Meta Knight stared at the poisoned, emerald-tipped arrow that was knocked inthe string of the double bow resting in Stranger's hands. His friend was planning on shooting him.Meta could see it in Stranger's glowing, green eyes that narrowed at him from beneath the deep hood the Wanderer always wore castover his face. The deadly arrow was knocked and aimed straight at him, and Meta Knight knew Stranger would not miss, he never missed his mark. Themasked knightcould feel the soft leather of Galaxia's hilt beneath his gloved hand. He looked back up at the Wanderer, knowing death would soon follow themoment the arrow flew from the string. He felt the chill of round, flat stones hidden beneath his cape. If he died, who would perform the burial rights? Traditionally, in the Galaxy SoldierArmy, it was done by the first person who saw the body, dead or dying. Stranger was not himself, so he was out of the question and Meta knew of no other Star Warrior that was old enough to know the burial ritual.

He fingered thewhip that rested at the end of the belt that also held Galaxia, his hand clutching the handle of the long, painful tool.

"Prepare yourself," Stranger growled, holding the massive, double bow in amotion that revealed he was indeed ready to let the arrow fly.

Meta Knight knew that he wouldn't be able to release the whip onto the bow intime enough to stop the deadly shot, for Stranger already had the arrowready and taut, his covered gaze locked onto Meta Knight's golden eyes. Meta Knight stood in front of Fumu, ready to accept anything that was thrown at him. He would die a knight, he would die in honor. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Fumu was shaking slightly. Meta tightened his hand on the whip, practicallypulling it out, but stopped upon realizing that Stranger would just shoot him anyways.

He watched as Stranger drew the cord back further, tightening to the bow's fulldraw back and kissed his thumb as it brushed against his lips.The curved, double bow did not yield to the stiff, extendedcord that held the arrow in place. He pulled it back additionally, preparing to release the deadly, poison-tippedshaft.

Something in the trees stirred, barely the slightest hint of a shadow's quintessence. Meta Knight saw the faintest, aqua-colored glowing coming from the place of the shadow distortion. It grew in intensity, soon forming a sphere of light. The light appeared to be coming closer along with the indistinct, shadowyfigure. The shadow appeared behind Stranger, its eyes glowing aqua.

"I suggest you don't do that, Altan of the Red Dawn," an indistinctly, familiar voice whispered from within the shadow as aqua tipped swords shot out of theshifting substance. One of the curved blades rested against Stranger's throat, the other had knocked the bow out of Stranger's rigid grasp.

"Master..."

"Exactly, now fight it, Altan, like I know you can," the voice coaxed tenderly.

The responsewas instantaneous. Stranger fell to the ground, trembling violently and murmuring unintelligible phrases, perhaps words of a different language. His back arched and he grabbed a dagger that was kept on his triceps, attempting to stab his heart. The person within the shadow stopped him, the swords continuing to glow aqua.

"Hurts...Nightmare...poison...Shadox...captured...not dead...Kill..I must kill Meta...Knight," Stranger's voice escalated in volume as his lips formed thename,his eyes once more flashing green underneath the hood.

"...I know Stranger, Fight it. Fight it for the Galaxy Soldier Army. Fight it to regain your heart and soul. Fight hooded one!"

Only one person in the Universe would dare insult Stranger, especially with one that barely related to the other Wanderer at all.

Meta Knight watched as the shadows dispersed around Caldwell of the Blue Moon, once known as the Shadow of the Night Sky. He hadn't changed a bit. The only thing absent was his cane.

Stranger's back vaulted again as he struggled to get out from Caldwell's grasp, but the older Wanderer was not phased by the attempt. The swords disappeared as Caldwell the Shadow's hands blazed the distinct aqua color again and the sapphire bracelet he wore seemed to bring aid to the motion.

Meta Knight looked at them again and he snapped into action. As he rushed over, he pulled out a small vial of liquid, which he handed to Caldwell. Caldwell the Shadow accepted it graciously, popping the top off of it and dumping the contents into Stranger's mouth. He covered the Wanderer's mouth and nose, forcing the other to swallow. As the liquid drained down his throat, Stranger's attempt to fight him off grew more frail and weak as time went on until finally he went limp.
"Y-you killed him! A-and he called you his 'master'! You're just going to let him die by your hands?" Fumu shouted, stalking over to the three men. Caldwell the Shadow ran a hand down to the sheath of his curved swords, looking exasperated as he did so.

"Meta Knight, I'm busy, you handle it," Caldwell sighed as he checked Stranger's pulse.

"You haven't changed much, have you?" Meta Knight murmured to Caldwell. He then addressed to the impatient girl beside him, "Fumu we would n-"

"Why should I believe you, Meta Knight? You never tell me anything, and you're mysterious no matter what you do! He appeared out of nowhere and you know him! Not to mention, you know more about Kirby than I think you let on! You know almost every Demon Beast's weakness and name! You-"

"While listening to my friend get what's coming to him is quite entertaining, I think that interrupting would be best at this time. For now we are a team, we shall not fight like a bunch of wild beasts. Don't find fault, find a remedy," Shadow of the Night Sky chided. Sighing, he picked up Stranger's limp form and began walking towards the castle. As he walked, his footsteps resounded heavier on his left side, but he continued on, waiting for them to follow.

