Disclaimer : I do not own the characters, although I took some liberties with our newcomer. The deities mentioned are taken from Greek Mythology, remastered the way I imagine them. What I own, on the other hand, is the plot.
Kid Icarus: Heirs of the Light
Chapter 24: The thousand angels
Pit gazed out at the sky, terrified and at a complete loss for words. He had a rough time believing his eyes: clouds of dark angels flew around the barrier and attempted to break through it. An interdimensional portal had just opened in front of the palace, behind the light shield which was, for the time being, strong enough to push them away in spite of their assaults. Medusa stood proudly in the distance, sneering, and waved towards the angels that had spurted out of the black hole in front of the Angel of the Sun. Their feathers, whose colors depended on the outfit that the dark version of himself wore, hid the rays of the actual sun, which plunged the gardens and their surroundings into temporary darkness. There were so many of those angels… And the main problem was that all could fly on their own, despite the fact that Pit himself couldn't and had his feet glued to the pavement.
Pit stood straight, gulped and glanced around, trying to find a way to say something even though words were tied to his throat. He briefly turned away, intending to go and warn Palutena, however he had to jump back, for Medusa nearly shot him with one of her deadly bolts of lightning. The angel blinked in shock, surprised that it had even managed to break through the barrier that the Goddess of Light's staff was keeping up, and took a few steps back to avoid another one of those to hurt him. No, he had no intention of becoming a statue again, it had felt terrible enough the first time. Pit tried his best to catch his breath, since his heart was pounding in his chest, and closed his eyes. He hoped that this was just a nightmare, that none of this was happening.
However, he was forcefully dragged back to reality by the Goddess of Darkness' voice echoing through the skies: "Oh Pit~! What a delight to see you here. Have you come to admire my new army?"
The Angel of the Sun shook his head, back to his senses, and clenched his fists. He deplored the fact that he hadn't brought his Palutena Bow… He really could use his weapons at the moment, at least to intimidate his unreachable enemies. "Medusa!" he yelled at her, gritting his teeth in rage. How had she opened a portal without the necklace? Did she even use the Mirror of Truth? How could she open a portal outside of it? Then it clicked: she had Hermes, the God of Travel. If someone could be expected to create such breaches in space and time themselves, it was him.
Pit felt his stomach heave when he watched the Goddess of Darkness; she made him sick to a whole new extent. "Using Gods and perverting them for your own profit?!" he accused her, growling like a stray animal on a leash. "How insane can you be?!"
"Aw, those words warm my heart, Pit. Though I'm afraid that there's no turning back for Hermes," Medusa snickered, then she waved her hand towards her hundreds of angelic minions, whom were all immersed in dark, threatening smoke. Pit assumed that it was the reason why they were against him: their soul had been infected with Medusa's darkness, they weren't their normal selves any longer. But there had to be a way of saving them, all hope wasn't lost for them. The Goddess pointed towards the barrier, which brought Pit back to reality. "Find a weakness and break down that barrier, my lovely angels!"
And that they began to do: they shot hundreds of arrows at the face of the barrier, which glowed vividly, about to break. Pit widened his eyes, realizing the threat that loomed over him, and ran back in the palace, screaming Palutena's name and rushing towards her quarters. The Centurions turned abruptly when they heard the sound of his desperate voice, and were about to ask him if everything was alright, when the barrier broke. The grounds of the palace quaked, sending everyone standing to the ground. Pit, who had been running, tripped and smacked his face into the tiles. Though, that did not deter him; he got back on his feet and pushed on his muscles in order to get to Palutena faster.
"LADY PALUTENA!" he cried out at the top of his lungs, barely avoiding fire from something that was behind him. He didn't care turning around, since his main objective was to find his Goddess and put her to safety. "WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!" By the time he arrived at the Goddess of Light's doors, she was walking out, panicked. Dark Pit was with her, soaked but holding his staff in his right hand, and aimed it at Pit when he stepped up to them. He shot without warning, hitting an evil angel who had crept behind him and was about to take him down. Pit startled but didn't mind it, tugging Dark Pit's wet hand and quickly heading out. Palutena followed them until they split in two groups, since she had yet to retrieve her staff and had promised to protect the necklace at all costs, so she ought to stay inside.
Meanwhile, the two angels didn't waste time and went to the gardens, but it was too late: Medusa's minions had invaded the place and were fighting the Centurions. Dark Pit clicked his tongue and aimed for several angels, however Pit pulled his arm down. He looked completely submerged by the situation. "Pittoo, remember that we can't kill them!"
"And why the fuck not?!" Dark Pit retorted, shooting one of the angels who had tried to stab a Centurion farther in the distance. The angel, who had dark red wings with an outfit of the same color, fell down and groaned, turning his attention to them. The dark version of Pit smirked and held onto his staff. "You want some?! Bring it on!"
His opponent, who was nothing more than a red version of himself, launched himself towards Dark Pit. The dark angel was fast enough to evade the attack and pushed Pit to the side, engaging in an intense sword fight with the doppelganger. He quickly dodged an assault behind his back and focused on taking down his enemy, who was probably one of the strongest that he had ever fought in his lifetime. He avoided another slice and had to jump in order not to get hit again. When he set foot on the ground, the red angel was already aiming at him. "Oh no you don't!"
