Gamelover41592: Thanks

Matt (Guest): Hmm….that could have actually been interesting!

Now for the chapter so long, even the game makes jokes about it! Let's go!

"I'm ready to roll!" Pit declared as he leapt out the door. Behind him, Zoey smiled. She missed hearing him so much. It was also good to see him in such good spirits. After Zoey had confessed to where she really came from, he had panicked that she was going to run off with Mike and leave him. She assured him that she had no plans of leaving. He and Palutena were her family.

"Then let's get to rescuing Palutena!" Viridi announced.

"...How?" Mike began to ask, only for Underworld enemies to suddenly show up.

"Underworld troops on the scene!" Pit announced as everyone began attacking them. Viridi sent in some Forces of Nature troops to fight as well, with a promise to pull them out if they got in anyone's way.

"Anyways, going back to Mike's question, as I'm sure you know, the force field around Palutena's temple is incredibly strong. We're going to need to borrow the Lightning Chariot." Viridi explained.

"That sounds AWESOME!" Pit cheered.

"I can't wait to drive that thing!" Mike agreed.

"It's a superfast battle carriage that travels the galaxy. It's also pulled by unicorns!" Viridi excitedly explained.

"This thing just gets better and better!" Zoey cheered. Something told her that they were going to be fighting over who got to drive the chariot.

"And that's what we're gonna use to break through the force field?" Pit asked.

"Exactly," Viridi replied.

"So basically, you're telling us to slam a horse cart into a brick wall," Pit noted. Mike and Zoey shared a nervous glance. This suddenly didn't sound as awesome anymore.

"Sure, if you want to put it crudely," Viridi replied.

"...We're gonna die, aren't we?" Zoey asked.

"Hey, anything is possible," Viridi bluntly replied.

"Thanks for the support, mom," Mike grumbled. Would it have killed her to at least reassure them!?

"Does the Lightning Chariot at least have air bags?" Pit asked.

"Last I checked, no," Viridi replied. Everyone groaned. They were so going to die.

"Uh, I'm not a safety nut, but even I draw the line somewhere!" Pit exclaimed. This was suicide!

"So you don't really care about saving Palutena after all," Viridi replied. When Pit growled, Viridi smirked and continued. "She could be in agony at this very moment. She could be trapped inside a dungeon of madness. She could be crying out, 'Oh, help me, Pit! Oh, please!'"

"OK OK OK OK OK!" Pit snapped. He was getting enough nightmares about what could be happening to Palutena due to the Chaos Kin. "I guess it IS our duty to rescue her."

"Yeah, I know! That was my point!" Viridi replied as she flew Pit rather low. Mike and Zoey shrugged and flew after them.

"Aren't we a little low to be flagging down a galactic chariot?" Mike asked.

"It's not like those chicken wings of Pit's are really helping any," Viridi deadpanned. Pit grumbled something that was most likely profane. "Don't worry. I've got a great plan!"

"This oughta be good," Pit snarked. He already had a feeling he was going to be getting hurt during this plan.

"Have you ever been to the circus, Pit? Zoey? My favorite act is the human cannonball. It's just such a...thrill ride!" Viridi gushed.

"Where are you going with this?" Zoey asked.

"We're going to do our own version...but with some angels instead!" Viridi declared. Zoey, Mike and Pit all went pale and started protesting. "Ugh, you're all so boring! Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Welp, there's the cannon…" Zoey noted nervously. They all flew around and landed inside.

"Three! Two! One! FIRE!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" All three angels were fired into the sky, with Mike managing to come to a stop first.

"Mom! You could have killed us!" Mike exclaimed.

"Oh relax! I knew you'd be fine, Mike! I would never put you in anything that could kill you!" Viridi assured him. "Give or take some Underworld enemies."

"Speaking of Underworld enemies, there's a lot of them here!" Zoey noted as she began to attack.

"Do you think they're after the Lightning Chariot too?" Pit asked.

"Huh?" Viridi noticed something. "Here it comes behind you, Pit!" Suddenly, the chariot rushed past, blasting through the enemies.

"WHOA!" Zoey exclaimed.

"That thing is CRUISIN'!" Mike gushed.

"The chariot's headed for its home base. Stay on it!" Viridi ordered. The three heroes nodded and chased the chariot through a portal.

"Well, hello again, friends!" Came a familiar voice. An annoying voice.

"HADES!" Everyone snapped.

"Ugh, not you again!" Viridi groaned. Things just got much harder and they all knew it.

"Just look at the four of you sneaking around behind Palutena's back. It's classic," Hades mocked. Everyone had a feeling that he was smiling.

"Shut your mouth!" Pit snapped.

"What do you want, Hades?" Viridi asked dryly. She figured it would be best to just get things over with.

"The Lightning Chariot, obviously!" Hades replied. Everyone groaned again. "It's one slick ride. A veritable goddess magnet, if you will."

"Ugh, you creep! Just go away!" Zoey barked at him.

