Magolor was furiously typing away at a keyboard. His ship, the Lor Starcutter, had seen better days. After just managing to escape Landia's wrath on Halcandra, his ship had broken into pieces, scattering across this planet called Popstar. Of course, though this was his destination in the first place, he did not expect so many vital parts to scatter across the planet upon crash landing.
Luckily for him, the one being he had hoped to get help from showed his face. Kirby, the hero of this planet whom he had heard much about, had immediately offered to help gather the parts again, and 3 of his companions offered their assistance as well. He was grateful to be able to get his help, though the other three that arrived with him were unexpected. It seemed he at least had Kirby and two of the others completely on his side, but the third... that knight with the wings... Although that one, whom he learned went by "Meta Knight,” agreed to help him, he seemed wary. He had a feeling this Meta Knight wasn't going to be as easily fooled as the other three... He seemed like an intelligent person, at least more so than the other three. Maybe they shared some interests?
He sighed, looking up at the screen displaying what parts of his ship were still missing. Earning Meta Knight's trust wasn't going to be an easy job...
While the others had gone off in search of the ship's pieces, the knight in question had opted to stay behind for now. The first of the pieces they decided to go after had landed in nearby, familiar territory that was easy to traverse, and only inhabited by weak monsters. Any one of them could have easily gotten it on their own; they had no need of him. Yet.
He stood behind a corner, out of sight of the control room, but within earshot, listening intently. Although his companions had been quick to help their new “friend,” he was not so hasty to jump into a situation without first knowing exactly what he was getting into. This alien visitor seemed friendly and harmless at first glance, but so did just about everyone, and in his experience, it was extremely rare that anything good came to this planet from other worlds. There was every chance of there being more to Magolor than meets the eye. He claimed to come from another dimension Meta Knight had never heard of in all his millenia, so how did he know about Planet Popstar? Why did he specifically aim to land on it? Even in its damaged state, what were the full capabilities of the ship? What did one person need a ship this large for? These and many more questions presented themselves, and while the vigilant knight wanted answers, he had more than enough tact to know asking them directly was unwise.
He instead thought it better to use one of his sharpest skills besides sword fighting: Eavesdropping. It was surprising how many people spoke their thoughts aloud when they thought no one was there to hear them. Even if he was discovered, it couldn't be hard to play off—he could claim to have been passing through from elsewhere in the ship. It wasn't as if he was actually hiding.
"I wonder if Kirby and the others will try and get the Energy Spheres as well...” he heard the foreigner wonder aloud. “I don't need them in order to fly the ship, but if I have enough of them, I can put some rooms into working order. Give them all something they might enjoy! Maybe have some fun games, a couple of challenging trials... I'm sure they'd love it! Maybe I can gain some more of his trust that way..." he mused, checking the amount of Energy Spheres that were missing from the ship. There were so many... He wasn't sure if that plan could work. Who'd have the patience to find and retrieve every single one?
"He looks like he'd be the kind of person to read up on ancient artifacts...” he continued, putting a finger to his chin pensively. “If I recall, this planet does have a Fountain of Dreams... Maybe we can talk about that? Or perhaps those wish-granting comets? Yeah, that seems like a good lead to a conversation..." He had to find some way to gain Meta's confidence. He would need all the help he could possibly get for his return to Halcandra. Not to mention the element of surprise was crucial for what he had planned...
By overhearing his musings, Meta Knight learned a few things and took them into account.
1: Magolor was aware he was not completely trusted. He was no fool.
2: He was actively going to attempt to gain that trust. Whether it was out of a genuine desire for friendship or to take advantage of it, however, was not clear. Safer to assume the worst until proven otherwise.
3: He knew about the Fountain of Dreams, as well as Nova, meaning he was even more familiar with this planet and its greater powers than was originally thought. This likely meant he had an interest in them, and it was unlikely that interest was fueled by good intentions.
Deciding it was unlikely he'd find out much more by eavesdropping, the masked warrior waited a long moment, then stepped out from behind the corner. There was no need for him to announce his arrival vocally; one of the unfortunate aspects of wearing armored boots was the sound of his footsteps reverberating off the walls. Besides, speaking incautiously might alert Magolor that he'd been overheard.
