Gale's eyes darted around awkwardly around the bath, trying to look anywhere but backwards. Ever since they returned to Skyworld, Pit had not let her out of his sight. Even when she insisted bathing by herself, Pit insisted that he come with, after briefly agreeing that she reeked. The two argued for a brief moment, before coming to a compromise, though Gale still would've preferred he wait outside. The agreement they reached was that Gale did a majority of the washing on her own, then Pit would do her hair. Though this time, once she finished, she wrapped a towel around herself before sitting back in the water, hoping to make it a little less awkward.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Pit asked for the umpteenth time.

"I'm fine." She answered. Though the one thing she didn't mention was that she could fly again. She absolutely wanted to be sure that she could, and that it was not a fluke. She was also avoiding telling him that she reluctantly paired up with Medusa, of all people.

Pit gently dipped her head back and rinsed off her hair. He had been watching her like a hawk since he saved her from Hades. He refused to let go of her again. He's come close to losing her far too many times! Twice to save him at that! It was a very tempting thought to just tell her to stay put and lock her in her room until the war was over, but he knew that she would obviously not be happy with him if he did that.

Palutena had been very relieved when Pit reappeared with his sister in his arms. The girl had looked exhausted and worn beyond belief. She had immediately ordered Gale to get cleaned up and to rest. Before the girl could even speak, Pit had carried her off to the bath house.

Gale sighed and unconsciously tugged the towel higher. She most certainly didn't want a repeat of last time. But her mind was still a bit far off.

"Something on your mind?" Pit asked as he paused. Gale had been uncomfortably quiet since they returned, though Pit had chalked it up to trauma from the whole ordeal. He couldn't imagine what she went through inside Hades' stomach. If it weren't for the explosion, he would never have found her. Pit shuddered to think of what could have happened if he hadn't.

"No. Just… tired." she answered. She had to find out if her flight had truly been restored.

=I=I=

After convincing Pit that she just wanted to take a nap, Gale had begun looking through her stuff for anything that could be of use. Her brief search yielded some sturdy twine and nothing else. "How is this going to help me?" she wondered. Thinking back, the flying she did to save Medusa and herself was purely panic induced. It was a do or die situation, she didn't really give thought about whether it would work or not. "What do I do?" she looked out the window and saw that though the skies were clear, there was a strong wind blowing. "Wait a minute."

=I=I=

Pit sighed heavily as he walked. There was something wrong with his sister. He could feel it. But he didn't want to press her for answers. There was a faraway look in her eyes, like her mind was a million miles away. He hated to admit it, but he hated it when she got that look on her face. Too easily, she let things bother her and overtake her mind. That was one thing that's stuck with her since she was a child. Once something worked its way into her mind, she had a hard time focusing on other things.

"Just give her some time. Just give her some time." Pit repeated to himself.

=I=I=

Gale closed her eyes and let the wind play with her hair. She had tied the rope around her waist with the other end tied around a tree. Opening her wings, she let the wind catch them and lift her off the ground. Her feet were close to about three feet off the ground. "Alright, let's see." Angling herself into a flying position, Gale tested each movement of her wings to see how to maneuver. The rope was so that she didn't get blown off Skyworld. Opening her wings more, she felt a smile form on her lips as she started to gain altitude. She beat her wings a couple times and started gaining height. She had decided to train herself to fly in her secluded training spot. She hadn't even told Pit about this place. It was her hiding spot. In the past she used to come here all the time to sulk or just to get away from everything. In recent times, she had used it as a secluded training spot. Either way, it's main purpose was to serve as a spot away from everyone.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a rather strong gust of wind. Gale did her best to fight it, but the wind was too strong. The rope snapped and Gale let out a yell and scrambled to grab at the ground. She was too far! She was gonna get blown off Skyworld!

"Gale!" Pit flew over and grabbed her before she could fly away. He landed back on the ground. He set her on the ground, but kept his hands around her waist. He rested his chin atop her light brown hair. "You ok?" he mumbled into her hair.

"Mhmm." She hummed, trying to figure out how to get him to let go. "What're you doing here?"

"I was looking for you. What are you doing here?" he asked.

Gale darted her eyes to the side nervously. "Just thinking."

Pit raised an eyebrow. "And that rope? If I hadn't shown up you'd have been carried off!"

"That's what the rope was for. To tie me down." She wasn't lying about that part. She just didn't expect the rope to snap. But that short session gave her hope, her wings responded exactly as she wanted. She just needed to really test if her flight was back or not.

Pit sighed and scooped her in his arms, her squirming in protest and trying to push him away. "St-stop! Stop it! You're not staying out here! You'll catch your death of a cold! Come on, you need your strength back if you're gonna come tomorrow!"

