Prologue

Narrated By Adult Metaknight

My hand hovered over the flashing red button marked "Warp." My silver, star-shaped ship drifted slowly through the black emptiness of space. I thought about where I was going, the task I was undertaking. Somewhere, light years away, there traveled a ship like my own, bound for a place called Dreamland. The last of the young Star warriors, the universe's last hope, slumbered aboard that ship. I had to find him before NME did, yet now I felt a twinge of doubt that I could pull it off. And somehow, at the beginning of my most important quest, I was reminded of a time far in the past, a time I'd just as uncertain as I now was…

Focus, Metaknight, I told myself. Here and now.

But it was too late for focus. I could already feel my thoughts being pulled down, deep into the past, my memories, and my childhood…

Part I- For Honor

Told By Young Metaknight

"Meta!" a voice called over the haze of sleep. "Meta, wake up!"

I groaned and rolled over, which is quite when one's species has the anatomy of a puffball with limbs. "Don't call me that, Fireknight."

My orange-skinned cousin plopped down beside me on my bed, followed by his twin brother and polar opposite, the pale blue puffball that was Iceknight.

"My deepest apologies, Sir Metaknight the First." Fireknight gave me a mock bow. "I have defiled the family name and brought dishonor upon a noble knight." there was a moment of silence, and then he burst out laughing. Even Iceknight, who was the calm and collected twin, smiled.

I sat up to rest beside Fireknight. You wouldn't understand."

"And why not?" my cousin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because you never knew your parents! You don't know what it's like to look up to someone, to want to be them."

A shadow fell over my cousin's always-grinning face, and I instantly regretted every word.

"No. I guess I wouldn't," he said softly.

"Fireknight…" my cousins had lost both their parents while they were very young, so my father and the leader of the Star Warriors, Goldeknight, had raised them beside me. We'd grown up as somewhere between brothers and best friends. And I would never try to hurt either of them.

"Iceknight put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Metaknight. I know how important honor is to you." He glanced at the clock on the far wall, "C'mon guys. We've got training."

I pulled on my shoulder guards and strapped a scabbard to my waist before following them into the new sunlight that shone over Pop Star.

"Don't let your guard down!" my father said for the third time that day.

I nodded, attempting to keep my mind locked on the battle. I blunted Goldeknight's strike, then stepped in for a lunge of my own. He caught my blade easily,and with a practiced twist of his hilt, sent it clattering onto the stone floor of the practice arena. I was defeated. Again.

I sighed and bent to scoop it up. Just one victory, that was all I wanted. To prove I was ready to be a Star Warrior. To prove I was worthy of my title, earned by every generation of Knight for their service to the king.

"Father," I asked, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "What was it like when there was a king on Pop Star?"

Goldeknight slid his sword back into his gilded scabbard. "It's hard to describe, Metaknight. There was something comforting about being commanded by a single power. We were peacekeepers, symbols of courage and honor. But that was before the war. Before NME." My father's eyes darkened beneath his gleaming gold mask. "NME created monsters, sending them out across the galaxy. They… destroyed our planet, our king, leaving us survivors to try to rebuild. We formed the Star Warriors to take back what was ours."

"Yeah, but we can beat them, right?" I spread my silver bat wings with enthusiasm.

My father pulled off his mask. He smiled faintly, but his eyes were distant and sad. "I don't know, my son. We are outnumbered. Perhaps outmatched."

"Oh," I said softly, folding my wings against my back. They melted into a long, dark cape.

Goldeknight put his hand on my arm. "We must have faith. After all, someday you will be a Star Warrior, and then the leader of the revolution."

I felt a small rush of pride, but one word dampened my happiness- "will." From the moment I'd first managed to get my stubby arms on my father's sword, I knew I had to be a warrior. Even my name, Meta, came from the "form" I was born with, sword*, just

*Every Pop Star warrior is born with a certain power, or "form." For example, Fireknight and Iceknight have the power to breath.. well, ice and fire. I, of course have a sword form. (Y'know, thinking about it, I'm lucky I didn't end up with the same name as one of my modern companions, Swordknight.) Anyway, Kirby is the only known who can take on any form.

like my father's. I'd watched in awe as he battled monstrous spies who attacked Star Base, yearning to be at his side. But even once I began my training, I was always "too young," "too inexperienced," "too weak."

Goldeknight must have sensed how I felt because he squeezed my arm. "You'll get there, my son. It's hard to wait, but one does not become a warrior overnight."

"I know," I muttered. "I just… want to help.

"I know you do. You are my son after all. A Knight. Someday, you'll be the greatest of us all."

"Thank you, father." I replied, feeling a little better.

"Now go," Goldeknight said. "We'll practice again tomorrow."

I nodded, unfurling my wings, which like my form, were identical to my father's.

"Farewell, father." I kicked off the stones, watching the arena shrink away, finally breaking through the clouds.

