Light and Dark
Disclaimer: *points to other stories*
Chapter 6: A New Dawn
Shock, dismay, and horror were the reactions of the group. The unthinkable just happened! Meta Knight just sacrificed himself to ensure the safety of his comrades. The one most upset was Skyla. She raised her mask over her face, tears streaming down. She fell to the ground, breaking down in near-hysterical sobs. Kirby walked towards Skyla. His own little eyes were starting to water.
"He saved us... but sacrificed himself... why Meta?" She murmured in between sobs. She felt a little paw on her back and turned around, only to see an equally dismayed Kirby. The little Puffal picked up on Skyla's negative emotions, only turning out to be even more saddened than before.
"Kaabi sowwy, Skywa. Kaabi miss Medakni... but we need to go to tah castaal. T'at way, we can bweak tah bad news to tah otaahs." Kirby spoke. Skyla merely nodded, unable to speak, only because when she did, it was choked up between her sobs. She and Kirby turned towards the rest of the group.
"We go back to castaal." Kirby spoke, voice low and bitter, which wasn't odd, considering what had just happened. With signs of reluctance in the group's body language, they walked back to the castle. Skyla and Kirby turned around near where the fusion dragged itself to the dark pit Sierra created. Tears started to form in Skyla's eyes again. Kirby put a paw on the elder knight in an attempt to console her.
"Medakni be back again wike he said. Medakni aways stick to hi' pwomises. Maybe t'is be no diff'went." Again, Skyla only nodded in response. But, with Meta Knight gone, and the final puzzle piece out of their reach, they had nothing to do now but tell the others the bad news. So, they started back towards the castle.
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When they came in, Tiff and Tuff ran towards the group. "Guys! You're safe! But wait... where's Sir Meta Knight?" Just the mention of his name made Skyla start crying again. "He's gone. Meta Knight is... gone." Callie said, voice starting to break. Tears were starting to form in her own eyes. "What?! Tell us what happened!" Tiff commanded. The young girl couldn't tell, but Sword and Blade gave her a death glare because of the impudent way she spoke those words.
"Sure thing," But when Callie was about to speak, Victoria came in the room.
"Welp, I just finished the latest chapter of my story!" She said with a goofy smile. Callie shot her a death glare while the others just stared at her. "Why the long faces, guys? You look like it's somebody's funeral. And where's Meta Knight?" Victoria asked, looking around for the Puffal who wasn't there. Skyla whimpered, trying to choke back a sob.
"I was trying to tell Tiff what happened before you so rudely interrupted," Callie spat bitterly, then continuing with what she was going to say. "Meta Knight is gone! OK!? He's gone." She finished, now crying along with Skyla. She started talking again: "He fused with Sierra to save us. But, using Sierra's Dark powers, he dragged their fusion to the bottom of a pit Sierra must've made as her hideout. And now, he's gone. And we have no way to get him back."
That instantly changed the perky half-Ferine Puffal's expression from a cheerful smile to a downcast frown. "Oh. I'm so sorry, Skyla. There might be a way to bring him back." Victoria consoled. Skyla didn't say anything. But, they did hear a quiet "This is all my fault..." coming from an unknown source. They heard the muttering again. Escargoon was the closest to the source. He looked at King Dedede with a bewildered expression. It seemed that it was the stubborn and impulsive king who was the one muttering the guilty words.
"How in the world is it your fault, Sire? It isn't anything you could've prevented." Escargoon said, attempting to console the king. "Yes it is..." Then Dedede drew in a deep breath, afraid of Skyla's reaction. "Skyla, Meta Knight coulda been saved. I have the final journal..." Then he took the burgundy leather journal from a coat pocket. The sight of the journal made Skyla furious. She began to shake, just from how upset she was. King Dedede began to fear the worst.
"You... you had the final journal this entire time...?!" She asked, anger rising in her voice with every progressing word. "Y-yeah..." Dedede replied, voice quavering some from fear. "You... idiotic... BASTARD! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?! MY BROTHER WILL GET CURSED IF HE STAYS FUSED WITH SIERRA TOO LONG! DO YOU REALLY WANT HIM TO DIE?!" Skyla snarled. Her hand began to reach for Blaza. "My brother could have stayed here... I could've saved him! He's fused with a monster... AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Skyla screamed, drawing Blaza out from its sheath. A Sword Beam of fire fueled by hurt and rage was aimed straight for the king.
However, the flame didn't burn its intended target.
Just as the Blazing Sword Beam was fired at King Dedede, without hesitation, Escargoon shoved him out of the way, receiving the attack right on his shell. The entire left side of it, as well as most of his shoulder, was burned; badly at that. He cried out in pain, holding back tears; it was so painful. King Dedede stared at his lackey, shock evident in his eyes. Skyla, however, was still very enraged.
