The echoes of quick footsteps sounded throughout the halls of Palutena's temple as a young angel sprinted through them. His bright blue gaze was fixed on the large double doors at the end of the hall, and his white wings fluttered a bit with the rush of his speed. He wore a white tunic held by a brown belt tied to the side and clasped over his right shoulder by a red gem set in a gold base. Underneath, he wore a dark, skintight shirt and shorts, and each of his wrists bore a brown brace with gold cuffs on each end. His spiky tufts of brown hair were tamed slightly by a golden crown of laurels. He slowed as he reached the doors, panting as he tried to catch his breath and recover what composure he could possibly possess. After a moment, he squared his shoulders and went through one of the doors. He entered a large, bright chamber that featured little other than a raised altar far out of his reach.
"Lady Palutena," the angel beckoned, kneeling. Above him, standing on the altar, was what appeared to be a woman. Her long green hair fell down past her knees, and she was garbed in a white, sleeveless dress adorned with several intricate golden ornaments. On each arm she wore golden armor, and in one hand she held a staff. She turned around, surprised.
"Pit?" she wondered. "What brings you? Is everything okay?" He looked up and got to his feet.
"I... maybe you can tell me," he replied, feeling uneasy. "I just... feel like something's wrong. Like when we beat Hades, something in my head could tell that the balance had been restored between our world, the surface, and the Underworld." He paused. "But... I dunno. I guess I feel like that balance isn't right." Palutena's regretful gaze on him only made him feel edgier. After an awkward silence, she finally sighed.
"Pit, I'll be honest with you. I didn't think you would be able to sense such a change, but I suppose I've forgotten that you can be quite sharp about some things."
"Wh-what's that supposed to mean?" he stammered, and the goddess's lack of a smile only worried him.
"There's something I should show you," she told him and waved her staff gently. A platform of some sort of energy appeared at the bottom of the altar and he quickly stepped on it, ascending to her level. She didn't say a word, but pointed to a small pool of water. He looked up to her, confused, before he turned his attention to the water.
"Ah!" he grunted as he found himself looking at a town he knew rather well, shocked by the alarming number of Underworld monsters bearing down on it. His shock grew as he noticed the Reapers. "Lady Palutena... what's going on?"
"I wish I knew," she sighed. "The Reapers are harvesting souls in such great quantities, and it's overthrowing the balance as you mentioned earlier. But I don't know why they're doing it."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he suddenly demanded, catching her off guard. "I need to get down there! The humans need us!"
"Pit, please," Palutena commanded, silencing him. "I... I can't let you go down there, not with the way things are now. If the Underworld is stirring like this, I can't afford to lose you. If... if you went down there now..."
"All the more reason I need to," he pressed. "I've fought Reapers before. I can deal with it."
"Not in those numbers!" she argued. "There isn't anything we can do. Not without risking Skyworld's forces." Pit grit his teeth and returned his gaze to the pool, and his stress only intensified.
"Magnus!" his eyes widened as he watched the stalwart human warrior fight off the Underworld forces swarming him. To Pit's confusion, an arrow similar to his own pierced through the fray, destroying several of the monsters. His expression fell as he saw the source of the arrow: a dark-winged angel bearing a striking resemblance to him. "Pittoo!" He clenched his jaw. "Lady Palutena, I can't just let them die. I'm begging you: let me go down and help them." Palutena watched him for a moment, then shut her eyes.
"Both Magnus and Pittoo are strong and able fighters," she reminded him. "But... I've neglected my duties as the Goddess of Light," she lamented. "Forgive me, Pit." She opened her eyes. "I should be grateful that you're ready to fight, not keeping you back when we can help."
"So, I can go?" he wondered. She nodded.
"Immediately," she replied. "We can't make up for the time already lost, but we must try to do as much as we can with what we still have." A light appeared from her free hand and took the shape of a bow, which he quickly took and jumped off the altar. With a quick glance back to her and a reassuring smile, he leaped out of the gate on the side of the chamber into the air. Within moments, his wings illuminated with Palutena's blessing of the Power of Flight, and he sped quickly toward the periled town.