But yes he did: his opponent shot an arrow at full speed, perfectly aimed at that. Dark Pit groaned, reflecting the fully charged red arrow with the tip of his right sword. Once he had completely regained his balance, he joined his blades and spun his bow against his palm, in order to generate that dark purple shield that, he had to say, was hard to maintain. He quickly ran out of breath and had to take it down. Nonetheless, it had allowed him to deflect multiple attacks that came in his direction simultaneously, since it appeared that the other angels under Medusa's control had decided to join the fun. "C'mon, the more the merrier! Anyone who wants to die, step right up! I'm serving dinner for everyone!"
The Angel of the Sun, on the other hand, had no idea what he was supposed to do, because he had no weapon in hand, nor any intention of hurting innocent, possessed versions of himself. He had to hide when he was targeted several times, so he jumped behind a tree and breathed in slowly to slack off. Dark Pit and him couldn't kill those angels, they had no right: they were versions of themselves in the other dimensions, who had been corrupted, but versions of themselves anyways! First, killing them would mean unbalancing the Universe, and that was the opposite of what they intended to do since the very beginning of their quest. And second, it just wasn't right to slaughter other versions of their own selves! Medusa had to be aware that they wouldn't kill the cursed angels, that was why she had brought them into their dimension.
"Hey, why me?! He's the one fighting, attack him!" Pit gasped when he was nearly shot again, succeeding at dodging a dark green arrow that had been destined for him and pointing his finger at Dark Pit. He gritted his teeth and clasped his hands, calling out Palutena. The Goddess of Light didn't need to ask what he wanted: instead of wasting time, she used her powers so that Pit's trusty Palutena Bow manifested in his hands. He thanked her and jumped out of the shadows, joining Dark Pit in his merciless battle against the angels.
Together, they were quite the pair: while Dark Pit took care of aiming perfect shots from a distance, Pit attacked head first with his two blades. They both made sure not to kill the cursed angels, even though they had to admit that it was tempting: they were fighting unfairly. If the fight had been put on in Super Smash Bros., they would definitely be the kind of players to edge guard. That set Pit in a very bad mood, since everytime he was focused on one enemy, two others would creep behind him and shoot his wings. Frustrated, he occasionally let out his rage by screaming like a savage when lashing out at his opponents. Dark Pit found this wrath, this fierceness beyond exciting and frankly arousing; such a wild animal, he loved it. If they hadn't been so busy fighting off those creeps, he'd already have pushed him on a bed to make him his'.
Pit cried out in pain, surrounded by three angels who had shot him at the exact same moment. The light angel was forced to draw back, getting closer to Dark Pit, and the evil angels opted for another strategy: bringing them the closest possible. Once they had done so, after countless vicious attacks on Pit and Dark Pit alike, a pair of them circled them, to make sure that they had nowhere to go. The darker version of Pit grumbled and had to use his shield again to avoid being pierced through and through by dozens of arrows. Pit resigned to do the same thing, until both of them couldn't keep it up and panted heavily.
Dark Pit eyed at his opponents, rage boiling in his stomach, and separated his bow in two, glowing purple blades. "It's not over!" he asserted, determination sticking to his face.
"Pittoo, we… are cornered…" Pit whispered between heavy breaths. He kept his bow close to his chest, ready to counter any incoming attack, even though he had trouble keeping his eyes open with how much energy he had consumed maintaining his shield. In order to catch his breath, he took advantage of the temporary break to scan his opponents from head to toe. They all looked sort of similar to Dark Pit, with swapped colors: there was one wearing all red, one all green, one all purple, and so on. And then, there was that one that looked like him, who dressed in a similar fashion to Dark Pit himself. That made the Angel of the Sun very uncomfortable; it felt as though he was staring into a mirror. He could also see the raven feathers in the copy's back, so dark, so frightening when he thought about it. Was that what would become of him if he succumbed to Medusa's darkness? Pit winced at the thought: yuck.
Dark Pit found Pit's hand and squeezed it in his own, attempting to be reassuring despite their position. "We can still do it, Pit. Trust me."
"Aw, Dark Pit, only you know how to melt my cold heart!" Medusa laughed in the distance, watching Pit cling onto his dark twin's hand with a bright smile on her lips. She had crossed her arms and eyed at the scene before her eyes, delighted by the outcome of the battle, since the two angels that she was missing were surrounded. There was no way that those two were going anywhere now; she had them right where she wanted them to be. Soon, they would be all hers, they would be her trusty commanders. She could already taste victory in her mouth at the sight of them. So adorable… She could use their love to her advantage. Her minions stepped closer to their preys, their eyes glistening with rage. Dark Pit held his breath, preparing for a vicious assault, and so did Pit. They were soon back to back and staring at their enemies with a slight but noticeable lust for blood themselves.
