Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story.

BGM: Solo Menu – Palutena (Kid Icarus: Uprising)

"Let's see…" Palutena rubbed her chin in thought, looking at a corkboard. "We got rid of Twinbellows, Hewdraw…" She crossed them out with a red marker. "We still have Pandora and Tanatos to deal with before we can strike down Medusa…" She muttered.

She then turned around to a Centurion. "Who do you think we should take down next?"

"I say we get rid of the crazy blob."

"Hmm, yes… if we get rid of her, that will make things easier for us… depending if Tanatos isn't… quite as charismatic like last time…"

"Um, I hate to be that Centurion, but it's now Thanatos."

"Huh, I didn't realize he changed his name… but besides that, we need to locate Pandora."

A few hours later…

Palutena growled. "I can be patient but there are times when I'm about to lose it…" She said and walked away. "Hey, have any of you figured out where Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit might be?"

"We've been looking… AND LOOKING… and we still haven't found it yet!"

"I'm about to lose it!"

"AAAAAGH!" A Centurion snapped and then jumped out of a window.

"Aaaand we lost Jerry… AGAIN."

"Sigh… I'll go get his body… this is the fifth time he's done this ever since Medusa came back alive!"

"Well, you know how he gets!"

"I didn't think it'd be THIS bad!"

"Hmm…" Palutena rubbed her chin in thought before pounding her fist into her palm. "Wait a second!"

"What is it?"

"How are the Reapers doing?"

"…You're not seriously going to…"

Later…

"Alright, you guys ready?" Palutena asked.

"Yeah!" Ruby nodded.

"Let's do this!" Pit grinned.

"AAAAAND SHE'S SERIOUS!" They heard a Centurion yell.

"Welp… I'm gonna go ready the tombstones."

"…What's that all about?" Blake wondered.

"Don't worry about it. They're just being silly." Palutena said. Still… even I think this is a bit dangerous.

End BGM

"Alright, let's go!" Yang exclaimed as they took off.

BGM: The Reaper's Line of Sight (Kid Icarus: Uprising)

"So, what's our mission this time?" Pit asked, as they were taking down some Miks and some Nevermores.

"You remember Reapers, don't you? From the Underworld?"

Pit paled. "Not those guys! They're always freaking out and calling in their little Reapettes! Agh! I'm getting worked up just thinking about it!"

"Are they really that bad?" Ruby asked.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley…" Pit muttered.

"Yes, anyway… about the Reapers…"

"Sorry, sorry… go on."

"They have a fortress near the entrance to the Underworld in Reaper Valley."

"Heh, which is where? Reaper Bouldevard?" Pit joked. "But seriously, thank goodness we don't have to go there, right?"

There was a few moments of silence as they were shooting down more enemies.

"…I think we have to go there." Weiss said.

"I was afraid of that…" Pit muttered as they flew down. "Well, will you at least tell us why you want us to go to a place crawling with Reapers?"

"I'm trying to find another one of Medusa's commanders, Pandora."

Pit's eyes widened. "The Goddess of disaster and calamity? THAT Pandora?!"

"Yes, and she's currently residing in the Labyrinth of Deceit. However, some force in the Reaper Fortress is obscuring the labyrinth's location. I can't find it, not even with my all-seeing Eye of Palutena."

"You have an all seeing eye?!" Ruby exclaimed in amazement. "That's amazing!"

"Hold up a second!" Pit said. "If you have an all-seeing eye, why can't you see Pandora's location?" He asked suspiciously.

"Because of my slightly botched laser eye surgery!"

"…You're messing with us, right?" Pit asked, as they took down some Handoras.

"Maybe. Regardless, your job for now is to infiltrate the Reaper fortress!"

"Aww… that would've been cool." Ruby pouted a little.

"I think it'd be a bit… freaky." Weiss said.

"Totally." Blake nodded.

"Eh, I think it would've been cool." Yang said. "A little freaky, but cool." She said as they took down a huge wave of Nevermores and Monoeyes.

It was then that after the wave, they noticed a lot of red lights. "What are those red lights?" Pit asked.

"Are they…" Palutena lightly gasped as the lights suddenly turned into red harmless lasers. "Reaper eyes?!"