"I don't see any Underworld monsters in your path," she told him telepathically. "You should have a straight and easy shot there."
"Understood," he replied.
"And Pit," she beckoned.
"Yeah?"
"Be careful, alright? Don't take any unnecessary risks. No matter what, you need to return to Skyworld." He smiled.
"I'll return to Skyworld victorious," he promised. "I beat Hades. I can deal with a few of his lackeys," he laughed. Within a few moments, he reached his destination and landed on his feet among its structures. He frowned as he crept through, glancing up every now and again to make sure he hadn't been spotted by the Reapers, then took off at a quick pace toward where he had spotted Magnus and Dark Pit earlier.
"Please tell me I'm not too late," he mumbled as he slowed down to catch his breath, and groaned as a sudden swarm of Underworld monsters showed up to block his path. "Come on, get out of my way!" he growled and pulled his bow apart, making quick work of his foes and hurrying along. "Eep."
"Be careful, Pit," Palutena cautioned. "There's a Reaper just to your left, coming toward you."
"Yeah, I know," he grumbled and ducked behind a wall. After a few, the Reaper passed and continued on its way. He started making his way back out to the alley, but something told him to stop. He turned around and looked around the room he'd entered, and his heart sunk as he fought back a cry of anguish. "No..." he mumbled.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Palutena wondered. Pit slowly made his way over to a crumpled shape on the ground and confirmed his fears. He set his bow down and knelt next to the shape, pulling it up in his arms to find it was indeed a little girl. Pit blinked back tears and his wings sagged as he held her close to his chest.
"I never got a chance to thank you..." he mumbled, recalling his confusing ordeal as a ring. Before he'd managed to find Magnus, he'd discovered via this same little girl that he could control whomever was wearing his ring. Despite not even knowing her name, he still felt some sort of bond with her. He wiped his eyes and set her down gently, clenching his fists as he recovered his weapon.
"Pit, what did you find?" Palutena pressed.
"I'll tell you later, I promise," he replied. "But... whatever's going on, it needs to be stopped." He hurried back out into town. "Kyah!" He ducked down at the last possible moment as a large sword came hurdling toward his head. "Jeez, watch it!" he spat.
"Pit?" Pit looked up and grinned, relief flooding through him. "Whoa, sorry about that. I heard something hiding in there, thought it was another monster."
"Good to see you too, Magnus," he nodded as Magnus withdrew his sword. The angel looked behind him to find a sarcastic glare meeting his gaze. "And you too, Pittoo."
"Pittoo?" Magnus snorted.
"Stop calling me that," Dark Pit said flatly, crossing his arms. "What took you so long? Things are pretty dire around here."
"I know," Pit's shoulders sagged. "I got... distracted, I guess." It wasn't a total lie.
"About time you showed up," another voice echoed around his head.
"Hi, Viridi," he shook his head lightly. "Yeah, yeah, sorry I'm late." He looked up to the sky. "So, Lady Palutena, what exactly are we doing now? I mean, do they have a commander or anything?"
"I'm looking," Palutena replied.
"Well, in the mean time," Dark Pit shot an arrow to the side, taking down another monster. "I'd say we either find shelter before the Reapers catch us or keep fighting them off. And..." he looked up. "Judging from their numbers, I don't think we'd last very long if we kept this up." Pit nodded.
"Right. Magnus," he turned to the human. "You know this town better than we do. Lead on." Magnus nodded and the trio headed further down the alley.
"Never thought I'd find myself fighting with an angel, let alone two," he remarked. "So, seriously. What's the deal with you two? Whole 'good-twin, evil-twin' thing or what? You guys allies?"
"I guess," Dark Pit shrugged. "It's a long story that would take even longer to explain. Maybe later." Pit nodded again.
"Yeah," he agreed. "It's pretty nuts."
"Well," Magnus raised an eyebrow. "I'm fighting with a couple of angels, one of which ended up possessing my body so I could fight his. I think I've seen my share of 'nuts' regarding you, Pit." Pit chuckled.
