This story was inspired by the Revenge Of Meta Knight arc of Kirby Super Star (yeah, everybody's writing those lately...). It's a great sub-game and everything, but I thought it didn't explain Kirby canon very well. At that point in the games, Meta Knight had been possessed by Nightmare, and the game made this so vague that a lot of people think Meta Knight is just naturally evil. So I started writing a story, intent on explaining things a bit better, getting into the Halberd crew's heads, and suggesting what might have happened after Kirby rode off into the sunset. It's been a long...I guess about 4 months now, but Wing Shadows is finally finished and I couldn't be happier! I've taken some artistic liberty; the story assumes that Kirby and Meta Knight have never met, along with some other details that don't quite match the game. Also, this has nothing to do with the anime, so Kirby's not a baby (rejoice, yaoi fans! :p). I hope you'll all enjoy and maybe drop a comment when you're done, constructive criticism is welcome. Happy reading!

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Wing Shadows

The Halberd was a magnificent airship. Her ebony metal hull gleaming like the scales of a deep-sea fish, she rose on silent wings toward the clouds. She ruled the skies undisputed. However, the warship had ominous intentions that day, and Dreamland could sense it. Forest creatures paused in their activities to cast an apprehensive look upwards when that large shadow passed over them.

Within the Halberd, the commanding officers had stationed themselves on the bridge, in front of the complex control panel that was the nerve centre of the ship.

"Wahahaha!" cackled the Captain, "Dreamland will soon be ours!" Once this had been said, he resumed cackling. The Captain's cackle was the sort that could only be more irritating if it were coming from the back of a crowded movie theatre.

"We're not taking Dreamland over..." pointed out Meta Chain, picking at a small stain on the studded ball-and-chain in his lap, "...Right?"

Meta Axe glanced up from his control panel. "Yeah, we're, um...." He trailed off and lifted the edge of his horned helmet to scratch his head contemplatively.

"Uh, what ARE we doing, Sir Meta Knight...?" piped Waddle Dee from the corner of the room. He had been doing a successful job of trying not to be noticed, and the other crew members noticed him with some surprise. All eyes then turned to the cloaked figure that was currently gazing out of the bridge's window; the mysterious lord of the Halberd, Meta Knight.

"A great evil is coming. These fools must be made to see." he said darkly. He made no effort to clarify this cryptic remark, nor did he move from his position by the window.

There was a moment of confused silence, and then the Captain looked back to his colleagues. "See?" he crowed, coolly smoothing back the feathers that poked up around his cap, "I told you we were taking over Dreamland!"

Meta Chain raised an eyebrow. "No, we're not."

"Yeah, we are!"

"No, we're not taking it /i, we're just...kinda...." Meta Chain looked to Meta Axe for help, but he simply shrugged and adjusted some settings on his control panel.

Waddle Dee, once again not being paid attention to, flickered his line of sight between the squabbling officers and the quiet Meta Knight. He decided on his master, and sidled over to the broad window. The tropical scenery of the Orange Ocean was receding as the Halberd gained altitude, and Meta Knight's gaze was fixed somewhere on the late afternoon horizon.

"Um...Sir Meta Knight?" murmured Waddle Dee, barely daring to make his voice heard.

This address broke the warrior's concentration entirely. He looked to his small brown soldier with something close to confusion. "Yes?"

Waddle Dee hesitated, blinking his wide, watery eyes. He hadn't been expecting /i. But before he could say anything, one of the control panels droned a warning.

"Something's approaching, and fast!" Meta Axe reported, tapping hurriedly at the controls, "I'll see if I can get a visual...."

One of the room's smaller video screens scrolled through a number of camera viewpoints; empty hallways, soldiers patrolling, and finally an image of a shimmering Warp Star bearing a round rider toward the airship. Meta Axe yelped. "K-Kirby's here! What's Kirby doing here?!"

Meta Chain rubbed his chin and said, "He's probably gonna try stopping us from taking over Dreamland. If that's what we're doing." The Captain rolled his eyes and huffed, and Meta Chain continued, "At any rate, he'll get in the way!"

"Sir Meta Knight, what shall we do?" asked the Captain of his superior.

Shrouded in the darkness of his mask, Meta Knight's topaz eyes smouldered with something unidentifiable as he watched the video screen. Kirby leaped clear of his Warp Star and inhaled a nearby Gim soldier, which prompted his famed copy ability to produce a yo-yo and matching blue baseball cap. Armed with this innocent-looking power, the youth then began clearing a path of destruction across the Halberd's deck. The officers got edgier as their leader did nothing. Finally, Meta Knight spoke.

"Have all soldiers near the deck assume combat mode." he said crisply, "Destroy him." Meta Knight pulled his cape around himself and stalked off.

And as the Captain, Meta Chain and Meta Axe bustled about to execute these orders, Waddle Dee ran after Meta Knight.

The hallway was punctuated with flashing yellow lights, which indicated that the ship was in combat mode, and these lights reflected off the pipes and grate panels characteristic of the ship's inner passageways. Meta Knight paced along this hallway, oblivious to the alarm, until a shrill voice was heard crying his name. He turned and fixed Waddle Dee with a patient sort of glare, causing the soldier to skid to a halt. Meta Knight was intimidating enough already, but with his cape wrapped around him in the dimly lit hallway he now looked like some sort of sinister bat with eyes that could see directly into one's soul. Waddle Dee gulped and tried to remember what it was he wanted to say.

"Uh, S-Sir Meta Knight, I just wanted to know...Well, about taking over Dreamland, is that...uh...Can't we just tell Kirby that we're not really taking over Dreamland? Or...are we...?"

Meta Knight didn't respond for what seemed to Waddle Dee like a very long time. "Go make sure that my orders are being carried out." he uttered, and left.

Waddle Dee remembered to breathe again, and watched his master's back retreating. A worried frown briefly crossed his face, and then he set out to do what Meta Knight had told him to.

The sinking sun spread Meta Knight's shadow across the floor of his chamber, drawing it longer with each passing moment he stood at the window. One gloved hand lay on the windowsill and he could feel the gentle vibration of the ship's engines, the heartbeat of his Halberd. He sighed quietly. He tried to clear his mind, but it was restless. Dreamland was such a cloyingly lazy, peaceful place and this bothered him, the residents really had no idea of the evil approaching. He could almost sense the darkness bearing down on the serene little planet. His mission of warning was under way, however; there was nothing more he could do at the present. And so Meta Knight's thoughts turned to Kirby. He had heard tell of his visitor's exploits, including defeating King Dedede in battle. The young puff was obviously talented. Faint stirrings of a smile formed on Meta Knight's concealed face; he had to admire Kirby's pluck, taking on a fully armed and staffed warship with nothing but his own abilities and a healthy dose of determination. The fact remained that Kirby was attacking the Halberd, apparently because he thought it posed a threat to Dreamland. But the little hero was being shooed away by the warship's officers...wasn't he? Meta Knight paused in his train of thought, he remembered telling his officers to get rid of Kirby, or something to that effect. The small memory gap annoyed him.

A meek tapping then came from the door, meek enough to indicate who was doing the tapping.

"Enter."

The door's hinges creaked lightly and it opened barely enough for Waddle Dee to peer inside, holding his sailor's cap on with a round paw. "Uh, Sir Meta Knight? Heavy Lobster has been released to deal with Kirby, we thought you might like to know...."

Waddle Dee was initially relieved, Meta Knight seemed to be in a less scary mood than before. But as soon as he delivered the message, the soldier saw his master stiffen slightly. Drawing his cape around him, Meta Knight stalked briskly past Waddle Dee and towards the bridge, with the soldier scampering along behind.

As Meta Knight entered the command room, his officers turned from the screen they were watching. Waddle Dee slipped in all but unnoticed, as was his custom.

"You're just in time, Sir Meta Knight." observed Meta Chain, gesturing to a video screen. The image jolted laboriously and heavy footsteps came over the audio feed. As the camera's unseen bearer turned a corner, Kirby came into view. The pink hero paused from his exploration of the ship, turning to face this new threat and gasping at the sight of it. He had come face to face with Heavy Lobster, the monstrous prototype mechanical beast. A few sharp snaps sounded, the sound of Heavy Lobster clicking its claws threateningly, and then streams of smoke momentarily clouded the camera as missiles were launched.

