It hadn’t even been an hour,
and all ready he was exhausted.
Yamikage had left much
earlier, saying he had things to attend to first. He hadn’t
even done anything, to Meta Knight’s surprise.
But hanging there, trying to
keep from being stabbed by any of the claw spikes around him was
taxing enough. He swore that they moved when he even thought he’d
gotten into an almost comfortable position…
And then, as if to prove his
suspicions, the spikes withdrew completely. He took a moment
before he relaxed, fearing that they would come out again as he
least expected it. He waited, and there was nothing. He hung
there by his arms, eyes on the door and wondering what was going
to happen.
He was tired. Likely the
lingering effects of the poison-tipped daggers, coupled with his
physical exhaustion. He closed his eyes for a moment, wanting to
rest…
No! Not now!
His eyes snapped open.
And everything had changed.
He wasn’t chained up
anymore. He wasn’t in that dark room in that forsaken place.
He was in his bed, in his own
room at the castle, sitting amidst tousled sheets.
A dream? That was all…?
No, this was a dream. It had
to be.
He got up slowly, scanning the
room. Everything was as it should be. The floor felt solid
beneath his feet. His mask was on the table next to his bed and
he put it on, feeling it click into place.
The living room too, looked
normal. The weapons on the walls, the small bookshelf, even the
jar of candy on the windowsill. On an impulse he walked over and
took one. It tasted sweet. You couldn’t taste things in
dreams, could you?
He opened the door and a
Waddle Dee ran past, perhaps on an errand from Dedede. Another
brushed away cobwebs in a corner nearby.
He stood there for a long
moment, his cape wrapped around himself tightly.
It had all been a dream? No,
impossible. But, what was this?
“Sir Meta Knight!”
A little shocked, he turned to
see Sword and Blade standing in the hallway next to him.
“…Yes?” he managed to
say.
“Just reporting we saw
Dedede having some Waddle Dees carry something suspicious into
the basement,” Sword said.
Blade sighed. “You don’t
need to be a genius to know he’s up to something…”
“I see… Thank you…” he
mumbled. Nothing was amiss.
“Sir? Are you all right?”
Sword asked, moving closer.
“…I’m fine.”
His subordinate nodded. “Let
us know if there’s a problem.”
“I will… Keep an eye on
Dedede and let me know if anything else happens.”
“Yes Sir!” They both ran
off.
He walked down the long
hallways, seeing the occasional Waddle Dee. Same as it always
had been. The view from the castle’s highest balcony showed
the same view he’d grown accustomed to seeing for years. He
felt the breeze against his face, the air warm. It was a
beautiful day.
Something was so very wrong.
And yet, he felt like he was
being silly for worrying. All of that- all of the mess with
Nightmare returning, becoming his prisoner, all just a dream.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
“Oh, Sir Meta Knight!”
It was Fumu, who saw him as he
came down the stairs.
“Good morning…” He
walked over to her. “How is everything?” They talked
whenever they happened to run into each other, but he never went
out of his way. He liked to at least be polite.
Fumu was locked up somewhere
now. Not home at the castle. Not here speaking with him.
“Oh, same as usual… What
about you?”
He laughed, just a little. “I
had the strangest dream…”
“You did?”
“Yes… Maybe it was more of
a nightmare, really.”
She smiled. “It must have
been pretty bad if it’s bothering you.”
“I suppose so…”
She turned, waving. “Well, I
need to get going. We’re going on a picnic today and I need to
get ready. See you later!”
Meta Knight waved back and
watched as she left.
He turned around and his
vision was assaulted by red.
The green stone of the hallway
was soaked in blood. Bright splatters across the floor and
ceiling, a grisly work of art.
“Hard to tell sometimes, isn’t
it?”
He recognized the voice
instantly. He turned, seeing Yamikage sitting in a window. He
immediately reached for his sword- to find it wasn’t there.
“It’s easy to create a
dream world so real that anyone could fall for it. You just need
to use their own memories.”
Meta Knight was speechless.
“…You…” He had, he realized- he had very nearly fallen
for the illusion.
Yamikage jumped down off the
windowsill. “And this is only a taste of my master’s powers…
The inside of your mind is quite a fascinating place, you know.”
Meta Knight had a sudden
feeling of revulsion. Could they sort through his thoughts and
memories as easily as flipping through the pages of a book?
“We still have much to do.
Now, wake up.”
As soon as he said it, Meta
Knight felt the bonds around his arms and feet again, the room
going from the blood splattered hallway to his prison.
Yamikage stood near Galaxia’s
pedestal. “Now the fun begins for real.”
The door opened, and two
beastly armored figures entered, carrying a struggling figure
between them. Meta Knight couldn’t see at first, but as they
got closer…
“Fumu!”
