BGM-Kid Icarus: Uprising OST-Main Theme

Pit: I'm Pit, servant of the goddess Palutena! Our last mission had us infiltrate the Reaper Fortress in order to find the force that was hiding Pandora. We found it alright, as well as the Asgardian God of Mischief, Loki. He's the one helping Medusa conquer both worlds! And did I hear that right? He and Lady Palutena were best friends? Can't wait to hear that backstory.

BGM End

Issue 5: Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit

Skyworld.

Skyworld citizens are enjoying their peacetime at a local park island where they are taking a leisurely stroll or playing sports. All of them are minding their own business while the Goddess Avengers Alliance are too at the park, hanging out in a private gazebo discussing Loki's involvement in this war and his personal connection to the Goddess of Light. "Let's get started with just Loki. Some of us are clueless on his story and you have the most experience fighting him." Weiss said to Spider-Man.

"Not by much. Asgard stuff is not my forte. But since Thor isn't here, I'll tell you everything he told me about his evil bro." Spidey responded, ready to tell Loki's tale solemnly to his friends, "Their father, Odin, is the Ruler of Asgard and King of the Gods. At least in my universe. Ever since he was a kid, Loki has sought that power for his own. He's the type of God that'll use every trick that doesn't exist in the book to disgrace his own brother, usurp his dad's throne, and conquer Midgard, or just Earth to us humans, and the rest of the Nine Realms."

"Why does Loki hate his family so much?" Pit asked curiously.

"One word: Jealously." Spidey answered, "Thor was always the more popular brother and Loki didn't like that. And when he found out he was adopted, that kinda threw him over the edge."

"So it's true that he's the son of a Frost Giant?" Palutena questioned.

"That's what I heard. Odin killed his real dad and raised his baby out of pity." Spidey replied.

"Old Man Odin must've regretted that day." Sonic quipped.

"I almost feel sorry for him myself." Pit frowned.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were a victim of his crazy schemes." Spidey quipped, "Loki has EARNED his place as one of my dimension's greatest villains. The guy has led alien invasions, cause massive prison breakouts, warp reality with a Cosmic Cube, turn me into a pig, you name it. His mischief knows no bounds."

"Can we rewind to the part of him turning you into a pig?" Weiss snarked smirkingly.

"No! And it was on Picture Day too. That was a nightmare…" Spidey retorted, which got the heiress laughing at his expense, "But at the very least, we should be grateful to hornhead. His shenanigans are what formed the Avengers in the first place. Dude created his own worst enemy." He stated that Loki is responsible for the Avengers' original formation.

"Now it falls to us to uphold the legacy by defeating Loki and saving the realms." Lucina commented.

"A good test to check if this team isn't a complete joke." Spidey joked.

Scoffing, Lucina smiles, "Yeah."

"Count me in to kick Loki butt!" Pit announced, genuinely wanting to help his new friends defeat the evil Asgardian.

"Same here!" said Palutena, wanting to help save the two universes just as much, "Loki and Medusa together are a recipe for multi-dimensional disaster! They must be stopped at all cost!"

"Just what is your history with Loki anyway? With my universe? What is the connection between Skyworld and Asgard?" Spidey asked the important question that's been on his mind since their last mission.

BGM-Sonic Unleashed OST-Chip's Memories

Sitting softly in the gazebo, Palutena replies, "Both realms are dimensional counterparts that were fated to cross over. Let me explain.", as she's finally ready to explain her past relationship with Asgard.

Solemnly, the Light Goddess flashes back to an important moment in her childhood. Back when she wore a light blue dress and she and Medusa were friends, "Our tale began many centuries ago, back when Medusa and I were kids and before we became rulers of Skyworld. We traveled to a Divine City in the Nexus Universe to try out their ice cream where we ran into the Allfather that took his two kids, Thor and Loki, to study the Old Gods. The four of us didn't know any god our age at the time so we instantly bonded. We went on many fun adventures together, and many times Loki and Medusa pulled pranks on me and Thor. I remember one time our group stowed away on a ship to find the Sword of Surtur…which accidently started a war between Jotunheim and Asgard."

"Seriously?!" Spidey retorted.

"It was Thor's idea to get the sword and I thought it'd be fun! We did end the war before it got too serious!" Palutena then continues her solemn story, "Anyway, the four of us remained the best of friends for a few years until Odin decided to ruin everything and cease our friendship."

