Author's Note: I've received a request for the origins of the girls of Sector S's names, and since I can't send a message, I'll just leave it here.
Gisela: Named after the silver witch in Madoka Magica. Gisela is the witch with Liberal nature. To be Liberal means to challenge other viewpoints, and Gisela is doing so by being a woman joining the army.
Candeloro: She was heavily based off of Mami Tomoe, and her name comes from Mami's witch form, Candeloro.
Shenandoah: Her name comes from a national park, a place where nature is protected. And that's what she resembles, something natural and protective in a silent way.
Letty: She actually has two different sources. The spelling comes from 'Letty Whiterock' a fairy in Touhou. But the inspiration came from a character in Hayao Miyazaki's 'Howl's Moving Castle'. Lettie appeared for one scene, but for some reason she really stuck to me. She was blonde and very pretty, but she was definitely not the blonde stereotype. So that's where I got the name.
Okay, let's get on with the story. I'll shut up now.
The trip back to the castle was one big hazy blur. There was no denying that Meta Knight was tired. He wasn't even trying to cover his case anymore. The nightmares were a problem, and he knew it was something that needed to be investigated.
As much as it pained him, he would have to seek Sir Arthur's help.
(watch?v=iE4piMKMwOs)
"Sword, Blade. I leave you to your own devices for today." Meta Knight said, before entering the guest room Sir Arthur was currently staying in.
"Good luck…" They both answered, hoping the golden clad puff could help their lord in some fashion.
"Ah, Sir Meta Knight. You've returned, how was your…oh dear."
The green puff frowned deeply. "Sir Meta Knight, I mean no offense…but you look terrible."
"I know I do." The blue knight responded, then took a deep breath. "Sir Arthur… throughout the past month or so, I have been plagued by nightmares. They are relentless, and I haven't had a moment's peace since they arrived…"
"Sir Meta Knight…this explains so much…" Sir Arthur sighed. "I might have something."
The golden clad knight shuffled through his belongings, then retrieved a small glass bottle with a star shaped lid.
"This is a water from The Fountain of Dreams on Halfmoon. I only have this one bottle, so please only drink a little every night before you lie down to rest."
Meta Knight took the bottle, then tucked it into his cape. He felt very weak to have come to Sir Arthur for aid like this, but he couldn't continue living like this. It was putting a strain between him and his knaves.
"Sir Meta Knight, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Sir Arthur asked, his mouth forming a small frown. "There is no shame in asking for help with something like this…"
"It does bring me shame that I am turning towards you with nightmares like a small child…" The blue puff looked at his own feet.
"Adults have nightmares too. You should have told me when I first arrived, and I would have been able to act sooner. You shouldn't allow yourself to suffer like this."
"…Thank you, Sir Arthur." Meta Knight said quietly.
The older puff smiled warmly. "Your welcome. …Please take better care of yourself. It's always seemed like you had to prove something, but I'm not sure what. You need to stop being so reckless."
Meta Knight merely nodded. "You do not need to be so concerned for my well being. Do you not have more important matters to attend to?"
"Sir Meta Knight, your well being is important to me. It always was, and always will be." The green puff assured, then shook his head. "You're so tenacious…"
The blue knight tried to listen, but his mind simply wouldn't stray from that nightmare. Should he tell Sir Arthur about it? Part of him wanted to tell him…but what would he think? That he had finally went down the slope of insanity? He just couldn't. Sir Arthur had enough problems to deal with without him running for help with nightmares like a frightened child.
"You've been awfully quiet…" Sir Arthur observed. "Is there…something you want to tell me?"
The golden armored puff knew that he was hiding something. Meta Knight always had something on his mind when his eyes turned green.
"No, Sir Arthur. I am simply tired." The blue puff replied unconvincingly.
The older warrior sighed, deciding there was no use in trying to coax the information out of him. That was one thing that had never changed. He was always trying to cover up his problems, refusing to show them. Sir Arthur didn't know if it was out of a sense of pride, stubbornness, or guilt. Whatever the case, it was unhealthy for his student.
