~Shadmé~
I watched as Pit and Dark flew out of the heavenly door, beginning some humorous banter. As soon as they'd gone out of my sight, I smiled. I removed my laurel crown and walked off towards my room.
It was hard for me to walk away like that. My stomach was still churning from last night's ceremony. How could Palutena trust me like that? How could I live with that feeling? Today was the day that I was going to take those glass pieces and discover my past. At worst, I'd be betraying the goddess who'd appointed me commander of her army.
Stop thinking so negatively, I scolded myself. Your past is not tainted! And you aren't betraying her. You'll be back before she even knows you've been gone.
POD had recommended having me remove the laurel crown for a while, saying that Palutena would not be able to sense me as easily without it. However that worked boggled my mind, but POD knew all. And so I slipped it into a bag, the same bag that would be carrying the glass shards to the location that POD instructed me to.
Today I was wearing my original outfit that I'd arrived in. Perhaps my past would provide origin to the t-shirt and pants that, compared to the way everyone else dressed, was so foreign.
I reached my room and headed for the desk. I'd tucked away the glass shards in every little nook and cranny. That way, if I'd been found out, I wouldn't be missing the entire stash. POD's idea, of course.
I yanked out dresser drawers, pulled things out from under the bed, shifted books around. These glass shards were everywhere! The growing suspense in the air combined with the eerily quiet temple was making me all the more paranoid, but also eager. I was so close to unlocking my past. Nothing could stop me now.
After collecting all the smaller pieces, I checked behind the dresser and pulled out the biggest piece of all. This was what had fallen out of the Lightning Chariot. I had no idea why it was formerly with the Forces of Nature, but it didn't matter to me! I had it now. I kneeled down to rub my finger along its edge. On one side, it was easy to tell it had been fractured away from the other pieces, as rough as the edge was. On the other, it was smooth. If the glass pieces were a puzzle, this large one was the corner.
Double-checking my room to make sure that no glass shards had been left behind, I frowned sheepishly at the disorganization. If, for some reason, I didn't make it back, would the goddess think that I'd been attacked or that I'd picked up and left? Though I wanted to go and take care of this shard business, I figured I should leave a positive message.
A little later, my room was straightened up. I plucked a feather out of my wing, wincing, then pulled a bottle of ink and a scroll near me and began to write.
Dear Palutena, Pit and Dark,
If you've found this letter, that means I'm likely not back yet. Don't worry about me- I haven't left you forever! I am just chasing a clue that may give me an idea of my past. If all goes well, I won't be gone long, and you'll probably never see this thing. I'm just writing it in case there's a spare chance *I crossed out most of the rest of the part* Wow, I should have thought about what to say before I tried to write. Now the scroll has ink all over it. Anyhow, don't worry about me! Good luck on your trip to Viridi's Sanctuary!
Sincerely,
Shadmé, Your Commander
Leaving the feather behind, since I saw no reason to keep it with me, I awkwardly positioned the scroll on my desk and left my door open. Tiptoeing out of my room, I made my way down the temple halls and out the door.
"Boys," I instructed to two Centurion Strongarms, "Keep an eye on this place, okay? Don't worry Lady Palutena. I'll be back soon." They nodded and I set off out of the temple boundaries.
On last time I looked through my bag. Did I have everything? The glass shards, even the big piece, were all in there. So was my laurel crown. And some food and water. Finally, my Asimi Bow.
I couldn't believe I had been given the Asimi Bow. A weapon all to myself was quite an honor, one that I wasn't sure I even deserved. But Palutena must have thought I did. I had tried it out early this morning, even earlier than Dark, because the guy likes to train that early. But as soon as the weapon had been in my hand, I felt that, indeed, it had been made for my hand and my style. The Asimi Bow was light with strong melee and range capabilities as well as decent homing. It fired slightly red-tinted arrows of light. However, the shot nullification and charge time were low as a result. Palutena knew that my way of attack was, well, not exactly balanced, but in a nutshell, I liked to be able to defend myself from anything.
