First fic of 2020!
Hope you're all doing well with the chaos in the world as of late. As a literary offering in these trying times, please accept this short story of a knight with insomnia.
Which is very much inspired from my own Fun Adventures with insomnia. Honestly I wasn't sure about this at first, but I think I like it well enough to post. As always, nothing is mine except the story and the headcanons, and please enjoy.

Dream Land was a magical place.

One might guess this just by the name.

Of course, Popstar was a world, like many, that was full of magic. It was everywhere, provided one knew where to look and how to access it, but Dream Land was undoubtedly one of its more famous locations. She was the land of dreams, and her inhabitants loved her for it.

It was a subtle power, admittedly, that hung over the land. One that was very often taken for granted. So much so that her citizens would often forget entirely that their supply of good dreams was anything but normal, and if they travelled far from home and outside the reach of the Star Rod's magic, it was often that they would wake up the next morning perturbed, should they have forgotten their dreams from the night before, or worse still, if they had a nightmare. Generally, this just made them appreciate the power of Dream Land all the more.

Of course, as wonderful as it was to be ensured sweet dreams every night, and constant protection from nightmares, one did have to be asleep for it to work.

For some, this was turning out to be problematic.

The Battleship Halberd was, at present, tucked away securely within her hangar. The dome above her was safely sealed and the majority of her systems had long been shut down for the night.

It was, actually, no longer night, if one wanted to speak accurately.

The time, if the clock on Meta Knight's desk was right, and he knew it was, was 2:06 in the morning.

The ship, at first observation, was silent. There was, of course, no purring hum from the massive engines that powered her, but other sounds of mechanical livelihood were missing as well; no beeps and chirps from the radar or navigational systems, no threatening whine of awakening cannons. The Halberd was sleeping soundly along with her crew.

All but one member.

Meta Knight lay in his bed in the dark, staring alternatively at the ceiling far above him, the walls to either side, and back. He stared at nothing, mostly, unless some feature on a surface caught his attention. Some stray shadow of imperfection. He'd ponder over it for a minute or two until his focus wavered and his eyes returned to their aimless wandering.

He did this for quite some time.

To many, his quarters would have appeared pure black. Not so much as a dim shred of starlight could have passed through the thick curtains drawn over the windows, had the Halberd had been exposed to the night sky rather than hidden away within the base. Any light that attempted to penetrate the room was snuffed thoroughly out. Even Meta Knight himself saw the room as nearly pitch black, but the darkness provided no obstacle to his eyes. In fact, he quite preferred it, and was glad the shadows had secured themselves into his quarters so snugly.

What he did not prefer was his sudden inability to sleep.

The pleasant darkness offered no comfort, and the silence of the world around him suddenly seemed too loud. It was too quiet, now. If he listened closely enough, he'd grow hypnotized by the faint, ghostly sounds of his own blood rushing in his ears. There were even sounds that, frankly, he wasn't sure were really there at all, only imagined, dreamt up by his overtired brain.

Despite himself, he turned over onto his side, the sound shifting softly on the pillowcase. He looked at the clock. 2:31. Had he really lost almost another half an hour? He blinked at the clock a few times, willing it to do something.

There was no change. Evidently he had wasted that much more time awake.

Meta Knight sighed, turning back so he was once again facing the ceiling. This was hopeless, he knew that already. He'd been here like this before.

Meta Knight was no stranger to insomnia. In fact, he'd dealt with it enough over the millennia that he'd become relatively adept at combating it in most cases, provided he understood the cause. This time was a little different.

It wasn't really uncommon for him to stay up until some ungodly hour of the morning because his mind was simply too busy for him to sleep. He certainly did that of his own volition often enough, (much to the apparent worry and displeasure of everyone else aboard the ship). But tonight was different. He wasn't thinking about much of anything. He wasn't stressed due to anxieties preying on his subconscious. Even if he was, he knew well enough how to deal with those, or at the least ignore them.

Unfortunately, for all he could tell, Meta Knight was simply… awake. He hadn't the slightest idea why, so he hadn't the slightest idea what to do about it. He'd been tossing and turning, repositioning himself a dozen times at least over the past hour or so… or had it been two hours? He hadn't been so desperate yet as to pay attention to the time, knowing only that he was not going to be pleased with whatever arrangement of numbers were showing on the clock.

He checked it again.

2:32.

