Now this has to be the shortest chapter I've worked on compared to the others... but that's because the chapter itself from the original game is actually quite short, so I guess it's justified. Either way, I'm only three chapters short of ending this story!
Enjoy! ;)
Chapter 23: Scorched Feathers
[BGM: Agniratha, Mechonis Capital (Night) – Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition]
Night on Viridi's Temple has been awfully quiet and somber, and for a good reason: everyone was worried about Pit's severe condition after he risked his life to save Dark Pit from the Chaos Kin, but ended up getting his wings burned off in the process by doing so. Right now, everyone was gathered around in a bed where Pit was lying on, and Arlon thought that healing herbs and other remedies would help the angel, but no matter what he tried, nothing seemed to help.
"Oh me, oh my… This is really bad…" he sighed.
"Can't you do anything else to save him?" Viridi asked.
"I'm afraid I can't, Mistress. His injuries are fatal… and angel physiology is not my expertise."
"No… NO! There has to be another way!" Viridi shouted emphatically, not knowing that tears were actually streaming down her cheeks. "Don't you dare give up on him just yet, Arlon!"
"I won't. I shall do everything I can." Arlon then retreated to try to work on Pit a bit.
"He's an angel, right?" Phosphora said, trying to light some silver lining in this situation. "Can't Palutena just revive him?"
"If only it was that simple…" Palutena sighed, who was sitting on a chair by Pit's side. "An angel's wings are vital organs. Once they go, not even a goddess can revive them."
"Well, there's got to be something we can do to save him!" Zelda said. "We can't just let him die after he just risked his neck to save me!"
"Yeah!" Trifle threw in. "That, and I do NOT want to lose my best friend who's one of my team members like this!"
After being silent for a bit, Palutena spoke up, "There is one way." she stood up from her chair.
Everyone else's eyes perked up. "Really?!" Viridi exclaimed.
"Yes… but it's incredibly risky. And that would be to take Pit to the Rewind Spring."
"Rewind Spring?" Eight asked.
"It's a magical spring that can be used to revert the effects of time on any living being, including anything that's part of said being. However, how much time is eradicated off the being is subject to how much one spends in the spring, and what parts of the body is dipped into it. For instance, if you stay in it for too long… you may find your life completely erased from existence."
Everyone paled up. "Yikes…" Jewel shuddered. "Now I see what you meant by 'risky'…"
"Exactly."
Dark Pit, who has been leaning on a wall being silent this entire time, decided to finally open his mouth, "Hmph, I don't care if it's risky or not; if this Rewind Spring is the only way to save Pit, then I'm up for heading to it!"
Palutena sighed. "Well… alright. But remember, we've only got one chance to pull this off. So we have to make it count!"
"Got it." Dark Pit nodded. "Come on now, guys." he said to the group before walking off.
"…Am I the only one who's weirded out that we're having Dark Pit joining us instead?" Shulk asked.
"Nope, you're not." Eleven replied. "But alas, he is all we've got as the best substitute to Pit, so… we'll just have to roll with it." he shrugged.
"Yeah, you're right."
"You better get going, everyone. You probably shouldn't keep Pittoo waiting for too long." Palutena said. "And by the way, I'll be the one providing the Magic Wings again for you this time."
"Ah, good! We've been missing that!" Trifle exclaimed as Palutena giggled. "Let's go!" the group then left the room.
[BGM End]
Soon…
"We're outta here!" Dark Pit said as he took off from the gates with the group following him, but not before being given the Magic Wings from Palutena (thus their wings were made out of blue light again).
[BGM: Scorched Feathers – Kid Icarus Uprising]
Everyone found themselves flying in a dark, mountainous region. "Pit is still unconscious." Palutena spoke to them. "With his wings burned up, he can't last much longer. But I thought of a way to save him."
"Of course you did." Dark Pit rolled his eyes as he shot down a Belunka.
"We all owe Pit. You know that. Think of the sacrifices he made to save me, Zelda and you. And don't get me started on what happens to you if he dies."
Dark Pit remained silent for a bit to let Palutena's wise words sink in, and after realizing that she was right, he sighed and replied, "All right. Then what's the next step?"
