Description: The renowned Star Warrior, Meta Knight, didn't always fight alongside the Galaxy Soldier Army. Instead, he was against them, working for his creator. My belief about MK's past. Includes Sir Arthur, Jecra, Garlude, Yamikage, Galactic Knight, a main OC, and a few lesser role OCs.

Rated T for blood, violence, and character death

Disclaimer: Trademarks and copyrights are the properties of their respective owners, Nintendo and HAL Laboratory. I do not own any character in this story, only the plot line. My OCs are mine, but their idea is based on Nintendo characters.

A/N: BOO! I'm alive! Oh, and heads up, the Prince gets a name this chapter so don't get confused when that happens. Shouldn't be an issue for you amazingly awesome readers to follow though ;)

- CH 8: Playing the Act -

The Prince slowly woke, giving a yawn as he snuggled closer to the soft pillow in his arms, eyes shut. The material beneath him was so soft and warm, just like his dad's cape. The Prince frowned, remembering the terrifying dream he had last night of getting lost and being chased by soldiers. He would have to ask his father to spend time with him today, to try and forget the terrible dream. His father always liked to tell him stories. Those were his favorite. Smiling, the Prince reached over to pet Wolfwrath, but the Prince's hand met air, the fire demon beast not where she should be. Frowning, the Prince opened his eyes, freezing as he took in his strange surroundings, darkness filling the room. Last night wasn't a dream. He truly was lost and alone.

Currently, the Prince was laying on a large white bed, a white pillow propping him up. A machine was next to him, beeping quietly. Looking down, the Prince noticed his injured hand was re-bandaged, and a wire pad was attached to his arm, connecting to the beeping machine. Glancing around, he saw similar beds lining the walls of the large room he was in. A few soldiers lay further down his row, all of them in deep sleep leaving the room filled with only the beeping of machines and faint snoring.

Pulling the wire-pad on his arm off, the Prince slid off of the bed, eyes glowing in the darkness. Stealthily, the Prince explored his surroundings, careful not to wake the sleeping soldiers. He noticed that they all had wounds of some sort, the beeping machines hooked up to them as well. Stepping closer to get a better look, the Prince held still as one of the soldiers tossed in his sleep. Diving behind a nearby table, the Prince peeked around the corner nervously. The soldier that tossed in his sleep sat up, eyes opening as he looked around hazily. Seeing nothing, the wounded soldier laid back down with a grunt, tossing slightly before he quickly feel back asleep.

Sighing in relief, the Prince turned around to explore more. Letting out a yelp before backpedaling and falling on his rump, the Prince stared wide-eyed at the sight before him. A mirror hung on the wall before him, but the sight within was not him. Glancing at the sleeping soldiers, who had not waken at his yelp, the Prince shakily stood up, slowly stepping towards the mirror. Laying his bandaged hand on the mirror carefully, the Prince stared back at his reflection. The reflection stared back with golden eyes, not his usual red ones. His purple blanket was wrapped around the bottom of his mouth like a bandana, masking his mouth from prying eyes. Behind him, a teal blue article of clothing raised over his head like a collar. Turning in confusion, the Prince found a purple cape hanging from his shoulders, the collar attached to it. Wondering where his wings went, he went to lift the cape but stopped when he felt himself grab his wings. Narrowing his eyes, he touched his cape again, the cape giving off warmth. Were his wings now…a cape?

Going to spread his wings, the Prince watched as the cape split in two, magically forming into the pair of wings he knew so well. Smiling in relief, he gave them a flap, noticing they had already healed. His smile faltered though when he heard voices from outside the room. Folding his wings back, the appendages forming back into the cape, the Prince hurried back to his bed. Jumping up, he squirmed onto the mattress, his feet getting tangled up in the white sheets. The voices right outside the door, the Prince had no time to untangle himself, instead opting to lay back and pretend to be asleep. Hearing the door open and footsteps approaching, it took all he had not to give into his curiosity and peek. The urge grew even more when he picked up the slightest change in the air, sensing power tingling around him.

"So this is the new arrival?" a male voice asked, soft in the nightly silence.