The girl was bound and gagged,
eyes wide in terror. The two guards pushed her roughly to the
floor and Yamikage walked over, picking her up by her hair.
“I kept all of your comrades
alive, you know. Some in better condition than others…” He
approached Meta Knight, dragging the girl.
“Leave them out of this,”
Meta Knight hissed.
“What? Oh, you don’t want
me to do anything like threaten to kill them unless you
surrender yourself?” he asked, tone light. “You don’t have
to worry about that. You see… I know you wouldn’t save this
one girl in exchange for the lives of everyone else in the
universe.”
Fumu had stopped struggling,
now just breathing hard, tears in her eyes as she stared ahead
at Meta Knight.
Yamikage laughed quietly. “Tell
her, Meta Knight. Tell her that her one life isn’t that
important.”
“Let her go.”
“Or you’ll what? Would you
like to bargain with me?”
“Let her GO. She isn’t a
part of this!”
Yamikage pulled hard at her
hair, eliciting a muffled yelp. “But, she is, so very much so.
Her terror gives my master strength. That’s all that’s
important in the long run, you know. This is a means to an end.”
Her eyes were on him,
pleading.
“Yamikage! What do you want
from me?!” Meta Knight demanded.
He appeared to smile. “I
thought I explained this.”
A dagger glinted in his hand.
“We want you to suffer.”
It was a quick, brutally
efficient movement. One hand yanked her head back, as the other
sliced the blade across her neck. A sudden gush of bright
arterial blood, covering her and pooling at her feet.
Meta Knight could only watch.
Yamikage let her body fall to
the ground, wiping his dagger in the front of his outfit. “Mm,
it’s not very satisfying to do it quickly… But, that was a
practice run anyway.”
She was gone. In the moment it
took for him to blink, she was gone. No body. No blood.
The ninja laughed viciously.
“It’s impossible to tell, isn’t it? Was that real? Or is
this the dream, and she’s still bleeding her life onto the
floor? Care to make a guess?”
Meta Knight’s eyes were wide
and completely pale as he stared at the spot, unable to shake
the image.
“Oh, who should we try for
real? Perhaps one of your loyal followers? Or maybe that other
boy…”
Meta Knight couldn’t keep
the slight pleading tone from his voice. “Stop this.”
A short, annoyed laugh. “I
have no reason to. We will get what we want. And you’re
helpless to do anything about it.”
Yamikage walked towards him
casually, tossing a shuriken in his hand. “It’s really far
more interesting than your usual torture. Physical methods…
While satisfying, the body can only take so much.”
He threw it, and Meta Knight
winced as it hit right above his arm, nicking his skin.
“The mind… In some ways,
it’s far more resilient. In others… Oh, it doesn’t take
much to reduce a man to a gibbering lunatic… But the mind has
its limits too. It’s just so much fun finding them.”
She was there again. Fumu. In
front of him, neck gaping and blood soaked, grabbing at him.
Eyes full of pain. And then she was gone just as quickly.
Yamikage studied him for a
moment. “It bothers you, but I know she isn’t that important
to you. You simply wouldn’t like to see anyone die like that,
not when you can’t do anything about it.” He paced as he
thought aloud.
“…Are they really all
alive?” he chanced asking.
“Of course they are. Alive
and well- I swear on my life,” Yamikage replied nonchalantly.
“Why are you bringing them
into this?”
He smirked behind his cloth
mask. “They’ve caused us plenty of trouble. What, should we
just let them go? Give me a good reason and maybe I’ll
consider it.” Meta Knight didn’t reply. “Well, I was
hoping to keep it a surprise… but if you must know…” He
walked closer. “…I was planning on having you kill them
instead.” He laughed again as he saw Meta Knight’s eyes
widen. “Well, it will give you something to look forward to,
once my master has control over your body.”
“…Why?”
Yamikage scoffed, as if it was
a ridiculous question. “I know you better than you’d think,
Meta Knight. I could simply parade all of those children in here
one at a time, torture and kill them all in front of you. I
would really enjoy it, to be honest. But, you’ve all ready
seen your friends die… So many of them over the years. You don’t
let it phase you anymore, do you.” A statement, not a
question.
The knight shook his head. “I’ve
always grieved. But, my friends died for a worthy cause. And
besides…” A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. “If you
believe the stories, they aren’t gone for very long.”
Laughter. Not from Yamikage,
but deeper. The dark orb materialized near him again, Nightmare’s
voice echoing in the empty room.
“It’s true, Star Warrior,”
he said, hovering around Meta Knight. “It’s exactly as your
ancestors intended. Star Warriors have existed in a constant
cycle of death and rebirth for countless millennia.”
