Chapter Text
He considered himself to be a recent recruit of the great Star Warrior Army despite being on the force for a few years prior. The war against Nightmare Enterprises has lasted for as long as he could remember and perhaps even past that. Many of his fellow comrades never knew what peace was and what it felt like, but Meta Knight was determined to lead them to a brighter future.
“Sir, check your flank!” A bellowing voice cried out as a twisted set of teeth lashed out at a young Meta Knight. The knight easily dodged the monster’s carnal lunge, and regrouped himself. The snake like monster faced Meta Knight, hissing and spitting toxic venom around him. The knight was fearless, tightening his grip on his battered silver blade before making his move towards the monsters torso. As he started to pierce the tough, scaly, hide, the beast shook him off, sending him tumbling into the ground. He slowly rose back up, his body becoming more bloody and bruised. Wiping some blood and sweat away from his yellow eyes, Meta Knight charged into another attack. He felt calm and confident as he slashed at the monster again, avoiding the beast’s poison. The snake like monster turned its head to face Meta Knight and swiftly charged at him, its teeth beared. With little react time, Meta Knight held his sword up with both hands, holding the snake back by its teeth. Though Meta Knight was fairly strong, he knew he would not be able to hold the snake back for much longer. The snake was applying more force, and seemed to be biding its time to unleash a more powerful attack.
After what seemed like an eternity, the monster pulled back quickly, causing Meta Knight to involuntarily drop his guard and his balance. The snake spat his venom with deadly accuracy, hitting Meta Knight just as he was recovering. Then, all Meta Knight could remember was burning, intense, pain as he cried out. The whole front of his body was in pure agony, but most of it was around and in his eyes. Instinctively closing his eyes and covering them left him defenseless. “Fight back,” he thought to himself, though his mind was becoming cloudy and incoherent.
“Fight back.”
Meta Knight awoke shortly after remembered waking up to a dull ache all over his body, and an uncertainty of whether or not he was actually alive. All he could see is a slight red glow out of the corner of his eyes, but no other details of the room were there. Something didn’t feel right, and he felt too weak to try to figure out why it felt so.
“I’m glad you are awake,” A deeper male voice said softly, finally breaking the silence, “I didn’t think you would ever wake up…”
“Ya…Yamikage…” Meta Knight slurred, his mouth feeling numb and dry, “What happened?”
“Some other ninjas found you face down in some rocks, my friend. They said they also saw a slain monster and a strange being flying away off in the distance. Then they brought you to me.”
“How long… was I out?”
“About 4 days. Are you in pain at all?”
“No,” He sighed as he tried to sat up slowly, his mind becoming more and more clear. He blinked a few times to see his surroundings, but all that came of it was a soft red glow. “But…I can’t see,” He replied quietly, trying to hide how scared he was to say such a thing.
Yamikage was quiet for a bit, before take a deep breathe, “We tried our best, Meta Knight. There’s nothing we could do…”
“No, no this can’t be true,” He shook his head in disbelief, his mind still reeling.
“I am so sorry, my friend. There is nothing more we could do…”
Meta Knight held his head in his heavy arms, his stomach in knots. What was he going to do? There was no way he could fight in this condition, or even stay and help at camp. For a star warrior such as himself, this was a death sentence. He could feel the tears he was fighting back roll down his face as a gentle hand rubbed his shoulder gently.
“It will be alright, Meta Knight…It will be alright…”
...
After waking up, Meta Knight hardly ate or talked to anyone, keeping to himself. He still felt too weak to walk about, and was too scared to move, only to run into something and hurt himself more. Yamikage paid a few visits and tried to get his friend to eat. Meta Knight remained distant and cold, and anyone who knew the situation understood why he acted this way.
“Meta Knight, I have something for you,” Yamikage said as he put down a cold bowl of soup next a seemingly growing pile of uneaten meals.
“Not more food, I hope. I have told you I’m not hungry,” Meta Knight muttered.
“No, my friend. It is something I’m sure you will appreciate…” He walked over and grabbed a box and placed it onto Meta Knight’s lap. He helped his friend open it up, revealing a silver mask surrounded by red fabric. The Knight ran his hands over it, trying to figure out what it was.
“This mask, it contains a powerful enchantment, one that cannot be broken. With the power contained in this mask, you should be able to regain your eyesight…”
“H-how did you find this?” Meta Knight replied in disbelief, “And why not sooner?”
“I did not know of such power. It was only till I spoke with friend who knew about these sort of matters did he give me this mask.”
“I…thank you Yamikage. Thank you,” Meta Knight smiled brightly, quickly working his finger around the straps and lacing it around his head. As soon as it was perfectly around his head, Meta Knight felt strange dizziness overcome him, but after a few moments, the dizziness ebbed. The knight blinked a few times, his vision becoming more clear after each one. Before him, he finally saw Yamikage and the tent he was staying in.
“This is incredible…” He finally spoke, taking in every little detail he missed so much. Such simple little things like his hands he thought he would never see again.
Yamikage smiled, relieved to finally see his friend look alive, “Do you want to see yourself?” He got up and found a mirror on the other side of the tent. He held it up to Meta Knight who saw his reflection staring back him, glowing yellow eyes filled with giddy. From that point on, he knew that his mask was never coming off.