"Very well then. If you insist." Sir Arthur sighed. "But promise me that you will relax, eat well, and rest. You've been through too much lately, and you look like you're ready to collapse at any given moment."
Sir Meta Knight nodded respectfully. Sir Arthur mentioned eating well… Meta Knight was craving real food, not canned meat, but real food. …Like a big chocolate cake. He was certain that one could be found in the king's expansive kitchen.
"And Sir Meta Knight, I mean real food. Not chocolate cake. Real food, cake later."
The blue puff pouted underneath his mask. Sir Arthur knew him far too well…
-
Meta Knight made his way down the castle's halls, then slowly opened the door to his room. The Star Warrior suddenly felt something collide with his chest upon entering, his vision obstructed by something pink.
(watch?v=kyaU4Fg8iTs)
"You're home, poyo!" A childish cry of delight sounded through the room.
The blue puff was a bit surprised at Kirby's reaction, not expecting such a greeting. The pink boy rubbed his forehead against his mentor in a friendly way, his happy little giggles being muffled by the knight's cape.
Meta Knight felt a small smile break out onto his concealed face seeing his student so joyous at his return.
Suddenly, Kirby frowned. "You said you were going on a vacation…you went on a mission, didn't you poyo?"
The pink puff's accusing gaze was almost humorous, as Kirby was trying to look older and more dignified. All it really did was make the smaller Star Warrior look cute, with his arms crossed over his chest and the almost impatient tapping of his red foot.
"I couldn't tell you the truth, Kirby. You would try to hinder me from my mission."
The pink puff pouted, sticking out his lower lip. "Fine…as long as you don't go anywhere else, poyo!"
"There is no need to worry. I do not intend to leave for another mission until I have recovered fully." Meta Knight said, calming the younger Star Warrior.
"So…what are you gonna do today, poyo?" Kirby asked, standing on the tips of his feet.
"Sir Arthur has ordered me to stand down and relax. So, I must do as he orders. Even though I do believe I should be contributing to the task at hand."
"I thought that grown-ups liked to get days off, poyo. But all you want to do is work. …Grown-ups are weird." Kirby yawned.
"I suppose that is something you will only understand when you mature." Meta Knight chuckled. "But I must show loyalty to Sir Arthur, and I do enjoy assisting him whenever needed."
"Sir Arthur is nice, poyo. Sir Dragato, Nonsurat, and Falspar are too." Kirby smiled. "Sometimes Falspar plays with me."
Meta Knight inwardly hoped that Falspar hadn't divulged any information from the past to the pink puff. The red haired knight already knew far too much about him for his liking, and the last thing he needed was for Falspar to broadcast that knowledge to the planet.
The young Star Warrior shifted his weight from side to side. The pink puff looked like he wanted to say something, but was too shy.
"Is there something wrong, Kirby?" The blue knight asked, noticing the puff's sudden hesitation.
"…Sir Meta Knight…can I…stay with you today, poyo?"
The question had taken the blue knight off guard. The young puff had never really shown that much interest in his daily life before, usually playing with the other children of the village. Meta Knight suddenly realized that the only times they ever truly interacted was when a crisis was occurring, or when they were training.
The pink puff looked at him with big eyes, anticipating his response.
"Kirby, do you not usually play with the other children? What is different about today?"
"Well…I wanted to make sure you were alright, poyo…it's no good when you don't feel well and there's nobody to help you…" Kirby admitted, looking down a bit at his feet before nervously meeting his mentor's eyes.
Meta Knight fought back a laugh as a grin formed underneath the mask, understanding why Kirby was acting so clingy. "Oh…he want to keep tabs on me."
The older Star Warrior glanced down at his apprentice, Kirby's shining blue eyes peering at him innocently.
"…I can't say 'no' to that face."
