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As he stepped off of the Halberd’s loading ramp and onto the surface of Korronet 93 for the first time, Meta Knight wasn’t sure what to make of this strange new world.
It was quite different from Popstar. While Popstar was home to a variety of different terrains, Korronet 93 was a mostly rocky planet, with one half shrouded in a perpetually dark sky due to the planet being tidally locked with its star. The Halberd had landed on the dark side; the air and ground were cold and the planet’s five moons cast a dim glow over everything. The moonlight allowed Meta Knight to see a few pools of some sort of strange shimmering orange liquid dotting the planet’s surface. Despite the lack of a breeze, the liquid seemed to ripple and move, almost as if it were alive.
Looking off into the distance, Meta Knight could see a large city, composed of tall, silver spires that loomed against the darkness of the sky. Purple lights gleamed from the spires’ windows, and small, shuttle-like aircraft zoomed about overhead. Meta Knight heard footsteps behind him, and he turned around to see his husband, King Dedede, joining him at the end of the loading ramp. Dedede squinted at the city in the distance and frowned.
“You sure Mace put in the right landing coordinates?” He asked the knight. “We’re a long way off from their capitol!”
“The coordinates are correct, mi rey.” Meta Knight assured him. “King Kohms transmitted a landing location that would allow us to be near the capitol city, but not so near that the Halberd would disturb anyone.” The Halberd was much larger and louder than all of the tiny shuttles darting around; its presence definitely would have been alarming to the city’s residents. Dedede nodded in understanding.
“Guess that’s fair. But ain’t we supposed to have a guide showin’ us the way to the city?” He wondered aloud. “Where the heck are they?”
“I am right here, your majesty.” The king and the knight jumped slightly, startled by this new voice. They looked around, trying to figure out where and who it had come from, but they saw no one. Then, a shape began to emerge from one of the rippling orange puddles in front of them, and Dedede and Meta Knight realized that it was part of the puddle itself. The shape grew taller and took on a vaguely humanoid form that sported a pair of glowing yellow eyes where the “face” would be. A yellow line emerged beneath the eyes, creating a “mouth”. Once the shape had solidified into a more distinct form, the creature stepped forth, separating themselves from the puddle. The yellow line across their face curved into a smile and the creature bowed respectfully before the king and the knight.
“Welcome, King Dedede and Sir Meta Knight.” They greeted the pair. “I am Obeyr, a Mimic scientist serving in King Kohms’ court. It is an honor to meet you.” The Mimic, Obeyr, extended one of their hands toward Meta Knight. The knight shook hands with them, and then Obeyr offered their hand to Dedede. Dedede hesitated for a moment before accepting the handshake. Obeyr’s hand was soft and pliable in his grasp, almost like the consistency of a slime or a jelly. But unlike a slime or a jelly, it wasn’t sticking to his mitten at all.
“Nice to meet ya too, Obeyr.” He replied. Then, his gaze drifted to the orange puddle that the Mimic had emerged from. “So, uh… I hope I’m not pryin’ too much by askin’ this, but I can’t help but be a lil’ curious. What’s with the whole puddle thing you’ve got goin’ on there?” Obeyr smiled at the king, and then their body rippled, changing shape and mass until Dedede was staring face to face with an orange copy of himself.
“When my people are restin’ in our natural state, we take on that there liquid form.” Obeyr explained, imitating the king’s voice and inflections perfectly. “There’re other Mimics hangin’ out in there right now, takin’ it easy. But when we’re movin’ around and interactin’ with other species like I’m doin’ with you two, we take on that form I just showed y’all, a form that’s a lil’ more solid.” Both the king and the knight were impressed.
“Hm… I see why your kind are called Mimics.” Said Meta Knight. “You have that standard solid form that you appear in, but you can alter it at will to mimic other species.” Obeyr nodded and their body rippled once more, growing smaller and reshaping itself to take on the form of an orange Meta Knight.
“Indeed.” Obeyr confirmed, now sounding exactly like the knight. “My people are shapeshifters, and this ability of ours is a most wonderful gift. If you wish to learn more about my people, I would be happy to indulge you at a later time. But now, I must take you to His Excellency.” Obeyr shifted back into their normal solid form and gestured to the city in the distance. “Come now. I will escort you to the palace.” They began to slink off toward the city, with Meta Knight and Dedede following close behind them. Obeyr led the pair across the rocky plain the Halberd had landed on, through the gates at the entrance to the capitol, and down its bustling streets full of Mimics and Korronetans going about their day. Finally, they reached the Korronetan royal palace, and Obeyr brought them to the throne room. His Excellency, King Kohms J’Freeh the Fourth, awaited them.
