I can't believe this is the last chapter…it was so hard to write…by far; this was my most successful story. To everyone who read it and everyone who encouraged me to write more and more…thank you so much. It is thanks to you reviewers that I was able to keep going. I'm going to miss you so much, but I hope you'll stick with me and check out my other stories (and maybe the sequel) in the future.

Once again, I thank you for being amazing.

Now enjoy the final chapter of Shadow Wings…

"He's gone, Kirby. He's not coming back."

"Poyo…"

"You have to let go now Kirby. Let him go."

"Poyo…"

"For crying out loud Kirby! He's dead! Now get off of him!"

Dedede reached forward and pried Kirby away from Meta Knight's unmoving body, his eyes leaking tears. Kirby gave a weak protest, but after a moment of struggling slumped into Dedede's arms and stared lifelessly at the floor. Escargon slithered forward and began to treat the burns that ran along his pink skin. Sword and Blade stood behind them, heads bowed in grief.

"Poor Meta Knight…" Escargon moaned, stepping back and wiping his eyes.

"Sir…" Blade rasped, voice cracking in sorrow. "If only I had been there…"

"Why couldn't I have died in his place?" Sword whispered. "I can't stand to see him like this! Where would we be without him? What will we do now that he's gone?!" Sword covered his face with his hands.

The two young knights turned away, quiet sobs escaping from beneath their helmets. "Come on, Sword. Let's go…it's going to be all right. Sir Meta Knight wouldn't want us to be so upset." Blade murmured, leading his fellow swordsman towards the exit. Escargon and Dedede exchanged a glance and he set Kirby down.

Escargon sighed, patting his king on the arm. "Let Kirby be alone with Meta Knight. He knew him best." Then the penguin and snail turned and trudged wearily away, closing the door quietly behind them.

Kirby whimpered, and stared at his mentor, holding back the new tears that threatened to burst from his eyes. He buried his face in his stubby, little arms and curled into a ball on the cold floor next to Meta Knight.

Eventually, he fell asleep.

Darkness.

Meta Knight had been dealing the deathblow to Nightmare, ready to finally exact his revenge and then…the next moment, everything went dark.

What happened? Had Nightmare somehow managed to attack him during his final moments? Was Nightmare actually dead? …Was he dead?

Meta Knight looked around, desperate to see past this darkness that had enveloped him so suddenly. Then he saw it…a small light. He began to walk towards it, his legs numb underneath him, as if they weren't his own. The light grew bigger and brighter until finally, he was inside of it. He looked back to see the pool of darkness he had been in, dark in the distance.

Then he saw it…a shining, golden staircase, nearly invisible in the light. Something was telling him to go up the staircase so he walked over, ready to ascend it. Then something abruptly appeared in front of him and shoved him back.

"No way Meta Knight. I'm not letting you go up those stairs." Came a familiar voice.

Meta Knight gasped and looked at the spiky-haired warrior that stood in front of him, shining almost as much as the staircase he was blocking.

"Jecra?"

Jecra grinned. "Nice to see you too, Meta Knight."

"You're dead…I killed you…Nightmare…" Meta Knight stuttered, feeling as if he were about to faint. Then he raised his hands and observed them. They were shining too. He could almost see through them.

"Nightmare…he killed me…didn't he…?" He whispered, and then looked at the stairs in front of him.

Jecra nodded. "Yes, he did. You don't seem that upset, though. Want to explain why?" His friend arched an eyebrow, looking almost comical. "Don't tell me you took what Nightmare said to heart? That you're…relieved to die?"

Meta Knight's eyes widened hurtfully. "Of course not! It's just…I was wondering why you were blocking those stairs. I get the feeling I need to kind of…go up them." He shifted his weight uncomfortably, unsure of what to say.

"Exactly. That's why I'm here to stop you." Jecra said bluntly.

Meta Knight narrowed his eyes, feeling annoyed. "Excuse me?"

"It's not your time to go up those stairs yet." Jecra told him truthfully, "You killed Nightmare and he killed you back. But it's not your time to leave the world—not yet."