"Yes, sir. We found him in the forest. He had crashed landed. He is lucky we found him when he did, sir. A demon beast had been reported in the area and had killed one of the women in the local village," a voice replied back, respectful in tone.

"I see…" the first voice said, sounding thoughtful.

"Sir…do you think he is the missing Star Warrior? The one that was never found?" the second voice asked hesitantly. The first took a moment to think before responding.

"Possibly. However, he seems rather young, not fully developed. You said his star ship crash landed?"

"Yes, sir, it did. Do you think that maybe he isn't the original Star Warrior, that the original Star Warrior…." The voice trailed off.

"Has he awakened yet?" the first voice asked, ignoring the other's question.

"Uh, no, sir. None of the nurses have reported that he has awakened yet. Although, they did mention that he was having difficulty sleeping. He kept tossing and turning and mumbling incoherent words."

"Thank you, soldier. That will be all," the first voice ordered, the soldier taking his leave with a slight bow and walking out of the room, leaving the speaker to stand alone. Lavender eyes studied the sleeping form of the Prince carefully, noticing the uneven breaths the small form was taking. The lilac eyes dashed over to the nearby machine which was silent, the heart monitor no longer attached to the sleeping form. Eyes narrowing, the figure stood in thought, knowing full well the sleeping form before him was not asleep like he appeared to be. Deciding not to say anything, the figure went to leave the room, lavender eyes flicking over to the Prince one more time, before he stepped out, the door closing silently behind him.

...

Yellow eyes flickered open, a yawn escaping his fanged mouth as he stretched. Blinking, the Prince sat up, rubbing his eyes with his hands. Looking around, the Prince noticed it was now morning, sunlight filtering through windows scattered around the room. He must have fallen asleep shortly after the strangers left.

Hearing movement, the Prince looked over to his right to where the injured soldiers lay further down the room. A woman dressed in white and red was walking between the rows, pushing a cart of stuff in front of her. Stopping in front of the half-awake soldiers, she smiled in greeting, handing a plate to one of them before moving on to the next one. As she finished passing out the plates, she started to make her way towards the door before she stopped, her blue eyes landing on the Prince. A look of surprise broke her face before she quickly left the room without a word, abandoning the cart.

Confused, the Prince shifted in his spot, conflicted with what to do. Before he could make a decision though, the doors to the room opened up again, the woman dressed in red and white walking back in. Behind her was a newcomer, a teal puffball with white armor and a mask encasing his main body. His blue shoes clicked against the white tile floor as he followed the nurse, red cape swishing behind him. The air seemed to flicker with power at his entrance, similar to the power he had felt last night. He then realized what it meant. This warrior was a Star Warrior.

"Here he is, Sir Nonsurat," the woman said, gesturing to the Prince as the pair stopped at the end of his bed.

"Thank you, nurse," Sir Nonsurat replied, his golden eyes studying the Prince. The nurse nodded happily before she walked away, resuming her duties. The Prince followed her movements as she left before looking back at Sir Nonsurat, shrinking back underneath the Star Warrior's scrutinizing gaze. The power he felt put him on edge. One wrong move, and this warrior could easily kill him. "So, have a good sleep? You slept for over three days straight. The nurses were starting to worry you might never wake," Sir Nonsurat spoke. Rising a brow when he received no answer, Sir Nonsurat continued. "You can talk, can't you? I do believe remembering the other soldiers complaining about how you were keeping them up every night with your constant babbling."

"Yes..." the Prince whispered, wanting nothing other than for this Star Warrior to leave him alone, his eyes full of terror. Sir Nonsurat seemed to catch onto his fear and back up slightly, golden eyes puzzled. A growl broke the awkward silence, coming from the Prince's stomach.

"Have you not eaten yet?" Sir Nonsurat asked, not waiting for a response as he turned to face the nurse from earlier. "Nurse, bring him some food." The nurse nodded in response, stopping what she was doing as she brought a bowl over to them, setting it on the small table beside his bed. The Prince glanced at the bowl, a light brown liquid sitting in it. Was he supposed to eat that?

