Sword, Blade and Fumu came to
another corner, several guards coming from another hallway. A
few quick shots took them out, as they all ducked to avoid
attacks from the ones chasing them.
“There are still too many!”
Fumu exclaimed, shooting behind her. She’d quickly gotten over
her hesitation to use the weapon.
“We have to keep moving!”
Sword exclaimed.
“Joe and Silica should be
nearby,” Blade said. “Just past these doors!”
Alarms had sounded a short time
after their escape, and now every guard in the place was heading
for their position. They needed to free their friends if they
had any chance.
The hallways all looked
identical, endless corridors of gray metal and enemies from all
sides. Thankfully, Blade still remembered the way, leading them
in what they at least hoped was the right direction.
“It’s locked!” Sword
exclaimed as he pushed uselessly against the doors.
“Let me see,” Blade said,
pushing him out of the way to examine the panel to the door’s
left. “Damnit, we need a card.”
Fumu looked around at the soldier’s
bodies on the floor, and kneeled by one, searching through
pockets on his belt. She pulled out a white card. “Try this
one!” She tossed it to him and he swiped it through the
machine. The light turned red.
“No good!”
Sword went over to search one of
the others, retrieving two more cards. They could hear more
soldiers approaching.
Blade tried the first- nothing.
At the second, the door beeped and slowly slid open. They ran
through just as more guards came around the corner behind them.
They ducked into another hallway
as a group of guards ahead of them opened fire.
“Joe and Silica are going to be
in that cell,” Blade said, taking a second to get his
bearings.
“We can’t get past those
guards…”
Blade grinned, reaching into his
shirt and pulling out a small round device. Sword gaped.
“Explosive charges? When did
you…?”
“One of the guards had them.
Risky, but I think right now it’s warranted.”
Sword leaned out just enough to
fire some shots to provide some cover, and Blade tossed the now
activated charge so it landed right behind the soldiers. They
both ducked back and covered their ears.
Inside the cell, Joe and Silica
had no idea what was going on outside, only that someone- their
friends hopefully- were causing a huge commotion.
They both winced at a loud
explosion outside, the force of which impacted the door and blew
it inwards. A few moments later, three small figures ran in
through the smoke.
“Silica! Joe!” Fumu exclaimed
ecstatically, running towards the two. She paused as she saw Joe’s
leg. “Oh, no…”
“It’s not too bad. Silica
fixed it up pretty good,” he grinned. “But, I’m sort of
stuck here…”
“Not for long,” Blade
announced, holding up a small set of keys he’d pulled off a
guard. “I hope it’s one of these…”
Sword tossed two guns to Silica.
“Sorry, we didn’t find yours.”
“It’s no problem… How did
you guys manage this?” she asked, incredulous.
He shrugged. “We were lucky.
Maybe someone’s looking out for us for once,” he said with a
wry grin.
“What about Meta Knight and
Kirby?” Joe asked as Blade tested each of the keys on his
bonds.
His smile faded. “We aren’t
sure where they are… We’re going to try the other cell
blocks for now.”
“We’ll find them…” Joe
said quietly.
“Aha!” Blade grinned as a key
worked and the shackles popped open.
“Finally!” Joe held his hands
up, rubbing his wrists. “Let’s get out of here.”
Leaning on Sword’s shoulder, he
stood, wincing slightly, but not showing just how much pain he
was actually in.
“Get between us,” Blade said,
getting on his other side. “It’ll be faster if we carry you.”
“All right…” he agreed,
somewhat reluctantly. “I can only use my fist attacks like
this…”
“It’ll be enough. Let’s go
before more guards come.”
They stepped over the bodies of
fallen guards and demons, running down the hallway and away from
the sound of their pursuers.
As they ran deeper into the base,
they met little resistance. Suddenly it had fallen horribly
quiet except for their footsteps and labored breathing.
“They should be all over us by
now…” Silica voiced her worries, and they slowed their pace.
They hadn’t seen or heard anyone in several minutes.
Joe suddenly paled. “Guys…
Something’s coming. It’s big.”
The others listened for a moment,
not hearing what he did just yet… And then there was a deep,
ominous rumbling from ahead of them, growing louder.
“Does Nightmare have any big
demons left?” Blade asked, his gun aimed ahead of him with his
free hand.
“We don’t know. There must
have been some left that we missed,” Silica said. “Fumu, get
behind us.”
The sound grew louder, a strange
high-pitched sound like jet engines. But they saw nothing in the
hallway.
“Where is it?” Fumu asked,
looking behind them. Nothing. Nothing ahead of them either. The
sound was almost deafening.
“EVERYONE MOVE, NOW!” Joe
shouted abruptly. As he did, the wall near them exploded
outwards. They barely dodged the blast, Sword and Blade jumping
away with Joe, and Silica knocking Fumu to the side.
Out of the smoke, a pair of
yellow eyes glowed brightly.
“What is that…?!” Sword
breathed, he and Blade backing away with Joe.