"It wasn't your time either." Meta Knight's voice filled with sorrow. "You had a son…a family…I had nothing. That demon beast that ruined your life should have grabbed me instead. Why do I get to live when every other Star Warrior had to die? It just isn't fair."

"Fate is a strange thing, Meta Knight." Jecra said, his eyes shining with a wisdom he had not possessed when he had been alive. "Everything happens for a reason. That demon beast that ruined my life? He was probably going for you. But somehow, he ended up grabbing me instead. That led to my death.

"Maybe the past is full of regrets…things that can't be changed, things that are gone…still, regrets or not, Nightmare is dead. The world is saved. Every event, every battle, every little thing all led up to that one moment when your life ended along with his. And now, the people of the galaxy are free from their fears. It is all thanks to you.

"Still, it was not your time to go. You didn't deserve death after working so hard to save the galaxy. Maybe you don't think so, Meta Knight, but you have a place in the world. There is somewhere you belong…"

"So…I have to go back?" Meta Knight whispered, "I cannot go on through?"

Jecra shook his head. "In the end, I cannot stop you from deciding your path. I just wanted to remind you of what you were leaving behind." With that, he stepped away from the golden staircase, leaving the path wide open for Meta Knight. The knight stared at the staircase in awe, then looked around for Jecra. But his old friend had disappeared, although his spirit was lingering all around him.

"The choice has always been yours…" Jecra whispered, his voice echoing quietly all around him.

The staircase shone bright, beckoning the knight forward, to climb the steps and be forever at peace. Meta Knight obliged, stepping towards the golden, beautiful light. He began to ascend the stairs slowly, warmth flooding throughout his veins. Just as he reached the top, he remembered Jecra's words.

Remember what you are leaving behind…

Eyes wide, he stumbled backwards, away from the top, and sprinted back down the stairs. Then, without glancing back, he took off towards the pool of darkness that awaited him. Jecra reappeared, watching his friend as he fell away into the black.

The warrior sighed, closed his eyes, and smiled ever so slightly.

"Thank you for making the right decision, my friend…"

With a start, Kirby jerked awake, blinking sleep from his eyes. The past events washed over him, and he felt as if he were being torn in two. With a small sob he sat up, staring sadly at the ground underneath him. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Then he looked over at his mentor's dead body and—

It was gone.

"Poyo?!" He shouted, scrambling to his feet. He looked all around, a panicked expression spread across his face. Had they taken Meta Knight away to be buried? "Poyo!" He shrieked with rage. How could they?! He started towards the door, but a soft voice from behind stopped him.

"Kirby?"

Kirby turned to see Meta Knight staring back at him. Kirby's heart skipped a beat. Meta Knight had said his name. He was there.

He was alive.

The knight looked just as surprised as him. For a long time, they stood there, staring at one another. Then with a yowl of delight, Kirby launched himself at his beloved mentor, nearly knocking him over as he hugged him.

"Ouch! Kirby!" Meta Knight cringed. Kirby loosened his grip and looked at Meta Knight's two wings that hung limply at his sides, crusted with blood. His mask was still cracked and cuts and bruises were spread across his blue skin. Still, his eyes shone with life and that was what mattered. "Calm down," He said, gently pushing Kirby away, "It's all right. I'm back."

Kirby's eyes welled up with a fresh wave of tears. Meta Knight's eyes widened in shock, afraid he had upset the puffball. "Why are you crying, Kirby?"

Kirby wiped his face and wailed, "Me so happy…happy Meda alive! Thought you…you wa dead!" Then he hugged Meta Knight once more, careful this time to avoid the more battered parts of his body.

Meta Knight's eyes softened and he reached down and patted Kirby on the head tenderly. "It wasn't my time to leave." He said wisely. Then his eyes glowed pink with sudden amusement. He stepped away from Kirby and took his shattered mask off. Scars, old and new, were carved into his face. He turned to look at Kirby and once more saw himself reflected in the young Star Warrior's face. A smile spread across his face. As it did, Kirby returned the smile, blinking warmly at his beloved mentor.