Kirby's expression instantly brightened. Meta Knight supposed there was no harm in allowing the pink child to stay by him for the day. He had given his knaves the day to themselves, after all. And it was quite endearing that the younger Star Warrior wanted to take care of him.
(watch?v=GdQqTP20XvA)
The blue knight began unpacking the supplies he had taken with him on his journey, several odd items being pulled from his cape. The blue eyed child sat on the floor as the knight worked, putting things back into their proper place.
"Sir Meta Knight, you have a lot of things in your cape, poyo. Where did you get it?" Kirby asked cheerfully.
"Sir Arthur gave me this cape upon graduation." He replied, almost fondly.
"Do you think I could get one too?!" The pink puff jumped up excitedly, imagining himself with Meta Knight's wings.
Meta Knight shook his head. "Sir Arthur told me there are only two capes in the galaxy of this kind."
"…What happened to the other one?"
The blue puff paused to turn to the pink puff. "I had asked him once after he told me this. Sir Arthur said the other was lost forever in the void of space. What that meant, I am unsure of even to this day."
Kirby pouted. "Aww…we could have matched, poyo…"
Meta Knight felt a small chuckle escape his throat. "Kirby, why would you want that cape? Your body is already capable of flight."
"But your wings are so cool, poyo! And you can fit so many things into it!" He wiggled with glee.
A noise of discomfort came from the knight, his hand still in his cape. Curious, Kirby leaned closer. Meta Knight withdrew his hand, covered in what appeared to be meringue from a pie. A really really old pie.
"Ugh…what would an expired pie be doing in my cape?" He thought with disdain.
"Sir Meta Knight, why is there a bad pie in your cape, poyo?" Kirby gaped.
"I believe it was one of the pies that originated from that Demon Beast…so I suppose it doesn't matter if it is expired or not." The blue knight grimaced, remembering the awful taste of the pastries.
"Eww…you must have caught it in your cape by mistake, poyo…but that was a loooong time ago! Your glove is gonna be sticky and gross now!"
Meta Knight immediately removed his gloves and tossed them into the laundry basket, revealing his nubby blue hands.
The pink puff's eyes widened. "Sir Meta Knight! Y-Your hands look like mine, poyo!"
"All of our kind's hand are like this. I had assumed you knew this."
"B-But…your gloves have thumbs!"
"The gloves that we wear have the remarkable ability to synchronize with our minds. An inventor made them after seeing a human's hands and was inspired. We wore them in the GSA, and I suppose the fad really never died with us. The gloves are not necessary, really." Meta Knight explained.
"Then why wear them?"
Meta Knight pondered this for a moment. "They were more of a fashion statement than anything. The material is actually quite soft, and seemingly not well suited for battle. They are surprisingly durable, despite the gloves' material."
The blue knight was a little surprised to see that Kirby was actually paying attention to his explanation. The smaller puffball gave him his undivided attention, and almost appeared to be writing mental notes on his mentor's words.
"What about your mask, poyo? Where did you get it?" The young Star Warrior rolled on his back.
I also received it from Sir Arthur." Meta Knight brought his ungloved hand to his masked face. "I remember…when I first began training, he presented me with the mask and my armor. When I graduated, he gifted me this cape."
The veteran paused, as though he was recounting a fond memory. Kirby gazed at the other puff's mask, feeling distanced from him because of the metal. He didn't understand…why keep wearing it when there was no longer any battle ahead? Was the seemingly fearless knight afraid?
"Sir Meta Knight…sometimes your mask can be a little scary, poyo…" The pink child hummed.
"Oho, if only you had the chance to have seen Gisela's at least once… Meta Knight thought, recalling the skull mask the powerful black puffball wore as she charged into battle.
"Wouldn't you feel a little more relaxed if you took it off, poyo?" Kirby tried and failed at hinting discreetly.
"Why are you so insistent on the removal of my mask?"
"Be-Because…" The edges of Kirby's mouth pulled down. "Because…it just seems like you're keeping secrets with it on, poyo…"
"Everyone has their secrets, Kirby. I am certain you have your own as well." Meta Knight looked at him directly in the eyes.
