Meta Knight | メタナイト

The next morning, everyone is somber and quiet, even the children. Once I've quietly doled out some bread, dried fruit, and dried meat from our quickly draining supplies, everyone eats in silence. Everything we've striven for over the past weeks is finally within reach— the villain will be conquered, the light and rain restored, and safety and peace returned to Dreamland. This much is certain, for whatever happens, we cannot allow ourselves to fail.

The only question that remains, then, is at what cost this will all be achieved.

After we've finished our simple, bland breakfast, we gather together in a close group and head for the temple at the center of the cloudy world. Normally, Bubbly Clouds is a beautiful, airy place, filled with sunlight, nigh-constant cool breezes, and fluffy white clouds (which Kirby loves to nap upon whenever he gets the chance during quests up here). Under the influence of the Lightning, though, the world is now made of black clouds that crackle with static electricity every time you take a step or brush against them, and the clouds cover everything, even the sky, preventing even the smallest hint of sunlight from piercing through.

Normally, we'd be able to fly right to the temple, but with the clouds sealed over and around us like this, flight has been rendered impossible. So instead, we walk steadily toward the central temple, the one structure in this world made out of something other than clouds, filled with stars encapsulated in clear glass and many open, airy rooms. At the center is a great, wide, circular room, open to the air on the top, with a floor much lower than the rest of the room, a sort of empty pool that is said to flood with pure starlight instead of water on the clearest, brightest nights. Around the pool are several pillars that hold up the roof that runs around the edge, and an area of flooring equal to that of the rest of the temple. That room is where, typically, the local 'boss' monster usually takes his 'throne' of sorts. Today, though, it is the throne of the Lightning, the monster whom we are called to vanquish.

Before we know it, we have reached the outer edges of the temple. A flickering, bright light comes from inside, leaving us all blinking, unaccustomed to such brightness after the past weeks of darkness and dreariness. Here, the very air crackles and pops with hidden static, making mine and Sakura's capes both float behind us slightly. As for myself, I am very careful avoid brushing against any of my allies, not wanting my metal armor to give any of them an unwanted zap.

For several seconds, we stand in silence, facing the temple and the still-concealed Lightning. But Kirby suddenly reaches out a paw to Sakura and Bandanna both, on either side of him, and then glances between Sakura and I expectantly.

Giving me a glance, Sakura holds her glove out halfway, a clear signal that she won't push me if I don't want to join the wall of solidarity. After a moment's hesitation, I release my cape and take her glove in my own, completing the chain of the foretold four who will save Dreamland from the 'darkness such as it has never known.'

Voice trembling in a mixture of fear and determination, Kirby declares, "For Dreamland, poyo."

"For Dreamland," Sakura and I agree in unison, my voice steady but Sakura's also wavering. Bandanna Dee gives a firm nod and thumps the pole of his spear against the ground once.

Again, for another moment, silence reigns, until Sakura gently breaks our chain, voice still shaking. "Well, come on, guys. It's now or never, I guess." With that, she draws her sword and leads us into the first room of the temple.

The first room contains several Copy Pedestals, magical glass orbs that can each produce an unlimited number of pure Copy Essences. All Kirby has to do is touch one of them, and he takes on the power of the essence within. Around the room float six Pedestals, each containing a different Copy Essence: Sword, Fire, Water, Ice, Spark, and Leaf.

Crossing his arms, Kirby stops and studies them for a moment. "Zappy monster, so Water, Ice, 'n Leaf won't work too good," he muses to himself. "Fire probably not work either, so Spark or Sword, poyo."

The clouds around us quake as the Lightning pulses more brightly within, and a peal of dark thunder rumbles across the world. Clutching the hilt of my still-sheathed sword tightly, I admonish gently, "We should not hesitate, Kirby. Make your choice, young one, and hurry."

Waving a paw at me to be patient, Kirby nods. "Sword also not work good; metal is too zappy. Spark best; can hide from monster attacks with it. Makes zappy hurt Kirby less." With that, he jumps up, paw outstretched, and absorbs the essence from the Spark Pedestal. A moment later, it refills itself with a soft noise like water swirling into a glass.

