Disclaimer: I do not own Kirby or any other character associated with the name or company.

Knightmare in DreamLand

Chapter One

Where it all Started

We had our suspicions about Meta Knight but we have never questioned just how exactly he had known every ability that Kirby possess, or how he knew something that the great Kabuu who held all answers and knowledge did not. Even how he knew exactly where to look for Nightmare' fortress nor the fact we have bluntly ignored his uncanny resemblance to the demon beast creator. We stood by him with a shield of loyalty so strong we would die for, no cracks littered that shield. During the war, we have we seen our Lord, savior ,and friend be torn down not only physically but also mentally. He had told us what had happened to his other friends and comrades during that time when Sword became curious about Star Warriors, like: what are star warriors, where do they come from and what makes a star warrior? the last question made our Lord noticeably tense, Sword knew he hit a soft spot for it had not been even a week after his friends deaths.

But nevertheless he told us all of what he knew about the topic, adding a few happy moments that made him chuckle just thinking about it. But we could still hear the hurt in his voice like a broken soul." What makes a Star Warrior is not how strong you are nor how brave... every Star Warrior is different but at a certain time in the future you will know" came his answer to the last question confusing both of us. Why does he never give straight answers? Then again at that time we took his word for it, and for the years that followed. Now looking back through those years it seemed to be meaningless to him now, all of those memories wiped away thanks to that one particular day; we can still remember the red shy, an evil laughter, the smell of near death, the Halbred's crash and what our friend was turned into before and after he returned from an unknown quest. This may all seem confusing so let us start from the very beginning where it all started, not three days after the supposed defeat of Nightmare and not too far away from another new year.

Two Years and three days ago...

...

It was a wonderful day in Dreamland, the grassy hills gradually began grow back from the destruction they had bared witness to by an invasion of Destroyas. The air cleared up from the red, grey, and ash that fell and covered the sky as if it had never happened. The trees and animals slowly came back to full activity, with Wispy Woods being the first to fully recover. That tree was as tough as nails and probably as strong as the Kabuu stronghold in Kabuu canyon which was named after the giant stone TiKi. Castle DeDeDe rested on top of the highest hill, with it's ruler of DreamLand King DeDeDe, was still under construction.

Likewise, for the rest of Cappy Town that sat just below the castle on lower lands- which was inhabited by creatures called cappies, similar to mushrooms but with out their colored tops that made them distinct from one another. There was also another smaller hill farther away from Cappy Town to the east that had a dome brick shaped white house upon it with a nice oak tree shading part of the small one person home. This is where the Hero of DreamLand lived, his name was Kirby or what the cappies and Kabuu he himself called- Kirby of The Stars.

Blade and Sword Knight patrolled the stone halls of castle DeDeDe, during the day it was nice and bright but during the night it was dark, cold ,and sinister." Today is the day our Lord will be leaving, so how about we throw a goodbye party?" asked Sword Knight as he walked beside his friend and partner. His armor was mostly teal and in the similar form of his Lord's but his head wear was a helmet, designed with a smaller 'V' shaped opening with two small black strip openings below the former to circulate air also it was longer in the back with three black markings. He wore a brown tunic with a black belt with a gray circular buckle- which secured his golden sword to his side.

" Well, his not exactly saying good bye he is going on a quest so he will return, how about more of a safe journey party?" replied the smaller of the two knights, who is Blade Knight. The Knight was a short fellow who looked almost like a Cappy with no legs and short arms. The Knight was clad in emerald green armor with shoulder guards adorned with a yellow swirled design, his helmet was green also and had a pink face visor along with a plume of bright red hair sprouting from the back." Maybe the kids can help too since they were always there for him just like we are" said Sword Knight as he put his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner." Just Tiff ,Tuff ,and Kirby will be fine; I have a feeling he is not too attached to the others" responded Blade Knight in which Sword Knight nodded in agreement. Sir Meta Knight never really socialized with anyone other than them and those three kids, so a small party would probably work out better than a whole village fiasco.

" True, so how about on the beach? he likes the sunset there and it is a perfect day" said Sword Knight as he gestured to the window that they were passing, viewing the ocean of blue that moved like a blanket in the breeze." I think that could work, but knowing Lord Meta Knight he might become suspicious about our activities and would either follow us around or stare us down until we tell him and we both know we can't hold a staring contest with him" replied Blade Knight as he briefly imagined their Lord staring down upon them despite his size with unwavering calm yellow eyes." Yeah, but he would also be busy getting ready for his journey giving us a few hours until midnight to get everything ready" Sword Knight pointed out as the duo rounded the corner at the end of the stone corridor.