"Maybe." They rounded a corner to be faced with another onslaught of Underworld monsters. They made quick work of the creatures, and Dark Pit looked around.
"Seems like their numbers are thinning out," he noticed. "Question is, is that a good thing or bad?"
"Wouldn't that be good?" Pit wondered, tipping his head to the side.
"Not necessarily," Dark Pit watched him in disbelief. "Seriously, stop drooling and think for a moment. I know you're capable of it. Maybe it's good, meaning we're beating them and they're not sending reinforcements, or maybe it's bad in the sense that they're finishing up their original task. Look." He pointed up. "Most of the Reapers are retreating."
"Oh, okay," Pit nodded. "I get it." He paused as he processed what his dark look-alike had said. "And I don't drool!"
"There some... bad blood between you two, or what?" Magnus inquired. The angelic opposites exchanged a look.
"I don't even know anymore," Pit admitted, scratching his head in confusion.
"Pit!" Palutena caught his attention. "Head to your right. Something just appeared in the middle of the town, but I'm not entirely sure what it is. Be careful."
"Thanks, Lady Palutena," he replied.
"Alright, let's go," Dark Pit hurried toward the center of town with Pit following.
"Where are we going?" Magnus huffed. Pit looked over his shoulder to the warrior.
"Center of town. Apparently, something just showed up." Magnus blinked.
"Keep in mind that I'm not exactly a part of your conversations with your goddesses. I've got no idea what they're saying." Pit grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry about that," he turned back to their path, and the trio reached the fountain in the center of the town a short time later. Pit glanced around, confused.
"Okay, so... time for the pre-boss-battle rallying cry?" he wondered.
"The what?" Magnus demanded. Both angels looked up at him.
"Uh, maybe not this time," Dark Pit mumbled. Pit nodded vigorously in agreement, and Magnus sighed.
"Fine, if you two- Look!" He cut himself off and pointed toward the fountain, and Pit turned toward it just as a ball of smoke erupted from its depths. The trio retreated in different directions, and Pit readied his bow as the smoke burst forth into dark purple and white flames surrounding what looked like a vaporous skull. Its eye sockets scanned the three fighters quickly and it let out a bellow that hurt Pit's ears.
"Lady Palutena!" the angel cried out. "What is that thing?"
"I believe it's..." there was a trace of panic in Palutena's voice. "It's a form of Death Incarnate. To be honest, I've never actually seen one before, but I've heard of them: they only appear where death has struck a large number of living creatures."
"And that means that entire town has essentially been..." Viridi suddenly spoke up. "What is the Underworld possibly doing with all those souls?"
"I don't know," Dark Pit growled. "But any tips on this thing in front of us?"
"Uh..." both goddesses were silent.
"I believe they only show up to pick off the last few survivors," Palutena told them. "Try to keep your distance, and keep attacking it. If anything, you should be able to either defeat it or make it realize you're not worth the trouble."
"Thanks," the dark angel mumbled.
"Got it. So, shoot until it decides to leave," Pit repeated. "You get that, Magnus?"
"Great, but I don't shoot," the warrior replied.
"Maybe it'd be best if he took shelter," Palutena suggested.
"Lady Palutena says you should probably just take shelter somewhere," Pit translated. "We'll deal with this thing."
"Sorry, Angel Face," Magnus shook his head.
"Angel Face?" Dark Pit snorted.
"But I'm not about to sit around and watch when this entire place has been desecrated. I'll watch my own back, and you two do your thing. Deal?"
"Sure," Pit replied quickly and dodged to the side as the Death Incarnate suddenly came hurdling at him, the heat from it knocking his breath away. A charged arrow pierced it and Dark Pit quickly followed up with several weaker shots as Pit dodged back, shooting it as he did so. Magnus tore forward and brought his sword down hard, cutting through their enemy before he quickly retreated. The Death Incarnate turned around and glanced over them, then suddenly unleashed a wave of energy that knocked Pit off his feet. He turned quickly and landed on his side, a sharp pain shooting through his arm.