Taking a deep breath, I pressed two fingers to my temple. "Alright, POD," I told the Voice inside my head. "I'm ready to discover my past. Show me where to go."
"I see you have everything you need. Excellent. This will be quite a journey, but I am sure you can make it."
"I've been waiting for this," I told it solemnly. "I search for nothing but the truth."
It seemed to want to say something to that, but I continued. "I've proved to Lady Palutena that she can trust me- I'm a commander now! I have the strength to face my past."
"Big words," my Voice sneered. "But your ambition is fine." I walked down a hill, grass dull and faded from Viridi's influence (even here), as it proceeded to give me directions as to where I should go to offer up the glass shards.
I turned to look over my back at Palutena's temple, appearing smaller and smaller as I walked farther away. What was this growing sense of dread, like I wouldn't be back in a long time? I shook my head. Probably just nerves. Of course I'd be back! I had a duty to the goddess here.
I listened closely to POD's directions. "Okay, okay. What is the place I'm going to like?"
"It's been abandoned for 10 years," POD explained. "Do not be afraid of what you find there."
"I'm not afraid," I told POD boldly.
"Good," it said. "Everything will work out perfectly..."
I put no thought to its words as I walked off, observing the sky. No sign of Pit or Dark. They'd be far from here by now, fighting off the rogue Forces of Nature and unraveling Viridi's mysterious behavior. Though I yearned to provide them aid, I couldn't fly on my own. And I had all the tools to discover my past-
"Wait," I said aloud, stopping my movement. "You have the Power of Flight."
"What about it?" POD responded calmly.
"I could fly to my destination instead of walking," I said without thinking. "Or fly in, give Pit and Dark a hand and return in time to return the glass shards."
After a moment, POD said, "But you're supposed to be guarding the temple, correct? Palutena's angels aren't supposed to know you're there. Not only that, Dark will not be too happy with it."
"That's the point!" I emphasized excitedly. "I'll just fly in, undercover, give them some aid and return without them knowing."
"Do you understand how annoying it is to calculate their locations?" POD sighed.
"So take all the time you need," I offered, beginning to pick up my pace once more. "C'mon. It's one last thing you can do for me, since I'm coming all this way to give you these shard pieces." Yeesh, I was really laying on the gratitude.
To be honest, I'd never before heard POD with that tone of voice. Now, it was somewhat impatient. Usually, it didn't display much emotion except for some creepy interest whenever I was attacking enemies rather violently, or whenever it was trying to get me to do something I didn't really want to do. Rather off-putting, now that I was thinking about it. But POD must've sensed my suspicions because it relented. "If you wish. I'll get to that, then."
"Thanks," I whispered gratefully. See, Dark, the Voice can be nice sometimes!
~Pit~
Intensity: 6.5
"Here we go!" Pit called, spreading his wings and taking off through the sky. His dark-winged doppelgänger floated below him, scanning the skies for the first sign of the monsters he'd been allied with years back.
"Welcome to the show, ladies and gentlemen," Pit began monologuing. Bladers spun through the air and Nutskis flew in packs. Dark raised his Silver Bow to defend himself. "Act I, Scene I! Starring the handsome Pit himself, and Pittoo!"
"And so it begins," Dark grumbled.
"Oh, and we can't forget the marvelous Lady Palutena, can we?" Pit grinned with cheer as he dodged around the Bladers. With a flourish, he fired from his Palutena Bow and hit a Nutski square in its center. "Bull's-eye! Or rather...Nutski's-eye?"
Dark sighed as he ducked around, spun past the Nutski's eruption and drove his bow into a Blader.
"Regardless, today's show involves our two angel friends diving bravely into the fortress of nature, fighting tooth and claw past these monstrous enemies!"
Dark sucker-punched a Trynamite, a tiny rock-like enemy that exploded into rather pathetically small pieces.
"Totally scary," Dark snorted.
"Can our heroes even make it out alive?" Pit continued. "I'm on the edge of my seat!" He leapt forward enthusiastically to clobber a Parashooter.
