Chapter 1: The Miracle of Flight

Pit's footsteps echoed in the hallways of Palutena's temple as he ran through, brimming with excitement. "Pittoo!"

That had to be the tenth time he'd called Dark Pit already. Pit let out an exasperated sigh. Of course his twin had to choose the one day Pit had something to show him to be more difficult than usual. He tried again. "Pittoo! What are you even doing?"

That finally got a response from Dark Pit. "Being useful, unlike you." Pit could practically see the smirk on his twin's face, but for once he didn't mind. That came from the kitchen, right? Pittoo must be there!

"I bet you're just trying to finish your chores before Lady Palutena realizes you've been slacking off!" Pit teased, dashing through the hallways.

"As if you weren't asleep for the whole day."

"Hey, I only took a nap for an hour! I was training for the rest of the time!" He burst in through the doors of the kitchen. "And you've got to check–"

Pit was greeted by a wet dishcloth to the face, which he pulled off to see his twin's smug smile from across the room as he grabbed a different cloth and continued to wipe some of the dishes from lunch. "Seriously, Pittoo? Would it kill you to be nice for once?"

"What can I say? I'm just way better at sniping than you are. And everything else, for that matter."

Usually, they could keep going back and forth until Palutena told them to stop, but Pit chose to ignore him this time. "Just look at this!" His wings fluttered impatiently as Dark Pit slowly and deliberately dried the rest of the dishes, clearly just to make him wait. When he finally finished, he faced Pit, arms crossed. Pit took a deep breath. Alright, here I go.

His wings were still sore after enduring weeks of Dark Pit's hellish training, but he jumped up as high as he could and forced himself to flap them… before falling back to the ground. Undeterred, he tried again. And again. Dark Pit scowled and moved to put the dishes away. "Really? I see this all the time. What's so special about today?"

"But I was just able to do it! Let me try one more time…" Dark Pit sighed, but continued to watch. And three tries later, for just the second time in his life, Pit jumped, beat his wings meticulously, and managed to keep himself in the air. There, I got it!

It took him a couple of seconds to steady himself, and he was sure he looked stupid as he flailed his arms around, but that didn't matter. Not when he was finally able to fly by himself. "Look, your training worked! I can fly!" he cheered.

Pit relished his twin's expression of pure wonder, which only lasted for a moment before his resolve not to be surpassed set in. Pit felt a sudden pang of worry. Wait a second, he'll be able to fly too, right?

It turned out that he didn't need to worry. Dark Pit only took two tries to get himself in the air, and within seconds, the two angels were flying side-by-side, zooming through the air in a way that they never could before. Pit laughed brightly, and even Dark Pit had a genuinely happy smile on his face. As much as Pit appreciated Palutena and her Power of Flight, flying on his own felt completely different. Feeling the wind under his wings, getting to control exactly where and how fast he flew… he felt free.

Or at least he would have, if they weren't indoors. Pit realized what was about to happen right as he missed a turn and flew straight into a wall, falling alongside a couple of jars of spices from the spice rack. He heard Dark Pit yell out in surprise, followed by a thud and the sound of plates breaking. And as a cloud of colour rose around him, he heard Palutena's frantic voice from down the hall. "Pit? Pittoo? What happened?"

Oh no. We're finished for sure.

At this point, Palutena was used to surprises. After all, she'd been the Goddess of Light for years, and she'd raised Pit since he was a toddler. Sure, he was sweet, but he was often a handful– and clearly that had never changed. And while she loved Pit and his dark counterpart like little brothers, it didn't help that the two of them were always partners in crime.

Palutena had been planning to relax in the library of her temple before she heard ceramic shattering in the kitchen. She could only hope that her angels hadn't done anything stupid. "Pit! Pittoo! Are you alright?"

As soon as she rushed into the kitchen, she was taken aback by the sight of Dark Pit laying on the floor, surrounded by broken pieces of the dishes they'd used for lunch. "Pittoo! You're not hurt, are you?" Palutena asked, helping the angel to his feet.

All she got in response was a nonchalant "I'm fine," and it looked like there were only a couple of scratches on his body. I suppose he's fine, then. Pittoo isn't very talkative anyways. Unlike…

"Lady Palutena!" Palutena whirled around to see Pit, covered head to toe in colour. It took her a second to realize that it was spices that were in his hair and covering the normally white feathers on his wings, and as much as she tried to stifle her laughter, she failed miserably and burst out laughing. She was joined by Dark Pit soon after, and they watched as Pit's confident expression quickly faded. "... Lady Palutena?"

Palutena felt a jab in her side as Dark Pit elbowed her. "Up for barbecued angel wings tonight? They're already marinated," he said with a smirk that made her laugh even harder.

Pit gave both of them an irritated look, wiping the powder off of his face and arms. "Stop it, Pittoo! Lady Palutena, we have to show you something!"

"How about after you take a bath and wash your chiton?" Palutena suggested with a bemused smile.

"No, it's really important!" Pit insisted, and Palutena knew from experience that 'important' could mean just about anything, so she nodded her approval and followed the two angels outside.