I glided over the marketplace, looking for my cousins. A group of young female warriors waved at me, and I did a few loops and flips in the blue sky. The girls giggled, and one blew me a kiss.

I was smiling to myself, mood lightened, when an ivory feather fluttered into my face from above.

"Hey Metabat!" I turned to find a familiar face, but not a welcome one.

I groaned. "Look, Gildelord, I don't really feel like dealing with you today. So find someone else to bother."

My rival flapped his white, feathery wings, dropping down to block my path. "Well, unlucky for you, Metabat, I am in the mood," he snarled.

I felt anger boiling inside of me. I didn't want to fight Gildelord, but he'd been fittingly born with a fighter form, indicated by the scarlet headband he wore across his forehead. He'd also been born a noble, a social rank above the Knights. And he never let me forget it. Ever.

"Why can't we just get along?" I asked, wanting to say anything but what I was saying. "Just because our wings are slightly different…"

"Slightly?" Gildelord scoffed. "For your information, Metabat, this elegant plumage is a symbol of my noble lineage. My family will always be better than yours."

"Better?" I growled. "Who fought for the lives of your family for years? Who 's leading the Star Warriors now? The Knights, not the Lords!"

Gildelord just laughed. Hatred coursed through my veins, from the tip of my armored boots to the talons on the end of my wings.

"Whatever, Metabat. When this war's over, we'll be in charge." He flew in a loop around me before disappearing up into the clouds, still laughing.

"Son of a Dyna Blade," I muttered.

Suddenly, I felt atap on my shoulder. "Well, you handled that well." Fireknight teased. My cousins had come up behind me,wings catching the warm updrafts.

Iceknight rolled his eyes at his brother. "Ignore him. Fireknight and Gildedork."

"I'll be fine," I said. "He's a jerk, but he's still a Star Warrior. Someday we'll get along."

Fireknight snorted. "Love the optimism, but I doubt that." His stomach let out a low growl. "Can we get some lunch now?"

Iceknight and I rolled our eyes in unison. "Fine."

Star base was technically a military outpost, but with my father, leader of the Star warriors,, having a family, it had developed into a community. There was only one road, a long stripof cobblestone, but it was lined with shops and food stands, all run by off duty warriors. You could buy everything from breads,fruits, and vegetables to spears, shields, and bows. A few minutes and ten bronze coins later, we sat under an old oak tree, digging into our food.

"So," Fireknight asked through a mouthful of sandwich, "Anything go on this morning, Metaknight."

I took a bite out of a bright red apple. "Well…" I blushed. "I think a girl likes me."

Iceknight suddenly seemed interested. "Who?"

"I don't know her name," I replied. "I think she's mirror form though."

"Wait, are you talking about Crystalord?" Fireknight said, eyes wide. "That's Gildelord's sister!"

She is?" I cried.

"Yeah!" Iceknight said. "Don't worry, I've talked to her a few times. She's nothing like her brother."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Then a thought came to my mind. "Wait, why did you talk to her?"

My cousin blushed. "No reason. She's just… Stars, you're lucky, cuz."

"But why does she like me?" I asked. "Does she like me? Or was it just a joke?"

"Calm down, Metaknight. Of course she likes you. I mean, a noble like Crystalord might as well be a princess, and you're so…" Fireknight cleared his throat, taking on an awful accent. "I am the brave and chivalrous Sir Metaknight, defender of Pop Star and heir to Sir Goldeknight. I will defend your honor, fair lady. "

I laughed in exasperation. "I do not sound like that."

"Oh, you know you do," My cousin chuckled. "Like I said, ladies love a knight in shining armor. It also doesn't hurt that you can fly."

"Okay, guys, as knightly as this lovey-dovey stuff is, and how fun it is to listen to Fireknight roll his r's," Iceknight said, "Can we please talk about something-"

A roar rang out in the distance, followed by screams.

"Monsters." My navy blue skin paled a few shades. "Come on! We have to help!"

A cold feeling coursed through my body as we flew toward the sounds of fighting, wings pumping as fast as our hearts. Don't let it be too late.

It didn't take long for us to find the monsters. We practically ran into one.

"Whoa!" I shouted, pushing myself backward to avoid the wing that nearly swatted me out of the sky. A flock of birds the size of our starships circled the town square. There were at least ten, all with razor sharp beaks and talons.

"Raptakons!" Iceknight yelled over the sound of the birds' screeches.

"Yeah, but where's the-"

That's when I spotted it. Atop the Spire, the tallest building on Star base, perched a Raptakondor, the leader of the flock. It was the only male, and while the females were fearsome, this beast was a true monster. It dwarfed the building it was standing on, and every flap of its gray and silver wings produced a gale strong enough to send a full grown Star Warrior flying.

A small flash of gold circled the monster, slashing at its eyes with a double edged blade. "Father!" I cried.