Huffing, he rolled over again entirely, facing away from the offending hunk of plastic, curling his wings around himself. Not that it was the clock's fault that he couldn't sleep, of course, but his patience for himself and everything else was running rather thin, and if someone were to ask him why he blamed the clock, well…

People had done far stranger things in the wee hours of the morning.

After a minute or so, Meta Knight shuffled around a little. He shut his eyes, relaxed his body, tried to get comfortable enough to drift off, but after making several failed attempts, he just sighed hissingly and opened his eyes again. He wasn't uncomfortable. He was just… awake.

He was awake. And he did not like it.

It wasn't as if he wasn't tired. He thought he might have been exhausted at this point, actually, but pushed to such an extreme that he was too tired to sleep. Yes. Yes, that must have been it. Right? He felt tired. The skin around his eyes was beginning to hurt, and his eyes themselves, he knew, were dull. They'd run out of juice, so to speak, and the ghostly glow that should have been wavering out from the white of his irises had extinguished itself, and his eyes, normally so bright, blended into the rest of the dark room. His whole body felt heavy, the weight of his lack of energy bearing down upon him.

And yet sleep so cruelly evaded him, despite his most earnest of efforts.

Meta Knight pushed himself up so he was sitting, grasping the blankets tightly in his hands with growing frustration. Against his better judgement, he looked back at the clock.

2:37.

Another five minutes gone. Another five minutes he could have spent wrapped in blissful slumber. Yet here he was.

He glared at the clock, the amount of annoyance he felt for it prompting a weak spark of light to flicker back into his eyes, the faintest trace of orange. As he watched the subtle movement of thirty-seven becoming thirty-eight, his frown only deepened.

Heaving an irritated sigh, Meta Knight threw the covers off himself and slid out of bed, planting his feet firmly on the floor. Stretching slightly, he stalked over to where the clock resided on his desk, forcing himself to get a closer look, holding out a shred of hope that somehow he hadn't read it right, even though he knew he had. When the clock showed him nothing different up close, he heaved another sigh, annoyance melting into grudging acceptance. He leaned against the desk, sparing a moment to rub gently at his eyes, doing his best to rid himself of the gritty, tired feeling there, without much luck.

What began as merely walking back towards his bed, then turning around and walking to his desk again became pacing as Meta Knight found himself slowly making aimless rounds throughout his room, his mind beginning to wander freely in its sleepless haze, and his body compelled to roam with it.

He caught himself and stopped.

Maybe he should just go for a walk. There was no lack of space aboard the ship. She had hallways and corridors for miles. If he built and paid for them all, he may as well make good use of them.

Resolving to do something if he wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon, Meta Knight trudged to the door. He opened it slowly, peering out into the dark hallway that stretched further into the ship. Stepping over the threshold, he was met with a temperature change; outside his quarters was colder, though not by much. He didn't mind. He turned, shut the door only part way, and started off on a quest for distraction.

He wouldn't find it with any of his crew, of course. They were all long since asleep. Which was rather a pity, he realized, when it occurred to him that it might be nice to have someone to talk to. But he certainly wasn't going to wake any of them. He couldn't find it in himself to be truly jealous that they were all presumably sound asleep, but a wry, uneven smile worked its way over his lips nonetheless. He tried, as he walked, to imagine what sorts of things they might be dreaming about, and how pleasant it undoubtedly was.

...All right. Maybe he was jealous, if only a little bit. No one had to know but him.

Meta Knight ended up, after wandering awhile, standing alone on the bridge. He went to stand at the helm, eventually running his hands over the wheel and gripping the spokes out of habit. If he knew it wouldn't wake everyone on board, he would have simply started up the ship and taken her for a late night cruise.

Early morning, he corrected himself, Not late night.

He looked up at his wavering reflection in the glass of the windshield. The face that blinked slowly back at him was looking a little more worse for wear than he'd hoped it would; large dark circles had begun making their homes around his dimly lit eyes.

"Meta… you look terrible." He muttered to himself aloud.

{Sir. You shouldn't be awake at this hour.}

Meta Knight would later deny that he'd jumped.

"Javelin."

{Sir. I apologize for startling you.}

"You didn't," Meta Knight denied quickly, rubbing at his eye and shuffling his wings, "I just didn't expect you to be on." Moving away from the helm, Meta Knight stood before the small metallic form of his robotic soldier.

Javelin Knight was currently docked into a charging station built into the wall, connected to the ship through several cables. There was a faint light moving across its visor, the only indicator that it was functioning and 'awake'

"Shouldn't you be recharging?" Meta Knight asked.

