Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Why the heck would you ask me about him?”

Susie sighed. She should’ve expected the so-called King to be more of a nuisance than an aid, but he was also probably her best shot. All of Meta Knight’s fellows on the Halberd turned her away, and she somehow doubted the pink marshmallow who thought mechs “just did that on their own” somehow knew any intricacies.

“Well, I mean, you are technically his employer, aren’t you? Isn’t he your knight?”

Dedede just laughed. “Lady, I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but I ain’t in control of Ol’ Metty. Last time he took orders from me, it was so we could break up the Star Rod, and that was for all of, like, a week.”

“Well then, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you allow him to operate in your kingdom?!”

“Have you seen him? Look, I like to think I’m pretty strong, but I don’t think I’m any match for him, not one on one. Besides, he ain’t a troublemaker, and when he does make a fuss, Kirby usually takes care of him.”

She just pinched between her eyes. Clearly, this was a bad idea.

“In any case,” he continued rambling, “I don’t get why you’re asking about him at all. I thought you were above us primitive lifeforms, ain’t that right?”

“That was, a regrettable sentiment,” she admitted, “that I sincerely wish I never held. It is also, not the point.”

“Oh? Then what is your point?”

Susie paused. What was her point exactly? Was she trying to make amends, somehow? Was this because she felt guilty about what she had done? Doubtful, she was taking steps elsewhere to repair the damage HWC had caused, and she doubted her personal injuries towards the dark blue knight would somehow be healed by assembling a second-hand biography. So, why then?

She settled on, “Something about him seems, strange.”

“Strange?” The king just guffawed. “Buddy, I don’t know where you’re from, but everything in this system is bizarre. Half the inhabitants of Popstar were literally dreamed up, and the rest are from entirely different systems!”

“I understand, but I mean...” she paused, not wanting to show her hand but out of other options, “he seems so, familiar.”

That got Dedede to pause.

Now, Dedede wasn’t the smartest person in Dreamland, and he’d be the first to admit it. But that didn’t mean he was stupid. He knew Meta Knight was shady with a capital S, and more defensive of his past than he was of pretty much anything else – and that was saying something.

Of course, he also knew Susie wasn’t exactly the most trustworthy person around. Sure, she was at least a bit more upfront than, say, Magolor, but she had taken a sample of DNA from him without even bothering to try and help him out from under the rubble of his castle. He understood her motives probably weren’t aligned with his or, really, anyone on Popstar’s.

But then again, what harm could there be in sharing a few old memories?

“Alright, alright, I can tell you’re really desperate. Tell you what, let’s make a deal, huh?”

“...I’m listening.”

“See, my hammer, the old girl, she’s been running a little slow lately. Now, usually I prefer to go with classic mallet action, but hey, ain’t nothing wrong with a rocket swing, right? So, I figure, you got enough tech on your hands, you could probably soup her up, and I could tell you a couple things you wanna know. Sound like a deal?”

The king held out his hand, clearly eager to get his hands back on a stronger weapon. It took a few seconds for Susie to be receptive, but eventually, their hands were clasped tight.

“You’ve got a deal, your majesty. I’ll get to work on your hammer as soon as I get back to headquarters.”

“Now,” she went on, “what was that story about the Star Rod again?”

Chapter Text

Look, if you wanna know where the thing ACTUALLY comes from, you’re gonna have to ask someone else. Sure, I’ve heard stories and rumors, we all have. But nobody knows for sure. The only thing we know is, when Meta Knight showed up here in Dreamland, he had the thing in his hand already.

Now, what’s happened to it since then? That, I can tell you about.

So, pretty much anyone you ask can tell you, he may have started out with that thing, and he may still use it today, but he hasn’t ALWAYS used Galaxia. No, instead he used that gold sword, the, what did we call it again? Oh, right, the MASTER blade.