"Hee hee! Kirby's going to get fried!" grinned the Captain, rubbing his wings together in sick glee.

Dashing out of the way of the missiles, as well as partially out of the camera view, Kirby swung his yo-yo with deadly accurate aim at the behemoth. But it bounced harmlessly off Heavy Lobster's gleaming metal side, perhaps leaving a dent but doing no serious damage. Furrowing his brow in concentration, the youth dodged another volley of missiles and tried his yo-yo again from a few more angles.

"Heavy Lobster is faring well, Sir." reported Meta Axe, eyeing a screen of statistics and computer code on the control panel, "Kirby is barely leaving a scratch!"

Oblivious to all but the onscreen battle, Meta Knight's glowing eyes slowly took on a reddish tint. He pulled his cape tighter.

Snapping its claws again, Heavy Lobster unleashed another attack, this time a flamethrower blast. Kirby dodged but was unprepared for the flamethrower's range; the fire grazed him and he cried out.

That cry pierced Meta Knight's concentration, causing the red cast to vanish from his eyes. He dropped his cape to his sides and returned to watching Kirby's efforts to stop Heavy Lobster. Waddle Dee, however, watched his master for a moment longer. Whatever didn't seem right about Meta Knight was probably none of his business, he told himself, and then followed suit in watching the video feed.

Kirby had determined that his yo-yo was useless against Heavy Lobster. In between missile salvos and fiery assaults, the youth looked around for something that might lend him a new ability, such as a passing solider. But the deck had been cleared in preparation for the mechanical beast's release, and he saw nothing that would be of use to him. Facing unfavourable odds, Kirby chose instead to bolt away from the fight. With a whirr of gears Heavy Lobster gave chase, hovering along on turbo rockets instead of relying on its own ponderous feet.

"He's heading toward the Combo Cannon." observed Meta Axe.

Flicking a few switches on the control panel and checking some screens, Meta Chain asked, "Main cannon's ready, shall we blast him?"

The Captain let out a barking laugh. "All right. Shoot him!" grinned the bird.

Meta Chain grasped the joystick control of the Combo Cannon, setting his mouth into a firm line of focus. He watched a video screen with a crosshairs in its centre and the cannon's mouth at the bottom, these two features backdropped by the front deck of the Halberd. A tug at the joystick caused the massive weapon to swivel slightly to the left. And as a running pink figure intercepted the neon green crosshairs, Meta Chain pressed the trigger. With only an instant of ominous humming as warning, Kirby was slammed with a column of plasma energy and sent flying over the ship's bow, his wail of pain and surprise fading quickly into the distance. When a small puff of smoke rose from the ground below, a whoop of celebration rose from Meta Axe and the Captain.

"He won't be bothering us anymore!" Meta Axe smiled, spinning in his swivelling chair.

"We got him!" cheered the Captain, cackling happily.

Meta Chain released the joystick and sank back into his chair, giving his teammates an odd look. And Meta Knight's suspicious gaze never left the wisp of smoke on the video screen, barely visible in the waning daylight.

"He will be back. This ship doesn't move until Kirby shows himself."

The crew's celebration abruptly stopped. "You heard him," ordered the Captain, "Cut power to the wings by 68% and engage the turbo thrusters. We're spending the night here!" Meta Axe worked at carrying out these orders. Meanwhile, the elder warrior whisked from the room. Waddle Dee's nervous glancing between the departing Meta Knight and the officers was interrupted by the Captain's address.

"Waddle Dee, go down to the mess hall and get me one of those danishes. The cherry ones with the sugar frosting." He managed to sound very official even while placing a snack order.

"Yes, Sir." murmured the solider, shuffling off to do his duty.

The full moon spread an eretheral light over the Halberd, leaving thick shadows where the light was unable to touch. Like a shadow himself, Meta Knight emerged from the stairwell at the highest deck of the airship, gliding to the center of the moonlit expanse of railed-in platform. He came to this place when sleep and rest eluded him, as was the case this night, to train. The golden blade of his sword hissed quietly as it slid from the scabbard at his side, and he held out the rapier for a moment of meditation. A cool breeze whistled over the hovering Halberd and its lord, rustling Meta Knight's indigo cape. Then, with an explosive, predatory movement, he darted forward and slashed at the night air, following up with a few more deft sword strokes at the nonexistent foe.

Again he paused, focusing his energies. The idea suddenly struck him that Kirby might be a sword wielder as well; it seemed likely, since the rose-coloured hero had a very wide range of abilities. This thought intrigued Meta Knight. He had never given form to his unseen sparring partner, but he could now imagine Kirby standing before him, clutching a blade that sparkled in the moonlight just like his tenacious ebony eyes. Smirking slightly, the elder warrior leapt forward and accepted this challenge, locking blades with the skilled youth. They parried each other's advances, the sound of their swords clashing almost real, the air charged with the vigour of their duel.

At length, Meta Knight ended the dance with illusion and lowered his sword, his breath coming heavily. It had been a long time since he had been tested like that, and he almost wished to duel the real Kirby. With a respectful nod to his dreamed opponent, the warrior sheathed his sword and wiped the sweat from his brow, raising the edge of his ivory mask a little to better do this. Even this token unveiling seemed like a great risk; nervousness took hold in him despite the fact that he was alone. He scorned his own weak will. He had nothing to hide, at least nothing that would justify such reclusiveness. But Meta Knight had decided that the world would never see his face, and there was nothing more to the issue.

As he turned to leave, movement on the ground below caught his attention. Treading over to the rail at the deck's edge, Meta Knight regarded the moonlit terrain. The trees in the thickly forested region were shaking violently. He knew what this meant; the trees were Whispy Woods, and the unfortunate creature who had disturbed them was now on the receiving end of the plants' wrath. Those familiar with a Whispy forest would know better, and most beings without an extremely important task to fulfill would be sleeping at this hour, so only one possible intruder remained: Kirby. As he watched the forest thrashing, and thought of Kirby being crushed in a barrage of apples, a crimson glow took over Meta Knight's eyes. His gloved hands tensed into fists. And, rearing back to face the night sky, he wickedly laughed.

Morning found the Halberd's commanding officers on the bridge, starting on the day's agenda of waiting for Kirby. Waddle Dee hurried in with three steaming coffee mugs clasped between his paws, one of which he gave to the Captain.

"Cream and four sugar, right?" asked the bird.

"Yes, Sir." confirmed Waddle Dee, placing the remaining two mugs beside Meta Axe and Meta Chain and receiving two nods of thanks for his trouble.

"Good." A scheming grin slid over the Captain's beak as he took a gulp of his hot drink. "Hee hee, I can't wait for Kirby to show up! That puffball's going to get blasted to smithereens! Oh, hello Sir Meta Knight."

The other officers turned in their chairs to acknowledge their leader's entrance.

"Morning, Sir." greeted Meta Chain.

"No sign of Kirby yet, Sir." Meta Axe added.

Glancing at the room's numerous video screens and seeing no sign of the pink youth, Meta Knight slowly uttered, "He will be back. Stay on full alert."

Waddle Dee watched his master's movements with concern. Meta Knight seemed vaguely out of sorts to him, his yellow gaze wasn't nearly as sharp and decisive as usual. Maybe Meta Knight hadn't slept well, reasoned the small soldier. Maybe it was none of his business, but he wanted to help.

"Sir Meta Knight? Uh, I could get you some coffee if you'd like, Sir...?" Waddle Dee ventured.

Turning to his soldier, Meta Knight gave him a long, cool look, the sort of look that always made the high-strung Waddle Dee get extremely nervous. "That won't be necessary." Turning back to watch the officers at work, the warrior added, a little more gently, "Your concern is appreciated."

Slightly confused, but rather happy at being acknowledged, Waddle Dee followed suit in watching the others.

Meta Chain then squinted at the video screen he was watching. "What's that?" he asked Meta Axe.

The axe wielder viewed his colleague's screen briefly. "A bird." he replied casually, returning to the task of watching his own screen.

"No, THAT." Meta Chain pressed a cream-coloured finger to a black speck rising from the distant forest.

"Yeah, it's a bird."

"It's a big bird...." The speck was quickly growing.