{I am recharging, Sir. My current battery life is 88.7%} Javelin droned monotonously. {Should you not be recharging yourself?}

Meta Knight offered Javelin an amused smirk.

"Yes." He admitted. "I'm afraid I'm having some difficulty."

{I am equipped with tranquilizing agents. Although they are designed for the purpose of subduing an aggressive target, I am confident that using them in a manner to sedate you would not be harmful. If you would like-} Uncharacteristically, Javelin Knight cut itself off. {Sir. It has come to my attention that your iris luminosity has increased by approximately 24%, while your resting breathing and heart rates have increased by approximately-}

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Meta Knight said hurriedly, anxiously shoving the resurfacing memories of the last time he'd been sedated in such a manner to the back corner of his mind, making sure to stifle the mildly panicked glow of his eyes in the process.

Stars, he'd never get to sleep now.

{Are you certain? Your readings indicate rising levels of anxiety-}

"I am fine." Meta Knight insisted, clenching his jaw. "It's just… stress. From the lack of sleep."

Javelin, blessedly, did not seem interested in contradicting him further.

"While I appreciate the offer," Meta Knight continued, voice sounding only just strained, "I think I'll decline. I'll be fine without… that."

{Very well, Sir. Can I provide you with some other form of assistance?} Javelin inquired.

"I don't believe so, but thank you."

{In that case, Sir, I will power down if you require nothing of me further.} The robot thrummed, the light dancing across its visor beginning to slow in preparation. {I would recommend that you attempt to recharge yourself, also, even if you experience difficulty. It is unhealthy for organic creatures to continue running for long periods of time without recharging. You begin to function at levels of productivity exponentially lower than what is optimal.} Javelin stated matter-of-factly.

"Of course. Good night, Javelin."

{Good morning, Sir.} The robot corrected politely, and with a click and a quiet hum, the light stopped bouncing over its screen and Meta Knight was left, for all purposes, alone on the bridge.

Sighing, he decided to head back to his quarters. He needed his cape.

Once he finally reached his door, still waiting ajar, he took a moment to consider the fact that, when he thought about it, he wasn't even sure he felt tired at all, now. As much as he'd hoped he wouldn't, it was probably time to just accept the fact that he wasn't going to sleep a wink until the next night.

If he slept the next night. Stars he hoped so. He didn't want to do this again.

Retrieving his cape, Meta Knight paused to debate whether he ought to take Galaxia with him. As short (and slightly unnerving) as his conversation with Javelin Knight had turned out to be, that brief interaction had left him with a greater longing for another's company, and his sword was the only company he could have now.

Of course, Galaxia would most likely begin any attempts at conversing with unimpressed demands to know why exactly he was up at this hour.

Speaking of the hour, he compulsively looked towards his desk clock.

3:12 am.

Well. As much as he wasn't looking forward to being berated by a hunk of metal with mothering tendencies, Meta Knight decided he'd rather have someone to talk to, and so after he sealed his cape into his wings, he took up his sword.

As expected, upon 'waking' in his grip, one of the feelings at the forefront of the sword's mind appeared to be mild disappointment, but rather than jab at him, Galaxia merely sighed.

Another night without dreams, Meta? The sword's voice sounded disconsolate.

"I'm afraid so. I've been awake now for hours." He ran his thumb meaningfully over the hilt, "I barely feel tired at all. Though I'm sure that will change later today."

I'm sorry that sleep evades you.

"So am I. I may as well make the most of it, now, though. I'd be getting up in only a few hours, anyway."

Galaxia hummed in a way that wasn't quite approving.

What do you plan to do?

"Well…" Meta Knight said, watching how the blade just barely managed to glimmer in the dark of his bedroom. "I was hoping to watch the stars set and the sun rise. Dawn isn't for another few hours. I'd enjoy your company if you wouldn't mind joining me."

Well, it isn't as if I have too great of a choice, the sword said in what might have been a weak attempt at a joke.

"I suppose. But you have a choice in whether or not you speak to me."

Would you like to talk? Galaxia asked him.

"Yes, I think so."

In that case I'm quite willing, Meta. The sword said thoughtfully.

"Thank you." The knight said sincerely.

In a moment and a swirl of his cape, Meta Knight warped space and found himself standing outside on the crest of the hill beside his base.