Meta Knight followed the orb’s
movement, his eyes glowing a disturbing red. “So there would
always have someone to fight against you.”
He laughed again. “I know.
Do you not think I realized it? Do you not think I would have
done something about it?”
Meta Knight’s voice
faltered. “What do you mean?”
“I could not have allowed
the cycle to continue. But even if I killed every last one, they’d
only come back. I tried killing you Star Warriors when you were
young, before you were a threat. I either couldn’t find you,
or some force protected you,” he said angrily, the orb
spinning faster. “But, I found a way. I found a weakness in
the cycle. Exactly when the soul leaves the body… right at
that point, the soul can be taken. Thus, it can never be reborn.”
Meta Knight had a cold feeling
in the pit of his stomach. “You… you destroyed their souls.”
He scoffed. “No. I’ve
tried, but that isn’t possible. Nor can I force them to cross
over. Very powerful souls, these ones… It’s difficult enough
just keeping them contained. Nevertheless, it solved my problem
quite nicely.” He hovered back over towards Yamikage.
The ninja folded his arms over
his chest as the orb vanished again. “Shame. You can’t even
look forward to your friends coming back to help someday.” He
chuckled.
Meta Knight hung there
unresponsive, eyes on the floor in front of him. It wasn’t
possible. He’d always had the hope that the new generation
would come. He’d clung to it. Even only Kirby had managed so
much, but he was one person and only a child.
The new generation of Star
Warriors had never come.
And they never would.
He hardly even noticed as
Yamikage came closer. He only looked up as he felt his hand on
his face in an unsettling gesture. “As fun as these mind games
are, sometimes it’s nice to go back to the basics… You could
say I still get a taste for real blood sometimes.”
He held something else in his
hand, a small device Meta Knight couldn’t make out. Suddenly
the claw spikes jutted back out, jabbing him harshly. And before
he could even pull away, an extra level of pain was added, his
body convulsing as an electrical charge passed through him.
Yamikage stopped it after
several seconds, setting the device on the pedestal near him.
“You have a higher tolerance than I expected… That would
have rendered most unconscious.” He moved closer, pulling out
a flat black dagger from a sheath on his side, running his
finger over the edge. “I love finding the limits of someone’s
endurance. How much pain can they endure before they pass out?
How much can their body take?” He spoke with a twisted glee,
holding the blade up to Meta Knight’s face.
“Once you find their limits,
you can bring them to the brink over and over again. You can
maximize the pain they feel.”
Meta Knight’s breath came in
short gasps. He tried to withdraw, but he could not move. In a
way he had never felt before, he was afraid. He was truly at
this sadist’s mercy, and it horrified him like few things had
in his long life.
Yamikage pressed the blade to
his skin. “I want to hear you beg for death, Meta Knight. I
want to hear you scream.”
Blade’s search had finally
been successful.
After three rooms and more
than enough close calls, he’d found a computer terminal he
could access.
His hands flew across the
keys; his heart pounding as he worried someone would enter the
room at any second.
Images and menus flashed
across the screen as he searched for what he needed. There! An
image of lines and labels appeared- a map.
He couldn’t make sense of it
at first. It was huge- but then zoomed in on a red dot.
Apparently it was his current location. He did a quick scan for
where they had been held- Cell Block 1. Most of the cells were
in gray- one was in green, where Fumu and Sword still were. It
wasn’t too far from where he was now.
He looked over the other
cells, looking for other ones in green… He grinned when he saw
it, in one of the higher guarded sections. That must be where
Joe and Silica were.
But he saw no sign of any
other occupied cells. Meta Knight and Kirby could be in a
completely different part of the complex… Or they more likely,
they wouldn’t be shown on the map at all.
He had an excellent memory for
directions, and so only needed to look it over a few times to
get it down.
So absorbed was he in his
discovery, he didn’t noticed as the door opened, and a dark
figure slid behind him. He froze as his long ponytail was
grabbed from behind, a gun pressed to the side of his head.
“Who the hell are you and
what are you doing?” a gruff voice snarled. “This is a
restricted area.”
“Oh, is it? No one told me
that,” Blade said, inappropriately casual. “I’m lost you
see, just trying to find my way around.”
“Eh?” This served to
confuse the guard behind him. “What are you talking ab-“
Blade’s hand shot up,
hitting him in the arm and causing him to lose his grip on the
gun. Blade spun, grabbing it from him. The guard tackled him,
trying to get it back. Not wanting a shot to attract attention,
Blade put him out of commission by hitting him hard in the side
of the head with it, and he crumpled to the floor.
“Not so bad…” he
muttered, heart racing. He didn’t hear anyone else coming. He
realized he should have asked the guy for directions before he
knocked him out, but it didn’t really matter now.
