~Pit~
The light at the end of the hallway signaling the end to the dark maze was up ahead. Dark's wings were growing clearer as well, and Pit was able to identify every feather as he followed him. He knew what this meant.
"Act I, Scene III!" Pit monologued with a grin. "The mighty Pit and Pittoo have conquered the dark evil of the unnatural natural catacombs! The maiden hope is calling to them, ever faithful in their victory. Our heroes can't fail now!"
"Where do you even get those words from?" Dark wondered.
"'The maiden hope?' Really?" Lady Palutena asked, amused. Pit shrugged happily.
"Well anyway," Dark said, "let's go through this next area. It's straightforward, but twisted. The door might be locked, but the key's around here somewhere."
"Wait...so Viridi just handed the key off to one of her minions to guard?" Pit confirmed.
"You expect me to know which one?" Dark snorted.
"No, no...I just mean, why isn't Viridi watching it herself?"
Dark looked around. After a pause, he commented, "Don't give her ideas." The two angels took off down the passageway.
A Hugworm was quickly tunneling itself through the earth to reach them. The corn-like worm popped its head out of the ground, drill beak spinning. Pit lunged out of the way before it could catch him for some damage.
Pit clicked his blades into a bow and fired away at the Hugworm. Dark was attacking its various coils with his silver bow blades. The Hugworm rapidly turned its head here and there, confused on which enemy it should attack.
Some Nutskis flew in through the passage, forcing Pit and Dark to split up. The Hugworm dived towards the dark angel to wrap him up. Pit yelled at the monster in protest as he sprinted towards it, shooting arrows at its face in hopes of freeing his doppelgänger. He felt Nutski projectiles on his back. Pit gritted his teeth and spun towards the Nutskis. Applying Autoreticle, Pit rapidly targeted each one and shot arrows until they were no more. Flapping his wings to stretch them, Pit turned back towards the Hugworm, clinging onto the very last effects of his Power. Thankfully, Dark had freed himself by then, and together they finished off the Forces of Nature creature. Then they walked down the hallway together.
Pit wondered, not for the first time, what could potentially be wrong with Viridi. Something had happened over a short two year period. Even Dark hadn't figured it out. And it seemed like Phosphora wasn't completely sure either. Pit could only hope that it wasn't the Chaos Kin. That monster had screwed up everything- now, the citizens of what was now dubbed "That Destroyed Town" hadn't forgiven him and the goddess of light for what had happened, even though it wasn't their fault.
"Enemies up ahead," Lady Palutena warned them. Pit raised his bow as a sudden flash of light caused him to squint. A Mahva had set up a force field. The sea slug-like creature and its allies- Urgles, Lethiniums and Toxiecaps- floated tantalizingly close.
Pit and Dark cocked their bows and rained arrow after arrow over the energy shield. Their combined assault soon shattered the shield, and the two angels charged in to attack before the Mahva set up the shield again.
Pit slashed at the squishy Forces of Nature enemy. It was powerless to stop him, since its only skill was to project force fields. Sounds of gunfire behind him implied that Dark was having no trouble. After an Angel Ring, the Mahva erupted into hearts. Pit collected them and ducked before a blast from the Lethinium could stun him.
"You two sure are quiet," Lady Palutena observed. "What're you thinking about?"
"Viridi," they said almost unanimously. Pit shot an amused look at Dark.
Lady Palutena sighed. "Don't worry. Even if it's the Chaos Kin, we have the knowledge of how to stop it."
"So even you think it's the Chaos Kin," Pit and Dark said at the same time again.
Lady Palutena actually laughed at the look on their faces after speaking in unison. "It's possible," she said. "The evidence is adding up. But if we prepare for the Chaos Kin and it's something else...well, we can't stay so closed-minded."
By now the angels weren't listening to her anymore. "Help!" they exclaimed in unison. "It's like a disease! We keep saying the same things at the same time!"
"Alright, alright! Stay calm."
Pit tool out the last Toxicap before turning to Dark in fright. "This isn't going to happen forever, is it?" They covered their mouths.
"Talk about a twin connection!" Lady Palutena chuckled.
"This isn't funny!" Together again.
"Humor is subjective," replied the goddess.
"This subject doesn't find the subject of your subjection subjective!" Pit sputtered. He was on his own this time, and his ridiculous comment caused Dark to actually laugh. Pit gave him a slug in the arm.
"There," Lady Palutena said.
"Thank goodness," Pit sighed. Dark had the sense to keep quiet again so the same thing didn't happen. "I thought we were goners!"
"Pit, you won't die if you say the same thing as another person!" Lady Palutena told him.