Dark sighed before reattaching his bow and firing at a Flage ready to manifest over Pit's head.
"Me too, Pit, me too," Lady Palutena assured him. "This little visit could reveal much. Be sure to watch out, because even I'm not sure of what's in store." She paused a moment. "But Dark might."
"What am I, a tour guide?" he snorted. He used his bow's special shot to send arrows flying down onto the enemies.
"We're counting on you, Dark," Lady Palutena insisted. "We sought out your help."
"I know." His red gaze was shadowed as he flew on.
Pit flew up to Dark. "It'll be okay. Whatever's there, we'll put a stop to it, alright? We always do. We're angels! ...Angels with weapons." The two whirled in turn to combat a pair of Bladers.
"Okay, you two calmed down?"
"Me, calm?" Pit joked to his goddess.
"You know what I mean!" Lady Palutena exclaimed. "Anyhow, as you two get closer, I've started to detect an overwhelming enemy life force."
Dark frowned. "So Phosphora probably told Viridi to beef up her defenses after tangling with us. Great."
"Y...yes," Lady Palutena confirmed. "Point being, we're going to have to take this group down first. They're Viridi's line of defense. Doing so will expose Viridi, especially if she's malicious."
Dark raised his bow to challenge a Nutski that had just hit him in the shoulder. "Fine."
"Is this okay, Dark?" Pit realized Lady Palutena was sensitive to Dark's feelings. What he'd done was treason to the Forces of Nature. But Dark's voice was steady as he replied. "Yeah. There's not much we can do." He emitted a sharp laugh. "Even like this, there's no reasoning with her."
The white-winged angel flapped his wings gently, focusing on the terrain ahead. He separated the Palutena Bow as a Dibble Dop floated over. Not wanting it to create a giant, damaging water pillar, he charged up to it and diced it. But it still managed to drop its load anyway, and due to Pit's close range, he was sucked up. Crying out, he fought to escape the torrent, and after a bit of damage he was free. Hearts flew through the air as Dark destroyed it.
"Why is water dangerous?" Pit sighed.
"The Forces of Nature, though some are mere minions, have decent control of the elements they wield," Dark pointed out.
"Good enough," Pit said. He backed up as a Flage emerged in front of him, then slashed forward after feinting. "Reminds me of Arequa. How do you think she's doing?"
"Hmm? Oh...probably taking care of her Seagons," Lady Palutena decided.
"Arequa?" Dark asked.
"Goddess of the sand beaches. We fought her, and she later became our ally," Pit explained.
"Déjà vu..." Dark realized.
"Really? ...We've never fought a goddess of the sand beaches before," Pit remarked thoughtfully.
"That went right over your head," Dark snorted amusedly.
"Actually she was below us, in the ocean," Pit corrected.
"How are we related, again?" Dark grumbled. He flapped his wings, most of the enemies in this pack cleared away. Pit followed, shooting a charged shot behind him for good measure.
The two flew on, talking to each other and Lady Palutena as well as fighting enemies. Finally...
"We're getting close to Viridi's Sanctuary," Lady Palutena revealed. "The enemies are gonna be tough-"
"But we're tougher," Pit concluded, raising his bow.
"I'm gonna warn you Pit, you won't like what you see," Dark grunted, flying forward and kicking away a Toxiecap.
"What do you mean?" the angel asked.
A shadow passed over the two, and they looked up. A swarm of Forces of Nature minions were flying overhead, and they began steering themselves towards Pit and Dark. Pit yelped as they came into focus. Dark grabbed him by the wing and steered him back into focus. "Come on, Pit!"
"They're...decaying..." Lady Palutena gasped. She was right. Everything was dark, brittle and droopy, clearly affected by the oddity of Viridi's control.
"The closer we get, the worse it appears," Dark explained, driving his blade into a decaying Nutski. With a snap it exploded into hearts. Pit flinched. "Man. Never expected the zombie apocalypse to start infecting plants first!"