"Alright, let's take a look...." Meta Axe adjusted a few controls, and the image was magnified several times. The approaching speck was now quite obviously a huge eagle, its multicoloured plumage shining in the early morning sunlight. A small pink figure was barely visible on its back, hunched low to endure the bird's swift flight.

The Captain, only now catching a glimpse of the screen, choked on his coffee in shock. "What's that?!" he sputtered.

"Dyna Blade...." answered Meta Knight, gaze riveted on the video screen. The uncharacteristic awe in his voice made the crew turn and look at their leader in surprise. "The bird of steel, I thought she was just a legend...."

Alighting on the Halberd's front deck and causing frightened soldiers to scatter, Dyna Blade gracefully lowered her head and allowed Kirby to jump off. The youth turned back to her and said something, to which the eagle nodded obligingly.

"I don't care what it is, it's on Kirby's side! Shoot it!" demanded the Captain.

Meta Chain grasped the Combo Cannon's joystick and quickly got Dyna Blade in his sights. Hesitating for an instant, he fired a plasma beam at the legendary bird's chest.

However, the attack streamed off Dyna Blade's metallic feathers, forcing her to take a few steps back but causing no apparent injury. Raising a wing to deflect the latter half of the energy beam, her cyan eyes glittered angrily and she took to the air.

"It...d-didn't do ANYTHING...!" Meta Chain's pupilless red-and-black eyes grew wide with disbelief. He hadn't thought that anything could withstand the Combo Cannon's might.

"So use the cannonballs! Shoot it, shoot it, SHOOT IT!" the Captain screeched, flapping his wings agitatedly.

Meta Knight was now locked in a furious internal battle. This was an absolute sacrilege, the way his crew was attacking such a majestic creature who had done nothing to deserve it. But the command that would stop everything refused to leave his throat. The Captain had a point; Dyna Blade was on Kirby's side and was therefore an enemy. A hint of red appeared in his eyes. Yes, this was for the best, the warrior assured himself.

Shrieking in rage, Dyna Blade beat her steely wings to rise above the Halberd. She paused to inhale deeply, and then spat several pulses of crackling white energy, carving a devastating arc across the ship's bow. But on the heels of this attack came a response; a cannonball from the upper half of the Combo Cannon streaked past and clipped the bird's left wing. A loud crack sounded, like a splitting tree trunk, and Dyna Blade squawked in pain. The cannonball's impact spun her in the air and a second projectile hit the eagle squarely in the back before she could recover. Any hope of maintaining flight was dashed by the rain of smaller fire now coming from the Halberd's lesser cannons, exploding against her like fireworks. With a weak caw, Dyna Blade succumbed to the onslaught and fell from the sky.

The image of the majestic bird tumbling out of the air seared itself into Meta Knight's horrified mind. This couldn't possibly be for the best. But Dyna Blade was the enemy...right? His eye colour flickered between yellow and red as his mental battle raged on.

"Well, we shot down Dyna Blade." reported Meta Axe in dismay, lowering his hands from the ship's controls and turning to look at the Captain. Meta Chain did likewise, seeming quite disturbed by what had just happened. The Captain, however, had no such moral qualms.

"Great, now all we have to do is blast Kirby! Where did he go?"

During Dyna Blade's chaotic defeat, Kirby had been able to slip away unnoticed. The axe and mace wielders looked at each other in sudden realization, and then Meta Chain offered, "Well, all the soldiers are under orders to attack Kirby on sight, and Kirby's trying to destroy the ship. Either way, as soon as we see a damage report, we'll know where he is!"

Meta Axe nodded, and began scrolling through the wide range of camera viewpoints on the ship. He didn't get through very many before a warning chime sounded from the control panel. Glancing at the computer's readout, he reported, "The ship has taken damage, close to the left wing. We've found Kirby!"

Meta Knight suddenly turned and swept from the room, silent enough to avoid the notice of anyone other than Waddle Dee. Despite his concern, the soldier knew not to follow his master. Whatever was bothering him seemed to have been made worse by what had transpired in the past few minutes and Waddle Dee certainly didn't want to annoy his leader, especially not when he was in a mood like that. Waddle Dee nervously wrung his russet paws together and tried to pay attention to what the officers were doing.

A video feed featuring Kirby was quickly brought up on a screen. On a windy platform, immediately in front of the Halberd's wing, the little pink hero was fending off a throng of soldiers with a boomerang-like cutter blade. This form of attack took time, and it was becoming apparent that he would not be able to defend himself much longer. Replacing the cutter on his yellow cap, then reconsidering and tossing the cap away, Kirby quickly inhaled a nearby Kaboomba soldier and fled to the end of the platform. Gulping down the walking bomb produced no characteristic hat for him, and the troops drew nearer to the cornered puff.

"Hee hee! Game over, Kirby!" grinned the Captain.

Meta Chain examined the screen closely. He could have sworn that Kirby's round body was giving off faint flashes of white light. "No, wait, I think he's got something...."

Just when the soldiers were about to descend on him, Kirby drew his paws to his chest and concentrated, white light flaring around him like flames and a dire rumble building in the air. When the light's brightness peaked, he slammed a paw on the floor and the Crash attack radiated out from his body in a blinding wave. Before anyone could react, the move swept out over the platform and vapourized everything in its path. The surveillance camera, being in the move's path, abruptly showed nothing but static to the officers on the bridge, and frantic alarms accompanied this.

"Serious damage to the left wing!" reported Meta Axe, "Approximately 74%!"

"Gu.....u!" The Captain's jaw hung open in shock.

"We're gonna lose balance!" exclaimed Meta Chain.

"Let's see...I'll lower the solar sail and increase right wing power." Meta Axe speedily adjusted the ship's controls, causing the alarms to cease.

Regaining his senses, the Captain looked sceptically around the bridge, then at the slightly angled way his remaining coffee was sitting in its cup. "This room's tilted, isn't it?"

"That's the best I can do for now. The whole ship is off-balance."

In the meantime, Meta Chain was scrolling through camera viewpoints. "Kirby got away again, we'd better find him before he blows up anything else!"

Waddle Dee crept a little closer to the officers. "Uh...S-Shouldn't we tell Sir Meta Knight...? About the wing?" he stammered, still fidgeting his paws together nervously.

Meta Axe, Meta Chain and the Captain paused sharply and looked behind them, only noticing now that their leader was absent.

After a moment of contemplation, the Captain folded his wings haughtily and declared, "We don't need to bother Meta Knight. I think the situation's under control."

"What?! How does a busted left wing count as "under control"?!" Meta Chain snapped. Meta Axe and Waddle Dee said nothing, but obviously agreed that their superior's choice was a poor one.

"Let's just find Kirby and blast him before we do anything else, he couldn't have gotten far."

The axe and mace wielders exchanged a resigned look and turned back to the video screens. The bird settled down to watch them with an air of self-satisfied authority, and the little brown soldier continued to fret.

Meta Knight paused in his pacing, suddenly irritated by the sunlight streaming into his room. He drew the window blind, and the darkness welcomed him.

Hours passed, and still the Halberd crew couldn't find their stowaway.

"Well, at least Kirby hasn't destroyed anything else yet," said Meta Chain, continuing to scroll though video feeds with no small amount of boredom, "But what's he been doing all this time?"

"Maybe he's lost." suggested Waddle Dee.

"He's doing a darn good job of hiding for someone who's lost." the Captain muttered. His feathers were fluffed up in agitation, and the glitter in his eyes suggested that he really wanted to shoot something.

Meta Axe caught and examined a strip of paper being spat out by the computer. "The troops have finished searching Deck C, no sign of Kirby. They're moving on to Deck D." The officer's gaze then fell on Meta Chain's screen. "Hey, wait a second, go back one!"

Casting a curious look to his co-worker, Meta Chain brought up the camera view he had just passed. The hallway shown was deserted and seemed quite ordinary. But Meta Axe placed a pale finger on the screen, singling out a metal panel that stood ajar from the wall.

"What's that, a ventilation grate?" It was identifiable by its wide horizontal holes. Meta Chain focused the camera on the panel to show that the wall around it was lightly charred.

"It's been blasted open, Kirby must be in the air ducts!" concluded the axe wielder.

The Captain came over for a closer look at the screen. "Where's that, Sector E-4? Let's get Heavy Lobster in there!"

