Dreaming of Nightmares
Prologue: Past
A small, masked figure appeared behind a glass panel in Nightmare's fortress. His sword pierced the window with a POP and a grinding sound as it carved a circle only small enough for him to fit through. Without a second thought, the figure jumped through and his billowing,blue cape transformed effortlessly into wings, which transported him safely to the ground.
An alarm's cry filled the night, waking everyone from their slumber. The masked one hopped into one of Nightmare's ships and went under the hood as he did not have the activation key. After a few minutes of rearranging some wires and twisting some screws the ship was ready to fly. He had only gotten back into the driver's seat when he heard unsatisfying BANG. The demon beasts had finally gotten out of the fortress and were closing in. Fortunately, the boosters had kicked in right as the enemy had gotten onto the ship. It shot off, and all demons slid off as if the outside of the ship had been greased down. He was free, for now. And that was all that mattered.
Nightmare had seen the whole thing from his fortress and he was in a good mood, despite the loss of one of his greatest demons. He would return, he thought. One day, he would return.
First Chapter
Present
Meta Knight... you know you can't hide forever from me...Meta Knight...come back...Meta Knight...
This was the third time this week that hollow voice had invaded Meta Knight's dreams. The voices had only proved one thing for sure: Nightmare was not dead.
He staggered out onto the balcony; these dreams always made him feel light-headed. Meta Knight then took off his mask, for a proper breath of fresh air (no one was around to see) and flipped it to the front.
Yep, he's still alive. I just wish I knew why or what he wants...wait,what if he wants me back as one of his demons?...No that's impossible,I- I wouldn't go back anyway! At this thought, he whipped the silver mask against the nearest wall. A foolish mistake he observed as Sword and Blade Knight stirred in their sleep yet, they did not wake. ...And even if I am right, how would I explain this to Sword, Blade, and the others? Realizing that he could do nothing about it at the moment, Meta Knight crept quietly back into bed and immediately fell into a troublesome sleep.
"Sir? Sir, wake up. You've slept in!" exclaimed Blade.
"Blade's right, sir! It's almost noon! supported Sword.
"Wha- Oh! You're right!" I said,glancing at the clock on the wall, suddenly awake. I jumped out of bed and faced Sword and Blade. They took a couple steps backward, confused looks on their faces and staring at me.
"What? What are you staring at?" I snapped. This was very awkward, then I spotted my mask, deserted, on the balcony. Oh, crap.
"I can expl-" I started, but before I could finish they both had their swords out and ready. I had taught them very well.
"Our lord, Meta Knight, always has his mask on, even when he sleeps. Who are you and where is the real Meta Knight?" Sword asked, pushing me until my back was against the wall. I knew they would not harm me as I had no weapon. This would be fun seeing their faces at the end.
"I am Meta Knight, former Star Warrior and wielder of the sword, Galaxia. If you still don' t believe me, hand me that red pouch over there. If I cannot wield the sword within, I am a fake, as only the real Meta Knight and Kirby can." I was slightly amused with myself; I loved telling people they are wrong. Blade went over and, reluctantly, handed over the pouch. I whipped out Galaxia and I was absorbed in a golden glow, Galaxia knew her master but, the question was: did Sword and Blade? I gave them a questioning look which said: NOW do you believe me?
After a minute or two a simple "Oh." was all they could manage. They were still staring at me, expecting me to explain. They sheathed their weapons and sat down on their beds; all ears.
"Well, where do you want me to start?" Please don't say the beginning. Please don't say the begin-
"The beginning." they replied in unison. Dammit.
"I'm telling you now, you're not going to like any of the beginning," Sword and Blade showed no sign of going back on their demand. I sighed.
"Fine,... I started out as a demon created by Nightmare" They both gasped softly "...I was one of the greatest fighters he had ever made. Nightmare had trained me himself, teaching me to fight, to lie, to cheat and to give no mercy. Later on, when he sent me and some other demons to spy on the Star Warriors he put me as leader. It was going smoothly until one of them spotted us as we were on our way out. We had no choice then but to fight."
"The leader of their select group who I battled was also a swordsman. He was taller than me with an round, indigo body, glowing light green eyes under a light gray mask. Yet the battle didn't last long. He was cornered in minutes and his allies were all too busy with the other demons to help him. I was ready to deal the final blow, when I realized he was not trying to evade death. What was wrong with him? He looked me in the eyes with a curious look as if to ask: What are you waiting for, demon? He closed his eyes waiting for the hit that would never come. I was awestruck; something had broke inside me, just like that, and I knew I could not kill someone like this. I would not kill a Star Warrior; I did not belong with the demons." I paused taking a few deep breaths before going on. Sword and Blade were still hanging on my every word.
