The town surrounding Castle Dark was beautiful in a strange sort of way. It was distinctly modern with a Victorian twist, with the numerous street lights and lanterns creating a gorgeous carpet of light that shone in the gloomy night. The town was compact as well, with buildings stacked atop one another to the point that there were multiple street levels. The streets were cobblestone and shone slightly under the lights owing to the misting rain. The streets were totally empty aside from Dark Taranza's insect soldiers, and it made Dark bristle a little to see the normally bustling town like this.

"They've taken complete control," Dark hissed, lowering his borrowed binoculars. Meta snatched the binoculars and took another scan of the town, mentally tallying the soldiers. The two men were perched on a cliff that overlooked the buildings below, hidden from view by a craggy ridge that rose before them.

"There are too many to easily dispatch without alarming Dark Taranza and Parallel," Meta said, slipping the binoculars into his cape. Dark scowled, tapping his fingers on the stone before him.

"We could always make a break for it down the main street. But we're so outnumbered..." he huffed. Meta seemed to ponder something for a moment before turning to face Dark.

"You can disguise yourself as others aside from me, correct?" he asked. Dark blinked.

"Yeah...?" he said slowly.

"How accurately can you copy one of those soldiers?" Meta continued. Dark smirked as he realized what the other was getting at.

"Perfectly," Dark said. Meta nodded, and surprised Dark by sliding his helm off his head. He dropped it into his cape and turned to face Dark again.

"If I am to play the part of your prisoner, it must be convincing. Punch me in the face," Meta said. Dark gave him a long look.

"I don't know if we need to go that far," he responded.

"Surely it would raise suspicion were I to be uninjured. And I lack any supplies to fake such an injury," Meta explained. He then raised a hand and tapped at his nose. "There merely needs to be enough force to bruise me and provoke bleeding from the nose."

"It's not exactly easy to be that precise," Dark huffed. Meta only rolled his eyes.

"If you truly wish to spend your time discussing this and not reclaiming your kingdom, then I will depart alone," he snapped.

"Good luck with that, idiot," Dark snarled. Meta shrugged.

"Idiot, hm? Tell me, which one of us left his kingdom without its ruler for petty revenge, resulting in this mess-" Dark landed a swift blow to the center of Meta's face, cutting off the man's insult.

"There," Dark said, barely concealed rage in his tone. Meta gave him a remarkably smug look for someone whose nose was streaming blood.

"A little encouragement is occasionally required, is it not?" Meta said, blood dripping onto his coat from his chin. Dark gave him a look that was part amusement and part irritation.

"You're pretty good at encouraging people to punch you, I'll give you that," he chuckled. Dark then closed his single eye, gathering his magic. He'd only seen the insect soldiers up close a few times during diplomatic meetings with Rosalia, but luckily for Dark he had an excellent visual memory. A mirror-like shine traveled over his body, and the air almost seemed to glitter around him. Meta blinked, and suddenly a Rosalian soldier stood before him in place of Dark.

"Impressive," he said, reaching out to touch one of the red pauldrons on the "soldier's" shoulders. His hand went through the ornate thorn-like protrusion and instead rested on some sort of fabric beneath it.

"It's just an illusion, it isn't really there," Dark said, noting Meta's look of confusion.

"Ah, so we mustn't let them touch you," Meta commented. Dark nodded before adopting a look of determination.

"Alright, let's go. We'll take the main route in," he said. The two began their descent, nimbly hopping down the rocky terrain. They reached the ground rather quickly, and Dark moved behind Meta, grabbing at his arms and pushing them into a locked position behind his back. Meta bowed his head, practicing the role of the sullen prisoner.

Meta looked up as the two neared the town, gazing up at the impressive wall that surrounded the city. They were nearing a massive stone gate with two of Dark Taranza's men posted outside. The two soldiers immediately drew their weapons and brandished them, before lowering them as they caught sight of Dark.

"What've you got there, comrade?" the taller one asked. Dark hesitated for a moment before hoisting Meta up a little. Meta quickly played along, grimacing as if he was in great pain.

"Caught this pathetic Dreamlander trying to get into the town. Thought I should bring em to the king," Dark said, carefully disguising his voice. His accent was very distinctive, and it would be a dead giveaway if he used his normal voice. The smaller guard walked to meet Dark as he approached, giving Meta a once over.

"He looks an awful lot like King Dark. Must be Meta Knight," the man said, grabbing Meta's face and examining him. Meta didn't need to feign his angry response, and he bared his impressive fangs at the soldier. The taller soldier jogged up, a look of amazement visible on his features that remained uncovered by his helm.

"Woah, they say he's just as strong as King Dark. How did you catch him?" he asked in amazement.

"Element of surprise," Dark said. The short soldier appraised Meta a little more before releasing his face and walking back towards his post. The man withdrew a set of intricate black keys and unlocked a small side entrance, opening it for Dark to proceed. Dark headed towards the opening, tailed by the tall soldier.

"Gotta say, I didn't even know we were doing patrols outside of the perimeter," the small soldier said as Dark neared him.

"Yeah, we've been stuck here the whole time!" the taller one chimed in.

"His majesty has been very busy. I'm sure he simply hasn't had the time to announce the new patrols yet," Dark lied, starting through the door. The taller one laughed at this.

"Yeah, since he got his ass kicked by King Dark. Damn, I miss when Queen Exonia would command us, but she's not been able to get on the front lines since, well, you know..." the man trailed off, and the shorter one cleared his throat.

"We shouldn't be talking about this in front of a prisoner. Anyway, hurry up and get Mr. Knight here to the king, he's been taking his loss out on all of us," he said. Dark nodded and walked the rest of the way through the small tunnel connected to the door.