Suddenly, something small and
fast shot out of the smoke directly towards them. They lunged to
one side as what looked like a metal fist impacted the ground,
breaking through the panels of the floor. It pulled back,
hovering with the power provided by a small jet at it’s back,
and turned back towards them.
“Look out!” Silica exclaimed.
There was another. And then two more fists appeared, hovering in
the air.
The smoke cleared and their owner
was revealed. A hulking, knight-like robot hovered there, simply
a metal torso with a horned helmet on top, yellow eyes glowing
beneath. All four fists returned to it, floating in formation
around it while the mechanical demon scanned the group.
“Run!” Sword shouted. They
couldn’t face an enemy like this.
They all dashed for the open side
of the hallway, past the titan. They didn’t get far as two of
the fists jetted ahead of them, impacting the floor there and
causing the metal to buckle. Two more hit behind them.
They opened fire, the blasts from
their small weapons deflecting harmlessly off its armor. Silica
pulled Fumu to one side as a fist came right for them.
“We can’t fight this thing!”
she shouted, firing at its main body and doing little good.
Joe pulled away from Sword and
Blade, leaning heavily on his good leg. “Doesn’t look so
tough to me…” He pulled his fist back. “Smash Punch!”
A burst of white energy hit one
of the fists, sending it crashing into the wall. Immediately the
others turned towards the boy, homing in. Joe paused, getting
ready to dodge… and nearly doubled over as pain shot up his
leg.
Sword dashed over, grabbing him
and pushing him to the side as all three of the other fists hit
where he’d been standing.
“You can’t fight in your
condition!”
“We have to do something! The
weapons won’t work on it!” he shouted, pushing him away. “Vulcan
Jab!” He hit the other fists as they rose again, sending them
spinning away.
Blade looked around frantically
for some way they could escape or a way to counter this new
enemy. His attention was caught by a sound like sparking. At one
of the spots the fists had struck, several live wires had been
exposed.
He looked to Sword, but he was
helping Joe stand as he kept the titan at bay. “Fumu! Silica!”
he shouted to them. “Someone needs to distract it while one of
us gets behind it!”
One of the fists broke past Joe,
nearly hitting him as it dashed by. Blade ducked as it returned.
“Why?” Silica asked, keeping
low.
“I think I can short out its
main body with of these wires, but I’d need to get close.”
“Or maybe we could knock it
into them?” Fumu suggested.
“I don’t know how we could
move that thing…” Silica shook her head.
Blade watched as Joe’s attacks
threw one of the fists against the wall, only to have it spin
around again and come at him full speed. Sword barely dodged
this time. They were both beginning to lose strength.
Fumu stared up at the titan,
gritting her teeth. “I have an idea!” she exclaimed. “Cover
me!”
“No, wait!” Silica shouted,
trying to grab her but she ran towards the titan’s main body.
“Damnit!” She opened fire as the fists turned on her.
The robot’s eyes followed Fumu
as she ran towards it, jumping on top of some of the wreckage
nearby… and then directly onto it.
Apparently, the robot’s
programming had not accounted for this. Its eyes flashed and
thrashed back and forth wildly. Suddenly, all four of its fists
turned away from the others.
Fumu grabbed onto the grating on
its front, holding on for dear life as it spun. She looked up as
it slowed, seeing all of the fists hovering there, aimed for
her.
“Come on you tin can! See if
you can hit me!” She climbed up, making herself an easier
target.
The jets on the fists blazed and
they streaked forward, directly for her.
She crouched, waiting. Just one
more moment…
She leapt.
The titan realized its
calculation error milliseconds too late.
All four fists hit it at once,
sending the main body crashing into the wall behind it. Its
metal armor came in contact with the wires and it suddenly lit
up as several thousand volts of electricity charged through it,
frying circuits and wiring, finally rendering it inactive. Smoke
rose from its wrecked form and Fumu nearly fell over, suddenly
feeling weak.
“Yes!” Joe cheered, fist in
the air. “And I thought you were just some whiny little tree
hugger!”
Fumu shot him a look, but she
smiled anyway. “Let’s get out of here before they send
another.”
“We should be getting close…”
Blade said, silently praying they weren’t too late.
The group ran down the corridor,
none of them knowing what lay ahead.
Nightmare’s laughter echoed
around the small chamber, Meta Knight’s body glowing briefly
red. Suddenly the bonds around his arms and legs opened, and he
fell to the ground. Kirby watched apprehensively, still held by
Yamikage.
Meta Knight moved. Slowly at
first, jerkily, like a marionette whose strings are tangled. He
stood, eyes opened, moving his arms and legs as if testing them.
He looked over at Yamikage and Kirby, and a horrible grin spread
across his face.
When he spoke, it wasn’t Meta
Knight’s voice. “He gave in easily… You did well,
Yamikage.”
The dark ninja bowed slightly.
“Thank you, my lord. …Where is he now?”
He chuckled. “He’s in a dream
world I created. I thought I’d be generous and give him a
reprieve… It will make his pain all the better when I take it
away from him.”