"I fled the Star Warriors' base and reluctantly returned to Nightmare's stronghold for the last time. I gave him misleading information and told him all of the demons had died in battle.(I had taken the only ship.) That night, I broke out and stole one of Nightmare's ships; flying to the nearest Star Warrior Base. It was not easy, trying to get them to trust me. At first, they took me prisoner, seeing that I was a demon, and demanded me to tell the truth. I was patient. Every time they asked, I told them the same thing: I was a demon who could not kill a Star Warrior. Eventually they believed me, but that was only because of one knight. The one who I had dueled when I was sent to spy on them: Sir Diran. He backed me up with the story when we had met (and fought) for the first time. He told the others how I had spared his life and the next thing I knew I was being trained to be a Star Warrior by Diran, himself. Then later on, Garlude and I were sent to retrieve Galaxia. Then the war began and you know the rest from there."
I trailed off as did not need to say a word more. My eyes faded from a deep green to their usual yellow hue. I went out onto the balcony to retrieve my mask, giving them time to process all the information. When I came back in, Blade was first to speak.
"So you've been our mentor for what, maybe 45 years now? And you haven't told us any of this?" He was trying very hard to keep his voice from cracking. I would be too if in his position. Then Sword chimed in, equally annoyed.
"Yea, what did you have to hide? Were you...afraid?" he said the last word softly. A slight pounding had started in my head.
"No... you weren't ready at the time," I said back, the thumping starting to get really irritating. "I decided, to only tell you if necessary. It was for the best. I think- " But I never got to say what I thought because I then crumpled to the floor, clutching my head in my hands under the suddenly deafening noise that only I seemed to hear; so loud I could not hear Sword and Blade shout my name in surprise.
"META KNIGHT!" Nightmare's voice echoed. "YOU HAVE THREE SUNSETS TO RETURN OR ELSE on the fourth day she'll be gone within the hour. You know I'm not one to be kept waiting, Meta Knight..."He was getting impatient (and don't forget a huge pain in the neck).
And that was the second time that day my apprentices had awoken me. Sword and Blade did not question what had happened; they knew I would tell them soon. The rest of the day went as usual. Though at sunset, I was at the top of the highest tower(my private place for thoughts) thinking about the one I held most dear and how Nightmare could possibly know. Oh, and did I mention that the person on subject is Fumu?
Second Chapter~
The next morning, while Sword and Blade were doing their rounds in the castle, I paced the floor thinking about what I could do. I had to protect Fumu but, how? What worried me the most was how he knew. I'm attached to a couple people actually, so how could he have chosen the right one?
I couldn't believe that I was going through with this but, it was the quickest way. I was hunting down Escargon; he would definitely know where it was. Then I spotted the old snail down the corridor.
"Escargon...Escargon!" I dashed up the hall, catching him before he could enter his room.
"Ah, oh it's you...What?"He was not in a good mood.
"Do you still have that old copy machine? If so, where is it?" Please say yes, Please say yes-
"Yes we do it's in- wait, what do you need it for?" he asked with a skeptic look.
"That's none of your business. Just tell me where it is." I replied impatiently; my hand instinctively hovering over the hilt of my sword. He obviously noticed, and said quickly,
"Downstairs in one of dungeons, I-I'm not sure which one." When he saw my hand relax he breathed a sigh of relief.
The winding staircase seemed endless, but then I realized that jumping through the center was much more quicker. Piles and piles of junk were bursting in and outside of the prison cells; not a pretty sight. If only Escargon was a little more specific. I thought, looking around wondering where to start. Then, after a few minutes, I spotted it peeking out from behind the staircase. The easy part was done but, to get it up the stairs was the problem. Flying up there was out of question as someone was bound to see me unless...Sword and Blade.
One long staircase later, I was asking Sword and Blade to block the hallway so I could fly the copy machine up unseen.
"You want us to do what?" questioned the two. I resisted the urge to facepalm.
"Just, make sure no one comes down this hallway, alright?"Why can't they just listen without questioning me? Reluctantly, they agreed and I headed back down to the dungeons for the copier. My cape vanished silently and in its place purple bat-like wings. These wings worked better than my own Warp Star and I only use either in emergencies. This situation was an exception. With a slight tug and jump into the air, I was flying up the center of the staircase with the copier below me. It would probably be heavy to Sword and Blade but, I was used to carrying this kind of weight. When I reached the landing my wings automatically morphed back into a cape. Sword and Blade had their backs to me,so when I came to the top of the stairs they jumped,they had assumed I would've taken longer than at least a minute. They then resumed their rounds and as they walked away I heard Blade whisper to Sword: "Was it just me or did you hear wings?"
