Author's Note: Hello all! It's been over four years since I last wrote a Kirby fanfic. Originally, I had run out of ideas and had given up on the thought of ever writing another Kirby fanfic. However, my first story, written almost seven years ago now, was a Kirby fanfic, and I've finally decided to temporarily revisit my roots with this story. Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think!

When the Cursed Sun Rises

To King Dedede,

I am writing to inform you that I am resigning as Knight Commander of Dreamland. It is my wish that this resignation take place with immediate effect.

There is much that I wish to communicate with you in this letter regarding the circumstances of my leaving; therefore I hope you will grant yourself sufficient time to read through this letter in its entirety. I have a lot I want to say.

Why am I resigning? To put it simply, King Dedede…

Well actually, just Dedede. The first thing I want to make clear to you is that you are no king of mine, and you are no king of Dreamland either. Throughout my many years of service to the throne, I have had to stand by and witness you in your ignorance as you rule the realm with an iron grip and a fool's heart. You see your royal position as nothing but a plaything, and all those who reside in your realm are nothing but toys to you also. Your correspondences with Nightmare and the recklessness in which you unleash his vile beings upon the land only begin to sum up the illness that you are to this living, breathing community that is Dreamland.

The second thing I want to make clear is that I have become too tired of being your knight protector, your spin-doctor and your fool. Despite all that you have done to the realm, I have stood as the sole barrier, defending the locals from your petty terrorism and your vile games. I have trained Kirby as well as I could so he could reach his potential as a true warrior; I did so knowing that one day I would reach the end of my tether, as I have done now. I can only hope that Kirby is now strong enough to take my place as that barrier, the keeper and protector of the peace of the realm, and the foil to your silly, pretentious antics. It hurt even more when I had to present myself to the people I care for as your knight, your servant, your slave. The citizens of Dreamland always saw through my hypocrisy when I had to stick to your script, and they will see it no more.

The final thing I want to say is that I am never coming back. By the time you have read this letter, I will be very far away. I shall make myself untraceable, unreachable, and invisible to the world. Do not try to come for me. You will fail.

There is so much outside of these main three points that I must also communicate with you. I have never done this before, but the following pages of this letter will allow me to be free of my silent shackles and let my voice and emotions pour out. You are to read what I have been thinking for years now.

Despite my efforts to keep the realm intact, you always were condescending to me. Your tone of voice now sickens me, your grotesque need for greed repulses me and I cannot continue to lie to the citizens of Dreamland and tell them how great of a king you are. When I first took my knightly vow and upheld my title of Knight Commander, I took those vows in the trust that you and I, together, would build a great, powerful realm where happiness, strength, courage and love reigned supreme. I had my doubts, but I really believed that you could change.

I do not lie on that point. I really believed you and I could build that realm together.

I thought you had it in you to be benevolent and kind to your people. I witnessed your first defeats to Kirby, who was then naught but a child. I saw the child inside you when you cried in defeat and I saw a sense of innocence hidden behind the layers of corruption and avarice. I even remember the times when you and Kirby teamed up to defeat Nightmare when he first surfaced upon this world. It was moments like those that, upon taking my title as Knight Commander, I had hope. I had hope that you and I, a king and his knight, could continue our efforts to dispel darkness from the world and build a realm of peace.

I had made a terrible mistake, in that regard. Not only had I placed my trust in a man whose inability to be mature has led me to this final decision, but also the fact that I had even believed that someone like you could be a good king. What have you done, Dedede?

What have you done to my realm? To Dreamland?

You've taxed the poor and lined your coffers with their gold. You spend it on machines and monsters and throw them upon the land like dice on a board game. You watch, you laugh, you see the suffering and the famines caused by your antics. You bellow out in sickening laughter as you watch Kirby, as you watch me, as you watch the people who believe in good, watch and laugh as we try to stamp out the evil that you throw upon the land. We defeat you. We end your game, we end your laughter, but you've already had your fill. You go to bed, and the cycle starts anew when the cursed sun rises.

And on a personal level, it never ended there for me, either. Any time I was in the towns and the villages we presided over, you would order me back. Every time I was able to converse and bring a smile to the face of a man, woman or child, you would snarl and pull on my proverbial leash. You would yell, you would fit, you would just…

I cannot write the words.