"Don't worry, Pit. They don't bite. ...if you're lucky." Dark smirked as Pit feverishly slashed away at any enemy that got too close.
The Forces of Nature loomed closer, trying to act similar to their healthier counterparts but obviously acting more sluggish. Pit tried to keep his eye on them, still worried about Dark's joke, but they were slowly surrounding him and the dark angel. Every time he'd take one enemy down, a handful more would arrive and fire back at him. A couple of shots from a monster he couldn't identify poisoned him, and Dark was forced to take over so Pit could recover.
The world spun in front of Pit's eyes as he looked up. He launched a charged shot, but it was no use as a pair of pale Badoots floated over. The crystal-like monsters separated on both sides of Pit, a lightning bolt shooting out and catching him on his ribs. Pit choked as he was shocked, unable to do anything...
All of a sudden, a large silverish rain of arrows came from above, destroying the Badoot. Pit slumped over, panting with exhaustion as he recovered from the electric blow. "Thanks, Pittoo," he sighed gratefully. Pit opened his wings and flew higher, away from the clump of enemies that was now being protected by the squishy, shield-generating Mahva.
"What?" Dark asked, flying up to him and disposing of a twirling Blader.
"I said, thanks. You really saved my bacon back there!"
"I did? I was over there." Dark pointed straight in front of him, an area that was far away from Pit's previous position.
Pit shook his head. "I swear something that wasn't me defeated that Badoot!" The two angels ducked as sphere-shaped shots flew over their heads.
"Maybe it was accidentally taken out by that Lurchthorn," Dark suggested. The skeletal Forces of Nature version of the Fire Wyrm was lazily lurking around below them, shooting whenever an angel was in range.
That can't be...I'm sure they were arrows, and the Lurchthorn's projectiles are shaped like spheres... Pit's confusion only increased as he turned around and found the enemies he had been fighting, protected by the Mahva, were destroyed. Something had killed them all when he'd been talking to Dark!
"Pittoo, look!" Pit stared, blue eyes wide. Dark turned to the spot. "There's nothing there."
"There was before!"
"Ah, so you finally got your butt in gear," Dark replied.
Pit shook his head. "Lady Palutena, I'm not going crazy, am I?"
"You're not crazy, Pit!" she replied. "I'm sure of it. But I can't say for sure that you saw arrows- I was focusing on placing those recovery orbs straight ahead." Pit and Dark flew into them, health quickly replenishing to full.
"So basically, nobody but me knows for sure what I saw," Pit stated glumly.
"Cheer up, Pit. Don't worry about it! There are going to be things a lot more difficult than a mystery gunman."
~.~.~
Dark nodded. Those decayed minions had given his twin quite the scare. If they'd only barely made it through that crowd, what could they expect to face this time?
But those minions had been one of the blockades to the sanctuary. Dark was flying in familiar air now. His grip on his Silver Bow tightened. Palutena and Pit would be counting on him to take them straight to Viridi and get this over with.
What then? After this...would he stay with Palutena? He'd grown to at least tolerate Pit and Shadmé, and being with them ensured there was plenty of stuff to do and battles to be fought. But Viridi, even in her blank state, expected him to rejoin the Forces. He hadn't formally pledged his allegiance to them, but it was a fairly nice place to spend his time. Dark looked up. He'd have to decide later.
"Alright," he said to Pit and Palutena. "Listen up. Except for the fact that it's practically built into a tree, the sanctuary is structured similarly to your temple. I know where an underground entrance is- it'll be a sneaky way to get in and may save us some time and energy."
"Sounds fine," Palutena responded. "I'll take you two down there." Badoots loomed overhead, but Dark merely ducked and accelerated. He didn't feel the need to deal with them.
"Bladers on your tail," Palutena reported.
"My move!" Pit chimed in, whirling around and hitting them. Dark squinted as he tried to pick out the hidden entrance.
"There." He pointed with a silver blade, and Palutena consented. His shadowy wings, lit up in her blue light, dipped towards the opening.