Back in my room, with the copy machine on the floor, I was searching for another item: my Warpstar. I was going to use it to make the copy machine capable of cloning something other than paper. If everything went right in the end I would have another Fumu. Sounds odd but, if I could convince everyone that the real Fumu was fake I could keep her safe myself while the fake Fumu lives her life for a day. When Nightmare comes he'll take the fake Fumu.
I had finally found my star (under my bed). There was no dust on it whatsoever despite that its probably been there ever since I came to Pop Star. Though it was a little dim, it shined brighter once I held it in my hand. I attached it to the top of the appliance and the star immediately began to do its work. For a couple seconds, I couldn't see the machine for it was encased in a golden light. When the lights settled, the copier was now a deep blue; the star emblem imprinted on its side. Instead of two flat pieces for paper to go in between there was a small slot. The whole back of the copier was like a huge doggy door, just big enough for a person like Fumu to fit through. Now all I needed was something of hers to copy.
It was late that night when I snuck into Fumu's room. I only needed one of her hair ties yet, I had to go through all this trouble so she wouldn't be suspicious. Her room was small; the bed was pressed against the outer wall with a window above it. The only other things in the room were a night stand, a desk and a small bureau. All her hair ties were on her nightstand right next to her bed.
Unfortunately, that's where she was too, sleeping peacefully, her hair out of a ponytail. Without a sound, I was able to retrieve a purple band. But I guess on the way out I had shut the door a little too loudly because I saw her sit up in bed glaring at her (now closed) bedroom door. That was too close. She'd be suspicious in the morning for sure. But I could always say she was just dreaming. Or use it against her.
The next morning I was all alone, so I decided to test out the copy machine. I took off my mask and held it over the machine's slot which then expanded big enough for the mask to fit through. I dropped it in and seconds later two masks of exact same size, shape and color came through the back. It wouldn't matter which one I put back on as they were complete copies of each other. So, now switching the setting to 'DNA', I dropped in Fumu's accessory. Hopefully she had worn it enough for something to rub off.
"Ouch!" cried something from inside the copier. The person emerged slowly and stood up. It was Fumu- or a copy of her, anyway. She was rubbing her head most likely because she had bumped it by trying to stand up inside the machine. She wasted no time with introductions.
"...Do I know you? I feel like I should." she asked, wearing a questioning look.
"Yes, I'm Meta Knight. You prob-" I started but, then she cut me off, suddenly remembering everything:
"Oh, it's all coming to me now! You're the Star Warrior Meta Knight, who has two followers: Sword and Blade Knight. I'm in Castle Dedede on the Planet Pop Star, ruled by Dedede and Escargon, whom I hate very much. I'm loved by a fish and I'm a know-it-all to most people. I've got a brother, mom and a dad: Bun, Memu and Parm. am I forgetting anything?" She said all of this very quickly. I blanked for a moment but, no I couldn't think of anything she was forgetting; this was Fumu. Now to business, Nightmare's deadline ended tonight.
"Not to alarm you or anything but, there is another one of you on Pop Star. She's an imposter; at the moment she's probably sitting in your dining room, eating breakfast with your family," She gasped. "But, I do know a way to convince everyone you're the real Fumu." I smiled mischievously under my mask, this was the fun part.
Third Chapter ~
It was around noon when Fumu's mother answered the door. I had hid Fumu's double around the corner, out of sight.
"Hello? Oh hello, Sir Meta Knight. What can I do for you?" she asked, slightly surprised; I rarely visited. I spotted Bun and the real Fumu inside just sitting down for lunch, yet, when they heard Memu say my name they glanced at each other, confused.
"Yes, actually, you can. Could come out here and bring Fumu too? I need to show you two something." I walked over to Fumu2 and told that if she was to stay calm she'd get her mom back. Fumu tends to have a short temper, she'd argue and get mad which would make her seem desperate for people to believe her. I brought Fumu2 out of hiding...
"N-Nani?" was all Fumu could manage when she first saw herself next to me, completely baffled. (Translation:W-What?) Her mother was just as perplexed yet, she recovered her speech first.
"Where did she come from?" Memu asked. I was going to respond but, Fumu's double seemed to have it under control.