"Y-You're right, poyo…I shouldn't have asked you to do something so uncomfortable…I'm sorry…"
The pink puff looked genuinely remorseful, and that made a strange feeling within the knight stir. It was so odd to see Kirby truly disheartened, but it had become more common as of late. It didn't make it any less unsettling.
It was something that never should have happened to Kirby. He lost a best friend by his own hands, and Meta Knight was more familiar with that feeling than anyone else.
"It's alright…" Meta Knight said quietly, but in a comforting manner.
It really was impossible to stay mad at the pink puff, though Meta Knight wasn't even slightly angry with him in the first place. Kirby was just trying to watch over him. It seemed ironic that he had spent so much time watching over the young Star Warrior, and now the knight's student wanted to extend that same care towards his mentor.
Kirby gave a small smile, but underneath it lied insecurity. The pink puff had something locked away within.
-
Meta Knight had decided to eat lunch later in the day, with a hungry pink puffball in tow. He managed to avoid the big chocolate cake that rested in the middle of the kitchen on the counter. It almost looked like it had been placed there specifically for him.
It took a tremendous amount of willpower to resist it's sugary delectable charms.
Meta Knight turned his back to the delicious confection. "I will not allow myself to fall for your temptations…"
At least until after lunch.
The young Star Warrior toddled behind him, eyeing the various assortment of culinary delights. He was, however, courteous enough to not inhale everything but the kitchen sink upon his visit.
Another sign that Kirby was maturing.
Footsteps signaled the approach of another guest in the kitchen. A certain green puffball with a red mohawk entered, his face bare without the mask. He grinned and raised his hand up halfway.
(watch?v=W6wYShd16zI)
"Hey Meta! How's it goin'?" Falspar asked, grinning. "See that you made it out alive…but you look beat."
"Yes, I am well aware of that fact." Meta Knight replied, inwardly sighing at the continuous mention of his current state.
"Hi Falspar!" Kirby waved.
"Hey Pinky! Getting a snack?" The green puff asked. "Doesn't that chocolate cake look good? Wouldn't you love a piece for yourself, Meta Knight?"
"No thank you." The blue knight answered.
"Can't have cake because Sir Arthur said so? You're such a good boy. Always have been." Falspar chuckled.
"Pray tell, have come to say something important, or are you here to torment me?" Meta Knight asked.
The red haired Star Warrior hummed for a moment as though he was in deep thought. He put his gloved hand to his mouth, then made a few weird faces as he stared at the floor to the ceiling. The two other puffs could almost hear the gears turning in his head as Falspar stuck out his lip.
"Oh yeah!" Falspar exclaimed, his fist pounding into his open palm. "We found something!"
Meta Knight's tone held surprise. "What did the GSA find?"
"Uuuuh…I forget. Heheh."
Kirby's mouth dropped a little. "How could you forget, poyo? You just remembered!"
"Yeah, but then I forgot again." The green puff laughed. "I guess I'm so smart that my head has too much stuff to sort through!"
The pink puff turned to his mentor, his mouth in a horizontal line with blank eyes. He was almost certain that the blue puff had a similar expression underneath his mask.
"Think, Falspar." The knight coaxed. "This might very well be our answer to the mysteries surrounding The Broken Village. It is highly important that you remember."
"H-How am I supposed to think when you're putting all this pressure on me, bro?!" The puff with the mohawk sputtered.
This must all be a game to him, as Falspar seemed to be exerting no effort to search his memory. Falspar clearly was taking this situation far too lightly, especially since whatever lied in that forsaken land obviously had a long history against Star Warriors.
Meta Knight shook his head. Certainly Sir Arthur already knew whatever it was by now.
"Falspar…" Dragato entered the room. "Where did you put that painting? I thought you had it."
"…Oh yeah!" The green puff yelled, nearly making everyone in the kitchen jump with surprise. "I found this really cool painting lying around way outside the town. It must be old. I mean really old!"