"Why in the hell would you save him after what he's done to you?" She spat. "I understand your rage, and I understand you want to skin Dedede alive after the fact that he's basically given your brother a death wish, but it isn't worth it, Skyla. You'll just regret it later."
Skyla didn't say anything for a moment. Nobody did. The kids were shocked of what Escargoon did, not to mention what he said was completely true. It just wasn't worth it. Skyla sighed, and the flames of her sword began to shrink.
"You're right. It just isn't worth it... I'm sorry." She said. Then Victoria spoke, saying, "We really should get you to a doctor, Escargoon. Those burns are pretty bad." He only nodded, wincing a little bit from the pain, which is now becoming more evident. He began to leave, along with Skyla, Kirby, and Callie. But has he was leaving, he heard King Dedede call his name.
"Escargoon-" He began to say, but was cut off. "Don't patronize me! I know I saved your sorry carcass! But look what it did to me in the process. You have done stupid things in the past, but maybe if you just gave Skyla the goddammed journal in the first place, Meta Knight might have been saved." And then Escargoon left.
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"Well, he has very severe burns on his shell, and the burns on his shoulder seem to be the least severe, but other than that, he seems alright. Escargoon got very lucky." Dr. Yabui spoke. "How did he get lucky? It doesn't make sense for the burns not to be super severe. Blaza's power is fueled by strong emotions like anger, fury, and pain." Skyla remarked. "And she had plenty of that when she figured out she could have been able to save Meta Knight." Callie added. "How did he get lucky?"
"The thickness of his shell. It's really something; the burn penetrated about an inch deep. It's actually a second degree burn, so Escargoon may still be able to feel pain in the burn area on his shell. I'll put some bandages on it to keep out anything or prevent anyone from touching it. Same goes for that area on his shoulder." Then Dr. Yabui laughed for a moment. "Isn't it somewhat ironic though? That the most timid person in the town has a thick enough shell to save him from being burned alive?"
"That's a little dark when you put it that way, Doc." Skyla said. "But, anyway, we'll be at the castle. I believe a certain young lady has a meal to finish cooking." The female knight said, looking at Callie. "I know, but Tiff and Kirby still gotta buy them ingredients." A glare from Skyla changed the girl's mind. "Or not. But you have to keep an eye on my stuff; make sure no Waddle Dees mess with it. Those things wouldn't be able to boil water if their lives depended on it." Callie joked. "Bah! Those things are useless! And we need to stop dallying!" Skyla snapped, taking Callie by the wrist and walking out the door.
"Well, I need to get more bandages and gauze, I'll be back in a minute." Dr. Yabui said, leaving to get the aforementioned items. "Hold on a second, Doc. I see a sheet of paper and an envelope on one of the tables. Is it alright if I could use those?"
"I don't see why not. Go ahead." And the doctor left.
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Meanwhile, at the castle, Victoria was reading a book with slight disinterest while King Dedede sat in his throne, with a sad look in his blue eyes. The words of the exchange that happened not too long ago were still fresh in his mind, especially the furious words of Skyla and Escargoon. Something stung in him when he saw Escargoon shove him out of the way and receive the burning attack. The scorch marks on his shell and shoulder almost made him vomit.
Thinking about that wasn't helping.
Yet he couldn't stop thinking about it. And the only person who might wanna talk with him was Victoria, but he couldn't possibly try to talk to her. He felt so guilty, he just wanted to avoid everyone forever. But, here he was now, sitting in his throne, living proof of his mistake.
"You can't sit there forever." Victoria spoke up, shutting her book. "Care to tell me why you didn't give Skyla the journal?" King Dedede turned and looked at the Puffal Ferine. "I don't wanna talk, Victoria." Came the blunt reply from the king. Victoria, however, didn't buy it. "Don't give me that crap. Just tell me why you didn't say anything til after everything was done and out?" Dedede only glared at her. Victoria rolled her eyes and started walking away.
"Fine. Don't talk to me. I'm probably the only one who wants to talk to you after what you did." She said, leaving the throne room.
"I was afraid, okay?!" King Dedede shouted. Check and mate. Victoria thought smugly to herself. What she said though was a much different tone. "Afraid? Afraid of what?" She asked. Dedede sighed, rubbing a hand behind his head. "I was afraid that the journal wouldn't give the final solution. Ever since all this has been happening, I began reading over the journal I had. However, I couldn't find anything on Farrah or Sierra or this "descendant" of Jasper. So... I kept trying to read over the journal, trying to find the page with those answers. I must've gotten through the first eight chapters of the book with no luck."
"Whoa. I never would have seen it like that. You may have won me over, but it won't be as easy for the others."