Looking over at us out from under the electric crown-of-sorts that now rests on his head, Kirby nods. "'Kay. 'M ready, poyo-po."

With that, we approach a door topped with three shimmering stars that sits at one corner of the room. I don't tend to like these doors very much; sometimes they take you somewhere close by, other times, they will move you miles at a time, depending on where they let out at. Wherever you end up once you've entered one, the door vanishes behind you as soon as you've stepped through, and the next door will not make itself apparent until you've completed whatever task awaits you in the next room.

In other words, once we step through this door, until the Lightning is dead, there will be no turning back.

Glancing over at me from under the Spark Pedestal, Sakura calls out, "Sir, I have an idea for a strategy."

Turning to her, I nod once. "It is your quest, young one. I will certainly listen to whatever you have to say."

Nodding once in return, she jumps up and gets a Spark Ability for herself. "The Lightning, obviously, is going to fight using electrical attacks and bolts of lightning. As long as you stay with Kirby and I stay with Bandanna, those of us with the Spark Ability can use it to produce shields to protect the other member of their team. In between its attacks, I can use my sword and Kirby can use his Ability to try and direct some of the monster's attacks back at it. Hopefully, there'll be a way that we can attack it straight on at some point, and then you and Bandanna will be able to get in there and do your part, while Kirby and I cover you."

After thinking for a moment, I nod slowly, getting a sinking feeling that in the coming fight, I will be about as useful as I was with the Krackos yesterday. If there was ever a fight that was created for the sole purpose of killing me, this would be it. A small part of my mind reminds me that I could also get the Spark Ability and use it to protect myself, but hubris wins out once and for all.

I have not used the crutch of the Abilities since I was a child. I will certainly not lean upon it now.

"It sounds like the best chance we've got," I agree quietly, and then turn back to the door as Bandanna, Kirby, and Sakura all crowd around just behind me. "Come, my friends. It is time to end this." With that, I take a deep breath and step through the door, my three allies following right on my heels.

I'm not sure what I was expecting to see upon appearing in the center of the temple, but what I do see takes my breath away in fear. Hovering above the deep pool is a giant spark, probably at least twenty times our size, if not larger. The room can barely contain him in his current state, and judging by the streams of raw electricity that connect him to the clouds which serve as a sort of ceiling to the normally-open room, funneling his power out into the clouds and planet around us, this is not as big as he could be if he were not already devoting so much of his power elsewhere.

"You've finally arrived," a bored, deep, rumbling voice addresses us flippantly, echoing around the wide room. I'm not sure if the spark is what is speaking, or if the voice is coming from somewhere inside the spark. The sphere of pure energy pulses in front of us, rather like a heart pumping evil lightning into the clouds rather than life throughout a body. "Well, come on, then. Time to get the boring part over with. Once I've killed the pink baby, this planet will truly be mine forever."

Behind me, the other three seem to be standing as frozen as I am, so I force myself to be brave and draw my sword with a sharp jerk. Lightning of my own cascades around me as Galaxia's blade appears with a gleam of sacred gold. "The 'pink baby' may be the mightiest foe you will face today, but he is not the only hero Dreamland has to protect her. Today, villain, you face all four of us."

"'N t'pink baby's gonna beat you up 'n den slam you into t'next Galaxy over, poyo!" Kirby declares as he takes a step forward and claims the spot at the front of the group.

Behind me, Sakura shudders once before clutching her sword tighter and taking a step forward so she stands right beside me. A moment later, Bandanna steps right next to her, spear clutched fearfully in both paws. Voice clear, Sakura proclaims, "Monstrous Lightning, we are the Warrior of the Stars, the Hero Dee, the Wielder of Galaxia, and the Kirby Dee, and we are the Heroes of Dreamland." Stepping out so she's in front of all of us, she swings her sword to the side and narrows her eyes at the beast, free glove trembling but her sword glove rock steady. "You picked the wrong planet to mess with, Buster. Surrender or die."