"B-but it was like my soul was draining away," Pit whimpered.
"At least you're not wearing a Palm," Dark pointed out.
"Don't act like you weren't freaked out!" Pit accused his doppelgänger. Dark raised his hands. "Don't talk to me. I'm looking for the key!"
"Wait for me!" Pit called, turning and following after Dark as he further explored the passageway.
"Clump of enemies around this bend," Dark revealed. "They might have the key. I'll go on ahead. See ya." In moments Dark was gone.
Pit blinked, processing Dark's words. Then he narrowed his eyes. "...Hey!" He ran off, gunning a sickly-looking Blader above Dark's head.
"There you are," Dark smirked. "So your ears are slower than your feet."
"My ears work just fine!" Pit retorted.
"Fine. Tell me, Pit, how many enemies are in this room?"
Pit was too busy fighting. As he dodged enemy fire, Dark said some more things he couldn't pick up.
"Floor ice cream."
"Ooh! Where?" Pit poked his head up. Dark burst into a dark grin. "See?"
"Y-you mean...there's no floor ice cream?" Pit put on a pouty face as he defeated an Urgle. As he did, something else besides hearts fell from it.
"Hey Lady Palutena and Pittoo, I found the key!"
"Excellent work, Pit!" exclaimed Lady Palutena. Pit picked it up, but was immediately forced to fend off a Compster that dumped its toxic bucketload onto his head.
"Urg...so gross..." Pit muttered.
A slash from Dark's Silver Bow put the Compster out of business. He tucked it away as Pit recovered from the poison. Pit gave the key to Dark, who took off down the passageway. Pit followed, soon finding Dark in front of a gate. Dark unlocked it, the lock fell to the ground, and then they moved on.
"What's this next place?" Pit asked innocently, intent on continuing his monologue joke.
Dark looked around. "It...it's the main center of the sanctuary. It branches off to different places." His voice had become thick with emotion.
Pit suddenly felt pity for Dark. He remembered how it felt to see Skyworld in ruins seven years ago. As much as Dark refused to admit, he had been under Viridi's servitude for a while. And he was certainly feeling loss. The branches and formerly healthy wood that made up the architecture was shriveled and ugly, the odor of rotting wood making up the air. The bright leaves had been reduced to limp green mush. And Viridi was nowhere in sight.
"Master Pit and Master Dark Pit?" The angels spun towards the new voice.
"I don't believe you should be here right now. Mistress Viridi has given me orders to keep visitors at a hearty zero." It was Arlon.
"I...sorry for intruding! But if you knew what was going on I'm sure you'd under-" Pit was harshly cut off by his doppelgänger. "It's Dark now. Plain Dark." Dark stood tall, a blade in each hand, as his eyes conveyed a burning red fire.
Arlon showed no visible surprise. "I see. But my statement still stands. Unless you've returned to offer your services back to Mistress Viridi."
Dark's grip on his bow blades tightened. He growled. "You've got explaining to do, Arlon. Or Pit and I will burn this pathetic place to the ground."
~.~.~
Dark could sense Pit's apprehension, surprise and confusion. But Dark was angry. He was angry Arlon was here and in the way. He was angry the butler had brought up the name Dark had discarded- Dark Pit. And finally, he was angry the Arlon's first thought was that he'd come crawling back to serve. He was no Pit!
Dark, despite his anger, was unsure if his threat was genuine. Though he had considered this place...not quite home, but close to him, it pained him to see the once-beautiful, natural shrine in such form. He somewhat wanted to put it out of its misery.
"Fiery as ever, I see," Arlon returned calmly. Dark bared his teeth. "If you don't have anything useful to add, then move."
"You don't have anything useful to add either, Master Dark," Arlon countered lightly. "From my perspective, you've merely barged in uninvited, destroyed the minions you swore to work beside, and come to threaten me with another army at your back."
Dark had never wanted to tear the scrawny butler apart more. "Are you deaf and blind to the destruction all around you?! Something's not right here, and you know it! I'll knock the sense into Viridi myself, if you're too afraid."
"I can't allow you to hurt Mistress Viridi," Arlon replied. His stance was a bit more tense than before.
"Arlon, please." Palutena's voice entered the discussion. "If Dark had come to us with the intent of hurting Viridi, I would not have authorized the mission. We've only come to find out what is the matter. If it is the Chaos Kin, then it is imperative we know."
Dark was tempted to snort, but he kept silent.
Arlon's emotionless exterior cracked, to his surprise. "I am not sure myself," he mumbled. "She keeps herself locked away in a room and forbids us from entering. And after your tussle with Phosphora, she has further barricaded the area with waves of Forces of Nature. You will have to fight to get in."
