I was working on other stuff. Then I played Planet Robobot. Then I cried for three minutes at the game's ending, and then cried again when I was showing someone else the ending.

So, this is how I think Planet Robobot should have ended.

(Also, I'm aware that technically the Armor is called "Invader Armor" until Kirby takes over, then it becomes "Robobot Armor." But I just call it Robobot Armor throughout.)

I do not own Kirby. I do, however, own several Kirby games.

Enjoy!

Meta Knight has learned a lot of things through his adventures. Learning is a constant; no knight is ever perfect, and a warrior who stops learning is as good as dead. So he observes as he fights, and carry his lessons with him.

One of the most important lessons is to never assume an enemy is dead unless one sees the body.

He orders the Halberd to go after the Dream Star. He can feel his ship creaking as it moves through space. It's warried after battle. But it follows his commands and flies back to the battleground.

There are still remnants of the explosion that happened mere minutes ago. The emptiness has become a sea of shrapnel. In a distance away, Meta Knight can see pieces of the faceplate of the cursed machinery. It is not a body, not some physical form becoming star matter. But it is proof that the battle has been won.

There is also a lack of life. A lack of energy. A lack of pink, shooting across the sky and filling the silence with happiness.

Meta Knight stares into the floating scrap. His fears over Kirby rematerialize from the past. The pink warrior is brash. Inexperienced. Young. Entirely susceptible to mortality.

It takes him a few moments to find the puffball. But there, amongst the wreckage, is the telltale sign of pink. The robot armor is badly damaged, but Meta Knight can see Kirby right there, right in the seat and looking as peaceful as ever…

He directs the Halberd to approach and then –

Meta Knight feels frozen in place. The Robobot Armors had shown no sign of conscience, even when Meta Knight was brainwashed and on their side. Meta Knight had just assumed that they were just more machinery. Mindless.

But Kirby is unconscious, and the Armor had set them free from the confines of the piloting seat. The lights in its eyes flicker, then fade.

Meta Knight sets the Halberd forward, full force. Even his body is shaking from his previous fights. But he has to get to Kirby. Get to the Robobot Armor.

If there is anything that Meta Knight has learned in his lifetime, it is that all warriors deserve happy endings.

Susie stares at the knight. Really stares down on him, as if that alone could somehow tell her if he has gone insane from battle.

If she had access to all the technology that she once had, she would have been able to tell in an instant. They had scanners and a working database of every living organism the Haltmann Works Company has come across. Even if they had not seen this particular species of natives before, it wouldn't take long to draw a definite conclusion.

But all that is gone now. Everything she has known is gone.

Still, Susie manages to keep her voice as even as possible. "You saw the Robobot Armor save little pinky?"

The knight – she never actually got his name, in all the time that he had spent under her control – nods once. He remains a being of few words. Susie wonders how much it pained him to even explain the problem moments before.

"And now you want me to fix it." This time, she doesn't phrase it like a question. He nods just the same.

Susie can already feel the argument forming within her. It should be impossible. The Robobot Armors were designed to be fought with. Ruled over and commanded. Controlled. And even if this knight is telling the truth, she can see the damage from across the room. Wiring exposed, metal plates missing in chunks, and that is not to mention what little remains of its arm.

It would be impossible. A dream, really.

But didn't she put all of her hope in little pinky? Against all the odds?

"I can't promise anything," she says. "And you'll need to get some things for me."

The knight nods once.

Susie looks at the Robobot Armor again.

"Just imagine, Susanna. Machines that can help build dreams!"

She banishes the memory as quickly as it appears. There is no time to dwell on that.

Sometimes, King Dedede wonders how he can end up being the smartest creature in the room.

That's not to say that he's dumb. Far from it. Even with his rivalry with Kirby (and the many incidents with food stealing), King Dedede is the king of Dreamland for a reason. He happens to excel in some things more than others.

He just didn't expect to be the one with the solution for this.

King Dedede pounds a fist at Kirby's door. The pink puffball has been hidden away in their little home for weeks. The Waddle Dees have even reported that there has been a sudden abundance of food throughout the kingdom. Long ago, this would have made the king happy. But he is not that king anymore.