"Aww," the Lightning coos in amusement. "I was just about to make the same offer to you, but it seems to me that you've already made your choice."

The second the words have been released into the air, a wall of electricity begins zooming toward us. Eyes wide, Sakura and Kirby both create a shield, one for Kirby and I, the other for Sakura and Bandanna. As soon as the wall drops, Sakura and Kirby both drop their shields and fly (or float) toward the monster. Kirby finds a stray cloud to land on, while Sakura flies circles around the spark. Together, the two of them direct the small bolt attacks that the Lightning produces right back at him.

Unfortunately, this only seems to make him stronger.

Again, he sends out a wall of electricity, this one even larger than the first. Again, Sakura and Kirby fly towards myself and Bandanna Dee, and arrive just in time to shield us within a wall of Spark energy.

As the wall drops and a roar of thunder shakes the room, I order the two Ability-wielding warriors, "Returning his attacks to him simply makes him stronger! Direct them away from him and into the floor!"

"Roger, poy," Kirby agrees, and Sakura nods with a fierce grunt. Before they can move, another wall of electricity comes for us, and so they block it again. As soon as this one drops, the two of them take flight towards the monster, and this time, with a nod at Bandanna Dee, the other two of us do as well, making sure to stay close to the others so we can hide within their shields from the next wall whenever it comes.

Bandanna follows my lead as the two of us beginning circling the monster, coaxing him into directing bolt attacks at us. Whenever he launches energy at us, we duck out of the way at the last second, leading it to be sucked into the grounded floor, away from the Lightning's use. While this does seem to no longer cause him to be even stronger like sending his attacks back at him did, if it weakens him at all, I can't tell.

"This is going to take awhile," I mutter under my breath, and then flap over to Sakura (who is closer to me at the moment than Kirby) as the monster sends out another electricity wall. Bandanna Dee, in turn, joins Kirby, and once again, he and Sakura protect us from the attack.

As soon as the wall drops, Sakura drops her shield and uses her sword to reflect a bolt of lightning down to the ground while shouting over her shoulder, "I don't think this is working very well... How in Dreamland are we ever gonna weaken this thing??"

Shaking my head, I shout back in worry, "We'll have to wait until we've either drained him or some sort of opening makes itself apparent!"

Growling in frustration, Sakura flies to the side to reflect another bolt of lightning down to the ground. This time, we switch partners once again when a wall comes around, Kirby protecting me while Sakura protects Bandanna.

This fruitless cycle continues for another fifteen minutes at least before I begin to realize that we really are making no difference to the monster's strength. Grunting in anger, I land on the rim that runs around the deep, empty pool and take shelter behind a pillar, trying to think of what to do. We could be here forever at this rate, and we'd all tire long before making a dent in the power of the Lightning. If only we had a way to leech all of the power from him at once, to take hold of it and refuse to let it go until he was drained...

My heart freezes for a moment as my sword crackles in my hand once in response to all of the electricity around us. On the battlefield, Sakura and Kirby build a wall of their own to protect us against the next wall the Lightning sends out, since they are unsure of my location. While their wall blocks most of the electricity, they still both give a cry of pain as some of the lightning gets to them, streaking through their bodies like the bite of a toxic snake. Wincing at the sound, I turn my sword onto its flat side and run my free glove carefully along the blade. Galaxia can channel electricity better than practically any other object in the Galaxy. Many a soul has died thanks to its wrath by taking hold of it when it was not theirs to wield, and every time, their death was caused by its lightning.

How fitting it would be if its wielder were destined, in the end, to meet the same fate.

Behind me, the other three continue to fruitlessly direct the Lightning's attacks down into the ground, but I take a deep breath as I realize what I must do. I am going to fly out, get the Lightning to strike my sword, and then manage to ground the sword, and by extension, the monster. I will have to hold it firm, but that should leech the power from the beast until finally, Star Power willing, it will be open to attack.

Shaking my head once, I try my best to come up with another plan, but as I am met once again with the screams of my allies as they take another attack for my sake, I realize that it is our only chance.

