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Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.
―Robert Louis Stevenson―
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"Hey look it's the blueberry tart!"
Meta let out a sigh. It was always like this, ever since he entered the academy. Most of the other pufflings would shy away from him. The only ones who dared to approach him where usually bullies hoping to boost their reputation by challenging him.
"Well if it isn't the rotten orange left at the back of the fridge," Meta taunted back, but he should not have said anything. His father had warned him not to engage in any petty fights, but something inside him would not let him back down. He itched to fight. Longed to prove his strength despite his small size.
It was less than a minute later when the screams of his challenger filled the air. "L-Let go!" Pain and fear evident in his voice as Meta bit down even harder on his paw. He tried to throw him off to no avail. "Help! Get him off me!"
Of course, none of the other pufflings would dare to intervene in fear of Meta turning his attack on them.
"Meta, you let him go this instant, or else there will be consequences!" a stern voice ordered. "Detenlo ahora!"
At hearing the command, Meta's whole body froze. Fear and shame overtaking him. He looked up and saw his father standing in from of them. The dark blue knight was dressed in polished gunmetal armor and had a dark red cape wrapped around his body. Lord Metello looked most displeased as his unwavering glare burned into him.
Meta let go of his opponent in a hurry. "P-Papa! You're back!" he blurted. His father had been away for nearly a month on an important business off-world and must have just returned.
"Así que estoy," Sir Metello remarked coolly. "I see you continue to pick fights during my absence."
Meta wiped the corner of his mouth. "Just for the record, Pathos picked it with me this time!" he grumbled.
"Oh? And what about the time before that?" Metello questioned him.
Meta rolled his eyes dramatically. "I didn't say I was a saint, Papa."
Lord Metello was not amused by his cheeky remark.
Meta cringed a little, realizing he may have gone a little too far, but then his father turned his attention briefly to the puffling Meta had attempted to maul rather successfully. "I am sorry for my son's behavior. Do you require any medical attention?"
Pathos looked down at his sore paw before shooting Meta a dirty look. "I'll live, sir, but may I suggest you put him on a leash?"
In response Meta growled, gnashing his teeth. The deep rumble akin to a tiger rather than the kitten he appeared to be.
The puffling's eyes went with fear. "They're right!" Pathos exclaimed as he bolted. "You are a monster!"
"And you are annoying!" Meta called after him.
Not even bothering to correct Pathos, Meta already knew what others thought about him. They called him the freak of 12th Providence behind his back and sometimes to his face. He was a runt of a Kiridian with fangs and claws, and no blushes on his cheeks.
"Perhaps your mother and I should have you homeschooled for the remainder of the semester..." Sir Metello thought out loud. "Most of your interactions have ended badly like today."
Meta could not keep the resentment out of his voice as he retorted, "Then why do you force me to come here every day, Papa?"
"You are still a growing puffing, Meta. Your mother thought having you socialize with children your own age would prove to be beneficial... Pobre de mí," Metello simply shook his head before turning around. "Come, we shall return home. And when we get there you will be telling your mother everything."
Meta winched. He hated to disappoint his father, especially his mama, but lately, that is all he seemed to be doing. Reluctantly Meta followed behind his father with a slump in his shoulders. The other pufflings stared and whispered between themselves as they passed by the schoolyard on the way out. Most of their words were unkind.
"That's him, right? The 'blueberry tart' Pathos just fought… I seriously thought he was gonna kill him!"
"...but didn't Pathos start it?"
"Yeah, but what is Meta doing with actual teeth?
Another puffling scoffed, "Teeth? Those were fangs! How weird is that?!"
"I know right? What a freak!"
"We better watch out or else he will suck out our blood when the grown-ups aren't looking!"
"Maybe we should start calling him the fanged blueberry instead!"
At hearing their words, Meta cringed, shrinking deeper into his father's shadow.
"Do not cower," Sir Metello ordered his son sternly as they continued to walk along the courtyard despite the onlookers. "You will be their governor after me. Be patient with your people. They will see in time what a good boy you are."
"You…" Meta was shocked to hear those words. "You believe I am good?" he asked feeling hopeful.
Sir Metello suddenly paused in mid-step.
Meta accidentally walked right into his father's backside and bounced back with a grunt as he rolled to a stop.
Sir Metello's armor crunched as he turned around to look his son dead in the eyes with a nod. "Sí, indeed I do, but that is if you chose to be. You..." he chose his next words carefully. "…have always been a special case, but once you learn some self-control, it will become your strength."
Meta beamed up, feeling relieved that his father still believed in him. "I will try, Papa!" he promised, and this time he intended to fully keep it.
Meta Knight jerked as he awakened from sleep.
He blinked tiredly in the darkness of his room. Able to see clearly without light. Another one of his unusual abilities. Still, it seemed to be a few hours before dawn. Meta Knight let out a small yawn as he shifted in bed, trying to get comfortable again. It was rare for him to sleep throughout the night and even rarer to dream about his childhood.
Come to think about it, he has not had a good night's sleep since Kirby's Heatwave. Meta Knight sighed as he rubbed his face. He hoped the young lass was alright. He spent so many years looking after her. Training her from afar. Now the time has come rather unceremonious to let her go and let her find her own path. Meta Knight wished Kirby had chosen different, but he could not blame her for running away-
"Peekaboo you fat blueberry!"
"WHA-"
"Yonk!" the intruder snatched his mask from his nightstand. "Got it!" The little man in a jester hat dashed out the door.
Blade Knight yawned loudly as he lumbered back to his dormitory for a well-deserved coffee break.
Normally it was Meta Knight who took the night shifts, but it was obvious his master needed some rest, so with Sword Knight already asleep, he volunteered to take the first and second watches on his own. He did a double-take when he spotted Captain Waddle Doo and the Waddledee lingering out in the corridors with cameras strapped around their necks as if they were waiting for something.