He looked back at the map,
searching again until he found the base’s hanger. It showed
several ships docked, including many smaller ones that would be
perfect for their means.
There was still no sign of
where Kirby and Meta Knight could be held. There was a
maximum-security section some distance away from the rest of the
cells, but it didn’t show if they were actually there. They’d
have to find someone to interrogate, or just take their chances.
Grinning to himself, he
returned the computer to the state it was when he left, shoved
the unconscious soldier in a nearby supply room, locked the door
and left the same way he came in. He kept the gun, and some
other odds and ends he’d stolen.
Kirby was alone. And he was
scared.
He wasn’t chained as Meta
Knight was- instead they’d just blocked his only means of
attack. A simple looking gag had been placed over his mouth,
straps going from it around his body above and below his arms,
stuck tight. It hurt to try to take it off. He could breathe
through it, but he wouldn’t be able to suck anything up.
The cell he was in was small
and dark, only a single flickering light overhead.
He couldn’t shake the
feeling that he’d been in a place like this before. Cold steel
walls, and a memory of everything hurting so much… yet he knew
nothing like that had ever happened to him.
He whimpered softly, going up
to the only door and trying to look out through the window at
the top. It was too high, and he couldn’t expand to make
himself float either.
There was no bed to lie down
on, and perhaps most distressing, no food to be seen. He needed
some right now, if only for comfort.
Hours had gone by since he’d
been put in this awful place. He didn’t know if Meta Knight,
or Fumu or Joe or anyone was okay. He kept imagining that they
were all dead all ready, and he was going to be next.
He couldn’t do anything to
save them. He couldn’t use his only power- not that there was
anything in here he could use. He couldn’t even call the
Warpstar himself.
Kirby had tried. He couldn’t
speak well through the gag, but he had tried, same as Fumu
always had. But, the Warpstar never came. Maybe it couldn’t
hear him? Or maybe it was stuck somewhere, just like he was.
He sat down against the back
wall, waiting for whatever was going to happen to him. He wanted
to see all of his friends again.
He closed his eyes for just a
moment, and then he heard the door open.
Meta Knight had no way of knowing how
much time passed. Minutes, hours perhaps. Yamikage himself
seemed to lose track of the time, completely absorbed in what he
was doing until he was called somewhere. And finally,
mercifully, he allowed Meta Knight to fall unconscious.
And now he awoke to the sounds
of explosions and screaming.
A battle was raging around
him. Demon beasts of all types fought with claws and teeth
against the blades of several dozen Star Warriors. He recognized
them all- but they had all died years ago.
“Another dream,” he said
quietly.
“Hey! What are you doing?!”
one of his comrades exclaimed, a taller warrior in blue armor.
“This isn’t the place to be day drea-“
He hadn’t even finished
speaking as he was cut down, bright red gouges on his chest as a
wolf-beast slashed through his armor like it wasn’t even
there.
“…Only a dream. This is
not happening… This is just a dream…” Meta Knight backed
away, repeating the mantra as he saw two more of his comrades
felled. Again.
His hand went to Galaxia’s
hilt. Even in a dream, he couldn’t stand there and watch them
die.
One demon went down,
decapitated. Another severed at the torso. Their fetid blood
gushed over the battlefield as every one that came near him met
the same fate.
They never stopped coming.
Each time he killed one, two more appeared. And one after
another, his fellow Star Warriors fell to them.
The demon beasts surrounded
him, jaws slavering and soulless eyes boring into him, their
prey. He stood his ground.
A voice came from one- or
rather on top of one. Yamikage sat astride a smaller dragon,
watching Meta Knight’s every move.
“Having fun?” he asked
genially.
Meta Knight didn’t reply.
Ignoring the other demons, he leapt at the dark ninja, moving
with surprising speed. He slashed, cutting through the demon-
but Yamikage dodged, jumping over and behind him.
Meta Knight didn’t pause,
rushing at him again, his sword glowing.
“Don’t try it, Meta
Knight,” Yamikage sneered. He vanished in a cloud of black
smoke. Meta Knight stopped, and sensed his opponent behind him.
He couldn’t turn in time as he heard something thrown. The
shuriken hit him in the side, right below his arm and he gasped
in pain.
Something was wrong. You didn’t
feel pain in a dream.
“Surprised?” Yamikage
laughed. “Thanks to my master’s powers, you can physically
harm someone in their dreams… You could even kill them there.”
Meta Knight started to move-
but something grabbed his foot.
He looked down and froze. It
was one of his slain comrades, bloodied hand clutching his foot.
He felt more hands grab his cape and armor and he closed his
eyes. He didn’t want to look, to see their animated corpses
clawing at him.