Gale stopped immediately. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Lady Palutena has been looking for a way we can acquire a weapon that can stand up to Hades, since the Three Sacred Treasures got destroyed after all. She's contacted apparently the blacksmith or something that apparently created them in the first place. So we're heading out tomorrow to pay him a visit. But if you want to come, you need to be good, okay?" he playfully pinched her cheek, causing her to groan and swat at his hand.

"Let go of my face!" she growled.

"Make me."

=I=I=

Palutena took a long sip of her tea. Contacting Dyntos had taken some time, but after hearing their plea, he had agreed to at least hear them out. She could only hope Galen was healed enough for it. She knew the girl would want to go. Palutena had no doubt that the girl would feel slighted if she didn't go with Pit.

Her thoughts were interrupted by said angels' voices. Taking a peek outside her window, a small smile made it's way to her face as she watched the two. Pit was attempting to carry his sister while Gale was desperately trying to get away from him. The scene was quite comical as Pit desperately tried to keep his grip on the girl. "I won't let anything happen to them. I promise."

=I=I=

It took longer than he would've liked, but Pit had finally managed to carry his sister back to her room for some rest. His heart practically leapt out of his throat when he saw her nearly get carried away by the wind. It didn't help that she was light either. Her lighter weight being nothing for the wind to pick up.

"Get some rest, or you can't come tomorrow." He told her as he set her in bed. He patted her head and tucked her in like a child. He smiled at the pout on her face (which he thought was absolutely adorable on her) and walked out and back to his own room.

Gale glared at her brother's back before sighing. "He's just looking out for you. Calm down." She mumbled to herself. Slowly, she sat up and let her legs hover above the floor. Her blue eyes darted down to her hands. "I'm so close. I need to know. I need to know if I can truly do it."

=I=I=

Having waited for nightfall, Gale quietly snuck out and tested the wind. It wasn't as strong as before. Silently opening her wings, Gale concentrated as she attempted to recall the feeling of flight. She beat her wings a few times and found herself a few feet off the ground. A smile made it's way to her face.

=I=I=

"Okay, you two. I'm sending the both of you to meet with Lord Dyntos."

Both angels were flying toward their destination. Gale of course needed Palutena's help to fly. She wasn't ready to tell them that she could technically fly on her own. She wanted to be absolutely sure she was capable of long flights on her own. After spending some of the night, doing some tests, she was sure that she was ready to try flying on her own.

Pit flew over and tapped her on the head. "Hey, you listening?"

Gale snapped her head toward Pit and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry, got kinda distracted. Can you repeat that?"

Pit rolled his eyes. "Basically, since Dyntos made the Three Sacred Treasures, we're going to see if he can create us a new weapon to fight Hades."

Before the girl could open her mouth, monsters started charging toward the two. Both drew their bows and began firing.

"Does the Underworld know we're here?!" Gale yelled over the sounds of combat.

"No, these aren't from the Underworld. These are creations of Dyntos. He's a master of the forge, and that includes creating monsters."

Pit kicked a monster away. "Some welcome!"

"Consider this a test, you two. Dyntos did say that we needed to prove that we could be trusted."

=I=I=

Both angels landed and were greeted by Dyntos himself.

He possessed the appearance of an elderly and frail man, but the aura he gave off said otherwise. He had a large hammer slung over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed and appraised the two angels as he stroked his beard. "Hm, so these are you two fighters, Palutena?"

"Yes, Lord Dyntos. These angels are Pit and Galen. As of now, they're our best shot at defeating Hades and winning this war."

Gale bowed in respect and it took Pit a moment before he realized to do the same.

"Yes, I have heard stories of these two. As well as how they came into your possession. Very interesting that you would convert two human children, of all things." He placed a hand on his chin and looked each one up and down.

"It was a dire time. There was no other option to save them at the moment."

"Hm. I've also heard of Ares' defeat at the girl's hands. As well as how the boy played the puppet in that little tale."

Pit flinched harshly at the blacksmith's words.

"Pit had no voluntary intent of aiding Hades. In the end, he redeemed himself and aided Galen in defeating Ares."

The blacksmith stepped forward and used the end of his hammer to lift Pit's chin and looked him in the eye. After a few silent moments, he did the same with Gale. Without a word he jumped up onto a higher platform. "Must say, they've got spirit. But they're not ready for my newest creations. At least not yet."

"What are you proposing, Lord Dyntos?"

Dyntos slammed his hammer into floor before him and suddenly two holes opened up in the floor under both angels. They both yelled in alarm before they fell through, the holes closing behind them.

"Pit?! Galen?! What did you do?"

"They have to prove themselves to me. I need to be sure that they carry the resolve to wield my newest creations and defeat Hades once and for all. Consider this a trial for them."

