Complete Episode Script
COLD OPEN
SC. 001 — INT. META KNIGHT'S HOUSE — META KNIGHT'S BEDROOM — DAY
Meta Knight's bedroom is EXACTLY what you'd expect—pristine, organized to a military degree, swords mounted on the walls like trophies. The bed is made with hospital corners. There's a bookshelf full of tactical manuals, parenting books, and one romance novel he'll deny owning if asked.
But the closet? The closet is a DISASTER.
The door is wide open, revealing a mountain of... stuff. Armor pieces, old capes, boxes labeled "DO NOT TOUCH," mysterious glowing artifacts, what appears to be a cursed sword wrapped in chains, and—
KIRBY (5, wearing a tiny apron that says "SPRING CLEANING CHAMPION" in Comic Sans) stands in front of the closet, hands on his hips, staring at the chaos.
KIRBY
(determined)
Okay, Kirby. You can do this. Papi said to clean the closet. So you're gonna clean the closet!
He rolls up his... well, he doesn't have sleeves, so he just pumps his little nub arms.
KIRBY
Let's GO!
He dives into the closet. CRASH. BANG. The sound of things falling over.
KIRBY (O.S.)
(muffled)
OW! Why does Papi have so many SWORDS?!
A helmet rolls out of the closet. Then a boot. Then what looks like a medieval torture device. Kirby pokes his head out, holding up a weird metal contraption with spikes.
KIRBY
(to himself)
Is this for cooking? It LOOKS like it's for cooking. But also like it could kill someone. Knowing Papi, it's probably both.
He tosses it aside and dives back in. More crashing. More banging. He stumbles backward out of the closet, arms full of old photo albums. He trips over his own feet and falls on his butt. The albums scatter across the floor.
KIRBY
Oof!
He sits up, rubbing his head. One of the albums has fallen open. He picks it up. The photos are old—sepia-toned. There's a young Meta Knight (maybe 10 years old?) standing next to another young knight who looks EXACTLY like him, but with a cracked mask and a meaner expression.
KIRBY
Is that... Uncle Dark Meta?
He flips the page. More photos. Meta Knight training. Meta Knight with a group of other knights. Meta Knight looking very serious in every single photo. Kirby giggles. Then he hears something. A faint HUMMING sound. Coming from the closet. Kirby's ears perk up. He peers back into the closet. The humming is coming from the BACK, behind a stack of boxes labeled "CLASSIFIED—META KNIGHT EYES ONLY."
KIRBY
(nervous)
...Papi's gonna be SO mad if I go back there.
Beat.
KIRBY
But he DID say to clean the WHOLE closet...
He takes a deep breath and climbs over the boxes. The humming gets LOUDER. Behind the boxes, shoved into the darkest corner of the closet, is a MACHINE. It's about the size of a microwave, covered in buttons, dials, and blinking lights. There's a screen on the front displaying what looks like coordinates. The whole thing is giving off a faint blue glow.
KIRBY
Whoa...
He reaches out to touch it—
VOICE (O.S.)
KIRBY! I'M HERE!
Kirby JUMPS, smacking his head on a low-hanging shelf.
KIRBY
OW! BANDEE?!
SC. 002 — INT. META KNIGHT'S HOUSE — META KNIGHT'S BEDROOM — CONTINUOUS
BANDANA WADDLE DEE bursts into the bedroom, holding Speary in one hand and his signature apple juice box in the other. He's wearing a matching tiny apron that says "DEPUTY CLEANING CHAMPION."
BANDANA DEE
Sorry I'm late! King Dedede needed me to—
He stops. Looks at the absolute WARZONE that is Meta Knight's bedroom.
BANDANA DEE
...What happened here?
KIRBY
Spring cleaning!
BANDANA DEE
It looks like a BOMB went off!
KIRBY
A CLEANING bomb!
BANDANA DEE
That's not a thing!
KIRBY
It is NOW!
Bandee sighs, but he's smiling. He sets Speary against the wall and takes a sip of his apple juice.