Yamikage cackled as he
approaching the immobilized warrior. “I could do this all day…
Just let you relive their deaths, over and over, while you can
do nothing about it.”
“…It’s not real. It
means nothing…” Meta Knight said, voice tense. Yet he was
shaking. These were exactly the memories he had been trying to
avoid thinking about all these years. Simply don’t focus on
them, and they won’t bother you… It was a lie.
“Does it?” Yamikage asked.
He snapped his fingers, and the bodies around him collapsed into
empty armor and bones. “Right… they died heroically. They
died so that others may live… It’s comforting to think that
way.”
Meta Knight watched him,
clutching Galaxia’s hilt tightly. He wasn’t even sure if it
was really there. He wasn’t sure of anything in this twisted
nightmare. But, it gave him a modicum of reassurance.
“You’re used to seeing
them die… Oh, what was that one’s name? The one that helped
you get that sword…” Yamikage put his hand to his chin. “The
woman. Garlude, was it?” Meta Knight didn’t respond. “Yes,
she lost her life so you could get that sword. You sleep better
at night knowing she died for such a worthy cause.”
Meta Knight narrowed his eyes,
unsure at what Yamikage’s point was.
His red eyes glinted. “It’s
awful when a friend dies meaninglessly… It’s even worse when
you need to kill them yourself.”
He couldn’t help it as he
recoiled.
Yamikage grinned. “I
remember him well. I think I always saw you two together… You
know who I speak of.”
“Stop…”
“Jecra. That was it. Such a
shame about him. So tragic… so easily preventable.”
“You have no right to speak
of him.”
Yamikage ignored him. “That
was what put me in such high regard with Nightmare, you know. It
was really a genius idea.”
Meta Knight’s anger turned
briefly to confusion. “…What are you talking about?”
“He was your weakness. We
could have simply killed him… but it was so much better, it
would bring you so much more pain to have you do it instead.”
He was shaking again, the
words striking deep. “Stop it.”
“Why? Don’t like thinking
about it?” Yamikage asked. “He was a stubborn one. Nightmare
couldn’t control him easily. I had to bring him to the brink
of death before he gave in…” His tone was jubilant as he
recalled it. “Few other Star Warriors survived as much as he
did. In the end he gave in only because he wanted to see his
loved ones again. He fell into Nightmare’s trap perfectly.”
“Stop it.” Meta
Knight backed away impulsively. He didn’t want to hear any of
this. He felt cold stone behind him and found he couldn’t go
any further.
Yamikage walked closer. “What
was it like?” In an instant, he was right in front of him,
pinning him by his arms against the stone. His eyes were
piercing, psychotic. “What was it like to kill him? What was
it like to see him die?”
Galaxia was no longer in his
hand. His mask had vanished, leaving him vulnerable. He attacked
anyway.
He swung his fist, catching
Yamikage off guard and striking the side of his face. He couldn’t
do very much damage that way. Strong as he was, his body wasn’t
made for that kind of fighting.
Yamikage grabbed his arm,
squeezing hard. “I didn’t expect that.” He felt where Meta
Knight had hit and laughed quietly. “You still have a lot of
fight left in you… We need to do something about that.”
Meta Knight scowled, the color
of his eyes nearly matching Yamikage’s. He couldn’t pull his
arm back. Even in this dream world he was weakened.
“You could have saved him,
you know.” Yamikage looked down at him. “Nightmare doesn’t
control anyone permanently. In time, maybe he could have freed
himself from his control…”
Meta Knight shook his head.
“Liar. I did try, there wasn’t anything that could be done.”
“You can tell yourself that
all you wish. I’m being truthful with you,” Yamikage
squeezed his arm harder, causing him to wince. “His death
could have been prevented.”
The landscape changed again. A
vast rocky plain stretched out around them, the setting sun
staining the ground red. And Meta Knight saw himself. He was
fighting a battle he could not win.
“Jecra! Jecra listen to me!”
His voice was high and panicked as he blocked an attack from his
friend. Jecra’s eyes were glowing red, soulless as any of the
demons he had fought before. His attacks didn’t let up.
Meta Knight couldn’t look
away. This was exactly as he remembered. He’d never tried to
recall it like this. It was too painful.
“Stop…” The memory
played out before him, and he could do nothing to halt it.
His past self pleaded with
Jecra. “Please! Fight him! You have to!” He never fought
back, only blocking and dodging. He couldn’t bring himself to
attack his friend.
His past self finally struck
Jecra with the side of his sword, stunning him momentarily. He
tried the only other thing he could think of. “Please, Jecra.
Think of Joe. Your son, you need to see him again.”
Jecra paused, face twisting
behind his mask. He brought his hands to his head, eyes squeezed
shut as if he was in pain. For a fleeting moment, Meta Knight
had thought he could break free.