"Then we'll fight," Dark said. Arlon gave him a wry look. "I thought Palutena just said you wouldn't."
Dark ignored him, understanding the butler knew what he meant. "Lead the way, Arlon."
Arlon sighed. "This is treason, you know." Nonetheless, he turned and began walking down a hall.
Dark closed his eyes for a moment. Arlon was giving him one last chance to back out.
He proceeded to follow Arlon. This was what he wanted, right? To get to the bottom of this?
Cold dread was in the pit of his chest.
"Are you getting us through undetected?" Palutena asked Arlon.
"For the most part," he responded. "But the deeper we go, the more difficult it is to hide. We will have to defend ourselves before long."
Pit's wings were on the edge of Dark's vision, but he ignored them and continued facing front, straining his eyes for any sign of the nature goddess' haunt. Pit would alert him if there was danger, anyway.
"Act I, Scene IV!" Pit began. Dark groaned.
"Our favorite heroes, Pit and Pittoo, have made it to the heart of the lair. Guided by a mysterious comrade, they will solve this mystery in no time!"
"What's that, Master Pit?" Arlon asked curiously.
"Something annoying," Dark spat. The three continued on.
They walked a little while in silence, desperate to get through without Viridi setting her guards on them. Arlon took them down secret passageways and areas Dark knew for sure Pit had not realized were there. Benefits of building a sanctuary in a tree. Some of the secret areas even Dark hadn't known about.
Finally, it came to a branching point. Dark was glad he hadn't spoken that aloud or Pit would've laughed at him for the unintended tree pun.
"We have two options here," Arlon explained. "Go through the tree roots or along the main rooms. There are sure to be Forces stationed in the rooms, however, this particular set of roots is a longer, twisted path than we've encountered before. We may be losing time by taking it."
Dark glared at the back wall. Neither route was that beneficial. "Take us through the rooms."
"Very well." Arlon continued to the right and through a door. Dark looked at an Invisibility power, then shook his head and put it away, hurriedly following through after Pit.
A Clobbler was happily prancing through when they entered. Dark grabbed Pit's arm and reminded him not to shoot at it. The Clobblers, despite their joyful appearance, would turn into an outraged monster when provoked. They didn't need that on their tail.
However, the group wasn't so lucky in the next room. A Cacaw sat in a heap where they entered, but it quickly sprung to life and began crying for allies. Dark launched a charged shot to silence it, but it was too late. A Boom Stomper wobbled in and flopped over, trying to crush the three of them. Nutskis flew in overhead and shot at the scattered heroes.
"The fight begins here," Palutena predicted grimly.
"Are you with us?" Pit asked Arlon for one last confirmation as he raised his bow.
Arlon deftly swung to the side, the projectiles barely missing him. "For now." The Boom Stomper righted itself and walked over to the angels again. Dark leapt at it and slashed with his bow. As he landed he was forced to move again before it toppled.
"Before you inquire, I am not sure how the Boom Stomper got in here," Arlon defended himself. A sweep of his arm brought forth lunar magic that collided with the Nutskis. Dark and Pit used their bows in an Angel Ring to attack the boulder-like enemy.
"Boom Stomper? More like Cragalanche's armpit," Dark growled. "What happened to this thing?"
"The same thing that's happened to most of the Forces," Arlon sighed in return. "Though Mistress Viridi's...condition has been having an effect on our troops, I am ever grateful Commander Phosphora and I are strong enough to retain our forms."
"And Craggy?" Pit asked. He and Dark backed off as the Boom Stomper rose.
"Cragalanche? This may come to you as a surprise, but I have not seen him recently," Arlon admitted.
"I hope he's okay," Pit worried. "He has the truest heart of any commander. You can tell there is meaning to his every action."
"Gee, thanks, Pit," Dark snorted.
"Is that sarcasm, Master Dark? If it is, then I quite agree, but in more eloquent terms. Master Pit, I despair to inform you, but Cragalanche does not possess a heart. Or have much free will."
"No wonder Pit sympathises with him," Dark snickered. Upon the Boom Stomper's defeat, the trio quickly made it to the next room.
Dark analyzed the next enemies they were to face. A Dibble Dop, Hugworm and Urgle as well as Bladers were what he identified, despite the rot. His strategy was to roll away as the Urgle charged forward at them. Pit wasn't so quick and proceeded to get tossed up into the air by the tree creature's huge hands.
"Hip hip hooray?" Dark deadpanned in response as he watched the angel fly.
"My wings…" Pit groaned.
