La, la, la, la, la~

Important Info:
(1) This Meta Knight is based on the anime, Hoshi no Kaabii, where he is more of a father/teacher figure to Kirby.
(2) "Italicized words" – Meta Knight's words from a previous conversation
(3) "Italicized and Bold words" – Marth's words from a previous conversation
(4) "Bold words" – Ike's words from a previous conversation

Disclaimer: I can't believe it's not mine! Oh, wait. Yeah, yeah I can. XD

SSE: Into the Fire

Sum: The short moments before the Halberd exploded.

~~~~~~~~MarthIkeMetaKnight~~~~~~~~

"Once the enemy sees us, they will attack. The Halberd has minimal amount of energy to spend on the defenses. Most has already been depleted and what little energy that remains, will be directed towards fueling the Halberd."

Marth watched as Meta Knight jumped from control panel to control panel. The puffball occasionally spoke to himself as he rewired the auto pilot. The prince glanced out the window to stare at the large orb.

"The ships have been stowed in the left and right docking bay. I suggest that all of you remain in the ships. The auto pilot is malfunctioning and I will need to rewire it. The auto pilot will dodge the attacks to the best of its ability, however. Be prepared for a...less than smooth ride."

He lurched as the ship began ascending.

"Meta Knight, how will you open the left and right hatches?"

"How much longer, Meta Knight?" The citizen of Altea asked concern in his voice.

"...I will need some help."

"Please, allow me to accompany you."

The Star Warrior laid the steel panel to the side and reached in, his whole body nearly disappearing within the exposed compartment. "A moment, Your Highness." The knight satisfied, shuffled out, grabbed the panel to replace it but paused. Seeing Meta Knight's hesitation, Marth knelt down and placed a reassuring hand on the other's head. "Meta Knight..."

"Let me come."

"No, Ike. There is no need for more than two people."

"...Fine."

The puffball released a reluctant sigh and placed the panel back to its original place. "We must go." The prince nodded and held his hands out. The knight hesitated for a second, but let the other carry him. Marth, holding tightly to the Star Warrior, left the wheelhouse via the elevator. His heart was beating rapidly as they descended.

"Thank you, Ike, Your Higness. Once I have completed the necessary rewiring, we will head for the docking bays. You will open the left hatch. I will open the right. As soon as we leave the wheelhouse, I will direct you to the docking bays. We must make haste, Your Highness."

"....I understand."

Would they make it?

"You two be careful. And make it safely."

The prince rushed out of the elevator as soon as he could, half leaping out as soon as there was enough space.

"Continue straight, Your Highness."

Marth followed the puffball's commands as he ran towards the docking bay.

Straight. Down the stairs. Take the next left then right. Straight.

"Your Highness. Take the right hallway. I will take the left." Meta Knight hopped from the other's grasp and unfurled his wings, giving himself an extra boost. The prince was already shoving his way through the door.

"Upon entering the docking bay, there is a lever to the right of the door. Pull it down."

The citizen of Altea yanked the metal rod down. The sound of gears grinding against one another was quickly drowned out by the wind.

"Then, quickly make your way towards the Falcon Flyer."

Marth ran towards the Falcon Flyer when the Halberd lurched. He rolled across the ground, luckily towards the door to Falcon's ship. Mario was waving at him. The plumber waved inside, as the prince attempted to stand only to slip a mere foot away from the opening. The Italian reached out and grasped the other's hand. "TAKE OFF!"

The engines, which had been running for the past couple of minutes, roared to life deafening the prince and plumber as they struggled inside. The door closed firmly behind them and Pit came over to them.

"Marth! Mario! You two okay?" He reached out a hand to help the Italian up, but as the ship suddenly increased in speed the three flew to the back of the hallway, hitting the door to the storage as the Falcon Flyer. Marth, happy that he was alive and well, stated, "We need to find a better spot." The ship turned, sending them to the right.

"Sooner rather than later."

~~~~~~~~MarthIkeMetaKnight~~~~~~~~

Ike shuffled and glanced behind him again.

"Relax Ike," the vulpine said, but the native of Crimea ignored him. McCloud shrugged. Ike felt the sudden jolt as the ship (Meta Knight's) begin lift off.