The Halcandran's ears twitched and swiveled to the side as he heard footsteps behind him, and he turned around quickly, eyes a bit wide in surprise. He'd thought everyone had left! Who could have made their way into his ship?! He gave a sigh of relief as he got a good look at who the steps belonged to.
"Oh, Meta Knight! Gosh, you shouldn't scare me like that... I nearly had a heart attack! Eheheh..."
The knight's expression remained unchanged, and he gave no immediate reply. Magolor awkwardly cleared his throat before continuing.
"So... what are you doing here? I thought you went with the others? Unless they've already returned?" He looked around some. Did he simply miss their arrival? Meta Knight seemed to be the only one here. How odd.
“Lo siento. They have no need of me yet, so I decided to let them handle it on their own,” the swordsman explained in his thick accent, slipping between both languages he knew without putting much thought into it. He crossed the room, stopping once he was only a few feet away from Magolor. “To be honest, I'm more than certain Kirby could get the first piece of the ship with no aid, if he wanted to. I thought it better to wait here and take someone else's place on the next trip.” He cast his eyes to the ship's control panel, and tried to shift the conversation. “Besides, I must admit: This vessel intrigues me. I have yet to see one like it, and I was hoping to learn more about it.”
"Oh... I see." Magolor replied a little dryly. He wasn't sure if Meta Knight was truly just waiting until they located a ship part in a more dangerous area, or if he was actually watching Magolor closely out of distrust. He decided against asking for clarity. That wouldn't win him any points.
"This interests you too, huh?" Magolor picked up his tone a little, putting on his most convincing smile, even if it wasn't completely visible under his collar. He was happy for the topic change, although he knew he had to be cautious about how much he gave away.
"The Lor Starcutter is one of a kind, for sure. I found this ship back on my home planet. I never would have thought interdimensional transport would be possible without this. Well, at the very least, I never thought such a thing would be so easy. It's such a magnificent ship, but I'll confess, to this day, I still do not know every secret this ship holds inside. I'm hoping to one day find out. Perhaps we can both learn more as the ship's parts are returned?" he offered.
“Hmm... Doubtful that I'd be of any help,” the swordsman mused. “This vessel is too foreign to me, nothing like my own other than that it flies. I would like to learn whatever I can, though. Interdimensional travel would be immensely useful if I had it at my own disposal...” Though he made it seem like an offhand comment, in truth Meta Knight was attempting to steer the conversation still. If this ship had an advantage over his own in battle, it would behoove him to know in advance, just in case. “Was that a modification of your own, or an ability it already possessed when you discovered it?”
"Ah, yes, being able to travel across dimensions is very useful, but finding a way to do so is rare... and dangerous. I have no doubt in my mind that people would abuse this for their own selfish desires, if given the chance. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't have dared use this function, had my life not been in danger..." the foreigner sighed, ears lowering. In all honesty, he himself was doing the very thing he claimed to fear others doing, but if he made it sound like he didn't approve, maybe it would help his case.
"I did not add the function to the Lor. I had read about it in its database here," he gestured to screens, which had changed to show vast amounts of texts. Some parts of the text mentioned such things involving "fountains" and "dreams." Other parts mentioned the existence of wish-granting comets, and their relation to the Starcutter. A glimpse of the word "crown" could be seen heading another wall of text before the screens changed back to a world-view of Popstar.
"This ship really is amazing. I've learned so much about so many things because of this, and I doubt it would have been possible otherwise."
“Unfortunate,” the armsmaster stated, “that we know little to nothing of its origins...” His eyes stayed fixated on the screen, skimming through the walls of text it displayed. It presented information regarding several powerful artifacts and entities he himself knew of, but it was useful to know what Magolor knew. It was apparent that there wasn't much information the Halcandran didn't have about this planet. There was a very brief mention of Nightmare and the war that had been waged against his forces, and only when he made sure his own name wasn't listed did he avert his gaze, his wings ruffling just the tiniest bit under his cape. It was a subject he was less than fond of returning to.