Now, don’t get me wrong: the Master Blade was STRONG. You don’t just give the best knight on the planet some cheap, hand-me-down Blade Knight sword, alright? No, this thing was forged in the fires of Vocal Volcano, blessed in Sacred Square, and fitted with a jewel taken from the Great Cave itself.

Yeah, I know, probably sounds pretty extreme, right? Well, trust me, he needed the best. Someone like Meta Knight, you can’t really settle for second best. He needs the best weapon he could possibly get. That’s what the Master Blade needed to be. It was all-powerful, could cut through anything, could solve any problem, could be any element you needed it to be. It was a true Master.

But it wasn’t Galaxia.

Now, you’ve seen Galaxia, I’m sure. Ever since he got it back, he hasn’t gone anywhere without it. Of course, I would argue the Master Blade was a better sword, but then, I helped forge it myself, of course I would. Still, Galaxia holds some sentimental value to Meta Knight, so, I suppose it’s only right it returned to him.

How’d he lose it...oh, now I remember.

So, it was some time before he first met Kirby. I think it was a few years after Nightmare was sealed in the Fountain, but before Dedede started getting a really big head about it. He was still very focused on being strong at that point, wanted to be able to take down any opponent, no matter who or what they were. Unfortunately, he got, a bit of an ego, so to say.

You’ve heard, I’m sure, of the Novas. How could you not, that company came by with one just this year. Well, there used to be one very close by. Basically, within our system, honestly. Sure, you could only summon it with pieces from each of the Dream Fountains, but that’s no sweat, right? There are only like seven of them.

He got them, alright. He summoned the Galactic Nova, the biggest wish granting machine in the Galaxy. And what does he wish for? What’s his greatest desire in all of the world? To fight the strongest warrior in the galaxy.

Now, I don’t know how much you know about Gamble, but a lot of things went down in this part of the universe. Listen to any of Meta Knight’s old stories, any of those old fables, there’s a good chance they happened in Gamble. Now, that includes old wars between Ancients, wars against Dark Matter, and, most importantly, the sealing of Galacta Knight.

Do you know who that is? Oh, good, you’ve heard the stories. Well, turns out, they’re all true.

Now, most of the crew wasn’t there at the time. As far as I know, Vul and Blade might be the only two Dreamlanders who ever saw the Knights duel. But what I did see, was the aftermath.

The blade was sent hurtling through the system. I’m pretty sure it landed on Caverna, or Cavius, or one of those planets. We didn’t have time to track it down, unfortunately, since Meta Knight was actively bleeding to death.

You ever seen an Astral bleed? Because let me tell you, it doesn’t look how you’d expect.

So, that’s when and why we forged the Master Blade. Best blade ever forged on all of Popstar. And I don’t think you’re ever going to see it again.

You’re familiar with the Mirror, right? Yeah, I, won’t go into too much detail, I know it’s a sore subject. But a few years back, Meta Knight and Kirby had some trouble on the other side of the Mirror, and Meta Knight had to leave the Master Blade behind as a result. It’s a shame, but I understand.

Of course, not long after, he just happened to go visit one of the nearby planets, and wouldn’t you know it, there it was. Galaxia, the golden blade. The eternal sword.

As for what it can do?

Pray you never have to learn.

Chapter Text

Aight, aight, now, I’m sure you’ve seen our illustrious Dream Fountain. One’a the key fixtures of Dreamland, and indeed, all’a Popstar. Ain’t no one in this kingdom who won’t tell you its story. Birthed our whole dang planet, all from the dreams of people from entirely different planets. Heck, they had to make more dream fountains out of this one’s waters, just ‘cause y’all wouldn’t stop dreaming up new critters! It’s adorable, really.

Now, one thing you might not know, is each dream fountain is SUPPOSED to have, a little more than just the fountain. The other planets all have these little star thingies, used to be able to summon this big old clock, grant you a wish and be on its way. Then, of course, someone made a nasty wish, and Kirby just clocked ‘em into the thing, blew it the heck up. But our fountain, the original, had something different. It didn’t have a star, no. It had a star rod.