"Oh, this is really bad!" Pit exclaimed as the Reapettes proceeded to come into view, as they quickly took care of them, and then Palutena proceeded to guide Pit away from the Reapers as RWBY followed.

"We need to find you a safe route…" She said as they noticed a ravine below. "Down there is your only option."

"I don't trust that ravine!" Weiss said.

"Trust it or not, it's the safest route to the Reaper fortress without dealing with all those Reapers. Problem is… it's tight in there, so you gotta be careful. If you get stuck, then I won't have time to pull you all out."

"Man, things are really heating up! Time to burst through here, full speed ahead!" Pit exclaimed.

"And try to get us killed?" Blake asked.

"Well, as long as we're not hitting any of the ledges that are poking out, we should be fine!" Ruby said.

"I'll just break them with my fists anyway." Yang grinned.

Palutena laughed. "That's an excellent idea but I'll try to not let you get killed."

As they were dodging the incoming debris in front of them, they noticed a heavy windstorm up ahead. "Wait… is that what I think it is?" Yang asked.

"Hang on!"

They went through it. "OW!" Pit yelled.

"Yeah, that one hurt!" Ruby winced.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, it's only wind! I mean, at least it's not poison or acid wind, then you'd be in real trouble."

"Yeah, that's REAL comforting!" Weiss growled.

"I'll take my chances without the wind…" Blake said as they proceeded to go into a cave, taking down a Mega Mussel and a few Ursa that were in the cave as well, then they went out and more through the ravine, going through more wind… and then they reached a dead end.

"Okay, now what?" Yang asked as they were taking down the forces.

"Hmm…" Palutena looked around, guiding Pit. "Ah! Down there!" She said as Pit flew down as the others followed.

"The Underworld army has really stepped up their game." Pit said.

"I doubt those underlings managed it on their own. It's a sure sign that Medusa's back in power."

They kept going through a few more tunnels and dealing with more enemies, as they saw some light at the end of a tunnel. "You're almost there! Three, two, one, contact!"

They got out of the tunnel as they saw Reaper Fortress…. And they were greeted by lasers. "WHOA!" Ruby yelled.

"Laser happy much?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"It's hot hot hot here!" Pit exclaimed.

"You're not going to be able to get there from above, you'll have to go through the front." Palutena said as they went on through while taking down a Reaper in the process… and then… they charged forward.

"HERE WE GOOOO!" Pit yelled.

Weiss's eyes widened. "Wait, ARE WE GOING TO SLAM INTO THE DOO-"

SLAM!

End BGM

BGM: Reaper Fortress (Kid Icarus: Uprising)

"…Ow…" Weiss groaned.

"That… hurt…" Yang groaned.

"I'm seeing stars…" Ruby groaned.

"My achin…" Blake groaned as they got up.

"Are you guys okay?" Palutena asked.

"Never… ow… better…" Pit winced.

"Then let's get moving. The force obscuring Pandora is deep within this fortress."

"…Are we just going to ignore the guillotines?!" Weiss asked.

"As long as we're not in the way." Yang said as Pit broke open a few pots to contain some apples.

"Oh ho! Now I know how Link feels when he smashes open pots!" Pit exclaimed, happily chowing down and tossing them a couple.

"I've always wondered where that fascination came from." Palutena wondered.

"Strange, I feel so much better." Ruby said, after eating the apple.

"Where I come from, food makes all of us feel better. Good thing Lady Palutena always puts a magic barrier around food that keeps it from getting any dirt or bugs." Pit said.

"Huh, never really thought of that."

"Wait, what?" Pit asked.

"I... I actually haven't been protecting the food I send with magic." Palutena admitted sheepishly. "My bad."

"So that means..." Yang paused before looking at Pit with the others.

"Every time I've been eating floor ice-cream... it may have had got covered in dirt and bugs?!" Pit exclaimed in horror... before quickly shrugging it off after a short pause like it was no big deal. "Eh, I'll still eat it."

"…Ew… now I just lost my appetite." Weiss tossed the apple away.

"I'd probably eat one with you." Ruby said.

"It gives you health!" Pit smiled.

"…I'll never understand you two…" Blake said as they moved forward. But while they did, Blake had quietly asked Palutena if she was making up not using a barrier, recalling how she pretended to look up the town names. Palutena's response?

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." That was her reply in a mischievous tone. Blake decided to leave it at that and not ask any further.