"Of course!" agreed Meta Axe, "We could use Heavy Lobster's camera to see if Kirby's still in that vent! Good thinking, Sir!"

"Yeah, camera, that's it..." the bird muttered, looking shifty, "And put Heavy Lobster on manual control."

"Manual control? Alright...I can program that to the Combo Cannon's controls. I don't think Kirby will fall for walking in front of it again, anyway."

Meta Chain relinquished his chair to the Captain, and after a few swift keystrokes from Meta Axe, all was ready. Tightening his grip on the joystick, the Captain leered at Heavy Lobster's camera display and giggled evilly. "Kirby's toast!"

After a few minutes of trial and error, the robotic beast was manoeuvred to Sector E-4 of the Halberd, levitating on its turbo rockets for quietude's sake.

"Easy...." cautioned Meta Axe, watching his superior work the controls.

Heavy Lobster settled on the floor with a minimum of sound, facing the scorched ventilation grate.

"Alright, now if you hold down that little grey button there, the joystick will move Heavy Lobster's claws instead of the whole robot."

Biting his tongue in concentration, the Captain gave the joystick a twitch. The droid's right pincer jolted forward and caught the edge of the unlatched panel. Another joystick movement, and Heavy Lobster pulled the panel aside, the metal grate squeaking and groaning as it was forcibly curled.

The Halberd crew crowded round the camera display to into the exposed air shaft; even Waddle Dee advanced a little from his corner for a better look. Barely visible in the shadows, Kirby lay slumbering. The little hero's deep sleep hadn't been disturbed by Heavy Lobster's approach, possibly due to exhaustion from his earlier Crash attack. And in the time elapsed since the crew had last seen him, Kirby had gained a long, pale cap that was now draped over him like an undersized blanket.

"Haha! Gotcha!" crowed the Captain, mashing the large and tempting red button on the control stick. Heavy Lobster snapped open its claws and fired a pair of missiles into the ventilation shaft, hitting the inside of the narrow space. Despite missing its target, the blast threw Kirby back to bounce harshly against the wall. The youth awoke and looked around in mild confusion, before spotting Heavy Lobster and letting out a panicked squeak. Without giving a thought to his bomb-wielding hat on the floor, Kirby fled deeper into the ventilation system and out of sight.

"Great, we lost him." grumbled Meta Chain, moving back from the control panel to pace in annoyance.

The Captain, however, was still watching the robot's video feed with deadly focus. "Not yet, we haven't."

The crew had seen this mood in the Captain many times before, and they knew perfectly well what it meant. This mood meant that something was going to get destroyed. In fact, it meant that a lot of things were going to get destroyed.

"Oh no, you're not going to...?"

"You're NOT going to....!?"

Waddle Dee looked a little more nervous.

To his colleagues' horror, the bird went ahead and pressed the joystick forward. Heavy Lobster responded, running into and straining against the wall with a grinding of gears. The obstacle buckled and tore and the metal beast pressed on, bulldozing its way through the pipes and partitions within the ship's walls. Alarms once again chorused through the bridge.

"I don't believe this! We can't just destroy the whole ship to find Kirby!" Despite his indignant words, Meta Chain obviously knew that reasoning with the Captain was hopeless.

"It's being destroyed, alright...." murmured Meta Axe. He helplessly watched the Halberd's computer churn out damage reports.

"This is our only chance, we can't fail again!" growled the Captain, impatiently forcing Heavy Lobster onward. The video feed, now showing signs of static, gave a glimpse of something small disappearing around a corner in the ventilation system. "Hee hee! Found you!"

Roused from his intense disapproval by a meek tap on his shoulder, Meta Chain noticed Waddle Dee's presence beside him. The soldier was very visibly distressed, and Meta Chain hesitated a moment before querying, "Yeah?"

"I-Is this OK, Sir...?" His voice trembled.

Glancing at the joystick-wrenching Captain, the mace wielder sighed. "Absolutely not. We need Meta Knight here, it's weird that he hasn't noticed the alarms.... Could you go get him, Waddle Dee? Tell him the ship's taking heavy damage."

Terror flickered across Waddle Dee's face, but he quickly stifled it and nodded to his superior. "Yes, Sir."

"And take a few deep breaths or something, 'kay? Meta Knight'll take care of this." Meta Chain added sympathetically.

Another thankful nod, and the soldier scampered out of the room.

Putting on a bitter little smile, Meta Chain sauntered over to the control panel to watch his superior at work. "So, how's it going? Blow up anything good yet?" he sneered.

The Captain tore his attention from Heavy Lobster's controls to shoot the briefest of irritated looks at Meta Chain. Despite the robot's video quality getting steadily worse, Kirby was visible, sprinting frantically through the air vent to keep ahead of his pursuer. The youth scrambled to a halt at a ventilation grate; a dead end. But fear spurred him on and he flattened his elastic body, wriggling through one of the wide slats in the metal panel. Kirby barely had time to move clear of the grate before the battered Heavy Lobster surged through, accompanied by the screech of tearing metal and a rain of sparks.

Meta Axe brought up a surveillance camera view of the confrontation. The hero and the robot were on a railed-in platform, isolated and windy, directly in front of the Halberd's right wing.

The Captain chuckled malevolently. "Nowhere to run now, Kirby!"

"Maybe you shouldn't be attacking Kirby that close to the wing...." gulped the axe wielder.

Ignoring both his colleague and the poor video quality of Heavy Lobster's damaged camera, the Captain guided Heavy Lobster forward in a slow and menacing plod. Helpless against his assailant, out of places to run and nearly paralysed with fear, Kirby scrambled backwards into the railing as the devastating metal beast loomed over him. The Captain squeezed the joystick's trigger, the trigger for Heavy Lobster's flamethrower.

But that attack never came.

"Huh?" He pressed the button several more times, and the droid didn't respond other than a barely audible straining of gears. "Come on, shoot!"

"Hmm...." Meta Axe eyed a computer readout. "Heavy Lobster took some major damage while walking through the ship's walls. Maybe the claw is jammed shut."

The bird impatiently held down the trigger button, staring intensely at his static-marred video screen. Heavy Lobster's claw began to tremble but still failed to open, the whining of gears growing keener. Kirby watched this unexpected turn of events, blinking in surprise and regaining his senses. He gathered his courage, drew up to his full height and unleashed the suction force of his inhale attack.

"Go ahead and try to suck up Heavy Lobster, it's way too big." muttered the Captain, still holding down the trigger button. "Rrrgh, SHOOT!"

Finally, the robot's claw burst open from the force of its contained flame power. The attack streaked out in a thick, oily fireball and was vacuumed straight down Kirby's throat, its momentum pressing the little hero against the railing. He swallowed uncomfortably, and in the blink of an eye was wearing a golden headdress topped with dancing fire. Dodging a second flamethrower attack with newfound confidence, Kirby skirted Heavy Lobster and blew rolling flames over the beast's metallic side.

"Heavy Lobster is 68% damaged, and rising fast." Meta Axe reported grimly, "It doesn't have the shielding to deal with fire attacks."

"Guess Heavy Lobster can dish it out, but it can't take it." mused Meta Chain. Wincing at another wave of flame passing over the robot, he added, "Hey, quit letting Kirby attack the legs!"

"Yeah yeah, I know what I'm doing...." the Captain grumbled, harshly yanking the joystick about.

Heavy Lobster, damaged and barely responsive, had no chance of keeping pace with its nimble target. A third blast of Kirby's fire breath caused it to lurch to one side, its various mechanisms straining and sparking in a bid to regain balance.

"Right leg servo is completely fried. Heavy Lobster is close to overheating!"

"Overheating? What about the missiles?! Heavy Lobster's still carrying..." Meta Chain took a quick mental tally, "...Fourteen of 'em!"

"Fifteen!" corrected Meta Axe, panicked, "Captain, get Heavy Lobster out of there!"

Since it was now glaringly obvious that the robot couldn't win, the Captain silently admitted defeat and directed Heavy Lobster back towards the torn hull of the Halberd, away from the wing. The metal beast struggled and managed only to move in a circle before its camera cut out.