"H-hey! You can't just walk away! We have t-"

"I just did. Now may I ask madam, why are you away from the castle?" Caldwell the Shadow easily replied.

"How did you...? I'm away from the castle because a ninja named Yamikage took me for information!" Fumu spat to him in shock.

"Madam, please calm down, the more of a scene you create, the harder it is to keep them sleeping." As he spoke he jerked a thumb around behind them.

Fumu looked around their position. Sure enough, every single Cappy in eyesight were sleeping soundly along the dirt road. Not one of them were awake, aside from them. She looked back at the humanoid who was so carefully keeping Stranger hoisted then, she looked back at the sleeping city. Caldwell looked at her with anticipation, before he shrugged and began walking away again.

"Just a thought, if I can't keep the spell in check, they may be at risk of injury or death. Eh, why do I care, I don't know them." With that said, he brushed it off as he passed through the village.

Behind him, Meta Knight sighed. His friend would never change. The small concoction had been one that Caldwell the Shadow had specifically made after the first war against Nightmare, the War of Lost Wishes, he'd been afraid for his friend's safety. It wouldn't hurt the person who drank it, for the most part, and Stranger was certainly not dead.

Fumu started running to catch up to them, shaking her head as she did so. How dare he put the townsfolk to sleep! And he knew that she lived at the castle! There was something about him that made her wary. She looked at his cloaked back, the faintest gray interwoven throughout the cloth and felt heat rise around her. She looked behind and saw that the Cappies were groggily waking up, some even trying to go back to sleep again. Had she been next to Caldwell she would've noticed the faintest of smiles tug at the corners of his lips.

Fumu noticed how heavily the strange figure before her was limping and she looked for a visible wound that could have inflicted the problem. There werenone and his cloak appeared to be free of blood. She wondered if Meta Knight knew him from his time in the Galaxy Soldier Army, Caldwell the Shadow could have fought alongside Meta Knight for all she knew! She watched as he shifted his weight slightly to make the still unconscious Stranger more comfortable.

She looked at how he made it comfortable for Stranger, but probably even more painful for himself. He cared for Stranger that much was soon evident to her. She knew Stranger, as he'd visited Meta Knight before, often bringing in reports or messages to and from those Meta needed to communicate with. Stranger had been a longtime friend of Meta Knight's and so she had been able to come on a more friendly basis with the mysterious Wanderer. When Nightmare had attacked them the first time, Stranger had been on the front lines of the retaliation against the Dark Lord, but she knew nothing of this 'Shadow'.

As she pondered upon these thoughts, Fumu walked with them as they headed towards the cliffs and was quite puzzled at their change in direction.

"Umm...isn't the castle the other way, Meta Knight?" she asked, looking back at the speck in the distance that was Dedede's castle.

"Yes."

"Well than why are we at the cliffs?"

"You shall see," Meta Knight replied, his voice somewhat altered and distant.

Fumu scowled. Would Meta Knight ever give her a straight answer? Apparentlyit would never happen. Caldwell the Shadow was calmly tapping the side of the cliff in a specific pattern, like some kind of code of entry. Aqua sparks launched themselves off of the mitten-clad hands as they met the surface of the cliff. Caldwell continued tapping it, aqua sparks flying out in a more erratic frenzy. Stranger was propped against the cliff soundly unconscious as the older Wanderer occupied himself to doing the unknown task.

"Ah! Useless piece of junk! Come on, work! " He stated then turned and eyed Meta Knight from over his shoulder, "When was the last time you used this?"

Meta Knight shuffled his feet before giving a straight answer, "Well… not in a good long while I suppose."

"For all the stars in this vast Universe, why did you not?" Caldwell growled as he continued tapping the surface of the cliff.

Finally, the spot he'd been tapping slowly gave way, sinking inwards on the cliff's surface. Fumu watched as the debris of rock and dirt crumbled from above as the doorway opened uncovering a house of metal walls built into the cliff. The narrow tunnel leading to the interior also had been lined with metal and small green lights lined the edges to light the way inside. She stared in awe and wonder when the lights flickered on, revealing more of the elaborate structure within.

"Welcome to one of the few remaining Star Warrior bases! Please step inside and make yourselves at home!" Caldwell cheerfully explained, taking care to hit a small button once everyone was inside and the door covered the entrance once again. With tender concern, he carefully set Stranger down on a couch in the common room. Caldwell knew well Stranger's jealously kept secret and pulled out a blindfold from a hidden pocket, tying it around Stranger's eyes. Then he began to remove the cloak Stranger was never seen without, which startled both Fumu and Meta Knight, as neither had ever seen him devoid of it. He began to wrap bandages around Stranger's many wounds, trying his best to not let anything be too tight or, for that matter, too loose. Fumu turned and saw Meta Knight handing him a wet towel, which Caldwell the Shadow used to clean up the blood.