I think, if you go far enough back, ask enough old people about other old people, you could probably get a decent gauge of where the Star Rod came from. Probably those old Ancients everyone’s always blathering on about these days. Me, all I knew is what my daddy taught me, and his mommy before him. The Star Rod can destroy anything, could make it dead, no matter how powerful.

Yeah, my daddy’s mommy wasn’t exactly right, I’m gonna spoil that right now.

Now, this was a few years after Metty showed up on Popstar. I didn’t know ‘im all that well at the time, I was just a random bird diving around in Rainbow Resort. However, one day, he came round to pretty much all of Dreamland, and started asking for help, for volunteers, to get rid of this big bad nightmare that had come out of the Fountain.

Now, I notice immediately, ain’t nobody stepping up to do jack. Not that I blame ‘em, no, we’d all been having the same dreams, at that point, and when you hear something might be CAUSING those dreams, well, it less fills you with fighting spirit than the urge to curl up in a ball and cry. And keep in mind, Meta ain’t immune to those dreams neither. I’m sure he was seeing those same visions, of himself being, well, brutalized, just like all a us.

But, Meta, he ain’t no joke. He’s the real deal. He stands up and asks for anyone to help take this thing down, anyone at all. Now, I’m remembering the story my pops told me, so I step forward, and I say, “Hey, I think I know something we could use against this thing!”

And that’s how Meta and I first met.

Now, it’s a long story, how we got rid of Nightmare. It’d take days to go through everything, and I don’t think that’s really what you wanna hear about. Nah, you wanna hear about the important parts. The final battle, and when he came back.

So, the Star Rod. Turns out, it ain’t exactly the instant kill switch my family had been thinking it was, but it ain’t exactly powerless either. Nah, it was made to work with the fountain, sorta a sealing stone type a thing. You use that rod, and any dream bubbling on the surface of the fountain can get shoved back in. ‘Course, Nightmare had already broken the surface, but hey, didn’t mean we couldn’t try! So, we went in, and beat that thing down until we could shove it in the fountain, and bam – Star Rod in place, Nightmare sealed, everything clean and tidy all over again.

That was, god, maybe 10, 15 years ago? Definitely been a hot second. Now, that was a defining point for both Metty and me. For him, it convinced him of one thing: Dreamlanders ain’t helpful. They’re lazy, entitled, just waitin’ around for someone else to do anything important.

I don’t think he was right, of course. I mean, just look at Bandan, and you can tell he didn’t think it all the way through. But, hey, that’s what he thought for a long, long while.

As for me, well, I can’t say I didn’t start to get a big head. I mean, fighting alongside an Astral, the kind of thing my ancestors used to talk about being all powerful messengers of a god? Being the only one in the whole country to actually fight against the Nightmare? Heck, just defeating the Nightmare, sealing it away for years? That all ain’t nothing.

So, I decided, “ya know what? I should be king ‘a this place. I mean, who else would be a better fit, right?”

Of course, it, took a couple years for anyone else to take that seriously, but, eventually, I made it.

Now, flash forward, a little later. Not long after the first time Kirby came strolling through here. I’m checking on the fountain, make sure everything is in order, when I notice something’s weird about the Star Rod. Namely, it seems to be getting, weaker.

So, here’s the thing. Like I said, the Star Rod was supposed to be a way to stop something getting out of the fountain, but only before they were fully formed. Now, with Nightmare, all it was doing was sitting there, giving off power, and no doing a lick to actual keep him under. So, what does he do?

He tries to take its power for himself, so he can break out.

Now that’s when I panic.

I call up pretty much anything with power in Dreamland. The old nature guardian, that big cloud thing, the Sun and the Moon even. And, of course, I call on Meta Knight too. I tell ‘em all, “Hey, we need to get this thing as far from the fountain as possible, I’m gonna break it up, and give each of you a piece, keep them far apart, and don’t let anyone take ‘em, got it?” And of course, they do, and they all go their separate ways, and meanwhile I stick near the fountain, ‘cause I ain’t about to leave it undefended in case this thing DOES manage to break out.