"Reapers may look all evil and crazy, but there's a good reason for that. They ARE evil and crazy." Palutena said as they entered the hallway to see a lonely Reaper patrolling the hallway. "But here's a little tip, they won't bother you if you stay out of their sight."

"We gotta hide from them." Pit said as they moved to a good hiding spot, where the Reaper moved past them as Pit peeked his head. "Okaaaay… aaaany second now…"

"Oh, this is just ridiculous!" Weiss growled as she walked forward.

"Weiss, wait!" Pit exclaimed.

"I'm not going to sit around and wait! And besides, it's not like they're gonna go crazy when they see me!"

Famous last words… Pit thought.

"Excuse me, I'm coming through." Weiss said, walking beside the Reaper as the Reaper spotted her… aaaand went totally ballistic as Weiss turned around to see the Reaper attempting to slash her. "AAAAH!" She jumped back.

"…Well, looks like we have to fight it now." Pit said.

"Or…" Ruby activated her semblance and grabbed Weiss as they went through the door while Pit, Blake and Yang snuck by as the Reaper tried to attack, but it was a bit too slow.

"So, do you believe me now?" Palutena asked.

"Oh… be… quiet…!" Weiss growled.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"…You know, despite being the Reaper Fortress… there's not a lot of Reapers around." Pit said.

"There must be a huge soul harvest going on around here..."

"What do you mean?"

"Reapers are soul carriers. When a being dies, they take its soul to the Underworld. The humans probably started another war, which means a lot more souls to deal with."

"Why are they always fighting? It's so sad and pointless…" Pit said, unaware of what goes on in Remnant.

"Yes, and we Gods fight too, and when we do, humans are always caught in the middle."

"So, this war against the Underworld Army is causing the Reapers to work overtime."

"I'm the one who should be working overtime… then there'd be less soul harvesting… Humans get frustrated, even destructive, when we Gods don't provide for their welfare…"

"Now don't be like that!" Ruby smiled.

"Ruby's right, everyone loves the Goddess of Light! You know that!" Pit smiled.

Everyone except me… Weiss thought, obviously still mad about the Hewdraw encounter.

"Thank you… I do my best. Now, let's keep going."

As they proceeded to move forward, they spotted a hidden area as they went over and looked inside, taking care of a few Zurees and they pushed down a ball-like switch, and then they went into the next room where they saw a treasure chest and they opened it to reveal some Tiger Claws.

"Oh sweet!" Pit grinned. "Wait… does anyone else hear that music?"

"What music?" Yang asked.

"So, it's just me?" Pit asked.

"There's an Orne in the area!" Palutena said as they turned to see an Orne making its appearance.

"You mean that skull thing?" Weiss asked.

"Yes, one touch from that thing and it'll annihilate you!"

"How bad?" Ruby asked.

"Well, touching it will have your minds shattered with death immediately coming after."

Their eyes widened. "WHAT?!" They all yelled.

"That sounds painful… not to mention TOTALLY UNFAIR!" Pit yelled.

"Don't panic, try breaking a rock to get out of there… but hurry!"

They proceeded to break some rocks until one of them contained a jump pad as they jumped up… and got the heck out of there as they ran out of the area.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that those things are invincible."

"Oh sure, THAT'S fair!" Blake said as they walked over and saw a Grind Rail, and they hopped on… which they proceeded to instantly grind over.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Nice!" Pit exclaimed.

"That's a grind rail. It sure beats walking, doesn't it?"

They soon jumped off and took down some of the army and Grimm, and then they went into the next area.

"Um, who's the purple eggplant looking thing…?" Ruby asked.

"Purple eggplant… WHAT?!" Pit asked as he turned to see the Eggplant Wizard. "No! Not that guy!"

"An Eggplant Wizard!"

"No! I don't want to be an eggplant again!"

"Again?" Yang asked.

"It's a long story…"

"Way back when, you had to visit a nurse to get fixed up, remember?"

"I was there so much, they named the place after me. HosPITal. Get it?"

There was a lot of dead silence… and it even made the Eggplant Wizard himself facepalm... Okay, it wasn't completely dead silent as Ruby and Yang chuckled, even if it was a small chuckle.

"…It's funny! It's okay to laugh! Even Ruby and Yang are laughing."

