Meta Origins chapter 1

Meta Origins
Chapter 1:  A Visitor of the Stars


There was something strange hovering in the sky over Pupuland.

Of course, thought Fumu, that was hardly a rare occurrence. Unidentified flying objects and extraterrestrial visitors were quickly becoming frequent. But the characteristic that set this thing apart from all the others of its kind was the way it moved. While most flying things streaked through the sky relentlessly, this one was gliding at an almost leisurely pace, like it was looking for something.

And, obviously, you couldn’t expect to have a shiny gold blip roving through the sky without villagers noticing and making wild predictions about what it could be.

Kawasaki wondered if it might be a new species of bird – one that might make a tasty lunch special, at that. The mayor was concerned that it might endanger his sheep. Bun made the other children jittery by spreading rumors of disgusting, fearsome aliens. And Kirby, as always, was too carefree to consider any terrible alternatives; he simply bounced around, jabbing stubby arms at the shiny dot, happily squealing, “Poyo poyo!”

Eventually, Fumu decided that she would have to decipher the meaning of this unusual craft, before someone in the village did something foolish. She’d been watching and calculating all morning, and had finally estimated that it would be landing somewhere near Kabu. So it was up to her to embark on a mission, alone, to discover just what the flying thing could be.

“Hey, sis, whatcha doin’?”

The “alone” was going to be the hard part.

“Bun,” she groaned, straightening her backpack, “I’m going on an expedition. No, you can’t come.” Leave it to him to catch her just before she was about to leave the castle.

“What kind of expedition?” persisted her brother.

“Since you can’t come, what does it matter?”

“I wanna know!”

“Fine.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve figured out the landing point of that thing hovering above Pupu Village. I’m going to go see what it is.”

“Really?” Bun began hopping from one foot to the other. “I wanna come, I wanna come!”

“I already told you, you can’t!” snapped Fumu.

“Why not?” he complained.

“Because, it could be dangerous!”

Bun crossed his arms loudly. “Well, then, you shouldn’t go alone. Don’t you think you’d be much safer if you had me and Kirby for backup?”

“You AND Kirby?” repeated Fumu. “I don’t see Kirby anywhere around here.”

“Poyo poyo!”

And just like that, a little pink ball bounced out from behind Bun, circling his ankles obliviously.

Fumu gave an exasperated sigh. “Fine. If you want to come with me and get yourselves killed, that’s fine by me. See if I care!” She hoisted the pack up and strode down the hallway and into the courtyard, not stopping to see if they were following or not.

Bun jogged ahead to catch up with her, dragging a confused Kirby behind him. “You don’t really think we’re gonna get killed, do you, sis?” he asked a bit nervously.

Without looking at him, she answered, “I don’t know. That’s why I didn’t want you coming along.”

“Hey, just lookin’ after my sister,” Bun said, feigning offense. “If it’s an alien, you’re gonna need all the backup you can get.”

***

The trio marched out of the castle, skirted around the edge of the village, and finally reached the stretch of forest that led to Kabu. Fumu pushed her way through the tangle of branches and shrubs, while her brother and Kirby quickly darted through the temporarily-clear path.

“There’s the canyon. We’re almost there,” announced Fumu.

“See anything?” Bun leaped to peer over one of her shoulders, then the other.

“No…” She frowned, disappointed. “Maybe it’s behind Kabu. Or maybe I just calculated wrong.”

“Or maybe it went back to Planet X!” announced Bun in a Dracula-esque voice.

Fumu rolled her eyes. Boys.

“What do you think, Kirby?” Bun continued. When he was answered by silence, he glanced at Kirby’s previous location with an anxious stare. “Hey, Kirby?”

“You lost Kirby?!” demanded Fumu, equal parts concerned and afraid.

“No, I didn’t lose him! He – he was right there a second ago!” cried Bun defensively. He kicked at a mound of leaves, slipping behind a couple of trees to search for their missing friend. Nothing.

“Kirby! KIRBY!” shouted Fumu frantically, straining to hear into the far-off distance.

“KIRRRR-BYYYYYYYYYY!” Bun joined in.

“Shhh!” Fumu hissed, clapping a hand over her brother’s mouth sharply. “I think I heard…”

From inside of Kabu, in the secret space behind the blazing pyre, came the distant echo of a cheerful, “Poyo!”