Kohms wasn’t a Mimic like Obeyr. He was a Korronetan, a type of humanoid being with pale gray skin, violet eyes, jet black hair, and large ears lined with little ridges. Obeyr led Dedede and Meta Knight up a tall set of stairs, to a raised platform where His Excellency sat in his throne. Kohms looked pretty standard for a Korronetan. Like most of the Korronetans that Dedede and Meta Knight had seen in the street, Kohms had his dark hair slicked back and was dressed in fashionable dark purple and gray robes. However, there was one marked difference that set him apart from the rest of his people. A silver, crown-like adornment encircled the king’s head, which Dedede and Meta Knight assumed was to signify his regal status.
“Welcome, welcome, Friend Dedede and Friend Meta Knight!” Kohms greeted them as they approached his throne. His voice was jovial, and he wore a warm smile. “I am immensely pleased that you have decided to visit our world! Friend Taranza and Friend Susie have spoken very highly of you both, and it is a great honor to have you as my guests!”
“Well, I sure am glad that they put in a good word for us! Hopefully we’re makin’ a good impression so far!” Dedede chuckled. “Ranz told me a lil’ bit about you and your people, but it’s great to finally see y’all in person. So, y’all are the ones who cloned his and Soos’ lil’ one?” In what had come as a surprise to everyone, but no one more so than Taranza and Susie themselves, the pair had recently become parents to a baby girl, cloned especially for them by Kohms’ Mimic scientists. Kohms seemed delighted by the mention of the baby.
“Oh, yes! We are very proud of our advanced cloning technology!” He beamed. “This technology gives us the ability to help couples who are vastly different species, such as Friend Taranza and Friend Susie, to have children. Is that why you have come here, my friends? Do you wish to start a family of your own?”
“We have also come seeking to establish diplomatic relations between Dream Land and your kingdom, but yes. We have decided that we want to have a child together.” Meta Knight explained. “Do you require payment in order for us to utilize your cloning technology?”
“Oh, no monetary compensation is required at all!” Kohms waved him off. “The only compensation that we require is your satisfaction with our services! And you are certain that you would like to have a child?” Meta Knight and Dedede both nodded.
“Yes.” Said Meta Knight. “We are certain.” Kohms leaned in closer, eyeing the pair with suspicion.
“Absolutely certain?” His Excellency’s tone was friendly, and he was still smiling, but the suspicion in his eyes lingered. Meta Knight felt as if he was being interrogated. He didn’t exactly appreciate that, but he tried not to let his annoyance show.
“Yes. Absolutely certain.” The knight affirmed. Kohms still didn’t seem entirely convinced.
“There is not a shred of doubt in your mind, Friend Meta Knight?” Meta Knight grimaced beneath his mask. Was this really necessary?
“There is no doubt at all, Your Excellency.” He maintained. “I am entirely certain. I wish to have a child with my husband.” Seemingly satisfied with the knight’s answer, Kohms then turned to Dedede.
“Are Friend Meta Knight’s words true, Friend Dedede?” He asked the other king. “Both of you really do wish to have a child together?”
“Yep! Mety’s bein’ one-hundred percent honest!” Dedede confirmed. “I wanna be a dad just as much as he does. There’s nothin’ in this galaxy-in this universe, even-that we want more than this.” At long last, Kohms seemed to believe them both. His Excellency nodded, then gave a sheepish smile.
“Please forgive me for asking so many times, my friends. I do not mean to call your truthfulness into question, and I know that this must seem excessive, but surely you understand why I need to be absolutely certain of your wishes.” He explained. “I did not ask Friend Taranza and Friend Susie if they were certain that they wanted to have a child before I instructed my scientists to clone their daughter. As you may imagine, they were quite surprised when we gifted her to them…” Under his mask, a wry smirk graced Meta Knight’s face. Surprised was an understatement. Taranza and Susie had both been absolutely panicked about suddenly having a baby to be responsible for. They hadn’t arrived on their visit to establish contact between Floralia and Korronet 93 expecting to leave the planet as parents, and they had never even expected to have a child together at all. Meta Knight remembered the incident as Susie had explained it to him, when she and Taranza had called him and Dedede seeking advice on how to properly look after their new addition.
