14shiffna: Glad to see you'd stick around, even through the filler. (But mom, it's not filler! It's "character development")
When Meta Knight finally walked in, he looked exhausted. His glowing yellow eyes were dim, and he moved with an unsteady gait as he stumbled through the door. Everyone made sure to give him a wide berth. If he noticed, he didn't say anything.
He scanned the room, meeting each of their gazes one at a time, as everyone waited with bated breath. Maybe it was the lack of sleep getting to him, but letting the tension stew in the room felt oddly cathartic.
"So," he said, "what is it you need to tell me?"
"The gemstones were a ruse to throw us off," Fox said, stepping forward.
Meta Knight blinked. Fox stared back, and behind him, his tail twitched nervously. It took Meta Knight a moment to realize that they expected more of a reaction from him.
"I already know," he said. "The Council of Fe informed me that all five gemstones were hidden away on their planet." Quietly, he added, "It took hours for them to get to the point, but that's what they said."
"Oh," Fox looked a little annoyed. Meta Knight paid him no heed.
With a sweep of his blue cape, he turned to leave. "Well, if that is all you needed to tell me..."
The room fell into an unsettling silence. The long blue cloak covered his back, masking anything that he could do next, and no one was eager to find out for themselves. The only thing they could do was wait.
A second passed. Then another. A dark, formless shape crossed behind their shadows painted to the floor as a cloud drifted behind him. As the time ticked by, the uneasy feeling hanging in the air slowly gave way to an odd sense of awkwardness.
Finally, Link said, "Mister Meta Knight? Are you-"
Meta Knight jerked awake with a startled snort. An arc of lightning trailing in a tight circle around him as he spun around, flaming sword swinging wildly and eyes darting about the room. Link squeaked and retreated to his corner of the room.
"Hey!" Mario said. "What's the matter with you?"
"Wha-" Meta Knight's eyes flickered, and his sword disappeared in a flash. He looked around the room, more confused this time as he noticed everyone staring at him like he was some wild beast.
"Mister Meta Knight? You look tired." Link said from behind the unmoving form of Samus.
Meta Knight closed his eyes, and a deep sigh echoed behind his mask. "I have not slept for some time," he said. "A close friend of mine has gone missing, and I've been searching for him for some time."
"Oh." Link shrank even further behind his armored companion as if he were trying to melt into her shadow. To his left, Meta Knight saw Mario, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong exchange glances, while Fox coughed.
"Well, do you have anything else to report?"
Fox cleared his throat and took a step forward. "Actually we do. The dragon cult is on Neo Star."
"Neo Star?" Suddenly, Meta Knight stood a little straighter, a lot more interested. His eyes narrowed, and he raised a hand to a button on the side of the door sitting directly under a small microphone. He whispered something to the microphone, and after a second, he let go of the button.
Moments later, a tinny voice slipped through a small speaker. Meta Knight, the only one close enough to hear the words, leaned into the speaker. Whatever he heard seemed to surprise him, and his eyes widened.
"What?" Fox asked. He had seen Meta Knight's reaction, and of course, he was curious.
"It's nothing," Meta Knight replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to fly to Neo Star."
Fox scowled, leaning forward to meet the knight's gaze. "It's not nothing," he said. "We're a part of this too." Steps sounded behind him, and he felt his five teammates fall in line behind him. It made him feel better, knowing that they had his back.
Meta Knight's piercing glare swept over every one of them, hardening his eyes behind his mask. When it was clear that no one was going to back down, he slumped back with a sigh.
"Alright. The ship's scanners have picked up a massive trail of Star Rod energy coming from the planet, something that I need to investigate."
"Star Rod energy? What's that?" Link piped up.
"Something very powerful. Something you wouldn't want your enemies to get ahold of."
"And they have it now?"
"Not completely." At their confused expressions, Meta Knight explained. "They're draining it."
"But what happens if they drain it completely?"
"I don't want to find out." Meta Knight's eyes glowed a burning crimson, and at his side, his sword crackled with electricity as he tightened his grip on the hilt, driving his point home.
"We have an hour before the Star Rod energy disappears. I'll be waiting in the hangar."
His cape billowed in the door, filling up the frame as he disappeared around the corner. In the halls, they could hear his footsteps ringing, growing softer with each repetition. Everyone's eyes remained on the door even as his footsteps faded into silence, no one quite sure what to do.
Fox spoke first. "You heard him," he said, straightening his posture. "We've got an hour. I'm going to give you five minutes to get your weapons. We're going to take the fight to them, and we're going to put an end to their plans. Are you ready for the final battle?"
The resulting cheer resounded through the walls of the Halberd.
This is short because there really wasn't much to say. It was originally going to be tacked on to the previous chapter, but I didn't have enough time to finish this scene, so I waited a full week to get this out.
Anyway, I think we've spent enough time moping about. This is the last chapter before the third act, which means that the big climactic fight is just around the corner!