" Also true, so how about two hours from midnight we watch the sunset and have a small picnic, nothing too big or fancy" agreed the shorter of the two as they approached the door to the throne room. Normally King DeDeDe would be shouting at the top of his lungs to costumer service about how their demon beasts always fail to destroy Kirby before buying another said creatures of darkness. But today the throne room was vacant as the heavy set blue penguin was probably out on one of his many balconies soaking in vitamin D." Sounds good to me, so should we go get Tiff and the others and start the preparations?" Said Sword Knight as they rounded another corner, and began on their way to the cabinet minister' suite." Yes" came Blade Knight' short reply. Along the way to the suite the two friends and brothers at arms, greeted a group waddle dee and their leader captain waddle doo.

" Good day to you, Sword Knight and Blade Knight; have you seen Sir Meta Knight recently?" Asked captain waddle doo. He looked much like a waddle dee which were smaller creatures than Kirdy, are tan and orange; some of the Cappies called them cute. But instead of two pure black eyes, waddle doo has one large eye and three strands of hair on the top of his head. He wielded a sword along with the waddle dees standing around him holding spears, possibly patrolling the halls likewise to the two knaves. Sword and Blade Knight nodded to the captain before one of the two spoke.

" No, actually we haven't seen him since this morning, why do you ask?" Questioned Sword Knight as his head tilted slightly to the left to indicate his slight curiosity in the captain's question." His majesty request his presence, any other information you wish to have you got to ask your Lord himself or the King" replied waddle doo before turning to his fellow waddle dee as commanding them to follow him down the opposite side of the corridor. Sword and Blade Knight shrugged at what waddle doo had said either not caring or not knowing what to do about it." I'm sure he will find our Lord eventually" said Blade Knight as he and his friend continued on their way.

The two knaves had made it to their destination in no time after their encounter with captain waddle doo. There was a knock at the door as Tiff read one of her favorite books while sitting on the two seat white couch in the living room. Tiff was a different race than a Cappy but still looked similar, probably just a different species. She had yellow skin and hair which was done in a braid and secured with three red and purple beads. She wore a dress like shirt with the top half being green and the bottom pink, the two colors were separated by a zigzagging pattern. Her black eyes are wide since she is still quite young with her eyelashes falling underneath. Like many of the natives in DreamLand she has no legs, oval big feet in some cases, short arms, and nearly one to three feet tall.

Her orange feet dangled near the edge of the couch. A television sat in front of her and behind her sat a dinning room table along with chairs and a kitchen just beyond , to the left was the bathroom and to it's left was the master bedroom. Traveling counterclockwise from the master bedroom lay windows framed with curtains that viewed the outside world. Accompanied with a glass balcony door that lead out onto the balcony, looking down you would see the garden and fountain.

Next to the glass products was two doors one was Bun's bedroom beside it was Tiff's bedroom." I wonder who that could be" said Lady Like, Tiff and Bun' mother. She was also Cappy-like with yellow almost gold skin with her 'hair' done up in three big curls with a tuff of golden hair laying on her forehead between her eyebrows. The Lady wore a hot pink dress with an orange scarf, her feet were hidden by the dress length. She carried a green and pink fan in her left hand that her daughter made for her on her birthday.

Lady Like came out of the kitchen and walked over to the door, when she opened the big wooden plank she was greeted by Sir Meta Knight' knaves." Oh, good morning Sword and Blade Knight; what brings you here? I thought you were training with Sir Meta Knight down in the courtyard" Asked Lady Like as Tiff had stopped reading and viewed the two knaves from the couch." Lord Meta Knight has not told you?" Said Blade Knight as they were gestured farther into the suite." Told us what?" Replied Tiff as she now stood beside her mother." He is leaving off world" said Sword Knight as the group of four sat down on the couch, though two chairs had to be borrowed from the dinning table.

Blade and Sword Knight sat in the two chairs ,parallel to the couch where Lady Like and Tiff sat, sitting right in front of the television." He's leaving DreamLand, Why?" Asked Tiff. She knew Sir Meta Knight did not really fancy DreamLand because of it's laziness but she also knew that he cared about everything it has to offer because it was the closest thing he had to an actual home." On a quest, he did not say where but we came to ask if you would like to help us throw a safe journey party" said Blade Knight." Just a small picnic at the beach with you Bun and Kirby, watch the sunset" added Sword Knight pointing to the window for the second time today that viewed the beach in the distance.