"Excuse me…" The ginger haired puff interjected. "I believe you mean we found it. Actually, it was more effort on my part that we obtained the painting."
"Sir Dragato, what is this painting?" The blue puff asked.
"I…am actually not certain what the object of the painting is…but it is very suspicious." Dragato summarized. "And we need to show it to Sir Arthur. So Falspar, where is it?"
"…I thought you had it." The red haired puff said nonchalantly.
Dragato huffed, then gritted his teeth. Kirby took a few steps back and ducked behind Meta angry puff nearly backed Falspar into a corner in his rage.
"Are you telling me…you lost the painting?! That was our only link to The Broken Village! And you LOST IT?!"
"…Oh Dragato! This only means one thing…" Falspar struck a dramatic pose. "This is obviously the work or a ghost! A spirit has spirited away the evidence!"
"You're going to be a ghost in a moment!" The ginger haired puff tried to catch his breath. "It seems that once again, I will have to take responsibility and clean up your multitudes of mistakes! You're coming with me!"
With a rough yank to the mohawk, the green puff was dragged by Dragato like a simple rag doll. He couldn't believe that the idiot lost something so important… something that might have been able to find…her. It was a possibility, and he was willing to take it.
"I will aid you in finding it." Meta Knight offered, but Dragato stopped him.
"No…no. You need rest, Sir Arthur said so." The light purple puff put his palm to his own forehead in frustration. "I am so sorry. You looked like you were finally starting to relax, and now…you will only get stressed after what that…that moron of a Star Warrior caused. But we will handle it…well, I will."
"My hair! You're ruining my hair!" Falspar whined. "And it hurts!"
"That is correct…feel the pain! Let it sink into that empty socket you call a brain!" Dragato yelled, giving him another yank as he pulled him towards the kitchen's exit.
Kirby didn't have to be a mind reader to know this made the older Star Warrior feel terrible. Not necessarily about Falspar losing the painting, but because he was not in any condition to help. Meta Knight was always involved with taking a part in prohibiting whatever plot was underway on Pop Star…but now he couldn't.
Meta Knight had never felt so useless in his entire life. Even in the worst times of the GSA, he was still battle ready and prepared for service, Now, his paranoia and sleep-deprived mind was keeping him from helping to protect this planet and it's residents.
He had a feeling from deep within that something big was going to happen. Whenever these feelings arose, he was rarely wrong. And right now, it was telling him that he needed to be a part of it. To stop it.
And yet, here he was. Unable to do that. Helpless, just like in his dream when that horrendous creature faced him.
That slimy unearthly abomination…
Just thinking about it made his skin crawl.
He needed to take a bath and try to forget about that Lovecraftian monstrosity.
-
(watch?v=5QJaWg5fOAo)
After about an hour of searching, Falspar managed to slip away from Dragato. The light purple puff was livid, and the red haired Star Warrior was starting to get a headache from his partner's constant yelling. He would most likely hunt Falspar down later, but for now he was safe.
The most responsible action, no.
However, responsible wasn't exactly a key defining word for the green puff.
Falspar decided that entering Meta Knight's room was the best bet for peace. Dragato told him to relax, so that meant Dragato wouldn't look for him here. And the blue knight probably wouldn't mind the puff with the mohawk crashing there for now…right?
As soon as he entered the room, he noticed that it was strangely absent of a blue puff. Kirby was lying on his stomach on the floor, drawing with some crayons. The pink puff noticed his entry and looked up from his artwork.
"Are you looking for Sir Meta Knight, poyo? He's taking a bath. …He's been in there for a while…"
"You mean that he's still not done?" Sword said, entering the knight's room alongside Blade. "He's been in there for over an hour!"
"Hahaha! You guys don't know Meta Knight very well!" Falspar laughed. "He takes long showers, especially when he isn't feeling well."
"How much longer will he be in there?" Blade asked incredulously.
The green puff turned towards Kirby. "Did he take a book in there?"