"What, don't like soup?" Sir Nonsurat asked with a chuckle, watching as the Prince's eyes grew in alarm like he had done something wrong. "Relax, kid, I was only joking. I've never really been too fond of it myself." The Prince seemed to relax at those words, but the fear didn't leave his eyes. Sir Nonsurat stood humming to himself in thought. It was rather strange, never before had a Star Warrior not been fully developed like this. All Star Warriors woke up ready to fight, himself included, and yet this one was like a child, terrified and confused. Knowing any more questions would only further to scare the new arrival, Sir Nonsurat left without another word. He would need some help on this one.

The Prince watched him leave, relief washing over him as the footsteps echoed down the hallway outside and away from him, the static in the air fading as well. He thought for sure he would get caught. One thing was for certain though, he needed to get out of here as fast as possible before the Star Warrior returned. Golden eyes glanced over to the other occupants in the room. The soldiers that laid on the other beds were busy eating their meals, and the only nurse present was distracted with folding some sheets. Perfect. The Prince slowly scooted to the edge of the bed, checking one last time to ensure no one was watching before he slipped down, feet touching the cold tile. Silent as could be, he snuck to the nearby door, poking his head out before entering the empty hallway.

Wandering down the long corridor, the Prince kept his senses alert, ready to run at any sign of danger. Many doors lined the hallway, but he kept moving, heading to the large set of doors at the end. Reaching them, he carefully shoved one open, peeking his head outside. It was currently early morning, the sky bright blue up above. He knew the great ball of light in the sky was called a sun, he learned a few things from his lessons, but it was still a strange sight to see. He had always lived in darkness his whole life, but now the land was bright with sunlight.

On the ground, many warriors wandered around, casually walking from building to building, talking amongst themselves. Others were just relaxing on the grass, while a handful of them stood guard at the entrance to some of the buildings. Pausing in hesitance, the Prince tried to come up with a plan. He could try backtracking and see if there was another exit, but the risk would still remain. Maybe he could just pretend like he fit in, he had fooled everyone else so far. Thinking blending in was the best chance he had, he went with it. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out into the light, eyes darting around in search for any signs of alarm. None of the soldiers turned to even look at him, and he relaxed slightly. This could work. All he had to do was find either an airship he could hijack (although he didn't really know how to fly a ship…) or find where the demon beasts on this planet were stationed.

Acting like he belonged, he started to walk down the dirt pathway, unsure of where to go. As he passed the many soldiers, he avoided eye contact, looking down at the ground the whole time. He tried not to seem panicky, but inside he was freaking out. He hadn't got very far before he bumped into someone, golden eyes dashing upwards as he stared at the soldier he just ran into, noticing gold and blue armor. The soldier turned, hazel eyes landing on him as their eyes met. Panic filled the Prince as he recognized the older boy before him. Despite the fact that he looked a few years older, the Prince still knew it was Jecra. He could have laughed at how cruel fate was.

Unsure if Jecra would recognize him and not waiting to find out, the Prince spun and ran, hearing Jecra give a confused shout behind him. Turning around the corner of a building, he looked behind him quickly to see if he was being followed. Seeing no pursuer, he faced forwards again. The sight before him however made him coming to a sliding stop, falling to his rump as he avoided slamming into the two figures that stood in front of him. Golden eyes looked up in immense fear from where he fell as the lavender and pale yellow eyes inspected him carefully. The air was brimming with power, giving him a headache as his instincts screamed at him. More Star Warriors.

The Prince couldn't stop himself from shaking in fear as one of them stepped closer, his skin light blue with a round mask covering his face. The Star Warrior hesitated before it reached down, grabbing ahold of his uninjured arm and pulling him to his feet. A firm yet gentle hand rested on his shoulder, preventing the Prince from running again, something every fiber of his being was telling him to do. The other Star Warrior watched the interaction before speaking up.

"So you are the new Star Warrior," the green Star Warrior said, more of a statement than a question. His golden armor reflected in the bright sunlight, giving off a regal appearance. "Sir Nonsurat was correct, there is something different about you…" the Star Warrior trailed off, deep in thought. Could he be the start of the new generation, the ones prophesized to turn the tide of war? He didn't really seem to fit the description, but maybe that is the cause for the error in his development during hibernation. He would have to test his theory later...Snapping out of his thoughts, he spoke up again.