And so, once the wall drops, I wait until I am sure the others are all on the other side of the room, and then fly out right in front of the monster.

"Give me your lightning! I fear it not!" I scream out at it bravely, not allowing the slightest tremble to enter my voice.

The monster freezes for a second before giving a dark chuckle. "As you wish, little knight," it growls, and then directs a giant beam of electricity right towards me.

"Meta Knight, no!" Sakura's voice carries across the room in a ragged scream, but she is too late. Grimacing, I hold my sword out in front of me, angled down toward the ground, so that when I fall, it will land and stick in the hard floor of the empty temple pool below.

But just before the charge can meet my blade, there is a swirl of pink fabric in front of me, out of the midst of which comes Sakura. The lightning meets not my blade, but hers, shocking the Spark Ability out of her almost instantly.

"What are you doing?! Get out of here! Move!" I shout at her angrily, but she seems unable to hear me over the roaring of the thunder that follows. Her sword angles all of the attack down into the ground, but the final pulse sends the magical glass blade tumbling down to the ground.

"Two for the price of one," the monster purrs as he readies another attack.

"Sakura, move!" I roar at her again, but she still flies in front of me wordlessly, dodging to prevent me from getting in front of her. "Sakura, you fool, you have no way to protect yourself! We don't both need to die today!"

"We won't," she hisses quietly, so quietly I'm not even sure she actually said it or if I'm simply imagining things. Still, she refuses to move.

Time seems to slow as the Lightning fires another battering ram of electricity straight at us.  Eyes widening, I reach to shove Sakura out of the way, but miss her.

Eyes narrowed, she holds one glove out in front of herself and creates a sphere of light-pink light like she used to heal the young Dees back at the castle a couple of weeks ago. But this time, the sphere twists itself into a tiny thread, which then expands into a shield that wraps around us, protecting us from the blast.

While Sakura gives a grunt of effort, holding the shield steady, I feel my heart all but stop in terror as I realize what she is.

It doesn't matter anymore if she's a Waddle Dee, a Star Warrior, a Kirby Dee, or what have you. What she just used is clearly sorcery, and as all Star Warriors know, all sorcerers are deceivers and traitors, wicked beings who are good at acting like allies, when in reality, the only thing they ever fight for is themselves. Nightmare was a sorcerer, Magolor is a sorcerer, Drawcia was a sorceress, even the Galactic Knight was rumored to practice sorcery long ago before he was sealed away into his crystal prison from which I foolishly freed him years ago. Sorcerers are never to be trusted.

But it doesn't make any sense, my mind screams in the instant that follows. She's kind; she's good; she's pure. She can't be a sorceress! When could she have ever learned any spells or how to use this power? To learn spells of any sort takes years of constant practice and effort; when could she have ever had the chance?!

In front of me, Sakura continues to absorb the attack with her shield, but as she gives a growl of concentration, a thread of the pink magic winds its way throughout and around the Lightning's streaming attack. Once the pink has reached the Lightning itself, she drops the shield so that it only covers her glove, and with a shout of effort mixed with pain, continues to absorb all of the Lightning's power into herself.

Breathing heavily, I flap away from her several times, having no idea what to do. I can't stop her; to do so would spell her instant death when the electricity hit her instead of the funneling magic. At least she seems to be distracting the Lightning so thoroughly that he isn't attacking the rest of us... But what do I do after this fight, if we all survive? I can't trust a sorceress, no matter who she is. She said last night that she held a monster within her, but... She's not evil; she's just not. Does she even know what she's doing? Does she even know with what sort of fire she's just begun to play?

But what if she does know? What if she's fully aware of what she's doing? What if she's been lying to us the whole time?

What if my earliest suspicions were correct, and she's not really a Waddle Dee at all, but some sort of monster sent to our planet in a Waddle Dee's guise?

But there is a prophecy about her, which I read long before she ever made her appearance... she's a hero, not a monster...

Shotzo bless it, I have no idea what to do...

As I continue helplessly thinking in terror and confusion, I suddenly finally notice that as well as the constant roll of thunder and Sakura's hoarse cry of effort, another sound is beginning to fill the room, an infuriated growling which slowly builds into a deep, low scream of anger and fear.