BANDANA DEE
Okay. What do you need help with?
KIRBY
Well... I found something. In the closet. And I don't know what it is.
BANDANA DEE
Ooh, mysterious! What is it?
Kirby grabs Bandee's hand and pulls him toward the closet. They climb over the boxes. Bandee's eyes widen when he sees the machine.
BANDANA DEE
Whoa... What IS that?
KIRBY
I don't know! But it's glowing and humming and it looks super cool!
BANDANA DEE
...Should we be touching it?
KIRBY
Probably not!
BANDANA DEE
Then why are we IN here?
KIRBY
Because it's COOL!
They both lean in closer. The screen flickers. Kirby reaches out and presses a button. BEEP. The machine hums LOUDER. The blue glow intensifies.
BANDANA DEE
Uh, Kirby? Maybe don't—
Kirby presses another button. BEEP BEEP. The screen starts flashing. Text appears: TIME DISPLACEMENT DEVICE. COORDINATES LOCKED. DESTINATION: [REDACTED]. ACTIVATING IN 10... 9... 8...
BANDANA DEE
KIRBY, WHAT DID YOU DO?!
KIRBY
I DON'T KNOW! I JUST PRESSED BUTTONS!
BANDANA DEE
WHY WOULD YOU PRESS RANDOM BUTTONS?!
KIRBY
BECAUSE THEY WERE THERE!
The countdown continues. 7... 6... 5...
BANDANA DEE
WE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!
They try to climb back over the boxes, but Kirby's foot gets caught in a strap from one of Meta Knight's old armor pieces.
KIRBY
BANDEE, I'M STUCK!
BANDANA DEE
HOLD ON!
Bandee grabs Kirby and tries to pull him free. The screen counts down: 4... 3... 2...
BANDANA DEE
COME ON, COME ON—
SCREEN: 1...
KIRBY & BANDANA DEE
OH SH—
The machine FLASHES BRIGHT BLUE. There's a sound like a thousand wind chimes being shattered at once. And then—POOF. Kirby and Bandana Dee are GONE. The machine powers down. The bedroom is silent. Then, faintly from downstairs:
META KNIGHT (O.S.)
Kirby! How is the cleaning going?
Silence.
META KNIGHT (O.S.)
Kirby?
More silence.
META KNIGHT (O.S.)
...Kirby?
The camera lingers on the empty closet.
CUT TO:
SC. 003 — INT. ??? — PIXEL VOID — CONTINUOUS
Kirby and Bandana Dee are FALLING through what can only be described as a TUNNEL OF PIXELS. Blocky, 8-bit shapes whiz past them. The colors are oversaturated—bright blues, greens, yellows. Everything looks retro.
KIRBY
WHAT'S HAPPENING?!
BANDANA DEE
I DON'T KNOOOOOW!
They tumble through the void, spinning, flailing. And then—THUD. They hit solid ground.
SC. 004 — EXT. DREAM LAND (NES) — GREEN GREENS — DAY
Kirby groans and sits up, rubbing his head. He looks at his hands. They're PIXELATED. Blocky. 8-bit. Bandee sits up too—completely 8-bit, his bandana a solid blue rectangle, his eyes just black dots. Their voices are high and tinny, like an NES sound chip.
BANDANA DEE
OH MY GOSH, WHY DO I SOUND LIKE THIS?!
KIRBY
WHY DO I SOUND LIKE THIS?!
The world around them is blocky—trees are simple green rectangles, the grass is flat green texture, the sky is solid blue with no clouds. A Waddle Dee walks past in a stiff, robotic loop. A JINGLE plays. Text appears at the top of the screen: "STAGE 1-1: GREEN GREENS." Chiptune music plays cheerfully.
KIRBY
Bandee... I think we're in Kirby's Adventure.
BANDANA DEE
The NES game from 1993?
KIRBY
YEP.
Bandee SCREAMS. Kirby joins him. The looping Waddle Dee continues to waddle. The chiptune music plays on.
TO BE CONTINUED...