She had said that the visit had been going well, but upon learning that they were engaged to be married, Kohms had asked her and Taranza if they were planning to have children after their wedding. This led to the two of them having to somewhat awkwardly explain that it was not possible for them to have a child together through the usual way that a young couple would go about trying to start a family. They could try as much as they wanted, but because they were such different species, they would never end up with a baby. Kohms had not yet told Taranza and Susie about the advanced cloning technology possessed by the Korronetans and Mimics, and he had misinterpreted their simple statement of fact that they could not have a child as a wish to become parents.
Kohms had liked the two of them so much that he had wanted to give them a gift, both to show his appreciation for them and to celebrate their upcoming wedding. He had thought that a child would be the perfect gift, so he and his scientists got to work on cloning one. When they were presented with the baby-a tiny little girl with a fanged smile, six floating hands, and bright pink hair-Taranza and Susie then had to clarify to Kohms that the two of them saying that they were unable to have a child did not necessarily mean that they wished to have one.
Despite their initial panic, it had all worked out for them in the end, fortunately. When Taranza and Susie had both had some time to calm down, discuss everything, and spend some time with their daughter, they came to the decision that raising a child together was something that they both wanted. But because of how easily this could have turned into a bad situation for everyone involved, Meta Knight supposed that it made sense for Kohms to now be so cautious about confirming everyone’s wishes.
“I understand your concerns, Your Excellency, but both Dedede and I truly do wish to become parents.” Meta Knight promised him. “We would be very grateful to you and your scientists if you could give us a child. And even though her arrival was a surprise to them both, Taranza and Susie are very grateful to you for giving them their daughter.” The sheepish smile that Kohms had been sporting shifted into one of genuine joy.
“I am quite pleased to hear that, Friend Meta Knight!” He replied. “Very well then. I shall send for one of my other scientists at once so that we may begin the cloning process. Obeyr, will you please fetch Jahnwah?” Obeyr nodded and slinked down the lengthy staircase to go find their fellow scientist. Kohms rose from his throne and approached Dedede and Meta Knight. Standing at his full height now, he was shorter than Dedede, but taller than Meta Knight.
“Speaking of Friend Taranza and Friend Susie, I have been informed that they are married now. I regret that I could not attend their wedding, as I was away for a conference on another world in the Korronet system.” Kohms explained. “But I did send my regards, and I also sent them a gift-not a child this time, though!” Dedede had an idea of what this gift was. When he was at the wedding, Taranza had mentioned to him that Kohms had sent him and Susie some flowers from Korronet 93. Taranza was planning to add them to the massive garden courtyard in his palace, and Susie wanted to analyze and compare them to the plants that were native to Popstar.
“Ranz and Soos really liked your gift! But it’s too bad you couldn’t come see ‘em get married.” Said Dedede. “It was a lovely weddin’, they both had some real heartfelt vows and there were lots of tears of happiness all around!” Even the more stoic guests like Meta Knight had not been immune to getting a little misty-eyed. During the ceremony, Dedede had glimpsed a few tears falling from the knight’s mask-which Meta Knight had tried to play off as just having something in his eyes, of course. Dedede hadn’t teased him about it, but he knew his husband. And he knew that, although he was judicious about who he showed it to, his knight had a soft heart concealed beneath his armored exterior.
“Taranza and Susie are currently vacationing on Planet Misteen for their honeymoon, but they will likely make arrangements to see you when they return.” Meta Knight explained to Kohms. “Taranza’s mother, Lady Theraphoza, is caring for their daughter while they are away.”
“Oh, that is wonderful news!” Kohms squealed excitedly. “I hope that she is quite pleased to be a grandmother!”
“She wasn’t expectin’ to become one, but she loves that lil’ girl with all her heart! Clover’s the most spoiled baby in all of Floralia, all thanks to her Nana!” Dedede laughed. He had seen how close Lady Thera was with Taranza, how much she always fussed over and doted upon him, and she had gone on to be equally devoted to her granddaughter. “It’s too bad our lil’ baby won’t have any grandparents, Mety.” Meta Knight grew tense at the mention of grandparents. The knight did have a “father” of sorts, but the mere thought of his “father” ever knowing his child filled him with disgust.
“That is for the best, mi rey...” He muttered. “My ‘father’ is nothing like Lady Thera. He would not have been a good abuelo…” The worst thing that Taranza and Susie had to deal with from Lady Thera was her scolding Taranza for making Susie a mother before making her his wife-which had not even been his fault, but was still considered somewhat improper according to the social customs followed by the Floralian aristocracy. However, if Meta Knight’s “father” had still been around, then he and Dedede would be dealing with much, much worse than a gentle scolding. Dedede frowned and reached down to give his knight’s hand a gentle squeeze.
