Don't Let Go

     Glitzy could feel it– they were going to die.

     The world around them shook with the strength of a powerful spell, rendering the ground they stood unfit to stand. Everything was falling– left and right, holes would break down from the walls, sturdy brick crumbling as if it was made out of sand. It was a sight to behold, the destructive power that crashed around them like a wave. A wave, threatening to sink Glitzy, drown them through rubble and debris.

     There was little time to contemplate the situation, but Glitzy couldn’t help it. It was overwhelming to realize how quickly things had shifted– one moment, safe with their knight so close by. Then the roar of thunder, a curse spoken in a language unspoken in centuries past– and the castle, shaking and creaking, succumbing to the pressure. Glitzy’s eyes tried to focus on the space around them, aiming to see other signs of life, but it was no use. The dust had clouded the room, making it hard to open their eyes– let alone find Meta Knight within the wreckage. Glitzy took a couple of steps forward, as steady as they could with the world tilting to its side, and suddenly, they were moving.

     Not forward, but down.

     A considerable section of the room gave way, the floor falling to the discord below. Glitzy’s hat flew along with it, but they managed to act fast and grab onto something, anything– their fingers managed to grasp the edge of the floor, now an open pit. Glitzy felt gravity calling onto them, the weight of their own body pulling them in. They had managed to hold on, yes, but not for long.

     “Meta Knight,” they cried out, voice coming out strained and terrified. Had he been hurt in the initial blast? Had he fallen like the building around him? Was he gone, and Glitzy didn’t even know it?

     Their heart ached for their lover, the image of their eyes, once comforting, was now a terrifying reminder. What if he’s dead, a part of his mind whispered, as dead as you’re about to be. The weight was too much despite how desperate Glitzy was to hang on to life, pull themselves up, and look out for their partner. The destruction hit them with shrapnel and stones, and with every blow, their grasp grew weaker–

     And they couldn’t hold themselves any longer.

     Glitzy closed their eyes, terrified of meeting their end– but there was no fall. There was no pain, and more certainly, death did not greet them. Instead, a hand touching theirs, holding onto their wrist with the strength and will of a knight in shining armor.

     “Don’t let go of me!”

     It was Meta Knight, and he was alive.

     Struggling against the dust and debris, Glitzy forced their eyes open, to see him standing on the floor above, determined to save their life. He was hurt, to a concerning degree, but he was breathing. And with that look in his eyes, nothing was going to slow him down.

     “Meta Knight!” Glitzy cried again, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. Of  dread, anguish, but most of anything, of a flooding, comforting relief, “You’re okay!”

     Meta Knight smiled, the type of smile that was reserved just for them. Such a small, fleeting expression– and yet, it meant the world to Glitzy. Slowly, mindful of Glitzy’s own bruised-up body, Meta Knight pulled them up. He hugged them, warm and secure, like a blanket. Glitzy melted into the embrace, uncaring of the world still ending around them. Meta Knight held them there, for a second that felt like all the time in the world.

     “Hold onto me,” he said, more determined than he had ever been, “I will get us out of here, I promise.”

     Glitzy did not reply, but he didn’t need to. With how much they trusted him, with how safe they felt in his arms, that promise was worth its weight in gold.