Kid Icarus: Legacy

The year was 10,000 A.D. Lady Palutena, the goddess of light, had been ruling over Skyworld for eons. Her faithful angel, Pit, had been the captain of her guard for nearly as long. Palutena had been watching over humanity, with Pit protecting them whenever any force threatened humanity's future.

On this fateful day, Pit was admiring his weapon collection in the armory. Various bows, cannons, claws, clubs, and blades he had acquired throughout the years were all perfectly preserved. Decoration during times of peace, a ready weapon stock in times of war. As Pit was observing, he heard someone behind him. He turned around. Lady Palutena stood behind him, a heavenly aura glowing around her.

"Lady Palutena!" Pit exclaimed. He immediately knelt before her.

"At ease, Pit," she commanded. He stood back up. "I apologize for the suddenness of this. I have some big news for you, but I need you to keep it secret."

"Anything for you."

She walked up to Pit. "I've decided to retire as the ruler of Skyworld this year."

Pit's heart tightened a bit. For as long as he'd known Palutena, she had been Skyworld's lone leader. "Why?" he inquired.

"I've been ruling Skyworld for over 30,000 years. It's getting to be tiring, being both the goddess of light and the ruler of a kingdom. It's time for me to settle down and focus entirely on my divine responsibilities and let someone else run Skyworld."

"I see. Have you chosen a successor?"

"Indeed, I have."

"Who is it?"

She pointed her staff at Pit. "You."

Pit's eyes widened at this revelation. "M-me?" He pointed at himself.

"Yes, you. You're the one person in the entire world whom I trust more than anyone else."

"Well, I'm honored. But Lady Palutena, you must realize that this is a very heavy responsibility."

Palutena gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know it is. But if anyone can do it, it's you." Pit looked down at the ground away from her. "I'll…uh…I'll give you a moment to think about it."

"Could you give me a bit more time than that?"

"I could try, but the coronation ceremony is tomorrow."

Pit stared at her in disbelief. "You were planning on having me become the ruler of Skyworld tomorrow and you're only now telling me?!"

"Hey, I've been busy lately."

Pit sighed, "Well, I'll try to have a decision by then."

"Good." Palutena nodded and walked away.

During Pit's lunch break, he reflected more on what Palutena had told him. "Me as the ruler of Skyworld," he thought, "This is…great? I think it's great. Or at least, Palutena thinks it's great." He sighed. "So why don't I feel like it's great?" He took another bite of his Yoshi egg salad sandwich. Though it was normally something that would brighten his day, it just didn't make him as happy as he was expecting it to. Not even the slight taste of spicy sauce that livened it up helped. He put the sandwich back into its container. "Maybe I'm just not that hungry," he thought. He felt his stomach. Though it did feel empty, it also didn't feel like accepting any more food at that moment. "Perhaps I need to go for a walk around the base."

During Pit's walk, he strolled over to the Skyworld Hall of Fame and looked at its walls. Its walls were filled with murals of the greatest moments in Skyworld's history. Among its artwork, it showed all of Pit's greatest adventures. There was the time he fought Medusa after she abducted Palutena, the time he fought Orcos, the time he fought Tabuu alongside his new friends, the time he fought Hades, and the time he, Rosalina, and Simon Belmont fought Galeem and Dharkon.

"It amazes me how I was able to beat so many strong foes at such a young age," he thought, "I couldn't even fly on my own at that point."

As Pit returned to his post in Skyworld, he looked over his desk. His attention turned to the main photo framed and standing among his belongings: his wedding photo. Truly, one of the greatest days of his life, in his angelic eyes. He looked so handsome in his navy-blue suit. But that was nothing compared to Rosalina in her wedding dress. She and Pit had met back when she was practicing for a race on Rainbow Road, where Pit had been flying in the Galactic Sea. Only a few years afterwards, they met again in the Smash Mansion, where they began falling in love. At this point, they'd been together for several millennia, raising thousands of generations of Lumas. He smiled at the thought of his beautiful wife and their amazing children.

As the day persisted, Pit continued to think about the conundrum. "I suppose I've been learning a bit about how to rule through Palutena ruling over me. But I don't think our ruling styles would be the same. She's firm and confident in her commands, so people know she means business. Besides, she's a goddess and I'm merely an angel. Would anyone take me seriously as an authority figure? Would I take myself seriously as an authority figure?"

Pit looked outside. The sun was starting to set. "Well, I'd better get home." He ran off the nearest landing strip and flew off to the Comet Observatory.

After a short flight, Pit got home to the Comet Observatory. His wonderful wife, Rosalina, greeted him with a kiss. "How was work today, honey-bunny?"

"Well, it was…complicated."

"Complicated?"

"Yeah. I'll explain at dinner."

"Oh, speaking of, may you please give me a hand with the casserole? I could do it by myself but having someone help makes it go faster."

"Sure thing, sweetie." Without hesitation, he threw on an apron. "What are you making?"

"Chicken casserole."

"Sounds good. What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to dice the chicken." She pointed at the cooked chicken breasts on the cutting board.