ACT ONE
SC. 005 — INT. META KNIGHT'S HOUSE — META KNIGHT'S BEDROOM — MOMENTS LATER
META KNIGHT BURSTS into the bedroom, cape billowing. His eyes scan the room—the scattered photo albums, the mess, the open closet.
META KNIGHT
KIRBY?!
Silence.
META KNIGHT
KIRBY! This is NOT funny! Answer me!
Still nothing. Meta Knight's hand goes to his sword. He spots the open closet, the boxes labeled "CLASSIFIED" pushed aside. His eyes widen. He rushes to the closet and sees the TIME MACHINE, still glowing faintly, powered down. And next to it—Kirby's little "SPRING CLEANING CHAMPION" apron, discarded on the floor. He picks it up, voice tight.
META KNIGHT
Kirby...
He examines the machine. The screen displays: LAST DESTINATION: KIRBY'S ADVENTURE (1993). PASSENGERS: 2. STATUS: TRANSPORT COMPLETE. Meta Knight's grip on the apron TIGHTENS.
META KNIGHT
Maldita sea...
He pulls out his sword and is about to SMASH the machine when—
DEDEDE (O.S.)
META! META, YOU IN HERE?!
KING DEDEDE comes barreling into the bedroom, out of breath, looking FRANTIC.
DEDEDE
Meta, I can't find Bandee ANYWHERE! I checked the castle, the town square, the training grounds—he ain't respondin' to his communicator and—
He stops, noticing Meta Knight's expression.
DEDEDE
...What happened?
META KNIGHT
Kirby is gone. He and Bandana Dee have been TRANSPORTED. Into a VIDEO GAME.
DEDEDE
...Come again?
META KNIGHT
This is a prototype time displacement device. I kept it locked away. Kirby found it.
DEDEDE
So... my Captain of the Guard and your five-year-old son are TRAPPED in a VIDEO GAME?
META KNIGHT
Yes. Kirby's Adventure. The NES version. From 1993.
DEDEDE
Oh, for the love of—HOW?!
META KNIGHT
Kirby was cleaning my closet. He must have activated the device by accident.
DEDEDE
Okay. We gotta get 'em back! Can we use the machine?
META KNIGHT
The retrieval function requires a RETURN BEACON. The only way to bring them back is to GO IN and GET THEM.
DEDEDE
THEN LET'S GO!
META KNIGHT
It's not that simple. The device is unstable. We could end up in a different GAME entirely.
DEDEDE
I don't CARE! Bandee's in there! We gotta TRY!
Meta Knight looks at Dedede. The king is genuinely TERRIFIED. Meta Knight turns back to the machine and starts pressing buttons, recalibrating.
META KNIGHT
If we're going to do this, we need to be smart. The device will attempt to send us to the same timeline, but there's a margin of error. We could end up in a different game entirely.
DEDEDE
How big a margin?
META KNIGHT
...Large.
DEDEDE
Define "large."
META KNIGHT
There are over TWENTY Kirby games in existence across multiple timelines. We could land in ANY of them.
DEDEDE
Fantastic.
META KNIGHT
But we WILL find them. No matter what.
He finishes calibrating. The machine hums to life, glowing brighter. SCREEN: COORDINATES LOCKED. DESTINATION: KIRBY TIMELINE. ACTIVATING IN 10... 9... 8...
DEDEDE
Wait, do we need supplies? Weapons? Snacks?
META KNIGHT
Dedede, we don't have TIME—
DEDEDE
I AIN'T GOIN' INTO A VIDEO GAME WITHOUT SNACKS!
META KNIGHT
We're GOING. NOW!
Dedede lunges for his hammer. SCREEN: 2... 1... FLASH. The machine activates. Meta Knight and Dedede are SUCKED INTO THE LIGHT.
SC. 006 — INT. ??? — PIXEL VOID — CONTINUOUS
They tumble through the same pixelated tunnel, but this time the pixels are SHARPER—16-bit? No, DS graphics. They fall, and fall, and—THUD.