"Somehow it seems that I always manage to survive. I'm afraid life has become a bit of an annoying habit of mine…but I'm not quite ready to break that habit." With a small laugh, Meta Knight slipped on his mask and swept his gloved hand towards the door. "Come." He said simply and the two Star Warriors walked outside and into the bright new future that awaited them.

Six months later…

"Okay, Kirby. That's enough for today. You did well."

"Poyo!"

Kirby took off his sword copy ability, wriggling with delight. Meta Knight put away Galaxia and wrapped his cape around him and his shiny new mask. Fumu, Bun, and the rest of the children stood nearby on the grassy hill, looking awkward at being so close to the knight that they had wrongly assumed was a demon beast.

After the traumatizing events that had happened many months ago, Dedede had explained everything that took place with the help of Kirby and other supporters such as Sword and Blade. He told them their story and some accepted it; those who didn't, Dedede had threatened with the death penalty, forcing them to accept it as well. Finally, peace had returned and Meta Knight was once again a resident of the castle.

For a while, he stayed in his room, letting his wounds heal and being regularly attended to by Escargon and Waddle Dees. When he was finally able to move without feeling pain, he donned a new mask, cape, gloves, and armor and went right back to training Kirby. Very slowly, he began to win back the respect of the citizens with the help of his apprentice.

Meanwhile, King Dedede eventually got bored and actually tried to order some demon beasts, but of course, no one was there to obey his orders. All was well now that Nightmare was dead and, finally, Dreamland was saved.

"Why do you keep training him even though Nightmare is gone?" Bun asked curiously.

"He is a Star Warrior. Fighting is apart of his nature and he must perfect that fighting with training…he must always be ready for the unexpected." Meta Knight said simply.

"Right. Poyo." Kirby confirmed, nodding his head importantly.

Fumu frowned, shuffling her feet nervously. "I see…well, we're going back to the village to play. Are you coming Kirby?"

"No!" He answered, smiling proudly at his accomplished vocabulary.

The children shrugged and turned away to trudge back to the village in the distance. "See you later, Kirby." Bun called over his shoulder before disappearing down the hill. Kirby stood, watching them leave.

With a nod to the puffball, Meta Knight turned and began to head in the direction of the castle when he felt a tug of his cape and looked back to see Kirby holding onto it. He smiled and continued to pull at it. Meta Knight sighed, rolling his pure golden eyes.

"Kirby, today of all days?"

"Please?"

"You know I'm not getting any younger…"

"Please?"

Meta Knight paused for a very long time, his expression soft. "Well…all right." He finally said. Kirby beamed and let go of his cape. The cape disappeared and in its placed appeared two shadowy wings. With a squeak of joy, Kirby climbed on his back, wrapping his paws around Meta Knight's armor. As soon as he was in place, he peeked down at him, eyes shining with excitement.

"Ready?" Meta Knight asked.

"Ready!" Kirby shouted gleefully.

Meta Knight pushed off of the ground, his wings beating the air as he climbed up into the clear blue sky. When he was high enough, he spread his wings and began to glide effortlessly through the air. The wind whistled past them as they soared above the peaceful land beneath them, passing over forests, oceans, and rivers. Kirby squealed with delight as they passed through a cloud.

And as Meta Knight flew through the air, the sun shining down, and the sky filled with Kirby's laughs, his eyes turned blue with pure happiness.

And there it occurred to him that he was right where he belonged after all.

~The End~

No way! It's over! But not quite…please author alert me if you are interested in the sequel! I know some sequels ruin the original stories, so you don't have to read it if you don't want to, but I will still try my best! Also, you should check out my next story too, which will be about Claus, an awesome guy from Mother 3 (Lucas's game) who is a lot like Meta Knight! He's got a mask, *mechanical* bat wings, evil issues, and he's awesome! I sound like I'm advertising…well maybe I am.

So make sure to review and please keep in touch because I love all of you! You are the greatest reviewers ever!!!

Well, if you are reading this, thank you for sticking with my story all the way to the end! I hope to hear from you guys in the future.

Until then, so long!

-twilitprincess