The angels swiftly flew through the earthen passage, wing tips gently brushing against the soft dirt. Pit complained about how his "majestic white wings are getting dirty," while Dark ignored him.
Dark soon hit the ground on his feet, having flown through before. Pit, though, took a tumble. "Great, now my tunic's messy, too!"
"At least you'll be camouflaged," Dark pointed out, looking around. The drip-drip of water echoed through the murky darkness. Down here was similar to a prison- the roots of the tree formed natural cells. Viridi kept defectors, humans and other prisoners down here. For now, it was surprisingly empty. Dark didn't want to know why.
"This way," he instructed, walking straight forward. Pit dusted himself off and followed the doppelgänger through the hallways.
They met resistance without walking too far. Bladers and a Cacaw in sorry states started attacking. Pit sniped the Bladers while Dark rushed the Cacaw. The normally bright colored Cacaw screeched, the shock waves sending both angels back. Dark gritted his teeth and pulled forward, trying not to let the afflicted confusion affect him. He used Angel Ring on the potted creature, making it take some damage. Pausing to use an Effect Recovery power, he plowed forward once more and swiped at the Cacaw, defeating it. Pit seemed to have taken out the Bladers a few moments before, so the two continued on.
"Kind of quiet, isn't it?" Pit asked shortly thereafter. "I'm surprised Viridi is managing to keep her mouth shut. For once."
"All the more reason to keep going," Palutena pointed out.
"Never mind the obvious disruption in the balance of nature, oh no! Viridi isn't speaking! There's definitely something wrong now, I can't believe we never noticed before!" Dark spat sarcastically.
"Calm down, Dark. That's why we're here," Palutena soothed. Dark glared at nothing in particular as he stormed forward.
"Act I, Scene II!" Pit exclaimed a little while later, trying to lighten the mood. "The outstanding Pit and Pittoo try their luck in the treacherous underground prison! Darkness meets them every corner! Enemies lurk where they least expect! Can they get to the top, or will they become prisoners themselves?"
"...You're going to do this every floor, aren't you?" Dark groaned.
Pit grinned in response.
Deciding there was no way out of it, Dark merely walked on. A flash of light made him rub his eyes. Some Zerts were nestled together up ahead.
Dark shot at them from his distance, and Pit did the same. After a couple of accurate hits, the enemies exploded into hearts and the twin angels moved on.
"Wait a sec, Pit," Dark halted him. He pointed to the hollow the Zerts had been clustered around. There was a small treasure chest hidden.
"Pittoo, you are totally going to be our tour guide now. Take me to all the treasure!" Pit popped the lid and claimed a Curry power. It enabled the user to recover from a Curry Wizard immediately.
"I'll think about it," was his reply. "You might have to pay me somehow."
"With what?"
Dark straightened his chiton and waited for Pit to rise. "Oh, I don't know, maybe a TV remote. THE TV remote. You hoarded it away somewhere so you can have the channels all to yourself."
"I did not!" Pit coughed indignantly.
"Then where is it?" Dark shrugged. Another wave stopped Dark and Pit from discussing the subject much farther.
Dark squared off against a trio of Bumpety Bombs that wheeled out from another passage. As far as he could tell in the darkness, the bomb creatures, though natural, weren't too affected like the other enemies due to being made of rock. Their cycloptic eyes glared as they charged forward. Dark and Pit split up as they each attacked a Bumpety Bomb from the side, sending them skidding away. A single one aimed for Pit. Dark started sprinting towards it, and the moment his bow charged he used a forward charged shot. The impact caused the Bumpety Bomb to veer away from the white-winged angel, and with a slash Pit finished it off.
"Having Bumpety Bombs guard the prison is kind of pointless, don't you think?" Pit wondered. "All a prisoner has to do is set one off, and BOOM! Freedom!"
Dark leapt up and kicked a Bumpety Bomb. "I don't think Viridi's in a state of mind to truly care about that. For all she cares, the resulting explosion would just finish them outright."
"And if they do escape, those things will just dump tree barf on them," Pit grimaced, pointing to new enemies that looked like Forces of Nature versions of the Underworld Buckumps.