But why, then, why did I remain for as long as I did? You were a tyrant, and your servants and soldiers were all in your service. To this day I still do not understand why they, the Waddle Dees, and all else still follow you. Perhaps they are all mindless after all? But myself? Do not make the mistake of thinking that I followed you for the same reason your goons all follow you.

I followed you because I believed. I believed that the title of Knight Commander meant something. I believed it gave me the power and the authority to be a force for good in the world. Believe me, I have undergone many a personal struggle, even before I took my service to you. My mask is a testament to those personal struggles. But I really, really did truly believe that my abilities as Knight Commander could really make a difference. That self-belief went hand-in-hand with my ill placed hopes that you would be a good king.

The other reason I remained is because there was one person above all else who cared for me. She, who gave me the strength and the will to carry on, it is the thought of leaving her which makes it very hard for me to write this. In that sense, perhaps one day you will see me again, if only to take her from your vile clutches.

I shall not name her. To name her would be to present to her an unending torment. Her anonymity is her shield from you, and I would never, ever take that away from her.

And so, I begin to draw my resignation letter to a close. It pains me to know that once I am gone, should Kirby fail in his ability to protect the realm, then there is nothing that will stop you from exacting your cruel and unusual games upon Dreamland and its innocent citizens. I wish that I had more inner strength to face up to you. But I cannot lie to my oaths and myself anymore.

I am your Knight Commander no more.

Meta Knight

There was a knock on the door behind him.

"Come in"

The door opened.

"Meta Knight, are you okay?"

Meta Knight, who had been slumped over his desk, turned around to see Tiff standing in the doorway, a tired look of worry on her face. Meta Knight slowly dropped his quill and sighed; his heart sank at the sight of her. He knew what he was leaving behind. His mind was made up.

"Tiff…" Meta Knight whispered. "…Please close the door"

Tiff stepped in tentatively, letting the wooden door close slowly behind her. She hadn't often been in Meta Knight's quarters: a small, cozy room high up in Castle Dedede, with a bed, a desk, a small lamp and a window overlooking the realm outside. A beautiful blue moon sat amongst the stars.

As the door closed quietly, Tiff shuffled towards the bed and sat down on its edge, her gaze fixed on Meta Knight. Meta Knight's gaze was simply on the floor.

"…Why are you here?" Meta Knight asked quietly.

"Your lamp has been on for a long time; I'd just woken up and noticed it" Tiff explained. "Is everything okay?"

Tiff knew deep down that Meta Knight wanted to leave Dreamland. She'd seen the signs: the tired, pronounced slump that Meta Knight seemed to walk around with these days, the tired tone of voice, the lack of enthusiasm. The fatigue. The visible signs of pain. The signs…they were all there.

More and more, it didn't become a question of 'if', but 'when'.

Through it all, the months and years of tyranny Dedede imposed upon the land, she was the key witness to Meta Knight's suffering; Meta Knight saw Tiff as a confidant for all his troubles and woes. As she had become older and transitioned into a adult, Meta Knight felt that he could bear more to her, to tell her more of his anguish and his struggles against the Dedede rule. Tiff, being the cabinet minister's daughter, was offered some protection from the tyranny, but she was still able to see its effects on Dreamland…and on Meta Knight.

There was a long silence. Neither of the two moved. Everything was still. It always started like this, she thought. Before long, he'd open up about the difficulties of the whole thing. As she expected, a dialogue started between them:

"I'm feeling really tired, Tiff. I don't particularly want to talk right now. Please leave my room"

"Meta Knight, I want to know what's wrong"

"How many times has it been now? That you've come into my room late at night and asked me how I've been?"

"I…well…"

"Five. It's the fifth time. Tiff, you shouldn't be up here, the guards may find you"

"I don't care, Meta Knight"

"…Heh heh…"

"What?"

"It always astound me, Tiff. How you care for me so"

"I do care for you, Meta Knight. I care for all my friends, and you are my friend. That's simple enough for you to understand, right?"

