From so far away, clouds of dust
and gasses around the planet gave it the glowing star-shaped
appearance it was named for. It stood out against the darkness
of space, a beacon.
The ship passed through the
atmosphere, gliding high in the air past land and sea that none
of them had been to before. Mountains, forests and endless ocean
spread in all directions before they finally came to Dreamland’s
peninsula.
The ship slowed as it approached
the castle, preparing to land on the roof of the main dome. Fumu
looked out the main window and all ready saw several small
figures gathering below.
They were home.
As soon as Fumu and Bun stepped
off the ship, they ran for the familiar figures of their
parents.
Joe hobbled down the steps with
the aid of crutches, looking sullen with his leg in a bulky
cast. He had decided to stay with them in Dreamland for a time-
it was slightly better than living with his aunt.
He and Silica went up to Sir
Arthur, who was flanked by the other three Star Warriors. Arthur
was silent as he watched them approach, trepidation creeping
into him as he saw their group was incomplete.
Silica stepped forward, face
solemn. “Nightmare has been vanquished. But, Sir Meta Knight…”
She swallowed hard, voice trembling slightly. “Sir Meta Knight
was defeated in battle…”
Arthur nodded, eyes downcast. “This
victory has come at a dire price…” he said quietly. “He
was a dear friend…” He and the others were silent for a long
moment.
“Nightmare’s forces should be
easy to dispose of now,” Silica continued. “We’ll need
help.”
“Queen Rona contacted us here.
She has offered her country’s military. And with her
influence, surely she could persuade other leaders to aid us as
well.” It would be difficult, but now they would be able to
undo some of the damage Nightmare had caused.
Sword and Blade stood back from
the others, helmets held under their arms.
“…I keep feeling like I’m
going to look over... and he’ll be there,” Blade said
quietly.
“You too?” Sword said with a
slight grin. “I suppose it’ll feel like that for a while…
”
“What do we do now?” Blade
asked, serious. “We can’t stay here…”
Sword didn’t know either. They
would have to make a decision eventually… For now, he felt
lost.
Meanwhile, Kirby ran with Fumu
and Bun as they hurried over to their parents, laughing. They
were as close to family as he had, so he was just as happy to
see them.
But, the three of them slowed as
they got close. Memu was holding something in her arms, wrapped
in a pink blanket.
Fumu gasped, her face lighting
up. They rushed over and their mother smiled, leaning down so
the three children could have a better look.
“Meet your new little brother.”
He was sleeping soundly, his skin
pale yellow and hair a contrasting violet. The three of them got
in close to look, practically holding their breaths in fear of
waking him up.
“Wow… Was I that little when
I was a baby?” Bun asked quietly, fascinated. “Hey, what’s
his name?”
Parm looked a bit sheepish. “Well,
we haven’t actually thought of one… We were hoping you could
help us out.”
Memu looked past them, seeing
Sword and Blade standing over by Arthur and the rest. Her brow
furrowed slightly and she looked to her children, almost afraid
to ask what came to her mind. “I don’t see Meta Knight…”
She saw their faces fall suddenly. She wasn’t sure what she
could say.
Kirby saw how sad everyone had
suddenly become and shook his head. “Meda want us be happoyo...”
“Can I hold him?” Fumu asked.
She took the bundle from her mother carefully, cradling him. “He’s
so cute… Look, Kirby.”
“Baby…” Kirby peered at the
infant, and reaching out and poked his cheek. The baby suddenly
squirmed, whimpering. “Poyo!” Kirby pulled back quickly,
worried he’d done something wrong.
But, he just wiggled a bit in the
blankets… and then slowly woke up, blinking sleepily. His eyes
were a beautiful shade of amber.
He looked around calmly, unable
to really focus on faces yet. Everything was a mess of light and
dark blurs. But, one seemed to get his attention. He turned
slightly, eyes meeting Kirby’s.
Kirby stared, unable to place the
strange feeling he had.
Memu looked at him curiously. “Do
you have a name for him, Kirby?”
He looked back, blinking. “Poyo?”
She smiled. “Maybe we could
name him in Meta Knight’s honor.”
“Meta Knight’s a weird name
for a baby,” Bun pointed out.
Fumu frowned. “I can’t think
of anything…”
Kirby looked at the infant for
another long moment. He reached out, and the baby grabbed his
hand in reflex. “…Meda Knight…” He thought hard. He’d
never come up with a name before. And then it came to him. “Men…
Menai.”
“I like it,” Fumu said.
“It’s a perfect name,” Memu
agreed, Parm nodding with her. “Menai…”
Kirby twirled gleefully before
looking back at him.
He was happy.
And he suddenly remembered
something very important he needed to do.
“Where are you going?” Fumu
called to him as he suddenly ran into the castle. She winced at
a sudden shrill wail, looking down to see Menai had started
crying. “Shhh, it’s okay, don’t cry…” She wasn’t
able to console him, and gratefully passed him to her mother
before going to see where Kirby had gone.
The sun was setting as the
friends parted ways. Some would leave to fight what remained of
Nightmare’s armies. Others would stay to fight their own
battles.
Kirby ran through the castle
hallways, a group of envelopes clutched in his hands.
The End
A/N: Until the
sequels, anyway... I hope you all enjoyed it.