"Go to the City of Souls. It's just a little ways ahead. It's the place where souls make their final passage into death…or back into life."
"Oh, I get it." Viridi interjected. "You want to turn back the clock and cheat death. Raising the dead, keeping the near-dead alive… It's pretty dirty business."
"I know the stakes, but we don't have a choice."
"Hey, weren't you two just at war with each other?" Dark Pit wondered.
"Mind your own business!" Viridi retorted. "I'm not so petty that I can't extend an olive branch at a time like this."
"Thank you, Viridi. And also thank you for helping Pit and his friends when I couldn't." Palutena thanked.
"Just so you know, this is NOT a hug-it-out moment."
At this point, the gang flew down into a forest, quickly killing any Reapers they came across to avoid alerting Underworld forces and avoiding the Ornes. "Not to hurt your feelings, but THIS Pit doesn't need your help to fly." Dark Pit said. "So don't expect me to suck up to you."
"Yeah yeah, we know…" Arusu muttered while shooting down a Zuree.
"…Okay, now I definitely prefer having Pit on our side instead of Dark Pit." Jewel thought. "At least Pit is able to keep us entertained… while Dark Pit doesn't do any of that, so this will just get boring quickly."
"If your flight's unlimited, you don't have to battle on land." Palutena pointed out.
"So air battle only? It feels strange to say it, but I'm disappointed." Viridi said.
"Who cares if we're not going to do a land battle? Pit's life is on the line!" Trifle stated.
With that, the gang continued their voyage through the forest while killing some Syrens, until they came across a city that composed out of large crystalline pillars, and millions of souls were flying about it.
"Whoa…" Eight awed. "Now this reminds me a lot of the Netherworld…" he thought.
"Is this…the City of Souls?" Shulk wondered.
"What kind of city IS this?!" Dark Pit asked.
"It's unlike any earthly city. The spirits of the dead gather here." Palutena replied.
"So, basically, this is the Underworld."
"You got it!" Hades's all-too familiar voice suddenly rang, causing the group to groan in annoyance… and then everyone saw his astral projection in the sky, towering over the city with his arms folded across his chest.
"Oh, it's you." Dark Pit said flatly.
"Just what we needed…" Melia groaned.
"Our hero's looking a little goth today." Hades said, obviously referring to Dark Pit. "I hope the stresses of life haven't gotten you down. That would be ever so tragic."
"No one's listening." Dark Pit replied, still keeping the flat tone.
Hades chuckled as his astral projection faded. "It's hilarious how you have no sense of humor! But that sourpuss attitude's gonna give you an ulcer someday, you know."
"Your face alone can give someone an ulcer."
"Anyway, Pittoo, your understanding is correct." Viridi said. "The Underworld is where souls go. As you all know, Reapers are responsible for carrying souls."
"But we've got an excess of souls these days." Hades spoke up. "The Reapers can't handle them all!"
"So the extra souls come here?" Solo guessed.
"Yes, though some just fade away." Palutena replied. "And others are…well…eaten."
The gang cringed. "Eaten?!" Zelda questioned.
"Even in the afterlife, it's survival of the fittest!" Hades grinned.
"That makes some sense." Viridi chimed in. "The weak are consumed, just as nature intended."
"True that…" Eleven said as they all navigated through the strange soul-filled city while taking out Underworld stragglers as they did, until they eventually came across a cavern that would take them to another part of the city.
[BGM Pause]
For the most part, the city seemed peaceful, with no Underworld enemies in sight. That is, until the gang managed to spot what appeared to be a giant eel-like monster moving somewhere through the city. "Remember what I said that some souls get eaten?" Palutena asked them.
"Well…yeah." Shulk replied. "So…?"
"Well, here's the hideous devourer of souls itself!" and no sooner after Viridi's announcement… the eel-like monster revealed itself, leading the group to scream in horror at it.
[Resume BGM]
"WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?!" Trifle screamed as they narrowly avoided the beast, the Soul-Eating Monster.
"You weren't kidding about the hideous part!" Dark Pit exclaimed. Getting a closer look at the Soul-Eating Monster, Dark Pit could make out some sack-like growths lined along its back. He decided to open fire at one of them, making it pop and release the souls trapped in it as his eyes widened, and then told the group, "Guys! Aim for these growths on its back!"