"Yes...” Magolor agreed, cautiously skirting a direct response. “All I can assume is that whomever created the Lor was the same person, or people, that created many other ancient artifacts." He shook his head before moving away from the keyboard. "Still, thanks to the Lor's database, we're many steps closer to learning of the origins of such artifacts!" He smiled, clasping his hands together. It was obvious that Magolor was very interested in such knowledge, and very proud of himself for having found it.
“True, that,” the winged warrior concurred, just as a curious thought flashed across his mind. “Now that I think of it, you wouldn't happen to have any records of this, would you?” he asked in earnest, unsheathing his sword to present it to the foreigner. He only did this knowing that although it was an extremely powerful weapon in his hands, it was all but useless to anyone who would steal it. There was little to no need for caution in this case.
"Hm? Let me see..." Magolor leaned over to get a closer look at both sides of the blade. It was golden in color, with smaller blades extending from the edges of the main blade, and deep red gemstones were embedded in both sides of the hilt.
"Hmm... The records of the ship only show this sword in pictures, but never give a name or description. I assumed it was created by the same powers that built the rest of the artifacts.” He straightened up again. “If I'm to be completely honest, other than a fancy design, it doesn't seem to be that much different from a regular blade. Maybe that's why there are no files on it," he guessed, shrugging. He was a bit curious as to why the knight asked, however. Was he perhaps investigating its worth? Or maybe he was hoping it would be a grand, all-powerful sword? Regardless, to Magolor, it looked more like a wall decoration than anything else.
“I thought as much,” the knight shrugged, returning the sword to its sheath. He tried not to let his disappointment show; he really had been hoping for an answer or two. “To be honest, its origins are somewhat of a mystery even to me. For the most part, your assumption is correct: It boasts little more than an impressive appearance and monetary value. Even design-wise, it's terrible as an actual weapon. Gold is perhaps the weakest of all metals, and the spiked edges are horrible for aerodynamism,” he admitted, recalling how incredulous he'd been upon seeing the fabled blade for the first time. “In the hands of most, it's a pitiful excuse for a weapon. In the hands of the very few who are deemed worthy to wield it, however... somehow, it contains an inexplicable amount of power, though I can't fathom why,” he faltered just a little, trying to make sense of it himself as he explained. He still didn't fully understand how or why the sword was as powerful a weapon as it was when he was the one using it, or why it didn't seem to work for anyone else but Kirby.
“To this day, its nature mystifies me,” he sighed somewhat defeatedly, shaking his head. “I had thought off-handedly maybe somehow the answers were in your database, but I suppose it wouldn't matter much to anyone who can't use the sword, so it stands to reason you wouldn't know anything either.”
"Hm... I'll have to input that data into the Lor myself later, then,” he noted, jotting down a few quick bits of what Meta Knight had said on the keyboard for later. "I'm assuming you are one of the few who can draw out its power? Perhaps you know of any others? Maybe they can give some more details? I would like to study the sword and figure out its true power," he said in earnest, giving the sheath another glance. If it really was that powerful, and if there was some way he himself could use it, he would like to know...
“It answers to none other than myself and Kirby,” Meta Knight confirmed. “Irónico, eso...” he mused, absentmindedly slipping into his other fluent language for a moment before correcting himself. “Er, that is, I find it ironic. The only two beings deemed 'worthy' thus far are myself, a trained and experienced veteran, and... well, a toddler, to be brutally honest.” He allowed himself a small smirk at that, knowing it wasn't visible. “He's proven himself many times over, of course,” he quickly added, more aware than anyone that the child was technically more powerful than even he was based on potential alone rather than actual skill, “but it's still just a little silly.”
"A-ah... I see... So Kirby is likely even less knowledgeable than yourself on the mater..." Magolor nodded, putting a finger to his chin in thought. "Still, if the sword accepts the both of you, perhaps there is some connection? Maybe you both have more power in you than it may seem? Or maybe it has to do with your species? Pardon me if I'm wrong here, I'm mainly guessing, but am I correct in assuming you and Kirby are of the same species? You do share some similarities..." he noted the similar body shape, although Kirby lacked wings and hands. He assumed the size difference was merely due to age.
