Sweey: Alright, chaptah nine! :D man, aren't I a persistent little bug! :D haha well this chapter my friends (and kitzy kat) has a LOT of Meta Knight and is a bit of a romancy chapter. yeah, I JUST made up that word! probably not, someone is bound to have said it once before me! haha Well, anyways this chapter is relatively short. But it's still a pretty important chapter. Another thing... about Part 1 the Metamorphosis... This was my first story so forgive my ignorance of the writing universe, spell check, and grammar. I plan to edit Part 1 as soon as I finish Part 2. :) Anyways, that's pretty much all the announcements I have for you. Well I DO have this epic art project I'm working on! I go to Rogers High School, so if I know you, you rock! :c Heritage sucks! Jk, I have to say that cuz I'm from Rogers... :[ OKAY! I'll shut up! Please read and review! ;)
~Ch 9 The Angle and the Demon~
The low rumble of the engine began to lull Meta Knightmare to a much wanted slumber. He had been riding the same gravitational pull for three days now. As an experienced pilot, Meta knew it was severely unacceptable and perilous to not stay alert while riding a gravitational pull. The reason for this is that anything can happen at any given time; but there are particularly three exigences that can occur. The first is the planet's gravity could suddenly throw you off course which you wouldn't know until you had run out of supplies or you rammed into another planet. Another one was the gravitational pull could completely stop your ship's advance and it would be at a stand still, burning off valuable time and fuel. The last circumstance, probably the most fatal, the planet's gravity could abruptly yank your vessel into hyperspace sending you crashing to your doom down into the planets atmosphere where you faced the likelihood of exploding into a bazillion bits and pieces. If you survived that, then you would be smashed into the surface of the planet creating a crater into the depths of it's bedrock.
"It's a planet's way of defending itself." Meta told himself, mostly to sustain from drifting off to Dreamland. He was weary and bored. Sleep sounded good. He began to doze off again but he shook it off rigorously. "You must be alert and prepared for any possible outcome and embrace your death if you should fail." He growled to himself.
Just as he spoke, the meager, gray starship gave a sudden jolt then ceased headway altogether.
"What the-" the ship knocked him back as it catapulted forth, barreling for the planet in the distance. Meta desperately pulled back the clutch for the emergency break but it did nothing. Meta mentally face palmed. He should have been paying better attention. He could've avoided this situation altogether.
"No use getting worked up over what could've been done, now's the time to face this problem." he thought to himself. He thought but no brilliant ideas came to him. He was moments away from becoming a comet in the planet's atmosphere and was helpless to do anything to prevent it. Then, from out of nowhere an idea replaced his dread. He embraced it with a determined grin. He then turned the ship in a 180 degree angle and flew against the pull. It provided the force needed to free his ship from the pulling gravity for a few seconds. Taking those few seconds, Meta Knightmare flew horizontally to break free of the wave of gravity. Stopping for a moment, Meta too the time to breath and revive from the face off he had just had with death. Once relaxed, he took the ship down and descended into the night realm of a forested and rippled landscape.
As Meta Knightmare jumped down from the starship, he felt something strange and unnerving about this planet; and somewhat familiar. He wasn't sure what it was, nor did he care. He looked up to a foreign light to him. A teal tear-shaped moon hung high over his head in the heavens. He smirked beneath his tattered metal exterior, allowing his tongue to run over his teeth. Deliberately over his pair of sharp fangs that protruded amongst his teeth. His eyes flashed red, he could smell blood... and he was hungry.
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The quiet cooing of a baby resounded throughout the courtyard. Athenya quieted the child softly. Soon the baby began to giggle at her, looking up with two big blue eyes.
"Look, up at the stars!" Athenya turned her child's eyes to the heavens above. A quiet awe took the child as he stared up at the glittering sky and glowing teal tear-shaped moon with wide eyes full of curiosity. A bright shooting star flashed across the sky. Athenya wished, deep in her heart, that Meta would return to her. It would happen sooner than she thought.
Her attention returned to her baby, who yawned sleepily. She smiled then began to sing a sweet lullaby to her child who swiftly was swept off to the Fountain of Dreams. She watched him sleep, dreaming of joyful things and candy. Athenya's gaze slowly shifted to the brilliant sky above. Another shooting star flashed across the sky moving unnaturally fast. She decided then it was a comet. But the comet contradicted her assumption when it suddenly stopped, struggled against some unknown force, then raced across the horizon. Once again it paused, then drifted down to the earth below. Athenya felt her heart stagger. She looked around nervously then jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whirled around and looked up into the familiar face of Sir Thorn who held a finger to his pursed lips. He winked at her to comfort her wavering nerves.
