighed. "Let us get a little bit of rest before we continue our journey. It has been a long night."
She nodded, and they both flapped up into the tree to find Kirby and Bandana Dee perfectly fine. Kirby woke up just long enough to crawl into her arms, relieved, and go back to sleep. Soon after, she and Meta Knight both joined their friends in peaceful slumber.