The Goddess of Darkness snorted, which drew their attention: "I must say that I am fairly impressed: you put up quite a fight against my babies, Dark Pit. Such a fierce and ferocious soul, I have longed for it!"
Dark Pit folded his arms, focusing on the words of Medusa, and rolled eyes. As usual, he looked bored out of his mind. "And that's relevant because? Your bastards are still around us, so the fight's not over."
"Of course it is!" Medusa laughed, deeply amused by the dark angel's faint hopes. Such a sweetheart… Did he not realize that this was already over? How would they be able to fight off such strong warriors when they so blatantly outnumbered them? The Goddess of Darkness shook her head, though she admitted that Dark Pit's temper highly entertained her. Maybe she could find something to do for him… once he'd be her personal puppet, that was. "Look around you, Dark Pit. You're just two insignificant angels against a crowd of experienced fighters, whom I have additionally gifted with permanent flight. How can you see a chance of winning?"
The dark angel didn't reply, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists in rage. Pit tensed behind him, noticing that the angels had gotten significantly closer, and gulped in sheer terror. Was it over? Was it the end? Did they lose one more time? The light angel looked down, defeated. His voice cracking up, he still managed to say, under his breath: "Maybe Damsel Aphrodite was wrong about us, Pittoo. Maybe we're not the ones…"
"Stop that," Dark Pit replied, his expression sharp and collected. "We haven't lost yet, and I'll fight until my blood paints the pavement."
"Pittoo, it's—"
"MAKE WAY!" a loud but soft voice erupted from the sky, taking everyone by surprise.
Medusa looked up, puzzled, and gasped in horror when she saw a blond angel heading right towards her commanders, who surrounded Pit and Dark Pit. He was flying with such speed, in his white chiton, that his red scarf ended up sticking to his mouth, thus preventing him from breathing. He briefly stopped, flapping his dazzlingly white wings to stabilize in mid-air, pushed his scarf away and rushed back towards Medusa's new minions.
Dark Pit instinctively pointed his staff towards him and charged a shot, but he frowned when he realized that the other angel was shooting at the possessed angels and not them. He dropped to the ground, nearly falling back with how fast he had landed, and pushed his light red scarf from his face once more. Although it was obvious that he was irritated, he still managed to smile at them. "Hi! I'll explain everything after my deus ex machina moment," was all he said, in a tone rather similar to that of Pit, except that he sounded even more happy-go-lucky than the original—if that even was possible. Pit spun around, peeking over Dark Pit's shoulder.
The intruder was immediately attacked by the evil angels, but in no time he had taken care of them all by himself. He seemed to be an expert in fighting: he never missed one hit, whether it be with his bow, which was completely white with red stripes, or his bare fists.
Medusa groaned in anger and quickly closed the interdimensional portal, in order to ensure that no other 'good' angel would come out of it to save the day. Her white eyes were glowering at Pit and his two sidekicks, and it was very clear that she was about to rage quit. What now, a savior that comes from absolutely nowhere? All of that so that Pit and Dark Pit were no hers yet? Talk about a plot convenience… Anything to add more chapters to this story, hm? Medusa growled and, soon, she had vanished along with her angels. The seven commanders, namely the seven angels who had surrounded Pit and Dark Pit, followed her lead and flew off, surely heading for the Underworld. Dark Pit sighed, exhausted, and looked at his staff. When the other angel approached, he aimed it at him, not minding Pit's complaints on the matter.
The blond angel with the red scarf raised his hands in the air, but that didn't convince Dark Pit that he meant no harm. If he had learnt one thing in his life, it was not to trust anyone. "Explain right now or I blow your head off of your neck."
"Okay! Okay…" the new angel sighed, scratching his elbow. Pit couldn't help but stare at him, slightly amused by the fact that he looked so much like a lighter version of his own self. He had a red medallion, just like that of his darker counterpart now that they had switched, and chrome gray eyes. His laurel crown was just as white as his bow. The main difference was his hair color: he was blond and, strangely, Pit thought that maybe he would've liked to be blond too, because it looked decent. He had always wanted to be a blondie—but never would he admit that.
The foreign angel eyed at the scenery, amazed by every little thing, but soon realized that Dark Pit was still waiting for explanations and still aimed at him with his staff. "Oh, right, sorry! I tend to lose focus in a snap, that's something about me. My name's Tip, and I suppose you guys are the glorious Pit and his… twin-thing, Dark Pit," he smiled, then he extended his hand to them.
"Did. you. just. call. me. 'twin-thing'?!" The dark angel snapped at him, then he squinted his eyes and held on tightly to his staff. "Don't fucking say some shit like that then try to act friendly with me, or you'll end up dead way sooner than you'd think, blondie!"
"Oh, come on Pittoooo~! Don't be like thaaat~! You're gonna scare him off!" Pit chuckled and walked up to the new angel, Tip, in order to shake his hand. That was the least that they could do to thank their savior. If it hadn't been for Tip, they would've been captured or, worse, killed on the spot by Medusa's new recruits. The Angel of the Sun then turned around and darted a cheerful look at Dark Pit, who still didn't want to come any closer to this imposter. Tip eyed at him and shrugged one shoulder, before he focused his attention on Pit, the hero that he had been willing to help this whole time. He remembered the words of his God and nodded lightly.