It takes a full two minutes before Kirby appears in the doorway. There are remnants of tears still in their eyes. Beyond them, King Dedede can see that the curtains by the bed have been drawn open, as if Kirby has spent all of their time looking towards the sky.

Then again, knowing the pink puffball, that's probably all they have been doing.

King Dedede doesn't speak. He picks Kirby up with one hand. The puffball doesn't fight back. They hang limply. Sadly.

The king turns around and tosses Kirby onto his back. It takes a few seconds for Kirby to get the hint, but King Dedede waits until he can feel Kirby securely holding on. Then he moves forth to Dedede's Castle.

Surprisingly, the castle repairs had taken a week to complete. (There is something to be said for the Waddle Dees and their building abilities. The outer stone has never looked so bright.) The doors open as they approach, and two guards salute King Dedede as he enters. The Waddle Dee with the bandana is beyond those doors, directing more guards to patrol the area. They spare the two a glance, spending a few extra seconds to look worryingly at Kirby.

King Dedede brings Kirby up one of the towers. He can feel the pink puffball move as the two of them ascend the steps. It is the sounds, he thinks. Machinery and electricity and something that had filled the air of Pop Star all those weeks ago.

The king jostles Kirby. Not in a cruel way. But a promise.

In the room at the top of the tower, there are masses of silver aligning the walls. Machines whirling and beeping and making whatever noise they are supposed to make. Brightly colored wires and large tubes link them all together. The air crackles with electricity. And they all feed into one place.

Meta Knight and Susie look towards them as they enter. Behind the two is the Robobot Armor.

The past weeks have been filled with flagging hope. Susie has confided in King Dedede that she wasn't even sure if the Armor had a conscience. Meta Knight has steadfastly confided in the king that the Armor had something more than metal bits. So they repaired and talked and waited. But despite everything, the Amor's lights remain dim. Lifeless.

King Dedede would never claim that he is the smartest being here. But in this moment, for this problem, he wonders how the other two missed the obvious.

He pulls Kirby off of his back and places them gently in front of the Armor. Kirby just stands there, staring.

Susie moves towards Kirby. "Little pinky…" She looks down, then turns to the Robobot Armor. "We've tried everything. It won't even react like the Armor is designed to. I don't know…"

Kirby takes a step forward. Then another.

"Poyo?"

The lights of the Armor flicker.

"I am Raglor, the twin brother of –"

Kirby pulls their helmet on tighter as the Robobot Armor roars forward.

"What in the galaxy –"

In Wheel Mode, the Robobot Armor is as invincible as Kirby is. Maybe even more so.

The front wheel of the Armor smacks into the floating being and sends him flying back into his ship. Meta Knight and his Meta-Knights have already arrived, surrounding the ship and drawing their weapons. Still, they stay clear of Kirby and the Robobot Armor. Which is fair; neither Kirby nor the Armor itself are very good drivers.

The two circle around, driving through some minions who attempt to leave the ship. The buttons in the cockpit light up with each enemy they toss back. Kirby shouts in delight.

When no more enemies come out of the ship, Kirby directs the Armor to park in front of the ramp that had descended from the ship and dug itself into their picnic blanket. The pink puffball hops out of the cockpit and gathers up what remains. There are still several apples, cherries, and even a whole cake that survived the invasion. Kirby piles it into the Armor; Susie had added several features while fixing the Robobot Armor, one of them being a compartment for food. Kirby had shared several slices of cake with her for that alone.

Meta Knight flies gracefully to land on the other side of the ramp. The knight looks unimpressed by this new villain. At least, that's what Kirby thinks the knight looks like. It's hard to tell with the mask.

The Robobot Armor blinks several of its lights in Meta Knight's direction. The knight nods in return, and then gives another nod to Kirby. Kirby waves back before hopping back into the cockpit. Kirby is good at defeating enemies of Pop Star. They are not, however, very good at cleaning up afterwards.

Kirby points towards Dedede's Castle. If they are unable to have the picnic outside, maybe they could have it on top of the castle. King Dedede would probably eat some cake with them. And Meta Knight and the Meta-Knights could come along after they were done as well.

The lights in the cockpit blink in agreement, and then the two are roaring off across the fields.