"Sorry, Pit… but… that wasn't funny." Blake said.

"They laughed because Ruby likes you and Yang makes puns herself." Weiss said. And cue Ruby blushing from what Weiss said.

"But I'd do better." Yang said with a smug.

"Anyway, as much as it's tempting to bring you back so the nurse can heal you back up, it'd be a bit of a hassle to get you back to where you were, so I think it'd be best to use my magic to get you back to normal… after a while."

"Gee, tha-… did you say after a while?" Pit asked as they proceeded to take it down and moved into the next area where they saw a treasure chest and they ran forward while being wary of the moving wall and they proceeded to move and it was then that Pit saw something, most likely a Zodiac chamber. "Lady Palutena, is that a Zodiac chamber I'm seeing?"

"Yes, the Taurus chamber, but I'd be careful if I were-" Pit jumped down. "-you…"

"What's wrong?" Weiss asked as they jumped down.

"Well, there's a Clubberskull in the area, and while it's dormant for now… anything that touches it will wake it up and cause it to devaste the entire area. It's a very dangerous enemy."

"Good to know…" Yang said as they went into the Zodiac chamber and got the Taurus Arm as it disappeared, then they got out… where they saw a Beowolf standing next to the dormant Clubberskull.

Pit's eyes widened. "Don't you dare!"

The Beowolf smirked and then raised its fist before slamming it down on the Clubberskull… which of course, caused it to stir.

"The Clubberskull's loose! Get out of there!"

They immediately found a Jump Pad and they jumped up as the Clubberskull roared… and pummeled the Grimm as it marched around, shaking the entire place.

"Whoa, I didn't think it was that powerful!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Sounds like a good challenge if we're facing that thing." Yang said. "Then again, I'm not insane enough to do that." She said as they went into the next area, being careful to make their way around the Reapers and taking down a wave of enemies to activate a grind rail and hitting some switches to extend it and then they got to the very top.

"Wait…" Pit sniffed the air. "I smell something…"

"What do you smell?" Weiss asked.

"I smell something… warm, very relaxing… and very… VERY inviting." He grinned. "I recognize that smell anywhere!" He took off. "HOT SPRIIIIING!"

"…He can smell hot springs?" Blake asked.

"His love for hot springs is amazing… I'm amazed that he can actually smell them." Palutena said. "Then again, I think it's because he tends to use the hot springs a lot in Skyworld…" She said as they walked in to see Pit already relaxing.

"Ah… nothing like a little R and R!" Pit said as the girls looked to see another hot spring that's currently being used by a relaxing Reaper.

"I wonder if it can actually heal humans too?" Ruby wondered. "It works for Pit."

"I don't think it will, but it wouldn't hurt to try."

They proceeded to go into the Hot spring where they sat there for a few minutes. "I feel refreshed, but I don't feel healed." Weiss said.

"I guess the healing factor only works for angels. Still, it feels really good!" Pit said.

"I can be in here for forever…" Ruby sighed deeply.

"You said it." Yang smiled as they closed their eyes as Yang felt something as she turned to see a curious Monoeye wondering if it could jump in. "I don't think so, eyeball!" She said, grabbing it and throwing it to the other hot spring.

"Well, we should be getting out. We got a mission to complete." Pit said as he got out.

"Five-blub-more-blub-minutes-blub." Ruby said… and then WBY had to drag her out. "Aww!"

"I know, I want to go back in there too." Pit said with a smile as they walked to the last area.

"You're closing in on the force that's obscuring Pandora's location."

"Yeah, I figured the evil lighting wasn't just for show." Pit said as they all walked in while taking care of several Reapettes.

End BGM

As they walked in, they saw a lone Reaper. "Oh look, there's our boss!" Pit smirked. "This is gonna be a piece of cake!"

"This is going to be awesome!" Yang smirked as they got ready.

The Reaper spotted them and did its little crazy dance… aaaaand then turned into Reaper-Zilla, AKA the Great Reaper as they jawdropped at this.

"WHAT THE?!" Weiss screamed.

"No way…!" Pit said in amazement.

"It's gigantic!" Palutena exclaimed.

BGM: Boss Battle 1 (Kid Icarus: Uprising)

"WHAT KIND OF REAPER IS THAT?!" Weiss yelled as the Great Reaper moved forward.

