Sleep had clearly decided to elude him that night as Meta Knight tossed and turned fitfully in his bed. He sighed, sitting up slowly to rub his balled-up fists against his closed eyelids, his body fuzzy and distorted from fatigue. His head throbbed dully, blood rushing past his ears. He stretched beneath his blankets, joints popping and protesting as he quietly groaned at the sharp pin-prick pains they brought.
His silver eyes peered into the darkness of his room, piecing together the shadows of his belongings, the faintest sense of panic crawling up his neck as the quivering shades played tricks on his vision. He drew in a long breath, reaching up his arms to rake his hands through his hair as his eyes drifted shut. He allowed himself to fall back against his pillow which proceeded to floof around his head like a puffy halo, the fabric of his blankets following to pool around his waist. Aimless thoughts and images bumbled around his head, moving sluggishly as the knight's consciousness toed the line between awakeness and sleep.
For a moment, fiery eyes flashed into view.
Meta Knight jolted back up, his white gaze brightening the space around him. His pulse thrummed quickly in his veins as he released a few shaky breaths. Eyes like fire, red with hatred tinged with insidious shades of yellow, stark against the wash of olive green envy that surrounded the furious orbs. The warrior swallowed, his chest quivering from his attempts to calm the racing of his heart, and again he laid down, fatigue calming his frantic breathing. The glow faded from his silver eyes, dimming from his exhaustion.
And there he continued to lay in a fitful rest for the remainder of the night.
A light beeping prodded Kirby into awakeness the following morning. Soft childish yawns answered back at the repetitive noise. Wide sapphire eyes looked around in curiosity, wondering where the sounds emanated from.
"Piyo?" The puffball stood and began to wander around his room, looking beneath his bed, under his dresser, through his closet, to no avail. He sat and rubbing his eye with a stumpy paw, his stretchy mouth widening as he yawned. He felt a slight stinging between his eyes, his body stilling for a moment before he let loose a sneeze that shook his room, literally. Kirby shook his body before searching his room again, now pilfering through his dresser and bed.
Halfway through his bedside table drawer, his stubby paw bumped something warm and smooth, which he immediately grabbed and pulled out. Surprise, confusion, and worry suddenly clashed in a heated battle in the pink puff's head and he set a troublesome gaze upon the item in his paw. His warpstar had many uses, many of which Kirby was incredibly thankful for, however, there were few he did not appreciate too well. The use it demonstrated currently was one of them. The puff gave as sigh and popped the device into his mouth for safe-keeping as he padded over to his room door. As his feet took him to the cafeteria, he took to pondering which power-hungry creature could have wandered into this realm.
"Poyo poyo, poy!" Master Hand gave a startled grunt as he flinched, turning quickly to gaze down at the tiny pink puffball squeaking for his attention.
"Oh! Did you need something Kirby?" The hand inquired, lowering himself close to the ground. Kirby nodded his confirmation and spat his warpstar into his paw, lifting it for Master Hand to see. Seeing the blinking dot on the star, the glove emitted a soft "Oh!" of understanding.
"Well, do not waste your time chatting with me, go see what's the matter in our universe!" He exclaimed, immediately picking up the puff between his fingers and beginning to whisk him to his office. But Kirby's yelps of protest brought the giant floating appendage to a halt.
"What is the matter?" Kirby wriggled free of the hand's grip and gestured to the blinking dot.
"Yehyo."
"What?" The puff gestured again, repeating his phrase. Master Hand sighed, his wrist slacking a great portion of his body towards the floor before he twitched back up and made a confused gesture. Kirby huffed, irritated, and tried again.
"Yeh, low!"
"Yellow?" Kirby nodded. "What does that supposed to mean?" Kirby was quiet for a while, pondering how to respond. After moment, he said a single, clear word.
"Here." If Master Hand had skin, he would be paling.
"Oh...oh my."
Meta Knight groaned quietly as he rose from folds of sleep, rebellious blurriness clouding the molten sliver of his gaze, smudging his vision as he wandered to his bathroom.
The crisp coolness of the rushing water against his face shook him from his fatigue induced stupor, miniscule droplets dangling from the tips of his fussed hair, balanced on the gentle bow of his lashes, remnants of the chill dappling his features like morning dew on delicate petals of grace. The soft breath that escaped his lips painted the mirror in a whorl of fog, concealing his features from the blankness of his half-lidded stare.
He stepped away from the vanity, his face rising from the fading cloud of blur, his shoulder blades pressing against the cool plaster wall behind him as he leaned against it. The silver of his eyes melted into the emerald green of a serene summer forest, thoughts buzzing about his head while he studied himself as a whole, assessing his actions throughout the past week, his thoughts, his feelings, and how they had changed up to this point. This moment of clarity. This moment of neutrality.
It was almost a strange experience in the midst of the chaos that was he.
He pushed himself off the wall and ghosted into his room, a feather-light feeling fluttering behind his eyes and tickled his nose. Meta Knight shook his head, inhaling deeply as a hand rose and delved into his thick blue locks, tugging free from tangles before returning to his side in an large exhale. The silver sheen returned to his eyes, the green color receding to the mercury pools that now dominated the knight's irises as he divested himself of his clothing, donning in its stead his colors, his symbols, his armor, the physicalities he had bound his persona to, all of which he wore with the pride and honor he had sworn to forever uphold.