"Oh," she sighed in relief and fell back onto the bench, "You frightened me!"
He nodded, "And frightened you should be, my lady."
"What? Sir Thorn, what ever do you mean?" asked the princess.
Thorn's face grew very grave. "He is coming."
"Who is coming?" Athenya pleaded to know.
He motioned for her to follow, "Please, come with me."
Athenya arose to her feet and followed him, nearly jogging to keep up with the Ivoian's brisk, quickened pace.
"Sir Thorn, please, tell me what is going on!" she begged him.
"I fear you and your blessed child are in grave danger." Thorn answered with much urgency quavering in his voice.
Athenya grew worrisome."What is it that makes you fear so greatly? Who is this unknown peril that you speak of?"
"He is coming. In the form of Meta Knightmare." Thorn construed in a dour stress. "He is a trained assassin and is altogether deadly. He will kill you if he gets the chance. I will not give him that chance."
"Meta Knightmare," she echoed. "That sounds an awful lot like... Meta Knight!" she gasped. "Is that who he is using? My love?"
"I'm afraid so." Thorn spoke despairingly. He led her out to a small ship. "Jeshuon, Keiosho!" he called the names of his new found friends.
Two heads popped out from the doorway of the small ship.
"Yes Anduin?" Keiosho asked, waiting for their next order.
"Ready the ship."
The two nodded then returned to the interior of the small ship.
Thorn's gaze shifted to the flame Ali, resting on his staff. It sputtered and stretched high in warning. Thorn's eyes widened, acknowledging the warning that the flame gave him. His eyes shot out into the growing darkness, where he spotted a pair of red lights. 'Eyes.' He thought grimly to himself. 'His eyes.'
Thorn whirled around to face Athenya. "God forbid he find us!" said he, "Now my lady, please, get inside the ship!"
The princess nodded then swiftly made her way to the entrance of the ship. Once inside Thorn began to make his way after her. Suddenly, he felt a hand grip his foot, pulling him back. He turned to find Meta Knightmare glaring up at him, sword raised to stab. Thorn barely blocked the attack in time. He turned, dropping to his stomach and grabbed the masked knight's sword arm, keeping it's blade at bay. Meta Knightmare threw a punch that landed painfully on Thorn's mouth, but his iron grip ne'er ceased its hold.
Thorn yelled at Jesh, "Fly fool! Fly the ship!"
The boy hesitated.
"For God sake fly!" Thorn's voice cracked with desperation. Meta Knightmare's sword was slowly inching closer to his throat.
It was Athenya who finally sent the ship flying. She ran up, pushed the boy out of the chair and moved the steering gear as far forward as she possibly could. But though the ship had accelerated, that hadn't made Meta Knightmare give up.
"My you're a persistent little bug aren't you Sir Anduin Isan Thorn?" Meta Knightmare laughed as his blade grew closer to Thorn's death.
Thorn growled, "My patience only runs so far Meta Knightmare!"With that, Thorn thrust his spear, whamming Meta in the face, sending him sprawling through the air.
Thorn watched the demon fall and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Meta Knightmare pull out a shinning star, which flickered brightly in the failing light. He ran over to where Jesh had replaced Athenya in the piolet's chair. Thorn motioned him out hastily then sat and quickly sent the ship for the open space.
"He's following us!" Keiosho cried in alarm.
"I know." Thorn muttered angrily hidden in his breath. "Hang on!" He pulled back bringing the ship up sharply. Meta Knightmare pursued nonetheless. Thorn growled. He had made the designs for that ship. Sir David had stolen them from him before he left. "Filthy traitor," Thorn cursed the dastardly Sir David. He took the ship for another spin around the stars slowly making a gap between him and the starship.
"He gave up!" Jesh grinned, informing everyone.
"No, let me rephrase that." Thorn corrected the boy. "He merely refrained from chasing us. He is still pursuing us. Just not where we can see him." His grew very grim as he spoke.
"Don't worry Thorn, everything will be okay." Athenya encouraged his low spirit. He looked into her emerald green eyes. He smiled, Hena's eyes were green eyes like that. He frowned. Revenge took a lot out of one's soul. He sighed then returned to his goal of getting the ship to a safe place.