SC. 007 — INT. BATTLESHIP HALBERD (KSSU) — CORRIDOR — DAY
Meta Knight groans and pushes himself up. He looks down at his hands—crisp, high-definition sprites. DS graphics. He's in a METAL CORRIDOR with red alarm lights flashing. There are blueprints on the walls showing schematics of a massive airship. It's the HALBERD. Dedede sits up beside him. Meta Knight stares at a WANTED POSTER on the wall: "WANTED: META KNIGHT. CRIME: ATTEMPTING TO TAKE OVER DREAM LAND."
META KNIGHT
Oh no.
DEDEDE
Meta, why's there a wanted poster of YOU?
META KNIGHT
Because we're not in Kirby's Adventure. We're in Kirby Super Star Ultra. The DS game from 2008. The one where I'm the BAD GUY.
DEDEDE
OH, THIS IS PERFECT!
Suddenly, the door at the end of the corridor BURSTS OPEN. A squad of META-KNIGHTS march in, weapons drawn.
META-KNIGHT SOLDIER #1
HALT! Identify yourselves!
META KNIGHT
I am Meta Knight. And I ORDER you to stand down.
META-KNIGHT SOLDIER #2
...Sir, you're ALREADY on the bridge. How can you be in TWO places at once?
META KNIGHT
It's... complicated.
DEDEDE
We're screwed, ain't we?
META KNIGHT
Extremely.
META-KNIGHT SOLDIER #1
You're IMPOSTORS! SEIZE THEM!
The soldiers charge. Meta Knight raises Galaxia. Dedede raises his hammer.
META KNIGHT
I will NEVER hear the end of this.
DEDEDE
NOPE!
They fight. Meta Knight slashes through the first wave. Dedede swings his hammer, sending soldiers FLYING. Chaos. Alarms blare. From the intercom, a cold, commanding voice with a Spaniard accent—darker.
GAME META KNIGHT (V.O.)
Intruders detected in Corridor B-7. All units, converge and ELIMINATE.
META KNIGHT
...That's me.
DEDEDE
EVIL you!
META KNIGHT
I KNOW!
More soldiers pour in. The camera pulls back as they fight, corridor filled with chaos.
TO BE CONTINUED...
ACT TWO
SC. 008 — EXT. DREAM LAND (NES) — GREEN GREENS — DAY
Back in the 8-bit world. Kirby and Bandee sit on a pixelated rock, trying to process their situation. The chiptune music continues. A Waddle Dee walks past in its eternal loop.
KIRBY
Okay. We just need to think logically about this.
BANDANA DEE
We're stuck in a video game from 1993. There's NOTHING logical about this.
KIRBY
There has to be a way out. Maybe if we BEAT the game, we'll get sent back home!
BANDANA DEE
Okay! So all we have to do is go through seven worlds, fight a bunch of bosses, collect the pieces of the Star Rod, defeat King Dedede, and then fight a literal NIGHTMARE DEMON.
KIRBY
...When you say it like THAT, it sounds really hard.
BANDANA DEE
IT IS REALLY HARD! KIRBY'S ADVENTURE IS LIKE 8 HOURS LONG!
Suddenly, a low rumbling. The ground SHAKES. The looping Waddle Dee freezes, then RUNS OFF SCREEN. A BOSS MUSIC STARTS PLAYING. From behind a pixelated hill, WHISPY WOODS rises—a massive tree with an angry face, 8-bit and terrifying.
WHISPY WOODS
LEAVE. MY. FOREST.
KIRBY
Ohhhhh no.
BANDANA DEE
OHHHHH YES! BECAUSE OF COURSE WE'D RUN INTO THE FIRST BOSS IMMEDIATELY!
Whispy Woods launches a barrage of 8-bit APPLES at them. They DODGE. The apples hit the ground and EXPLODE into pixels.