"…Then you must know why I don't feel well right now. Can you not guess? We've discussed it so many times now"

"It's Dedede, I know. It's the same story, every time I come up here. You're depressed, or angry, or confused, and it's all to do with him. He's the one doing this to you. I…I just wish I could help"

"Your company has been of a great service to me Tiff. Don't ever forget that. We've known each other for a long time, but recently you have been a great confidant and a friend to me. I'll never forget the help you've given me. Thank you"

"Meta Knight, it sounds like you're saying a farewell speech or something! Are you sure you're okay? I mean, I know you're not, but in the grand scheme of things will you be okay?"

"…"

"…Meta Knight?"

Another long silence reigned between them. Meta Knight felt his heart beating quickly: he knew that he had to deliver the news to Tiff. Tiff, sensing the bad vibes in the room, started to fear the worst.

She knew it was coming. And she felt the rising dread inside her. It couldn't happen, she thought.

"…I'm leaving Dreamland" Meta Knight said slowly, turning to Tiff in his chair. His voice, usually proud and strong, was filled with defeat. It was exactly as Tiff had feared and anticipated for a long time. She spoke out of reaction.

"You can't" Tiff protested, rising slightly from the bedside.

"I must" Meta Knight replied, his voice hoarse and cold. "I can't do this anymore and you know it"

"Please Meta Knight, you can't leave. What about Dreamland?"

A small spark of anger rode through Meta Knight like an electric pulse. His fist tightened.

"It's been far too long now" Meta Knight growled. "Years of abuse, years of suffering…there must be more to life than this" He quickly lifted his head and looked Tiff in the eyes, his stare piercing and broken through his mask. "I know if I leave, then things will go badly, but you have to understand I can't do this anymore"

"But what about Kirby?" Tiff asked, beginning to become desperate.

"He will survive on his own" Meta Knight riposted.

"No he won't!" Tiff argued, her voice rising. "He can't look after Dreamland alone, he needs you! We need you! Meta Knight…oh, Meta Knight please don't leave!"

"Keep your voice down" Meta Knight asked, raising his hand. But the frustration had suddenly exploded out of Tiff. For the many defeatist conversations that she had held with Meta Knight in the months prior to this night, her patience had whittled. Now, she was done.

"I don't care, okay?" she yelled. "We've walked about this so many times, how you're gonna leave Dreamland and leave us all to suffer! Do you really think that you leaving is going to make things better? Are you that damn selfish?"

Meta Knight rose to his feet, his anger also boiling. He breathed toxic words through his clenched teeth.

"That's a rich statement coming from the cabinet minister's daughter!" he growled, shaking with anger. "But let's see how you cope when you're the Knight Commander, eh? You think that I've had it easy? You, you have had it easier than most! You can enjoy the protection of this castle while the rest of us have to go out and fight, protect citizens, preserve the peace! I've spent so much time with a tight leash around my neck, starving me of air, and now I'm finally cutting myself free! Yet despite it all, you have the gall to complain!"

"Meta Knight, you can't go!" Tiff pleaded, tears starting to form in her eyes. She knew that every word that Meta Knight spoke was the truth, but she couldn't bear to let him win this argument.

"I've already written my resignation letter" Meta Knight spoke sharply. "I am about to deliver it to Dedede's door and then I am leaving. And I am never coming back"

The two stood at odds, breathing heavily, their brief, heated argument coming to a standstill. Tiff felt the tears stinging in her eyes; the pain of many deep conversations had finally started to release itself.

Tiff couldn't lose Meta Knight. Of course the realm needed protecting. Of course Dreamland needed its Knight Commander. But that wasn't all.

She finally felt as if she had the courage to tell Meta Knight the main, true reason why she didn't want him to go.

"…Give me the letter" she said quietly, bringing her hand out.

"No" Meta Knight replied swiftly. His anger was still evident in his voice. It was certain that people must have been woken by the argument; Meta Knight could only feel embarrassment at the whole situation that had developed. Such feelings drove him to grab the letter.

"Meta Knight…" Tiff continued, more tears stinging her eyes and blurring her vision. "Please, just give me the letter. We can find another way..."

"There is no other way!" Meta Knight yelled. Tiff jumped back in fright, caught off guard by the vocal stab thrown at her. Undeterred, Meta Knight continued to yell. "What the hell is it with you, Tiff? This asinine idea that 'there's always another way'? Are you so stupid to believe that things are going to change anytime soon? Have they ever changed in the last few years? No, they haven't, is the answer to that question Tiff"

With poison dripping from his lips, Meta Knight continued his angry tirade as Tiff looked in in horror.

