I guess that chapter ended on a bad note…sorry if it was confusing, but Galactic Knight isn't dead nor has he turned into a demon beast. :P As you will find out in this chapter, he has mysteriously disappeared.
Well I'm pleased to say I got an idea for a sequel! I know I'm crazy, I already have the idea but I haven't even finished this one. If I DO make a sequel, that is when you will find out was happened to Galactic Knight. Sorry for being evil. :D
I was eager to put this up! I hope there's not many typos I missed when I was rereading it. Only a couple chapters (I think three) before the story is over! Please make sure to review! Sorry if the ending is confusing. It will all be explained in the exciting finale of the next chapter! I'm so sad it's almost over...
Kirby and Dedede exchanged a startled glance. For a moment, they thought Meta Knight meant Galactic Knight, but the winged warrior had mysteriously disappeared and their friend was obviously pointing his sword at them.
"What do you mean who are we? You're not usually the one to make jokes." Dedede growled, "How about a thank you?"
"Silence!" Meta Knight demanded, "Who are you? Where is this place? Who…who…" He swallowed, shaking with confusion as he stared at the pair before him with wide eyes.
"Poyo…" Kirby murmured, his heart plummeting at the sad reunion he was having with his mentor.
"Oh no." Dedede moaned, "Do you remember your name? Please say you know your name…do you know who you are?"
Meta Knight, still shaking, said nothing. With a loud groan, the king sat down, muttering about wasted efforts and how they should never had come. Kirby's eyes filled with tears and he gazed at Meta Knight sadly. The tears came even faster when he realized that if the old knight had remembered Kirby, he would have come to his side and comforted him by now. But the warrior just stood there, bewildered by what he was seeing.
"Nightmare took away his memories. The old Meta Knight gone for good." Dedede said angrily, "This was pointless. We failed. We're too late."
"Poyo." Kirby agreed, looking away sadly.
Suddenly, Dedede sat up with a jolt. His face was bright with a new idea. Hope had returned to him. "Maybe not." He whispered, "Maybe we can make him remember!"
Kirby looked at him in surprise, wondering what had brought on this mood swing. "Poyo poy!" He demanded to know.
"Remember when Escargon was infected by that demon beast and everyone forgot who he was?" King Dedede said very quickly, "Well, after that he did all this research on memory-loss. He would go on and on about it, even if I gave him a good thwacking. Still I think I remember some of the stuff he said." He looked at Meta Knight thoughtfully, "If a person loses their memory, you may be able to make them remember by showing them things from their past that will trigger a reaction."
"Name? Poyo?" Kirby guessed.
King Dedede nodded and Kirby opened his mouth to say it, but the penguin held up a hand. "Maybe you'd better let me do it. We don't want him thinking his name is Meda Nigh or anything babyish like that." He turned to the knight. "Hey Meta Knight!"
Meta Knight just stared at them.
"You know that's your name right? Meta Knight. I'm King Dedede and this is Kirby. Remember Kirby?"
"Poyo!" Kirby added confidently.
Still, the knight said nothing.
They were beginning to feel nervous. "Come on, you've got to remember!" Dedede spoke quickly, "You're Sir Meta Knight, you were a demon beast before you joined the Galaxy Soldier Army and became a Star War-!"
Meta Knight gasped and Kirby jumped up and down in happiness. But what he said next made them feel even worse.
"How did you know I was planning to become a Star Warrior? You must be demon beasts!" He rushed at them, sword raised. Thinking fast, Kirby inhaled Galaxia right out of his hands. The blade entered his mouth, but he didn't swallow, keeping it safely inside his mouth. Meta Knight stopped and glared at him with his piercing yellow gaze.
"Do with me as you may. I refuse to go back and serve Nightmare any longer."
"We're not demon beasts!" King Dedede burst out. Kirby agreed with a muffled poyo. "You've lost your memory Meta Knight. We're not in the time period you think we are! The Star Warrior Army is gone, and they have been for decades!"
Meta Knight froze with shock. "But I was just leaving…to join them…they…they were just here fighting the demon beasts yesterday! You can't fool me!" His eyes turned red with anger, making the other two flinch at the dreadful reminder.
"They all died." Dedede told him regretfully, "You were the only survivor."
Meta Knight's eyes returned to yellow and the two sighed in relief. "Dead?" He said in awe, eyes swimming with grief, "That can't be."
"I have an idea." Dedede said, interrupting Meta Knight's mourning, "How about you tell us what you can remember and we'll tell you everything that's happened up until now. Maybe then you'll know your place."
"You go first." Meta Knight grumbled.
"Who's the one with the hammer?" Dedede growled, swinging it in front of Meta Knight's face. "You're going first, buddy!"
