Meta Knight jogged down the halls of the castle, moonlight shining through the windows. Dedede had texted him, speaking of some "emergency". "ITS AN EMERGANCY! GIT OVER HEEEERE!" The misspellings would be almost endearing if he hadn't had to wake up in the middle of the night and hastily get fully dressed. What kind of emergency could be going on right now?
He stops in front of the large double-doors, taking a second to prepare for any emergency that was going down.
"Ah."
Nothing.
Dedede was sitting up in bed, green pajamas and nightcap, with his signature pout. He looked over at the visitor. "'Bout time."
Meta Knight sighed. "Your Majesty, why, exactly, did you call me out here at this ungodly hour? It's-" He squinted at the grandfather clock. "-2:30 AM."
Dedede whined and clutched his sheets. "I..." He brought his knees and blanket closer to him. "I had a bad dream." He scoffed when Meta Knight rolled his eyes. "Don't do that! It was real scary! There were monsters and mean people saying I was bad and- And I don't feel good...Stay with me for the night, please?"
"Your Majesty, you're a grown man-"
Another loud whine, the knight cringing. He closed the doors behind him and took off his armor, boots, and sat next to the king. "Lay back down." Dedede stared at him. "What's wrong?" A hand reached for his mask, gently tugging at it. Meta Knight slapped it away. "No."
"You can't sleep in your mask."
Meta Knight had planned on leaving once Dedede fell asleep, but that didn't seem to be happening. He slowly lifted up the mask, setting it on the bedside table. He looked back at the other, who was smiling, and didn't fade even with the knight's exasperation. "Now will you go to sleep?"
"No."
A sigh, almost a borderline groan. "Why not?"
"Story." The kings smiling face was serious now.
"You can't be serious. You don't even have any books, and I'm not going back to my room."
"Make one up. You're a smart guy." Yes, but he's a fighter, not a writer. He hadn't had to really use his imagination since he was a kid, a long, long time ago. He thought for a bit about what Dedede would want to hear. Something about a great person of royalty, getting the person they liked, being a cool guy. Oh well, just improvise.
"Okay, once upon a time there was a beautiful princess, absolutely gorgeous."
"How pretty was she?"
"Uhh...She...She had mystical long, light blue hair, that would flow graciously in the wind. And she was curvy and always had great sense of fashion. Yes." Dedede smirked because he figured out she was just him as a pretty lady. "She ruled her kingdom with an iron fist but was respected and adored by all. Especially her castle guard, who was also a very pretty lady."
"And this guard doesn't wear a mask because she's not a meanie."
Meta Knight pouted, but continued. "Right. One day, the princess was just sitting around looking pretty, as usual, when a big mean dragon came and snatched her up and took her to its lair. The dragon was upset that the princess was so pretty and happy." Dedede gasped dramatically. "So, the guard went off after it, to slay the dragon and save her love. She found the cave and got into a battle with the evil creature, but it was no match for her and her legendary sword. The dragon was defeated quickly, and the guard grabbed the princess and kissed her on the mouth while a guitar riff played and eagles flew in the background. They all lived happily ever after, the end."
After a few seconds of silence, Dedede laughed and hugged Meta Knight, pulling him down under the covers with him. "That really sucked, dude."
Meta Knight chuckled too, after letting out a yell of surprise from being pulled. "I didn't promise it would be an award-winning novel."
"I give it a 5/10." He kissed the knight on the forehead. "Maybe a six, for trying."
"How about a 7 because I'm pretty?"
The two laughed and made jokes at each other for a bit, before drifting off to sleep, dreaming of pretty princesses and knights.