"Compsters," Dark identified. He shot arrows at one of them as it floated closer. "Disclaimer: I didn't name it. I thought Compoison would be a better name but noooo."
"I'm guessing that compost they drop is toxic?" Palutena chimed in.
"Why don't you stand under to find out?" Dark challenged.
"No thanks. Leave acid rain to the humans." Dark was too late to take out a Bumpety Bomb and it detonated, sending everything around it, including the Compsters and the last Bumpety Bomb, flying backwards.
"Wow! The prison bars held up," Pit exclaimed, poking at a broad branch-bar with his blade.
"Ahhh! The power of nature. As Viridi would say," Dark smirked.
One of the Compsters righted itself and flew right on over. Dark leapt up and whacked it with his bow. As it fell, a shimmering blue arrow from Pit's bow hit it in the center, rupturing it into hearts.
"Take out the last Compster and Bumpety Bomb, then follow me," Dark instructed Pit. "We'll be out of the prison area soon." Pit nodded in determination and spun, striking the weakened Bumpety Bomb. Dark, in turn, shot at a Compster before its grimy compost dumped on Pit's head.
"Thanks," Pit puffed. Dark dipped his head in recognition and motioned with his arm. "Come on." He glanced around the dark halls, reoriented himself, and took off down the hall. The echo of footsteps implied Pit was behind him.
It was odd to be the leader. To know more than Pit. Though Dark couldn't stand the light angel's sappy devotion to Palutena and the humans, he greatly respected his leadership and battle skills. Pit was confident in a different way than Dark was. Dark was motivated by his independence while Pit was led on by his loyalty and good spirit. In their treks together, Pit set out first most of the time, guided by Palutena. Dark usually flanked his back. But now, the leafy barracks were where he had spent his time. Dark made his own footprints here. This shadow was not destined to follow the light.
OH MY PALUTENA I WAS WRONG
I WAS SO WRONG
Yeah, you know how I said it was easier to update during school? Well. This has been my most difficult year yet. I haven't been able to write much because my weekdays are dedicated to school and my weekends are dedicated to my Wattpad story, The Fire Within. Heh, and school itself... I thought I wanted to go into a branch of science, but goodness is chemistry difficult. You guys would back me up if I decided to be a writer instead, right? Lol.
AnimeAngel: Thank you! It took me a while to come up with a name, but I quite like it. I'm sure your bow is cool, too. *wink*
Dark: It does, actually. It gives those lone four letters personality.
Don't make me do another name change!
Dark: Not necessarily. But it's not often fans come up with names for me I like.
Autocorrect strikes against! ...I mean, again! (Don't worry, autocorrect, I am DEFINITELY against you...)
WaterStar45: I am trying, I promise! If I can't tell the FoLaD story, who else will?
I had that happen with an RP friend of mine once. It was downright hilarious.
Dark: For you it was!
grovyleTheGreat:
Dark: Gods above, don't give them any ideas!
I could see that happening...
RandomButLoved: *strikes pose* Awww yeah!
Have more Phosphora, then! Whoo! I actually have Phosphora to thank in chemistry class because her name helped me memorize phosphate and other related compounds in chemistry faster, lol.
As I tell my readers of the Fire Within, "Just you wait. I'm going to screw everything up really soon and you'll hate me for it! Yay!"
StormDragon21: I like it! Oooor combine them both and make Shynerd! *shot*
Phosphora's pretty cool. I wasn't sure about her at first, but as I wrote for her I got to enjoy her. She'd make a kick-butt playable character. If only...
DrobotDestructor: I know how you feel! I have a lot of favorites now. KI, SSB, Fire Emblem: Awakening... (By the way, are you enjoying SuperChargers?)
Ah-ha, that's a major pet peeve of mine! I noticed myself doing it with Palutena earlier but am trying to correct it. It's hard to match her wit sometimes. Yeah, some people throw in cameos and never use them again. Or have characters only for romantic purposes. Any of which drive me nuts...