Hey guys! I'm putting up the sequel to Shadow Wings later this week! For now, here's a oneshot I wrote when I was bored and suffering from writer's block one day. I know there are probably at least 5 other stories about Revenge of Meta Knight from his POV, but I just thought this was pretty good for coming off the top of my head and I decided to put it up. Please review nonetheless. And, if you haven't, I'd recommend reading Shadow Wings when you're done. :)
I didn't belong in this world.
That's why I built it—my ship. The Halberd.
With my own two hands, I crafted the world's most perfect airship. My heart swelled with pride every time I gazed upon the beautiful flying fortress that I was able to call my own. Or…at least…it used to.
The Halberd now lies in the depths of the ocean, her wings torn, never to grace the skies with her presence again. How did such a perfect ship end up at the bottom of the sea? How did such a perfect ship become a home to scavenging sharks and eels?
That's where my story starts…my quest for revenge that ended in utter failure.
My lost revenge.
I don't know when I became ambitious, but that doesn't matter to me. What did matter was that I was growing tired of the world I lived in. It was so peaceful, yet everything seemed so unfair. The residents of this land were stupid, living without a reason, squabbling over excessive amounts of food, getting into pointless fights with their neighbors. I lived a life of solitude, away from these foolish creatures. This land, Dreamland, lived a lazy lifestyle and had a pointless existence in the world…
I hated it all.
It made me feel too different. I knew I didn't belong with them. I knew I would never join their pathetic purposeless ranks of gluttony and savagery…but one day, an idea struck me. An idea that made me realize that I had the power to change this land.
So I created my prized ship and hunted down a loyal crew that had ambition. Yet, it was the wrong kind of ambition. They were greedy and power-hungry while I yearned for change. Still, they were the best I could find in a sea of ludicrous beings and we formed a tight bond immediately. One recruit, a little Waddle Dee donning a sailor cap began to follow me around constantly. He was the brightest of his kind that I had ever met. He didn't live to be killed and eaten. He lived for a reason, just as I wished to. He admired me for my skill, my strength, my view on life…everything.
At first, his deep admiration for me was annoying. I wasn't used to it. Yet, as my plans progressed, I began to view him as a son and we grew close.
But I shall not bore you with the details. Those parts in my life have become blurred memories, most of them long forgotten. They have all been replaced with a single memory that will always stand out sharply in my mind.
The day the Halberd first took flight was one of the greatest moments of my sorry excuse for a life. Yet, I was proud. More than that, I was thrilled. I was ecstatic. But then, just as I could feel the future beginning to change around me, a star appeared on the horizon, shooting towards my ship at a blinding speed. It was him. The Star Warrior. The savior.
Kirby.
I could feel my hopes and dreams came crashing down around me, for I knew why he was here. He saw my plans as a bad deed. He was going to stop me. He was going to ruin everything. Yet, I would not go down without a fight. Regaining confidence, I let my crew take hold of the situation as Kirby landed on deck. My firm, yet cowardly captain ordered everyone to release our powerful robot, Heavy Lobster. Before either of them could fight for long, I gave the order to lift off. I watched Kirby be blown off the ship and disappear from sight. My crew cheered, celebrating. I did not join them, but merely stared out the window at the reddening sky and ocean.
I knew I had not yet seen the last of him.
As we headed off towards Grape Garden, it wasn't long until my suspicions were confirmed. Kirby had not given up easily. He came after us, flying on his Warp Star. The Captain had him shot down. My crew was so brilliant; I didn't even need to say anything. As everyone congratulated the Captain, I could feel the little Waddle Dee appraising me with curious eyes, wondering why I wasn't joining in their celebration.
I tried to feel more confident. I tried to look ahead and imagine what the new Dreamland would be like after I overtook it. Yet I was so nervous, my plans seemed to turn into illusions before my eyes. My reverie was shattered by the loud voices of my soldiers.
"Sir! Kirby is gaining fast!" Ax Knight shrieked, his eyes wide and scared.
"Impossible!" I said, as the enormous bird, Dyna Blade, came flying into view.
"Open fire!" The captain shrieked.
It wasn't hard to shoot down such a big target. But we were too late; Kirby had once again boarded the Halberd. The next hour of my ship slowly being destroyed seemed to last forever. As each part of the Halberd was torn apart, I could feel my heart breaking along with it. My loyal servants were slain one after another as Kirby blew through their ranks. Murder was so casual for that wretched pink puffball. Yet if someone tried to murder him, they would no doubt be the villain…
My heart skipped a beat when this thought occurred to me.