"Please. I'm a goddess, and I would never ride in that thing," Viridi fired back. "Personally, I just want to pet the unicorns!"

"Well, Pitty and Mikey seem to like it!" Hades replied.

"Are you only here to get in our way?!" Mike realized. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"My intentions are always honorable. You know that," Hades lied.

"Whatever you're REALLY up to, we're going to find out!" Pit declared. Lightning began to strike around them.

"It gives me such pleasure to see you suffer, Pitty Pat," Hades mocked.

"Just ignore him, guys. The Lightning Chariot is up ahead," Viridi said.

"We've got to get to it before the Underworld does!" Zoey declared as blasted another enemy away. There was a large tower in the distance.

"Both the Lightning Chariot and its master are in that tower. I'll drop you off on the ground floor," Viridi said.

"Uh...wouldn't it be better to go to the top?" Zoey asked.

"We'll just make our way up!" Mike declared.

"Just so you know, the tower's really, really tall. Get ready to feel the burn!" Viridi declared.

"No worries there. Have you seen these thighs?" Pit asked as he jokingly flexed.

"Ready for land battle, everyone?" Viridi declared.

"Affirmative!" Pit declared.

"Let's do this!" Zoey cheered.

"Time to get that ride!" Mike said as he rubbed his hands together as they flew towards the bottom of the tower.

"So the Lightning Chariot is in this tower, huh?" Pit asked.

"Nice place," Zoey noted.

"Who dares trespass on my domain? Leave before you get hurt!" A voice snapped at the group.

"Who said that?" Mike asked as he looked around.

"I've had many names in my life, but now I am called the Chariot Master," The voice replied.

"Oh, great! You're the guy we're looking for. Listen, I have a favor to ask you. Would you mind if we borrow your chariot for just a little while?" Pit requested.

"Your foolishness is matched only by your rudeness. How dare you charge in here, flinging unreasonable requests at me? I've half a mind to turn you into galactic roadkill!" The Chariot Master snapped.

"You can't really blame him for being upset. That was kind of rude," Viridi immediately said.

"It was YOUR idea!" Pit fired back.

"Then I guess there's only one thing we can do. We'll go talk to this Chariot Master guy in person. He's at the top of this tower, right?" Zoey offered.

"Then let's go!" Pit declared as he pointed towards a nearby door.

"Hey, look at you acting all assertive!" Viridi marveled. "You're just grabbing life by the horns and shaking it until it moos!" Through the door was a long hallway.

"So...is there an elevator in this tower?" Pit asked.

"Oh, would Prince Pit like me to scatter rose petals in his path too?" Viridi mocked. "Listen, this is the only way up, so you'd better get a move on,"

"Geez, this place is full of Underworld troops," Mike noted.

"This place doesn't have much in the way of defenses," Zoey agreed.

"Any riffraff can just waltz on in. After all, you all had no problems. But I must admit that I ADORE running amok in other people's homes," Hades agreed.

"Another uninvited guest?!" The Chariot Master snapped. He then sighed. "Very well. At least show your face. So my Lightning Chariot can erase you from existence!"

"This guy doesn't mess around!" Zoey exclaimed.

"I think we're gonna have to fight…" Mike trailed off. With all the death and war he'd seen in the past three years, he no longer wanted to fight if he didn't have too. But he didn't have a chance to dwell on that as the tower was full of enemies to fight. And the tower was massive.

And Pit wouldn't shut up!

"Are we there yet?" Pit asked for what felt like the tenth time as they entered into a room with a large wrecking ball and several Underworld troops.

"No, but I see a bowling ball and some ugly pins!" Zoey declared as she raced behind the wrecking ball. Pit and Mike saw what she was planning and followed her.

"My troops are a worthy sacrifice for the sport of kings," Hades admitted. The three heroes shoved the wrecking ball into the enemies, hitting them all in one go.

"STRIKE!" Viridi called out.

"YESSSSSSS!" The heroes cheered as they ran into the next room. All the rooms were full of different hazards and more enemies. And there were a lot of them.

"Soooo... Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Pit whined. Mike just groaned and even Zoey looked fed up with him.

"You know that saying that there are no bad questions? Well, there are, and this is one of them! WE ARE NOT THERE YET!" Viridi snapped. "But I do wish there was a way to speed up this process,"

"Mom...why didn't you just put us on the top of the tower?" Mike asked.

"Because I didn't know that Pit would be complaining the whole time!" Viridi replied. Pit started pouting.

"Your tenure as a ring doesn't seem to have had any effect on that keen wit of yours," Hades snarked. Everyone froze.

"Wait, you know that I was turned into a ring?" Pit asked. Was the Chaos Kin Hades' minion now?!

"Oh, is it a secret?" Hades asked. "Then don't mind me! Mum's the word!"

"If you knew he was a ring all this time, why didn't you try to find it yourself!?" Zoey asked in a tone that said she didn't want anymore trolling.

