Heroes of Dreamland Rewritten, Book 3: Stars Amidst Darkness

Chapter 23

Sakura | 桜

I cry out in fear. Why has the world vanished? What's happening? I can't even see a floor beneath my feet, and yet I stand solid on some form of ground.

Too much has happened today. I can't take this new confusion and fear on top of everything else.

My breaths turn shallow and start coming faster. My vision starts going tunnel. I hug my gloves around myself, trying to force myself to stay calm. Having a panic attack right now won't help anything.

Meta Knight reaches out to me, catching my glove in one of his. I turn to look at him, only to see in surprise that his eyes have changed back into a relatively calm golden.

"This is how the Kabu shows the past," he tells me gently. "Nothing will harm us here. I promise." I try to glare at him past my panic, but it fails. I end up staring at his feet instead. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but please. I promise nothing will hurt us here."

I take a moment to calm my breathing. My vision fades back to normal. I pull my glove out of Meta Knight's and give a stiff nod. "Alright. I believe you."

My withdrawal seems to have hurt him. He pulls his cape around himself again and looks away.

The world around us stays silent and black. I finally clear my throat. "If we move too much, will we fall off the cliffs around us?"

He shakes his head. "We've entered a trance. We can move as much as we like here; our bodies our frozen and dazed in reality. The Kabu will protect us from anything that would try to harm our physical forms in the interval."

"Weird," I mutter despite myself.

He gives a weak snort. "Very."

The world suddenly flashes into dim color. A cavernous room slowly fades into view around us. A dark, metal ceiling lined with ventilation and central heating pipes hangs high above us. The floor is made of plain concrete. After a moment, I recognize the space as the Halberd bay.

"What does this place have to do with my past?" I ask in confusion.

Meta Knight has no chance to answer before two Waddle Dees run past in front of us. One of them is taller and wears a white sailor's hat with a blue ribbon. The other is much, much smaller, and wears a matching hat with a red ribbon. The scene moves to follow them.

Beside me, Meta Knight gives a sad sigh. "Sailor Waddle Dee was always such a brave boy. Letting him die in the Halberd's first crash was... one of the worst things I ever did."

I frown deeply. "Sailor Waddle Dee?"

Meta Knight gives me a regretful glance. "A young Waddle Dee I recruited to be a cabin boy on the Halberd during its first construction. The littler one's name was Buccaneer Waddle Dee, but we all called him 'Bucky' for short. He simply vanished one night not long before the Halberd first set sail. I never did learn what became of him."

"Huh," I mutter, but am quickly interrupted.

"Sailor, wait for me," a giggling young voice suddenly echoes through my head. Meta Knight gasps, having never experienced the Waddle Dees' hive mind communication before. I give him a quick glance to make sure he's okay. He seems rattled and confused, but looks like he's managing it. I turn to watch the scene again.

The taller Waddle Dee stops and waits for the tiny one to catch up with a patient 'smile.' "Don't go so slow then, She-Dee. You've gotta take quicker steps to make up for those little feet."

This time, it's my turn to gasp. "But... She-Dee was my name of sorts. That's what all the Waddle Dees always called me."

Meta Knight takes a step closer to me, seeming rather confused himself. "And Bucky was a boy..."