Pit smiled, delighted that they had found another ally, and looked over to his dark twin. "Forgive him, I know he can be intimidating—he's sensitive with the subject of his identity."
"Did you say 'sensitive'?!" Dark Pit nearly choked in his own words.
Pit rolled his wondrous—no, magnificent—blue eyes and shook his hand in the air, to signify that Tip needed not mind him. "But, as I was about to say, he's awesome once you get to know him."
"And he won't get to know me," Dark Pit snarled, narrowing his eyes at Tip. He couldn't exactly tell why, but he felt awfully jealous of the way that Pit looked at him. He couldn't believe that this intruder was stealing his lover's attention. "He's leaving now: he has finished his mission, we don't need a hero anymore."
"Oh, that's not the image I meant to convey!" Tip said, shaking his head. He started fidgeting with his hands when the cold, hate-filled glare of Dark Pit fell on him, and cleared his throat. Now was the perfect time to explain how and why he had been sent there, as well as express his admiration—no, what was he saying—his obsession for Pit. It had been in his heart and soul for as long as he could remember, and seeing the hero in flesh was overwhelming; he couldn't feel his heart beating: Pit was so gorgeous! Even more than he'd have ever thought—"I digress. Uhm…" he said, echoing to his thoughts, which caused the two angels that he saved to stare in confusion. He shook his hand and smiled, brushing his blond bangs from his eyes. "Nevermind that! I also talk to myself from time to time, but doesn't everybody do that?"
"No," Dark Pit replied, his voice stern.
"Oh, well… I do that," Tip said, scratching his elbow again to dissipate his awkwardness. He felt as though the black angel was about to tear him to shreds, while he also felt so attracted, so enthralled by the sight of Pit. His blue eyes shone with the rays of the sun, sending cold shivers down Tip's spine. He cleared his throat again. "I should probably tell you what I'm doing here: Lord Hermes has sent me here to save the Heir of the Light, Pit! I am Seigneur Zeus' most faithful assistant—"
Dark Pit raised an eyebrow, absolutely not convinced, and laughed humorlessly. "The God of the Gods, Zeus! If you please, thy Majesty! Should I bow to your greatness?"
"Pittoo, for Zeus' sake!" Pit interjected, pissed off, and he slapped the other on the back of the head. "Stop behaving like that!"
Tip bit his lower lip, a little embarrassed since he didn't know irony at all, nor wanted to know about it—he liked it when everyone was nice with everyone, but… he had to deal with a douche, apparently. At least, the glorious Pit was there and took his defense, which he was glad about. It appeared that the angel with the red scarf had wanted to say something, but had decided against it at the last second—mainly when he caught Dark Pit's death glare. Instead, he shut his mouth, wiped his chiton to ensure that it was always pure and immaculate white like that of his idol, and eyed back at the two angels. "Lord Hermes told me that a threat loomed over the entire Universe and that only Pit could save us from certain death, so I decided to come, since that is what Seigneur Zeus would w—"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm already here for that. Thy Majesty here can head right back to his dimension," Dark Pit interrupted him again, hands on his hips, before he turned to face Pit, who stood by his side and was ready to slap him again. "Don't you fucking dare slap me again or I pin you to the fucking ground."
Pit frowned and slapped him across the face with no further hesitation. "Don't swear, Pittoo! Do you never listen?!"
"No, because you constantly slap me!" Dark Pit replied, feeling tears at the back of his eyes.
Pit rolled eyes in response and shook his head. He couldn't believe it; now Dark Pit was playing the victim? In front of a new angel who didn't know them? What a good first impression that was… His darker twin was making him look bad—probably on purpose—and Pit loathed that dearly. The light angel clenched his fists and glared at his other half. "If you weren't swearing all the time, I wouldn't have to!"
"Fucking—FOR FUCK'S SAKE—PIT, STOP!" Dark Pit begged after two rather rough slaps in the head. He admitted that they were sort of painful, but the main problem was that he deeply, profoundly hated to be told what to do. He wasn't a child anymore, he had the right to do whatever he felt like doing! If anything, Pit was the child between them both. The light angel slowly lowered his hand and folded his arms, deadly serious, and his darker version growled in frustration. Oh, he'd get back at him in due time, he could be sure of that. "Seriously, Pit, I'm sick of this."
"And I am sick of you not listening to me," the angel of light retorted. Then he glanced at Tip and sighed; Pit seemed unsettled by the insistent looks of the blond angel on his person, but didn't care to mention it, like he usually did since he was a submissive little angel. In order not to pay attention to it, Pit kept looking away, seeking somewhere to run away from Tip.
His darker twin sighed, annoyed, and reluctantly lowered his staff. He didn't care looking back at Tip, because he was absolutely not interesting to him, and, instead, trailed his fingers up to Pit's hand to entwine their fingers—thus ensuring that he couldn't slap him again, which was a good start in his book. Pit looked up, blushing a little, and Dark Pit snorted before glancing at Tip. "Here's to show you who this angel belongs to, just so you don't get too ambitious around my Pit," he said with a smug look on his face.