"Where is our heading Thorn?" Keiosho asked him.
"To a place we're all familiar with." Thorn smiled slightly, it was good to smile, he thought to himself. "That place is non other than Cathica."
Athenya smiled. That place was her home. The place she had left behind many years ago to escape the war. And during that escape had lost her love to Nightmare. She sighed at the thought. And now her love was trying to kill her. What a sick, twisted world this is, she thought. Her thoughts were right... mostly.
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They reached Cathica on the young night of the third day. It was a joyful moment for everyone stepping onto familiar soil. Thorn turned to Athenya a sword and scabbard he held out to her.
"Bear this blade close." he said. "It is yours to protect yourself with."
Athenya nodded. She unsheathed the blade. It was made up of two blades that braided into one another. One blade gold, the other silver.
Keiosho came up behind her. "May I hold him?" she asked, gesturing for the child in Athenya's arms.
Athenya smiled and placed the child in Keiosho's arms.
A ghost of a smile displayed itself on Thorn's face. He was very tired but they must press on. Thorn then spoke to the travel weary party. They must reach the Floating Mountains, where a dear friend was to meet him. The Floating Mountains got their name because when heat rose and rippled the air, the mountains in the distance seemed to be floating high in the air. Thus the Floating Mountains got their name.
"We must make our way to the Floating Mountains." he said to them. "We must reach them before our pursuer reaches us."
"Too late Sir Anduin Isan Thorn..." A sinister voice snickered. "Far too late I'm afraid."
Thorn whirled around to find Meta Knightmare's red eyes peering out in the darkness at him. Before Thorn could react, Meta thrust the butt of Sighta on the back of his head. Thorn's eyes rolled and he collapsed to the ground.
Meta Knightmare stepped forward threatening the three before him. Jesh and Keiosho jumped into the ship, beckoning for Athenya to come. She attempted but Meta Knightmare slipped between her and the ship's entrance. "Going somewhere?" he asked her ominously.
She tried to speak, but no words formed on her tongue.
"RUN!" Keiosho and Jeshuon yelled to her.
Athenya's feet were stuck and her eyes locked onto the tortured eyes of the demon before her. She had all but forgotten who he really was, Meta Knight. She looked at the eyes of her frightened child then found the courage to speak. "Go Keiosho! Go! Flee this place!"
The two hesitated but did as they were told; leaving Athenya alone with the demon general.
"A foolish move, m' lady." he scoffed sinisterly, eyes locked on hers.
"A move I am willing to make." She replied, straightening herself to her full height. Which wasn't much, but it was affective in showing that she wasn't scared. Or trying not to be.
"A move that will end your life!" he grinned as he darted for her. But before he reached her, she flew clear of his treacherous blade on her angelic, white wings.
"Ah, a little angle! The perfect feast for a demon like me!" he laughed as he flew after her in pursuit.
Athenya moved to the woods she knew so well as the rain began to pound upon her. She could hear the flapping of his wings behind her. Soon she found herself dodging his blade as he swung it at her, often hitting a tree branch instead of her. This was much different than the way they had once chased each other so many years ago in this very forest, she thought grimly to herself. Athenya then felt a swoop beneath her feet, so she unsheathed the blade Thorn had given her and held it close. From out of no where, Meta Knightmare appeared in front of her and they collided. Somehow, as if by magic, she deflected his attempts to stab her as they fell. She landed on top of him with a dull thud. Both for a while were dazed. Meta looked at her and his heart faltered. There was something familiar about this girl, but he couldn't seem to unmask it.
But then a flash came, and with that flash came a voice.
"Finish her Meta Knightmare. Stab her with your blade."
In obedience, he cruelly shoved her off of him and lifted Sighta for the killing blow. But just as he did so, as though by magic, Athenya lifted her blade and landed a surprisingly devastating blow upon Meta Knightmare's mask. He stood for a moment in pure shock, then the metal mask split in two, and fell onto the muddy ground. For a long while, shock and defeat paralyzed the unmasked knight and all that was heard was the pouring rain and the plinking sound it made as it fell upon his armor and fissured mask. The girl he had been pursuing moved forward and his eyes shot up then beheld her emerald green eyes. He didn't recognize their astounding color through his yellow visor, but now, he could see everything.
"Meta?" Athenya's voice cut through the silence like a dagger. "Is that really you?"
"I-I don't... know..." He replied, still speechless. His eyes again shifted to the two halves of his wretched mask until he felt a hand on his arm and looked up to find the girl staring at him again.