“Can’t argue with that.” He agreed. “Sorry for bringin’ it up, I wasn’t thinkin’… your ol’ man definitely wasn’t a good guy.” He had encountered Meta Knight’s “father”, the wicked Nightmare, only once, but that one time had been more than enough. The dark being was terrifying and powerful, and had caused his beloved knight great pain. Meta Knight turned to face him, and even though he had his mask on, the softness in his knight’s eyes was plainly evident to the king. Dedede pictured him wearing a small smile beneath his armor.
“It is fine, mi rey.” Meta Knight assured him. “He is gone now. He will never harm us again, and our child will never have to know him.” A part of him did wonder if, one day, when their child was older, they might ask him and Dedede if they had any grandparents. Meta Knight wasn’t sure how he would answer that, what and how much he would disclose about his past. Hopefully he would not have to worry about that for some time. He heard the sound of doors swishing open, and he looked down to see Obeyr ascending up the staircase to the throne, flanked by another Mimic. When the pair reached the platform, the new Mimic bowed respectfully before the two kings and the knight.
“Greetings, King Dedede and Sir Meta Knight. I am Jahnwah.” The Mimic introduced themselves. “His Excellency has called upon me to assist with the cloning.” Janhwah’s form rippled slightly, and a second set of arms emerged on each side of their body, each holding a small vial. Obeyr had sprouted two additional arms as well. In one of their new hands they held a scalpel, and in the other they held surgical scissors-both of which unnerved Dedede and Meta Knight.
“They will need to obtain some samples from both of you to use for the cloning process.” Kohms explained in an attempt to dispel their unease. “When they cloned Friend Taranza and Friend Susie’s daughter, Obeyr and Jahnwah used locks of their hair, but anything will do as long as it is a part of you. Skin, hair, feathers, blood if your species possesses it-as long as it is yours, it can be used to clone your child.” Dedede and Meta Knight relaxed somewhat upon hearing that. Meta Knight extended one of his wings out from beneath his cape.
“Will you be able to use skin from my wings?” He asked Obeyr. The Mimic nodded and slinked toward him, scalpel in hand. Meta Knight resisted the urge to unsheathe Galaxia. He knew, rationally, that he was in no real danger here. Dedede was at his side, Kohms and the Mimics were friendly, and this was a completely safe and necessary part of the cloning process. But the thought of being poked and prodded by strange lifeforms brought back some memories that the knight would rather not dwell on.
Susie had earned his forgiveness and was genuinely remorseful for how she had harmed him during the mechanization of Popstar. She had reformed herself, become a better person, and after she and Meta Knight had some time to talk and to understand each other a little better, they had managed to forge a strong friendship. But Susie was not the only one who had warped Meta Knight’s body and robbed him of his agency-she was just the only one who had made amends for it, the only one who he had found it in his heart to forgive. There were others-Nightmare, Yin-Yarn, and the Kreeg Queen, to name a few-who had also used the knight for their own insidious agendas and felt no shame over their actions. Fortunately for Meta Knight, Nightmare and Yin-Yarn were dead, slain in battle by Kirby, and Taranza and Susie had crippled the Kreeg Queen too severely for her to be able to pose any further threat to Gamble Galaxy and its people. He would never have to cross paths with any of them ever again.
“Shall we use a numbing agent first before I take a sample?” Obeyr asked him, jarring him out of his dark thoughts. “It is not a very painful procedure, but we do not wish to cause you any discomfort.”
“I will be fine.” Meta Knight insisted. Being given a choice in what occurred to him eased any remaining worries that he harbored, but he could easily tolerate the pain of a scrape. “I have had worse things happen to my wings.” Worse things had happened thanks to his “father”, another reason why he was glad that the dark being would never meet his child. Obeyr nodded again and raised the scalpel to Meta Knight’s wing as Jahnwah approached with one of the vials. Dedede held his knight’s hand while the Mimic gently scraped some of his skin off into the vial. It didn’t hurt that much, but Meta Knight was grateful to have his king at his side to offer comfort. Once they had their sample from the knight, the Mimics sealed and labeled the vial and then turned to Dedede. The king removed his hat, revealing a tuft of feathers atop his head.
“Will y’all be able to use some of these?” He asked, gesturing to his feathers. Obeyr nodded and approached with the scissors. Meta Knight held his king’s hand as the Mimic carefully trimmed off a few feathers to use. It didn’t hurt at all-it was like getting a haircut-but Dedede appreciated sharing the moment with his knight.
