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The last thing he remembered was being sealed away.
Galacta Knight attempted to manuever inside the crystal, wondering if he could reach his lance this time, use it as some sort of lever to pry the crystal open, crack it from inside. It was pointless, though - as all the other times, he couldn't move at all, insides of the crystal enclosing him completely. It was a wonder he hadn't suffocated, but then, NOVA knew what he was doing. His - his wings ached, though, each feather carefully surrounded in stone, stiflingly, infinitely pressing down when he ached to move -
A wonder he hadn't simply died of old age either. True, his species could survive for thousands of years, and it sometimes felt like he'd only been sealed yesterday - but he knew it had been much, much longer in truth. It was only that his perception of time had been changed, just as time inside this crystal itself was - or he'd have gone mad of solitude and boredom long, long ago. Truthfully, he was sure those who had wished him into this prison would have wanted him to just die of old age in it - but NOVA was apparently more merciful than that, had interpreted the wish in his own way. Or less merciful, depending on the way you looked at it - at this rate, Galacta would never get out, and that... was a horrible prospect...
He waited. And brooded.
It was a good thing for those wishers that they were by now long dead, for he was - angry. Furious at them, even now. Cowards, all of them, every single one, and he hadn't deserved this -
All he'd done was become too good, too strong. And they, the cowards, decided that meant he would betray the king. Rather than preparing themselves to face him - if that was true, which it wasn't - as they should have done, they'd ducked out, run to borrow the stars that summoned NOVA, and wished him into an inescapable prison.
Well - true, perhaps, that he'd shown off too much, made them jealous - or, not even that was completely accurate. He'd bragged, shown off his prowess far and wide - and even if he'd started to do it in honour of his king, by the end he'd started to do it to prove his own honour, made hardly any mention of his king rather than as a patron at all. That was taboo. Not only that, but he'd started joking about himself making a better king, a stronger one - but it had only been joking! He hadn't seriously considered any of those plans, not ever, hadn't seriously thought of usurping his leader, despite his - self-admitted arrogance in other matters -
...had he?
Galacta Knight would have shifted uneasily, if he could at all move. He - he was telling himself he couldn't have meant any of it, obviously not - but he wasn't entirely sure...
B-but still, sealing him for eternity had been unwarranted. A spark of his anger returned, and he blew on it carefully, dwelling on what they had done, not what he had done -
He waited some more. And, of course, brooded.
---
It was - it felt like a few hours later that anything new happened. With that feeling, probably it was closer to a few more thousand years. That didn't stop Galacta from opening his eyes in interest - that, at least, he could still do. But - nothing, still nothing around but the crystal - floating in an empty void. He still couldn't move around, but he did manage to slump in the crystal's stone shackles, rather than the tensed, excited posture he'd been in moments before. Nothing.
"My one wish is to become stronger, so I wish to fight... the greatest warrior in the galaxy!"
It echoed - as if it had come through some sort of distant tunnel. Galacta perked up with interest once more, attempting to twist his arms in that crystal grip once again. Someone wished to fight him, eh? Did that mean he'd be able to escape after that fight -
Further words - this time from the comet, a metallic quality to them. Struggle as he might, all Galacta managed to make out was - "YOU WILL NOW FIGHT A WARRIOR WHO WAS SEALED AWAY FOR FEAR HIS POWER WAS TOO GREAT ->" - before there was some other metallic muttering - but then it didn't matter.
Galacta Knight's surroundings flashed, crystal's insides suddenly melting away and the outside beginning to rotate at an insane speed about him. He tensed once more, pulling out his lance and spreading his wings - stars, that felt good - preparing himself.
The crystal flashed once again - and the black void around disappeared, to be replaced by a - a more starry one. Then it shattered apart, leaving him free - in a battle-ready pose, eager - to see the blue puffball waiting patiently in front of him, clutching a glowing golden sword.
Galacta Knight scanned the other - judging by the mask, also a knight, though he knew not of which family from that design. Perhaps a new one had sprung up, while he had been languishing in that prison, or an old one had chosen to change its traditional pattern. And this knight also had wings. More of a rarity among puffballs - Galacta was pleased to note that at least he didn't also have horns - but his were.... strange. Demonic, Galacta might even say. He'd nearly have frowned, half-remembering reports of demonic attacks beginning on the outskirts of his king's realm just before they'd trapped him - but the blue puffball saluted him, a traditional, formal salute, and there was no doubt with that. This one was a knight. Galacta cared little else.
He returned the salute - then motioned towards a nearby small planetoid. The magic that stemmed from his horns would work better within an atmosphere, and he was relatively certain the other would also prefer to fight with the brace of stronger gravity than NOVA himself could generate. When the other nodded, Galacta stretched his wings out to their full span, glorying in the feeling of the spread feathers, then smashed them downward, propelling himself towards the agreed battle ground.