The grass swayed minutely, carried by a weak breeze, and the metallic dome of the hangar glowed faintly in the starlight. Taking in a deep breath, Meta Knight let the cool air of early morning fill his chest, carrying with it the soft scent of the ocean. He felt a familiar tingle as the energy of his sword settled itself comfortably into his body.

It is a beautiful morning, Meta. Galaxia admitted fondly, seeing the world through his eyes.

"It is, isn't it? I wish I'd woken up early to see it instead of having been awake all along," Meta Knight cut himself off with a yawn, baring the small tips of his oddly sharp teeth.

Indeed. Galaxia hummed in fond amusement. It quickly changed to a feeling of sympathetic concern. Do you know why you're awake? Why you can't sleep?

"I haven't the slightest idea," Meta Knight admitted, sitting down on the grass and resting Galaxia carefully on his lap. His wings drooped until they rested on either side of him on the ground.

It's been some time since you've last had this much difficulty sleeping. Galaxia pointed out. Is something troubling you?

"I don't think so…" Meta Knight said honestly. "Not that I can think of, anyway."

Have you been thinking about... the past? Galaxia asked, deliberately being nonspecific as to which part.

Meta Knight huffed a dry laugh, and lay down fully, settling into the grass.

"No. I've been avoiding it as usual."

There was a lull in their conversation as Meta Knight paused to get a good look at the stars. He didn't usually see them so early, and he took a moment to get his bearings on their new positions in the sky. All the familiar ones were suddenly so low on the horizon…

A shooting star shot past out of the corner of his eye.

"...It's been a rather long time since I've been to space. Well, been to space just to go there, instead of going there to destroy another galactic monstrocity."

Yes, it has. Galaxia agreed. I think you should go, when next you get the chance. It's good for you to see the stars with nothing in the way. To be closer to them.

"I think they'd like it." Meta Knight said, thinking of his crew. "There's never time to enjoy it when we have a job to do." He yawned again, and his eyes felt just a smidge harder to pull back open afterwards, the tightened feeling crawling over them again. "I've been meaning to return to Mekkai, anyways. Best place to get parts. We could make another run out there. I've been meaning to upgrade a few things."

You could. I think it's a good idea.

They went quiet, again, for a few minutes, Galaxia enjoying the rare opportunity of stargazing; it wasn't uncommon for Meta Knight to allow the sword to see through his eyes and share his perspective of the world more directly, but more often than not it was during the day. It'd been a long time since Galaxia had seen the stars for itself.

"Do you think-" Meta Knight started and then stopped, his face working its way into a look of discomfort.

Yes, Meta?

"...Nevermind."

Meta. What were you going to say? Don't try and tell me it wasn't important.

"...Do you think…" He tried again, voice faltering and unsure, "That… they're watching the stars right now, too?"

Who? The sword asked curiously.

"You know who." Meta Knight said, his voice low.

Ah.

Galaxia thought for a moment.

...Nothing is impossible, Meta. I'm sure they might be.

"They're probably asleep, like I should be." Meta Knight admitted, trying to lighten the mood he'd unintentionally dimmed. As he said it, he felt his eyelids grow heavier and his body seemed to relax the tiniest bit.

Probably, Galaxia agreed, But I am certain that they were watching these same stars not so long ago. We are all under the same sky here, Meta.

"We are." He sighed, and shut his eyes for a moment.

If Galaxia minded the loss of visual input, it didn't complain. Instead it began channeling things through their link; not words, not even images, really, but gentle feelings. Soft, hazy things that fell apart in your fingers if you tried to touch them. Calming things.

"...I know what you're doing." Meta Knight muttered, eyes still shut.

I'm sure I don't know what you mean.

"Mmhm." Meta Knight curled his wings around himself loosely. "You realize that you can't lie to me. I can feel it when you're lying."

As I can feel when you've grown weary.

Meta Knight reopened his eyes, though he noted that it took more effort than such a simple action should have. He didn't get his hopes up, though.

"I still don't feel tired. I don't think I can sleep." He said honestly, refocusing his gaze on the sidereal ceiling far above them.

You are tired, even if you can't feel it.

"I know. But if I don't feel it, how can I fall asleep?"

Stop thinking about it so much. Your body wants sleep. It's your mind that's still awake. If you let me, I'll take care of it for you, but you mustn't fight it. Just relax. Close your eyes. The stars with still be there.

"Galaxia as much as I want to go to sleep, shouldn't I return to my own bed at the very least?"