I had never viewed myself as a villain. Yet at the thought of killing this so-called hero, I could feel my sword hand quiver with anticipation. I could feel the rage steadily building up inside of me. Red clouded my vision. How could Kirby be called a hero when he killed so many innocent lives?
I looked at my crew, knowing what fate they would have if they stayed on the ship any longer. The main cannon was destroyed and Kirby was nearing the source of the ship's power—wheelies. I knew it wouldn't be long until he released them. I waited patiently for the end to come.
Finally, Kirby dealt the final blow to the defeated Halberd. The airship started to fall, heading on a crash course towards the ocean. My crew was going to be killed. I looked at each of them in turn. The Captain, Ax Knight, Mace Knight …even little Waddle Dee. I could feel my heart grow warm at the sight of the young puffball. But as his cries of panic reached my ears, I could feel it grow cold and harden.
We had failed.
"Attention all crew! Evacuate ship!" I called out, my voice ringing above the noise of the falling airship and the screams of what was left of the crew. The Captain looked so grateful for my order.
"I'm not staying! I'm evacuating!" He shouted, leaving without a goodbye, never to be seen again. I paid no attention to him and his selfishness. He hadn't been loyal to me and therefore didn't matter. Instead I turned my gaze upon my two most loyal knights.
"Now it's your turn to evacuate." I murmured.
"No, I want to stay with you, sir!" Ax Knight gasped, his eyes full of tears.
"Let's try one more time to get Kirby!" Mace Knight agreed, pulling out his weapon, though his voice shook with fear and sadness.
My chest tightened at their loyalty. I wanted to thank them nonstop, but I didn't want them to stick around for what I was going to do. I didn't want them to see what I had planned…they would try to stop me otherwise, when they learned that I was not to evacuate with them.
"It does not matter." I told them coldly, my hands trembling with anger. "We are all going to die."
Without another word, my knights raced from the room to make one last dire attempt to stop Kirby. I did not follow. Only Waddle Dee and I remained in the room. "Now it's your turn…" I told him gently.
He didn't move. He was shivering, his heart pounding loudly against his little chest. I could see the fear that had him in its grip. His eyes were wide and serious when he said slowly, "You're not going to come…are you, sir? Everyone else evacuated, but you…you're going to go get Kirby, aren't you?"
I could see that I would gain nothing by lying to him. "Yes." I whispered.
Suddenly he threw himself at me, clenching my cape in his little red fists. "Don't be a killer, sir!" He choked out. "You'll never forgive yourself if you do. Evacuate with us! Please don't become a murderer!"
I blinked in surprise at his uncharacteristic outburst. Then I did something that I regret to this very day. I tore my cape away from him and took out my sword. He fell over, dazed and frightened. I had chosen Kirby over my adopted son. I had chosen hate over love. I had chosen death over life.
And I knew this.
Without another word to Waddle Dee, I turned and ran from the room, leaving behind its broken controls and shattered windows.
"I'll wait here for you." He said softly, his face full of sadness, though I paid no attention to his last words.
It wasn't long before I found the perfect place to fight. I knew Kirby was approaching this area as he attempted to escape the ship, but I would not let him. Like the fair knight I was, I left him a sword to use so it would be a fair fight. There would be no lesser weapons or magical powers in this death match.
Finally, Kirby appeared and took the sword almost instantly, as if he had been expecting this.
"Kirby!" I shouted, unsheathing my sword and throwing off my cape, "This is it! Come meet your doom!" I leaped from my perch and landed in the middle of the makeshift arena. Kirby met my attack almost instantly, swiping his sword through the air with surprising skill. I backed away, my plans for attack racing through my mind.
My own sword, Galaxia, was clenched firmly in my gloved hands, ready to slash and tear. I charged forward to slice Kirby in half and I could see he was surprised by my agility. Yet he was smart enough to leap into the air and puff himself up, safely out of reach. Not to be bested by a pink puffball, I began to spin faster and faster until I was practically a small tornado. I easily sent my enemy flying and he collapsed on the ground, the wind knocked out of him.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, I attacked, but he rolled out of the way. I barely managed to land a blow on his foot. Then, almost out of nowhere, he hit me with his sword. I staggered as the weapon collided with my mask, sending an odd cracking sound throughout my ears. I turned, just as Kirby swung the sword again. Our blades connected with a loud clash. With my strength I sent Kirby tumbling backwards. Then, with one swipe, I carved a neat gash on his side.
