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Meta Knight ★ Kirby

“Victory is my destiny.”

Sword-wielding sphere from the planet Popstar!

A very peaceful and lovely place, when it’s not besieged by wizard curses and cosmic horrors.

He keeps sharp with his training, wanting to prepare himself and his allies for whatever lies ahead...

Really does care about his friends, even if his way of showing it is... indirect.

He got basically a genie wish once, and he just asked to fight the strongest warrior in the galaxy. And won!

A strange creature falls from the sky, startling the Vessel. It watches, surprise fading into a milder curiosity as they don’t seem to be hostile. In the prolonged silence, it stoops down to look more closely, its head tilting to one side, and then…

…It tries to pull its own cloak around itself, in a poor imitation of the other.

There is some tense wariness when it draws near, but it indicates no aggression. Meta Knight waits, watching in stillness, as they... imitate his pose? He gives them a small nod.

There’s a noise and a presence from behind him, that then becomes a presence before him, wielding a dangerous looking sword. Some little fellow with clawed wings, determined about something. Finally, someone taking this matter seriously. They have chosen silence, so he will too.

But the Sky Strewn Isles weren’t deserving of this kind of display. They would have to take this elsewhere. But, elsewhere that was still close enough that, should this be a new prisoner, they wouldn’t become a puff-ball in the wind without their power.

And then it clicked, and then he snapped his fingers.

The other fellow on a golden star, himself in a larger Nightmare Stone. And above them, clear in the sky above the island, a massive shining planet with rings surrounding it. The two of them, comparable to shooting stars, made off for this customized battleground.

Meta Knight’s star would land first, before the Nightmare Knight flew past him, almost tauntingly. Among this planet’s rings, they would fight, if he wished it so badly. But he would get the first move. It was only polite to offer the challenger that much.

Don’t waste it.

The warp-like star sweeps Meta Knight up, and he angles his wings to stay steady atop it. He’s loathe to let his opponent control the field, but there is little choice in this matter, with opponents like this. (Usually, not the type of fight he takes on, not alone - but his allies are not present in this strange new world.)

He leaps before the star can take him in its careening descent, flying upwards as it crashes. Sword still ready, he makes several slashes at the air, crescent shots that fire across the Nightmare. Aiming to distract with smaller damage, and gauging his reaction.

The sound of nature was always calming to Ryuki, and he found himself drawn to it whenever he was feeling stressed. And considering everything strange in this place, stressed was a good word for him to use- he’d decided to go to listen to the ocean, staring out at the night skies reflected against the black waters.

A sudden sound was enough to draw him from his thoughts, switching on night vision mode to see what was going on. Rather than a person, though, there was… well, he wasn’t sure who or what he was exactly, but he certainly wasn’t human. He almost reminded him a touch of that Adorabbit character, in a weird way.

He took a step back, hand moving to his hip on instinct, but not drawing his weapon- not that the toy gun they’d given him would be much help anyways. It was dark, he’d probably just scared the other. No need to start anything.

“Oh, I’m sorry- I didn’t see you there. I don’t mean you any harm.”

The stranger’s hand moves as if to draw a weapon -- but doesn’t. At his apology, Meta Knight relaxes partly, still studying him. After a few more seconds, he seems satisfied that this isn’t going to turn sour for the moment, and puts his sword on his back with a short nod.

       he took notice of how meta knight seemed to melt into his hug - which was a bit unusual from the often standoffish but well-meaning knight. it hadn’t been that long since they’d seen each other, right? he remembered settling into waddle dee town to rest up after his challenging fight against the beast pack - and seeing meta knight near the arena multiple times. their initial reunion had been equally as emotional and happy - but it had only been days prior… right?

      or was his perception of time was warped here, too?

      a question he could ask in a few minutes, he decided as meta knight returned the gesture - making dedede smile once more, feathers ruffling a bit this time. his smile didn’t waver as meta knight took a seat beside him, taking smug satisfaction in the fact that he was able to get the other to relax - if even for a moment. listening to meta’s explanation of this world, he munched on an apple - nodding every now and then to show that he was listening.

     finishing a mouthful of fruit, he then questioned how long meta knight had been here? and was that why he seemed so on-edge at first?

Meta Knight is not particularly good at relaxing, especially not around other people. But King Dedede makes himself easy to be around, or perhaps it’s the familiarity that’s comforting. Either way, it’s not difficult to find a rhythm of conversation.

He tells Dedede that he’s been here just over a month. (And perhaps, he thinks, things have changed in his absence. But that wouldn’t explain why the king doesn’t understand Meta Knight’s reaction - could it be that he doesn’t remember when he was possessed at all?)

       dedede watched as the tension seemed to ebb from meta knight’s posture, and that feeling of guilt eased at least a little. maybe meta knight had been here longer than he had - and that was what caused that initial unease? or was there something more that he didn’t quite understand? he frowned a bit and tilted his head, though that faded as meta knight approached and rested a reassuring hand on his arm. as if on cue, his expression brightened, and the king lifted the knight - his friend - up  and gave him a tight hug.

       communicating his relief to see meta knight again, he bowed his head a bit to touch his forehead - rather, his crown - to meta knight’s before placing him back on the ground. regardless of the bizarre circumstances surrounding this place - and where they had been prior to this - he was happy to see a friendly face, and none other than that of his partner. ( he still worried about kirby and bandana dee, of course - but they had also proven themselves more than capable time and time again. )

      gathering up his snacks again in his arms, he fell unceremoniously into a sitting position in the grass nearby. digging through the food, he soon held a piece of fruit - a mango - to meta knight with a grin, inviting him to sit and relax with him. after being the unwavering sentry for waddle dee town, and now this new land, he deserved it. the king then nodded as if to say that this was a command - a friendly one, but an order nonetheless.