He should be with them...

Ike couldn't stop the worry running through him. He bobbed his leg up and down, and for the fifth time, he wished he could've stayed with Meta Knight and Marth. But the Star Warrior had deemed it unnecessary for three people to be in the wheel house. The native of Crimea couldn't argue, but still...

He could imagine various possibilities, and the most haunting was the two not arriving in time and the Halberd exploding. Fire. Screams. Silence.

The unknown was what he feared the most. Ike maneuvered his way around R.O.B and Snake to stand by Link. The blond swordsman shook his head, already guessing the other's question. "He's not here, yet."

The sudden direction change caught him off guard and he slammed into the Hyrulian.

Samus cursed under her helmet.

The mercenary scrambled off of the other, but the sound of something foreign (very loud and grating) caught his attention. Ike glanced out of the hatch to see Meta Knight flying towards them. The puffball rushed into the opening, slamming into the two and they collided into the opposite wall due to the high speed.

"Take off!" Link yelled and groaned as he rolled away from the two. The door was closing, effectively sealing them in. The Hyrulian sighed, "I don't think I'll volunteer for lookout again...at least not for a while."

"You're made it!" Ike pulled the Star Warrior into a short embrace. "What about Marth?"

"I know that he entered the docking bay; that is all." Meta Knight replied. The native of Crimea instantly lost his smile. They wouldn't know until they arrived.

"I believe he is alright, Ike." The knight reassured. The ship lurched to one side then the other. "However, if we do not find a more suitable location I fear that we may not be."

The mercenary laughed.

~~~~~~~~MarthIkeMetaKnight~~~~~~~~

The first word that came to mind, was strange. Marth gazed around seeing nothing but a purple and black colors swirling in the air. Even the ground they stood on was strange. Translucent with white streaks running through it. They had left the Falcon Flyer a ways back, and stood observing their surroundings.

Waiting for the others to arrive.

Marth stood besides the racer and owner of their transportation. "It looks...strange."

"Sure does." Captain Falcon replied. He glanced around. "Even the air is...weird."

"Hey!"

They turned around to see the rest of their party. The prince smiled as he spotted Ike and Meta Knight. However, they were unable to regroup as Mario pointed towards their goal.

The citizen of Altea raised his sword. Pleasantries would have to wait.

Bam! Yet another little take on SSE! Shorter than the others, though.

Mmm...I suppose not much to say in regards to this. Oh, except this!

READ ME!
A what-was-intended-to-be-a-quick-reponse-to-an-anonymous-review-but-turned-out-to-be-a-long-only-to-turn-short-again to an anonymous review. You know who you are! (I've always wanted to say that 8D) So if you don't wish to read this then continue on with your life, otherwise you are welcome to read. Just to let you know this is an answer regarding Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn pairings.

Glad you like the story! I'm actually pretty stoked about FE13, though my wallet is not. It'll probably annoy you, but you asked, so here goes. When it comes to pairings for Ike there aren't many I consider a good fit. Out of all the possibilities I tend to favor Soren and Ranulf. This is mostly due to the dedication each of them shows (depending on the support bond in RD) towards Ike. Though it could be argued that Ranulf didn't follow Ike as he was not explicitly mentioned. Either way, Soren has the most potential, and Ranulf has some (potential that is). And yes, from PoR we do see Elincia and Ike appearing to have the start of a potential relationship. However, I never really latched on to the idea of Ike/Elincia, it always seemed so onesided, as Ike seems to naturally care deeply for those he considers his friends and family. If we consider the RD endings, even if Ike has an A support with Elincia, he still leaves. Which left me with the belief that any romantic feelings would come from Elincia alone. Makes great fodder for Geoffrey/Elincia/Ike drama but I digress. If I had to choose a female for Ike, I suppose it would be Mia. She can keep up with Ike and to me her free life style mixes well with Ike's. But I feel that either Soren or Ranulf have the best possibility to be romantically involved with Ike.

There ya go, anonymous reviewer. I don't have people to talk about pairings with so I have to give you a big THANKS for asking!

Till next week!

ZGDog