“Do you wish for your child to be male or female?” Jahnwah inquired as they sealed and labeled the second vial. Meta Knight gave them a confused look.
“This is something that we are able to choose?” He asked. “It is not random?”
“Oh yes, we always provide the option to choose the child’s sex, if the couple would like to.” Kohms informed him. “Although many have no preference, or wish for it to be a surprise, and in those cases we do select at random. Do you wish to choose, or shall we select randomly for you?”
“What do you think, Mety?” Dedede asked his husband. “I’m fine with either a girl or a boy. You wanna pick?” Meta Knight thought for a moment. He would have been happy to receive either a son or a daughter, but since they were given the option to choose, he did have a particular choice in mind.
“Perhaps we should ask for a daughter.” He suggested. “Kirby can take care of himself, but in a way, he is like our son. It would be nice to have both a ‘son’ and a daughter.” And Kirby would no doubt be overjoyed to have a “little sister” in his life. He had practically been bouncing off of the walls with excitement when Meta Knight and Dedede had told him that they were considering having a baby, and he had promised them that he would be the best “big brother” ever to their child.
“Sounds good to me!” Dedede agreed. “We’d like a lil’ girl, then!”
“Please wait here. Obeyr and Jahnwah will bring your daughter to you when the cloning process is complete.” Kohms instructed. “I must attend to some governmental matters, but I will return as well to see you off before you leave the planet.” With that, Kohms descended the staircase, his scientists following close behind, and the three of them exited the throne room. Dedede and Meta Knight descended as well, but they did not leave the room. Instead, they waited together, sitting side by side at the bottom of the stairs.
“How long is this whole thing gonna take?” Dedede wondered. It had only been a few minutes, but he was already growing impatient, and was anxious to see his child. “From what Ranz said, it didn’t seem to take ‘em that much time to clone Clover for him and Soos.”
“I assume that it will not take long for us either.” Meta Knight surmised. “While we are waiting to meet our daughter, we can use the time provided to us to decide upon a name to give to her.” They had been discussing different names in the weeks and days leading up to this visit, but had not yet settled upon one. Dedede grinned an absolutely mischievous grin. He had one name in mind-not to give to their child, but to give him the satisfaction of seeing his husband’s less than enthusiastic reaction to it.
“What’re your thoughts on Dedede Junior?” He suggested. “We could call her DJ for short.” As he expected, Meta Knight was not thrilled by this idea. Dedede couldn’t see his mouth, but from the annoyed look in his eyes he imagined that the knight was scowling at him from behind his mask.
“Mi amor, you have a castle, a mountain, a resort, and many other things bearing your name already.” The knight sighed. “Is it really necessary for you to name our child after yourself as well?”
“I’m just messin’ with ya, Mety! I don’t actually wanna call her that.” Dedede chuckled. “She’s gonna be her own person even though I’ll be her ol’ man, so she should have her own name. You got any ideas for what you wanna call her?”
“What if we were to give her an Oscuran name?” Meta Knight suggested. “Since my own name is Oscuran, I think that it would be fitting if our daughter had an Oscuran name as well. And I think that her name should hold a significant meaning.” Meta Knight’s own name was meaningful, both to the knight himself and to his wicked “father”. “Meta” meant “goal” or “objective” in Lengua Oscura, and Nightmare had named him that since he had intended to use the knight to achieve his goal of conquering the universe.
Despite its less than desirable origin, Meta Knight liked his name. He embraced it as his own and had his own goals, wants, and desires beyond the ones that Nightmare had planned for him. He would give his daughter a name that was meaningful to him, but he hoped that it would be meaningful to her as well, that she would find her own significance in it and her own way to embrace it as he had done. Meta Knight rummaged around in his cape and pulled out a little book titled “Nombres Para Tu Bebé”. It was a book of baby names in Lengua Oscura. Dedede smiled at him, and, after glancing around to make sure they were well and truly alone in the throne room, he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of his knight’s head. Under his mask, Meta Knight blushed.
“You’re always so prepared, Mety. One of the reasons I love ya.” Dedede complimented him. “Now let’s take a gander at that there book and see if we can find a good Oscuran name for her.” They started flipping through the pages together, discussing and debating over different names that they came across.