The young Star Warrior nodded.
"Yup, he's gonna be in there for a while." Falspar confirmed.
Kirby suddenly stood up, his eyes locked on the window. He slowly stood up and walked towards it, transfized on the sky above.
"Hey, is something wrong?" The red haired puff asked, noticing his unease.
Kirby pointed to something in the clouds. The others in the room looked towards that direction. A silence lulled between them.
Falspar turned towards the bathroom door. "Uhh…Meta, ya might wanna see this…"
The green puff knocked on the door rapidly until the knight opened the door.
Meta Knight stood with a towel wrapped around his small blue body, his face bare and a frown residing on his lips. Normally seeing him without his mask would attract their attention, but the four were far too worried over what they had seen outside.
Meta Knight's yellow eyes narrowed slightly. "Falspar, why have you nearly broken down my bathroom door?"
Falspar only pointed to the window. The blue knight gave a small sign, then looked towards the skies.
His eyes slowly widened. He ran towards the window to get a closer view.
"È che la mia nave?!"
It was the Halberd. Flying through the skies with a disheveled appearance and looked worse for wear.
Meabwhile, Dedede was nearly fuming at the thought that Meta Knight would dare attempt a takeover again. He trusted the knight, and this was what he had been rewarded.
"That no good lying piece of treason!" The penguin yelled to the ceiling.
"Now sire, please try to remain calm." Escargon tried to ease the king, only to get roughly shoved aside.
"META KNIIIIIIIIIGHT!" He yelled at the ship with raised fists, nearly shaking the entire castle with his volume.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
The penguin blinked, then slowly turned around.
Meta Knight stood in front of him, his armor and mask had apparently been precariously put on. His mask was crooked and his cape was slightly wrinkled. One of his gloves seemed to be put on the wrong way, and he was also dripping water from where he had just left the bath.
Dedede's mouth nearly fell to the floor. He looked from Meta Knight to the ship, back and forth for several seconds with bulging eyes.
He suddenly picked up the blue knight and stared at him with a blank expression.
"I-I-If…you're here…then…then…who's in that ship?"
"I would like to know that as well, Your Majesty."
Fumu and Bun ran in the room as well. Fumu shouted,
"Everyone, Meta Knight is-"
She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the blue puff.
"…H-He's…here…then that means…" The blonde stuttered.
In a matter of moments, the king's throne room was filled with the castle's residents. Frantic murmuring was spread among them as they tried to piece together what was happening.
"Sir Meta Knight, your ship went in the ocean! I saw it go in!" King Dedede crossed his arms.
"That must mean that someone fished it out and worked on it, sire." Escargon guessed aloud.
"It looks all clunky, so whoever repaired it must have had no idea what they were doing." Falspar said, looking at the airship with interest.
"It does look much worse…" Fumu said. "Look at it…it's barely moving along. But it's still dangerous."
"Precisely." Meta Knight nodded. "That is why I will infiltrate the ship myself."
"Absolutely not!" Sir Arthur protested. "You're still recovering, you are not well enough to do something so dangerous. The other missions were different, this is something unknown."
"But we cannot leave it to it's own devices. Is that not right?" The blue knight responded.
More murmuring was heard, then Kirby stood beside his mentor. He looked up and cleared his throat.
"Sir Meta Knight…if you really are going, poyo…then I'll go with you!"
Author's Note: What's more fun that one puffball destroying a ship? Two puffballs destroying a ship! That's right, this mission is going to be a co-op with Kirby and Meta Knight. I love the possible interactions with them.
Next chapter is going to be another flashback. Then we get to see Kirby and Meta Knight lay ruin to the Halberd.
Also, for those who wanted to know, "È che la mia nave?!" means 'Is that my ship?!' in Italian. Why did Meta Knight speak Italian? Who knows, maybe he picked it up from Mario and Luigi.
Until next time, and I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I started watching Nichijou and couldn't stop. I had writer's block. ...and also other things.
LeerJustice, out.