It was Meta Knight, but not Meta
Knight. Kirby didn’t understand.
“What of the child?”
Nightmare grinned with Meta
Knight’s body. “Ah, yes…” He walked over to Galaxia,
reaching up and grabbing the hilt. The sword appeared in a flash
of energy and he laughed. “Perfect…” He looked at Kirby.
“What you did to me was quite painful, you know…”
Kirby’s eyes went wide as Meta
Knight- no, Nightmare approached him. He struggled against his
captor.
“The Star Rod is one of the
only things that can cause me such agony. It truly ruins my good
mood just thinking about it…” He looked to Yamikage. “Remove
the gag. He is no threat to me now.”
Yamikage did as ordered, setting
Kirby down between them.
“Poyo where Meda Knight?” he
demanded angrily. “Leave alone! Get out poyo!”
“Meta Knight has surrendered to
me. He decided he didn’t want to bother protecting you
anymore,” he said in mock sadness. “He wouldn’t have been
able to save you anyway.”
“Do you intend on finishing him
quickly?” Yamikage intoned. “If not, I would be happy to
help you prolong his torture for a time…” His tone made it
no secret that he would enjoy it immensely.
Nightmare held the sword before
him, the energy crackling around it. “I suppose it depends on
how long he can dodge.”
In an instant he attacked the
young warrior, striking fast and viciously, far faster than Meta
Knight would have normally been able to move. Kirby barely
avoided the golden blade, the energy from it still hitting and
leaving shallow cuts.
“Hard to fight against this
face, isn’t it?” Nightmare taunted, slashing out. “I was
hoping to savor your death for myself, but perhaps I should pull
Meta Knight from his dream world so he can watch you die as
well.”
Kirby jumped back, breathing
hard. He couldn’t keep dodging for long. He knew from the only
time he’d fought him before, years ago, that using his inhale
on Meta Knight didn’t work. He saw Yamikage on the other side
of the room from them, watching.
“Or maybe I should wait to kill
you, Star Warrior… I should have you watch as I use this body
to kill your companions first.” He laughed. Galaxia glowed in
his hands. “The power is amazing… So much unlocked
potential.”
Kirby’s eyes were on the sword,
transfixed. He had wielded it before. He’d never thought much
of it, but apparently it was strange that he was able to. Only
Meta Knight had ever been able to touch it before. There was
something special about that sword.
And suddenly he knew he had to
get it from him.
Nightmare gave an angry shout as
Kirby ran for him, sidestepping so he went tumbling past. “What
do you think you are doing?!”
Kirby didn’t answer, turning
and leaping for him. He grabbed his cape, yanking hard and
pulling him off balance. He climbed him, grabbing his armor and
then his arm, reaching for the sword.
Yamikage watched, unsure if he
should bother helping- surely Nightmare could handle this?
Nightmare thrashed in Meta Knight’s
body but Kirby would not let go. The young Star Warrior reached
up, and touched the sacred sword, grabbing the hilt below Meta
Knight’s hand.
LIGHT.
The three of them averted their
eyes as energy exploded from the blade, filling the room with
pure, blinding light. Nightmare tried to release the sword but
could not. Kirby would not let go, even as the energy traveled
down the hilt, enveloping both of them.
Time seemed to stop.
Meta Knight stood on the tallest
balcony in the castle. It had always been his favorite place to
go. Quiet, peaceful. No one else ever came up there and he could
keep an eye on things.
The sun was setting, casting a
fiery glow over the landscape, the sea glittering gold. This
place was truly beautiful at times.
Yet he felt unease. He was
forgetting something. The longer he stayed here, the more it
fled from his memory. There was something important he needed to
do.
He heard footsteps behind them,
recognizing who it was from the stride alone. “Jecra…” He
turned, and was surprised to see him in his old uniform and
mask, sword and shield at his side.
“This isn’t like you, Mety,”
he said softly. “This place is nice, but you know you can’t
stay here forever.”
Meta Knight turned away. “Nothing
awaits me out there except the death of my friends.”
“You can still help them.”
He looked back. Jecra held out
his hand. He was smiling. “Let’s go. You still have things
to do.”
Meta Knight reached out,
hesitantly at first… and grabbed his hand tightly.
And the world dissolved.
A strange, mixed landscape
stretched out around him, dark clouds overhead. Much of it was a
barren, rocky field, but in the distance one could see what
looked like Dreamland, the forests burned and the castle in
ruins. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, lighting
streaking across the clouds.
It was still inside his dream,
but something was different now.
“Meda Knight!” Kirby
exclaimed happily, running over and clinging to him.
Meta Knight looked at him with
some confusion. “What are you doing here…?”
An angry voice boomed out
suddenly. “I’ve lost my control over him!” Suddenly a
figure shimmered into view over them. The true form of the Dark
Emperor, as he had appeared before, his cape billowing out
around him and an endless starscape within.
Memories came rushing back to
Meta Knight. He stood his ground, Galaxia held before him. It
was truly there this time. Kirby stood beside him, scowling at
the dark figure.
