Waddle Dee Town (Day)

Kirby woke up to the sound of thunder crackling through the sky. The noise was so powerful that it managed to cause the pink hero to leap out of bed, unwittingly crashing into his house's ceiling. Elfilin was caught off-guard by the sound as well, evidenced by his fur standing on end. After spending a minute or two massaging his head, Kirby bolted out of the front door with Elfilin. What they saw was nowhere near what Kirby assumed was happening. He thought that Kracko somehow made its way to the Forgotten Land.

This was far worse.

Amidst the cloudy skies, there was a colossal vortex that loomed threateningly over the town. Unlike the ones created by Fecto Forgo, this vortex was far bigger and circular in shape. But just like the portals that the Invasive Species formed, this one sucked in everything that wasn't nailed down. Trees were uprooted and many Waddle Dees were flung into the air.

Before Kirby could take flight, a navy blur shot into the sky. The winged form of Meta Knight soared past all of the airborne Waddle Dees and manipulated the wind to blow the helpless Waddle Dees back to the ground. "Kirby, catch!" the knight shouted.

Nodding, Kirby opened his mouth and inhaled, causing the Waddle Dees to fly into his flexible body. He then immediately retreated back to his house before releasing them. They were all a bit rattled by the experience, but none of them were physically harmed. Worried, Kirby rushed to the window and looked into the stormy sky.

Meta Knight was still airborne, looking around for anyone that wasn't able to find shelter. The vast majority of the town was in the Colosseum, including King Dedede. The king had personally found as many Waddle Dees as he could and brought them to the safest place he could think of. The rest of the town were hiding in the Cinema and the Weapons Shop.

'Looks like everyone's safe.' Meta Knight thought to himself in relief. He then steeled himself and turned back to the vortex. In a flash, he shot towards the portal while channeling energy into his sword. With a shout, he let loose the largest Knight Beam he could muster. The attack struck the vortex, causing several bolts of lightning to explode out of the portal and hit the ground. One bolt in particular narrowly missed Kirby's house, something that made Meta Knight reevaluate his strategy.

He couldn't be careless with this. But if he didn't act quickly, there was no telling what would happen to the town. After a few moments of contemplation, he made his decision. He ascended higher and higher into the storm, coming into direct contact with the vortex. In an instant, bright white light filled the sky, momentarily blinding everyone close enough to see the event.

Roughly four minutes after the flash, the vortex disappeared, leaving no trace that it ever existed. However, Meta Knight did not return. Kirby, Elfilin, King Dedede, and the Waddle Dees were all aware of the Lone Swordsman's endurance. The fact that he was able to fight on equal footing with Kirby was proof of this. They firmly believed that wherever their guardian was, he was fine.

He had to be.


Fiore (Night)

Mirajane watched in horror as her sister walked up to Elfman's beastial form. Their brother was strong, but not to the point that he could control a transformation like this. "Lisanna, get away! If he attacks you-"

"He won't." the younger girl said confidently. "I trust our brother. He wouldn't hurt me."

Elfman's beast form raised its arm, then swiftly brought it down. Mirajane tried her hardest to get up and move, but her legs wouldn't budge. Not wanting to see the fate of her little sister, she closed her eyes.

A metallic clang prompted them to open back up.

'What the-?' the young woman thought to herself. She could barely believe what she was seeing. A spherical figure was standing between Elfman's giant claw and Lisanna, who was pushed to the ground. The figure appeared to be wearing a mask, a cape, and pauldrons, but their most impressive feature was their sword. It was a brilliant golden blade that stabbed into Elfman's palm.

"Are you hurt?" the figure asked, his voice far different from what the sisters expected.

"No, we're fine." Lisanna said, still mildly in shock. After a few moments, she finally registered the blade piercing her brother's hand. "Please don't kill him! He tried using Take-Over Magic and lost control! He's still in there, I know it!"

Meta Knight pondered this for a while. While the terms used were new to him, he was all too familiar with being trapped in a body you couldn't control. "Don't worry, I won't leave any permanent damage." With a grunt, he removed his sword from his opponent's flesh and took flight, discarding his cloak so his wings could be used.

In the blink of an eye, Meta Knight appeared in front of Elfman's face. He repeatedly slashed at his opponent with Upper Caliber, making sure to hold back just enough to not leave any lasting scars. With one final downward slash, Elfman reverted back to human form and fell unconscious.

"Thank you." Lisanna said tearfully, hugging her brother's limp body.

"Who are you, anyway? I've never heard of anything like you before. No offense." Mirajane said, curious about the masked man.

"Call me Meta Knight." the swordsman introduced. "I came here through a vortex that opened in my town. I don't know where I am or even if I could go back." He knew the risks of going through the portal. But he didn't have any regrets. If the portal closed on this side, there was a good chance it was gone in the Forgotten Land as well.

"Well, thanks. You have no idea how scared I was." Mirajane said. If she lost Lisanna, she didn't know what she'd do. "I can't think of a way I can repay you."

"What if we took him to the Guild Hall?" Lisanna said, still clutching onto Elfman. "I bet Guildmaster Makarov might know how to get him home."

The swordsman gave a small smile underneath his mask. He didn't know how to describe it, but this girl's optimism reminded him of Kirby. "Fine. I'll follow you back to this 'Guild Hall'."