It didn’t last. Jecra
screamed, half anger and half pain, dashing towards him with
intent to kill.
Meta Knight blocked the
attack, Jecra’s sword catching on one of the Galaxia’s
spikes. Jecra pushed forward regardless, eyes narrowed as he
tried to get at him, their swords locked together.
“Jecra…” Meta Knight
gasped, holding him back. “You must fight this!” He pushed
hard, trying to knock him away.
Galaxia cut through Jecra’s
sword as if it was made of paper.
He didn’t intend it. He was
only defending himself.
And suddenly Meta Knight was
in that body, no longer a spectator. He felt his sword go right
through him, through flesh and bone like it was nothing. Jecra
froze, standing over him. His broken sword clattered to the
ground as his blood flowed down Galaxia and onto Meta Knight’s
hands.
And the red faded from Jecra’s
eyes, wide now, his pupils dilated. He choked, blood flowing out
from under his mask.
Meta Knight jerked back,
pulling his sword from him. It was too late. Jecra collapsed in
front of him.
He couldn’t take it. He
couldn’t see this again.
He turned, but Yamikage was
there.
“What, you aren’t going to
comfort your friend in his final moments?” he asked
derisively. “How cold of you.”
“Stop this. Damn you, STOP
THIS!” Meta Knight swung the bloodied sword at him, and again
he dodged.
“Too hard for you? I thought
you had more resolve than this… Why didn’t you try and save
him?”
“I did. I tried.”
“No. You killed him.”
“It was an accident. I had
no choice.”
“You could have chosen not
to fight him at all. You fool, you make all the wrong decisions.
It was your decisions that led you and those children here. Your
ineptness will lead every one of them to their graves. Same as
all the rest.”
“No.” Shaking his head,
futilely denying it.
“How is it that you were one
of the only Star Warriors to survive?” he asked, his eyes
cold. “You acted selfishly. They died while you escaped.”
“That’s not true.” His
voice was wavering.
“It is. You led them all to
their deaths. Because of your carelessness you were ambushed
that night and Jecra was taken.”
This wasn’t right. It wasn’t
true. He could only shake his head at the accusations.
“Mety…”
That voice. Suddenly his was
the last voice Meta Knight wanted to hear. Despite himself, he
turned.
Jecra was alive. No blood, no
injuries. His eyes were sad.
Meta Knight looked back-
Yamikage was gone.
Jecra walked towards him
slowly. “I tried to stop myself. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t.
I didn’t want to attack you like that.”
Meta Knight backed away slowly
at first. “Stop it… Yamikage. Stop this now,” he choked,
desperate.
“I thought you could have
done something to help me. Why didn’t you?”
“It wasn’t like that,”
he replied. “It was an accident. I didn’t want to.”
He looked angry. “It still
happened. You didn’t even try.”
“I did!” he exclaimed. “Damnit,
I didn’t know!”
He couldn’t face him. And so
he ran.
There was no place he could go
here, but he ran anyway. It was cowardly, selfish. He couldn’t
help it.
A hand grabbed his arm.
“Meta Knight!” Jecra’s
voice, twisted now.
He looked at the hand grabbing
him. The fabric and skin in tatters, white bone showing through.
He didn’t turn to look, only pulling away and running faster.
The landscape became a never-ending blur, the accusing voices of
his fallen companions echoing behind him, louder and louder no
matter how much he ran.
He stumbled, was unable
recover and tumbled end over end before coming to a stop on his
back. He heard footsteps, looking up to see Yamikage standing
over him.
“What a pathetic display,”
he scoffed. “Why don’t you answer them?” He kicked the
fallen soldier in the side, righting him. “I think I’ll
leave you here for a while. Let you sort things out.”
“W-Wait!”
He was gone. Meta Knight could
hear footsteps behind him.
He didn’t look. He couldn’t.
Instead he gaze went down… and he saw his white gloves were
still covered in blood. His blood. He ripped them off,
throwing them down on the stained ground.
The blood was still on his
hands.
Failure.
Coward.
They’ll all die because of
you.
They all died because of your
mistakes.
“Stop!” he pleaded, eyes
squeezed shut. They were all around him now, clawing at him. “Damnit,
STOP!”
Everyone who follows you
dies.
They’ll all die by your
hand.
You can do nothing about it.
The Star Warriors are dead.
You are powerless.
“Not real not real not
real not real…” Over and over. They weren’t real. Just a
dream.
Nightmare had their souls.
Maybe this was real and he was being punished for allowing this
to happen to them.
He opened his eyes for a
moment, looking up in front of him.
Half of his face was a skull’s
external grin. Blood soaked his clothes.
“…Why did you kill me?”