Meta Knight had had this exact conversation several times, and it frustrated him each time more than the last on the basis that he still didn't have any solid answers, although he didn't let it show. “If I'm being honest with you, I don't even know that for certain,” he admitted. “Technically speaking, we're not directly related. I can only speculate that we look alike because we share the same creator, and the similarities don't go far beyond... 'aesthetic,' I guess you'd say. Why he made us in the same image is beyond me.” He shook his head, off-handedly wondering why it was they looked so alike given that their abilities in combat were not very similar. “To sum it up, we weren't built with the same capabilities, only similar looks. How that relates to the sword, I've no idea,” he finished, once again thoroughly reminded of his ignorance on the matter.
Magolor tilted his head, a little confused. That... was not an answer he was expecting. "Creator? Design? Built? Pardon my asking, but you and Kirby sound more like... machines than living beings, the way you talk about it. Er... Maybe we could ask your... 'creator' about what it means, then? Surely they would know of some answers," he suggested.
“That he would, if he were still alive, el hijo de p-” the swordsman stopped himself just before uttering a very blunt curse, shaking his head a little. “My apologies. If you'd like an explanation, you're welcome to one, but suffice it to say it's unlikely we'd be getting any answers from him, even if he were still around to give them.” He grit his teeth a little, dabbling in unwanted memories and a few unpleasant thoughts just briefly. “Thank Nova he no longer is.”
"Erk..." Magolor flinched at the slight outburst. That probably didn't win him any points with Meta, touching a nerve like that. "I, uh... I'm sorry for digging up bad memories... Maybe we should switch to something else. Something a bit more pleasant to think about, yes? Like uh..." Darn, he couldn't think of a good topic off the top of his head. Think, Magolor, think!
"...Er... May I ask where you got that... unique accent?" he asked, mentally berating himself for such a stupid question as soon as he'd asked it. What a wonderful topic change, you idiot!
“Even that, I cannot tell you,” the warrior sighed, turning his attention back to the foreigner. That was another question he'd been asked often, and yet again he lacked answers. “It's just a strange quirk I was made with, I suppose. Somehow I know it's called “Spanish,” but I know not where it originates from, and I have yet to meet anyone else who's familiar with it. It's not of this planet, that much I can assure you.” His wings ruffled just a little under the cape again as he speculated that he was given the accent as some sort of joke he would never understand. Nightmare always did have a strange and cruel sense of humor.
"Hm... What an odd, somewhat pointless addition to a creation...” the alien mused, one ear twitching. “I admit, you, and by extension, Kirby intrigue me. I would like to learn more about you two, if you would allow me the chance, of course." Magolor gave another smile. He would have to dig deep to find out information about their "creator." There was no way he was just going to let that detail pass him by, but for now, he thought it best not to push it any further. Trust first, then information later.
“You may study to your heart's content and find yourself with very few answers,” the knight warned him. “It's likely that no one has more information about us than myself, and though even I may not know the full story, you're welcome to ask.” This time he was able to keep his wings still as they threatened to ruffle again. “It's not the most pleasant of tales when told from a first-person perspective, however.”
"Ah... Then I assume you haven't had the... best of lives, have you?" Magolor's ears drooped at the knight's words. "Well, either way, I would still like to hear of this story, if you're comfortable with sharing it. But... It doesn't have to be today. We can postpone it until a later day if you're more comfortable with that," he offered, seeming concerned for the knight's feelings.
“It matters not to me,” the winged warrior shrugged under his cape. “My only request is for Kirby to be absent for it. He's seen and experienced more than the average child, surely, but... the concept of war is something I'd rather not introduce him to just yet.” He glanced away momentarily, looking a little distant. “He's had to set aside too much of his childhood already.”
"You're right. It's probably for the best that he doesn't hear it," Magolor nodded in agreement before heading for a different room, beckoning the swordsman to follow with one wave of his disembodied hand. He lead his guest to a sort of dining room table, motioning for Meta to come and sit down. He figured that this wouldn't be a short story, so it'd be best if they got comfortable.
"Right. Well then, I'm ready to listen to this story," Magolor prompted, clasping his hands together, ears perked up.
This should be interesting...