The blond angel frowned, not happy with that in the slightest. Tip was… acting rather strangely whenever he looked at Pit: there was this insufferable glisten in his gray eyes that told the dark angel to be careful.
"C'mon, Pit," the dark angel whispered in his other half's ear, then he looked over his shoulder to see that Palutena was walking in their direction. He really didn't want that conversation right now, so he wished that they could escape before she arrived. But like usual, he felt like it wouldn't be so easily done with Pit… He always had something to say, didn't he? Praying to Zeus that it wouldn't be the case this time around, Dark Pit tugged at Pit's arm and said insistently: "Come on, babe, we don't have time to waste. We've got a lot of fucking problems to deal with."
"What did I say about swearing, Pittoo?"
"I don't care a single bit?"
"Well, maybe you should. That is, if you don't want me to go with him," Pit retorted out loud, without glancing away from Tip. He then slightly turned his head and his eyes locked in Dark Pit's ruby orbs. He had been bothered by Pit's remark and looked at him in a challenging way, though the angel of light admitted that he didn't care in the slightest. He had made clear several times already that he hated those words; if Dark Pit kept on using them, then that was too bad for him. Steering himself away from his thoughts, Pit squeezed his darker version's hand in his own and smiled, just like the pure ray of sunshine that he was. "You know, we should wait here anyways, since we must inform Lady Palutena of what has happened."
"And what has, my sweet little Pit?"
Pit jumped when he heard his Goddess respond, and jumped again when he realized that she was standing behind him. Right on time, like she always was. The light angel took a few steps back and bumped into Tip, who fell on his back against the pavement of the pathway. Dark Pit couldn't help but snicker at the sight: "That's what you get for checking out my Pit," he smirked victoriously, more than satisfied. Sometimes, Fate was the best teacher of all.
Palutena blinked when she saw that there was another angel, and Pit hoped that she wouldn't pass out. Accepting the existence of Dark Pit had already been quite complicated… and her most faithful angel truly didn't know how well she could handle to go through it again. Plus, Tip came from another dimension… Well, Dark Pit too, but at first she had believed that he was just a reflection, so it still made it easier for her. This time around, there was no such thing as a mirror… The Goddess of Light stared at the blond angel for a long, silent minute, taken aback, and finally glanced at Dark Pit, whom she admitted reassured her with his presence alone. "Do you know who that is, Pittoo?"
Dark Pit hummed questionably, folded his arms and tapped his foot on the ground. Once again, he successfully managed to cover his emotions with a mask of coldness, of carelessness, like he so often did. His red eyes looked as deadpanned as they could be when he glanced back at Palutena. "Oh. Him? He's an asshole, that's what he is."
"Pittoo!" Pit reacted, his wings jerking up to express his disapproval. "What did I say about those words again?"
"I don't fucking care, Pit-stain!" the dark angel retorted, then he rolled his eyes and looked off to the side. Pit furrowed his brows, raising his hand, and the dark angel gulped in sheer terror. He hated being told what to do, he was responsible enough to choose which words he wanted to use! Though, he loathed to see Pit upset… He looked so pissed off, how could simple words trigger such a reaction in him? Ugh… Dark Pit thought about it, eyeing at the few birds who stood on the edge of the fountain, until he lowered his head and sighed in defeat. He turned to glance at his lighter version, who was strongly hesitating to slap him but stopped when he met his saddened gaze. "… Sorry, Pit."
The Angel of the Sun smiled, since he enjoyed to have the upper hand on his gloom and doom Dark Pit, and lowered his hand. He made his way up to his darker half and hugged him from behind. The dark angel didn't react, looking out into the distance, and Palutena took advantage of their silence to turn to Tip.
Zeus' messenger had stood up, brushing some dirt off of his chiton, and suddenly glanced up at her. He seemed to be rather puzzled; did he not know who she was? Did she not exist in his dimension? The Goddess of Light walked closer to him, inspecting his soul to make sure that he wasn't foe, and smiled, happy with what she had discovered in him. He had been sent by Zeus, for whom he worked in his own dimension, which meant that he would be a skilled fighter—probably as talented as Dark Pit, although she still doubted that. They desperately needed them, for the fight coming up would be consuming for everyone involved. But there was one lingering question: how did he find his way to their world? Did Hermes, in his home world, open a portal to send him to their rescue?
Tip eyed at her, wondering why she hadn't said anything, since himself was quite the talker. He wiped his chiton again and put his scarf properly, then ruffled his own hair since he liked it messy—like Pit's wonderful hazel bangs. "And you are?" he asked, sick of the silence between them. He needed to make conversation! Normally, he would spend hours along talking with his Seigneur about anything and everything. If he had been given a voice, it was to use it! "You sure look like a Goddess—and I mean it as a compliment!"
"I am Palutena, the Goddess of Light," she introduced herself to him, smiling.
The blond angel gasped and his wings perked up. "Palutena?! You are so different! Our Palutena has short red hair with a short green dress!"