Nightmare loomed above them,
jagged teeth in a twisted grin on his face. “You intend to use
that sword to destroy me… but you will not have the chance!”
Suddenly the ground around them
rose up, stone spikes jutting out like claws to impale and crush
them.
Meta Knight jumped away, slicing
through them. “Kirby!”
Kirby grabbed onto one as it
rose, clinging to it.
Nightmare laughed. “The pain of
a Star Warrior brings me more power than any other. Your
suffering is exquisite, Meta Knight. Perhaps I’ll keep you
around for a time even after my power has returned.” He swept
one clawed hand to the side, and the ground rose up in a wave of
stone.
Meta Knight swung Galaxia, a beam
of energy reducing the wave to rubble. He couldn’t get close
enough to Nightmare to attack him.
Kirby watched, knowing he couldn’t
help as he was.
He climbed to the top of the
stone spire.
This was Meta Knight’s dream,
not his own. He didn’t know if he would be able to do it.
He called out, voice clear and
loud. “Warpstar!”
Nightmare froze at the words. “No!”
Kirby waited, staring up at the
tumultuous clouds overhead. Seconds passed agonizingly slow…
and no golden star flew down from the heavens. His face fell,
his hope vanishing.
Nightmare’s laugh was mocking.
“You can’t summon it without that girl. What a pity.” He
attacked again; this time lightning struck from all around them.
Kirby was knocked from his perch, tumbling to the ground.
Meta Knight deflected the
attacks, but his focus was on Kirby. He needed the power of the
Warpstar- and the Star Rod.
“Kirby! Try again!” he
shouted. “You must!”
“Do not give him the chance,
Yamikage.” Nightmare grinned devilishly.
Yamikage appeared in a cloud of
black smoke, eyes glinting as he saw his target. “Yes, my
lord!”
Meta Knight was too far away. He
wouldn’t be able to make it to Kirby in time. He tried anyway,
cursing himself for allowing them to get separated.
Kirby saw Yamikage coming for
him. Fast, too fast. He couldn’t dodge as his katana came
down.
The sudden clang of steel against
steel rang out above the battlefield.
Kirby had closed his eyes,
expecting the end. He opened them tentatively, seeing a second
sword over him, holding Yamikage’s at bay.
Everyone’s eyes were all locked
on the figure next to him. Kirby looked up to see a man he’d
never seen before, wearing a green cape and a mask a little like
Meta Knight’s. His hair looked a lot like Joe’s. Kirby had
never met him, but somehow he felt that he knew him.
The man looked down at him,
smiling with his eyes. Kirby smiled back.
Yamikage jumped away, furious.
“What is this?!”
Meta Knight was speechless. Was
this part of the dream? He felt, somehow- this was different.
Nightmare suddenly laughed
disdainfully. “I see now… No wonder my creation turned
against me. One of the Star Warrior’s souls must have escaped
into him… How unusual.”
As Meta Knight approached them,
looking closer, he saw glowing strands between the two,
connecting them.
Jecra finally looked over at him,
looking a little sheepish. “Hey Mety.”
Nightmare frowned. “Hmph. The
memories must have been strong to last for all this time. But,
this soul won’t save you. Yamikage, kill him!”
The dark ninja vanished
instantly, reappearing next to Jecra. But he brought up his
shield in the blink of an eye, blocking him and pushing him
back.
“Long time no see!” Jecra
said, voice cheerful but his eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously.
He ran forward, sword slashing. Yamikage was taken off guard,
barely deflecting the attacks.
Jecra tackled him with the
shield, knocking him back momentarily. “Kirby! Why don’t you
try that again? I think it’ll work this time.”
“Poyo?” he tilted his body to
one side, but then he understood, jumping to his feet. “Come!
Warpstar!”
Nightmare struck out at him
brutally, clawed hands leaving deep gouges in the ground. Kirby
rolled to one side, worried again that his summon again hadn’t
worked. Nightmare struck again, dark energy shooting from his
claws. He was frantic now, unwilling to allow defeat a second
time.
Kirby started to panic, his heart
racing. Then he heard the familiar sound, the star shooting down
through the clouds and directly for him. He’d never felt so
happy to see it.
Yamikage fell back as Jecra
attacked him, holding a bleeding cut on his arm. “This isn’t
possible!” he snarled, leaping back out of his range. He threw
a group of shuriken, but they only rebounded off Jecra’s
shield.
He couldn’t use Nightmare’s
powers now- Nightmare himself was expending too much energy
trying to stop Kirby.
“Damn you!” He threw several
smoke bombs, hoping to disorient him. He ran through it to where
he had seen Jecra, hoping to get in a sneak attack…
He was gone.
“Almost!” came Jecra’s
voice behind him. Yamikage was struck hard with the flat of his
sword, and went skidding along the hard ground.
Kirby watched as the Warpstar
approached and he began to inhale. Nightmare reached out, trying
desperately to stop him but it was too late. In a flash of
light, the Star Rod had appeared in his hands, shining
brilliantly.