As soon as they both reached it - the battle began, the blue knight taking the initiative with a swirl forward and a slash of his sword. Galacta blocked it with his lance, grinning cockily, then jabbed forward several times quickly in return - the blue one jerking to the side in mid air to avoid it. They traded stabs and slashes, slowly migrating over the landscape.
The other knight was losing ground, simply by virtue of - Galacta being marginally physically stronger, and a lance being harder to block than a slice from a sword. However, the blue one was slightly faster, even in the air, with which Galacta was very impressed - few could match his own speed, let alone surpass it - and it wasn't as if ground particularly mattered, not in this fight.
It was a few minutes later that Galacta decided it was about time to start using his horns' magic, even if this had been quite an entertaining fight so far. He was tiring out faster than the other, what with him usually blocking heavy blows while the other dodged aside, and his lance being of more weight itself - and he wasn't going to let himself just be defeated, certainly not. He paused in his advance for a moment, wings flapping steadily - then let a burst of flame erupt from right under his opponent.
Somehow, the other just barely managed to avoid that as well - Galacta quietly cursed himself for allowing himself to let up - that had been a warning that something else was coming. As it was, the blue one managed to escape with nothing more than a slight bit of scorching on one wing - well, Galacta would be satisfied with that. Smirk returning to him beneath the mask, he raised an arm to call up more pillars of flame -
When suddenly the blue puffball lifted his sword in response - and an enormous tornado erupted from it, racing towards Galacta. He stared at it, too shocked to move for far too many seconds - the other shouldn't have been able to do that, only puffballs with horns could use magic -
That surprise was his downfall. By the time he started trying to flap aside, it was far too late to pick up enough momentum to escape the thing's pull. He was yanked in, buffeted to and fro - pulled his wings halfway in, but he couldn't do it all the way. Too much drag, trying to yank them out, and in any case, he was absently worried, in the back of his head, that if he did fold them in he wouldn't be able to regain control once he was thrown out of this or when it faded. Smash into the ground and be even more damaged.
The painful jerking on his wings continued for what felt like hours but was probably only seconds - and finally, the tornado swirled away. He nearly dropped, but instead painfully glided downward, glancing about for the other knight. As soon as he landed, he did finally tuck in his wings - he could still use them, probably, but it would be painful, not worth it except out of desperation.
He was sorely tempted to accuse the other knight of cheating. But then Galacta Knight's own fire magic would be just as much so, wouldn't it? So instead, his eyes darting right and left, he watched for the other knight - he'd get a hit back in with his ability, he would. Slowly, slowly, his cocky smirk started to return. Galacta had never been beaten yet. He didn't plan on it now. As soon as the other showed up -
Which the other knight did, hovering to just above the ground - and then his wings flickered, changed into a cape, him landing neatly. Another surprise - but Galacta didn't let that phase him, summoning up new fire from under the knight's feet.
The blue puffball rolled away from it with a clanging of metal, fire flickering past his feet but probably doing little other than heat them up slightly. Galacta couldn't help a growl. He should be winning, stars damn it! He charged forward with lance upraised, to bring it crashing down upon the other knight while the blue one was distracted - fair was only fair, after all, and battle was battle. If the blue one couldn't counter something while recovering, then it was only his fault.
But Galacta hadn't really expected the other to counter - which he did handily, springing up. And soon it was easy to see who was going to win - while the blue one had been slightly faster up above in the sky, on the ground Galacta wasn't nearly as quick, while his opponent seemed somehow even faster. Galacta jumped back as the other rose, blocking desperately with his lance - but now he was the one losing ground. Steadily. Quickly, even.
It was to Galacta's credit that he lasted nearly five full minutes more - an eternity in a serious fight. Finally, though, there was a clang, and Galacta's lance went spinning out of his hand, the magenta puffball himself forced to stagger back - and overbalance with the force of the rebound.
He stared at the sky for a moment, a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. Lost. Again, if you counted when he'd been sealed, though of course that wasn't quite the same situation. It wasn't fair.
He let his eyes drop shut, panting, just resting. With a twinge of satisfaction, a slight balm to his wounded pride, he noticed that he could hear the blue knight panting desperately as well. Then - a curious clanging noise. And after, a zapping - he opened his eyes for a moment to see what that was, deathly curious, as nothing he could think of here could cause it - ah. That sword. He knew it had been strange, somehow. It was sheathed now, though. And - the blue one was holding his lance, that was the first noise. Galacta winced. Was that one, then, of the type who took their opponent's weapons as a trophy of victory? Or even killed 'unworthy' opponents with their own weapon? He was proud to say he'd never done that himself, arrogant as he might be -
He closed his eyes again - but just for a moment, until he heard a voice. "Warrior?"