We pumped our wings as hard as possible, racing through the battle toward Goldeknight.

"Hey Metaknight! Wait up!"

I turned to see a warrior in white and gold armor gliding beside me. She carried a gleaming two-handed sword in her grasp.

"Crystaknight?" I involuntarily blushed.

She nodded, deep brown eyes determined. "We have to help Sir Goldeknight!" The mention of my father snapped me back to reality. "Right." I looked at my cousins. "Go take care of the rest of the Raptakons. The other warriors will need your air support." Fireknight and Iceknight looked like they wanted to protest, but my dark yellow gaze convinced them to peel off and re enter the battle. I then turned to Crystaknight. "You should go with them."

Her eyes narrowed. "They may act like you're their leader, but I'm my own warrior."

I couldn't help but admire the rebellious gleam in her eyes."I'm not trying to order you around, but if we don't act now, those Raptakons will destroy our base long before their leader does. My father and I can handle the Raptakondor."

Her eyes softened. "Alright. But if you go down with that giant chicken, it's totally your fault." She hefted her sword and dove into battle.

I felt a bit of relief. That was taken care of. The base should be safe… if Goldeknight and I could take down the Raptakondor.

"Father!" I called.

Goldeknight glanced quickly over his shoulder. "Metaknight!" He barely bothered to hide the relief in his voice.

I flew to my father's side, drawing my own sword. The monster turned its piercing gaze on me, and I gladly returned it. Realizing I would be no easy opponent, the Raptakondor unfurled its wings, sending blasts of hurricane force wind into our small, round bodies. Only my heavy armor and experience in flight kept me from being blown off the tower. As it was, all the air was knocked from my lungs.

"Metaknight!" My father yelled. "Battle plan Halberd!*"

I nodded. My father attacked the Raptakondor from the front, dipping and dodging its sharp talons. Meanwhile, I flew silently behind the monster. Taking a deep breath, I brought down my sword, burying the blade deep into its left wing. The Raptakondor let out a cry of pain, its beak lancing through the air. I dodged at the last second, my wings propelling me backward.

I thought we'd done it. But to my dismay, the Raptakondor lifted off of the tower, wincing slightly, but still fully capable of flight. And even angrier.

"Skreeeeeeeeeee!" The monster sounded its battle cry, and suddenly every Raptakon on the base converged on our position. Warriors lowered their weapons and watched with wide eyes as we were surrounded by a circling mass of silver feathers.

I could've sworn I heard my cousins' voices calling to me from a short distance, but there was no way they could help us. We were alone.

"Metaknight!"

I gasped as a sharp pain erupted just above my left arm. A Raptakon's razor-sharp beak had sliced cleanly through the shoulder guard and sank into my soft blue flesh. I struggled to keep my wings pumping and my sword arm slashing, but the pain was too sharp, too sudden. All at once, I was no longer flying, but falling. At the last moment, I managed to spread my wings just enough to break my fall, sending me tumbling across the stones.

I sat up. My blurry vision cleared slightly, and I could make out Goldeknight above. I immediately felt a deep dread in the pit of my stomach. He flapped his wings so that he was at eye level with his foe. The Raptakons had formed a ring, like they were watching the warrior and monster do battle.

When a monster is defeated, it releases a blast of energy, my father had told me

* Battle plan Halberd was one of many organized attacks I'd learned through my training on Star base."Halberd" was also the name of my battleship. No, those are not related.

years ago. The larger the beast, the greater the energy.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Why was I reminded of that now? Unless…

"Oh, Stars," I muttered. "No, Father. No!"

With a final battle cry, my father charged, driving his sword into the Raptakondor's feathered chest.

"Noooo!"

A massive shockwave exploded in the sky above me, taking with it, a golden armored warrior. No. No. No, he can't be...

I sprinted to the place where my father was sprawled on the cobblestones.

I knelt down, my tears splashing onto his charred armor. His mask had fallen off, and he breathed raggedly.

"Father…" I lowered my head above his fading heart. "I'm so sorry…"

Goldeknight coughed. "Metaknight… my sword."

Fireknight, who'd stood silently behind me until now, scooped up the fallen sword at his feet and handed it to me.

"Metaknight… we have failed. There is only one hope remaining.." He squeezed my hand weakly. "A young Star Warrior.. You must find the warrior, and train him… that child is the galaxy's only hope." His heartbeat quickened beneath my hand.

"Father!" I cried. "No, you can't die!"

"Take the sword, it will guide you," he said. " Farewell ,my son. And good luck."

His features went slack.

"Oh... oh my…" Iceknight buried his face in his brother's shoulder, crying softly. Fireknight wrapped his wings around Iceknight protectively, but a few tears had escaped his eyes as well.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry." It was Crystalord.

"I should've let you help," I said through the tears. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's not," she said gently but firmly.