" I think that would be nice, I give you permission to help them Tiff along with your brother" said Lady Like as smiled at the two knaves then at her daughter." Well hello there, how are you two today?" Spoke Sir Elburn as he came out of the master bedroom straightening out his clothing. He was the same height as Lady Like, his wife, and had gray hair fashioned in that of a judge of some sort accompanied by a gray mustache. The Cappy look alike had green eyes that matched his daughter's own emerald ones. His skin was also a yellow golden color like his daughter and wife. He wore a brown cotton long sleeves formal jacket with a steam pressed white collared long sleeve shirt. No feet could be seen for he had none, only stubs similar to a person walking in a potato sack.

" Just fine, Cabinet Minister" replied the two brothers at arms simultaneously." I heard you talking about a picnic, is that true?" Asked Sir Elburn as he stood next to where his wife was sitting." Yes, our Lord is going off world on a quest so we are throwing a party at the beach, but more of a picnic and watch the sunset" responded Blade Knight as he stood up from his chair along with the other knave." And we better get started now" said Sword Knight as the ideas of ideal food already began to full both his and his companion's mind." Well, if it is not too much of a bother I could whip up a lovely Charlotte Russe, so you need not worry about dessert" spoke Lady like as she to stood with a thoughtful and helpful look in her eyes.

" That would be great, I'm sure Sir Meta Knight will love it" said Blade Knight as a knowing smile crept across his face. Even though none could see it Sword Knight and the other occupants of the room could defiantly feel it. It was a little well known fact that Sir Meta Knight had quite the sweet tooth, so this suggestion of the sweet tasting pudding was not a bad idea." I'll get Kirby and Bun, we will meet you at the beach, in about fifteen minutes "said Tiff a she paused briefly to look up at the two handed clock set above the television on the wall." Good, see you then" said the two knaves as they placed the chairs back into their proper location and bid the family farewell to prepare the picnic foods.

When they exited the suite the duo made their way back to their Lord' room to check up on him. They made two right turns and five left turns, went down various corridors that would make anyone else become lost in the castle 'maze like interior. Living in the castle for many years made the route to their destination a subconscious action. With brisk steps and matching foot falls the two knights almost seemed to be patrolling the corridors once again, even though it was only half true. Arriving at their desired place of interest within a few moments the knaves entered they're Lord' room with a quiet creak from the wooden door. The room was not much to look at but still held the feeling of coziness and the snugness of being homey. There was a bed pushed to the left side of the room, a medium sized window perpendicular to where the backboard of the bed would be, a deck and bookcase; which contained many papers and so many books that some where placed nearly stacked in between both of the wood products.

A single three foot long shelf loomed over the foot of the bed upon it sat a jar of colorful delicious candies within. Adjacent to the shelf was an hung arrangement of three weapons. They serve as reminders of the two knights' past bad decisions, thievery was one of them. They once asked their Lord why he kept them and his explanation was near identical to the former mentioned purpose with the feeling to constantly remind them of good decisions also.

" Strange" said Sword Knight was he realized that their Lord was not within his room." Indeed" spoke Blade Knight in agreement. Not a single object was moved out of place nor was there dust from the space being unoccupied for a long period of time. There was also the possibility that their Lord being somewhat of a neat freak cleaned the room and ,since he did not have a lot of personal possessions, left the room a few minutes before they had arrived. If anything the two knights thought for the briefest of moments that their Lord had already left for his quest, without saying a single word of farewell to anyone.

" He has to be somewhere else around the castle if he is not in here" reasoned Sword Knight as they went out of the room into the corridor." We already passed the balcony where he mainly stands upon the stone railings, so he could be outside practicing while we were still inside patrolling" said Blade Knight. They had indeed passed the mentioned place before they had arrived at they're previous destination." So to the gardens then" responded Sword Knight with a gesturing hand to the corridor that will lead down towards the green lake of grass laying within the castle's bailey.

When they reached the courtyard they found their Lord near the fountain. He looked similar to Kirby the Hero of DreamLand; only difference is the size, armor, mask, eyes, navy blue skin ,and violet feet." Lord Meta Knight we have been looking for you" said Blade Knight as their drew closer to the fountain. There was no response as the two knaves strolled even closer, now only a yard separated them from their Lord." Sir? Are you okay?" Asked Sword Knight when they did not receive a reply. The dark knight had his back turned to them, his head slightly bowed seemingly gazing at his reflection within the waters of the fountain.

" Do not tell anyone of this" said the knight finally as he turned to face his two knaves slowly. Sword Knight and Blade Knight nearly jumped out of their skins as a chill ran down their spines when their Lord' mask was fully visible. Blood red eyes bore into the visors of their owners' subordinates. The glare within them was so intense both knaves slightly cringed when they focused solely on their forms. As quickly as it happened it ended as Sir Meta Knight' eyes reverted back to their original yellow color. After reclaiming their bearings they gave their Lord a once over, noticing that the fountain standing behind their Lord had fine clean cuts carved almost unnoticeable into it.