“You know, if you wanna give her a name with some kinda meanin’ behind it, then we could call her somethin’ like Esperanza, or maybe Alma or Sofía, since those names mean ‘hope’, ‘soul’, and ‘wisdom’.” Dedede listed off several names that he had liked. “Or we could name her after somethin’ symbolic. Ranz said that he and Soos gave Clover her name because clovers symbolize good luck.” Dedede remembered Taranza explaining to him that he had wanted to give his daughter a botanical name-she was the princess of a kingdom full of flowers, after all-and since he and Susie had both suffered their fair share of loss and misfortune, they had both wanted to give Clover a name associated with luck, under a superstitious belief that giving her a lucky name would somehow assist her in living a lucky life.
“What do you think of the name Luna?” Meta Knight asked Dedede. “It means ‘moon’. I have always liked what moons symbolize. They are like beacons in the night, balancing the darkness with light.” Dedede brought light to the darkness within him, and he brought light to the darkness within Dedede. Together as partners, they were complete. They balanced out the good and bad inside of each other, made each other’s lives brighter, just as the moon brightened the night sky. To Meta Knight, it made all the sense in the world to name their child, the product of their union, after something that symbolized that union so well. Dedede was quiet for a moment as he mulled over the name. An uncertain expression crossed his face.
“I dunno… I get what you’re goin’ for, and Luna’s a nice enough name and all, but it’s also just the Oscuran word for ‘moon’.” He pointed out. “What if people start callin’ her ‘Moon’ or ‘Princess Moon’ instead of callin’ her Luna? You got any other names ya like that are connected to moons but don’t literally mean ‘moon’?” Meta Knight resumed flipping through the book, scanning over the options within.
“Hm… we have Selena, Diana, Artemisa-what about Cintia?” He finally selected a name. “It is the Oscuran version of the Galactic Standard name Cynthia, which is associated with moons and moon goddesses.”
“Cintia, huh… yeah, that’ll work!” Dedede agreed. “I think that’s a fittin’ name for her. We can call her Cindee for short.”
“Then it is settled. She will be known as Cintia, princess of Dream Land.” Meta Knight announced as he shut the book and stored it away in his cape again. “And anyone who dares to harm her shall incur our wrath.”
“Yeah! No one’s gonna mess with our lil’ princess or there’ll be hell to pay!” Dedede smirked. “I wonder what she’s gonna look like. Clover ended up lookin’ more like Ranz than like Soos.”
“Indeed.” Meta Knight nodded. “She does favor him in looks. But I see some of Susie in her as well. She has Susie’s eyes.” Clover only had two eyes, luminous blue with long eyelashes just like her mother’s, as opposed to the two glowing white and six yellow eyes that her father had. She also had the same “blush marks” that Susie did-little pink oval-shaped markings on both of her cheeks-and had Susie’s pink hair to match. But even though she had inherited her mother’s hair color, Clover’s hair was styled similarly to Taranza’s, in a short cut with square bangs.
When Taranza and Susie had first brought their daughter to the monthly Star Allies meetup to show her off to all of their friends, Zan Partizanne had made a snide comment about how it was unfortunate that Clover had inherited Taranza’s “bowl cut”, but despite the insult she had then congratulated him and Susie on becoming parents and wished them and their daughter well. That didn’t stop her from referring to Clover as “Bowl Cut Junior” whenever Taranza and Susie weren’t around, though. Meta Knight wondered what everyone would think of his and Dedede’s daughter. He also wondered what kind of insulting nickname Zan would come up with for her, since Zan seemed to have one ready for every single person that she encountered. He heard the sound of the doors swishing open again, and he and Dedede turned to see Obeyr and Jahnwah enter the throne room. They were pushing a levitating crib in front of themselves.
“Congratulations, King Dedede and Sir Meta Knight.” Obeyr congratulated them. “The cloning is complete. You are parents now.”
“Here is your child.” Said Jahnwah, gesturing to the crib. “We will let you have a moment alone with her while we inform His Excellency that the cloning was successful.” They pushed the crib toward Dedede and Meta Knight and then slinked away to go find Kohms. The king and the knight peered inside of the crib together for their first look at their daughter. She was asleep, swaddled snugly in a soft indigo blanket, so they could only see her little face-and that little face looked so much like Dedede’s own face. Dedede was overjoyed.
“Oh my stars!” The king exclaimed as he marveled at his baby. “She’s beautiful!” Tears of happiness welled up in his eyes, although he tried his best not to cry. He glanced over at Meta Knight, expecting him to be just as overwhelmed with emotion. But the knight seemed a bit pensive.
“Hey, what’s on your mind, Mety?” Dedede asked him. “Is somethin’ buggin’ you?”