The bird pressed the joystick a few more times, looking worriedly between it and the blank screen. "Uh oh, it's not-"

Before he could finish his sentence, an explosion rocked the ship, nothing but fire and smoke visible from the right wing's surveillance camera.

Meanwhile, Waddle Dee hurried through the dark inner passageways of the ship, alarms and his own frantic heartbeat ringing in his ears, the flashing warning lights casting strange shadows around him. He skidded to a halt at Meta Knight's door, and there hesitated. The last thing he would ever want to do is bother his master, and the elder warrior had seemed like he didn't want to be disturbed. But the soldier was under orders, and he would also never want to disobey orders. Feeling trapped between a rock and a hard place, he recalled Meta Chain's advice and took a few deep breaths. That seemed to help. Waddle Dee summoned up his nerve and rapped on the door.

"Enter."

The soldier pulled open the door, somewhat relieved that Meta Knight didn't sound irritated. He was surprised to find the blind drawn and the room pitch black, the darkness thick and oppressive.

"Um, Sir, t-the...well, we...." Waddle Dee swallowed hard, more than a little unnerved by not being able to see who he was talking to. He extended a paw towards the light switch on the wall.

"Don't touch it." snapped Meta Knight, a strange hissing tone to his voice.

The little soldier recoiled as though the words had been a physical blow. But he could now figure out where his master's voice had come from in the unlit room, the location marked also by the faint glow of Meta Knight's eyes. Waddle Dee shivered; his eyes weren't normally red like that, were they?

"S-Sir, you're needed on the bridge...."

There was a pause, and anxiety tightened its grip on Waddle Dee.

"This is why you have disturbed me?" The question dripped with distain and annoyance.

"Please, Sir Meta Knight!" pleaded Waddle Dee, "T-This is really important, Kirby is destroying the ship and Meta Chain told me to come tell you that, and the left wing has been badly damaged and so have a lot of other things-" He stopped briefly to catch his breath, "W-We need you to guide us, Sir."

Another pause, this time thoughtful. A tremor passed through the warship as Heavy Lobster was destroyed by its own ammunition.

"Very well." This time he sounded perfectly normal, as though this choice were a simple one he faced every day. Before Waddle Dee knew it, Meta Knight had swept smoothly past and out of the room, leaving the soldier to scramble along behind him down the hallway. The warrior's eyes had been yellow as he passed, Waddle Dee was sure of it. Those wicked red orbs had been his imagination, he told himself, they must have been....



"Major damage to the right wing! Approximately 81%!" reported Meta Axe, adjusting the ship's controls to quell the urgent alarms.

"Don't worry!" assured the Captain, rising from Meta Chain's chair and looking as nonchalant as possible, "We've regained our balance."

Meta Axe and Meta Chain both turned, very slowly, to fix the Captain with a long and incredulous look. This look went unnoticed by the bird, who had crossed the room to gaze meditatively at the late afternoon horizon, as Meta Knight might do.

"Well, we should be okay as long as Kirby doesn't attack the reactor." sighed Meta Chain, taking his place at the control panel. "And even if he does, he'll have a hard time damaging it."

"Err, actually....Some major cables were cut by Heavy Lobster...." Meta Axe worriedly informed his colleague, "The reactor's force shields are down by 64%, and defense laser accuracy is going to be off by about half."

The mace wielder rubbed his tension-creased forehead. "Great...." He then looked up sharply. "Where'd Kirby go?"

The two officers flashed each other matching horrified looks.

"Oh no, not again!" Meta Axe turned back to the controls, beige fingers flying over the buttons and keys. "I'll send the soldiers to defend the reactor, but most of the divisions are on...Deck E, Sectors 2 through 6, so they'll take some time to get there. Did Kirby even escape the explosion?"

Rewinding and closely examining the last few seconds of feedback from the right wing's camera, Meta Chain fixed his attention on Kirby's figure. Even as the ailing Heavy Lobster's greasy black smoke clouded the camera view, the hero's flame headdress acted as a beacon. The mace wielder watched as Kirby started to retrace his path back inside the Halberd, making it far enough inside to escape the brunt of the blast.

"Yep, Kirby's still here, the explosion barely touched him!"

At that moment, Meta Knight re-entered the bridge, bringing with him a tense, dark aura. Waddle Dee followed timidly behind and returned to his position in the corner of the room.

"Report."

"Good to have you back, Sir." Meta Chain replied grimly, "Both wings have taken heavy damage and-"

He was cut off by another frantic alarm.

"The reactor is under attack!" cried Meta Axe, bringing up a surveillance camera view of the reactor. The shimmering gem at the machine's center cast technicoloured light over its small, fire-breathing attacker.

The Captain, seeming slightly sheepish in his superior's presence, sidled closer to the control panel. "How'd Kirby get there so fast...?"

Casting a mildly accusing look at the bird, the axe wielder retorted, "Heavy Lobster walked right past the reactor. Kirby had a shortcut to the center of the ship."

With a nervous gulp, the Captain looked to his superior. Fortunately for him, Meta Knight was absorbed in watching Kirby, his cape drawn tightly around his form.

Strafing around the reactor, Kirby continued to breathe flames over the machine, trying to find a weak point. His efforts were producing no major damage; the sleek metal base of the reactor charred but didn't yield, and the crystal's energy barrier deflected any attack that reached it. Determined as he was to defeat this important-looking piece of machinery, the youth failed to notice lasers snake out of the wall behind him and track his movements. A white laser beam rebounding off the floor, a hair's breadth from his foot, startled Kirby and he reflexively dodged to one side, a second beam striking where he had stood an instant before. The first beam reflected around the room, ultimately dissolving against the wall, however the second beam glanced off the floor and struck the gem at the reactor's center.

"Gaah! Who programs a reactor to be able to shoot itself?!" demanded Meta Chain of no one in particular.

"It wouldn't be a problem if the shields were at full power...." Meta Axe worked at diverting power to the reactor's defenses, biting his lower lip studiously.

Eyeing the small fracture in the powerful gem, Kirby stepped back to where he had been standing when the errant laser beam was fired. He dodged aside after a moment's pause, successfully duping the laser defenses into firing another volley of energy beams. One of these again reflected off the floor at the right angle to hit the reactor, this time triggering a network of deep cracks within the crystal.

"Bad news, the reactor's been damaged! Estimated 10 minutes until it loses stability and detonates."

The lights dimmed and the security camera feed flickered off as the badly wounded Halberd tried to conserve power for her most important functions. Long shadows sprawled across the room, cast by the vivid orange rays of the setting sun.

"We're losing power! Engines 3 and 5 are down." Nervousness had slipped into Meta Axe's voice.

"Ain't any power left....! We can't fly!"

"Damage report."

"Approximately 78% total damage to the wings, plus the damage to the reactor, hull breach in Sector D-12 and most of Sector E, and widespread internal damage interfering with communications and power supply."

The crew anxiously watched their leader, who was as calm as ever in the face of a dire situation.

"Evacuate all crew." he finally stated, a heavy resignment in his words.

"T-The ship's going down...?" whimpered the Captain. He had apparently never considered this a possibility before.

Nodding solemnly, Meta Chain flipped a small switch on the far corner of the control panel. The mournful howl of an emergency siren resonated throughout the airship, a chilling warning to all those on board of what fate faced them if they chose to stay.

The sound only caused the Captain further distress. "Waaaah, the ship's going down!" he wailed, then turned his panicked gaze to his colleagues. "What are you all just hanging around here for?! Well, I'm not staying! I'm evacuating!" No one protested, and the bird hesitated only a moment before bolting from the room.

"Good riddance." muttered Meta Chain, turning back to the control panel. After a few more desperate adjustments to the controls, then the axe and mace wielders looked at each other. Meta Axe shook his head; nothing would save the Halberd now.

Meta Knight turned his back on the control station, yellow eyes misty. "It's over...." he murmured, barely audible, "We've failed...."

Waddle Dee crept forward from his corner, overcome with sympathy and the urge to help. But he scrambled back when he saw the warrior's eyes blaze scarlet.

"Kirby...." snarled Meta Knight.

Meta Axe treaded closer to his leader. "Sir Meta Knight...?"

There was a pause, much too quiet even though the alarms continued to shriek. The elder knight turned slightly in acknowledgement, and uttered slowly, "You should evacuate now, if you are going to."