"I know fully well how this story is going to pan out: Dedede will continue his correspondence with Nightmare, continue to wreak havoc on the realm for fun and we'll be locked in an endless battle for peace until one of us dies!" Meta Knight spat. "I am not going to waste what little time I may have left as a knight stewing away in this endless, painful vortex of misery when there are other, beautiful realms in this world that I can pledge my service! I'm sick of it! I'm sick of him! And I'm sick of you trying to keep me here, just for your own damn good!"

Meta Knight swiftly turned on his heels and marched to the door. Tiff, now crying profusely, couldn't let him get away. It was the angriest and most upset she had ever seen Meta Knight in her whole life. But she still couldn't let that stop her from trying to reach out for him. She couldn't lose him. She reached an arm out for him.

"Meta Knight, please!" she cried. Her arm was swatted away by Meta Knight's hand, who then grabbed Galaxia and sheathed it before reaching for the knob of the door.

This was it, the final chance. If he exited that door, it was done. Tiff knew that she could only say one thing now, one final truth, in order to keep Meta Knight. She couldn't lose him.

After all, what purpose did her life have without him?

She reached out with both hands and grabbed his shoulder, before having him backwards. She yanked the letter out of his hand and threw it straight out of the window, letting it flutter into the breeze. Meta Knight gasped, but Tiff grasped hold of him with her fists; Meta Knight was flung back and thrown against the side of the bed, striking it. Tiff's fists tightly clenched the cape coming from Meta Knight's shoulder plates. Her heart exploding and streams of tears streaking down her face, she looked at him dead in the eyes as they burned for him.

"I love you!" she screamed.

I love you…

They were the words that had pervaded his dreams for years now. He couldn't believe that he finally heard them being spoken to him.

Near silence. The only sound that could be heard was the fast breathing of Tiff's lungs, desperate for air in a hot, stuffy room. Her clenches fists relaxed and Meta Knight drooped down into a sitting position, free from Tiff's grasp. Tiff fell to her knees; the two kept their eyes in fierce contact with each other.

"…What did you say?" Meta Knight whispered, his voice quivering.

"I love you" Tiff repeated. "I love you…I love you, I love you, I love you!"

She broke down and embraced Meta Knight as she cried. Meta Knight also felt his heart swelling; he too, had realised the feelings they shared. He'd never thought it would surface like this. His arms rose and clamped against Tiff's back, bringing her close to him. His head was buried in her shoulder, full of the heat and sweat of the stress. He tried to hold back the lump in his throat and the tear forming in his own eyes. He couldn't quite believe what was happening.

Meta Knight's perspectives started to change.

"But Tiff…why?" he whispered in the embrace.

"I'm not the only one, Meta Knight" Tiff sobbed, releasing her hold and looking back into Meta Knight's eyes, stroking his face frantically, her body practically taken over by her emotions. "Don't believe for just one second that I'm the only one who loves you. Everybody loves you, Meta Knight, the citizens, Kirby, everyone…everyone…"

In the frantic pace of the moment. Meta Knight brought his gloved hand up to Tiff's tear-stained face and started to wipe away at her tears. Delirious from his tiredness, even he wasn't sure what he was doing. It felt right, though.

"Tiff…I…I need help" he said quietly. "I…I need you, I need everyone"

"We're all here for you, Meta Knight" Tiff whispered, pressing her forehead against his and closing her eyes, trying to gain some control over her tears. "You're not alone, we're all here for you. We'll do this…together. I love you Meta Knight, please, don't ever…"

She thought for a second about what she was going to say.

"…Don't ever leave me, Meta Knight."

Meta Knight pulled Tiff into an embrace, curled up on the floor. The tempo of the fast situation slowed, and before long, the two were all in arms on the floor, held in an embrace, the closest that they had ever shared.

"I…I can't…I can't leave" Meta Knight stuttered. "Tiff, I won't leave. I'll stay…for you, and for everyone…"

The letter descended gently through the air and settled upon a river nearby the castle. There, it was swept away by the current, submerged, torn and wiped from history.