"Well, mother," said Fumu2. "That's kind of a stupid question to ask me. Maybe you should ask the fake standing next to you!" Pointing an accusing finger at Fumu, she smiled briefly.
"But, that's impossible! How could I be the fake? When could have we possibly switched places?" exclaimed Fumu, desperately trying to get us to believe her.
"Well, for starters, Your hair tie isn't its normal purple. It's green. And secondly, last night, there were a couple of slammed doors heard when I was patrolling the halls." I lied. "That could have been someone sneaking in and out of the house: the fake Fumu dumping her out of her bed and out the balcony window! I had found her lying, unconscious, right. Under Your. Window, Fumu. Explain that." I emphasized the last sentence for effect. Fumu stood there, her mouth agape and eyes wide. She could not explain.
Memu turned on the Fumu next to her, shocked that she had been tricked by a little girl.
"You...you...I'll!" she shouted, consumed by rage; Fumu cowered, terrified by her mother's wrath. I saved her by saying:
"Lady Memu, let me deal with this imposter so you can have your real daughter back, alright?" Fumu2 ran into Memu's open arms and I grabbed Fumu by the arm, rushing her down the hallways towards my room. She started to shout and persist by digging her feet into the ground but, I swung her around and carried her the rest of the way. She was very light; I carried her like one would cradle a baby only I didn't cradle just, held her. She stop fidgeting and I could've swore I saw her smile. What if Fumu found out too? I thought, Like Sword and Blade did when I didn't have my mask on. Should I tell her? No,...I'll show her. And with that, I opened my wings and flew the rest of the way. Fumu could only gasp, as we flew in and out of the corridors through the openings. I smiled under my mask; this would probably come with some consequences but, right now it was perfect.
"So what are you exactly, and why is there two of me?" Fumu asked. She knew by now that I knew she was the real Fumu.
"Well, there is two of you to protect you. From Nightmare. He's been haunting my dreams saying he wants something from me. He knows I'd resist so he threatens me by... *sigh* killing you." Her eyebrows rose to their highest extent.
"How...would that affect you? I mean- I know you're a knight and all but, am I more than just someone to save to you?" she asked hesitantly. Reluctantly, I nodded.
This next question from Fumu, I suppose, was the consequences for earlier.
"What are you?" Fumu asked as she tilted her head curiously. When I was slow to answer, she repeated herself only this time she wasn't asking.
"Well, I…I'm…" I stuttered, trying to delay answering her. But if I don't tell her I thought, she'll be living her life forever not knowing the truth. She…needs to know, no she deserves to know. After what seemed like hours, I told her.
"Fumu…I'm a demon; created by Nightmare himself." I sighed heavily; a huge weight seemed to be lifted off my shoulders. Yet my eyes shimmered purple for a moment; embarrassed.
"A demon? Then why are you on the side of justice?" she asked, her eyes wider.
"Long story short, I saw my mistakes as a demon and put my skills to good use; by joining the Galaxy Soldier Army." I wrapped myself in my cape. Fumu was hungry for answers.
"So what else can you do?" She didn't seem negative at all about me being a demon; in fact, quite the opposite. If I told her I was demon I might as well tell her everything else.
"Well, I can teleport using my cape." I disappeared into my cape and reappeared right behind Fumu on my bed. She yelped in surprise and fell off the bed. I chuckled and helped her up, my eyes an amused pink.
"So your eyes change with your mood, you can teleport, fly and beat almost anyone in a duel..." Fumu counted off on her fingers. "One question remains...what is under that mask?"But I wasn't listening;staring at the fading sun on the horizon. These questions were wasting time. The sun had set, and according to Nightmare he'd be here around midnight.
"Fumu. Can you save it for later? There are bigger things at stake. Like, oh, just a mere example, your LIFE!" I hated to talk cold-hearted but, it was the truth.
"Oh, right...so what's the situation? What do I need to do?" she asked.
"Basically stay where I can see you, as long as your in my reach, Nightmare can't get you. He will come regardless though, about midnight. You can sleep if you want but, I'll be up all night." I explained.
"What about my double?"
"Her being only a copy, she'll dissolve into nothing tomorrow. He won't notice until he's back at his fortress." I was ninety percent sure he wouldn't notice. "Tomorrow morning, I'll take you back to your family and explain everything. They'll understand," Fumu was about to fire off another question but, I answered it. "The less who know, the better."
The moon was shining bright that night; the stars like dim light bulbs compared. It was about 11:50 and Fumu was fast asleep. Seeing her sleeping was making me tired, so I sat, gazing out the window, keeping watch for someone who hopefully would never appear. But,then again, he has always kept his word to everyone. No one said they were good words,though.