The door opened. Callie and Skyla walked into the room, carrying ingredients for spaghetti. Callie looked at the king and said, "Make yourself useful and get the Waddle Dees. There's more bags in the entryway." With a bit of resentment in her voice. However, no call from the king was needed. Seven Waddle Dees came to her, ready to be at Callie's beck and call.
"Never mind, then. Just sit there while we borrow your Dees." And then they left the room. King Dedede just grumbled to himself and sat down in his throne. "Bah, looks like I screwed up big time. I don't even know what to do anymore!"
"This is gonna be even tougher than I thought." Victoria mumbled to herself.
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Meanwhile, outside the castle in Whispy Woods, Escargoon was slithering through the weaving maze-like forest. He held an envelope in his left hand addressed to no known person in particular. A name wasn't written on the envelope. But why was he in the forest, when he could just post the letter at the post office? Well, there were a few reasons.
The most important reason was that he had to send this letter as soon as possible. To do that, he needed to find Coo. The owl could spot anything from the skies; very easily, at that. The second reason was speed. If Escargoon posted the letter to the office, it'd take Melman much too long to deliver the letter, about 20 years if lucky. That is time he surely does not have. The final reason was location. It would be impossible to deliver the letter traditionally, because his friend was always moving. It was a good thing he thought things ahead like this. Escargoon was sure that his friend would be able to help. He inwardly smiled when he saw Coo on a tree branch.
"Hey, Coo! Can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked. Coo looked down and spyed the lavender snail. "What do you need, Escargoon?"
"Could you deliver this letter, please?" Escargoon asked, holding out the envelope. "I have to know who I'm delivering this to, but why don't you post it at the post office? I'm not a mailman."
"First and foremost, my friend doesn't live in Cappytown. She is nomadic. Second, we don't have the time that Melman might take to find her." He explained. Coo nodded understandingly. "I get your point. So, this letter... is it a love letter? What's the name of the lucky lady?"
Escargoon's face flushed red when Coo said that. "I haven't seen her since I was fifteen! I'm lucky I remember what she looks like. But her name is Desiree. She'll be driving a canvas covered horse pulled carriage. It will have a large magenta banner with a six pointed star on it that has an eye with an elliptical pupil. Now, as for Desiree herself, she has pink hair and magenta eyes. She'll have a mask on her face, not like Meta Knight's. Think of a bandana tied on someone's face, except it'll look rectangular, not triangular. She might have a dress on, and I guarantee you will see gloves on her hands. She'll probably be as tall as Lady Like. And... that's about all I can name off of the top of my head."
Coo took in the information Escargoon told him like a sponge soaking water. "OK, thanks, Escargoon. How far will I have to fly?" He asked. "Probably not far. Desiree's around this area this time of year for her fortune telling route. I really appreciate this, Coo. Thank you."
Escargoon handed Coo the letter and slithered off. The owl took it by his talon and flew away, searching for a canvas horse carriage.
Everything was remarkably quiet at the castle. That was somewhat interrupted when Escargoon came in the castle with bandages on his shell and shoulder. King Dedede looked at his lackey, cringing slightly.
"Uh, how was the doctor? Why were ya gone so long?" Dedede asked nervously. Escargoon averted his gaze away while raising his hand. "Not now, Sire." was all he said before he left.
"I think that was the calmest he's talked to me since the... *ahem* battle." Victoria shook her head in disapproval.
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Everything was silent that starry night. While everyone was asleep, Skyla, however, was not. She laid on her back on the bed she has been sleeping on the many nights she's stayed in Cappytown. She was staring at the ceiling, thinking about Meta Knight. She missed her little brother greatly. She finally has all of the journals, but at what cost? Her brother's life is in danger, and if he loses control of his and Sierra's fusion, many lives would be at risk.
Tears began flowing down her face again. The thoughts flowing in her mind made it impossible to sleep peacefully. She dozed off and woke up, dozed off, and awoke, dozed off, and awoke again. She sighed and glanced at a nearby alarm clock. It read 4:32 in the morning.
4:32 in the morning... and barely two hours of sleep. Ugh. Maybe coffee can keep me awake tomorrow. Skyla thought to herself. She got out of the bed and grabbed her cape, leaving behind her mask and shoes. She left the room and took a walk from the hallway towards the balcony. She tilted her head in confusion when she saw Escargoon on the balcony. He was looking at nothing in particular. But this was one of the eastward balconies. It was almost dawn. He may have been waiting for the sunrise. Skyla decided to break the silence and speak first.
"What is the matter? You can't sleep either?" She asked. "Yeah. It's the some of the pain from the burn." He reply nonchalantly. Skyla walked towards him and stood at his side. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you were going to push him out of the way."
"You were furious at Dedede for jeopardizing the life of your brother. I would do something like that over my mother if I could!" There was a brief silence when those words were spoken. Skyla sighed.