"But I want to stay with you, Sir!" The axe wielder's dark eyes then widened in sudden realisation. "...You're....not leaving the ship, are you, Sir...?" he quavered.

Meta Knight's silence was answer enough.

Suddenly presented with his battleaxe, Meta Axe accepted the weapon and looked to Meta Chain, who had his own studded ball-and-chain slung over his shoulder. "Let's try one more time to get Kirby." the mace wielder offered, full of determination. "How 'bout it, Sir? Before we evacuate, me and Meta Axe can chase Kirby into the freight elevator and send him up to the top floor, and from there he's all yours."

Meta Knight faced his officers, his eyes once more saffron-hued and gentle. The officers beamed hopefully back, ready and more than willing to risk their lives for his benefit, out of nothing more than respect and loyalty.

The elder knight nodded. "Thank you...." he obliged, choking a little on sentiment.

The axe and mace wielders, both very much satisfied, nodded back and hurried past their leader, turning back for a final farewell.

"Good luck, Sir!" wished Meta Chain.

"Take care of yourself...!" added Meta Axe.

Their footfalls echoed away down the hall, until the warning sirens were again the only sound on the bridge. Meta Knight gazed absently at the control panel, the grim reality weighing ever more upon him. His Halberd, his beautiful warship, was now abandoned by her crew, ravaged by battle, and struggling to keep herself aloft. And it was all because of one creature, one small and impudent pink creature. Kirby was probably laughing at him right now, he thought, the vicious red glow returning to his eyes. He would silence that laughter, even if it took his very life.

"This is it, Kirby!" hissed Meta Knight, "Prepare to die!"

Storming from the control room, he didn't even hear Waddle Dee's terrified sob.

At the end of a deserted hallway, lit only by a flashing yellow warning light, elevator doors slid open and a pair of bright onyx eyes peered out. Nothing moved. The only sound was of the warning siren, seeming distant. Kirby stepped out into the hallway, his flame headdress shedding a circle of warm light around him. He watched the elevator doors close, relieved that he had escaped that confrontation with two weapon-wielding knights. The siren made him edgy, and he knew that the crippled airship was a dangerous place to be right now, but he simply couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't finished here. Something called him, something that it was his destiny to respond to. Not really knowing where he was going, the youth jogged down the desolate passageway.

Kirby came a large empty room and stepped inside, looking cautiously around the space. Damage had already been done here. A pipeline along the wall had exploded, stripping away part of the ceiling and leaving twisted rafters exposed. Drops of fuel slid steadily off the pipe's broken edge and landed in a greasy puddle on the floor, the resulting ripples catching daylight that streamed in through a broad window. This was the place, he could feel it.

He looked again to the torn ceiling and recoiled in surprise; furious, ember-like eyes watched him from the shadows. The darkened figure, moving precisely, threw an object to the floor that might have hit the young hero if he had not stepped quickly backward. It was a sword, simple and effective in design, its gold blade so keen-edged that it had lodged into the metal's surface.

Kirby looked defiantly to the mysterious figure, who stared evenly back. This was clearly a challenge, and one Kirby planned to accept. Keeping his gaze on his opponent, he removed his fiery crown and tossed it into a vacant corner of the room. One good pull freed the sword, allowing him to plant his round paws on its hilt and raise the blade, testing its weight. He barely noticed his copy ability reacting to the new weapon, forming a long green cap on his head almost instantly. He was ready.

The figure dropped to the floor and landed in a silent crouch. Kirby was now able to see his opponent, the round form more or less his size, the indigo cape pooled at large violet feet, the blazing eyes set within a sleek, all-concealing mask. The figure straightened up, radiating both eerie calm and searing anger, and unsheathed a sword similar to the one the youth held. This was the moment of truth, and they both knew it. A victor had to be determined, and if the ominous rumbling of the ship was any indication, they hadn't much time.

The blaring alarms of the Halberd's abandoned control panel only seemed to pin Waddle Dee into his isolated corner; he was far too terror-stricken to move. He clamped his auburn paws over his eyes. This was it, the ship was going down, crashing, what should he do? Was there anything he could do, or should have done? There were probably many things he /i have done. What would Meta Knight do if he were here? Ambush Kirby, that's what his master had planned to do. The soldier clung to this solid thought, this small assurance of order in the world, and wondered whether he should go get his parasol and help. No, Meta Knight hadn't given him any orders. He should stay in the control room in case he was needed. He had never been very skilled with that parasol, anyway....But he couldn't get the image of his master's horrible red eyes out of his head. Waddle Dee shivered harder and choked back a whimper, he had never seen anything more petrifying than the evil glare coming from his master. How long had it been since Meta Knight had left the room? Seconds? Hours? No, it couldn't have been hours. It felt like hours.

A sound then reached Waddle Dee's ears, slipping past the clamour of the alarms. He held still to listen, lifting his paws away from his eyes a little and trying to steady his breathing. The sound came again, faint and metallic, then many times more in quick succession. He gradually recognised it as the sound of clashing swords. That meant that Meta Knight was still on board the ship, and had engaged Kirby in a duel. But they didn't have much time left, the ship was going down! Clarity came to Waddle Dee's racing mind; he had to help his master. Maybe there was some way to keep the ship in the air longer.... He gazed curiously at the flashing lights of the control panel across the room. He had spent enough time watching and listening to Meta Chain and Meta Axe as they guided the ship, surely there was something he could do?

The soldier hopped to his feet and trotted over to the ship's controls. Clambering into a chair, he then placed his paws on the cool metal, studying various readings. Power output, hull integrity, triangulation systems, none of it made any sense to him. The altitude was listed as a rapidly dropping number, and he at least knew that a plummeting altitude reading was bad. Then Waddle Dee spotted the solar sail control dial, and pondered that function. The solar sail, he carefully recited in his head, used energy from the wind and sun to generate lift. It was lowered right now, and depending on which way the wind was blowing....Raising it could create more lift. He nodded to himself, stretched across the spacious control panel and gingerly turned the dial, counting under his breath how many times it clicked. A glance back to the altitude reading showed that the number was dropping much less quickly than it had been a moment ago. Relief washed over him, he sank back into his seat and smiled weakly. He had helped, he had done something right!

But Waddle Dee then realised that he was sitting in Meta Axe's chair. He jolted upright and looked around, already knowing that he was alone. Something just didn't feel right about sitting there, it wasn't his place. Sliding down from the chair, he paused and gave the ship's controls another thoughtful look. The ship was going down...But he had helped. The soldier returned to his corner, he had to stay there in case he was needed. Blue electricity began to leap across the control panel, and the ship shuddered as something violently self-destructed deep inside her. Waddle Dee hugged his feet, trying to calm his body's trembling. The little creature's mind was at ease and he had no more need for nervousness. He had helped.

The clash of swords echoed through the makeshift arena, mingling with the ship's warning siren in a savage melody. Momentarily breaking free of each other's relentless attacks, the two combatants paused warily, each waiting for a sign of weakness or unbalance from the other. Somewhere, in the back of Meta Knight's mind, he was pleased that Kirby had turned out to be every bit the skilled swordsman he had hoped for, but now was not the time for such thoughts. Kirby had to be destroyed, even if doing so required a fair fight. The youth showed no sign of backing down, his dark eyes glittering with intense focus. Those eyes were laughing at him, the elder knight was sure of it. Shaking with rage, Meta Knight lunged at Kirby, his deadly blade seeking the young hero's blood. Kirby blocked the attack with his own sword and they were again locked into combat, the younger fighter being forced backwards while parrying the elder's swift, aggressive attacks. Finally, sweeping aside his opponent's blade with an upward thrust, Kirby slammed his sword down into Meta Knight's mask with a resounding crack.

For a moment, neither moved. And then the mask split into halves around the rapier's blade, landing on the metal floor with a clatter. Kirby lowered his sword, awestruck at what he had just done. Under the malicious mask, without the cover of darkness, the opponent he was destined to defeat looked almost identical to Kirby himself. Meta Knight froze, somewhat stunned from both the blow and its result. His senses quickly returned to him and he reeled back with a horrified gasp, sword falling from his numb hand. An eternity seemed to pass in that instant as the two warriors' gazes met, the elder's suddenly lacking its demonic glow. But, giving in to his overwhelming panic, Meta Knight quickly threw his navy cape up to shield himself from view and leaped into the depths of the torn ceiling, disappearing into the shadows.