Of course, it was just my luck Nightmare had enough power at that point to affect the waters. Soon, no one in Dreamland is able to get a lick of sleep, ‘cause they can’t dream nothing. Sure enough, word gets to the puff ball that I’m at the Dream Fountain, and the Star Rod is broken up and away from it, and well, you can guess what he decides he has to do.

Guess it all worked out alright in the end, though, wouldn’t ya say?

Chapter Text

I understand you have questions. I don’t blame you; nobody can blame you.

But for Void’s sake, you can’t just ask him these things. Not with your history.

Look, I’ve been in Orange Ocean for my whole life, and let me tell you what we all learned about him as soon as he arrived. If you’re on his good side, you’re safe. If you’re on his bad side, you’d better start running. And right now, I’m pretty damn sure you’re on his bad side.

Okay. Okay okay okay okay okay. Look. I’ll tell you what I remember, but that isn’t much.

He moved out here a year after he arrived on Popstar. Apparently, he already had plans when he got here, wanted to be a major player, someone important not just for Dreamland, but for all of Popstar. He immediately started building a crew.

Well, I’m sure you’ve seen the Knights. Blade, Sword, Axe, Javelin. Heck, I’m technically a part of the same family, myself. We’re all born from similar dreams, of victory, or glory, or conquest. Naturally, a lot of us were drawn in by Meta’s offer, of forming a strong militia, an army, that could act as a powerful force for change on the planet.

I remember, there were only two non-knights who answered his call back then. One was a fairly scrawny looking Dee, the kind you might see hanging around in Vegetable Valley or Green Greens, not Orange Ocean. I figured he was toast once any actual fighting started, though, from what I’ve heard, he’s still technically in the crew.

The other was Vul. And let’s just say, I had a bad feeling once I saw him join.

Captain Vul is not the kind of man you want to work with. See, Meta is ruthless, and merciless, but he has a sense of morality. He’ll only attack if he has reason to. But Vul? He’s not so principled. He’s selfish, a backstabber, and only cares about being as powerful as he can. That was when I first started doubting this whole “Meta-Knights” business.

Pretty soon, though, the crew was working on a ship. I’m sure you’ve seen it, that airship with his face on it. The Halberd. The most powerful vessel ever to sail through Popstar’s skies.

Yeah, I know what I said.

The ship was a work of art, I’ll admit that much. The design was built around speed and brutal firepower. It can fly at over five times the speed of sound, and a single blast from its cannons could level a small planet. It is a beast, and it took years to fully complete.

I was around for the first.

...I think he’s changed, over the years. Became closer with Kirby, started putting more and more time into protecting people, became a lot kinder. But back then, he didn’t have the boundaries he does now. If someone irritated him...well.

You know, there used to be another of the Knight family. A Halberd Knight. The ship was named for him.

Yes, you’ve heard the stories right. Dreamlanders can’t die, not conventionally, by attack.

At least, not by a standard entity.

It wasn’t even a major fight, or anything seriously wrong. Halberd was just upset about being assigned cleanup detail for the day and went to complain to Meta Knight himself.

That’s when we learned what makes Galaxia so special; if the wielder wants to hurt an opponent, they will simply be hurt. But if it’s wielder wants their opponent dead...

That’s why I left. I had no other choice, at least in my eyes.

...I suppose that’s true. He must have not wanted you dead. If he did, well, you wouldn’t be here.

Though, then again, you aren’t exactly a Dreamlander, are you?

Chapter Text

I don’t think you have anything to fear, at this point. I mean, you’ve been training with him long enough, if he didn’t trust you, you’d know it by now. He’s not exactly subtle when he dislikes someone.

You know, I always forget, you weren’t fully, you, when he touched down. Yes, touched down. Come now, you must know at this point, he’s not a Popstar native. He’s, what do they call him, an Astral?