"Easy-peasy," Pit boasted. He got out two large knives and chopped the meat up.

Rosalina looked at Pit's handiwork. "You never fail to amaze me, Pit." She kissed him on the cheek. "Now bring that over here."

He carried the cutting board over to a mixing bowl Rosalina had set up. It already had other ingredients in it, such as cream of chicken soup, celery, and onions. All that was missing was the chunks of chicken. Pit dropped them into the bowl.

"Thank you. Now while I'm mixing this, may you please grease the casserole pan?"

"Absolutely." Pit got out the butter spray and sprayed it into the pan. He made sure every wall and every corner were properly coated. Meanwhile, Rosalina was thoroughly mixing the ingredients. Once they both finished their respective tasks, he moved the pan in front of her. She poured the mixture in, creating a sludge that Pit knew looked bad now but would be delicious once cooked. He then took the pan and put it into the oven.

"Thank you so much," Rosalina said. She kissed him on the cheek once again.

After 40 minutes, the casserole was cooked. The Lumas were lined up with both their plates up and their little bellies empty. Rosalina scooped a spoonful of casserole onto each plate that floated by. Pit watched over them as they came to the table to sit.

Once all the Lumas were seated, Pit walked back to the kitchen. "Mind if we have some wine with dinner?" he asked.

"Oh, sure," Rosalina replied, "I think there's a bottle in the cabinet over the stove..."

Pit opened the cabinet door and found the wine bottle Rosalina mentioned. "What year is it from?"

"I'm not sure. I've had it in there for a while."

"Are you sure it's still good?"

"Not really. I never studied the effects of near-light speed travel on the aging process of wine. It could be good, or it could have aged like milk."

Pit looked at the bottle. "Aww, what the underworld, I could use a drink." He grabbed the corkscrew and two wine glasses and went back to the dining room. He removed the cork and poured wine into the two glasses. Rosalina entered the dining room with her plate and Pit's plate. The two sat down at the head of the table.

The Lumas and their parents began eating. Rosalina and Pit ate slowly to allow themselves time to talk between bites.

"Anything interesting happen today?" Pit asked Rosalina.

"No," Rosalina said, "Just monitored the galaxies and assured that they were all peaceful." She took a sip of her wine. "So, what happened today during work?"

Pit swallowed his bite. "Palutena has decided to make me the new ruler of Skyworld."

Rosalina dropped her fork. "Really?"

"Really."

"Well, that's fantastic!" Rosalina smiled at Pit.

"Is it?"

Her smile started to fade. "I…think so. I mean, don't you want to be the ruler of Skyworld."

"That's the thing. I don't know if I do. I've always been in a subservient position. What am I supposed to do being in charge?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've never really been in a leadership position before, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for it…"

"Why not? Haven't you been Captain of Palutena's Guard for several thousand years now?"

"Yes, but that's different. Being a captain is much smaller than being a king."

"I don't think it's quite that different…"

Their conversation was interrupted by some Lumas coming up to Rosalina. "Mama?" one blue Luma asked, "Can we have pizza tomorrow?"

Rosalina chuckled. "We'll see." The Lumas floated back to their seats. Rosalina turned back to Pit. "What were you saying?"

"Ah, never mind…" Pit took a long sip of his wine.

That night, Rosalina and Pit were lying in bed together. Rosalina was reading another one of her novels from her library. Pit was just lying on his side, sighing every few minutes.

Rosalina put her book down. "Pit, what's wrong?"

"It just doesn't feel right."

"You mean the whole 'becoming ruler of Skyworld' thing?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to discuss it?"

Pit sat up. "I'm just worried about my future. It's such a big change and I'm not sure I'm ready for it."

"Why don't you feel ready?" Rosalina's tone indicated that she wasn't trying to be patronizing; she was genuinely curious why he was feeling uncertain.

"How can I be a good monarch when I've only ever been the captain?"

"Pit," Rosalina said, "You've been helping me raise the Lumas for thousands of years at this point. And do you know what every single one of them has in common?" Pit raised an eyebrow. "They all love you and respect you as their father."

"Well, I appreciate the sentiment, but how does that help here?"

"If you can show your subjects the same kind of leadership that you show the Lumas, you will be a wonderful ruler of Skyworld. I know being a father is different than being a monarch, but they're still positions of leadership and authority. And you've proven repeatedly over the past few millennia that you have the ability to lead and authorize."

"You really think so?"

"I know so." Rosalina hoped Pit would look more cheerful, but he seemed unfazed. "Anything else bothering you about this?"

"I know it's a weird thing to be worried about, but I'm worried what my legacy will be. How will the people of Earth and Skyworld remember me after this?"

"Pit, you've helped to raise thousands of generations of Lumas. We've raised millions of children together. You and I have contributed to the growing universe more than either of us could ever comprehend. If that's not a worthwhile legacy, then I don't know what is. And no one can ever take that legacy away from you."