"Good luck dealing with that asshole. And I'm not talking about the prisoner," the tall guard added before shutting the door. It was only after they'd put some distance between them and the door that Meta spoke up.

"Those two would struggle to pour water from my boot if I wrote the instructions on the heel," Meta said, keeping his voice down. Dark chuckled.

"They've really gone downhill without the direct influence of Exonia. Dark Taranza may be a strategist but he knows nothing about inspiring or training his troops," he replied.

"She perished, I assume?"

"No, but with the death of Sectonia she no longer leaves her castle. You remember what I said about how you can permanently kill a Mirror-Worlder, right?" Dark said. Meta thought back to the conversation and nodded.

"Ah, that is correct. She wishes to avoid a permanent shattering. It also explains a motive for Dark Taranza's involvement in this mess."

"Permanent shattering is a funny way to say it really. If a Mirror-Worlder truly dies they don't shatter at all, just like how one from your world would die," Dark explained as the continued to walk down the wide cobblestone road, "As for a motive for the bastard to stick his ugly nose where it doesn't belong, he doesn't need one. He's been growing resentful of Exonia since she's become in danger of permanent death, since he can't hide behind her anymore. If anything, he's mad that I inconvenienced him rather than being angry that I endangered his wife."

"What a positively lovely individual," Meta drawled.

"To be fair, if you knew Exonia you'd agree that she deserves all of this. The word tyrant in the dictionary is accompanied by her photo. She sacrificed everything else in her country for that army of hers, and now even that is collapsing. It's hilarious," Dark chuckled maliciously. She'd always been so sure that Rosalia would triumph over Dreadland, and yet her bid for power had ended miserably. What pompousness, what arrogance, what short-sightedness! No, she was nothing compared to the short-lived glory of Queen Sectonia...

"It sounds as if their kingdom is crumbling of its own accord," Meta said, slightly put off by the cold malice he heard in the other's tone. There was certainly quite a history there that Meta was not privy to.

"Oh I'm already drawing up schematics for when I inevitably acquire it. Covered in thorns or not, a sky kingdom is strategically valuable-" Two large hands suddenly grabbed the men, yanking them unseen into a narrow alleyway. Meta was tossed aside, but Dark was slammed against the wall by the large figure.

"Where is King Dark?!" the figure hissed, menacing the man with a large polished halberd that he'd conjured. Meta rushed to grasp the handle of the weapon, stopping the man from inflicting any damage.

"You happen to be looking at him," Meta said urgently. The figure blinked and reexamined Dark, moving his hand until it was over part of the false helmet. He released him when he felt skin instead of metal.

"Your Majesty! Are you unhurt?" he cried. Dark winced a little at his newly sore back but offered a grin to the man regardless as he allowed his disguise to crumble away.

"So you really did get away! This is Meta Knight by the way, but I'm sure you guessed that," Dark said excitedly, gesturing at Meta.

"Ah, your counterpart. I am Shadow Dedede. My liege has told me much about you, your Majesty," Shadow Dedede intoned, bowing towards Meta. As expected, he looked identical in basic shape to Dedede, though he seemed a little thinner. His clothes were all gray, black and red, and his skin was a dark slate color. His eyes were the most startling change, as they were pure white and pupiless, and seemed to glow softly in the gloom.

"I am not royalty, but I am flattered nonetheless," Meta said, returning the bow. Shadow Dedede gave Dark a confused look, and Dark laughed.

"He's a weapons dealer, don't let the humble act fool you. He's loaded," he tittered, earning a glare from Meta.

"Military. Contractor," Meta hissed, only making Dark laugh harder. Shadow Dedede looked between the two with an unreadable expression before he spoke.

"Your Majesty, what are your plans for retaking the castle," he asked.

"Use my disguise to get inside, and then strike at the leaders. These soldiers don't exactly care much for Dark Taranza, so I doubt they'll stick around once I shatter him. And Parallel isn't much of a threat if we can catch her away from that mech of hers," Dark said, the concept of revenge making him positively giddy. Meta frowned.

"You know, one thing has been confusing me. What reason does Parallel have for usurping you? You appeared to have history when you spoke," Meta pondered, idly picking at the dried blood beneath his nose. Dark seemed to become a little sullen at his words.

"Dark Mind took her in after her father died in the course of their invasion. We used to be like siblings, but we drifted apart after she left the castle to start her own company. She blames me for the fall of Dark Mind, thinks I should have stopped him earlier," Dark said. He rubbed at his arms uncomfortably, causing Shadow Dedede to frown.

"Sire, perhaps this topic is best left alone," he said, concerned. Dark waved off his concern.

"It's fine, I'm fine. There's no reason to skirt around the issue now. Parallel..." Dark trailed off, mulling over his words, "She thinks she knows the best for everyone, and she doesn't really see the perspectives of others. I didn't handle it how she thinks she would have, so I'm wrong and unfit to rule. I always thought she was a little naïve and controlling but..."

"You did not think she would go this far," Meta supplied. Dark nodded, running a hand through his hair in exasperation.

"I know it sounds rich coming from me but she's definitely one of the more rash and arrogant people I've known. I'll bet anything that she really thinks she can control Eclipse," he huffed.

"Control Eclipse?!" Shadow Dedede squawked, eyes wide.

"They intend to release and control her via utilizing some form of technology," Meta explained.

"They're fucking idiots, what else is new? It's down to us to knock some sense into them," Dark added, cracking his knuckles. Shadow Dedede nodded and hefted his massive halberd onto his shoulder.

"Then let us demonstrate the full power of Dreadland," he said ominously. Meta looked at the two and nodded, his eyes glowing brightly.

"They have become rather comfortable tossing rocks out from that glass house of theirs, haven't they? How about we bring some of our own stones?" he quipped, touching his fingers to Galaxia's hilt.