Of course, I always thought that odd, that he seemed to be an Astral. I suppose you likely don’t remember, but most Astrals were, destroyed, long ago. The few – yes, by Dark Matter, that’s why I said remember instead of know – the few who survived were scattered across the universe. I believe I’ve heard that maybe three Astrals have been found outside of Kirby and Meta Knight, and they were all badly injured and, effectively, powerless.

I’m about 7 in Owl Years, so maybe 70, 80 in Dreamland Years? I don’t know, it’s hard to keep track these days.

Look, my point is, Astrals are rare, and the few who survive are weak. So, for a powerful Astral to touch down, holding a baby Astral in his arms, that was a big deal.

I remember that day, so well, the fear and anticipation that filled us all. Many people thought it was a sign of bad luck, a curse placed upon Dreamland. Others claimed the opposite, that he was an angel sent to us, a blessing on the land’s people.

I don’t know if he came to us as a blessing, or a curse. All I know is he came to us with a passion.

He left the baby with a small family of Dees, and he only stuck around the town for a week. During that week, barely anyone could keep track of where he is, and those who try often find themselves back at the fountain.

...I found him, once. I talked to him.

He didn’t tell me much. I don’t think he’s ever been comfortable talking about himself. But he did tell me a few things.

Of course I remember. I burned it into my memory and wrote it 20 times for good measure.

“The child is like me, but different. They did not choose this life, nor the power they were given. They did not choose to be what they are, and yet I know this world will ask from them all they have. They deserve peace and love, far more than I could ever have received. They deserve a chance to be happy. That’s why I brought them here.”

I think it’s the most anyone ever heard him speak, until the Nightmare event.

You know who the child is, I’m sure. It hardly takes a genius to figure it out.

He left shortly after that. For a long time, nobody heard hide nor hair from him. Some say he sought out artifacts of Popstar, while others claim he was in hiding from whoever or whatever he came here to escape from. The next time anyone saw him, he was already masked, attempting to raise an army in Orange Ocean.

Sometimes, I wish I had approached him back then. Asked if he still believed what he did back when he arrived on this planet. Asked if he really cared about the child he brought to Dreamland. But I had other concerns at the time. Besides, I didn’t think he meant ill to anyone.

Honestly, I still don’t.

In any case, that’s when I decided to stay in Dreamland for as long as I could, to watch over that child of the stars, and make sure he would grow up safe and happy. All these years later, I like to think I did well. I think the boy became a good soul.

I mean, he saved you, didn’t he?

Chapter Text

Notice: You are about to access Maximum Confidential Files, only intended for the heads of the HAL Project. Should you be found to have fabricated your credentials, you will be terminated from your current place of employment, and if legal in your current system, immediately killed. Have a lovely day!

The Healing Ancient Lifeforms Project

Funders:

Haltmann Works Company

Ŭˆ√´¬ Çø®πø®å†ˆø˜

Òˆ†®ø˜ Òˆµ´†´∂ Óø¬∂ˆ˜©ß

Current Status: Terminated

> open folder "KRP"

> open file “Subject List”

ID-A01: Terminated

ID-A02: Terminated

ID-A03: Terminated

> find “ID-M”

ID-M81: Terminated

ID-M82: Terminated

ID-M83: Terminated

ID-M84: Terminated

ID-M85: Escaped (Current Status Unknown)

ID-N86: Escaped (Current Status Unknown)

> search folder “Confidential Correspondence”

5,198,342 Files available

> find “ID-M85”

6 Files available

“Regarding 85’s growth”

“Re: Regarding 85’s growth”

“Potential infection detected...”

“85’s termination”

“Re: 85’s termination”

“Re: Re: 85’s termination”

> open all

From: Doctor Saito

To: Director Sakurai

Subject: Regarding 85’s growth

Dear Director,

I am pleased to report Subject ID-M85 can be counted as the first success of the Meta method, as it has fully developed into an Astral-like body. It is already capable of complex thought and reasoning and seems to be doing exceptionally well in combat training as well. While growth is slower than exhibited by ID-H42, 85 is considerably more obedient than any subject developed under that method and shows no signs of resistance or rebellion as of right now.