=I=I=

Pit crashed hard into the floor and let out a groan of pain. "What was that?" he flipped back on his feet and looked around. The area reminded him of the Underworld back when he went to first face Medusa all those years ago. There was a rumbling and suddenly, the monster that was Medusa all those years ago sprung up before him.

"How?!" he cried as he readied his bow.

Suddenly Dyntos' voice enchoed throughout the area. "Consider this trial one, sonny."

"Trial?! Where's my sister?!"

"Heh, don't worry about her. Worry about yourself. She's got her own trials to focus on."

=I=I=

"Ow…" Gale moaned as she uprighted herself. She had quite the crash landing. Looking around she found herself back in the arena where she first fought Vitiosus. "Where am I?"

"Going through a few trials, girlie." Dyntos' voice answered. "Here's trial one, kiddo."

In a large plume of darkness stood her worst nightmare, Vitiosus. Gale felt her breath hitch in her throat. Her heart began pounding in her chest, ready to burst. She forced herself to stop hyperventilating. "Why?" her voice shook.

"Consider this, facing the demons of your past. When I looked in your eyes, your spirit was clouded by the shadows of your past. You and that brother of yours. You can't face Hades if you got all that baggage. This is your cleansing of those burdens. Don't worry, this is only a copy I created, but it should do the trick."

The Vitiosus replica charged toward her, leaving little time to maneuver. Gale yelped and ducked under his blades. Quickly, she shot up, the top of her head connecting with his chin and knocking him off balance. "What's wrong?" he spat. "Scared of me? Don't lie, I can see you shaking."

The girl shook her head in denial. "No! That's not…" she trailed off, suddenly unsure of herself. Why am I hesitating?! I beat Ares! It's just a replica! He's not real!

=I=I=

Palutena was worried. Being suddenly cut off from both angels made her worry immensely. "Dyntos why?"

"Consider it a test for you, Palutena." Came his answer.

Before the viewing pool, stood an astral projection of Dyntos himself. "You have grown too attached to them. You're letting it cloud your judgment far too much. You feel the need to care for them and hold their hands every step of the way."

The goddess shook her head in denial. "No, you're wrong."

Dyntos rose an eyebrow. "Is that so? Were you not having a panic attack just then? Or was that my imagination?"

"You would worry too if the one's you cared about suddenly vanished from you."

Dyntos gave a low chuckle. "But that is not the case with you. You are willing to forsake the fight for their sake. Very unbefitting for a goddess. You coddle them, not support them. You fear the day they no longer need your help."

Palutena had no words as Dyntos truth resonated in her mind. Both Pit and Galen had grown considerably since she first found Pit with his dying sister all those years ago. She just found herself feeling some sort of maternal concern in her when she saw them. The feeling magnified when Pit went missing and Gale's wings were paralyzed. But now, the two had grown so much since then. They were completely different people than in the past. And as much as she hated to admit it, she didn't want them to change. She had secretly wanted time to stop. That was one thing she dreaded. The day that no one would need her help. Just like the human world. "You're right. All this time, I've feared the thought of becoming unneeded. I've let it cloud my thoughts and heart." She whispered as tears formed at the edges of her eyes. But she wiped them away with renewed resolve. "But I won't let it any more. I'll support them as much as I can until they no longer need it."

=I=I=

Pit let loose one last charged shot at the monster before him. He panted heavily and wiped his brow. "One trial down! Bring it on, Dyntos!" he declared.

Dyntos' image appeared before him with an amused look on his face. "Well then. I must say that you're progressing well. And it looks like your sister has just about finished as well."

=I=I=

Gale let out one last battle cry as she completely shattered the replica. It shattered into shadow crystal which soon turned into dust and blew away. She panted heavily and hunched over in relief. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to fight Vitiosus again. But at least this time, it ended in her favor. And with not as many injuries either.

Dyntos spectral image appeared in front of her, clapping his hands. "Very impressive. See? What do you have to worry about? On to the next trial." He clapped his hands and the scene changed.

Opening her eyes, Gale was shocked to see none other than Magnus in front of her.

"Hey, kid." He greeted in his usual gruff way.

"Magnus? It's really you, right?" she asked.

"Of course. Old Dyntos gave me and Gaol a basic rundown of what's going on and we decided to lend a hand." he drew his sword, ready for battle.

"Wait, Gaol's here too?"

=I=I=

"Gaol, what are you doing here?" Pit exclaimed in shock.

"Dyntos appeared before us and we decided to lend a hand." Gaol drew her bow and aimed an arrow at Pit. "Let's us talk, Pit."

=I=I=

Gale drew her bow and dodged out of the way of Magnus' sword. "Wait what are you talking about?"

Magnus smirked. "Consider me trial two."

=I=I=

A/N: IM NOT DEAD \O/ But seriously, Im sorry this one took so long. Ive had to deal with some personal stuff and just didnt have time for writing. But thanks for being patient