"Oof," he grunted and jumped back up. "Okay, time to end this. Come on, Flame Face! Come get me!" he raced around the town's center and fired several arrows, his dark partner following his example.
"Do you really need to agitate it?" Magnus inquired curtly as he chased it down. It dodged and spat out two smaller balls of flame, and each quickly proceeded to attack the angels.
"See what you did?" Dark Pit grumbled as he sprinted away from his attacker, shooting it as best he could before he finally gave up and started striking up close. It quickly dissipated and Pit followed, taking down the other as Magnus attacked the Death Incarnate again.
"All right, come on. Let's finish this," Pit rallied. "On the count of three." He readied an arrow. "One..." Dark Pit quickly did the same, leaning back as he aimed. "Two..." Magnus brought his sword to the side. "Three!" Two charged shots struck their target as Magnus's sword smashed through it. It screeched and evaporated.
"Extinguished!" Pit cheered, throwing his free fist into the air.
"Do you have to make a bad joke every time you win a battle?" Dark Pit criticized.
"No, but it's more fun that way."
"Fun?" Magnus repeated in disbelief. "Look around, Angel Face. This town is done." He swept his hand around the area.
"Unfortunately, he's right," Palutena agreed regretfully. "I can't find a single living soul anywhere, aside from you three." Pit's smile faded.
"Magnus..." he mumbled, hanging his head as his heart sunk and his mind processed the severity of the situation. "I'm so sorry." Magnus stared at him for a moment.
"I know, Pit. You did what you could. But I don't think even you could have stopped those Reapers."
"What will you do?" the angel wondered.
"Travel, I guess," he replied. "No point staying here. I'll move on, I guess."
"In the mean time," Dark Pit spoke up. Pit turned to face him as he approached his two comrades, and Palutena's servant blinked as he thought he saw traces of masked grief in the dark angel's red eyes. "We need to find out what the heck these Reapers are doing with all these souls."
"'We?'" Pit repeated. Dark Pit gazed at him seriously.
"We," he confirmed. "I can't just sit around and watch this happen again. Besides, those Reapers came after me as soon as they saw me, and I want to know why." Pit nodded. "So, I don't care how, I'm going to get to the bottom of this." He lifted his head. "With or without you, Viridi."
"If that's the case," Palutena mused. "Pittoo-"
"Seriously, stop calling me that," Dark Pit interrupted.
"I think, if you are going to join this fight on our side, then I believe it's best you come to Skyworld. I would think it'd be easier for us to plan out what we'll be doing, and you can train here with Pit and the Centurions."
"Yeah, I don't think they'd be very welcoming of me," Dark Pit pointed out. "And besides. I can kick Pit's butt with one hand tied behind my back."
"Cannot!" Pit challenged.
"Regardless, the Centurions know you did help rescue me from the Chaos Kin," Palutena reminded him, "And you saved Pit's life. They respect you." Dark Pit blinked.
"Then I guess I'm out of decent arguments," he sighed. "Fine. I'll come."
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be MY angel servant?" Viridi interrupted.
"I'm not your servant," Dark Pit shot back. "I do what I want with who I want."
"Regardless," Palutena continued. "Viridi, I hope I can rely on you to aid us in this fight. I know we'll need your power." Viridi was silent for a few.
"Fine, if the great Palutena needs me," the Goddess of Nature replied sarcastically, "Then I suppose I don't have much of a choice. But you two had better win this!"
"Planning on it," Pit vowed.
"Then let's get you two back here," Palutena decided. Pit nodded and turned to Magnus.
"You sure you'll be okay?" the angel wondered.
"Yeah," Magnus nodded. "I'll figure it out. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you guys."
"We will," Dark Pit promised.
"Pit," Palutena beckoned. "Please, tell Magnus that he has my thanks for everything he's done for us."
"Lady Palutena wants me to extend her thanks to you," Pit told the human. Magnus blinked and looked up.
"Uh, you're welcome, I guess. Just keep up your job." Palutena laughed.
"I plan on it. All right, both of you. Time to come home." Dark Pit approached the white-winged angel, and a bright light shined around them before they both disappeared, leaving Magnus alone.