Meta Knight lets himself lean into the embrace. The urge to act stiff and reluctant about these things is more and more in the past, and he's too relieved to hold himself back. He hasn’t seen anyone that would drag him into a hug like this since... well, since he was on Popstar.

He reciprocates the gesture, tapping the top of his mask to Dedede’s crown before he’s set down. He’s worried about the Waddle Dees as well, but he knows they are resourceful, and he can only hope that Bandana Dee is able to hold their defenses...

But the king is settling down with his food. Meta Knight bows at the order: much more warmly than his first greeting, now that he knows he’s facing an ally, but he nonetheless likes to follow the motions of formality. He accepts the mango and sits next to Dedede.

      this place resembled the new world he and his subjects had found themselves in quite a bit - just a bit less… forgotten. the massive buildings were new and well-kept, and he had yet to see a waddle dee, the beast pack, or his friends from dream land here - leading him to conclude that this was not, in fact, the same realm he’d been in ( what seemed like ) only moments ago. he felt a bit frustrated by the fact that just when things seemed to be settled for a little while, a whole new world seemed to have abducted him. though after a few minutes, frustration gave way to worry.

      as foggy as his memories were with his time under the beast pack’s control, it still felt far too recent. ‘how long until this world claims you, too?’ a voice asked him in his mind - his conscience, perhaps.

    these thoughts circled in his head as he continued working on his ‘snack’ of assorted fruit ( just because he was worried didn’t mean he couldn’t be hungry, too! ), though he dropped an apple in surprise when he heard wings flapping overhead. the sound wasn’t alarming as it was familiar, and he felt relief and hope bubble inside his chest. the king let out an audible sound of joy at seeing the knight. on impulse, he dropped the food and charged at the knight with open arms, intent on enveloping the other in a relieved embrace - but stopped when he took note of meta knight’s wings-. prepared to dodge, no doubt.

     guilt gnawed at him as he paused. he remembered ‘awakening’ when kirby defeated him - and he’d unfortunately been possessed enough times to know what sort of things happened when he lost himself. sheepishly and apologetically, he rubbed the back of his neck; perhaps meta knight’s caution was warranted, seeing as they were in a new world, again. he had no way of knowing if this place, too, would begin to exert some effect over him.

Meta Knight flinches slightly, wings snapping further out, ready-- but even before the king stops, his arms are spread wide, unarmed. The knight stares as he stops, apologetic and subdued. Glances at the stash of fruit piled nearby.

It’s him.

Meta Knight’s wings droop as relief chases out the adrenaline, letting the ends of them drag over the grass. He closes the distance to Dedede on foot and sets a hand on his arm. This place may have forces yet unseen, certainly, but paranoia and division will bear them no solution.

Meta Knight, flying overhead to survey the city, does not expect to see the unmistakable figure he does. He’s relieved to see a friend -- and hit immediately by fear of the threat he might pose.

The knight perches on higher ground to observe: the foreign, beastial pattern and red feathers still splayed from the king’s robe, but... none of the unfamiliar, violent aggression wracking his frame. Dare he hope this place cured the king of that infernal influence? Meta Knight can’t feel its pull anymore, where it once lurked at the edges of his mind, trying to poison him as it did the denizens of that forgotten land.

The floating isles give a good vantage point over the city, if a distant one - with the added bonus of returning his sword to his hand and stamina to his wings. And it’s here that he encounters it - something so familiar it makes him sick. There is no doubt of the power that constitutes this enormous, dark form, adorned with the lights of a night sky - the power of Nightmare.

Meta Knight doesn’t know how he survived - perhaps some final sliver of his power escaped to this world, and over time, grew into this. But all that matters is that he must be defeated. And with no Kirby, and no Star Rod, Meta Knight himself is the only line of defense this world has.

too bad, masked orb! the bird preens its feathers briefly and fluffs up before flying away, and the motion in mew’s peripheral vision draws their attention away from the dandelion fluff floating in the wind.

well, that’s a funny little thing. it’s probably not a pokemon, but… they can’t tell quite what it is - aside from interesting.

they approach the branch, tilting their head so far to one side that the rest of their body follows suit until they’re upside down.

[hi.]

A mistake. It’s fine. He doesn’t continue to ignore them after they’ve clearly already noticed him. Meta Knight watches them flip over, intrigued. He wonders how they stay in the air: they have no wings, and most things that float don’t have that amount of maneuverability.

The first thing you noticed was the lack of arms or legs…..or elbows or knees. Your eyebrows furrow in confusion as you watched the being waddle closer to you. The other thing you noticed was the manner of dress. The helmet, the pauldrons, the cape, it all points to one thing. The regalia of an oath sword warrior. 

You take a look at the offered pamphlet, skimming through the contents until you found the fillable area printed with their information. Your eyes widen followed by a smile. 

“OH! You live near me actually! Howdy neighbor! I’m Canglong but must people call me Redbean. Pleasure to meetcha. So you’re new here ser knight? Well welcome to the city, you look like you’ve seen some weird stuff but trust me…It’ll be even more weirder in the next few days. You ever had this thing called a Peezah?”

It seems that this is someone with knowledge of his surroundings, which is a useful thing to have in the second new world he’s found himself in within the week. A neighbor... his head tilts slightly. This really is housing assigned to the city’s visitors, and not a place to go for some kind of information?

He nods that he’s new, and... nods again about pizza. Dream Land consists mainly of sweet and savory treats.