Jecra approached Yamikage,
stepping on his hand as he tried reaching for his katana.
“I bet you regret all that
torture and stuff now,” he said, smiling again. “Because
maybe if you hadn’t done that, I could have taken some mercy
on you.” His eyes narrowed.
Yamikage jumped up, pulling
another dagger from it’s sheathe. He struck, aiming for his
neck.
He hadn’t seen Meta Knight come
up at his side.
An unfortunate side effect of
being able to kill people in a dream… is that they can do the
same to you.
Two blades cut through him
simultaneously, Galaxia and Jecra’s sword slicing through
cloth and bone. For the first time, Yamikage’s eyes showed
fear.
“Sorry,” Jecra said, actually
sounding sympathetic. He and Meta Knight withdrew their blades,
and Yamikage fell to his knees.
“…How…” he choked, eyes
locked on Jecra, livid. He couldn’t die like this. He couldn’t.
Yamikage fell forward, and Jecra
turned around to Meta Knight.
He grinned behind his mask. “Thanks
for the back-up.”
Meta Knight did the same. “Anytime.”
They both looked to see Kirby
wielding the Star Rod. Nightmare shrank away from it’s light,
howling in agony.
Galaxia began to glow as well,
the energy flowing around it. Meta Knight stared at it for a
moment. The sword spoke in his mind, impossibly ancient. It was
time to end all of this.
“Good luck,” Jecra said
softly, watching him.
Meta Knight stood beside Kirby,
Galaxia and the Star Rod glowing in unison. As a glowing band of
stars issued from the latter, encircling Nightmare, Meta Knight
ran forward.
Nightmare was powerless now, and
could only watch as Meta Knight leapt up, Galaxia glowing so
brightly it appeared pure white. The last thing Nightmare saw
was Meta Knight bringing the blade down, a massive beam of
energy emitting from it, going completely through him and
splitting his hellish image in two.
The light spread, cutting through
Nightmare from all sides. Meta Knight held Galaxia aloft, the
sword’s power spreading over both of them. Light pierced down
from the clouds overhead, illuminating them further.
Kirby and Jecra both turned away
as it became too bright, painfully bright. Nightmare’s
screaming echoed, growing high before it suddenly cut off as the
power exploded around him, a wave of energy blasting out in all
directions and nearly sending all of them flying.
The dreamscape faded.
Meta Knight woke up with a start,
gasping. He took a moment to orient himself, wincing as he
moved. Every part of his body hurt.
They were back in the prison, the
dim room a sudden contrast to the blinding light that had
surrounded them moments before. He saw Yamikage’s body several
feet away, the wounds affecting his real self just as he said it
would.
For a moment, he expected Jecra
to be there too. No, of course he wouldn’t be…
Meta Knight noticed someone else
next to him and smiled. Maybe he was here, in a way.
Kirby slept peacefully, curled up
in Meta Knight’s cape. His eyes opened slightly and he yawned
and smiled up at him. “Meda Knight…” Both eyes suddenly
popped open as he saw something behind his fellow Star Warrior.
“Poyo!” He pointed and Meta Knight followed his shocked
gaze.
The orb was there. For a split
second, Meta Knight feared that it hadn’t worked, that
Nightmare hadn’t been destroyed- that it had all been for
nothing.
But, it was deteriorating. Light
shone through it, breaking it apart. The orb fell into pieces
that vanished before they touched the ground. Nightmare’s
presence faded. After countless millennia of war and death, his
dark power seemed to truly be gone.
And there were stars.
Thousands of them, sparkling
points of light flew from where the orb had been. They moved in
unison, hovering around the two Star Warriors. Kirby laughed
joyously, reaching for them. They floated upwards, swirling
gently. Then they were gone.
Kirby looked to Meta Knight. “Poyoyo?”
He smiled. “Just some friends…”
Kirby nodded, satisfied with that
answer.
Meta Knight looked at him for a
moment, his expression almost puzzled. “I wonder why I never
noticed… Your personalities are so similar.” He laughed. He
wasn’t sure how to see the child now, knowing who he was- or
who he had once been.
Kirby smiled too, but he didn’t
really know what it all meant. He’d always had a feeling like
someone was there with him, guiding him. He had assumed that
everyone felt like that. “…Home now?”
Meta Knight nodded, standing with
some effort. “Yes… Let’s find the others and go home.”
He felt Galaxia’s hilt, safely
at his side. Most of the power was gone from it now, but the
soul still resided there, silent. It had completed its purpose.
“It’s hard to believe it’s over…” He almost worried
that this was another illusion.
He stepped forward and winced at
a sudden pain in his side, stumbling. Kirby noticed, reaching
out to steady him.
“I’m fine…” Meta Knight
reassured him. He felt more drained than he first thought. They
headed quickly for the door; they both knew that escape from
this dark place wouldn’t be easy.
Neither of them noticed as the
shadowed form behind them moved, red eyes flashing as he rose up
slowly from a pool of blood.
He would not die alone.