"So even if my rule of Skyworld is a failure, I'll still have the knowledge that I helped to raise the Lumas that have formed the universe as we know it?"

Rosalina hugged Pit. "And you'll still have me. I don't care if you're the captain of Palutena's guard, the ruler of Skyworld, or anything else. To me, you'll always be the sweet angel I fell in love with."

Pit returned her hug. "And I wouldn't want to be without you. You're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, even with becoming a monarch."

Rosalina broke the embrace. She turned her gaze to Pit's face. "Don't forget: If you ever need support, advice, or anything to boost your confidence, you can always talk to me."

"I think you've proven that tonight more than anything."

The two slid under the covers. "Good night, Pit." Rosalina shut off the light.

"Good night, Rosie," Pit replied. He wrapped his arm around her body. "I love you." He placed his wing on top of her like a blanket.

"I love you, too."

The next morning, Rosalina woke to the smell of something cooking. She put on her bunny slippers and floated into the kitchen. She saw Pit standing at the stove, oven mitts on his hands and apron around his torso. The smell of cooking batter filled the air.

"What's this?"

"I was thinking more about what you told me last night, about me being a good father, and how that translates to me being a good leader. So, I decided to put it to the test." The Lumas were lined up to get their plates filled with Pit's pancakes. "Alright, kids, just one pancake. If you're still hungry after that, let me know." He began plating the tall stack of pancakes he'd already prepared. Each Luma looked at their respective pancake with a mixture of hunger and excitement. As the stack went down, Pit kept replenishing them by grilling more pancakes. Once every Luma had been fed, as well as Pit himself and Rosalina, Pit had another announcement. "Okay, everyone. Now that you're all fed, I want you to get ready for today's chores." He pointed to the Lumas in the upper left corner of the table. "All of you are in charge of dusting Mama's library." He pointed to the other Luma groups and gave them assignments. Once every Luma had a task, he asked if there were any questions, which there were none. The Lumas all went off to work.

Pit turned to Rosalina "Well, I'd better get going," he said. He turned to fly off to Skyworld.

Rosalina grabbed Pit's shoulder. "Hang on, honey-bunny. If you're going to become the ruler of Skyworld, then I want to be there."

"Alright. If you want."

"I do want." She wrapped her arms around Pit. "We're in this together." Pit nodded.

Pit and Rosalina approached Palutena. She noticed them walking towards her. "Ah, Pit. Wonderful to see you." She looked at Rosalina. "And Rosalina, always a pleasure. In fact, I was hoping you would tag along."

"I'm sorry, Lady Palutena," Pit said, "I know you wanted me to keep it a secret, but I had to talk to Rosalina about it."

"No worries. I meant that I wanted you to keep it secret from the other soldiers. I don't want you to keep secrets from your wife."

"Thank you." Pit bowed his head. "I was very worried about breaking your trust."

"Thousands of years of undying loyalty create a trust that can never be broken." Palutena stepped in front of Pit. "Are you ready, Pit?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"Then let us begin." Palutena conjured up a door next to the three of them. They walked through it, out in front of an audience of thousands. Every single Centurion in Palutena's army was seated before them. The crowd cheered at the sight of their patron goddess.

Palutena walked up to a podium in front of the large crowd. "People of Skyworld," she yelled out to the crowd, "I have an important announcement. From this day forward, I will no longer be the ruler of Skyworld." A hush came over the crowd. Everyone seemed uncertain what to do or say in response to this news. "I have decided to pass my reign onto a successor." She presented Pit. "All of you know Pit." There were some light murmurs of agreement in the crowd. "Pit has shown many skills and qualities during his time as captain that I feel make him the worthiest of taking my place. I can only hope that you all feel the same way." There was light applause from the audience. Palutena then motioned for Rosalina to join them. "And Pit's wife, Rosalina, is someone whom I also feel would make a worthy successor."

Palutena turned to face Pit and Rosalina. She held out her staff. "Pit, Rosalina," she instructed, "Please take hold of my staff." In all the years he'd known her, she had never let anyone else touch it. Pit slowly reached out until he was holding onto it. Rosalina, not knowing the symbolic significance of this, was less hesitant to grab on. "Do you, Pit, take this position as ruler of Skyworld? Do you promise to uphold its virtues of honor, loyalty, protection, and devotion? If so say, 'Yes, I do.'"

"Yes," Pit exclaimed, "I do!"

Palutena turned to Rosalina. "And do you, Rosalina, take this position as ruler of Skyworld? Do you promise to uphold its virtues of honor, loyalty, protection, and devotion? If so say, 'Yes, I do.'"

"Yes," Rosalina replied, "I do"

Palutena faced the space between them. "Then as patron goddess of light, I hereby hand over the ruling power of Skyworld over to Pit and Rosalina." She walked in front of her podium to stand beside them. "Ladies and gentlemen of Skyworld, please join me in welcoming your new rulers!" The crowd burst into thunderous applause.

Pit looked at the audience. "My subjects," he thought to himself. He looked at Rosalina. "Our subjects," he corrected himself. It brought a tear to his eye.