"Ah, got it!" Jewel replied as the others proceeded to do the same while flying around and dodging the Soul-Eating Monster's attacks.
"I find him quite adorable, actually. And souls CAN be very delicious." Hades smirked. "Luckily, they don't possess personalities or anything like that."
"What – they don't?" Dark Pit asked.
"Of course not! Souls have no more personality than blood or bone. They're just another resource to harvest from living beings."
The group's eyes shot wide. "Did… Did you really just say that?!" Eleven questioned. "You treat souls as if they're nothing and easily disposable?! How… How COULD you!?" he shouted angrily.
"Your disregard for life is just astounding!" Viridi threw in, utterly disgusted at Hades's apathy. "Could you be any more callous?"
"Well, I could try." Hades replied. "You know, souls are a bit like taffy. Sweet enough to eat, but pliable enough to mold into any shape I can imagine."
"Eat and mol- UUUUUGH!" Melia groaned in disgust.
"I don't even… That's just so… Um… Nuh-uh!" Viridi was just as disgusted and disturbed. At this point, the gang managed to defeat the Soul-Eating Monster and proceeded onwards.
"I'd love to get my hands on Pittooey's soul. So dark, so chewy, so malleable!" Hades said. "A powerful spirit like that shouldn't be wasted on Ol' Chomper's lunch."
"Yeah, not gonna happen." Dark Pit replied coldly as he and the group continued to fly through the cavern, fighting more swarms of Underworld monsters. But as soon as they exited the cavern and arrived at another portion of the city, Zelda soon spoke up to the others:
"You know, there's something I've been wondering about…"
"What is it?" Solo asked.
"Have you all been noticing how the Underworld Army is increasing in numbers so quickly? And the fact that the Mirror of Truth, which was replicating Underworld monsters, got destroyed yet there are still reinforcements coming?"
"Now that you said it, you're actually right." Eleven replied. "That is very strange, though…"
"I know, right? So I eventually came to a possible conclusion… Do you think Hades was serious about molding souls into other forms?"
"It would explain his endless supply of troops." Palutena replied, having overheard the conversation. "He's MAKING them out of souls!"
"WHAT?!" the whole group yelled in shock.
"Professor Palutena does it again!" Hades exclaimed.
"But wait…" Eight began, a look of horror donning his face. "If that's the case, then there's NO WAY the Underworld Army could ever lose!"
"Uh… SPOILER ALERT!"
"So let me get this straight. All the lives lost in battle go to building up the Underworld Army…" Viridi concluded.
"You got it. So the more fighting there is, the bigger my army gets."
"Are you serious?!" Trifle questioned.
"My goodness! It feels wonderful to be on the winning team."
"Hold on a second. Your math is a little off." Dark Pit interjected. "You might want to break out the Brain Age, pal."
"I have a brain age of 24!" Viridi said proudly.
"Oh yeah? Mine is a near-perfect 21!" Jewel smirked.
"And that's relevant because…?" Palutena asked.
"Think about all the casualties there have been in this war between the gods." Dark Pit answered. "If Hades was right, the Underworld would be way more crowded with monsters."
"Then that means that one fallen soldier doesn't equal one new Underworld monster. After all, creating something as corporeal as a monster would take…"
"A TON of souls!" Viridi finished Palutena's statement. "…But that's a huge waste! It's…an abomination!"
"You're telling us!" Arusu exclaimed.
"Yeah, that's just about the sickest thing I've ever heard." Dark Pit chimed in. "We HAVE to stop him."
Just then, Hades's astral projection reappeared, his eyes glowing red with rage. "You poor deluded things! You'll never stop me!" he pulls his arm back. "Not in MY realm!" he smashed a pillar that was right next to the gang in an attempt to crush them.
"Egah!" Dark Pit growled while the group yelped, as they moved out of the way just in time.
"Don't let him get under your skins!" Palutena urged.
"Not a problem." Dark Pit replied and they all flew towards Hades, only for him to disappear. "It's been great touring the City of Souls and all, but we're here to save Pit, right?"
"Hey, no need to cop an attitude. Just keep moving forward."