Who - of course. The other knight wouldn't know his name, and he had asked for the greatest warrior - so that was the easiest way to refer to him. Galacta blinked his eyes open for a second time, staring upward inquiringly - and saw a hand outstretched, a wordless offer to help him up.
Now that was just insulting. As if he couldn't stand on his own. Really. He rolled the the side and jumped upright, brushing himself off as haughtily as he could managed - though he did take back his lance when the other held that out towards him. Then he opened his mouth to demand a rematch - he just hadn't expected the tornado, and that had handicapped him, he'd win next time, easy - and obviously the blue one had expected Galacta's fire, what with his horns -
But suddenly, a mechanical voice interrupte gently - how that voice could sound gentle while being so loud Galacta Knight would never understand - "THE BATTLE IS OVER -> I MUST NOW ONCE AGAIN SEAL THE GREATEST WARRIOR IN THE GALAXY ->"
No. No, no, no - Galacta nearly turned to plead - but the expression on NOVA's huge, catlike face would remain unchanged, he knew. NOVA was obligated to follow all wishes given to him, whether he approved of them or not, and though there was some level of interpretation allowed to him, apparently this wasn't one of them. And running wouldn't help, either, with the comet's magical abilities.
Resigned, he at least shifted his wings so they would be sealed in a more comfortable position as last time - and at least he'd have a bit of flavour of the outside world to take back with him. Who knew, maybe someone else would come to challenge him before long. And that time he'd be expecting everything, would win. This was - just a one time thing. It didn't count. "...very well."
NOVA closed his eyes, a hum of magic running through the huge frame. Galacta shut his own eyes in preparation for the flash of light -
He still saw it, even through his eyelids. As it faded, he blinked them open - but there was no crystal surrounding him.
"...what -"
He rotated, wondering if maybe NOVA's magic had - glitched up, somehow - but the comet was floating there calmly, not looking at all confused, worried, nothing. And -
The blue knight was gone.
"..what -"
Now NOVA seemed amused at his confusion - and the half-elated, half-sinking feeling starting in the pit of his stomach. The comet declined to explain for a few more seconds, Galacta all the while becoming more and more frustrated, but finally clacked out, "THE WISH IN BOTH CASES WAS REFERRING TO THE 'GREATEST WARRIOR' -> NOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DEFEATED, THAT TITLE FALLS UPON 'META KNIGHT' -> THEREFORE, IT WAS HIM I HAD TO RESEAL ->"
Galacta was already crossing his arms angrily, feathers on his wings bristling slightly. "That was a fluke! One more battle - or as many more as you'd like - and I can prove it, I was just - surprised that time!" ...Meta Knight. That was the other knight's name, then.
"I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO BE UNSEALED, GALACTA KNIGHT? ->"
Galacta hesitated, wings freezing in place. True. Why was he arguing against being set free? Still - he mustered up enough vehemence to infuse his tone once more, and pointed accusingly at the mechanical comet. "That title should still belong to me!"
"VERY WELL -> THEN, GATHER UP THE POWER STARS LIKE THE GREATEST WARRIOR HAS, WISH TO FIGHT HIM, AND PROVE IT ->" NOVA sounded amused once more, and though Galacta knew that "greatest warrior" bit was meant to bait him, what with it not referring to him, he couldn't help reacting nonetheless.
"Fine! I will!" He turned away with a loud, angry huff, shoving his lance into its sheath. "And I'll do it faster then however long he took to do it, too!"
He was gone with a quick flutter of his wings - by now, recovered enough to fly normally, and even speedily.
---
It was only when he was already quite some distance from the planetoid that he realized that he had no idea where the power stars were. Oh, he could use reference from his time, but even then he'd only known the planets to which they dispersed when needed, nothing more - well, he'd manage.
A more troubling question presented itself. What if - what if he didn't manage to defeat Meta Knight again, on the first time? Oh, he was certain to beat him eventually, he was Galacta Knight, after all, but what if the other pulled out another sneaky trick? Would Galacta have to go and gather those stars a second time, or a third?
Besides, he didn't want to be sealed again even if he did get back his title with that. No, better to actually unseal Meta Knight with his wish. Then he'd have all the time in the world to beat the blue knight, and neither of them would be stuck in a crystal. Yes. He'd do that.
With that decided, he twirled a full circle in dark space to orient himself by the positions of some constant, distant stars, then looped towards the first planet with a power star. He'd be done with this within days, see if he wasn't!
---
Somewhere, despite being on an apparently unshiftable metallic surface, a certain catlike grin widened happily. It wouldn't be true to say he'd planned this - hadn't expected Meta Knight to come, to be honest, he was never sure about who first-time wishers would be. But after that - he took an interest in all his charges, and all those who'd ever wished upon him. He'd guessed what Galacta's likely reaction would be if the comet played with the wish this way, and encouraged it along. And at this rate...
A quiet laugh rang out, clacking of many tiny gears in unison. Then NOVA floated onward.