"What is all this about?" Blade Knight asked them.
"I, er… t-the King order us to take photos of the castle walls!" Captain Waddle Doo explained. "Yep, to that he did!"
"… …in the middle of the night?"
Captain Waddle Doo hesitated for just a moment but then exclaimed. "…Yes!"
That made no sense to Blade Knight, but then most of King Dedede's orders made no sense. Blade shook his head and then opened the door to enter his apartment when a red and yellow blur ran out the door, startling him. "What in the bloody hell was that thing-"
Then something came hurdling after it. Only darker in color and seriously pissed with Galaxia already in hand. "COME BACK HERE YOU!" it roared with its eyes blazing like unholy fire.
Blade Knight would never admit this later, but he let out a girly scream of fright.
"Come and get it!" The jester simply taunted Meta Knight, waving the mask in the air.
Meta Knight rounded the corner and came to an abrupt halt. He gasped rearing back in shock as he took in the group of Waddledees standing at the ready.
"Surprise! Surprise! You fell for it! Now snap 'em pictures, boys!"
And from that second forward, Meta Knight was assaulted with a barrage of clinking and flashes of light as the Waddledees began to take pictures of him.
Blade Knight flinched, squinting his eyes against the pain.
Completely humiliated Meta Knight wrapped his cloak around his face and fled. It all happened so quickly Blade Knight did not even know which direction Meta Knight ran in. The little fiendish jester who had stolen his master's mask crackled with glee. "Mission accomplished!"
"What do you think you are doing?" Blade demanded. He held out his hand. "Give that back this instant!"
"No way helmet-head!" Marx refused. "I promised this mask to Dedede and no one else!"
"This had better be important!" An irritated voice complained. The king came around the corner. Half-asleep and fully annoyed, Dedede was dressed in his sleep shirt and had bunny slippers on his feet as he was being escorted by a small party of Waddledees.
"Indeed," Escargoon grumbled unhappily beside the king. "I am missing my beauty sleep!"
Marx bounced right up to Dedede. "I am sorry to interrupt his majesty's rest, but this simply cannot wait!" he presented a photo taken by one of the Waddledees.
Dedede blinked beadily at the photo at first. "…huh? You actually…DID IT?" Now fully awake, the penguin snatched the photo to get a closer look. It was the best one taken. It had managed to capture Meta Knight's bare face perfectly.
"YES! I finally got my picture! See Escargoon? I knew he would look dopey just like that there Kirby!" Dedede laughed. He showed it to Escargoon who laughed along with him.
"And without his precious mask, you could get another eyeful!" Marx handed over Meta Knight's mask as well. "Is his majesty pleased with my results?" Marx asked.
"Very much pleased!" Dedede nodded. "Come tomorrow and ya got a spot on channel DDD!"
Blade Knight clenched his fist as he stood there fuming with rage. Dedede would not stop what he was doing nor will he give the mask back outright. Blade knew he had to devise a plan and get the others involved to help.
"May I ask how you plan to punish Meta Knight further?" Marx insisted suddenly.
"I think you got him good enough!" Dedede laughed. "That will teach him to tell me no! Hehehe!"
An ugly sight past across Marx's face. Blade Knight froze as he caught it before the jester hid it with a bright smile. "You need to think bigger than this, sire!"
"Huh?" Dedede tilted his head to Marx. "How big are we talking?" he asked.
"Meta Knight has disobeyed your direct orders, your majesty. Of which is a great offense! One of the highest I might add!"
King Dedede nodded. "I agree! So?"
"As punishment, he should be exposed to everyone in the land! I encourage his majesty to publish the photos and let them all laugh at the "mighty" star warrior in your service!" Marx crackled cruelly, his face contouring into a sadistic grin.
"...publish this?" Escargoon blurted, taken aback at how quickly things were escalating.
Marx rolled his eyes impatiently at Escargoon. "If Meta Knight had shown the King his face like he was supposed to then none of this would have happened. So, it's his fault!"
Blade Knight let out a gasp. To his growing horror, Dedede seemed thrilled by the idea.
"Marx, I like the way you think! Escargoon! Run a newspaper print!" Dedede slapped the picture into Escargoon's hand. "I want every cappie in Cappy Town to get one by tomorrow morning!"
Escargoon hesitated, swallowing thickly. He was about to recite dutifully, "Yes, sire" when Marx beat him to it.
"Yes, sire! It shall be done at once!" Marx snatched the photo out of Escargoon's hand.
"Hey!" Escargoon was beside himself. "You can't just take away my assignment!"
"Oh, hush up!" Dedede retorted. "It doesn't matter who does it! As long as it gets done!"
"That's right!" Marx stuck out his tongue at the snail before turning his attention back to the Waddledees. "Now let us get moving boys! We got about three hours till dawn to get this done! Chop! Chop!" They followed behind Marx in a single file.
Captain Waddle Doo had to run after them to keep up. "H-Hey! Wait for me!"
Dedede tucked Meta Knight's mask under his arm. "Well, I'm going back to bed," he turned on his heel. "Bring me the first print when you come in the morning, Escargoon! I need to frame it along with this here mask! Hahahahaha!"
"Sure thing..." Escargoon gritted between his teeth. Not liking this one bit. He retired to his room all the while grumbling irritably under his breath.
"…what was going on out here?" Sword Knight finally came to the door still dressed in his nighties. "All that ruckus, and do you happen to know where is Meta Knight? He's not in his room…"
Blade Knight used to tease how his comrade could sleep through a bombing raid. Times like this proved him right. "Hurry up and get dressed! We gotta get some help right away!"
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Next Chapter: Star Allies to the Rescue
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