The Birthday Surprise

Kirby sat just opposite of his door, staring at it, waiting for it to pop open. Today was his birthday, and while he was no longer surprised by them showing up at his door, he looked forward to it every year. They had to be close, he thought, longing to see their happy faces.

He waited there for an hour or two, growing more impatient by the minute, but still no one came. The house was dreadfully quiet, like it too was waiting for poppers and cheers to fill the empty space. And it was a tiny space, Kirby was surprised that he always had room for one more person.

He knew they were planning something, they have been secretive for weeks now! Just the other day he saw his good friend, Waddle Dee, talking with King Dedede in whispered tones. Yes, anytime now, they'll burst through that door. He could almost smell the candles on the cake.

But still, no one came.

Soon, the imagined smell of cake whisked away and was replaced with the usual smell of Kirby's modest room, a fluffy sweet smell of nectar floating in from the window. He sighed and hopped off the round pink carpet that covered most of the room and ran to the open window, maybe he'll see them outside?

He jumped up, grabbing the window sill, and scrabbling with his feet just trying to pull himself up. It was a beautiful day, he could feel the warm sun against his skin. It would be the perfect time to run outside and play some games with his friends. Even the birds and other small critters were out enjoying the silken green grass and bubbly blue sky. Kirby breathed it in and was slowly falling into a day dream, but then he realized that the road leading to his house was still empty.

Suddenly dropping from the window, he rushed to the door and stepped outside. Poor Kirby was growing confused, they should have been here long ago!

Meanwhile at King Dedede's castle, everyone gathered in one of the lower main chambers. The whole room was brightly colored and decorated with balloons and banners that said, "Happy Birthday, Kirby!" In large pink letters. The last minute adjustments were almost done! Magolor was finishing the three tiered cake, Adeleine painted banners and flags, and Meta Knight and Ribbon hung them up, Waddle Dee worked on carrying the presents to the front of the table holding the cake, and Gooey was trying to steal a lick of icing without Magolor looking.

King Dedede watched it all, nodding in satisfaction. Now this was a party, and this year, it was in his very own home! Which was for the better, of course, he wanted more space than what Kirby's house had to offer anyway. So not only will they have more room in which to celebrate, but this would be more of a surprise party for Kirby than the last few were, it was a win-win plan. Now all they needed was the pink hero.

Waddle Dee had lifted the last box, and when all the presents were stacked in front of the cake, he brushed himself off and turned to Dedede. The king nodded again and Waddle Dee took that as the cue. He bounced off, grabbing his bandana he left by the door and started to leave the area before Dedede called him back to tell him to use the secret entrance.

Waddle Dee agreed. He closed the door and raced for the stairway leading down to the secret one.

Kirby had decided if his friends weren't coming to him, he'll set out to find them himself. He had already past many of the fields and hills he would usually find them playing on such a lovely day. Come to think of it, he hasn't seen any of his friends yet. Where was everyone? Was King Dedede a part of this? Maybe he'll go to the castle and find out.

But as he reached the castle, he found that the drawbridge was up. Dedede was definitely keeping something a secret, he never raised the drawbridge without some kind of reason, good or bad. Whatever the reasons, Kirby was now determined to find out. All he had to do was find an alternate way in. It should be easy, he'll look for an open window, a vent, or something he could float up to. King Dedede wouldn't know what hit him.

Well, it didn't seem there was a way in at this angle, he'll have to look for something near the back. The fresh water of the moat bubbled gently and lapped around the castle and nearby birds sang soothing melodies like it was just an average day. The breeze was starting to turn up, cooling the warmth of the sun and whisking the tree leaves together. And the nearby flowers and plants gave off that same sweet smell from earlier. But Kirby paid little attention to the tranquility this time, with every step, he glared at the castle, trying to decide on a way in.

He was almost to the back of the castle now, where the woods dwelled. And if he wasn't so distracted in his own thoughts, Kirby would have seen Waddle Dee marching by the trees. He was heading for Kirby's place, not expecting at all for him to be all the way out here. Waddle Dee froze, should he hide?