SC. 009 — EXT. DREAM LAND (NES) — GREEN GREENS — CONTINUOUS
Kirby and Bandee run in circles (8-bit movement is STIFF) trying to avoid Whispy's attacks. Kirby runs toward Whispy, jumps, and punches an apple mid-air. It EXPLODES. Whispy shoots out a GUST OF WIND—white horizontal lines—and Kirby gets BLOWN BACKWARD, hitting a tree with a comedic BONK sound. Bandee charges forward with Speary, stabbing at Whispy's trunk. Each hit makes a DING sound and a number appears: -1 HP, -1 HP, -1 HP.
BANDANA DEE
I'M DOING DAMAGE! I'M ACTUALLY DOING DAMAGE!
Kirby gets back up. He picks up an apple (comically large in his nub hands) and HURLS it at Whispy. It hits Whispy square in the face. -5 HP. Whispy roars.
KIRBY
YES! BANDEE, THROW THE APPLES!
They start working together. Whispy shoots apples. They dodge, pick them up, and throw them back. It's chaotic and clunky and 8-bit, but it's WORKING. Whispy's HP bar drains. One more hit. They both grab apples and throw them at the SAME TIME. Double hit. -10 HP. Whispy's HP drops to ZERO. The boss music STOPS. Whispy freezes, starts FLASHING, then EXPLODES into pixels. A VICTORY JINGLE plays. Text appears: "BOSS DEFEATED! YOU GOT: MAXIMUM TOMATO." A pixelated tomato appears. Kirby grabs it.
KIRBY
We... we did it. WE BEAT THE BOSS!
BANDANA DEE
WE ACTUALLY BEAT THE BOSS!
Another jingle. Text appears: "WORLD 1 COMPLETE! NEXT: WORLD 2 - CASTLE LOLOLO." A pixelated DOOR appears, glowing. They walk toward it. Just as they're about to enter—
VOICE (O.S.)
HEY! WAIT UP!
Another KIRBY runs toward them—8-bit, but moving more fluidly, like it's CONTROLLED BY A PLAYER.
8-BIT KIRBY
I'm the GAME'S Kirby! You're not supposed to BE here! You're glitching up the timeline! The game doesn't know what to do with you!
The sky GLITCHES. Solid blue flickers. Corruption runs across the screen like a broken TV.
8-BIT KIRBY
That's the timeline destabilizing. It's starting.
SC. 010 — INT. BATTLESHIP HALBERD (KSSU) — BRIDGE — CONTINUOUS
Meta Knight and Dedede reach the bridge. It's MASSIVE—floor-to-ceiling windows showing the DS-rendered sky, control panels lining the walls. At the center, standing with his back to them, cape billowing, is GAME META KNIGHT. He turns. His eyes glow faint yellow.
GAME META KNIGHT
I was wondering when you would arrive. A temporal anomaly. Another version of myself.
META KNIGHT
We need access to your temporal database. There are two civilians—children—trapped in the Kirby timeline. We need to locate them and bring them home.
GAME META KNIGHT
One of them is Kirby. A five-year-old version of him. Your son.
META KNIGHT
Yes.
GAME META KNIGHT
Your presence here has already caused disruptions. If I allow you access to the database, it could destabilize the ENTIRE Kirby continuum.
META KNIGHT
I'm aware of the risks.
GAME META KNIGHT
Two anomalies detected in Kirby's Adventure, Green Greens. But the timeline is rejecting them. They have approximately three hours before they're erased from existence.
META KNIGHT
Then we need to get to them. Now.
GAME META KNIGHT
Not so fast. If I let you go, you'll create a paradox. A duel. You and me. If you win, I grant you access to the timeline gate. If I win... you stay here. Forever.
Meta Knight draws Galaxia. They CLASH. The fight is BRUTAL. Sword against sword. Every move perfectly matched. Meta Knight fights differently—more desperate, more EMOTIONAL. He lands a hit. Game Meta Knight stumbles. Meta Knight disarms him, points Galaxia at his throat.
META KNIGHT
I fight for Kirby. For Bandana Dee. For everyone I care about. You fight for pride. That makes you WEAK. Yield.