“He’s inside!” she exclaimed, shoving through the forest’s edge and running up the path with Bun at her heels.

“How’d he manage to escape?!” muttered Bun, feet slapping against the worn stones leading up to Kabu.

Fumu managed to reach the entrance to the secret space first, her braid flying as she swung herself through the long gap. Her brother crawled in close behind. And though she was aware of his rhythmic breathing beside her ear, she was more focused on the lost-and-found Kirby nuzzling against something that occupied almost the entire area.

It was a starship.

“Woah, sis…” whispered Bun incredulously.

Fumu nodded. “I know.”

Kirby chirped ecstatically at their arrival, snuggling agaist the familiar five-pointed shape of the capsule. She cautiously crept up to him, approaching what must have been the UFO of earlier that morning.

“Is it Kirby’s ship?” called Bun, still not daring to come closer.

Fumu, on tiptoes to look through the glass bubble on top of the starship, shook her head. “Can’t be.”

“Why not?” Bun questioned, chancing to skirt closer to her.

“Because there’s someone else inside of it.”

At this, he incredulously bounded the rest of the way towards her, eager to see the alleged mystery passenger. He had to stand on tiptoe in order to peer through the glass bubble on top. What he saw was not what he, or anyone else in the village, had expected. He wasn’t looking at a bird, a danger to sheep, or any kind of alien that he knew of.

It was an unconcious girl – more of a woman, actually.

She definitely didn’t look like a native of Pupuland, or of Popstar, for that matter. For one thing, her skin was the wrong color – a shade of pale blue, with a blush of pink beneath her eyes. Her white-blonde hair hung down in strips on both sides of her face, a shorter, stranger style than most woman wore. But Fumu noticed her heritage details less than she noticed two aspects of the mystery woman’s clothing – the hilt of a sword poking out from beneath a fold of cape, and a gilded silver headdress that formed a point in the center of her forehead.

“Poyo!” Kirby squealed when he saw her, waving his arms as ecstatically as if she were an old friend.

“Who’s that?” asked Bun breathlessly.

“Some kind of warrior,” replied Fumu.

“What makes you say that?”

“She has a sword. And headdresses are customary for female warriors in several cultures. We’d better be careful.” She reached out a hand to touch the glass bubble, and it split in the center, both halves retracting into the sides of the starship. Kirby leaned in closer, curious as usual.

“Is she dead?” Bun whispered excitedly, reaching out a finger as if to poke the motionless woman in the side.

Before he reached his target, she opened her eyes.

He pulled back immediately, and Fumu gasped, grabbing his shoulders protectively. Even Kirby drew back, sensing the aura of power about her. Slowly, slowly, the woman sat up, blinking rapidly. Her eyes, though unfocused and only half open, were entrancing, luminous and yellow and glowing with a light from within. She was beautiful, Fumu decided, but it was an unusual, unconventional kind of beauty. When her gaze settled upon them, a tremor ran through both sister and brother.

“Meta?” she asked softly, confused, as if waking from a vivid dream.

“Excuse me?” Fumu said nervously.

The mystery woman leaned forward. “Who are you?” she demanded, authority leaking into her voice. “What is this place?”

“It’s Pupuland,” Fumu answered, wondering if it was the right thing to do. “We’re on Popstar. And inside of Kabu, outside of the village.”

The woman’s blank stare confirmed that she had never heard of any such places.

“My name is Fumu,” she continued apprehensively. “This is Bun, my brother, and our friend Kirby.” Kirby chattered in agreement. “If you don’t mind me asking, Miss, who are you?”

The woman leapt out of the starship with vigor, her purple feet planting solidly on one of the star’s five points. She was wearing full body armor, they saw, and her cape was blue with a silver lining. Her hair slapped against two heavy-looking shoulder pads, and her gloved hands were balled at her sides. And even though she was standing on top of her ship, she was exceptionally small for a full-grown woman, not much taller than Fumu.

“I am called Chuva,” she said. “I am one of the select Star Children – though perhaps now I am considered to be a Star Warrior.”

“A Star Warrior?” Bun repeated. “Awesome! Kirby’s a Star Warrior.”