No matter how much Palutena was used to surprises, she couldn't have expected the impossible. Once they were in an open area, Pit leapt into the air and flapped his wings carefully, not erratically like he usually did. He took a second to steady himself, and with a grin, flew off like he did when he was using the Power of Flight or the Pegasus Wings. Except he wasn't. "See, Pittoo? First try!" he called, swooping above them, a trail of coloured powder following him with every flap.

Clearly determined not to be outdone, Dark Pit matched Pit's movements, and all of a sudden they were both soaring together, arguing about who was better at it. Palutena just gazed at them in amazement. So it finally happened, huh?

She barely gave them a chance to land before pulling them into a hug, which Pit gladly returned, while Dark Pit was more reluctant. For the first time in a while, Palutena found herself at a loss for words. "I… I didn't think that could actually happen, but I'm so glad it did!"

Maybe hugging Pit before he got to wash the powder off himself wasn't a great idea, because Palutena had to pull away from the angels before sneezing violently. Dark Pit stared at her. "I'm surprised you haven't sneezed your lungs out yet."

"Nope, I'm fine!" she assured him, cheerfully. "A strong sneeze is the sign of a strong spirit. Now you should go get yourself clean, Pit, and then we can take care of the mess you two made in the kitchen."

After the kitchen was cleaned, Palutena finished carefully tying a bandage around the gash on Dark Pit's arm. It wasn't a bad injury, but she didn't want to leave it untreated. "There we go. Is that any better?"

"I guess," Dark Pit muttered. "I still don't get why I need it. I'm not a weakling crybaby like Pit-stain."

Almost as if on cue, Pit trudged into the room, newly clean after his bath. "Lady Palutenaaa… My wings are so sore! Pittoo's training is the worst," he whined. Dark Pit arched an eyebrow at her, and she could practically hear him saying 'See? Told you so.'

"Aw, you poor guy." She sat down and motioned for him to sit in front of her. "Come here, I'll massage them for you." Pit accepted readily, making himself comfortable as she contentedly combed her fingers between his feathers. Dark Pit's deadpan expression told her that she didn't even need to ask if he wanted to join them. She smiled mischievously. "I didn't know that you were training for this. Pittoo being considerate? That's new."

Dark Pit glared at her, but Pit responded, rather drowsily. "You couldn't see it with your all-seeing eye or all-knowing brain? Pittoo taught me how he used Pandora's powers to fly, and we practiced. For hours. Every day. It worked, but it was–"

"We get it, stop whining. And both of you can shut up now," Dark Pit snapped, grabbing a comb for his wings. They sat in silence for a while, Palutena gently rubbing Pit's wings, and Dark Pit combing his feathers, until he spoke up again. "Palutena?" She looked over at him and hummed her acknowledgement, and he continued. "Why do you think we can fly all of a sudden?"

"Well…" she mused. Questions from Dark Pit were rare, so she wanted to answer this one well. "I had a theory about that. I'm sure we've already told you that Pit was raised in a human town until I could take care of him. Those first few years are the most important for an angel's developing wings, and I guess his wings just never developed properly because he missed out on that practice. And I suppose it didn't help that I could never give him any tips, since I can't fly on my own either."

Dark Pit froze mid-stroke. "You what?"

"Oh, sorry for assuming you knew!" Palutena gasped. "I forgot that you don't have all of Pit's memories. But no, I can't fly on my own; that's why I have the Power of Flight in the first place. I only summon my wings when I need them for attack or defense."

"A flightless angel for a flightless goddess, huh? But that doesn't explain why we can fly now."

She tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "I think it has to do with the Rewind Spring. After all, his wings were completely destroyed and regenerated, so perhaps they got another chance to develop normally? And as for you, it technically hasn't been long since you were born, so maybe your wings are developing just as they should."

Dark Pit nodded, but Palutena noticed that his chattier twin hadn't said a word during their conversation. She shook him gently. "Pit?" In response, he just slumped a bit further onto her lap. "Don't tell me you've fallen asleep again!" she laughed, seeing that that was exactly what happened. I'll take him to his room. After all, today was a big day for him. For both of them.

Pit balanced on the railings of one of the temple's balconies overlooking the islands of Skyworld, feeling slightly on edge knowing that it could be a long fall onto the Overworld if he messed up. "Pittoo, you're sure you'll catch me if I fall, right?"

Dark Pit was indifferent. "Maybe if you stopped calling me Pittoo."

"But it's your nickname!"

He ignored the imminent argument. "Relax, we've been practicing for weeks now. I'm sure our wings can handle it, but I'll be there if yours can't."

I guess that's the closest I can get to reassurance from him. Pit took a deep breath, spread his wings, and jumped into the sky, feeling the wind beneath his wings almost instantly. Dark Pit joined him after a moment. It had been a couple of weeks since they flew for the first time, and their wings had now grown long enough that they almost touched the floor when folded against their backs. Flying had also become more natural to them, but Palutena always enforced a strict time limit on their practices, just so that they didn't 'overdo it'. Not this time, though! We can handle ourselves, I know we can!