“I… I…” he
stammered, backing away from the ghastly visage. He couldn’t
force himself to look away.
Hands grabbed at him from all
sides, angry voices rising.
“Why did you survive? Why
none of us?”
“You failed us!”
No better than a traitor.
This is what you deserve.
They closed in. And all he
could do was scream.
Sword Knight and Fumu listened
intently as Blade told them what he’d found out and explained
his plan.
“I didn’t see many guards
patrolling the hallways. Apparently most of the soldiers here
are elsewhere, preparing for a big attack.”
“An attack? Where?” Fumu
asked.
He shook his head. “I’m
not sure… But, it’s going to make this easier for us.” He
held up the gun. “This too. It only has a small charge left in
it, but it should do for now… Ready?”
They nodded. They needed to
get this done fast.
Blade moved over next to the
door as Fumu went up to it, tapping on it to get the guard’s
attention.
“Eh? What is it?” he asked
grumpily, turning to look at her through the barred window.
“Um… I think something’s
wrong with my friend…” She gestured back to Sword, who was
now lying prone on the floor.
“Ask me if I care.”
His companion nudged him. “Hey…
they said we had to keep them all alive. I don’t think the
boss would be happy if one croaked on our watch.”
“Damnit… you’re right.
Fine fine, I’ll take a look,” he grumbled, fumbling for the
card to unlock the cell door. It beeped as the lock disengaged.
The second guard grinned at
Fumu as the first walked inside towards Sword. “You remind me
of a girl I used to know.”
“Oh… really?” she asked,
trying to keep her eyes off Blade behind him.
“Yeah. Big blue eyes, blonde
hair… Pretty little thing,” he said wistfully. His teeth
were jagged as he smiled. “I snapped her neck like a twig.”
Seeing her face fall he grinned wider and stepped forward. “Want
to know some other things I did? I-“ He was cut off abruptly
by a quick shot to his temple, the energy from the weapon
bursting through his skull.
“What the-“ The first
guard turned, but another well-aimed shot took care of him, his
body making a loud thump as it fell.
“Good job,” Sword said,
quickly moving to the first body and taking a large knife and a
gun. He tossed the gun to Fumu. “Nothing too complicated, just
pull the trigger.” He took a gun from the other body, while
Blade kept his first. “Let’s go.”
Yamikage stood watching Meta
Knight, who was still trapped inside a nightmare from which he
could not wake. He struggled against his bonds as he struggled
against the specters in his mind. It was fun to watch.
The doors opened behind him.
“I brought the other Star
Warrior as you ordered,” came the voice of one of the
soldiers.
“Very well. Leave him and
return to your duties.”
“Yes Sir.”
Yamikage turned, grinning
under his cloth mask as he saw Kirby there. “Hello again,
little one. Remember me?” He walked over, picking him up with
one hand and carrying him across the room. “Things are going
to go a little differently this time...”
Kirby was still gagged, and
gave a muffled exclamation as he saw Meta Knight.
“Don’t worry about him…”
Yamikage chuckled. “He’s just having a bad dream.”
Kirby fought against him,
kicking him with little effect. He didn’t like this person,
not at all.
He suddenly froze as he felt a
familiar power gather around him. Dark and cold and it made him
feel sick to his stomach. He watched as a dark orb appeared next
to him, swirling slowly.
“It’s been a while, Kirby
of the Stars.” He recognized the voice and shrank away from
it.
Nightmare was only a fraction
of the power now than he was when he last faced him, yet for
some reason he felt terrified. No, it was because he had no way
of fighting him this time.
“You did well in defeating
me. I would expect such power from my own creation.” The orb
circled him. “But, those that disobey me are not permitted to
survive.”
Kirby looked at Meta Knight,
but he couldn’t help him either. Kirby had no way to attack
Nightmare or Yamikage. What could he do?
He saw it, on the pedestal.
Galaxia. In an instant, he slipped from Yamikage’s grasp,
running for it as soon as his feet touched the ground.
The ninja was faster, grabbing
him harshly.
“No, child, that’s not for
you to play with…” he mock-scolded, gripping Kirby’s side
so hard it hurt. He looked to Meta Knight, and then to
Nightmare. “I think it’s time, my lord.”
The orb laughed. “We shall
see.”
It floated over slowly to the
unconscious warrior, hovering over him for a moment. And as
Kirby and Yamikage watched, the orb vanished and Meta Knight was
suddenly enveloped in darkness. Kirby struggled, but Yamikage
held him.
“Keep still, boy. And watch.”
He was floating in an endless
void, darkness all around him. No sound, no light, no feeling.
He actually welcomed it.
Meta Knight didn’t bother
trying to move. There was nowhere he could go here.