"Do you know where you are at?" the green Star Warrior asked, trying to see how much he was lacking in his knowledge. The Prince stood there unsure before shaking his head quickly, unable to look away from the figure before him. "Interesting…Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Sir Arthur. I am leader of the Galaxy Soldier Army, or GSA for short. This is one of our main bases. This here is Sir Galahand," Sir Arthur gestured to the Star Warrior that stood beside the Prince," he is vice-leader and second in command. Now, what is your name?"

The Prince froze, hesitating. A name? He had never really thought of that before. His whole life the other demon beasts had always just called him Prince. Was that a normal name? Now that he thought of it, it did seem a bit odd…he couldn't tell them to call him that, it would only cause suspicion. A name, he needed a name…he didn't really know any names that were not obvious demon beast names. Hmm…in his thought, he suddenly remembered a name, that boy from the other day had mentioned it. It was the boy's deceased brother's name. Meta.

"Meta," the Prince finally spoke up, feeling a bit weird at using a dead man's name. Sir Arthur seemed to chuckle at that.

"My, an interesting name with an interesting accent. Strange indeed. Well, Meta, I am glad we had this meeting. Tomorrow we will go over an orientation to get you settled in. We'll have to test you to see how much development you are lacking. In the meantime, Sir Galahand can show you to the where the new recruits are bunked," he turned towards said Star Warrior. "After you show him his bunk, come visit my office and we can finish discussing the plans." With that, Sir Arthur gave one last glance at Meta before turning and walking away.

Watching him go with weary eyes, Meta felt the hand on his arm tighten briefly, catching his attention back to the remaining Star Warrior. The grip on him remained for a few more seconds before it dropped, Sir Galahand's eyes seeming to brighten.

"Follow me this way, Meta," the light blue Star Warrior said, pausing just the slightest when he saw Meta hesitate. Knowing he could just run, Meta followed reluctantly, keeping pace with the larger figure. He could feel the tension in his cape, knowing if his wings were out right now that they would be pulled completely tight to his back. Trying his best to act as natural as possible, he kept his golden eyes roaming around the base, inspecting the different types of species walking around. If he wasn't in the predicament that he was right now, this new adventure would actually be rather fun and interesting, exploring this new place. But now wasn't the time for games. This was a life or death situation, and he was way over his head.

He didn't notice the pale yellow eyes watching from the corner of the owner's visor, inspecting the curiosity in Meta's gaze. The hum of thought from Sir Galahand though did catch his attention, golden eyes shifting over to the Star Warrior. He couldn't keep the puzzlement from showing on his face when he noticed the Star Warrior walking with his cape wrapped around him snuggly, the warrior must of having pulled it around him sometime during their walk. He scoffed silently at how similar the act was to what his father did with his own cape. Sir Galahand chuckled, as if reading his thoughts.

"You mustn't act so nervous you know, you're among allies here. There is nothing to fear. I can see the curiosity in your eyes but there is also a trace of fear keeping it back," Sir Galahand spoke up, removing his gaze from Meta to look around at the environment. "If you ever have questions, I am happy to answer them." Meta watched Sir Galahand carefully, trying to read him, but the mask on his face masked the Star Warriors intent. If he was trying to pry, he wouldn't be able to tell. Maybe he was just being friendly. Waiting a few moments, Meta mulled over the offer, eyes roaming. Would it seem suspicious if he asked? Surely a Star Warrior would ask the question as well…

"The demon beasts…are there some stationed on this planet?" Meta asked carefully, keeping his gaze off of the other.

"Mhm, there was. Not anymore, though. We fought them off and made the planet one of our bases of operations. Nowadays, only a few rouge demon beasts appear on the planet. Such as the one that attacked the village a few days ago. Though our soldiers weren't able to track it down," Sir Galahand answered, not noticing Meta tensing up at his words. A pit formed in the center of Meta's stomach as he listened. Well, there goes that option of escape. He felt his cape tighten again.