“Did she inherit anything from me?” Meta Knight wondered. “She looks nearly identical to you…” Cindee looked almost exactly like a penguin and almost nothing like a Star Warrior. Staring down at her, Meta Knight felt like he was staring at a miniature version of his husband.
“I mean, that ain’t a bad thing, right?” Dedede reasoned. “I’m a handsome fella.”
“Yes, mi amor. You are very handsome.” Meta Knight agreed. “But she is my child as well as yours. I expected that she would inherit more of my features...” He imagined that this must have been how Susie felt when she saw her own daughter for the first time, since Clover had inherited more of Taranza’s Skyder traits than Susie’s Mechanican ones.
“I see a lil’ bit of you in her. She’s got your colorin’.” Dedede pointed out. “And she has those lil’ marks on her cheeks like you.” Their daughter’s feathers were a dark blue color, the same shade as Meta Knight’s body, and the cheeks of her beak bore purple oval-shaped markings, the same “blush marks” that Meta Knight had.
“I suppose that is true.” The knight admitted. “But aside from that, she resembles you. Only much smaller.” Dedede frowned.
“You’re still happy about bein’ a dad though, right?” He asked. “Even though she doesn’t look all that much like you?”
“Absolutely, mi rey. She may not resemble me strongly, but ultimately that is not what is important to me.” Meta Knight explained. “What is important is that she is here, she is mine, and she is yours. I am happy that I have a child, and I am especially happy that you are her other father.” He grabbed both of Dedede’s hands in his own and gazed up at him with so much love and adoration that it made the king’s heart melt. “Dedede, mi amor, you have been the greatest partner that I could ever ask for in battle and in marriage, and there is no one else in this universe whom I would wish to enter into this new partnership of parenthood with. I love you and our daughter more than anything.” Dedede gave him the most besotted look and broke into a big, sappy grin.
“Oh Mety, I love ya too! I could kiss ya right now!” He swooned. “But I won’t. I know how you get about other people seein’ me smoochin’ on ya, and Kohms and the Mimics are gonna be comin’ back soon.”
“I will be stealing many kisses from you later, cariño.” Meta Knight promised. “When we are alone in my quarters and will be uninterrupted. For now, I hope that this will suffice.” He lifted his mask slightly-just enough to expose his mouth-and brought one of Dedede’s hands up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to his mitten. The king blushed at the romantic gesture.
“That’s good enough for now, Mety, but I’ll make sure you keep your promise later when it’s just the two of us.” He smirked. Then, remembering Cindee, he added, “Well, just the three of us, actually, since Cindee’s gonna be stayin’ with us in your quarters. But she’s not gonna care if I’m kissin’ on her Papá in front of her. Heck, she’s probably just gonna sleep all the way back to Popstar like she’s doin’ now!”
“I am sure that she will awaken whenever she becomes hungry.” Meta Knight reasoned. “If she has inherited your appetite, that could happen quite frequently…” Before Dedede could say anything playful in response to that, he noticed that Cindee had opened her eyes. They were a brilliant shade of yellow, just like Meta Knight’s.
“Look, Mety!” Dedede pointed at their baby. “She’s got your eyes!” Meta Knight loomed over the crib, his eyes meeting Cindee’s. She smiled up at him. Behind his mask, he smiled back at her.
“Hm… she does indeed.” He noted.
“Poyo!” Cindee chirped happily as she stared up at both of her fathers. “Poyo, poyo, poyo!” Meta Knight’s eyes widened at this.
“Oh… that sound…” He said, his voice going soft. “It is the sound that all infants of my species make.”
“Kirbs used to say that a lot.” Dedede remembered. “Back when he was still a lil’ fella.” Kirby had been quite young when they had first met him, old enough to be able to speak but still prone to resorting to his species’ baby noises now and then instead of using words.
“Perhaps the traits that she has inherited from me are more subtle.” Meta Knight suspected. “She may favor you in looks, but in other ways she has taken after me.” The two of them watched as Cindee wriggled within her blanket and scrunched up her little face. She let out an indignant grunt of “Poyo…” when she found that she could not free herself from her soft confines.
“Aw, she’s wantin’ to get outta there.” Dedede realized. “Most babies like bein’ all swaddled up like this, but I guess she ain’t much of a fan of it.” Meta Knight reached down into the crib to grab Cindee, placing one of his hands under her body and the other under her head so she was well supported.