"Get a room, lovebirds." Hades teased.
"Eugh, I've just had enough of him…" Melia groaned.
"He's truly unbelievable…" Solo muttered as they soon came across the most astonishing sight ever before their eyes: a torrent made out of untold billions of souls. "What in the world…?" Solo breathed.
"This WAS a stream of souls. But so many lives have been lost that it's now a torrent." Palutena said. "All souls need to find their final resting place down here so that life can spring anew. That's part of the natural cycle of life. But Hades keep playing with souls. He won't let them rest. His bloodlust has thrown everything off balance."
Everyone gasped. "That's… That's horrible!" Eight cried.
"It's like humans disrupting the balance on Earth! It's unforgivable!" Viridi exclaimed.
"You've GOT to be joking." Dark Pit groaned in disgust as they flew into a hole that formed in the sky, taking them into a strange place with grid-like structures that formed a web of sorts. "ALL you gods and your stupid wars are the ones throwing everything off balance!"
"You little nothing! How dare you?"
"He may have a point." Palutena interfered in an attempt to quell the argument. "We have the Underworld Army out to hoard souls. We have the Forces of Nature trying to wipe out humanity. We have the humans continuing to exploit nature and each other. And we have us – gods – who drag the entire world into our power struggles. But it doesn't matter how this started. Now we know who's profiting from it."
"Hades…" Trifle growled. "Left unchecked, he threatens us all!"
"Then our only option is to take him down." Dark Pit settled.
"I agree." Arusu said. "That guy has absolutely NO soul… so of course he doesn't know how a soul feels when he messes up with one!"
"But first things first, we're going to need Pit's help." Viridi stated. "Let's get him patched up."
With that said, the gang flew through the realm while slaying more Underworld monsters along the way, and eventually they could see a strange structure that floated in the sky in the distance. "Up ahead is the Rewind Spring." Palutena let them know. "That's where you need to go. I'll bring Pit in right next to you."
"As the name implies, the Rewind Spring can return things to their original states." Viridi explained. "But if you soak for too long, it'll rewind things too far, and that can get weird."
"We know that." Shulk replied, and they all came in for a landing.
[BGM End]
Immediately upon landing, Dark Pit ran to the edge of the spring and leaned over for a closer look. But no sooner had he done that, blue flames suddenly began to leak out of his wings as he felt a sharp pain on them.
"Aaauuuugh!" he screamed in agony as he levitated off the ground, as the group gasped.
"Dark Pit!" Zelda cried out. "What's wrong?!" and then, the flames came out of Dark Pit's wings as he tumbled back down on the ground.
"WHAT is going on?!" Viridi questioned as the flames dove into the spring, coming back out as Pandora.
"Well, that worked out nicely." she cackled before her blue flames suddenly turned red.
"Her again?!" Arusu asked.
Dark Pit then slowly got back up. "Pandora… Ugh!" he and the others immediately stood ready to fight.
[BGM: Boss Fight 1 – Kid Icarus Uprising]
"Wow! I sure wasn't expecting that!" Viridi remarked.
"YOU can thank Dark Pit for bringing me to the Rewind Spring." Pandora said. "He was a rebellious servant, though it seems he still served my purposes in the end. But that little parasite DID steal my powers. And for that, he must pay! Same goes for these four humans who dealt the final blow on me!" out of rage, she spat out several fireballs as some of them homed in on Dark Pit and the Loyal Bodyguards, but Dark Pit used his Guardian Orbitars to repel the fireballs coming for him away while the Loyal Bodyguards blocked theirs with their shields.
"She can be quite frightening." Palutena shuddered.
"Ugh, tell us about it!" Arusu threw in as they all opened fire at Pandora while dodging her flaming discs.
"I hope I never get to that point." Viridi said.
"Pandora's leftover power was what enabled Pittoo to fly." Palutena confirmed.
"He basically had her remains living in his wings. Gross. But standing too close to the Rewind Spring seems to have revived her."
"Welp, guess we're slaying Pandora for the third time… and hopefully never again." Eleven sweatdropped.
"Well, you know what they say; third time's the charm." Solo stated.