When Sir Meta Knight took one step forward the fountain instantly collapsed in a pile of marble, as if the simple action was like an earthquake. After remembering a small detail about the fountain being a secret entrance to a large space below; both knaves gazed at their Lord, eyes filled with confusion." How are you going to get off world if you can't get to the Halberd?" Asked Blade Knight as the realization dawned on him." I will use the transporter hidden within DeDeDe' throne room" responded Sir Meta Knight as he walked passed the two. Both of Sir Meta Knight' knaves now knew the probable cause of their Lord' blood red eyes. The Halberd is now presently sealed underneath tons of rocks and there is no way of ever getting to it ever again.

Catching up with their Lord, and falling into step with him, they also noticed how unnatural tense the dark knight' muscles and stance were, in fact they could even say he was fuming. Sword and Blade Knight knew that Sir Meta Knight was fond of the warship but also that it was nothing he would get so worked up about. It did get destroyed once and even then he did not seem concerned with it's destruction nor it being restored back to fully operational a few months afterwards." By the way, his majesty request your presence on the balcony" informed Blade Knight as they entered the stone corridors of the castle." Capitan waddle doo wanted us to pass the message" added Sword Knight as they rounded the corner of the corridor to the balcony where the king should still be." I see, he is worried about who will guard the castle while I am gone" said Sir Meta Knight as he spoke the last part of the sentence to himself.

Going down three corridors and passing by the cabinet minister' suite, the two knaves and knight came upon the balcony where King DeDeDe awaited. The king, the heavy set azure penguin in red and white royal robes, was lounging about on a lawn chair while his faithful servant and advisor, Escargoon the snail, cooled down his majesty with a large fan." You summoned?" said the dark knight as he waited patiently at the balcony's doorway." Yeah I did, so why are you leaving DreamLand? there is no one better to protect the castle because you very much know your two followers can't and that I would never let that pink puffball in MY castle" spoke King DeDeDe as he turned around to face his captain of the guards." Because it is a personal issue and I am confident that I have train Blade and Sword Knight well enough to keep you and the castle safe while I am absent" replied Sir Meta Knight coolly as his knaves seemed slightly hurt be the king' words." Whatever, anyway I need you to delay your departure to do one last thing before you leave..." said King DeDeDe as he began to smile wickedly.

...

" He wants you to do what?!" said Tiff in utter shock as her parents and brother gasped. Sir Meta Knight nodded to farther confirm that what he said was in fact true." But you can't, what if something goes wrong?" said Lady Like, showing her concern for the knight by looking distressed in the matter." I can not go against orders, I have pledge my loyalty and I must uphold my words; I have survived worse" replied the dark knight as much as he hated to admit it himself it was indeed the undeniable truth." But what about what happened last time?" said Tuff as he could see the event replay in his head like it was just yesterday." Kirby was inexperienced then but now I am sure he can hold his own, no matter what may become of me" spoke Sir Meta Knight as Kirby 'poyo'ed with worry for his friend that he would have to fight for the second time." Even with the devil frog possessing his body his mind will still be there, his majesty did not account for that as he wanted Sir Meta Knight to battle Kirby without protecting or helping him at the same time; though his situation is bad King DeDeDe did actually come up with a good plan for once in his lifetime" said Sword Knight as he tried to make the family a little at ease with his words and last comment." Your right, King DeDeDe's plans always fail by a small mishap or something of the sort, but please be carefully" said Sir Elburn as he held his wife's hand who agreed with her husband' warning.

" I will do my best like I always have" responded the dark knight before leaving, along with Sword and Blade Knight, to prepare for what he must endure in the very near future.

...

" Glad you can make it on time Sir Meta Knight, please step this way" said Escargoon as he gestured for the captain of the guards to follow him into the torture room where the cells were located on the other sides of the walls." I bet you were wondering how we even got the devil frog again, actually it's quite simple" Escargoon paused as gazed at the surrounding area before commanding Sir Meta Knight to lay on the table in the center of the room." after that time we had the whole demon Kirby fiasco, we later found out that the frog laid an egg in a pond, plus I injected it with concentrated leftover vials of the grand esker demon beast formula ; your smart so you fill in the holes from there" explained the light lavender snail with a slight sneer as he strapped the knight down, who in turn did not show much resistance." Your taking this surprisingly lightly considering that you are going to kill Kirby in a few minutes" said King DeDeDe as he walked up beside Escargoon from the shadows of the room trying to intimidate the dark knight, though he failed horribly." That's because I know it will not work like you desire" replied Sir Meta Knight as his eyes flashed a brief pink then green.