The voice from inside the spark cries out. "No! Let me go! Quit taking my power! I'm done attacking you for now; release me! I command it!"

Wings stilled due to exhaustion, Sakura floats now in the air with the power of the light-pink magic alone, continuing to absorb power from the slowly-shrinking spark as she continues to force him to drain, quite literally sucking his power away from him in an ever-widening beam. Kirby and Bandanna both eye the scene worriedly, hanging back against the edge of the pool, wisely staying out of the way.

Finally, the last of the spark collides into her glove with a final blast of light so bright we are all temporarily blinded, and all I can hear over the resulting crash of thunder is Sakura's descending cry as she falls to the ground. An instant later, another flash just as bright as the first goes off with another roar as she grounds the power, dispersing it throughout the pool and clouds below us, and taking it all away from the Lightning for good.

When the light finally wanes, in front of us floats a massive Kracko that's still far bigger than any boss Kracko I've ever seen before, but now that his power source has been taken from him, it will be a far easier matter to destroy him. "Kirby, Bandanna Dee!" I shout, and without hesitation, they both begin whaling away on the monster, Bandanna Dee with his spear, and Kirby with the Stone Ability that he gained from some falling rubble.

While Bandanna stabs the creature repeatedly in the eye, carefully air-hopping out of the way of any acid rain the monster desperately sprays at him, Kirby turns into a rock and back over and over again, pounding the monster on the head repeatedly. Unthinkingly, I join the two of them in attacking the monster, only to suddenly remember myself a minute later and stare down at the distant ground below.

On the floor, barely stirring, lies a lump mostly covered by a pink cape, one glove weakly clutched around the hilt of the sword next to which she landed, once again surrounded by the pink shield she first created to save me. Eyes widening, I sheathe my sword, tilt into a nosedive, and then carefully land not far from her. From there, I rush to her and fall at her side. "Sakura... are you all right?"

Shuddering, she forces her eyes open and looks up at me. "I fell, so, uh... It kinda hurts... a lot... And... I'm so tired, Meta Knight... I'm exhausted..."

"Do you even know what you just did?" I demand of her anxiously, trying to turn her over so I can check her bruise, only for her to wince. Realizing that she's going to need food, I prepare to dig into my cape for a Maxim Tomato or something, only for her to speak again.

Voice weak, she disagrees with a slow tilt of her head 'no,' "No idea, Sir... I just... knew to do it, like the other night with the Litdees. It was like it's... always been there, just buried somewhere I couldn't quite get to it. I don't know how I did it or even if I could do it again, but it was there, and it worked." Eyes squinting into a fragile 'smile,' she laughs weakly, "I didn't destroy him, but I sure did weaken him, and that's what I was born to do."

Scowling under my mask, I scold her, "Once you get well, I am going to make you run around the castle thirty or forty times... that was so very foolish; you could have died."

"I'm not... going back to the castle. I don't... belong here anymore," she tells me quietly, her breath slowing and her voice growing more strained. "At least, not for now. It's time for me... to go somewhere else. Maybe I'll come back. I don't... know."

"Don't be ridiculous; you're not going anywhere," I order firmly as I try to dig some food out of my cape, only for her to fall totally still.

"Can I rest now, Sir Knight?" she questions softly, gently, and respectfully as her eyes fall shut, and then, the light-pink light fading with her, she slowly fades away.

Shaking my head slowly, I take a step back from the cape, gloves, sword, ribbon, and sheath that remain where Sakura just was. The fall shouldn't have been enough to kill her; even with food, it would have taken her time to heal, yes, but she shouldn't have died...

Was it the magic? Did it suck away her life just as it drained the monster of his power?

Above me, Kirby gives a whoop of triumph as the monster begins to vanish in a series of large explosions, and a moment later, with a final flash of bright light and a loud, resounding 'BOOM,' the monster is gone.