Flecks of blood flew through the air and I found myself hungering for more. I jabbed at him with my sword, but he blocked with his, avoiding my attacks. Trying to get through his defense, I angled my attacks from above, bringing my sword down as I tried to impale him. Each time, he sidestepped just at the last second. As I came down next to him, he slashed at me again. His aim was higher this time and cut me open above my mask. I could feel the blood running down my face, warm and wet. My eyes flashed red, matching the color of the blood that stained our swords.
I tried to finish him, to stab the light out of those friendly blue eyes forevermore, but it was so much harder than I had expected it to be. I was covered in wounds and my mask was cracked in several places. Kirby, too, was injured, but he was still fighting as strongly as ever. All the while, the Halberd was still plunging down towards the dark waters that waited below.
I had to finish this.
Raising my sword high above my head, I gathered the last of my strength into this final blow. My arms shook as I put all of my power into what I hoped would finally kill Kirby. As I plunged my sword into the ground, a large, swirling tornado broke free of it, sweeping through the arena, ripping apart any piece of ship that stood in its way.
I saw Kirby for a split second, his eyes wide with fear, and then he was gone.
I gasped for breath as I watched the last of the tornado disappear.
Where was Kirby? Was he finally dead?
No.
The sound of running feet and I turned to see Kirby rushing at me from behind, his sword raised high into the air. A loud crack could be heard as he hit me straight on and cleaved my mask in two. I collapsed under the powerful below, sitting on the ground, stunned. As soon as I saw the broken mask lying at my feet, I whipped out my cape and escaped.
Kirby watched me go, his eyes full of wonder at the sight of my face.
Yes, my face, that looked so much like his. I hated him for it, just as I hated myself for it. I was nothing without a mask, yet I knew I couldn't let my embarrassment get in the way of my revenge. Losing sight of Kirby, I quickly entered one of my storage rooms and grabbed a new mask. Ignoring the stinging pain that ranged up and down my small body, I escaped the collapsing room as the Halberd neared its imminent doom. I barely had a minute left…I could not let Kirby escape!
Then I spotted him, climbing onto one of the free Wheelies. He began to speed away. Anger clawed at my insides, turning my eyes a brilliant crimson. "You'll never leave here alive!" I screeched, emerging from the wreckage of my ship to face my mortal enemy.
His eyes widened in shock as two large, leather bat wings burst from my back. I reveled in the fear that flooded his face as I brandished my bloodstained sword and restarted attacking him. The Wheelie was fast, but so was I. Thrusting my sword forward, I felt overjoyed at the cry of pain that came out of his mouth. The Wheelie surged forward and I struggled to catch up in vain, my wings beating the air continuously. The red that flooded my vision was practically blinding me. My lungs burned with effort as I flew after the one responsible for ruining my life.
But it was no use.
Kirby escaped, he and the Wheelie flying through the air towards the land. I lost sight of them in the burning sunset. Instead of pursuing, I turned back to the crumbling ship. Then I realized something I had forgotten.
Waddle Dee.
I flew through the air, screaming his name, forgetting all about my bloodthirsty attack on Kirby moments before. I cried out for the innocent child that had looked to me as a father. Yet I could not find him among the wreckage of the ship. My vision blurred once more, but this time with tears. I had failed. I had failed everyone. My crew, my soldiers, myself…but most of all, I had failed him.
I got out just before the Halberd hit the water. I didn't look back. I didn't want to see that watery grave. I just kept on flying forward, knowing that I should have kept looking until I found him. Yet, if I had found him, would things have been so much different? Would he see me, covered in blood, with two ominous wings sprouting from my back, and cringe in fear? Would he think I was a monster? Would I have been able to save him and, if so, would he still be with me in the present?
These questions continue to haunt me to this day.
Yet I have moved on and placed my dark past where it belongs—behind me. I remain a loner until this day for I have learned that making alliances brings much pain. Yes, that is one of the few sorrowful lessons that I learned from my horrifying experience…from my last battle…
…From my lost revenge…
~The End~