“There is no need for you to struggle, mija.” He told her as he gently lifted her up. “I will help you.” Meta Knight held her close to himself and went to work trying to adjust her blanket. He carefully loosened it, hoping that if she wasn’t wrapped so snugly she would be more comfortable. She squirmed a little more in his embrace, and something happened that surprised both him and Dedede. A tiny, bat-like wing popped out from beneath the folds of the blanket, followed promptly by another. Cindee flapped her wings vigorously and grinned, letting out a happy little cry of “Poyo!”.
“Wings!” Meta Knight exclaimed, his voice full of excitement. “She has my wings!” His eyes lit up, and his own wings fluttered slightly from the pride and joy that rushed over him.
“And here you were worryin’ that she didn’t get enough of your features!” Dedede teased him. “Those sure ain’t from me. That’s all you, Mety. She’s definitely your lil’ girl!” The two of them heard footsteps, and they looked up from their baby to see that Kohms had appeared again with Obeyr and Jahnwah.
“Another successful cloning!” Kohms beamed. “Friend Meta Knight, Friend Dedede, is your child to your liking?” The two of them nodded, and Cindee gave another little coo of “Poyo!” in response.
“Yes. She is perfect. Thank you, Your Excellency.” Meta Knight thanked him. “We are immensely grateful.”
“It is our pleasure!” Said Kohms. He bowed respectfully, as did Obeyr and Jahnwah. “I wish you safe travels back to Popstar! Please do visit again sometime! You are always welcome here, and should you ever wish to have another child, we will be happy to provide our services again!”
With that taken care of, the king and the knight said their goodbyes and trekked back to the Halberd with their new addition. Meta Knight held Cindee close to him as they walked, using part of his cape as a blanket to swaddle her-although he made sure that her wings were sticking out so she wouldn’t feel stifled. When they finally reached the ship, he and Dedede made their way up the loading ramp and into a lift that would take them to the deck harboring Meta Knight’s quarters. They would not be disturbed there, at least not for the next few hours. Captain Vul, Sailor Dee, and all of the knights were excited to see the baby, but Meta Knight had asked them to give him and Dedede some time to bond with her alone before they brought her to the bridge to show her off. Despite their eagerness to see their leader’s daughter, they respected his wishes and were content to wait a little while longer.
As the lift ascended, Dedede couldn’t help but be enamored by the tenderness that Meta Knight was showing toward Cindee. Even though his face was hidden beneath his mask, Dedede could see the sparkle in his knight’s eyes as he held their little girl. He had a reputation for being a ruthless warrior in battle, but he could be surprisingly gentle around the people and things that he cared for. Cindee was now one of those precious people. She would get to see Meta Knight’s softer side, would have the privilege of knowing this part of him that he seldom revealed to others.
“Mi pingüinita…” The knight murmured as he brought one of his hands up to smooth out the fluffy little tuft of feathers on Cindee’s head. She had fallen asleep again, and was snoring softly in his embrace. “You do not yet know how loved you are. But I promise that you will know. Your Daddy and I will make sure that you never doubt how much we cherish you.” He caressed one of her little wings as she slept, a little wing that looked so much like his own.
“Cindee, my lil’ princess… you’re gonna be the most loved lil’ baby in all of Dream Land, thanks to me and your Papá.” Dedede whispered, not wanting to wake her. “I’d say you’re also gonna be the most loved lil’ baby on all of Popstar, but Clover’s gonna give you a run for your money on that one.”
“You will never have to wonder if you are loved and wanted, as I once did.” Meta Knight promised her. “Te quiero, mi princesa. Por siempre.” She didn’t yet know what those words meant, but she would eventually. Meta Knight would make sure that she learned both Lengua Oscura and Galactic Standard. That way, she could speak to each of her fathers in the language that they were most comfortable in, and she would know just how much she was loved in both languages.
“Te quiero también, Cindee. Por todo el tiempo.” Dedede gave his own promise to her, also in Oscura. Then, he broke into a playful grin, turned to Meta Knight, and said, “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about you either, Mety. Te amo, mi caballero.” Meta Knight shifted Cindee so that he was holding her against himself with one hand, and he reached up with the other to remove his mask. The knight gave his king a soft smile, and his eyes shined with love and affection.
“Te amo también, mi rey.” He replied. “We will be alone for the next few hours, which means that I may steal as many kisses from you as I wish.”
“It ain’t stealin’ if I’m givin’ em’ to you for free.” The king smirked. “Come here, you.” Dedede leaned down until his lips met his knight’s in a gentle kiss, the first but most certainly not the last time that they’d be sharing a kiss that evening.