I was quiet, but I wasn't convinced. I would've stayed at my father's side forever, had a sudden alarm not gone off, echoing through the base.

"Sir Metaknight?" A warrior said tentatively.

I stood, adrenaline drying my tears, for now. I wouldn't fail my father again. "Sergeant?"

"The monsters, sir… they've got reinforcements."

I glanced over my shoulder at the sky. Sure enough, large shadows had appeared midst the blue. My heart pumped faster.

"Double time! Get to your ships!" As I directed the crowd into the hangars, Fireknight and Iceknight walked up behind me. "You should get moving too, cuz." Iceknight said. I nodded, still not trusting myself to speak, and followed them silently into the nearest ship, a five-pointed vessel with a silver, star-shaped base and a dome of glass as the windshield.

Fireknight started up the engine and moments later, our starship streaked from the ground. Iceknight gasped. "Look.."

I watched from above as the monsters launched their final attack on Star Base. Tears streamed anew from my eyes at the sight of the Spire in flames. There had still been people down there… and their blood was now on my hands. "No… we have to go back!"

Iceknight shook his head. "Metaknight, it's too late."

He was right, but I'd lost too much to just let it go. "It's never too late! We can't just…" I sank back into my seat, my father's sword laid across my lap. A tear streaked down my cheek, splashing onto the single ruby set into the golden hilt. My father was gone, our base was taken, and everyone I knew was either captured, killed, or on the run. "Father…" I whispered. "Pop Star…"

Only one thought kept me from curling into a ball and never waking up again. My father had died so that the people of the universe might live. I needed to finish what he started, make sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain.

"Guys?" Fireknight sat in the pilot's chair, manning, or puff-balling the controls. He indicated one of the scanner screens.

Iceknight and I looked up. We'd been talking for hours now, about our planet, our people, and our father and uncle. It was amazing that I'd never realized that Goldeknight was almost as much his father as he was mine. Fireknight had insisted he was fine, but I knew my cousin was only trying to cope in his own way, by piloting, and channeling his grief into something productive.

"What is it cuz?" i asked, offering Iceknight my hand and pulling him up.

Yellow flames danced along the the edge of Fireknight's wings, like they did whenever he was nervous. He quickly folded them against his back, wisps of smoke escaping at the seams.

"The scopes picked up something out there, something big. And it's getting closer."

"A rescue ship?" I asked hopefully.

Fireknight shook his head. "No, the scanner's are picking up massive life readings. It's definitely… something alive."

"No ordinary creature can survive in the vacuum of space," Iceknight said. "It's got to be…"

"Monsters." Adrenaline pumped through my body, a roar of determination temporarily drowning out any pain or grief. ?My cousins glanced in my direction, and I realized they were looking to me as a leader. And I accepted this responsibility, just as my father had before me.

"Man the cannons!" I yelled. "For Pop Star!"

They echoed my cry and flung themselves into their seats. Not one of us had flown a ship before, but yet we worked as a well-oiled machine, Fireknight sitting at the steering lever, Iceknight aiming the laser cannons, and I watching the scopes.

I turned to look at my cousins.

"Ready, Knights?"

"Ready," they said solemnly.

Deep breaths, Metaknight. You trained for this.

"Okay," I said. "Hit the lights."

Fireknight reached across the dashboard, flipping a switch that activated the ship's headlights.

I gasped, almost wishing the monster had stayed in the dark.

It was a creature I'd only seen in the pages of A Warrior's Guide to Monsters from my father's study. Its impossibly long serpentine body seemed to go on forever, disappearing into the distance. Sprouting from its scaly back were massive dragon's wings. Its reptilian skin was an iridescent rainbow, shifting and swirling hypnotically as it raised its fearsome, dragon-like head.

"A Reptilabow," I breathed. "Iceknight, take the shot."

My cousin nodded, his features calm and focused. He pulled the trigger on the forward laser cannon.

A plasma blast was sent from the barrel, streaking through the vacuum and striking the Reptilabow in the forehead. The creature roared silently beyond the glass, but the blast seemed to have done little more than anger the beast.

Shaking off the dust, the monster struck, sinking its fangs deep into the port side of our starship, ripping one of the five corners clean off. A siren wailed and red lights flashed ominously as the ship listed dangerously to port.

"We can't take much more of this!" Fireknight yelled, wrestling with the control stick as he struggled to right our craft. "But our warp drive's offline!"

"Do what you need to do!" I said. "Just get us out of here!"

"Guys…" Iceknight said nervously.

"What!" we yelled in unison, whipping around. But it was already too late. The Reptilabow's tail had emerged out of the depths of space to wrap around our rear engine. We held our breath as we watched, unable to do anything but watch in horror. Smoke poured into the cockpit, leaving us blinded and coughing. I sank onto the floor beside my cousins, gasping for breath as the world slipped away.