"Your freeloading days are over!" Pandora declared and spat out bombs at the gang, but Dark Pit split his bow and slashed the bombs back at Pandora as they blew up in her face.
"Really. The whole flying thing worked out pretty well to me." Dark Pit said smugly. "I might just defeat you again and steal your power back!"
"I HIGHLY doubt that." Pandora replied as she sunk into the ground to attack Dark Pit from below, but he just moved out of the way as Pandora popped back up and they all proceeded to keep on battling… and unfortunately for her, the gang managed to defeat her again.
[BGM Pause]
"Irritating little pests…" Pandora hissed as she landed near the spring. "Time to exterminate you!" and just like that, she suddenly leapt up and dove into the spring, much to everyone's shock.
"Did she just…?!" Jewel questioned, and soon Pandora emerged out of the spring… as a beautiful blue-haired woman?!
"Whaaaaaaat?!" Palutena and Viridi exclaimed at the same time.
"Uuuuuuh…" Eight blinked, too utterly stunned to form any words. In fact, all of the guys in the gang minus Dark Pit couldn't help but find Pandora's new form… very attractive.
"Who is THAT?!" Dark Pit asked.
Pandora, now known as Amazon Pandora, gave a wink and replied with a giggle, "He he he he he he! It's the new, improved me!" she began admiring her new body and showing it off to the gang as well, making the previously mentioned guys to start feeling aroused. "Ahhh… It's been so long since I've had a body! Eat your hearts out, ladies!" she then drew out a rapier.
Immediately, the girls were all showing hints of jealously, and Melia, upon noticing the stunned guys, quickly proceeded to snap them out of it, "Guys, SNAP OUT OF IT!" she shouted close to their ears, as they all jolted in response.
"Huh?! Wha?!" Eight questioned, and he and the rest saw the girls and Dark Pit assuming battle stances towards Amazon Pandora. "Oh! Right." they then stood ready as well.
[Resume BGM]
Amazon Pandora lunged and slashed at them, as they quickly blocked her attacks. "SOMEone's overcompensating!" Viridi hissed, feeling jealous as well.
"Feeling a little inadequate, Viridi?" Palutena teased.
"Of course she is, as well as the human ladies here. You should too!" Amazon Pandora replied. "Just LOOK at me!" she winked again and next fired sword beams at the gang, forcing them to dodge.
Palutena instantly changed her mind. "…I liked her better when she was just an evil blob."
"She's still an evil blob underneath." Viridi replied. "She just has better hair, that's all."
"It's present time!" Amazon Pandora said, summoning two Pandora's Boxes that shot out blue fireballs at the gang as one of them managed to hit Shulk and poison him, but Eight cured him off of it instantly by casting Squelch. "Take that!" but then, Amazon Pandora managed to knock both of them back by teleporting near them and performing a spin attack.
Dark Pit then came running to her and swung his Electroshock Arm to uppercut her in the air where Zelda aimed up at her and fired a Silver Arrow, only for Amazon Pandora to conjure up a heart-shaped crystal mirror to reflect the arrow back at Zelda, who jumped out of the way in time.
"Is that the best you got?" Amazon Pandora taunted, and then she got struck by Melia's Vertical Bolt. "Agh!" she yelled and fell back to the ground.
"This ends here!" Melia proclaimed, adding the Flare element to her orbitars before firing a powerful charge shot at Amazon Pandora.
"GYAAAH!" Amazon Pandora yelled.
[BGM Pause]
"You got me…" she weakly groaned.
"…Well, that was easy." Dark Pit said… buuuut then Amazon Pandora suddenly rose up again while releasing heart blasts in every direction, hitting everyone.
[Resume BGM]
"Just kidding!" Amazon Pandora giggled.
"A fakeout? Seriously?!" Dark Pit questioned annoyed, and so the gang resumed fighting her.
"There you are, friends." Hades said as the fight raged on. "Thanks to Dark Solo, I finally tracked you down! You're a stealthy bunch."
"That's because I was using my power of ninjary." Palutena replied.
"Riiiight." Viridi sarcastically spoke.
"What, you don't believe me?"
"I think that's something everyone can agree on." Dark Pit sassed.
"Tone down the sass, little angel." Viridi scoffed.