"Why would he do that?" Pit retorted.

Scowling over reliving that terrible memory, Palutena replies, "Didn't give us a real answer. Just said us girls are dangerous and we should leave his sons alone. I tried asking why, but he just yelled at us to leave Asgard and to never interact with his universe again or else we'll pay the price. That was the last time I ever saw Thor and his brother."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Lady Palutena." Pit frowned, sympathizing with his goddess.

"So you and Thor haven't seen each other in centuries?" Spidey questioned her.

"Not until your Multiversal Grand Prix when I caught a glimpse of him." Palutena frowns sadly, "I was thinking of calling him, but it's been forever…and I don't think he remembers me. He was always full of himself…"

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. Thor has changed. He's way more humble nowadays. I'm sure he still remembers you. Call him when you have the chance." Spidey assured her.

BGM End

"I'll think about it. Right now I want to share the burden of stopping his brother." Palutena declared with a stern resolve, "Loki shouldn't be in this dimension. The Allfather forbade interaction between Asgard and Skyworld since the breakup. Though with Medusa now living in the Underworld, Loki could bend the rules to his favor. Just like him."

"Does it have anything to do with this prophecy he mentioned?" Weiss asked.

"That's news to me. We'll have to ask him when we get the chance." Palutena replied. Having finished telling her tale, the goddess stands up from her seat announcing, "Break time is over. Let's finally go hunt down Pandora!"

"Yeah!" Pit and the Dimensional Avengers retorted determinedly, ready for another god mission.

Later…

'Your destination is Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit.' Palutena said, telepathically to her team while they are flying through the peaceful skies, 'The Reapers certainly hid it well…'

"What are you talking about? I don't see anything." Pit glanced only to cluelessly find nothing that could lead them to Pandora.

On cue, Iron Spider Spidey detects something nearby as he quips to Pit, "Why not look to your left.", just as a sudden crack in the sky reveals a dimensional space rift.

"Whoa!" Pit reacted in surprise.

BGM-Kid Icarus: Uprising OST-Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit

'And here we have a space pocket. In you go!' Palutena proclaimed.

"O-OK!" Pit said nervously.

The Goddess sends them through the crack and into a tunnel that can't stick to a single color. It starts off a mystic green, then suddenly shifts to a weird white space after a few seconds, right before looking psychedelic and colorful that hurts their minds and eyes. "This is getting weird…So Pandora lives here?" Weiss questioned.

'You'd have to be pretty out there to base your operations in a place like this.' Palutena quipped.

"Well, Pandora has always been pretty out there." Pit remarked.

'It's true.' Palutena projects to them what Pandora currently looks: Just a fiery ghostly ball of energy with demonic eyes, 'The goddess of calamity even LOOKS pretty out there. I guess it's no surprise that the path to her would be as twisted as she is.'

"'Twisted'? I'd say 'unhinged' is more like it!" Pit retorted.

Just then, Sonic spots a strange area coming into view, "What's that?"

'Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit!' Palutena answered.

The heroes head into the labyrinth, and immediately this dimensional construct comprised of polygonal shapes hits them with the biggest case of surprise and confusion. "Whoa!" Pit exclaimed.

"Oh my!" Lucina reacted with shock.

'This is not what I expected.' Palutena reacted in the same manner.

"Feels like I'm trapped in another of Mysterio's funhouses. Can already tell things are going to get really weird." Spidey quipped.

Red pillars begin rising in front of the heroes in a manner of ways, either from the ground or from the sides or from the ceiling or everywhere that don't slow them down that much. Underworld Troops are also deployed to impede them, and despite Weiss thinking she is blasting away a clear path, she accidently crashes into a solid wall that looked like an open path. 'Are you okay, Weiss?' The concerned Palutena asked.

"I'm fine…But this is crazy!" Weiss recovered, with her damaged Sky-Cycle still flyable.

'Tricky tricky. A false path…Pandora is trying to psych us out.' Palutena noted, as the heroes continue their trip into a real route.

"How does Pandora come up with this stuff?" Pit questioned.

'She's like Loki. Messing with people is what she does best.' Palutena replied.