Now alone in the chamber, Kirby tore his attention from his rival's escape route, walking carefully over to the severed mask on the floor. A thousand questions rushed through his mind, and he had no idea how to interpret what had just happened. His opponent seemed familiar, as though Kirby ought to have recognised the paladin. But that couldn't be. They had never met.... They were destined to fight, but had they been destined to meet? Those terrified eyes remained fresh in his mind; the young hero almost felt sorry for what he had done. Had he completed his mission, at least? Looking at the sad, broken piece of armour before him, he couldn't be sure. However, the continuing drone of the warning siren reminded him that the airship would not remain in the air much longer, and that was some consolation. Now his task was to escape the doomed vessel. Casting a last, regretful look into the murky void above him, Kirby put aside his thoughts and hurried from the room.

The sound of the pink youth's footsteps fading away did nothing to ease Meta Knight's distress. He remained in the shadowed sanctuary of the rafters, cape wrapped protectively around his visage. How could this have happened? No, he corrected himself, how could he have /i this happen? The previous few minutes seemed hazy to him, except for the crystalline memory of his mask falling off in pieces and Kirby's reaction. A pang of icy dread came with that memory, and he pulled his cape tighter to ward it off. He had to get his mask back. That would be some relief, even if it was beyond repair.

He eased one step closer to the opening in the ceiling and listened. The warning siren wailed, the broken fuel line dripped, but there was no sign of another living thing. He moved to the ceiling's edge, passing his uncertain gaze over the room. No movement. Dropping soundlessly to the floor, he glanced warily around once again. Still no movement. Reluctantly accepting that he was alone, Meta Knight then caught sight of the growing pool of propellant at his feet and the strange face it reflected. Smooth cerulean skin flushed with exertion, a mouth drawn tightly, the beginnings of a mulberry bruise on the forehead, shimmering silver-gold eyes that had seen much and said little....It seemed more like the face of a long-deceased friend than his own, so much time had passed since he had last looked upon himself.

Briskly turning from the stranger's reflection, the elder knight went to his broken mask, picking up the halves as though afraid of harming them further. Their broken edges were cleaner where the sword had cut through, and suddenly all Meta Knight could think of was how Kirby had done this. Kirby had exposed his greatest weakness, and was probably laughing right now. How could he have allowed a mere child to disgrace him and then simply leave?! The wicked red glow returned to his eyes, his hands clenching the mask pieces fiercely. And Kirby was probably laughing at him right now! The child had to pay for such insolence, with his life!

The burning hatred consuming the warrior suddenly forced its way out through his back, stinging and tearing and shaping itself into flesh and sinew. Now a pair of trembling, leathery wings, beautiful and yet hideous, arched around his form where the familiar dark cape should have been. But this transformation went unnoticed to him, he was oblivious to all but the mask in his iron grip. These fragments gained an unnatural carmine aura to match his eyes, slipping from his grasp and fusing themselves together. The mask, reborn of malice, settled itself back onto the knight's face. His wings throwing themselves open, Meta Knight let out a strangled cry of rage and snatched up his sword, which began to glow upon meeting his hand.

/i

Drifting to the bottom of the abandoned elevator shaft, Kirby felt solid floor beneath his fuschia feet and exhaled, his inflated body returning to its usual size. He stepped through the half-opened doors and looked around. The slanting rays of the setting sun highlighted the white-peaked ocean waves below, making it alarmingly clear how close the Halberd was to meeting her end. All personnel had vanished from the once-bustling decks, and the youth wondered if he was the last living thing aboard the warship. He then spotted a handcart tipped onto its side, its cargo of steel beams scattered across the platform. Looking at the sword he still held, Kirby reasoned that he wouldn't be needing the weapon anymore and tossed it aside, discarding the matching green cap as well. He turned to the cart and inhaled it, along with a few of the surrounding beams, then casually swallowed the large objects; he had never bothered to question his physics-defying ability. A red baseball cap materialized on the youth's head and he shifted it into place with a tap of his round paw.

He suddenly heard the crash of breaking glass above him and looked to the ship's upper deck. The unmistakable form of Kirby's destined opponent, once again masked, hung in the air amid falling shards of their arena's window pane. Blazing crimson eyes locking onto their target, the navy mass that once been his cape unfurled into dragon's wings and he pointed his glowing blade at the young hero.

"You'll never escape!" the dark knight thundered, wings folding as he dove, sword outstretched.

Kirby, though terrified, managed to somersault forward in time to avoid the attack, transforming into a salmon-hued wheel as he did so. Seeing the Kirby-wheel speed off toward the rear of the ship, Meta Knight growled in annoyance, yanking his blade free from where it had stuck in the floor and taking to the air to pursue his target. The broad wings carried him quickly within range of the fleeing youth and his sword's vile light grew stronger, peaking as he thrust the rapier forward and a salvo of energy blasts fired from its point. Small explosions deluged the ship's deck and only Kirby's erratic steering saved him from being struck, despite his speeding tire form being thrown off balance and wobbling from the force of the nearby attacks. With his prey unstable, the elder knight prepared to unleash a second wave of energy beams, determined not to miss again.

A nearby pipeline suddenly exploded, sending a column of flame and shrapnel in between the two swift rivals. Reacting even more quickly than Meta Knight could, the wings folded in tightly and sent their owner hurtling to the deck, slipping under the most lethal of the blast and skidding to a harsh halt. The warrior laboriously looked up, past the smouldering debris surrounding him, and saw the unscathed pink hero continue to motor down the pathway. Kirby then veered onto a ramp-like protrusion of the deck and flew clear of the dying warship, landing on a distant seaside cliff.

Meta Knight planted his sword's point and used the weapon as a brace to help him rise, scalded wings lying limply behind him, and his balance was nearly lost as the ship finally hit the ocean's surface. The red glow in his eyes faded almost entirely as he realised the situation, the wings reacting again in his defense. Summoning what strength they had left, they beat stubbornly to carry their owner into the sky, hovering among the wispy clouds. From this vantage point the elder knight could do nothing but watch as his Halberd sank beneath the waves, agonisingly slowly, with billowing smoke rising from her wounds. What had happened? It was as though he had awoken from a trance, his blurred memories blurring further into useless disarray as he grabbed for them. That wouldn't help, he had to be calm and logical about this. He pushed his confusion aside, emotions would only hinder him now. Had everyone under his command escaped from the Halberd? The lower-ranking soldiers were evacuated first, he remembered giving that order. The Captain had left, Meta Chain and Meta Axe had left....The time after that grew hazier, and the warrior had to concentrate harder to make sense of his scattered memories. He remembered leaving the control room, but...He focused on that elusive thought. But....

Waddle Dee. Waddle Dee had been in the corner of the control room, and Meta Knight had given no order for him to leave. Sudden horror passed over him, how could he have forgotten Waddle Dee? The soldier was much too loyal and unassuming to leave unless under direct instructions, especially since his master had still been on board, Meta Knight was sure of that. The Halberd's top decks slid underwater, the ship now nothing but a great black mass descending to an ocean grave, air bubbles escaping to the surface. It was too late for Waddle Dee now. The knight's horror turned to crushing guilt; of all those he had been responsible for, none deserved death less than that little creature. He had never been anything but faithful, never been anything but innocent, and Meta Knight had failed in his duty as Waddle Dee's leader.

And yet Meta Knight's gaze was drawn away from the sinking airship, to where Kirby stood on the far-off shore. The pink figure, reverted from his tire form, was watching the grim spectacle as well, his expression impossible to tell from such distance. He was probably laughing, like he had been laughing all along.... The knight growled and gripped his sword tighter, but was stopped from action by a surge of shame. His hands had just been stained with the blood of an innocent, and he was already lusting for more blood to be spilt? What sort of monster was he?

Looking within himself for the answer, Meta Knight found burning hatred looking back at him, a hatred too all-consuming to be natural. What he saw inside himself was undeniable evil. Everything suddenly made sense to the warrior; Kirby trying to stop him, the memories lost to blinding rage, the demon wings that now held him aloft with a mind of their own. Again came the mesmerizing urge to kill Kirby, like a siren's song, and he knew that if he submitted this time, he would not wake up. But it was so tempting, the thought of living in that eternal shadow, just letting it consume him....