As they flew through the midday sky, Pit reminisced about how much he'd longed to do just that. He'd even composed a little victory song about flying, way back when he was on his mission to defeat Hades. How did it go, again? Oh, right! "Again today I will go soaring through the sky! My enemies, I'll dish 'em up in a stir-fry! Gracious goddess of light watches from up above! At dinnertime I always show the cook some love!" he sang, making loops in the air.

Dark Pit groaned at the familiar song. "See? Annoyingly cheerful."

"It's just so awesome to finally be able to fly by ourselves! You know, back when Hades tricked us with the Wish Seed, I was totally ready to wish to fly by myself, but it looks like I won't have to anymore!"

They spent the next few minutes flying in near-silence, taking in some of the breathtaking sights for the first time. After a while, Dark Pit mused, "Hey, Pit-stain? What if the Wish Seed was real, and you could make a wish now?" Pit gave him a curious look. Where did that come from? Dark Pit realized in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment how out-of-place his question sounded. "I- I just wanted to see if there's anything else in your thick skull other than 'I really want to fly.'"

"Hmm, maybe… oh, I know! Unlimited floor ice cream!"

"What?"

"Being able to read!"

That earned him a midair shove. "Are my lessons not good enough for you or something? 'Cause I'd gladly stop teaching."

"No no, I'm eternally grateful for your lessons, but– oh! More hot springs! A personal Cherubot! Grind rails everywhere! Actually, I'd wish for, like, a gazillion wishes, and then wish for all those things. Isn't that a genius plan?"

"I shouldn't have even asked," Dark Pit groaned.

Pit calmed down a bit and pondered. "But if you really want to know what I'd wish for right now… it would probably be to spend more time with you. And Lady Palutena, of course. And Viridi, Arlon, and Phosphora; they're nicer than I thought when you're not fighting them. And Magnus and Gaol, and Aurelia, you know, the little girl who saved me when I was a ring? We should visit them now that we can fly!" That was when he noticed that Dark Pit wasn't paying attention. "Pittoo? Hello-o?"

That broke Dark Pit out of his thoughts, and he hesitated for a second before asking bluntly, "Why am I at the top of that list?"

The answer seemed so obvious to Pit. "Because you're my favourite person to spend time with!"

"But– Pit!" Pit hardly felt his wings give out before he fell, crying out in surprise. Dark Pit made a move to catch him before he fell too. "Spread your wings, you idiot!" he shouted. "You'll fall slower!"

So this is why Lady Palutena said we needed a time limit. Pit squeezed his eyes shut as he fell, only to suddenly stop. He opened his eyes hesitantly, and his first sight was the gently-beating white wings covered in a familiar pale blue light. Then Palutena's concerned expression as she held him in her arms. "Are you alright?"

"I– Yeah, but what about Pittoo?"

Palutena gestured near them to where Dark Pit was suspended in the air by his wings, which were glowing a pale green. Pit looked beneath them, realizing how dangerously close they were to the ground, and noticed Viridi wielding her staff at Dark Pit to channel her Power of Flight. "Don't worry, I've got this!"

Pit looked back up at Palutena. "Thanks for saving us, Lady Palutena! If it wasn't for you two, we'd be finished."

In return, Palutena whacked him lightly on the head. "You will be finished if I catch you being reckless again."

"Ow! Okay, I'm sorry." His attention was drawn back to her wings. "So… you've started using the Power of Flight on yourself again, huh?"

She gave him a playful smile. "Well, I thought I'd use it now that you don't need it anymore. And I probably would have given it to you just now, but I thought it would take me too long to transfer the power… and I guess part of me wanted to feel what it was like to fly again."

Their conversation was interrupted by a yell from Dark Pit, as he plummeted the short distance to the ground. Viridi was shouting as well. "Wait a second, how was I supposed to control this again?" Pit genuinely couldn't tell whether or not she was messing with him.

Palutena laughed. "Let's go join them, shall we?"

They landed beside Dark Pit, who was lying on the ground, understandably annoyed, and Viridi, who was crouched down beside him. "I'm sure you're fine!" she declared, standing up to see them. Her expression brightened as she quickly raised one of Palutena's most prized possessions: her camera. And before anyone could react, she snapped a picture. "Look at you two, as helpless as ever!" she laughed mockingly. That's when Pit realized that Palutena was still holding him, and he jumped back to his feet right as Dark Pit did, to the goddesses' amusement.

"You'd better delete that!" Dark Pit yelled. "Get rid of it!"

"Too late!" Viridi sang. "It's a work of art."

Palutena took a look. "I was planning to take a picture of them in the air, but I suppose this is just as good. Thanks, Viridi!"

"That's why you just so happened to be there at the right time to save us?" Pit asked in disbelief and betrayal.

"Of course! Come on, let's head back to the temple. I have to find a good spot for this picture," Palutena remarked as she and Viridi started back, giggling about the photo.

Dark Pit rolled his eyes, and waited for Pit to join him before the two followed them back to the temple. Pit smiled cheerfully as they walked. "You know what, Pittoo? Even if someone gave me a Wish Seed right now, I don't think I'd wish for anything."

Dark Pit smirked. "Except maybe unlimited floor ice cream?"

Pit laughed in agreement. "Except maybe unlimited floor ice cream."