"Your wings will be fine, Master Pit." Arlon blasted the Urgle away from Pit so it wouldn't attack as harshly. Dark joined in, defending Pit against the Bladers. Eventually Pit rose and shot the Bladers around him. Arlon kept the Hugworm and Urgle distracted until the Bladers were destroyed. At that point, Pit and Dark joined in the assault and reduced the other enemies to hearts.
"Not much farther now," Arlon encouraged. They exited the room and into a wide hallway.
"Wait...I thought we were going through rooms?" Pit asked, confused.
"Yes, but this is a hallway," Arlon said, as if it were obvious.
~Shadmé~
I was surprised by the huge mass of Forces of Nature minions. They were disgusting, to say the least. It was as if they'd been removed from their natural habitat, dunked in a bucket of acid, then brought back. I didn't even know how they flew on their own.
"Viridi's magic," POD answered before I could ask. Typical. "It's hanging on by a sliver, enough so to retain their will to move."
"Why do you mean, 'hanging on by a sliver?' Did something happen to Viridi's earth powers?" I felt a beat of hope. Did POD know what was wrong with Viridi? If so, I could pass the message to Palutena and help her solve this mystery!
"Of course," POD responded easily. "You think she caused all this on purpose?"
"N...no..." I muttered. I didn't know much about the nature goddess' personality, but I doubted she'd want this destruction to happen to the living things in her care. "But we know that," I pushed on. "What do you know?"
It paused for a moment, contemplating. "Not much more than you," the Voice finally said. I frowned. "Sure? You reeeeally sure?"
"Shadmé, look!" I don't know where POD was trying to get me to look (it doesn't have fingers...), so it was basically a few seconds of me turning my head different directions. Eventually, I saw what it was trying to distract me with.
A pale crystal-like creature had opened itself and surrounded Pit, giving him a nasty shock. All curiosity was replaced with anger. How dare that creature attack my friend! I flapped my wings, surged forward and raised the Asimi Bow. Time to try this thing against real enemies.
The arrows released were silvery, small but quick. I aimed carefully to avoid hurting Pit. It was a challenge- I had to hit the enemy, not Pit, and stay out of range so he wouldn't see me. Questions would be raised if I was on the scene. Thank goodness I was using a new weapon, too, or he'd recognize it for sure.
It didn't take long before the crystal enemy was destroyed. Pit slumped over, panting from the blast, and I took the opportunity to fly away from his view. I went behind a spherical shield generated by a sluggish Forces of Nature minion and began taking it out. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Pit fly up where I'd been before and talk to Dark. I hoped I hadn't been spotted.
As their back were to me, I quickly disposed of the enemies I was fighting. "Alright, POD," I whispered. "Get me out of here." I accelerated as I flew away from the scene, heart burning. I wish I could have had the opportunity to speak to them. It hurt, being so close but so far. I had a mission, though, and POD was right. I couldn't be stopped while I was ahead. I was so close!
"I must commend your stealth skills," POD admitted. Its voice shocked me, and I smiled shyly. "Well, thanks. And, uh, thanks for letting me help." We lapsed into silence after that exchange, leaving me alone with the wind and my thoughts.
I put my Asimi Bow back in my bag, once again checking to make sure I had everything. What else could I possibly do? Talk to POD? My Voice seemed to have a mind of its own, deciding when it would come and go. It was odd, really, how far I'd come without questioning its origin. I checked behind myself. Viridi's Sanctuary was far out of range, but the reach of her decaying nature power wasn't. The grass below me was dull and and unhealthy. Anyway, if something went wrong and POD ejected me from the sky, I could make it back. Now was the time for questioning. My last chance for return, if necessary.
"Alright, POD," I began, speaking to the air. "We've got hours to kill and I'm bored. Tell me about yourself. Tell me everything. How did you manage to get into Dark's brain too?"
I could hear an echoing sigh in my brain. "I supposed you'll learn sooner or later. But I can't tell you all I have. Not now."
"Why not?" I accused, narrowing my eyes.
"Don't question me!" it snapped. My jaw dropped slightly. "You will get what I give you and that's enough. Understand?"
I frowned. "You've been giving me snippets at a time. And I'm assuming our time is nearly up. You don't have much more time to spread the truth out."
"Perhaps I'm waiting for the great reveal," it continued smoothly, as if its previous snap didn't happen.
"Yeah yeah. Are you Orcos?"
POD actually laughed. "Hilarious! It all adds up, doesn't it? Pit is the only one that knows Orcos. He's the one Orcos has revealed himself to. It would make sense, hmm, to pretend to be two different individuals to different angels."
"So...are you?" I asked, confused.
"No."
I groaned. "Of course!"
"But you want to know something fun? I talk to Orcos, too."