Kirby tried to protest, but nearly choked on the sword. With a glower, Meta Knight plunged into everything that he remembered. "I have been working for Nightmare as long as I can remember. He always said I was his perfect demon beast." He stumbled over the word 'demon,' "He was training me for something big. Then it came…there was a battle I was in with those he called the Star Warriors. They were our enemies. Many died that day, demon and warrior alike. I think it was that day that something…changed…within me. I began to question my loyalty to Nightmare and, as the war went on, I began to plan an escape. I wanted to join the Star Warriors. Then I found a Warp Star hidden and figured that he must have taken from one of the dead…I was going to use it to escape, but…" He trailed off.
"That's all you remember." Dedede finished for him. "I see. I guess it's our turn."
Meta Knight held out his hand. "May I please have my sword back?"
Kirby nodded and spat it out. Galaxia clattered to the ground and laid there, Meta Knight staring at it. They waited for him to pick it up. Finally he took a deep breath and said, "A lot must have happened in my lost memories for me to be wielding the sacred sword Galaxia."
"Know Gala…?" Kirby questioned.
"Nightmare spoke of it often, but that doesn't matter. Tell me everything that has happened up to this point." He picked it up as if he were seeing it for the first time. Then he tucked it into its sheath without another word and waited for Dedede to start.
"Well…let's see…" The penguin said slowly, "I don't know much of your past, but you did manage to escape I suppose. Then you left to join the Star Warriors, but they all died and you were the only one who lived. After that…I guess that's when you decided to come work for me. A wise choice I might add." He puffed his chest out. Meta Knight looked doubtful at the thought of working for the greedy king. "Not long after you arrived and became my servant, Kirby decided to show up in his Warp Star. He's a Star Warrior too and you started…err…training him."
He paused awkwardly, leaving out everything about his demon purchases. Kirby urged him to go on, knowing they didn't have time to cover everything.
"Well, the trouble started when you saved Kirby from this one demon beast that had come to town, but all the villagers saw your bat wings and chased you out. Then this ninja came and captured you. Nightmare got ahold of you again and then took your soul as well as your memories. And all this time you've been trying to kill Kirby and we finally got your soul back inside you." King Dedede smiled.
Meta Knight's expression was unreadable beneath his mask. Kirby leaned forward, looking hopeful.
"Ring any bells?" Dedede said eagerly.
Meta Knight shook his head and the two sighed, disappointed. "At least things are making more sense now." The knight said, "I am going to go see Nightmare in an attempt to recover these memories."
"POYO!" Kirby shouted so loudly the other two were nearly knocked off their feet. He ran up to Meta Knight, grabbed his cape and buried his face in it. His eyes were swimming in tears. "No, Meda, no, poyo." He whimpered. Meta Knight looked at him awkwardly then gave him a hesitant pat on the head. Kirby beamed and wiped away the fat tears running down his face.
"I'll be fine." He told Kirby, but his eyes were blank and unsure. "Besides, there are no other options. Maybe Nightmare holds the key to getting my memories back. But if he doesn't…" His voice changed to a frightening growl, "Then I might as well take revenge for what I have lost."
"Galaxia won't be enough to finish him." Dedede sighed.
"Sta Wod." Kirby murmured.
"Then what reason is there left to live?" Meta Knight snapped suddenly, making the other two flinch, "The Star Warriors are dead, my memory is gone, Nightmare is in control…can you find a reason for me to not go in there right now and go out fighting like a true knight?"
Kirby and King Dedede exchanged a wide-eyed glance. "Well…what about…Kirby?" The king said slowly.
"Yes," Meta Knight hissed, "What about Kirby? I don't even know who he is."
Kirby whimpered as Meta Knight turned and took off flying for Nightmare's fortress. King Dedede scooped Kirby off the ground and began running with him, ignoring the puffball's wails of dismay. "Shut up!" The penguin bellowed, "So he doesn't remember you, so what! He's going to remember you when I'm done with him! After all we've been through, there's no way I'm letting Meta Knight walk in there and let himself be killed!" Then he cursed so loudly, Kirby covered his ears. With that, they continued their desperate race against time.
Meta Knight flapped his wings, rage consuming every bone in his body. This is what Nightmare would want… He told himself, fighting to keep his eyes from turning red, He likes it when you're angry. But thinking about Nightmare only made him angrier. He flew straight into the heart of the fortress with his eyes glazed red. Demon beast guards watched him and let him pass.
He knew that, most likely, those two strangers from before were following him. He didn't care. If they wanted to join him in dying, they might as well. He entered the door, glowering at the demon beasts as he refrained from killing them.
The metallic hallway was empty and dark. He knew where he was going. He only remembered the layout of everything important to him. He headed for the large staircase that led up to where Nightmare resided. He paused at the bottom, regarding his rash decision.
For a long while, he stood there. Then he gave a great sigh. "Where else would I belong if I didn't?" Then he began to ascend the stairs.