A prickle suddenly raced up his spine, making the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He kept his body relaxed, his expression cool and composed while he reached forward and curled his fingers around the edges of his mask. He could practically feel that deranged, fanged smile boring into his back. As he raised the brushed steel to his face, the world alighting in a brilliant yellow glaze, he asked calmly, "Hello Marx. How have you been?"
The jester was quick to reply, his voice light and chipper. "I've been great! Thanks for asking! And you?" Meta Knight grimaced.
"I've been better, as you could probably tell." The jester hummed in agreement, considering the knight for a moment.
"Yeah, that grumpy old guy said he handicapped you but wow, he really took it far, didn't he?" The knight heard the jester bound onto his bed with a light poff. Grumpy old guy? Meta Knight flicked his gaze over to his sword which lay mere feet away.
"Indeed…"
"But it is you!" Marx declared, "I know that because you're grumpy too! Ha!" The knight grunted.
"And who might this 'grumpy old man' be? Unless you had decided to take up a job with an unnamed employer, and, should that be the case, how unprofessional of you Marx." Disdain to bait out a prideful enemy. As the knight expected, the jester scoffed and laughed nervously.
"W-well, I'm sure he mentioned his name somewhere, heh, uh…" Marx cleared his throat. "It was..uh..'Cannon-something' I think-"
Ganondorf?
"-I don't really remember."
Liar.
Meta Knight hid the surprised flash of white from his eyes by turning and leaning casually against his dresser, continuing on undeterred with a nonchalant tone, "Very well, could you do me the honor of explaining as to why you are here?" Marx's expression immediately brightened, a telltale tremor running beneath the knight's feet, causing him to bound toward Galaxia with outstretched hands. Spikeless vines shot from the carpeted floor instantaneously, restraining Meta Knight in mere half-seconds. The jester grinned joyously.
"Couldn't you already tell? I'm here to kill you of course!"
Master Hand had checked the security barriers once, he'd checked them twice. Hell, he'd even checked them three times, but not a single ward nor shield was out of place. He sighed exasperatedly.
"Kirby, are you absolutely sure something is in the Mansion?" The floating appendage inquired for what felt like the hundredth time. The pink puff nodded vigorously, glancing down at his Warpstar before flicking his gaze around nervously. With a half-snort half-whimper, Kirby turned and started running down the hallway adjacent to the one Master Hand currently floated before. Panic rose in the giant hand. Kirby of the Stars was never worried. Save for now and when Meta Knight was injured…
Wait…
Kirby was only ever worried when his fellow Dreamlanders got hurt.
King Dedede: accounted for and probably safe. He was in the cafeteria the last Master Hand saw. Meta Knight..not so much.
..Meta Knight...
The floating appendage flinched as a sharp cry echoed into his hallway.
"All Brawlers report to the auditorium immediately. The Smash Mansion is under attack. This is not a drill. Report to the auditorium immediately." Master Hand's voice boomed throughout the entirety of the mansion, echoing through halls, silencing conversation, and pausing all current brawls. Soft murmurs filled the silence as the message was repeated, each Smasher obediently following the hand's wishes.
Samus hurried by her fellow Brawlers to the auditorium, counting heads as she passed by and accidentally bumping people around with her bulky power suit. She had made sure other veteran Smashers made up the back of the crowd, ushering the children, animals, and newer Smashers to the auditorium. In front of her, Mewtwo floated quickly, yet gracefully, through the auditorium doors.
"Mewtwo!" Samus called, her voice muffled and static from her helmet. Sharp lavender eyes turned to her, and she continued, asking, "Can you take role once everyone's in?" The Pokémon nodded his confirmation and drifted away.
Samus took to holding the doors open, patting the backs of every Smasher to pass her as she continued to count until Mario had brought up the remaining heads. As the doors were shut and magically fused shut, the bounty hunter counted herself and the plumber, feeling dread crawl up her throat when she came up a few numbers short.
"Shoot! Shoot! Dammit, who are we missing!?" Samus raked her eyes across the packed room, fists clenching. No one seemed to be missing. Perhaps she miscounted?
Loud, resonate banging drew her attention. Someone was trying to get in. Alertness sharpened her senses as she focused her aim on the door, her arm cannon humming as she charged up a blast.
"Hey! Let us in!" Marth cried, his voice muffled by the door. Samus disarmed her weapon and started forward before she was stopped by Mario's arm.
"How do we know it's-a really you?" The plumber asked suspiciously, a small fire blooming in his hand, "You could-a be a-"
"OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR!" Ganondorf roared with possibly the most pissed off tone Samus had ever heard. Next to her, Mario winced and gave the crowd behind them a sheepish smile as Mewtwo unlocked the door to allow an angry wizard and an awkward looking prince who was carrying a portable toaster for some inexplicable reason to step into the auditorium. Not a moment later, Diddy Kong came running out from around the corner at the end of the hall, a terrified expression plastered onto his face. An explosion shook the building, causing bits of the ceiling to fall around the monkey as he screeched and hooted at the debris.
Had this been a different situation, Samus would've locked him out just for kicks, but that was, unfortunately, not the case.
Once all creatures were safely inside, Mewtwo did a roll call.
Newcomers went first.
Brawlers next.
Melee third.
Smashers last.
And two names were missing.
*updates quietly so no one will notice the absence, as well as the impending absence of the next chapter that may or may not come within the next week, or month*
*stage whisper* Responses!
LadySugarPanda: Thank you so much! You have no idea how much it means to me to see you say that. Whenever I take so long to update or lose the drive to write, I always feel like I'm letting everyone down and in all honesty, letting down the people I care about has been my worst fear for a very long time. So thank you. So much.