Fumu looked at the two Wanderers more closely. Caldwell the Shadow had long dirty blond hair that reached down to his shoulders, which several strands were sticking out of his hood. He kept his curved blades sheathed at his shoulders, and he was wearing a Sapphire encrusted bracelet. Aqua sparks leaped off of his clothes every now and then, and his cloak hung close to his shoulders. Underneath his cloak he seemed to be wearing a dark gray tunic and smoky colored leggings. She noted how when he placed the vial back into the fabric, he seemed to place it on the right side. The belt he wore also had a whip tied to it, near where he had stashed the small bottle. When he moved some strands of his hair from his line of sight, she saw that he wore a ruby stud as an earring. He also leaned on the couch at times for support, but he seemed to be more concerned with Stranger at the moment.

She looked back at Stranger, not believing that she was seeing him without his cloak. Stranger's hair fell just past his chin, and he wasn't sleeping at all peacefully. His chin was scruffy, but the blindfold kept her from seeing into his eyes. His quiver had been removed, as had his dagger and rarely used swords. Stranger had a cord wrapped in a crisscrossing pattern on his left arm, and he wore a large belt over his waist. He had long fingerless gloves that he used for archery. She noted that Caldwell had removed Stranger's shoes but he had not removed his own. Finally a question that had so far been contained slipped out of her lips.

"How did this base get here?" Fumu suddenly burst in question.

The two men exchanged glances before Caldwell turned towards her and cleared his throat.

"Well you see...70,000 years ago this place was a barren landscape, one that Nightmare planned to make his own. The Galaxy Soldier Army took back this planet before he could take it over entirely and defended Popstar until they had to leave after we launched a siege on their main fortress. Most of the Demon Beasts that settled here were not suited to the desert-like climates-"

"-But...Caldwell, we are a lush and green environment...nothing shows we ever had desert." Fumu said in disagreement.

"Ah...that is where you are wrong. Popstar is a relatively new name for this planet, as it used to be called Candle Desert. The one species that was the most capable of adapting to the desert extremes was a race that we prefer to call Magma Panthera. You have already met a Panthera and I believe her name was Wolfwrath, Correct?" He waited for her to nod her understanding before continuing on with his explanation, "Yes, they were some of the only beings that could live in those climates. The Star Warriors had to fight off the demons and few of the ones that did fight, survived, but then, not much of the Panthera survived in any case. And that, madam, is why you have a base on the side of this weathered-down mountain."

His long winded explanation left her speechless. Fumu still didn't know whether or not he was a Star Warrior, but at least he gave her some form of an explanation. Meta Knight hadn't even bothered to tell her the technical name for the Demon Beast, just that it was dangerous. She looked back at him and saw how his hands gripped his sword, how his head would often be inclined slightly in Stranger's direction, and knew how worried he was for his fellow Wanderer's well being.

She watched as Stranger's back arched again before he slumped back down in an unnatural slumber. Fumu looked towards the metal walls for comfort and distraction. The walls were not at all empty, two heavy bookcases covered one wall, a map on the next, and several pictures on the remaining one. She walked over to the pictures and saw one that had been ripped down the middle. She fingered the back of it, but there was no way to get inside the frame. She turned to the bookcase and looked at the thick leather bindings packed closely together on the shelves. One in particular caught her attention, 'Warriors Arise and Nighttime's Cool Breeze.' Seeing that the two other occupants in the room were busy, she pulled it off the shelf and prepared to read the heavy volume, which was her healthy habit.

"Curious one, aren't you? I will be taking that." Fumu watched as a hand came down and plucked the volume from her hands. Caldwell the Shadow silently placed it higher on the shelf, and even though his back was facing her, she could feel the sadness that radiated off of him.

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"Let's not keep our host waiting shall we? Guards, take them to their new quarters." Customer Service grinned, they were in for a whole, new world of pain. The guards grabbed the knights by their arms and harshly unlocked the chains. They then dragged them away as four more guards performed the same with Kirby and Bun.

"Heh...prepare for pain tomorrow young challengers, you'll need your sleep." And with that threat said, Customer Service waddled away, he'd have to report to Nightmare.

"Yes my servant?"

"They have been taken to the 'guest' rooms. The knights' armor shall be removed at dawn tomorrow."

"Good, all is going according to plan. Thassilia would have been proud."

Customer Service nodded, that demon beast was never his mother, his father had been brainwashed into marrying her!

"Keep your thoughts to your self, if you care about their lives."

""Y-yes sir!" He slowly backed away, thankful that he still had his life.

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that quote was from Henry Ford.

I would like to give a special thanks to Sweey for fixing up Stranger and Beta-reading, and MetaKnight4ever for also Beta-reading! I would also like to thank all of my reviewers, who gave me the drive to continue!

If you really enjoyed it, or noticed something I didn't catch please tell me in a review. I can't read minds you know!