"That Great Reaper must be the one who's hidden Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit." Palutena said as they tried to attack its feet and attempted to stomp on them. "Oh, and there's two levels in that room so you can fight from below or above."

"You make it sound like it's easy!" Pit exclaimed.

"That's because it IS easy!"

They quickly ran up the stairs to avoid being crushed or blown away from its shockwaves, but even then, the Great Reaper kept slashing them and firing beams from his scythe as they kept shooting at the giant, and then the Great Reaper's eyes glowed a little and shot lasers, forcing them to dodge.

"Those aren't just flirty looks coming from the Great Reaper's eyes!"

"Let me guess… they're death rays?!" Pit asked.

"In a nutshell. Once any of you get hit, it'll summon Reapettes. That Great Reaper has quite the evil eye."

"How can you make puns at a time like this?!"

"I guess I just don't SEE the problem with a little levity!"

"Ugh! You're killing me here!"

"Well, to be fair, it's better than what Yang would've come up with."

"Hey, I heard that!" Yang exclaimed, punching the Giant Reaper as they dodged the lasers from the scythe.

"I think I've found its weak points." Palutena said, as they kept attacking. "Its head and its toes."

"Oh yeah, stubbing those little guys hurts like crazy!" Pit said.

"Been there, done that…" Ruby shuddered.

"Tell me about it." Weiss nodded.

"But it's more effective to target the head. The head is the weak spot for many enemies… and most living things." She said as they started to fire at its head… and then the Great Reaper groaned and held his head. "Now, finish it!"

"But how?" Blake asked.

"Hit the light that's coming out of its eye! Strike right there!"

"Got it!" Yang nodded as the Great Reaper growled and started swinging his scythe, forcing them to duck or dodge the attacks. "Ha! You missed!" She smirked… Aaaaand then noticing a strand of her hair gently floating down to the ground. "…You…"

"Oh, this is bad!" Weiss said.

"What's wrong?" Pit asked.

"When you mess with my sister's hair… well…"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Yang screamed, activating her semblance as she shot straight in the air.

"Did her hair go on fire… AND DID HER EYES TURN RED?!" Pit yelled, and then Yang punched the Great Reaper in the head so hard it knocked him down and… basically ending him. "AND DID SHE JUST PULL A CAPTAIN FALCON?!" He yelled before collapsing.

End BGM

"Wow… I wouldn't want to mess with her when her hair is ruined." Palutena said.

"Who's Captain Falcon?" Ruby asked.

Pit got back up. "A guy that you don't want to get on his bad side." He said. "Trust me, Yang punches just like him."

Yang panted and then saw the Great Reaper still alive, of course it was now a regular Reaper as it was weakly trying to get up... Buuuuuuuut Yang swiftly kicked him in a place where no man should ever be kicked at, and ha collapsed in more pain. "That's for messing with my hair." She said and walked off.

"Well, that's one way to take down a Reaper." Pit said.

"Indeed, let's get you back before Yang totally trashes the Reaper Fortress… no matter how fun it would be to watch." Palutena said as the heavenly light took them all back.

Meanwhile…

BGM: Toad Town (Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story)

"What?! RWBY's missing?!" Peach asked.

"You don't even know where they're at?" Pyrrha asked.

"No, we don't."

"We can try searching the entire kingdom." Mario suggested as they nodded… and then Jaune kicked open the doors.

"Hey guys, look what I found!" He said, pointing to his back with a cape on his back.

"You found a Cape Feather?" Mario asked.

"Yep, and according to Ruby, you can fly with this thing on!" Jaune said as he turned around. "I'm going to try it out right now!" He got in a stance. "UP UP AND AWA-"

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIP!

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Jaune screamed like a little girl.

"Ooooh, that's gotta hurt." Luigi winced.

"Atomic wedgie by Cape Feather… ouch." Nora said.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed in concern.

"THAT HURT SO FREAKING MUCH!" Jaune screamed as a few Toads saw this.

"I feel so sorry for him…"

"Better him than me."

"Paging… doctor… I can't… get… it… unstuck…!" Jaune said.

Mario sighed. "This is going to be quite… interesting." He said as he guided him to the clinic, as they all knew… that this was going to be quite awkward in the clinic.

Jaune won't be sitting down for a while... hehehe.