A deep voice rang out, from
everywhere and nowhere at once.
“Have you accepted your
fate, Star Warrior? You can do nothing against me.”
He looked up, seeing two
skeletal hands arched over him like a cage.
“Do you have any regrets?”
Meta Knight closed his eyes.
“…I failed them.”
Nightmare’s laughed echoed
around him. “It is to be expected. A pity. A Star Warrior
lives to protect others; what becomes of one who cannot even do
that?”
Meta Knight had nothing to
respond with.
“Do you wish to see how it
could have been?”
He was confused, and Nightmare
sensed it.
“I cannot change time, but I
could show you how things may have been different.”
“…Why?”
“Those that submit to me are
rewarded. Do you submit?”
He did not answer.
“Perhaps I will have to show
you, then.” The darkness around him faded, and he closed his
eyes…
When Meta Knight opened them
again, he was in the castle courtyard. A cloudless sky above,
the breeze light. He saw Dedede and Escargon in the distance,
playing golf.
“What is this?”
Nightmare’s voice had no
source. “What may have been.”
It didn’t seem very
different than what he’d left behind, he thought, looking
around curiously. What kind of trick was this?
Then he heard someone running
toward him, quick footsteps against the grass. “Hey! Hey Mety!”
That voice.
Jecra. Normal, whole. Alive.
This wasn’t real. Jecra was
dead.
“If you want it to be real,
it is,” came Nightmare’s voice.
Jecra came to a stop in front
of him, breathing hard. He wasn’t wearing his usual cape and
mask, opting for lighter clothing better suited to Dreamland’s
weather, his unruly blonde hair tied back into a still unruly
ponytail. “Yeesh, I’ve been running all over looking for
you. How do you disappear like that?”
Meta Knight shook his head,
distracted. “I was… taking a walk.”
“Well, remind me next time
so I can put a tracking device on you. This castle’s too
damned big to run around looking for you every day…”
“What did you need me for?”
Meta Knight asked. Jecra paused.
“…I knew what it was when
I started looking for you. …Damn.”
Meta Knight shook his head and
laughed, a mixture of happiness and disbelief. Jecra smiled,
looking a little confused.
“You’re in a good mood.
Any reason?”
“Nothing in particular…
Let me know when you remember whatever it was you needed.”
He waved his hand
dismissively. “Oh, it probably wasn’t anything important. I
found you anyway, that’s the important thing. Though, now I’ll
have to follow you for the rest of the day so I don’t have to
find you again if I remember it.”
“How unlucky I am,” Meta
Knight said.
The two of them watched as
Dedede missed another shot, only to have a few Waddle Dees run
over to nudge the ball into the hole.
“How can it be fun if you
always cheat?” Jecra wondered.
“That’s the king for you…”
A soccer ball suddenly went
sailing past their heads.
“I got it!” Bun went
running past, Kirby close behind.
“No, I got it!” Joe ran
past them, kicking the ball towards them. He finally noticed his
father there and ran over to him. “You said you were going to
play ball with us today.”
“I did? Oh… Well, how
about once you finish this game?”
Joe grinned. “Great! It’ll
be all of us against you.” He ran off to join the other boys.
Meta Knight had never seen Joe
so cheerful. He was actually acting like a child normally would.
Such a difference…
“Want to play too?” Jecra
asked.
“…Sports really aren’t
my forte…”
“Oh, you’ve never ever
tried.”
“I have. I don’t enjoy
them.”
“You will this time.”
Meta Knight shook his head,
laughing to himself… He always argued like that.
He’d become so lost in the
illusion, that he was somewhat startled to hear Nightmare’s
voice again.
“Do you submit?”
Meta Knight looked around for
a moment. It was far from paradise. Then, he looked over at
Jecra, who smiled in that exaggerated way he had.
“…I thought you wanted me
to suffer…” Meta Knight said quietly.
“I only want Galaxia’s
power. What happens to you is not important to me. I ask again-
Do you submit?”
He wanted to.
He knew the repercussions of
his actions, but ever fiber of his being suddenly wanted to say
yes. Damn everyone else, he could be happy in this dream world
for as long as he pleased. No more sacrifice. No more death. No
more failure.
What awaited him if he said
no? He would only suffer more. Everyone would suffer more until
he finally gave in.
It was so easy this way, and
he was so tired of it all.
At that moment, Bun kicked the
soccer ball wrong and it went flying to the side… hitting
Jecra squarely in the face.
“Gah!” he exclaimed. Joe
pointed and laughed. Meta Knight snickered as Jecra winced and
rubbed his noise.
“I don’t think it’s
broken… Ow… Thought I had better reflexes than that…”
“Let’s go get an ice pack
or something,” Meta Knight said, shaking his head.