With his last vestiges of energy,
Yamikage darted forward at impossible speed, katana in hand and
eyes murderous.
Meta Knight saw him running
directly for Kirby and knew the young warrior wouldn’t be able
to react in time. No one would appear to protect him now.
Time slowed in that instant as he
moved between the two, pushing Kirby out of the way.
A Star Warrior lived and died so
that others may live.
The room was silent, and time
flowed again.
Meta Knight was suddenly aware of
a terrible pain through him. He looked down and could only stare
wordlessly at his hands, wrapped around the bottom half of the
katana nearly up to its hilt in his stomach.
Yamikage gave a short victorious
laugh, coughing up blood. “Brave… but foolish…” He
pulled out the blade in a swift movement, and Meta Knight
collapsed to the floor. Galaxia fell from his hand unused,
sliding away. “And you…” Yamikage turned his gaze on the
other Star Warrior.
Kirby was shaking as he saw Meta
Knight fall.
It wasn’t supposed to happen
this way.
An indescribable rage rose in
him, unlike any he’d ever experienced, everything he saw
tinged in red.
He didn’t even remember when he’d
grabbed Galaxia. But, it was in his hands, and he was running
for Yamikage, screaming.
Yamikage raised his katana in
front of him to block, knowing it would do him no good. With a
kind of grim detachment he realized he would not survive this
battle.
No matter- he had accomplished
his goal.
The sword connected. His katana-
the arm holding the katana- went flying to one side. He cursed
in pain, blood spraying as he fell back. Kirby did not stop,
swinging fiercely.
The next cut was final.
Yamikage had no time to even
think as the golden blade came down, through bone and tissue,
diagonally through his entire body. Two halves of the former
Star Warrior crumpled to the steel floor.
Kirby stood there for a long
moment, still shaking and breathing hard, his eyes unfocused.
Galaxia clattered to the ground.
“Meda...”
Don’t be too late please don’t
be too late.
He wasn’t moving.
Kirby wanted it to be a dream,
another nightmare he could wake up from and everything would be
okay again.
Kirby ran to him, pushing him
into a sitting position and elated to find he was still
breathing. But, it was ragged, coming in short gasps.
Meta Knight struggled to focus,
holding one hand over the wound for all the good it did. “Damn
it…” He looked to Kirby, forcing a smile. “You’re okay…
Don’t worry about me, we’re hard to kill…”
His body had all ready been too
injured, his energy gone. Maybe in a better time, this wouldn’t
have been so bad.
He cried out suddenly, and Kirby
caught him as he started to fall to the side.
Slowly he realized- a deep
feeling inside of him, of something winding to a stop. His body
had reached its limits, after such an impossibly long time.
Kirby stood close as Meta Knight
spoke quietly. “You did perfectly, Kirby… You’ll be
everyone’s hero.”
“Meda too… Meda Knight hero
too poyo.” He leaned against him, holding him up. “Gonna see
everyone.”
Kirby held up his cape to the
wound, but Meta Knight put his hand over his, pushing him away
gently. “I’m okay… It doesn’t even hurt anymore…” It
was slowly replaced with a spreading numbness and he shivered.
Kirby leaned him against the
wall, covering him tightly in his cape. “Gonna get help….”
“Kirby…” No one could get
there in time.
Kirby shook his head adamantly.
“Meda be okay.”
He closed his eyes. “Kirby…
listen to me.”
The child moved close, sitting
next to him.
“…When you get back to the
castle… in my room there are letters in one of the desk
drawers… Another is with Joe’s aunt… Please, be sure
everyone gets them.”
Kirby gave him a puzzled look.
Meta Knight was coming back with them. He didn’t need Kirby to
do this for him.
Meta Knight managed to reach up,
touching his face gently. “You need to listen to me now… You
need to go help everyone. They need you.”
“No!” he exclaimed, voice
breaking. “Meda help too!”
He laughed, only a little. It was
hard to breathe. “…I’m just a bit tired… I need to rest…”
“No… No no no…” he shook
him softly, tears welling up his eyes. He grabbed Meta Knight’s
hand, some irrational part of him believing he could hold him
there, keep him there with him.
He had seen friends die before.
He never wanted to see it again, but he was always helpless to
do anything.
Meta Knight could only hold his
small hand, his strength fading. “…We might… see each
other again someday…” he said, his voice barely audible. And
his eyes faded, growing slowly dimmer before they closed.
Kirby stayed with him, holding
his hand even as it went slack in his arms.
He didn’t know how long he had
been sitting beside him before he heard footsteps and angry
voices outside the cell.
He took Galaxia into his hands,
facing the door as it opened.
He would protect him.
Everything was clear and
soothing. All was completely at peace. He could rest, after so
very long. For a time, at least.
A familiar presence, warm and
cheerful. One that shouldn’t be there.
“No worries… He’s still
alive, thanks to you…. I just didn’t get a chance to talk to
you before you went.”
There was a comforting feeling,
like arms embracing him.