I really do encourage you to come see the results for yourself, sir. Dr. Ozawa has been overseeing its development alongside me, and we both agree it’s by far the most impressive result of our project yet, if only for being so powerful and not displaying any signs of Dark Matter corruption. I assure you; you will not be disappointed.

Sincerely,

Doctor Saito

Chief of Subject Creation

---

From: Director Sakurai

To: Doctor Saito

Subject: Re: Regarding 85’s growth

Dear Doctor Saito,

I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first. The last time either you or Ozawa were this optimistic about a test subject, it was the 72 fiasco, and I think we all know that was an embarrassment for the project. However, ID-M85 is everything you’ve said, and more! Truly, the epitome of the Meta Method, in every way. I’m honestly impressed!

I will say, I’m not too fond of the yellow coloration. We are building a super-weapon here, and I would say that Yellow isn’t exactly the most, threatening color. I know Shiggy was a big proponent, but I still think Pink like the original knight would be a bit more, fitting. Still, I feel like I can more than live with the color when it’s THIS powerful.

Obviously, it’s too soon to say with confidence how successful the test subject will really be, and I know John’s been itching to try out his new idea (I’m sure we’ve both received his emails about the “inert genetic samples”), so more testing will be necessary. Perhaps, though, we could begin testing 85’s compatibility with Galaxia? Though, I will also suggest adding a lot more padding to the simulator if we do.

Keep up the good work, and you and Ozawa might just be seeing something special coming your way.

Sincerely,

Director Sakurai

Head of the Knight Resurrection Project in HAL Laboratories

PS: Since the subject has begun expressing more personality, more personable pronouns may be permitted if desired. I’d warn against naming at this point, still, but I’m pretty sure I already heard Ozawa calling it “Meta” a few times.

---

From: Doctor Ozawa

To: Doctor Saito

Subject: Potential infection detected on ID-M85

Takashi, get your ass off the golf course right now. We might have a code blue on our hands.

---

From: Doctor Saito

To: Doctor Ozawa

Subject: 85’s termination

Dear Doctor Ozawa,

As of 13:15 SGT, today, subject ID-M85 is scheduled to be terminated next week. It’s fortunate we caught the corruption early, if 85 had progressed further, we might have had another 72 on our hands.

I understand this is going to be difficult for you, even more than the rest of us, but I assure you it has to be done. Subject 85 can’t be allowed to risk the safety of the whole HAL Project.

Dr. Ohmoto is already working on the next subject. Hopefully, things will go better with this one. We’re using John’s method, so, take that as you will.

The termination will be at 8:00, next Wednesday. I hope you’ll be there with us; I know it will make 85 feel calmer.

Sincerely,

Doctor Saito

Chief of Subject Creation

---

From: Doctor Ozawa

To: Doctor Saito

Subject: Re: 85’s termination

Dear Dr. Saito,

I understand this wasn’t entirely your decision, but I still feel I must strongly disagree with you on this. Meta should not be terminated, not this soon.

We still don’t fully understand this process, and it is entirely possible we could reverse it. Only his hands and feet have grown dark, and they aren’t even full black. He has shown no signs of insubordination or misconduct, and in fact was extremely cooperative with the team when these symptoms were investigated. It’s simply too soon to terminate him.

Additionally, I cannot stress enough how bad an idea this new method is. If the concern is subjects being corrupted by Dark Matter, I highly doubt using Dark Matter as the catalyst for the cells could ever POSSIBLY be a good idea. At best, we’ll have an entity to powerful for us to properly control, and at worst we’d essentially be making a version of both Galacta Knight and Dark Matter that was more powerful and more destructive than either one. We might even risk creating a second Termina with this method, and that’s the exact opposite of what we want!