...

"Exactly." Meta Knight said with no small hint of triumph. "If you wait five minutes," He pushed himself up so he was sitting again, "You can try to use your… mind tricks or whatever you'd like to call it on me then."

Very well, impertinent one.

"Don't make me sound like a child!" Meta Knight said, his voice ringing with mock offense, a tired smile creeping over his face.

You are a child to me; I was forged long before you came into this world. Galaxia replied, false haughtiness lacing its voice.

"Maybe that just means you're old." Meta Knight quipped back, smiling when the sword offered no reply save a warm, amused feeling, apparently conceding defeat.

Standing back up, Meta Knight took Galaxia in one hand and stretched, wings spreading, before folding them back into his cape and throwing it around himself in a flourish. His body protested weakly at the use of magic while he was this tired, but it was little more than a twinge in his core, and in an instant he was back in the dark and near silence of his room.

As he was turning his head towards the clock on his desk just one… more… time, a tiny shock of electricity made him jump.

"Hey!" He hissed.

Don't, Meta. You'll only lie awake thinking about it.

"Galaxia, I have to get up soon-"

No one on this ship will begrudge you sleeping in a little when you wake at dawn nearly every day.

"That's exactly why they'll be concerned if I don't." Meta Knight insisted as he went to shut the door, pointedly not looking towards the clock. He closed the door quietly and made his way, avoiding the clock, back to his bed.

Do you want to sleep in?

"Of course I do," He muttered, pulling off his cape and tossing it aside haphazardly.

And are you not entitled to?

"I suppose so." Meta Knight allowed, crawling into bed still clutching his sword.

And as you are their lord, Galaxia continued brightly, They have no right to question you.

"...I suppose not." Meta Knight considered, though at this point he believed that they had the right to question him about a lot of things that they thankfully didn't seem willing to ask about yet.

Excellent. Close your eyes, now.

"What am I supposed to do with you?" Meta Knight asked fairly. "I'm not especially keen on accidentally shredding myself in my sleep!" Meta Knight scooted over to the very edge of the bed, and placed Galaxia carefully upon his nightstand, feeling the energy of the sword dip away from him. "Can you do this without touching me?" He asked.

...Yes, I think so. Galaxia's voice reappeared in his head, though it sounded soft and farther away.

"All right." Meta Knight said, feeling the soft edges of tiredness start to cling to him again. "What… do you need me to do anything?"

Yes, Meta, I need you to close your eyes and stop talking. It said wryly.

"You're lucky I've put up with you for so long, you know." Meta Knight said matter-of-factly as he nestled beneath the blankets. "Sometimes I wonder if the benefits of wielding you really outweigh the cost of your personality."

Galaxia laughed softly.

All was said in jest, of course.

As Meta Knight curled up in his wings, he gave the sword one last look before closing his eyes with a sigh.

"All right. Let's see if this works."

It will. Goodnight, Meta.

Meta Knight didn't reply, knowing that the more he spoke, the longer he'd remain awake. He really did want to go to sleep now, after all. As he lay there, trying to push all the outside thoughts out of his mind, he started to feel Galaxia's presence trickle back in. Soft and airy, yet firmly nudging away everything else that still straggled in his head. Something like a color, something like a sound, ringing in a tone that you couldn't quite place…

It was very calming. He began to feel his breathing even out and slow, and tension seemed to melt out of his shoulders when he hadn't even known it was there. It was almost as if the sword had woven the strands of an ethereal lullaby, and after only a minute or two, the world around Meta Knight felt very far away, and before he was even aware of it, he had slipped into the complete darkness of sleep, where Dream Land's magic could finally do its work.

Galaxia's wave of magic retreated back into its blade with a hum, and the sword, after a moment's contemplation, let its own consciousness dissipate into black until the morning.

Author's Note;
Does Galaxia have a future in ASMR?
Does Meta end up sleeping normally afterwards?
Does Javelin, who is trying his best as an emotionless robot, learn that most people don't appreciate being drugged?
We may never know the answers...

This was pretty much written as a way to make Meta suffer from some of the weirdness I put up with fairly often in my attempts to go the heck to sleep, but I did spare him from the worst of the auditory hallucinations I get when I'm really overtired. I'll be using that in another story someday, I'm sure XD
Real talk, ASMR has been pretty great for me this year, and I feel like Meta might enjoy it, honestly. Someone please introduce him.