Dark Pit, who had been listening to the conversation, snorted: so that was why Kronos and Chaos had chosen their dimensions to cross; they were the closest to one another. Crossing two dimensions that had nothing to do with each other would have brought more problems to the surface, that made sense. The dark angel spun around and took Pit in a warm embrace as he looked at Palutena and Tip. It appeared that the angel would be staying with them, since he claimed that he had no way of going back to his world until he had accomplished his mission. The Goddess of Light had guaranteed that she had a room for him, which caused Dark Pit to frown; she had always said that all of her rooms were full when he had wanted to come and live in Skyworld. He realized only then that she just didn't want him to be with Pit at the time. Things had changed since then, but it still hurt his feelings to some extent.
Tip's annoying voice brought him back to reality, because he had been so excited about something that he had screamed at the top of his lungs. Pit laughed, watching the Goddess of Light interacting with their new brother, and eyed at Dark Pit. The latter had a sharp expression, frowning and curving his lip. "I'm sure he crushes on you," Dark Pit said, and Pit puffed and chuckled.
"What makes you say that? The way he always seems to be looking at me as though I was a sex God?" Pit joked around, because he also had noticed. He could be oblivious, but he wasn't the most stupid angel the Universe had known. That was why he was so uncomfortable around Tip: he was somewhat flirtatious and he only belonged to Dark Pit.
The dark angel looked at Pit, whom he still hugged tightly, and kissed him on top of the head. "You literally are a sex God—and I'm not saying that just because I got a taste of you once."
"P-Pittoo—"
"Pit, no, listen, what I meant to say was that it's your title!" Dark Pit defended himself when he caught the reddening cheeks of his lighter half. Pit looked at him with wide, round eyes and put a finger on his own lips, whispering 'shhh!' everytime his twin added something to explain himself. He tried to tell him that it was because he was Eros, who was the God of Sensual Love as they had seen together, but eventually Pit shut him up with a passionate kiss. It proved itself to be effective: Dark Pit immediately stopped talking to focus on eating up those lips.
Palutena turned to face her two angels—well, the two that she had already adopted in her heart a long time ago—and cleared her throat. That instantly put an end to their hungry, lustful kiss, and they faced her with burning cheeks. The Goddess of Light told them that they had a lot of things to take care of, namely those thousand angels that Tip had to tell her about himself, since none of them had bothered to do so. Pit had felt slightly guilty after hearing those words and walked back to the palace alongside Palutena, telling her about the battle and what those cursed angels had looked like.
Dark Pit stayed behind, as he often did, and folded his arms in annoyance. He hated small talk, except when it was with Pit. So when the Goddess of Light asked him to join in, he refused the offer and stepped back, in order to be farther away from her. Tip walked in front of him, although he didn't dare to participate in Pit and Palutena's conversation. His gray eyes sparkled every time Pit's voice rang in his eardrums and he wished that he could find it in his heart to exchange with him on the subject, however he was too shy. Palutena was a Goddess for whom he had a lot of respect, and thus he thought that interrupting her would be regarded as particularly impolite.
The group found their way to the palace, where Palutena said that she ought to leave them, since she needed to work on a new barrier that would last longer. Pit had simply nodded. Dark Pit approached him like a predator eyeing at his prey, and came up to his ear to nibble on it. "We could use some privacy, babe~..."
"Right now?" Pit asked innocently.
"You're not keeping me waiting~..."
The light angel shivered when he heard his darker version's answer and turned to look at Tip, who was standing there waiting for instructions. He hummed for a minute, wondering how he could get out of this situation without it looking suspicious—although it genuinely already did look suspicious—and asked the Centurions to take their new friend to the training fields. He said, as an excuse, that he had realized how strong and how much of an expert Zeus' messenger was, and that he wanted him to try and spend some time with his troops. Always happy to help, Tip didn't question it and followed the two Strongarms who led the way, going right out the doors of the palace.
Dark Pit purred in Pit's ear. "Well played~... Now let me play with you, let's go to your room~..."
Pit didn't need to be asked twice.
.oOo.
After they had finished the small tour of the palace—with Tip gasping at the sight of every room, since they were filled with gold and sophisticated decors, Pit and his doppelgangers reached the Main Hall, where they wondered what they could do to have a good talk. Having a clear idea of where he wanted to head, Palutena's captain turned to his two counterparts and suggested that they take a trip to the hot springs, since he craved for a good soak in the burning hot water. When he caught Dark Pit's glare, the light angel whined about being exhausted and needing to rest a little.
Dark Pit snickered, because he knew why he felt so tired, and gladly accepted to follow. That was, if they were just the two of them, but it didn't turn out to be the case: Tip was meant to join them. "Then I'm not coming," Dark Pit said, turning his back to Pit.
The angel of light sighed sadly and hugged him from behind. "Please, Pittoo! Just this one time!"
"I said no."
"Then we can exchange about our respective dimensions!"
"NO!"