Takashi, I know you understand this is the wrong decision. And I know you have pull with the Director. We can’t let this happen. Please.

Sincerely,

Doctor Ozawa

Researcher for the Knight Resurrection Project

---

From: Doctor Saito

To: Doctor Ozawa

Kazu,

I understand what you’re saying, believe me, I do. But the fact is, this choice isn’t in our hands anymore. Even Director Sakurai’s hands are forced right now. Haltmann has already threatened to pull financial support if any more subjects breach containment, and the heads of the HAL Project are taking that risk very seriously. In any case, Ohmoto and her team have already created the first subject from the new Matter method, and operation rules clearly state two subjects can’t be active for more than five days without one being terminated.

I agree, Meta has been the perfect subject, and I don’t want him terminated any more than you do. But we don’t really have a choice in the matter anymore.

If it helps any, the termination should be quick and painless. I’ve seen the process through almost a hundred times now, and I promise, he won’t feel any pain.

I’m sorry it has to be this way, but it really does.

Sincerely,

Takashi

---

End of files

> open file “Laboratory System Report”

BEGIN LOG

SYSTEM ACTIVATED

DAY 1: ALL SYSTEMS OPTIMAL

DAY 2: ALL SYSTEMS OPTIMAL

DAY 3: ALL SYSTEMS OPTIMAL

> find “DAY 1986”

DAY 1986: SYSTEMS ERROR

INVESTIGATING...

BREACHES DETECTED IN KRP FACILITY

BREACH DETECTED IN CONTAINMENT CELL 85

BREACH DETECTED IN JUVENILE LAB

BREACH DETECTED IN ARMORY

ACCESSING SECURITY LOGS...

SIGN IN DETECTED FROM “Dr. Kazu Ozawa”

“Dr. Kazu Ozawa” DESIGNATED SUSPECT

SUSPECT ACCESS DETECTED IN CONTAINMENT CELL AREA

SUSPECT ACCESS DETECTED IN JUVENILE LAB

SUSPECT ACCESS DETECTED IN ARMORY

SUSPECT ACCESS DETECTED IN SHIP DOCK

ACCESSING SHIP DOCK CAMERA...

ERROR: ALL CAMERA FEEDS OFFLINE

ACCESSING SHIP DOCK MICROPHONES...

VOICES DETECTED

VOICE 1 IDENTIFIED AS “John Kirby”

VOICE 2 UNIDENTIFIED

VOICE 1: Hey easy I don’t want any trouble.

VOICE 2: I need your ship.

VOICE 1: My my ship why do you need my ship.

VOICE 2: I need to leave.

VOICE 1: Is that is that subject 86.

VOICE 2: That is none of your concern.

VOICE 1: Look don’t hurt me okay here the key is yours.

VOICE 2: Good.

VOICE 1: Do you even know where your going to go?

VOICE 2: I.

VOICE 1: Look theres a planet called pop star in this galaxy the coordinates should be saved on my ship.

VOICE 2: Why are you telling me this.

VOICE 1: Maybe I just want to be able to live with myself again now go.

VOICE 2: Thank you.

ERROR: SHIP DOCK MICROPHONES OVERLOADED

SYSTEM ERROR: POWER OFFLINE

INITIATING LOW POWER MODE FOR ALL FACILITIES

DEACTIVATING AUTOMATED SYSTEMS...

HAVE A LOVELY DAY!

> close all files

> log out of HAL system

> transfer permissions to c-user:MetaKnight

> send message to c-user:MetaKnight

“I found this project in some old archive my dad made. I think this was back when he was studying the ancients, a little before he found Star Dream. I know it probably doesn’t raise your opinion of me or the company to know we had a hand in this, but I figured you deserved to know anything and everything that was going on.”

Message sent

Chapter Text

The sounds of blades clashing rang out through the Halberd. Most of the crew simply rolled their eyes, though a few occasionally glanced towards the deck to make sure nothing was damaged. After what happened with the Access Ark fiasco, there was an understandable fear among the Meta-Knights about what could go wrong.