"Meta, it's me! Athenya! Do you not remember me?" she pleaded. Tears began to stream down her face, unseen because of the tears of rain already falling down her red-pink cheeks.
Then it hit him as to who she was. It hit him like a whip. Sighta fell from his bloodstained mitten and he threw his arms around her. "Athenya!" he began, for once in his life as Meta Knightmare, to truely sob. "I'm so sorry."
"Meta, it's all forgiven! My love is greater than my grudge!" she assured him.
They stood for what seemed like a lifetime alone together there under the crying clouds. It was Athenya who broke away first. She studied Meta's face her eyes full of concern. She gently rubbed alongside the deep, bloody wound over his eye.
"What happened?"
Meta's gaze dropped to the two haves of his mask and his reflection upon them. He studied the wound on his eye then looked back to his love in complete ignorance and shock.
"I... don't remember." His voice trailed off as he tried to recall the origin of the wound. He shrugged when he found no possible answer. "It must've happened sometime when I was battling."
"Oh..." she murmured, seeming perplexed by the wound. "Does it hurt?"
"Not terribly." he smiled weakly.
Her eyes widened slightly as she fixed her gaze on the two fangs that dazzled his smile. "How long have you had those?" She asked, running a finger over one of them.
He ran his tongue over them and shrugged. "Ever since he took me." the lightest shade of red embroidered his white eyes as he recalled his time under Nightmare's mountain, then it disappeared. "At least I think so..."
Athenya nodded then began to study other various scars on her love's blue skin. Her eyes then caught sight of something on his back. Linen bandages covered it. She walked around him and lifted on before he could stop her.
"Meta! What- who did this to you!" she cried.
"Sir David." Meta spat the name out. It disgusted him to even say it. "Or General Bayangan as he is now called. He ordered me to be flogged."
"But... why?" Athenya asked in horror.
"Because I disobeyed orders." Meta sighed in frustration. "Or so he says..."
"Oh Meta..." she whispered softly, her heart hurt for him. She returned to his strong, warm hold. She looked up into his eternal white eyes then Meta felt a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time.
Her lips...
They fell upon his gently, like the softest rose they felt and he drank deeply of her love as he had been so thirsty for her.
The wind soon began to pick and the rain began to pour down upon them so he spread his wings and flew up the hill to an oak tree. Unaware that it was the very oak tree he had been reading under just years before. Before all of this had happened.
Still, a few raindrops fell through the oak tree's thick canopy of leaves so Meta lifted his wings over her, shielding her from the winds and rain. And although Athenya kept much of him warm, Meta began to shiver violently as the wet and cold set in. Athenya's lips broke from his and she looked at him in worry. She then smiled and unfastened her white, silk cloak and wrapped it around the two of them. Meta smiled bringing her closer with his wings. That night, they slept in each others arms, under the old oak tree that sheltered them from the cascading rain.
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Thorn watched in quiet delight and peace as the two lovers touched lips at last. He smiled blissfully then looked to the magical flame, Ali, that sat upon the spearhead of his staff.
"You have done well." He said to it.
The flame sputtered and spared as if to say its thanks.
Thorn looked back to the two young lovers under the tree.
"Peace will come. The prophecies are soon to be fulfilled and the age of the Star Warriors will come." he said softly to himself. He prayed that what he said was true. He needed to reach his friend to confirm his thoughts for him. And he needed to find his shadow, Edge. Yes, there was much still yet to be accomplished. Much still needed to be done.
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Sweey: Well that was fun! :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It took a LOT of work. Like three hours worth of editing and work. I made a mistake and misspelled Keiosho and spelled it a few hundred times as Kieosho... so sorry about that. Well, you're probably wondering why I italicized so many words. I was trying to show you the foreshadowing. For instance, when I said in the beginning that Meta was trying to unmask the reason he felt so strange and mystified by the place, was because he was later in the story, as you found out, would get his mask taken off. And when I italicized: Somehow, as if it were magic, she deflected his attempts to stab her.... and also if you look at the last section above there's a sentence that reads: (Thorn) then looked to the magical flame, Ali... so basically I'm telling you that it was Thorn that saved Athenya, deflected the stabs, and broke Meta's mask, all capable through the magical flame, Ali. Yeah so that was just a thing I decided to do throughout this chapter. I might continue doing so. Tell me if you liked it in a review, or just review! :) thanks readers! have a good one!