Game Meta Knight smiles. "I yield. Well fought, future me." He opens a PORTAL on the bridge—swirling pixels and light. "Go. Save them." Meta Knight and Dedede leap into the portal.
ACT THREE
SC. 011 — EXT. DREAM LAND (NES) — GREEN GREENS — DAY
The sky glitches harder. The world SHAKES. Pixels fall like rain. 8-Bit Kirby panics: "THAT'S THE CRASH! IT'S HAPPENING FASTER THAN I THOUGHT!" Then a PORTAL tears open—real, full modern graphics, completely out of place. Two figures DROP out: META KNIGHT and DEDEDE, now also 8-bit, blocky, tinny. Kirby SCREAMS with joy and launches himself at Meta Knight. Bandee tackles Dedede.
META KNIGHT
Kirby! Gracias a Dios, you're safe!
DEDEDE
Bandee! Thank the stars! I thought I'd lost ya!
BANDANA DEE
I was so SCARED!
8-Bit Kirby warns them again: the timeline is collapsing. Meta Knight pulls out a small device from his cape.
META KNIGHT
This is a recall beacon. It should lock onto the original time machine's coordinates and pull us back!
BANDANA DEE
Should?! SHOULD?!
META KNIGHT
It's THEORETICAL technology! I've never USED it before!
The beacon BEEPS faster. A faint glow surrounds them. 8-Bit Kirby backs away.
8-BIT KIRBY
Tell me—does Dream Land survive? In the future?
KIRBY
Yeah! You save it! Like, a LOT!
8-Bit Kirby smiles. The world FALLS APART. Trees glitch out. Ground fragments. The beacon FLASHES—
SC. 012 — INT. ??? — PIXEL VOID — CONTINUOUS
They fall through the pixel tunnel again—CHAOTIC, breaking apart, chunks of code flying past, error messages flashing in the void. Kirby clings to Meta Knight. Bandee clings to Dedede. The tunnel starts to STABILIZE. The colors look normal. They fall faster, faster—THUD. Solid ground.
SC. 013 — INT. META KNIGHT'S HOUSE — META KNIGHT'S BEDROOM — CONTINUOUS
They're back. Kirby looks at his hands—NORMAL. Pink. Round. NOT pixelated. He JUMPS into Meta Knight's arms. Meta Knight holds him TIGHT.
META KNIGHT
Don't you EVER scare me like that again. Do you understand?
KIRBY
I'm sorry, Papi! I didn't mean to!
Across the room, Bandee and Dedede embrace. Dedede kneels to eye level.
DEDEDE
I was really scared, ya know. When I couldn't find ya. You're my Captain of the Guard. And my... someone I care about. A LOT.
BANDANA DEE
I care about you too. Like... more than a guard should care about a king.
DEDEDE
So... what does this mean? For us?
BANDANA DEE
I don't know. But maybe we can figure it out? Together?
DEDEDE
Yeah. I'd like that.
Meta Knight watches, Kirby still in his arms.
KIRBY
Papi, are they gonna kiss?
META KNIGHT
Probably not yet. But eventually.
Meta Knight walks to the time machine and powers it down completely.
META KNIGHT
This is going in a VAULT. With approximately seventeen locks. And possibly a curse.
KIRBY
I really am sorry, Papi.
META KNIGHT
I know. But you need to be more CAREFUL. Now come on. Let's get you cleaned up. You smell like pixels.
KIRBY
Can we get PIZZA?!
META KNIGHT
Whatever you want, mi hijo.
They head toward the door. Kirby on Meta Knight's shoulders. Bandee next to Dedede, their hands occasionally brushing. Kirby looks back at the powered-down machine.
KIRBY
Bye, Mr. Time Machine. Sorry for breaking the timeline.
META KNIGHT
Kirby, don't talk to the cursed device.
KIRBY
Okay, Papi.
They leave. The door closes. The time machine sits silent and dark. For now.
END OF EPISODE
END CREDITS ROLL over a blooper reel of 8-bit Kirby and Bandee trying to fight Whispy Woods and constantly missing their throws.