(Of course, nothing was damaged. Meta Knight and Kirby had been doing this for years now, they knew how to spar without wrecking the environment around them.)

Eventually, as 95% of the crew had predicted as soon as Kirby landed, Galaxia flew away from the Knight’s hands, and Meta Knight fell to his hands. Kirby nodded, before putting his sword down and helping the older orb up.

“Sorry, Meta! Didn’t think it would hit you that hard!”

Meta Knight simply nodded curtly. “It’s alright, I was just, caught off-guard I suppose.” He brushed off his mask and boots and curled his wings back up under his cape. He should’ve expected Kirby wouldn’t be going easy, it was rare for Kirby to ever lose energy, let alone so soon after an adventure.

Looking at him, Meta felt a smile grow under his mask. It used to be hard for him to reconcile, Kirby’s soft and caring personality with his incredible power and skill. A part of him had always believed that the suffering, the torment, he had endured in his youth, had been the reason he was so strong, that it had all been justified as it created the warrior he was today.

Seeing Kirby, he wasn’t so sure that was true, anymore.

“So, is the, uh, wager still on?”

Oh, that’s right. He had made something of a bet with Kirby before this duel, didn’t he?

“Yes, yes, apologies,” he replied, calling Galaxia to his side, and sheathing it. “Well, alright, what question would you like answered then?”

Kirby seemed to pinch himself in concentration, before looking up and answering, “Oh, there is one thing I’ve been curious about recently!”

“And that is?”

“What are we?”

Meta Knight froze. He didn’t know where this conversation was going, but he had a bad feeling it wasn’t going to be pleasant.

Still, Kirby kept going, “I mean, I’ve heard a couple people mention we were, um, astral, or something? And, I don’t think we’re native to Popstar, but, Susie thought we were, and she seemed surprised by how strong you and I were, and, uh, I don’t know if, that’s, natural? I don’t know if I’m, natural, I guess?”

The pink puff shuffled his feet a bit. He figured this was something of a sensitive topic with Meta Knight, considering the lengths he went to just to keep his face hidden, but Kirby had been so curious about it, ever since first seeing it. He knew he wasn’t a Waddle Dee essentially since he was able to look in a Mirror, but he’d never really known what he was. Did Meta know? Did anyone?

Eventually, the knight answered.

“A long time ago, there was a species, who roamed the stars. Some say they were the first race to ever exist, while others claim they were simply the most powerful species created by the Void. They were known as the Astrals, and they were strong. Strong like you and I, some perhaps even stronger.”

He looked away from Kirby, not wanting to see his face for what followed. “Then, when the war to defeat the Void was waged, one of their kind, the most powerful warrior they had, became the Galacta Knight, and led the heroes who destroyed it. And, when the Dark Matter was created, following the Void’s destruction...”

“They hunted down the Astrals, didn’t they?”

“...most of them, yes. A few survived, scattered across the Universe, but they were weakened, and their ranks thinned.”

Kirby thought for a bit, “So, we’re like them, then? We’re, Astrals?”

“...mostly. That is our species, our kind, but...well. Perhaps the rest is a story for another day.”

“Aw, come on! You can’t stop there! Where did we come from? Where are the other Astrals? Did they give birth to us? Do Astrals give birth? How do they-”

“Alright, alright,” The knight said, picking up his young pupil, “that’s enough for now. I promise, I’ll tell you more in the future. For now, you should head home, or maybe check on the King. I’m sure he’d appreciate if you help in the repairs for his castle.”

“Oh, yeah!” Kirby responded, as easily distracted as ever, “I promised I’d help with the clean-up once we were done here!”

With that, the young Astral ran off to his warp star, waving goodbye to Meta Knight, and took off for Castle Dedede.

And as he left, Meta Knight smiled. He would be alright, after all.

And if he was, then perhaps it was all worth it.