Dedede and Kirby then came bursting through the door. Kirby saw the edge of Meta Knight's cape disappear around the corner just at the last second. He was instantly sprinting after him, his little feet carrying him as fast as he could go. Dedede ran after him, struggling to keep up.
Higher and higher they went, Kirby and King Dedede barely managing to keep the warrior within their sight. Then the staircases ended. They came to a dark hallway. Kirby paused uncertainly, his eyes scanning the shadows for his mentor. At the end of the hallway was a door. It was slightly ajar. The pair approached it warily.
King Dedede looked down at the little puffball, his eyes scared. "Nightmare is probably in there. I-I don't want to…don't make me…" He swallowed a couple of times, summoning his courage. Then he took a deep breath and said, "You first."
Kirby nodded and stepped inside. As soon as he entered, the door slammed behind him. "Poyo!" Kirby screamed, turning around in shock as Dedede was locked out. The penguin was shouting curses from outside as he tried to get in.
"We've been waiting, Kirby." Came a deep voice that echoed all around him.
Kirby turned to look where the door had led. The room around him was swimming with shadows, but that wasn't the thing that was unnerving him. The walls, ceiling, and floor were mirrors. Everywhere he looked, his own frightened face was looking back at him. He went to back away, and heard a gasp from behind him. The door had turned into a mirror and Dedede was standing in it! His hands were pressed against it, as if he was trying to get through, but he was stuck on the other side.
"I figured my favorite customer would have liked to watch the demise of his nemesis. Don't you agree, Meta Knight?" The shadows suddenly came together and there was Nightmare, materialized in front of the mirrors. Meta Knight stood in front of him, his head bowed, his eyes a dull red.
"No!" Kirby screamed, thinking that Meta Knight was once more a demon beast. Dedede looked frightened on the other side of the mirror.
"Yes." Nightmare gave a booming laugh that filled the chamber, "I have been waiting for this moment too long…to wipe out the last Star Warrior! Goodbye Kirby of the Stars. Meta Knight, kill him!"
Meta Knight walked forward slowly, his eyes fixed on his prey. Kirby wanted to run, but fear kept him rooted in place. Meta Knight stood over him, his sword held above his head, glowing a brilliant gold…
Kirby's eyes widened.
Gold?
With a sudden roar, Meta Knight turned and launched himself at Nightmare, his sword cutting the air. The sword passed through Nightmare's body as if he wasn't even there. Eyes flashing red with rage, Meta Knight tried again and again to stab at Nightmare, but the sword merely passed right through him. Nightmare laughed the whole time and finally ended it by pointing a long finger at Meta Knight.
The knight's eyes returned to yellow and dimmed. He slumped to the ground with a defeated groan. Kirby rushed over to try and help him to his feet, but Meta Knight just sat there, the strength drained from him.
"I knew there was something off about you when you came back." Nightmare said coldly, "I must say I am impressed, Kirby. How did you manage to give him his soul back? Who was your sacrifice? Not that it matters." He smirked.
Kirby glared at him, and went to stand in front of Meta Knight protectively. Nightmare just cackled with amusement at the puffball's wasted bravery. Panting, Meta Knight looked up at Kirby and the grim determination set upon the young warrior's face. The face looked so familiar…
Suddenly, Meta Knight had the sensation he was looking into a mirror. There were mirrors all around him…but when he looked at this young Star Warrior he felt something burn within him. A hidden strength. His eyes gave a sudden glow and he forced himself to his feet. Nightmare stopped laughing and looked at Meta Knight in surprise. Meta Knight stumbled, and Kirby caught him, supporting him with his stubby arms.
"I'm fine." Meta Knight told him, brushing him off and putting Galaxia down. He stood up straighter without the support of his apprentice. "I now know what must be done."
Meta Knight reached up to unhook his mask. Everyone gasped, including Nightmare. Then, very slowly, he removed it from his face.
Kirby gasped in shock and delight. An identical face, similar to his own, was gazing back at him. The face was blue with bright yellow eyes and two cherry-red cheeks. Meta Knight looked like him! Uncontainable joy threatened to burst from every part of his body. He wanted to hug his mentor! All three of them watched Meta Knight as he looked at himself in the surrounding mirrors. Dozens of emotions flickered across his face. Then his eyes flooded with shining gold tears. Kirby gasped and ran to his side, wrapping his arms around his friend.
"I am so sorry for everything I have done, Kirby." Meta Knight whispered, tears running down his face, "All of this trouble I have caused...how could I be so careless...?"
"You remema!" Kirby cried out happily.
"Yes. I remember." Meta Knight said darkly, his yellow eyes flashing dangerously, "I remember everything. Everything...even from the time of my birth. Nightmare had taken that one small memory and changed my whole existence with it...but now I know that I have been lied to my whole life..." With one quick movement, he strapped his mask back onto his face and snatched his sword off the ground to point it at Nightmare, his whole body quivering with immense anger.
"I was never a demon beast!"