Chuva’s eyes flickered to the bubbly pink ball, bouncing and babbling around the starship in a very un-menacing way. “I suppose I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“Pardon me, Chuva-san,” Fumu piped up. “Since you’re new here, would you mind terribly if we brought you to the castle? We should, um, present you to our ruler.”

Chuva seemed to be feeling claustrophobic in the enclosed space, those luminous yellow eyes darting around restlessly. Perhaps she was searching for an excuse to leave, and a way to disguise her eagerness to depart.

“If that is the custom here,” she said carefully, “then lead on.”

***

“Why do you want to take her to the castle? You know Dedede won’t do anything,” Bun whispered to his sister as they lead Chuva away from Kabu.

“I’m hoping we’ll run into Sir Meta Knight,” Fumu whispered back. “If she’s a Star Warrior like she says, maybe he knows her. Or knows what to do with her, anyway.”

“Do you think she’s like Dakonyo-san, from that island? Do you think she believes that the war’s still going on?”

“I don’t know. And honestly, she seems a bit defensive. Do you want to be the one that asks her about her beliefs?”

Bun didn’t say anything, just snuck a wary glance over his shoulder at Chuva.

“Hey, Kirby,” he muttered to the pink ball keeping pace with him, “Want to ask her?”

“Bun!” hissed Fumu, giving her younger brother’s arm a yank.

“Are we almost to the castle?” Chuva interrupted. Her query was plain, not tarnished with impatience or sarcasm.

“It’s not far now,” Fumu assured their guest. “Look – you can see it now. Up on that hill!”

And there it was, in all its squat, moss-patched splendor: Castle Dedede. For once the drawbridge dangled open, though it was guarded by four Waddle Dees. Even at this distance, the group could spot more Waddle Dees patrolling the rooftop.

“Strange architecture,” Chuva noted. “Is it common for your culture?”

Her selection of words – “your culture” – reminded Fumu of just how foreign this woman was. She wasn’t only from a different country but an entirely different star. She had a hint of an accent, and though it was familiar Fumu wasn’t able to place exactly where she’d heard it before – maybe it was just similar to one of the villagers’.

“Not really,” Bun replied, shrugging. “King Dedede ordered it custom.”

“King Dedede?” Chuva tried out the word on her tongue. “The ruler of this place?”

“More of a dictator, actually,” Fumu muttered, provoking a frown from Chuva.

They reached the castle and proceeded through the door without any trouble from the Waddle Dees. Fumu and Bun had forgotten how intimidating Castle Dedede could seem, with its darkened halls and slanted, shifting shadows even in the middle of the day. But Chuva wasn’t nervous so much as she was wary. If what she said was true and she was really a Star Warrior, she would have been trained to be suspicious of places like this. Maybe she was checking behind the columns for invisible enemies, searching for telltale signs of demon beasts in the dim light.

One of the most important things that Fumu had ever learned was that you couldn’t go looking for Sir Meta Knight; Sir Meta Knight had to find you. And find them he did, right before they reached the courtyard.

“Fumu-sama.”

All head looked up, where he was standing atop a column, staring inexpressively down at them. “So you went out to examine that aircraft,” he said. “And brought both Bun and Kirby with you. That was a foolish decision, Fumu. I’m surprised at you.”

“I’m sorry, Meta Naito Kyou,” Fumu apologized. “But we’re all okay. You see, we found this girl there…”

Meta Knight leapt down from his perch. His cape was folded in a typical batwing style across his chest, and he scrutinized Chuva with the flat yellow eyes of his mask. That was when Fumu noticed the way Chuva was staring back at him – her own eyes were narrowed, gleaming with…could it possibly be recognition?

“Poyo!” chirped Kirby unnecessarily.

“Meta Knight, she says she’s a Star Warrior,” Fumu continued, confused. “Do you know her? Her name is…”

“Chuva?” said Meta Knight softly.

Bun and Fumu exchanged incredulous glances, preparing to ask, ‘So you do know her? How?’

But before they had a chance to, Fumu realized where she’d heard Chuva’s accent before. It was identical to Meta Knight’s. And so were her clothes – the same cape, the same neck guard, the same shoulder pads…she just had a headdress where Meta Knight was masked.

Just who was this woman?

When Chuva spoke up, it was in the same quiet, surprised way. And like Meta Knight, she said a name. At least, Fumu guessed it was a name, though she’d never heard it before.

“Meta?” Chuva asked.