Meta Knight | メタナイト

Sakura quickly falls asleep, but the same respite does not come so easily to myself. I haven't been the best sleeper ever since when I first joined the Star Warrior army almost two-hundred years ago. Living on Popstar, where nightmares hardly ever happen, has made it much easier, since I no longer have to dread falling asleep. The trick is still to persuade my mind to allow me to fall asleep, rather than keeping me awake with all its musing and churning.

If what Sakura said was true, then she was drawing closer to death all the time last spring. Maybe by some mistake, her file ended when she was supposed to die rather than when she did. I'd take out the 'book' and try to check, but for the past few days, I haven't even been able to open it without getting the 'corruption' warning. The one time I managed to press through to my file, what little there was left looked like maybe days, definitely not even a full month or even more than maybe a week or two. If the idea of Sakura's file ending prematurely without her death were to turn out to be the correct theory, perhaps the same could happen to me. Perhaps I could live on after the end of my already-written story, laid down by who-knows-who, who-knows-when.

Despite the fact that I pledged my life to the protection of others so many years ago, the idea of dying is still not a pleasant one for me. They say that those who are pure in heart and follow the Star Power will become stars themselves after their passing, but of course, there isn't really a way to know for sure... And what's more, I don't know if I've been able to qualify as anything even remotely resembling'pure in heart' for many years now...

Shaking my head away from those thoughts, I glance over at Sakura again, and get hit with the same pang of sadness that I felt when she told me about the fate she would have come to if not for the meteor changing everything. To think that she so nearly passed without my ever getting to meet her, or knowing her apart from every other Waddle Dee at the castle... to think I never would have gotten to train her...

A colder, wiser part of myself steps in with a firm warning. Hugging my cape to myself closely, I ask myself under my breath, "What happened to having a heart of stone? To no longer allowing myself to care about anyone? Loving others, caring for them as anything more than an ally... it only ever ends in pain. You can't have friends. You shouldn't have friends. You're hardly a hero even on your good days; she is pure and young, just like Kirby and Bandanna Dee; none of them need you corrupting them with the darkness and hatred you hide inside. And you don't need friends who will distract you from what really matters— being a stone-cold warrior, protecting others without ever letting anyone in. They are allies; only allies— only other people fighting for the same thing. None of them are anything more. None of them will ever be anything more."

Scowling to myself, I close my eyes and try to clear my head. I've let myself grow too attached to the young Waddle Dee, if the thought of losing her or having never met her brings me anything more than a drive to protect a fellow soldier. She cannot be my friend. She is my squire only, just as Kirby is only my pupil. I can't have friends. I don't want friends. 'Friends' only ever bring grief and pain when inevitably, they leave or are taken away.

If only my heart of flesh would hurry up and become a heart of stone, if only I could completely forget the open, innocent puffball I once was, long before I was sullied by war, and if only I could forget all the people I've ever loved... It would all be so much easier.

Glancing over at the other three again, I steel myself for tomorrow. I can no longer seem friendly. I must distance myself. I have let myself grow too attached; it is time to sever any attachment.

Hopefully, the others will not make this any more difficult than it has to be... After all, if my turn in the story is about to come to an end, it would be better for them to think of me as unkind and uncaring... I don't want them to miss me. When I leave— if I leave— I want to leave as little mark as possible upon the lives of these innocents.

I have taught them. That is all I can do. That is all I will ever be able to do.

And yet, part of me is pained at the thought of what I have to do, for my own good and theirs. I was Sakura's worst fear, in a sense, even when I try to be kind and gentle... to have to act cold and uncaring... won't that make it even worse?

Scowling at myself even more deeply, I shove that sentiment aside. It doesn't matter. I am Meta Knight, a lone soldier, hardened by war, who hardly belongs in a pure, fresh, lovely world like Dreamland and Planet Popstar. And not only that, but I have tried to bring pain to this world before... I have selfishly desired to kill others... Yes. Regardless of whether the others like it or not, this is the right thing to do.

I must act as though I have a heart of stone.

It is the only way I will ever actually be able to gain one.

Sighing heavily as I resign myself to the idea, I glance over at the other three once more, trying to force myself to feel nothing at their presence other than a muted appreciation of not having to fight alone. Whenever Sakura speaks of the Waddle Dees, she speaks of those words they always say— 'I have served you' and 'I am glad to have served you.' One gives a sense of duty, which is what I must be guided by. The other gives a sense of friendship, even brotherly love— something which I can no longer allow myself to feel.