A shooting star (common in this area) flashed across the sky. Though it seemed a little darker than others. A meteor? One of Nightmare's tricks? A sudden rustling sound of sheets came from behind.
"Meta Knight!" Fumu's scream of shock made me turn around only to see a sudden swirl of a huge purple cape in my face. I swatted it away to see Fumu disappear right out of thin air.
The room was dead quiet as figured out what had just happened. While I had been distracted for that one moment, Nightmare had appeared in my room via universal cape. Since it was so big if filled up most of the room causing me to be temporarily blinded. By the time my vision was clear he had taken her.
Fumu was gone.
Final Chapter ~
Without second thought, I used my own cape to teleport to his fortress. But instead of landing in the main hall, I arrived in the middle of his game of chess.
"Well, it took you long enough." Nightmare sneered, grinning his usual evil grin. Fumu was no where in sight. Did he already kill her?
"Where is she,Nightmare? Tell me!" I pulled out Galaxia though I knew it would be useless against him.
"Oh, Meta Knight. I think you should be more concerned about yourself!" He made a gesture with his hand and something rammed into me from behind, causing my mask to slip off. Another chess piece came at me but, this time I was ready. The chess piece was split in half by Galaxia's Sword Beam. Two other pieces came at me, one in front and one behind. At the last second possible, I jumped, leaving the two pieces to crash into each other. Then came the king piece. He towered over me with a huge marble sword. He raised the blade over his head and brought it down fiercely, at the spot I was just a second ago. This cape does come in handy sometimes... I thought as I appeared on the king's weapon and sliced of his head.
Bravo, Meta Knight, but clearly, you have forgotten why you have came here in the first place, which will cost you dearly. Nightmare's voice said inside my head. I looked around; he had vanished. Dammit! I lost sight of him as I was fighting! Maybe I can-
THUMP! Suddenly, at the far end of the board I spotted what appeared to be...Fumu. And she was not moving.
"Fumu!" I yelled, running towards her limp form. Though despite it all, I stopped halfway. No matter how hard I willed them, my feet would not move. What's holding me back? Nightmare! His only response was his infamous evil laugh ringing through my head. Then I looked down, and only then did I finally fall through the hole I was standing over the whole time. I tried my wings but, they wouldn't open! I was falling through blackness; I lost track after several minutes of falling. I had so many questions yet, no answers. Where did Nightmare go? Is Fumu dead? Where and when am I going to land? Out of curiosity, I tried my wings again. Surprisingly, they unfurled without a problem. Yet, I never got to use them... I slammed into the ground (which was actually soft...)and the force of the impact rendered me unconscious.
Meta Knight sprang up in his bed,scattering all that was on the bed to the floor (he could've swore he something similar to his mask fly off the bed) scaring his two students awake. He looked around, Sword and Blade were just recently at the foot of his bed and he noticed he had his mask back on. His sheets were practically in shreds. What... He was completely confused.
"Oh, Thank the stars you're OK! You were struggling all night!" exclaimed Sword, breathing a sigh of relief. What? All night? What's he talking about? Blade was just as happy.
"That must've been some night-" Blade started, but, Meta Knight had recovered from the sudden change of setting.
"I-I'm fine, do you know where Fumu is?" It wouldn't matter if they knew I cared about her that much, I just needed to make sure she was alright.
"No actually I haven't seen her since yesterday." said Sword, surprisingly.
Meta Knight dashed out of the room without another word. The hallways seemed endless. He was about halfway there when he heard the sound of some one running and it was getting louder. Then as soon it was heard the person stopped. He/She was right around the corner; their shadow was visible with the moonlight shinning in. But that also meant the stranger could see the knight's shadow. Suggesting from the body shape, the stranger was female.
Her shadow then held up three fingers, understanding what she meant, Meta's shadow nodded. They would reveal each other when she made a fist. Her fingers disappeared one by one and Meta Knight walked out of the shadows and his eyes shimmered a bright blue. There stood Fumu, alive and looked ready to burst into tears.
Though I was happy to see her alive, I just couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't just a drea- nightmare. It seemed so real...yet all evidence points against it...my mask was back on my face, my wings don't hurt from the fall, and Fumu is OK. I'll pretend it was a nightmare for Fumu's sake. And only for her sake...
Hiding from it never solves the problem, Meta Knight... that was only a taste of what I could do...one day, you will face your worst Nightmare...