Seeing his eyes change colors and knowing what they possibly mean, King DeDeDe became furious." Okay Mister funny wise guy let's see what you have to say after your possessed by a demon frog" said the King with a sinister tone of voice as Escargoon held out a medium sized dish with a glass dome over it that held the devil frog. King DeDeDe removed the dome and the frog immediately jumped onto Sir Meta Knight mask just below the 'V' shaped opening of his mask. Just like what happened to Kirby, the demon frog fazed through the silver metal and into the dark knight' body while his golden yellow eyes dimmed signifying that his eyes had closed. It only took five seconds for Sir Meta Knight' eyes to snap open again but this time instead of the bright primary color they have always been become flooded with ominous pools of blood.

" Sire are you sure this was a good idea?" said Escargoon as he began to back away from the table when the captain of the guards snapped his bound hands with a rough pull of his arms. Fear was evident in his voice while King DeDeDe also followed Escargoon' actions when Sir Meta Knight began to chuckle, it was a lot deeper that it would normally be and rebounded off the walls in a fading echo. If they were outside both could easily imagine lighting striking the ground in the distance. " You made a terrible mistake..." spoke Sir Meta Knight, his voice low and calm despite his demonic air, as he withdrew Galaxia from her sheath while walking toward the king and his advisor in a way a broken puppet would move. The King Hid behind Escargoon who then hid behind the king, pressing themselves into the far corner of the torture room.

This would probably the only time where a waddle dee would come in handy or that King DeDeDe would actually grow a backbone and stand tall while taking a deep breath. " Sir Meta Knight I order you to lay down your weapon" commanded King DeDeDe as he had his hammer at ready just incase Sir Meta Knight rejected. The dark knight paused in his steps as if he were instantly frozen solid before grunting and withdrawing his sword away from his superiors in terms of status." Your in luck your majesty, if it were not for the demon frog stopping my actions I would have killed you" said Sir Meta Knight as King DeDeDe breath a silent sigh of relief while Escargoon looked like he was on the verge of passing out but quickly recovered, now smiling at their success. " Now that you are really on our side I want you to find Kirby and kill him" King DeDeDe paused as another evil idea came to his mind." But don't kill him immediately, I want you to lure him into the center of attention and humiliate him in the worst possible way; demonstrate to everyone that my power should be respected along with being feared by all" spoke King DeDeDe as he smiled like he had control over Hades.

There was a slight hesitation in Sir Meta Knight's eyes before he bowed his head before speaking." As you wish your majesty" spoke the dark knight as he began to meet a slight sting of resistance from his original. King DeDeDe' and Escargoon' smiles broadened at Sir Meta Knight's words, for once this plan might actually work. Unknown to them that they have been watched from the shadows above.

...

" This is far greater than what we have anticipated" spoke Sword Knight as he saw the King and his advisor smile while their Lord agreed with King DeDeDe terms." We have to warn them" said Blade Knight as he watched the scene below along with his brother at arms." I am sorry but you can not do that" spoke a sudden voice that came from behind the two knaves. Before they could react a blunt end of a sword met the sides of their heads making them fall and collapse on the ground below." It seems that you had spies within your shadow your highness" explained Sir Meta Knight as King DeDeDe stood shocked upon two bodies falling in front of him out of seemingly nowhere." We can't have them messing everything up" spoke Escargoon as he ordered for waddle dees to lock up the two spies. The two knaves fought back, with punches and kicks, but soon became overwhelmed by the waddle dees numbers." Snap out of it Sir" said Sword Knight as his hands were bound behind his back." Your stronger than some mere frog and liquid" spoke Blade Knight as he and his companion struggled in their bindings." Well you were wrong, I am not your Lord nor friend, I never was and never will be. To think you actually believed my every word in the past; pathetic" responded Sir Meta Knight with so much hate and coldness it left everyone within the area speechless." Now if I may excuse myself, I have a star warrior to kill "spoke the dark knight before tuning on his heels and exiting the torture room.

" And I thought I was cold and heartless" said King DeDeDe though instead of shock in his voice it sounded quite jubilant." No more need for that fool Nightmare when we got a better one under our thumb" spoke Escargoon as the two spies were hulled away to be put in cells." Escargoon, grab soon popcorn and drive me to Cappy Town, the show is about to begin" said King DeDeDe as he laughed along side his advisor while exiting the room.

Bad just got worse and Good shall fall to it's knees...

From a pleasant morning awaiting a departure of a dear friend to a complete Knightmare...