/i

Reacting to the force of his will, the wings borne him toward the setting sun with all the speed they could manage. Meta Knight had no idea where he was going, but he was not going toward Kirby and that was all that mattered. It was bitterly ironic; he had been so concerned about evil bearing down on Dreamland, when in reality the evil was none other than himself. How could he have been so weak and careless, to not notice that he had become someone or something's wicked pawn? He had brought about his own failure! But none of this would have happened if it weren't for that meddling child, he had to seek vengeance...! The warrior stiffly rejected that thought. This was his fault, not Kirby's, not anyone else's, and he was not going to allow the darkness inside to tell him any more lies!

A weight seemed to lift from him; the evil had no control over a mind dead set against it. However, as the villainous influence faded, so did its supernatural strength, and fatigue washed over the elder knight. The wingbeats grew slow and he began to drift down toward the sea. Holding doggedly onto consciousness, Meta Knight was sure of one thing; this darkness had taken down his Halberd, and had taken down Waddle Dee, but it was not going to take him down. Again willing the torpid wings to obey him, he focused on their rhythmic flutter and on the approaching shoreline. Time seemed to pass very quickly and yet crawl, he concerned himself only with the next wingbeat. And as the last rays of sunlight dwindled from the sky, exhaustion overtook Meta Knight and he lost consciousness, dropping to the wet sand of the Orange Ocean's shore.

Awareness returned slowly, grudgingly. The rising tide lapped against his feet, pulsating around him in murmuring waves. Opening his eyes to fine sand, the warrior lifted himself on one arm and drowsily took in his surroundings. Lofty palm trees, lit by sterling moonlight, swayed in the ocean breeze, and the gently rolling terrain beyond the beach was carpeted with lush grass. Many would have called this place paradise. Meta Knight rose, limp wings folding themselves to rest on his back, and returned his sword to its scabbard. He had no place in paradise, not as long as he was tainted with what he had been too weak to oppose. How could he live with himself after making such a costly mistake? There was no way to mend what he had broken, nowhere to go but further into the depths of darkness, nothing- He snuffed that train of thought, finding the evil's influence in it too strong for comfort. Vigilance was needed now, lest he make the same mistake twice.

A glimmer of metal in the pure expanse of sand caught his eye. Drawn by a strange feeling of familiarity, Meta Knight went to the half-buried object and lifted it free. There in his hands was a large steel feather, surprisingly light for its size. Dyna Blade. Another who had suffered because of him. The memory of the legendary bird falling from the sky came rushing back to the knight in grim detail, along with a fresh pang of guilt. Dyna Blade had also perished because of him, even though he had been clear-minded enough at the time to recognise that she had done no wrong; was there no end to the damage he had done?

A realisation then cast aside Meta Knight's despair; he had watched the bird get shot down, but had no way of knowing whether she had lost her life. Perhaps Dyna Blade had survived? There was still hope, and he knew he had to find out his victim's true fate if he were to have a chance at inner peace ever again.

Topaz eyes scanning the area for more clues, he caught sight of a palm tree in the nearby hills, its foliage hanging in shreds instead of symmetrical perfection like the other trees. Could that damage have been caused by a steel-plumed avian, struggling to slow her descent? Meta Knight treaded over to the damaged plant, passing from still-warm sand onto cool grass. Pieces of the long palm leaves, their edges cut as cleanly as if by his own blade, littered the ground, along with a few more of Dyna Blade's gleaming metal feathers. Not far from these telltale signs, a thin gash was cut into the crest of the savannah hilltop, perhaps by a powerful talon. He could picture what had taken place here; the bird's ragged wingbeat cleaving through the top of the palm tree, her mistimed kick toward the fast-approaching earth, her will to stay airborne in spite of her body's ebbing strength....Just like he had willed flight from himself. The demon wings twitched against his back, and he suddenly resented their presence. If only he could will those away....

Following the trail of clues, Meta Knight came to the top of the hill, and saw below what he was looking for. The legendary Dyna Blade lay like a carelessly discarded doll, a long furrow torn into the earth where she had fallen. One chrome wing rested at an awkward angle, its feathers even more bent and scuffed than the rest of her plumage. But was she...? The elder knight edged closer, his gaze never leaving the bird's prone form. Her back rose and fell almost imperceptibly, but regularly; she was alive.

He cautiously stifled his relief, however, further analysing Dyna Blade's condition. She faced away from him but was likely unconscious, her breathing was subtle because it was quick and shallow, and she definitely had major injuries. The bird was alive, but for how long? Now was his chance to right what he had wronged and help an undeserving victim of his folly. As long as there was breath in Dyna Blade, there was hope for Meta Knight. He hastened away, knowing exactly what he had to do.

A humid wind swept across the hilly, moonlit grassland, as fleetly as the returning warrior who ran alongside it. In Meta Knight's hands rested a pair of Maxim Tomatoes, the plump red fruit known for its extraordinary healing effects as well as for its taste. They grew everywhere in Dreamland and weren't hard to find, if one knew where to look. He pressed on toward where he had found Dyna Blade, not allowing himself the option of fatigue.

The knight finally arrived back at the crash site, hoping that he wasn't too late. Dyna Blade showed no movement from when he had last seen her. Dark, insensate orbs shimmered under her partly lowered eyelids, a look of pain tightening her tawny-feathered face. He moved tensely closer, somewhat apprehensive of the much larger creature.

She suddenly stirred, eyes flickering and gradually focusing on her surroundings. Realising that she wasn't alone, the eagle's gaze hardened and fixed on Meta Knight as she warily lifted her head off the ground, fearlessness in her look despite her agonising injuries. The warrior couldn't help but be moved; Dyna Blade was defenseless and facing death, but still refused to give up.

"Take these." Meta Knight advised softly, moving forward and placing the Maxim Tomatoes before the bird, "Eating them will mend your wounds."

Dyna Blade's expression turned questioning as she examined the offering, and remained questioning as she watched the knight retreat to his previous position a more comfortable distance away from her. After a moment's thought, she accepted his apparent good intentions as well as her own need of aid, picking up the fruit and swallowing them whole with a toss of her head. Soft blue light briefly enveloped the bird of legend, making her marred feathers and vest seem to melt as they returned their former glory. She shifted to a sitting position as the healing aura faded, feathers clicking quietly with her movement like chain mail, and delicately folded her newly healed wing to her side. She looked again to Meta Knight, whose passive gaze had never left her.

"Dyna Blade, I am Sir Meta Knight, commander of the Halberd. It was my airship that you were attacked by this morning, and the responsibility for that unfortunate event is mine alone. Please accept my humble apologies."

Taking time to consider this confession, she nodded, her gaze holding no malice. Now Meta Knight finally allowed himself some relief; Dyna Blade had recovered and forgiven him, which was all he could have asked for. His duty here was done.

The warrior turned and began to leave, feet slow with weariness and a small weight lifted from his heavily burdened soul. He was stopped by a melodic caw; farewell, gratitude, or possibly both. Did he deserve Dyna Blade's thanks? Ocean breeze wafted over the hills, rustling the green tops of the nearby palm trees and causing a shiver to run through the wings resting on his back. With enough work, and enough diligence, he might someday be deserving of her thanks.

The alabaster mask then fell from its wearer's visage, the sudden feeling of air moving across his face shocking Meta Knight into paralysis. But looking hesitantly to the grass below him, he saw that the mask had split into familiar fractured halves, the same halves originally separated after his earlier duel. Faint memory of a wicked crimson light came back to him, prompted by the cleanly severed part of the mask halves, damage obviously dealt by a sword. Hatred had tried to repair his mask and failed. Here was another sign of the evil leaving the warrior, another small victory.

He gathered the two armour fragments under his arm and left Dyna Blade, beginning a journey whose end was unknown. The knight knew that sleep would not come to him that night, there was simply too much on his mind and in his heart. One of those things was hope for the future, hope that the crew of the Halberd and Kirby and Waddle Dee and the world could someday forgive him.

And Meta Knight had hope that, someday, he would even be able to forgive himself.

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I'm still sad about killing Waddle Dee...*sniffle*