"Then he can tell us about his own without us talking about our dimensions!" Pit insisted, bouncing on his feet, and he sighed in defeat when the other shook his head vigorously with a loud, ferocious: 'NO PIT, NO!'. He honestly didn't know how he could convince him; he was out of options and he hated that. When Dark Pit was determined not to do something, nothing could change his mind on the matter… Pit looked off and let go of his darker twin, heartbroken, before eyeing at Tip who was beyond embarrassed. He definitely felt like he didn't belong, and Pit couldn't allow that; he was way too good-hearted to accept bullying someone.
With a serious expression, he stomped his feet and glowered at Dark Pit, who turned to him curiously. "Then if you're not coming, that's too bad for you: I'll go and bathe with him on my own."
The dark angel's eyes widened in horror. "No fucking way you're going anywhere without me."
"I won't hesitate though. It's really up to you to follow or not."
Dark Pit raised an eyebrow; was he serious? Was he pulling on his heart strings to get him to do something against his will? Was he manipulating him? Incredulous, the dark angel gritted his teeth and turned away from the two other angels. Fine, he'd do it, whatever. He had nothing better to do anyways. Dark Pit even tried to persuade himself that this trip to the hot springs was an occasion like no other, because they would be alone and could talk more about Tip's original dimension… It didn't work out as well as he'd hoped, but at least he started to be looking forward to it a bit. He had to say that he wanted to get as much information as possible on why exactly Tip seemed so obsessed with Pit, and, for that, no place would be more perfect than the hot springs.
Thus reunited and everyone agreeing to head to the hot spring temple, the trio of angels walked down to the hot spring temple. Pit led them to the showers, since they had to take one before entering, and although Dark Pit knew that, he still listened, yearning for the sound of Pit's voice. He struggled in explaining the benefits of the hot spring waters, like usual, nothing surprising. After a short shower, the three angels went to the hottest bath in the temple. As soon as he sat in it, Pit let out a loud moan of pleasure, which brought back nice memories to Dark Pit's mind. The dark angel had chosen to sit right next to him, so that Tip wouldn't dare getting too close, and eyed at the blond angel who was sitting on the other side of the small bath.
Pit enjoyed the silence, feeling all of his problems disappear. He had longed for such a moment in his day… After the attack, things had gone by pretty fast: between his love session with Dark Pit and his grand tour of the palace… his day had passed by with such speed that he felt genuinely out of breath. He needed a breather, and his precious hot springs were perfect for that. The light angel looked at Dark Pit, who was closing his eyes and drifting in his own thoughts, and remembered the fight; he really felt strange about these angels… They could fly on their own! Well, Medusa had said that she had granted them with permanent flight, but how reliable could she be? Perhaps those angels didn't even need her help to begin with…
However, that was not what bothered him the most in all of this: Pit was more disturbed by the fact that… he felt like it wouldn't be right to kill them. Why was that? Was it because they looked so much like him? After all, wasn't it what they were: other versions of him from other dimensions? He sighed at the thought; they definitely couldn't kill them, they were not acting on their own will… If they had been themselves, they never would've tried to kill them the way they did earlier, and he knew it deep within himself. He couldn't… accept to hurt them. Somehow, he needed to figure out a way to bring them home.
Pit opened his eyes, which he didn't even realize he had closed in the first place, before he spoke up to fill the silence. He wanted to talk things out, he wanted his friends' ideas and opinion on the matter. He knew that he wouldn't figure this out on his own… Having Dark Pit to help him was much needed. "About those angels, something feels off, don't you think?"
"What does, Pit-stain?" Dark Pit asked, then he snorted. "The fact that they look so ugly when they are supposed to be our replicas? Because that definitely bothered me. I felt insulted."
Pit laughed out loud; he had to say that he wasn't completely wrong about that; some of these angels did look nasty—like that red one for instance, with his smoking black eyes… He was probably the scariest of the bunch. But that was entirely because he was corrupted, they had to take that into account. Maybe he was super handsome when he wasn't… steaming with dark energy. Although it was something he was also wondering about, Pit had to say that it wasn't the biggest of his concerns at the moment. "No, it's not that, though I can't deny that you have a point, Pittoo. I wanted to talk about the fact that they are willing to kill us…"
"And why the fuck shouldn't they be, exactly? Tell me, you're making me curious," the dark angel instantly replied, rolling his eyes. He folded his arms, remembering Pit telling him not to kill the angels—for whatever reason that he didn't mind mentioning. Why was it so concerning to him, whether they killed those cursed beings or not? They were not in their right minds anyways, they probably wouldn't even realize what was happening. It was honestly freeing them from their own selves, if they killed them: deep down, those angels were still battling against an enemy that they would never defeat. They were still struggling to come back to their senses, to take back what belonged to them: their conscience and their body.
But Dark Pit knew that they would never win, it was a pointless battle to begin with; being affected by the darkness could be countered, but once the soul was corrupted, possessed by it, it was a different story. When he thought about it, if they couldn't kill them—because Mr. Pit said so—then how did they plan on winning this war against Medusa, who was using them for defense? That alone was a problem. They would not be able to fight her darkness if those angels constantly meddled with their affairs, and he was absolutely certain that they would until they got killed.