"It's been a long time, Lord Hades." Amazon Pandora said.
"Hm? And you are…?" Hades wondered, not seeming to recognize her at all.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten your old friend Pandora."
Hades stood silent for a bit before eventually replying, "I don't remember you being so…animated."
Amazon Pandora giggled. "That's not the half of it!"
"If the Rewind Spring did this to Pandora, I shudder to think of its effect on Pitty! No one wants to see him in that outfit. I'd better destroy the spring."
"You can't do that!" Palutena exclaimed.
"Come on, you guys! Get rid of Pandora for good!" Viridi commanded.
"Oh, don't you worry!" Dark Pit smirked, dodging a heart blast that Amazon Pandora launched at him.
"Feel the wrath of an amazon warrior!" Amazon Pandora declared as she summoned more bombs around the arena, but the gang knocked them all at her and then shot her, only for her to teleport away and next summoned several capture circles, trapping them in place.
"Augh! We can't move!" Eleven exclaimed, and then Amazon Pandora blew a kiss to send small heart-shaped blasts of energy at them, easily hitting them all on contact and weakening them.
"You know, I was going to kill you all quickly." Amazon Pandora said as she floated over to them while disabling the capture circles, but due to being weakened, they all fell down on their knees as a result and didn't have the strength to get back up. "But after that, I got another idea." she looked at the spring. "They say that those who soak in the Rewind Spring for too long will be erased from existence. Let's put that to the test, shall we?" she pulled her leg back, ready to kick them into the spring.
The group gasped in horror and looked away to brace for the worst…
[BGM End]
…until a charged shot was heard.
"Ow!" Amazon Pandora yelled in pain and collapsed to the ground in defeat… for real, this time. She then slowly dissolved into blue flames that faded away.
"This coming from the mighty Pandora?!" Dark Pit questioned, as it was revealed that he was the only one who escaped Amazon Pandora's capture circles, and that before she could kick the group into the spring, he had shot her in the back with his signature staff.
The group sighed in relief. "Thanks for saving our lives, Dark Pit!" Zelda thanked as the rest also had thankful looks on their faces.
"No problem." Dark Pit said with a small smile. "At least these guys don't call me 'Pittoo'." he thought, and then a magical aura surrounded the group as they could feel their strength coming back until it was enough for them to get back up.
"There. I used my power of effect recovery to remove your weakened state." Palutena said, and then she addressed Dark Pit, "Alright, now I'm teleporting Pit next to you." a column of light shone next to Dark Pit, and the still-unconscious Pit appeared from it. Without any hesitation, Dark Pit grabbed his lighter counterpart and dragged him over to the spring while the group watched.
"You only need to dip him in." Viridi instructed. Dark Pit then dipped Pit's tattered wings into the water before pulling him back out, and in a flash of light, his wings were restored to their former glory.
"Hmm?" Pit immediately snapped awake. "Ha ha ha! Woo hoo hoo hoo!" he cheered after doing a few front flips. "Wait, where am I?" he wondered while looking around.
"Pit, you're back!" Trifle smiled, catching Pit's attention as he turned to see the group all with bright smiles on their faces.
Pit mirrored their expressions. "My friends!" he beamed and was about to run up to them, but then he spotted his dark counterpart next to them. "Pittoo?!" he asked.
Dark Pit didn't respond and instead ran off the spring. "Hmpfh!" he jumped off to fly… oooooonly to fall instead due to no longer having Pandora's powers anymore. "Whoa-oh-oh-oh!" he yelled while flailing his arms.
"He can't fly anymore." Palutena pointed out.
"Fine, fine. I'll get him." Viridi said and extracted Dark Pit via a column of light.
"Lady Palutena! Lady Palutena!" Pit gleamed.
"Welcome back, Pit." Palutena smiled.
"Welcome back, indeed." Shulk smiled.
"I missed you all so much!" Pit cried happily.
"We missed you too. Let's go home." and with that, she extracted Pit and the group to Skyworld.
To be continued…
The boys of the group becoming aroused by Amazon Pandora's looks was such an opportunity that I just couldn't pass it up. Same with the girls becoming jealous!
Pit's back in the game again! Next up, our gang will finally confront Hades! Until next time!