"At least you grew up with a mother. Meta didn't. Our mother died when he was younger than Kirby." She sighed again. "I basically raised Meta. It was somewhat difficult, but at least I had 17 years under my belt when he was born. If you had a younger sibling that you had to raise, even for a short time, you would feel like that child's parent, in a way. That's why I was so upset when Dedede didn't tell me about the final journal. When I left to join the war, I thought I'd never see him again. Now, 993 years later, I finally see him again, but then this horrible shit happens!" Tears started forming in her eyes.
"If Meta dies from that curse, I'll be all alone. And then NOVA will damn me to hell when I tear Dedede apart piece by piece and roast him alive with Blaza. I'll do anything to keep my little brother safe. Even if he survived the war without me, even he had to go through hell and back fighting those god forsaked blasted demonbeasts, he will always be my little brother. And I will literally sacrifice my own life to keep him safe." Tears began rolling freely from Skyla's face as she started crying again.
Escargoon was speechless. He was on the verge of crying along with Skyla. He looked away from Skyla and saw a glow of orange with streaks of white, light purple, some midnight blue (since it is just now sunrise). He was awestruck.
"Skyla, look at this sunrise!" He said, pointing towards the sunrise. Skyla looked up, silvery blue eyes stained a glossy red from tears, sparkled with awe.
"Wow... this is beautiful...!" She exclaimed in quiet excitement. "It gets you thinking about something, doesn't it?" Skyla asked. "Yep. A new dawn of a new day. A dawn of hope, Skyla. You'll get Meta Knight back. Why I was gone so long earlier yesterday, was that I was looking for Coo. I needed him to find my old friend and deliver her a letter."
"Oh, I see. Is she able to help in our cause?" Skyla asked. "Yes. She has psychic powers, not to mention possesses a powerful sword that can cut through a demon's spirit. You'll like Desiree."
"I'm sure I will. And, thank you for the company... and for listening."
"Well, thank you for walking out here. But, I know it hurts right now; having to think about your brother being trapped in an awful curse with a monster, but you'll get him back, Skyla."
They walked back into the castle and went their separate ways, unaware that Farrah was listening to their whole conversation.
"The bonds you make will be important in this war... It seems you both will each become confidants to one another sharing what cannot be shared with others. Bonds like that make me smile. But in this time of hardship, it's only going to make us stronger. Even the pain we hold now." She said to herself, smiling and walking around the halls again.
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Outside the castle, Coo flew around, searching for the canvas covered horse carriage. He was about to give up and go home; as it was dawn now and he had been searching since yesterday, he found it. The canvas horse carriage, moving right along the main path to Cappytown. He dove down swiftly, stopping in front of the carriage. A woman in a very elegant fuschia dress with a long scarf that wrapped around her arms was driving. She matched the description of Desiree that Escargoon gave to Coo the other day. She pulled on the reins, seeing a hazard in the dirt road.
"Whoa, Algernon! Whoa! Steady!" She yelled to a white stallion. She spoke with a light Middle European accent. "My apologies, madam, but I was sent by a fellow by the name of Escargoon to find you and deliver this letter. Know anyone with that name?" Coo asked.
"Of course! He was my best friend when we were younger. Thank you for delivering this letter, sir." Desiree said. "You can go now." Coo nodded and flew back home. Desiree tore the envelope and began reading the letter.
Dear Desiree,
It's been a long time since we've spoken to each other, isn't it? Well, this isn't just an invitation for us to make up for lost time. No, this is much more serious than that. Remember that journal your mother had that you sold to me the last time we saw each other? The one with the prophecies about the Angels of Light and Dark? Remember when we joked around, and you said that those prophecies are true and that I didn't believe you? Well I was wrong. Very wrong. I've found owners of the other five journals. These prophecies are actually true, and well, we might be in great danger. I want you to meet Miss Skyla Knight, for the express purpose of discussing the journals. She has been doing extensive research on them. I have been living in a castle in Cappytown, the next possible location on your current route. See you soon, old friend
Sincerely, Escargoon.
Desiree studied the words of the letter. To the untrained eyes, Escargoon's small handwriting was barely legible, but at least it was good enough for Desiree. She tucked the letter in a pocket, and began on her trail towards Cappytown with extreme haste.
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A/N: This chapter is long overdue in my opinion. If you've read this carefully, Escargoon played a crucial role in this chapter. Not too many folk do that, if I do say so myself. A new OC is introduced as well.
And, for those who want me to publish another chapter of Meta Knight's Curse, that's going to be a problem. I have gotten writer's block on it again, and I need help fleshing ideas out. PM me if you have any ideas. I'll be glad to take a look, but it has to be relevant to the story.