All around us, the black clouds begin to turn a softer gray and dissipate, and moments later, they start to pour out all of the cool, pure rain that they had been forced to harbor for the weeks before. Most likely, the whole planet is in for a long, drenching rainstorm today, but goodness knows it needs it.

But even as Kirby begins singing the tune for the 'Kirby Ta-Da Dance' up above, I can't bring myself to feel anything other than a numb confusion. Sakura shouldn't have died, but she did. There were so many things she never should have been able to do, but she did anyway.

I may never understand what she was, but I know one thing for certain. She was a sorceress, and had she lived... she was not evil; I refuse to believe it, but I can see now that something within her is. Something blocked it off to where she cannot tell it is there most of the time, but not buried far enough to prevent it from getting out. Just like me, she could have learned how to fight it, how to keep it buried and on a strict leash, but I would never wish for her to have to live through that.

But where did that 'block' come from, and how was her mind filled with everything that was hidden behind it in the first place?

...Now, I suppose, I'll never know.

Still feeling numb and empty, I try to pick up the Cherry Star Sword, only for it to warn me with a reprimanding zap. With a heavy sigh, I look down at it for a long moment before murmuring, "I swear upon Galaxia, your sister blade, that I will only sheathe you and put you somewhere safe. I will not attempt to wield you, Cherry Star. It is not my place to do so. But Sakura was a true Hero of Dreamland, and as such, her sword does not deserve to be left to sit in the elements forever."

After a pause, I reach out for it again, and this time, it allows me to pick it up and cautiously sheathe it. Then, I gently wrap it, the flower ribbon, and the gloves carefully up in the cape, and then, still feeling confused, I slowly take flight and fly up through the pouring rain to the main level of the temple center.

By now, Kirby and Bandanna are in the middle of the fourth or fifth repetition of the 'Kirby Ta-Da Dance.' As soon as they see me, they pause and run through the downpour excitedly, only to both skid along the damp, stony ground to a stop once they see what I'm carrying.

Kirby frowns in confusion while Bandanna Dee's eyes widen in shock. Dragging his feet as he approaches me, Kirby puts a paw on my arm and questions in a shaky voice, "Meta-poy, where's S'kura?"

Not knowing how to answer, I shrug him off and tuck the precious bundle away into my cape to keep it from getting rained on further. As a door crowned by three golden stars— our way out— appears nearby, I start slowly toward it, only to be stopped by Kirby's tugging on my cape a moment after.

Glancing back at me, I eye him evenly as he demands again, voice wavering, "Meta Knight, where's S'kura, poyo?"

Finally, numbness begins to turn to sorrow, and it is all I can do to keep myself from crying. But suddenly, in that moment, sorrow changes to hot anger, and I curse myself more strongly than ever before for allowing myself to grow attached once again to anyone. Voice cold, I tell him flatly, "It is time for us to return to the castle. Come." Tugging my cape away, I head for the door once again.

Kirby dashes around and skids to a stop in front of me, paws out to either side and eyes narrowed. Stumbling slightly, Bandanna Dee joins him a moment later, both of them covered with bruises and scrapes earned during the final brawl with the Lightning. Voice firm, Kirby demands of me, "Where's. S'kura."

Unable to hold back any longer, I shout at him angrily, "She's gone, dead, all right?! She died. She gave her life fighting the Lightning rather than letting me give my own, and now she's gone. Just... let it go. There is nothing we can do about her. She's gone, all right?! She's... gone." As my voice threatens to crack, I fall silent and storm through the breathing wall in front of me, shoving them both roughly aside. Marching fiercely, I exit through the door and instantly find myself in the room with the Copy Essences from earlier, hardly caring whether the other two follow right behind me or not.

True, we might have defeated the Lightning today. We might have succeeded in saving Dreamland from her newest foe and returning peace to Planet Popstar until the next villain comes along to try and take it away once more.

But yet, I do not know if I would or could ever count the result of today's battle as a victory.

All I know is that this is not how the story was ever supposed to go; I can feel it right down to my very core. Something is very, very wrong, and Sakura's refusal to allow me to die when it was my time is only the beginning of much more trouble yet to come.