Dark Pit eyed at Pit, who had been staring at him in silence. He gritted his teeth, growing more and more irritated. "Pit, seriously, what's up with you and these stupid angels? I really don't see any problem in killing them, I even see it as doing them a favor, you see. I'll be blunt in my words, but those assholes are possessed to the bone, right? And they're out for our blood, prima facie. You think they'll give up on us magically?"
"No!"
"Then why do you care about them so much? They are out to kill you, Pit! Or, should I say: us, all of us, because we represent the Light. So I would like you to explain to me why you give a shit."
The Angel of the Sun sighed. "Because they are versions of us, if anything, Pittoo!" he replied, frustrated, then he fidgeted with his hands. "That's why they shouldn't be trying to kill us. They are versions of us, no more and no less, that have been corrupted by Medusa's darkness! Remember that they are not themselves. It's really not right to kill them for something they're unwillingly doing!"
"But they are a threat to us, Pit, do you understand that?!" Dark Pit retorted, his eyes blazing fires at his lighter twin.
Pit shook his head and squeezed his darker version's hands in his own, as though he tried to comfort him on the matter. His blue orbs filled with tears when he started again, his voice hoarse with sorrow: "They are not dangerous within themselves, I know it! I'm sure we can find a solution!"
"No, Pit."
"Yes! I know we can! We can free them and send them back to their own dimensions, where they belong!"
Dark Pit groaned and did his best to suppress his growing anger. "And what, hm? In the meantime, we let them beat us up, invade Skyworld, threaten the very safety of everyone in this palace?! We take the risk to let you die in their hands when you're the only hope for this dimension and, by extension, for the whole fucking Universe?!"
The angel of light glared at him despite the tears menacing to flow down his cheeks. "Well, yes! If that's the only way, because I'm not killing them! They are angels, just like us, who have been corrupted by Medusa's evil! It could happen to either of us, and you know that! And so what, Dark Pit?" he asked, accusative, and he dived into those glowering red orbs that were fixed on him. "If that happened to me, if I was to be possessed and out of my mind, wouldn't you look for a way? Wouldn't you do everything to save me, even if I threatened to kill you everytime we meet?"
Dark Pit looked off, annoyed, and sighed heavily. A silent tear ran down his cheeks as he shook his head negatively. "No, Pit, I wouldn't," he whispered under his breath.
Pit's eyes filled with even more tears, and he stared at his darker twin without believing it. Shocked, he asked what he meant by that, if he really meant those words in the first place, though the dark angel didn't have the strength to tell him again that no, he wouldn't look for a way to save him. He had tried so many times in the past… In his own dimension, he had fought endless hordes of enemies while trying to find a cure for his mother Aphrodite, all to no avail. He had spent days, months, years fighting off enemies which were growing stronger than him overtime because of how tired he was. He had nearly died countless times, had been heavily wounded even more times than that, had lost his friends, everyone that he knew—even his own self, at the end he had no idea of who he was and why he was even fighting anymore. So yes, he knew damn well that, once the curse was set in one's soul, it would never fade away. And his heart would hurt too much if he ever saw Pit in the state of his mother.
Pit was his ray of sunshine… He was always so cheerful, so happy all the time, so adorable… If he ever was corrupted by the darkness, he would lose himself in the darkness of his own mind. He would constantly try to fight the power within him, he would weaken his own soul until it was too exhausted to fight. It would be… painful, horrendously painful for himself and those around him, who would witness his downfall without being able to do anything about it.
So yes, Dark Pit would have no choice but to kill Pit right away if that ever happened, for his own sake and that of the people who had once loved him. Pit tugged at his hand, demanding an answer in a shaking voice, and Dark Pit looked up at him, his own face drowned in tears. "If that happened, if you were possessed by Medusa's evil and came to fight me, you…"
"Yes, keep going. I what?" Pit asked, waiting for him to continue.
The dark angel pushed him off of him and grabbed his towel. The memories of his own dimension hurt too much, and now he could almost picture Pit's corrupted self and wanted to throw up. He felt sick, he had to get away before those images could settle in his mind. Thus, he stepped out of the hot spring, his back to the other angels, and put on his clothes again without a look behind. He didn't want to meet those blue eyes, that would turn black if he ever came in contact with the darkness. His own eyes had went from green to red in a snap, because he had spent two days in the Underworld trying to find that stupid cure… He hadn't even been corrupted, just slightly affected, but it had been consuming enough to change his entire attitude, his personality, his looks as well… He sniffed thinking about it. If Pit became like him, the dark angel would never, ever forgive himself. Whatever the cost, he… had to make sure that it would never happen—even if that meant that he had to stain his hands with his lighter half's blood.
Dark Pit started walking off, but eventually looked over his shoulder to eye at Pit. "You'd be dead the mere second I see you."
With that said, Dark Pit stormed out of the hot spring temple, leaving behind a dumbfounded Pit, who couldn't help but stare, mouth gaping, at where his twin had been standing when he had pronounced those heartless words.
To be continued…