“I don’t want you to go with
any regrets, so I’m telling you now: I don’t blame you in
the slightest for what happened. Neither does anyone else. You
only did what you had to.”
He rested against him for a long
moment.
“…Guess you have to go now,”
he said, tone sad. “Promise me you won’t keep regretting
what happened.”
He promised.
“Great.” He smiled, and he
waved. “…See you around.”
And there was glorious light.
They heard the sounds of a
battle.
Sword and Blade ran ahead of the
others, Joe carried between them. Fumu and Silica were right
behind them, and they were all exhausted from the rapid pace
they had been keeping.
“It should be right up ahead!”
Blade shouted. The room was at the end of a long narrow hallway.
He didn’t understand why there weren’t any guards until they
got closer, and he saw several of them run through the open door
ahead.
They heard a familiar cry, and a
flash of light illuminated them from into the room. Two of the
guards ran back out, only to be met with blasts from their
weapons.
Fumu ran ahead all of them,
ignoring their warnings as she ran into the prison cell. She
knew who it had to be.
“Kirby!”
He barely registered her presence
at first, his mind clouded with a myriad of emotions. But, her
voice cut through to him and he nearly dropped the sword. “Fumu…”
She moved past bodies of the
soldiers he’d slain, wrapping her arms around him and holding
him close. “We were so worried…”
He was a warrior, in his blood
and in his soul.
But he was still only a child.
A thin wall inside him shattered,
tears flowing down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably,
clinging to her.
The others entered the room,
looking with confusion at Kirby’s reaction. Fumu could only
hold him, bewildered.
Joe spoke what was on everyone’s
mind, his voice hesitant. “…Where’s Meta Knight?”
Kirby couldn’t answer him, but
he didn’t need to.
They all looked as Silica gave a
short cry, her hands covering her mouth.
A small form near the wall,
draped in blue cloth.
Sword and Blade had enough
presence of mind to set Joe down before they ran over. Everyone
realized it, but they refused to say it.
Fumu shook her head slowly,
holding Kirby as his cries gradually subsided.
“Please no…”
It was unthinkable.
They should all be celebrating.
Nightmare was defeated, never to be a threat to life again. They’d
accomplished what they had set out to do, against all odds.
It did not feel like a victory.
Sword backed away from the body,
swallowing hard, a pain in chest and throat. For a brief moment
he had prayed with every fiber of his being that Kirby had been
mistaken.
Blade spoke, his voice hollow.
“…We still need to get out of here. The hanger isn’t far.”
They all forced themselves to not
feel. They could not mourn now.
They both stared, shocked- but he
was right. They knew it wasn’t him anymore, but it
would be wrong to leave the body there.
“We can’t…” Sword shook
his head. “Not here…”
They tied the cape around the
body carefully, carrying it between them. He was so light.
They knew where they needed to go
next. No one needed to say anything. No one knew what to say.
They had little opposition as
they made their way to the base’s hanger, the soldiers and
demons disorganized with their leader gone. They were still a
threat, but nothing they couldn’t deal with.
They stole aboard a small ship,
firing through the doors to the outside and flying out into
space, switching the ship to warp before they could be followed.
Kirby looked at the star chart
before him, pointing to the certain location. He knew how to get
there.
The Kabu guided them.
There was a place for him, as
there was for all the others that had come before him.
Was his soul resting there? They
had no way of knowing. But, as they entered the tomb, something
felt different. More than just a sense of peace, now there was a
strange energy.
They gathered in the room they
were led to, Sword and Blade carrying the wrapped figure between
them in a somber procession.
Fumu cried softly into Silica
shoulder, the older girl stroking her hair. Silica’s tears
fell silently. She hadn’t known him as well, but the loss
still affected her.
“…We don’t have his mask,”
Blade said as the top of the stone sarcophagus closed by some
unknown force. He recalled how Jecra’s tomb had his sword and
shield. It would be only proper to set Meta Knight’s mask
here, as much as it had defined him. But he didn’t know where
it was.
Sword wanted to be strong for his
friend, but as Blade suddenly turned and wrapped his arms around
him, fiercely, trying and failing to hold back tears, he was
quick to follow.
Kirby and Joe stood in front of
the tomb, Joe leaning on him for support. Kirby had no tears
left.
Joe was angry. It was how he
usually felt about things he didn’t like. He never cried when
he was younger. He got angry and lashed out.
Yet, he felt hot tears on his
face, and rubbed them away quickly. He refused to cry, gritting
his teeth and turning away… only to see Kirby looking up at
him.
“It okay Joe…” he said,
holding his hand. He felt a connection to him he didn’t quite
understand. He always had. “Meda… Meda Knight protect me…”
The thought made him a little less sad.
Kirby looked at the gold hilt he
held in his other hand. Galaxia was silent, but Kirby thought he
felt something akin to grief emanating from it. Even the sacred
sword mourned.
Joe swallowed the lump in his
throat. He wouldn’t cry. Instead he looked up at the Kabu that
was in the room. “What happens to the Star Warriors now?