"Do you have ANY idea how long it would take for me to find one simple ring?" Hades asked. "I don't have that kind of time. I'm a very busy good," Everyone just rolled their eyes and kept going. For the most part, it was the same thing: go into new room, finish puzzle in room, defeat all the Underworld troops, Pit asks if they were there yet, rinse and repeat. They were at it for nearly an hour.

"Pit, I have some exciting news for both of us. The Chariot Master is just ahead. So you can finally stop asking me if we're there yet." Viridi announced to cheers as everyone headed into the final room.

"Where's the other horse?" Zoey asked. In front of them was a decent sized chariot with one of the unicorns hitched to it.

"Grab the reins on Phos there," The Chariot Master ordered.

"Gee, thanks!" Pit thanked him as they all jumped on the chariot. It was a decently tight squeeze, but everyone could manage. Mike pouted a little that he wasn't steering.

"You misunderstand. This is no gift," The Chariot Master revealed as raced by in his own chariot, pulled by the other unicorns. Pit sent Phos after him. "If you want the Lightning Chariot, you must prove your worth."

"I guess that's fair," Zoey admitted. "I still wish it didn't have to come to this."

"You need two unicorns to pull the Lightning Chariot. That means you have to defeat the Chariot Master and get the other one," Viridi pointed out.

"That won't be a problem!" Pit declared.

"Now let's begin," The Chariot Master said as he began his attacks.

"Try to get ahead of him!" Mike barked out. Zoey was the only one at the moment with a longer ranged weapon.

"Mike, I have a bow. You drive!" Pit ordered as he handed Mike the reins. Mike eagerly took them as Pit joined Zoey in trying to attack. "This isn't how I wanted things to go, but I have to save Lady Palutena,"

"I understand better than you know," The Chariot Master admitted. "For my own master, I would not hesitate to dirty these hands."

"So who do you serve?" Zoey asked.

"No one, at least now. I've suffered countless war wounds, but none greater than the loss of my master. I once had many comrades in arms. But they too have returned to the dust. All I have left in this life are my faithful steeds, Phos and Lux," The Chariot Master revealed.

"Oh…." Everyone felt their will to fight leave almost immediately. This guy had clearly suffered and he shouldn't need to anymore.

"My body has long since degraded, and now my soul grows thin," The Chariot Master continued. "The warrior's path inevitably leads to loss. I have no qualms about this. But you are no warrior, angels. Tell me, why do you fight?"

"Zoey and I fight for Lady Palutena. And we fight for the people under her protection!" Pit declared.

"And I fight for my mother, Viridi and the causes she supports!" Mike declared.

The Chariot Master almost seemed amused. "That's not reason enough for angel,"

"Who are you to question our reasons!?" Zoey snapped. "Our choices are ours! And I chose to serve my mother, the Goddess of Light!"

"I admire your conviction. It speaks to the deep reservoir of strength within you. But it also proves you very foolish. And though you may be a servant of the heavens, I will show you no mercy!" The Chariot Master replied.

"And we won't need it!" Mike fired back as he moved their chariot closer to the chariot, making it easier for Pit and Zoey to hit the Chariot Master.

"We understand each other then," The Chariot Master said.

"I guess we do," Zoey replied simply. The battle continued, with the Chariot Master throwing out lightning, mines and spread shots, but in the end, Pit and Zoey won out.

"We win!" Pit cheered.

"Well done…" The Chariot Master grunted out as he collapsed to the ground. Mike stopped their chariot, allowing him, Pit and Zoey to rush over to him.

"What happened to you?" Zoey asked, desperately hoping she hadn't taken the life of someone who didn't deserve death.

"Ah heh heh... I seem to have drowned in your reservoir of strength. You've proven yourself worthy of my Lightning Chariot," The Chariot Master managed out.

"Wait! We don't want it to end this way!" Pit begged. Zoey just broke down while Mike looked away. He had killed an innocent man.

"This is the only way things can end for an old warrior. I have no regrets," The Chariot Master assured him, seeing their distress. "I'm trusting you with Phos and Lux. And the future of this realm," With that, he faded away. In spite of their great victory, the three heroes didn't feel very victorious.

"He was an honorable warrior. Don't let his death be in vain," Viridi comforted them. They barely managed to smile as she summoned them and the Lightning Chariot back to Skyworld. "Now let's go save Palutena."

The plan was made.

Everyone was ready.

Mike placed his mask back on his face with determination.

Zoey clutched her bow and took a deep breath.

Pit merely waited with the Chariot.

All the generals in the Forces of Nature were on standby if they were needed.

Viridi knew that she couldn't joke around as much as she would like.

It was finally time to get things back to the way they should have been.

The Chariot Master is a really underrated boss fight. It's honestly in my top five fights in the game. Not only is it an interesting way to mix up the gameplay, you're fighting a really interesting character. But next time...it's time to finally save Palutena. See you all then!