Giving Sakura in particular a glance, I force myself to harden my heart— she is not my friend, just my squire. She could never be my friend. It is easier than I'd like to admit to slip back into the way of viewing the world that I've been steadily slipping out of for the past year, but at the same time, it brings a great sense of relief. She means nothing to me, other than as an ally, someone whom I must try to keep alive in exchange for her doing the same for me.

So, Sakura... you might be glad to have served me, at least for now, but hopefully that will soon change. For now, I will serve you— but only because I must.

I am Meta Knight. Victory is my ultimate destiny, no matter how soon my end must come.

And nothing and no one— especially not any 'friend'— will ever stand in my way.

Once I've settled that matter, I force my mind to clear and close my eyes, leaving myself empty of everything except a renewed determination to destroy whatever Shotzo-blasted monster is endangering the planet once again. Unfortunately, despite my silent meditation, sleep never seems to arrive. And yet, I suppose it must, because the next thing I am conscious of is a light so seemingly-abnormally bright that it hurts my eyes a bit even with them closed, and the sound of Kirby's voice happily cheering in the corner that it's sunny out today, while Sakura gently shakes me, excitedly telling me to wake up.

Grunting, I shove her off of me with the back of one glove, and then stand up and open my eyes, keeping my cape wrapped around myself, and suspiciously eye the stream of pure, warm sunlight that filters in through the broken windows of the small, abandoned castle room.

Kirby dashes past me right out the heavy stone door which he's managed to drag open, squealing all the way, closely followed by Bandanna Dee, while Sakura stares over at me, mouthless face beaming with excitement and joy. The only thing the sight makes me feel is a mild bitter realization that she's just as foolish as the younger two and has forgotten about the monster entirely at the first sign of better weather.

After I slowly head out the door, Sakura quickly follows behind me, before stretching out her wings in the sunlight and gratefully warming them, face tilted toward the sky, with a sigh of pure delight. "Oh, I've missed the sun so much... this is wonderful..."

Making a face to myself, I blink up at the light, refusing to let myself feel any hint of happiness or relief at its presence. Muttering quietly, I observe the obvious: "This is strange. This shouldn't be happening."

Looking over at me, 'smiling' happily while the two other children run around the stretch of castle wall we found our little room on, Kirby squealing and squalling with joy the whole way, Sakura exults, "Maybe we can't find the Lightning anywhere because he's not actually here. Maybe we just had some really bad weather for a couple of weeks because he's getting closer, kinda like last year, but maybe he changed his mind and decided to go somewhere else or something."

Rolling my eyes, I comment coldly, not deigning to look at her, "Please tell me you are not so foolish as to actually believe that, young one. There is no way that the monster is not here. That weather was far worse than the one storm we had last year, and even if he did decide to go somewhere else, the weather would almost certainly have improved gradually, not all at once like this. Don't be ridiculous."

She deflates a bit with an embarrassed blush, but Kirby and Bandanna Dee both evidently heard none of what I just told her, judging by the way Kirby's squealing doesn't grow any less fervent. Jumping up on my back suddenly, Kirby shouts at me with a giggle, "Sunny, Meta Knight-poy!"

Exhaling sharply, I let go of my cape and snap it out into wings just long enough to make Kirby tumble to the ground, and then quickly return them to their default position, cape quickly wrapped around myself again. "I am perfectly aware that it is bright out today, Kirby. I am also perfectly aware that this must be some sort of trick meant to fool us, as you should be too."

Walking around to where I can see him, Kirby pouts as he rubs the back of his head in mild hurt, "Meta-poy woke up on t'wrong side of t'room, 'guess."

Rolling my eyes at that childish estimation, I take a few steps forward to the edge of the low castle wall and inspect the sky warily. There is not a cloud to be seen, other than a few wispy cirrus clouds high in the atmosphere, taunting us with their false promises of more good weather to come. Narrowing my eyes slightly, I wonder to myself what kind of game the Lightning is playing here. He's probably trying to fool us— more accurately, he's obviously trying to fool us— but I will refuse to let it happen, at least to myself. I have allowed myself to be wheedled into pretending to trust an obvious villain before, but I will not let it happen again. Thankfully that particular headache is by now far, far away from here, and Star Power willing, he will never come back.

Glaring at the others, I order quietly, "It's time to get going. We'll try to find breakfast along the way." With that, I snap my wings out and take off, feeling almost smug at the way I hardly even care if they follow or not.

The others may have let their guard down, but I will not. Something dreadful is coming, and this magical appearance of lovely weather only confirms that suspicion.

The Lightning is an utter and complete fool if he thinks he will find an easy opponent in the Masked Knight.