He slowly backed away, seeking shelter from the nearest tree. But it was too late, Kirby turned his gaze and spotted him! And for a long moment, they both stared. Kirby made the first move, creeping a single step forward. But then Waddle Dee turned and ran into the woods!

Kirby pursued, dodging trees and leaping over logs, but it seemed no matter how fast he ran, he wasn't catching up. Kirby called at him, trying to catch his attention or slow him down, but Waddle Dee kept running. In no time, they were deep in the forest. What was his plan? Kirby wondered, how far will he run?

But then, it happened. When Waddle Dee was far enough ahead, he jumped over a log and disappeared. Kirby dashed ahead, leaping over the same log and coming to an abrupt stop. Waddle Dee was nowhere to be found. The forest returned to its normal solitude, like a disguise for Waddle Dee's escape.

Kirby outstretched his arms and sucked air into his little round body, then he released it with another yell. The trees carried the high pitched call above the roof of the forest. Creatures all around for miles reacted and fled. But nothing else responded.

When the forest was quiet once more, Kirby took another look around. He couldn't even see the castle anymore, what was Waddle Dee doing out here? With wide, pondering blue eyes, Kirby faced the log he jumped over a moment ago. Then, something caught his attention. Right in front of the log was a strange hole in the ground.

This was it, this is where Waddle Dee disappeared, Kirby was sure of it. He peered in on all fours, but it too dark to see inside it. He lowered his feet in first, then hopped down, stretching his form just to fit.

Then he had to wait for his eyes to adjust. He expected to see something extraordinary, whether that meant a reveal to Dedede's next plan of crime, or some sort of birthday surprise. But there wasn't any of that down here. It was just a small, carved out room. And yet, Waddle Dee was still nowhere to be found.

But through the dirt and roots ahead of him, a single, straight line brought tiny rays of light in. Upon closer inspection, Kirby realized this was a secret door. He reached up at a rock that was poking out of the wall, and that was the door handle. It was easy to turn, the frame clicked, and the wall swung inward. Kirby had to shield his eyes from the sudden light that blasted in his face, and then he stepped in. Was he in the castle now? It was oddly familiar. He climbed the stairs. And it was too quiet, was Waddle Dee still here somewhere?

But when he reached the top, everyone was there! He saw Meta Knight, King Dedede, all his animal friends, and of course, Waddle Dee. All at once, they screamed and shot off poppers. Confetti flew everywhere, party hats rested on every head, and the room filled with that wonderful smell of cake Kirby was craving. He was stunned, nearly falling back down the stairs again. What an amazing surprise, the whole thing was set up from the beginning!

Knowing what would come next, his friends dove for the cake, quickly slicing a piece for themselves, then clearing away. As predicted, Kirby sucked in, taking the entire cake, candles and all, from the table and to his mouth. Everyone cheered again.

For a long time, the birthday surprise parties weren't really surprises, but Kirby's friends still had a few tricks up their sleeves. He was glad to have such amazing friends. A big grin had stretched on his face. There were presents to unwrap, and games to play too.

They had spent the entire day playing there at the castle, and outside in the lovely hills. Everyone participated. It seemed to last a lifetime, and when Kirby finally went to bed that night, he smiled and dreamed of fun and cake. This was his most favorite birthday surprise yet, one he'll never forget.

Author's Note: And this marks my first story for this year's Writing Prompt Challenge! I was really excited for this one. I always wanted to write a Kirby fanfic, but never knew what to write about. Hopefully, you'll see more in the future. This was 180 Writing Prompts' number 16, called "Where he disappeared". It was actually a picture prompt where a girl was kneeling over a hole in the ground in the middle of the forest.

And let me release a big shout-out to miano53 and CheesyOne! They're my opponents this year. I usually write with IreneT447, but she was unable to this time, still a big shout-out to her as well. Go just her out and read her past writing prompts! And for this year, enjoy the most of it by reading what miano53 and CheesyOne have to post! Thanks!