I jerked so strongly that my wings flexed a direction they shouldn't. "Wh-AT?" I gasped from the realization and pain.
"Yes. You and I know he's using the remainder of Hades' essence to control Underworld minions. But under no circumstance are they pals. Hades' remains can communicate. Orcos fears that one day Hades will refuse to grant him access to troops and his takeover will be foiled. Thwarted from the inside. A humiliating failure."
"What does Orcos plan to do about this?" I asked fearfully.
"I'll give you a hint: Orcos captured Poseidon."
"Ohh...kay..." I murmured. So Orcos had captured Poseidon and Hades. He had attempted to apprehend Arequa with the Poacher, but that had failed. There had to be a connection...
"They're all gods," I realized.
"Correct! And what is Orcos?"
"A demon," I answered.
"Demons are foul creatures. They're supposed to take refuge in the Underworld. But Orcos wants more than that. He wants-"
"To take over the Underworld," I guessed.
"He wants to rule the Underworld, yes. And who's the current leader?"
I resented the way POD was leading me to these conclusions, treating me like a young child who knew nothing. But I was too intrigued to argue. "Hades?"
"Yes. Now from this point, there are two options. Orcos could formally succeed Hades as ruler of the Underworld. But it's doubtful he's even considered this path. It would involve acknowledgement from the other gods, which they probably won't grant him. Orcos has caused trouble before, even turning Palutena to stone before Pit stopped him." I felt a surge of pride towards the white-winged angel. "The gods might even prefer Hades right now, in this state. After all, rather have 18 years of peace than a leader who will be active and likely with malicious intent."
18 years? What kind of a number was that? I didn't ask, though. I only listened.
"And that leaves Orcos with the second option. Taking the position by force. Which is what he is planning to do, considering his rough relationship with Hades as of now. But as we determined, a demon cannot take the place of a god."
My mind was whirling. I understood as soon as POD said it.
"Orcos wishes to become a god."
Heyo, everyone! If you guys saw my A/N on The Dark Pit Show, you'd know why I've been inactive. If not, I'll tell you anyway! I entered a writing campaign called NaNoWriMo (National November Writing Month) where you have to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It took a lot of planning and writing! I finished, but around the same time my phone broke, so updating became extremely hard. But I'm gonna post lots to make up for it now.
What do you think of these new developments? Arlon, POD, Shadmé?
TwilightPrince101: Thanks for the support! And welcome back- I haven't seen you in a while. Am I late to the party? I just noticed you featured my story in your LoZ fanfic! One of my regrets is not knowing enough about LoZ or I'd be reading a lot of your guys' things because I have a bunch of LoZ fans. Heck, maybe I should anyway, lololol.
Yay, keep these theories coming! Viridi's reveal will be soon.
Zombie fanart, eh? Well, it is past Halloween, but... zombies are awesome year-round! That sounds pretty boss!
WaterStar45: Me too. I don't like keeping my readers waiting!
Pit: Did you... did you just...
Steal your line? Uh, oops. Sorry. You can have it back!
Dark: I know, right? (Don't call me Pittoo!) Weren't we attacking each other that one time? How is that funny?
Shnekis: Hello, new reader! Did you start all the way from the beginning? Wow, what a trip!
Thanks! I'm glad you like my batch of characters and fourth wall humor. POD seems to be a fan favorite here, and I'm excited to eventually show you guys what's happening!
RandomButLoved: Oh, just you wait! It's gonna be so much fun!
Pit: Thanks! I've always wanted to do that.
Dark: I never realized how much I didn't want you to do that...
You might have to wait quite a bit for Viridi... her appearance might make you a bit mad when she does turn up though, heh heh.
grovyleTheGreat: I wonder if there still is time to turn back... I'd have to walk though. And ain't nobody got time for that!
BetterTiles: I remember you! I wasn't able to comment on any of you reviews directly on The Dark Pit Show, but here I can! Yay! That's so cool how you decided to check this story out, too. I love the idea of people liking my story enough that they binge read it. I apologize for the terribleness of the earlier chapters...
OCs? There are plenty more villain demons to go, of course. And there is one more hero OC that will appear, but they're about as important as Arequa. That is, important, but not as frequently-appearing as, say, POD or Shadmé.
As for the subject of fan-made or fan-aided OCs, this goes out to everyone, actually. I've been thinking of asking my readers about having a hand in creating characters for the future. I can't say much on what type of OC or that would spoil things at the moment, but the OC would have to be created specifically for the story. I'll release more details when the time comes, though.
DrobotDestructor: Ah, I see! I haven't gotten around to playing it quite yet, but maybe I will someday.
That's it for now, guys! Catch you soon!