Nightmare’s gone.”
“There is always darkness.
Their souls will always exist to fight it,” the ancient statue
replied. “The cycle continues.”
They left a short time after for their next destination.
It was early in the morning when
Jarle heard a knock at the door. Grumbling to herself, she swung
it open, ready to yell at whomever it was. She stopped short
when she saw Joe standing there, leaning against Silica and his
leg in a splint.
The next moment, Bun ran out the
door past her, tackling his sister in a strong hug.
“You’re alive!” he cried,
his arms around her middle.
She laughed a little, patting him
on the head. “Of course I am… I missed you.”
Bun suddenly realized that he was
hugging his big sister and backed away, trying to maintain his
composure. He suddenly grinned. “You beat him, didn’t you?
You beat Nightmare!”
“Poyo!” Kirby nodded and Bun
did a little spin.
“I don’t believe it!” he
cheered. “How did you do it? You have to tell me everything. I
can’t believe you left me here; it was so boring…” He
frowned then, looking over the group, a sudden bad feeling in
his stomach. “…Hey… where’s Meta Knight?”
Everyone was silent, no one
wanting to answer. Fumu spoke up, but softly.
“He… He saved Kirby… but…”
her voice trembled and she couldn’t continue.
Jarle paled, leaning heavily on
the doorframe. “…Let’s get inside.”
She sat down on the couch as she
entered the living room, leaning over with her arms on her legs,
hair draped over her face. The others went into the guest room,
knowing better than to bother her.
Joe stood back, leaning on a
chair for support now. His leg didn’t hurt as much now that
they’d treated it better- and he’d downed several
painkillers.
He spotted something on one of
the tables, and reached over to pick it up. It was a photo, an
old one. Jecra, holding him as an infant, Jarle looking as
annoyed as she always did. And Meta Knight, looking like he’d
been pulled into the frame without warning.
Joe looked up as he realized his
aunt was crying quietly, her face buried in her hands. He didn’t
remember ever seeing her cry before. Or maybe he had- but it was
a faint memory. He decided to leave her alone for a while,
moving awkwardly toward the hallway to the bedrooms.
Kirby stopped him, waving
something in his hand. “Poyo!”
“Huh? What is it?”
He held out two envelopes. Joe
saw his name written on one, Jarle’s on the other. He took
them hesitantly, knowing whom they were from. He didn’t know
when he’d written them, but it didn’t matter now.
Jarle looked up as she heard her
nephew walk back into the room. “I got something in my eye,”
she said, her voice flat. Joe just handed her the envelope. She
opened it, eyes running over the words.
“…Damned beach ball…” She
gave a short laugh, setting the letter on the table in front of
her. “Why the hell did my stupid brother like you so much…”
She covered her face with her hands for a moment, wearily,
pushing her hair back. Her eyes were still wet. “…This is
the second time I’ve ever cried like this…”
Joe looked at the letter
addressed to him, but didn’t open it yet. Jarle glanced over
at him.
“You should probably get to the
hospital for that,” she said, pointing to his leg.
“I’m fine…”
She raised an eyebrow. “And you’ll
need to stay off your feet for a while.”
“I know…”
“You’re going to completely
ignore me.”
“Probably.”
She sighed, standing up and
walking over to him. She grinned. “Just try to run.” With
that she scooped him up around his middle, carrying him under
one arm.
“P-Put me down!” he
exclaimed, but didn’t struggle. He knew better.
“Soon as we get to the doctor’s.
I promised my brother I’d look after you, and it wouldn’t be
very responsible of me to let you run around with a broken leg,”
she said very matter-of-factly. She got to the front door and
turned around, shouting, “I’ll be back later! Don’t touch
anything in the kitchen!”
Kirby watched as the door closed
behind her. The others were back in the guest bedroom. Fumu was
telling her brother everything that had happened.
Kirby was tired. He didn’t have
much of an appetite, though.
“…Mom and dad probably miss
us,” Bun said after Fumu had finished her story, some time
later. Kirby was leaning next to him on the couch in the living
room, his eyes closed though he wasn’t sleeping. Sword and
Blade were actually asleep, next to each other on the other side
of the couch, and Silica was looking through the kitchen despite
Jarle’s warning. Jarle wasn’t back with Joe yet.
“I miss them too…” his
sister said quietly. She really hadn’t noticed how homesick
she was, but she still smiled a little. “Don’t forget, Rona
said she was going to have a celebration for us.”
“I’d almost forgot!” he
exclaimed, sounding a little happier now.
“So, what did you do here while
we were gone?” she asked.
“Oh… Jarle made me clean and
stuff, it was awful! And then…” He fell quiet for a moment.
“I found this video… Old movies of her brother and Joe when
he was little… and even Meta Knight… We watched some of them
together… Jarle told me a lot about them.”
Fumu didn’t say anything at
first. Then, asking hesitantly, “…Could we see them too?”
The others woke up as Bun found
the disks and put them in the machine.
Kirby watched, wide eyed, as he
saw memories from a past life.