Silence followed, the two walking without words as they continued to weave around the large base. Golden eyes still taking in his surroundings, Meta noticed a large metal building, perking up. It looked similar to the hangar that was on his father's planet. Could that be their hangar? The answer to his question was given when he noticed one of the bay doors opened a few feet, allowing a small view into the building. The looming wings of aircrafts could be seen from the opening. Hope blossoming, it faltered a bit when he noticed the guards that stood at every entrance.

"Is that the hangar?" Meta asked, knowing the answer to his own question but wanting to snoop for more information.

"Yes, it is. Though, I wouldn't go snooping if I were you. Until you are cleared as a leader, you won't be given free access. Only those on missions or assigned to work there can enter. But don't worry. They recovered your star ship from the crash site and are working on getting it up and running again. Depending on how much you developed, you might have to take flight lessons with the other newer recruits," Sir Galahand paused. "Speaking of which, see that large building up ahead? That is the one you will be staying in." Following the Star Warriors gaze, Meta looked ahead, noticing the three story building up ahead. The building seemed to be rather active, soldiers filing in and out of the front doors. "That's where the soldiers still in training bunk. 1st and 2nd year students are on the bottom floor, 3rd and 4th on the second, and the 5th on the top floor. Until your test tomorrow, you'll be placed in 1st year for now."

As they approached, Meta's unease grew, the large crowds of young soldiers making him uncomfortable. Many of them noticed Sir Galahand's approach, stepping aside to give him room. But they also stared at Meta in interest, and his sensitive ears could clearly pick up on their whispers about him. Narrowing his eyes a bit and holding back a growl at some of the stuff they said, he kept his eyes forward, following Sir Galahand as they entered the building. They passed a few doors before he stopped at one, opening it up and gesturing for him to walk in. He did so, albeit unhappily as he looked around. It was a long and narrow room, bunk beds lining both walls, a wooden chest at the foot of each. A few soldiers were relaxed on a few of them, and they all stared at him.

"Well, here is your assigned room. Room #108. Your bed number is 12. One of us will be by in the morning to take you to your evaluation. In the meantime if you need anything, just send for me. Oh, and try not to mess with your bandaging either, Meta. Sir Nonsurat told me you had a rather nasty deep cut. Wouldn't want it getting infected." At that, Sir Galahand left, closing the door behind him and leaving Meta standing alone.

Glancing at his hand, completely forgetting about the bandages even, he sighed, grinding his teeth. Sneering, he looked around his environment, the other soldiers having finally looked away. Slowly tightening and untightening his bandaged hand to test how much it was healed, he winced a bit at the pain it caused, mind going deep in thought. It would seem his predicament was worse than he thought. If what the Star Warrior said was true, then he couldn't hitch a ride home with other demon beasts. He would need to find some way off the planet himself. The hangar held the ships he needed, but he didn't exactly know how to fly a ship that well. Plus it was heavily guarded. He could take a handful of soldiers, maybe, but if even a single Star Warrior showed up, he'd be done for.

If he could keep playing this act though and played the role of a Star Warrior like that thought he was, he'd have a chance. He'd learn how to fly a ship, and eventually be granted free access to the hangar. Maybe even be assigned to an off-planet mission where he could slip away then. Heck, in the process he could probably learn some GSA secrets and make his father proud. It might take longer than he wanted to get home, but he had a plan now. But he would get home. He had to.

A/N: It lives! Yet another chapter at long last. Is it a blue moon? But for real, how has everyone been? Hopefully good! I've been stressed out and busy like crazy. But now summer is here and I am determined to make progress on this story. Stayed up late to finish this for you guys even though I have work early in the morning. So I apologize for the roughness of this chapter. I've done zero editing, none at all. So I am not happy with this chapter right now, especially the dialogue with Sir Galahand. But I figured you all would want to read it now anyways! Planning to tweak it this weekend likely when I have some time to make it more in character.

Let me know what you all think. I have a pretty good idea finally of where I want this to go. I was missing a large middle section of the plot since I decided to change directions with it last chapter. It was for the better, but you know...

As always, I'm up to questions, comments, and concerns, so feel free to review! Critiques on errors are welcomed as well. Alerts, favorites, and reviews can only help speed up the next chapter and raise my morale, so please do so!

Thank you for reading!