Quickly after, Spidey taps into his Spider-Sense that might help him see through Pandora's illusions. It worked as he sees Sonic about to run into another fake path and hurries to intercept him at the last moment, "Hold it!"

"Wha-?! Ah, not again! Another psych out?" Sonic realized.

"Yup. This way!" Spidey then leads his team to a path leading downward.

'Thank the gods for your Spider-Sense. Seriously. Having a Spider-Totem linked to a multiversal Web is as useful as having an angel.' Palutena complimented Spidey's abilities just as they are approaching a branching pathway.

"It also helps I have experience surviving these illusions more times than I can count." Spidey quipped.

'Good. Which means I'll let you decide which way to go this time.' Palutena tasked the Web Warrior.

"Does that mean you don't know the way?" Spidey snarked. As soon as they near the branching path, Spidey taps into his Spider-Sense again to determine which path is real and which real leads to a dead end. Took a quick moment for him to arrive at a decision, which he proclaims as, "The left!", and leads the group through the left path filled with weirder traps that are getting harder to navigate around.

'Oh, my.' Palutena remarked on the increasing insanity.

"We can't let her get to us! I have to hustle before the power of flight runs out." Pit tried assuring his goddess.

"I mean, Weiss can always carry you…" Sonic teased.

"No, you do it!" Weiss retorted angrily.

'That would be…problematic. You see, I can't extract you if Pandora's powers are still active.' Palutena proclaimed.

"I'll just pretend you didn't say that!" Pit retorted.

Not long after, the heroes arrive in a room full of merciless monstrous hands that Palutena recognizes as, 'It's a Handora ambush!'

"Pandora is here?!" Lucina misunderstood.

'No, no, I said HANDORA. You know, the…hand…monster.' Palutena clarified.

"For a master of deceit, that's pretty weak!" quipped Spidey, repulsoring as many Handoras scrambling across walls and ceilings as possible until they find an exit.

After surviving the Handora ambush, an exit hole opens up in the ground near the heroes. "A way out!" Pit noticed.

"Now's our chance!" Spidey commanded.

The heroes then fly down through the hole hoping it's the end of these illusions. How wrong they are as the illusions are getting even weirder, tricking them into thinking they ended up back outside above a grassy field. "Wait a second…Whoa! We're outside now?" Weiss reacted in shock.

"This could be another trick…" Spidey believed.

"But it all seems so real…" Pit remarked.

Suddenly, reality goes black, then flickers like a faulty lightbulb before the labyrinth reappears before their increasingly confused eyes. "Well, THIS is confusing." Lucina frowned.

'It isn't called the Labyrinth of Deceit for nothing, Lucina.' Palutena responded.

"The name is the only straightforward thing about this place!" Sonic quipped.

"I'm detecting another branching pathway. Let's go to the right, I think." Spidey decided.

"You THINK?" Pit snarked, afraid of that uncertainty.

The team follows Spider-Man's directions and goes through the right path, where they abruptly stop at a wall. "Is THIS a dead end?" Weiss snarks with annoyance at the webslinger that led them to the wrong path.

"Yes…? No…? Uh…" The confused Spidey retorted.

"We're losing our grip here!" Pit exclaimed as they head out the path they were on.

"No, I just need to think." Spidey retorted.

"Could you think a little faster please?" pleaded Lucina, as they suddenly find themselves in a new pathway with glassy-like columns that can reflect attacks.

"I'm…I'm getting a handle on things now." Spidey claimed, just as they fly through a tunnel that confusedly leads them to space. "Nevermind." He said with such nonchalant astonishment in his face.

'O…K…' Palutena reacted to this weird scenario with a dumbfounded expression.

Sonic grunts, "This is hurting my head."

'I believe we're close to our target.' Palutena hoped.

"Then let's do this!" Pit retorted eagerly.

The final stretch is nigh, just as the heroes take a jump pad to a narrow cyberspace tunnel with enemies rushing to stop them. Spidey and Sonic scatter them with a combo attack, resulting in the spinballing hedgehog being kicked and bouncing off troops at supersonic speeds. The scattered enemies are killed by the remaining heroes, clearing the path leading back into the labyrinth. 'We're nearing the landing spot.' Palutena announced.

"You're sure it's not another illusion, right?" Pit asked.

"Only one way to find out." Spidey responded as they are sent down to a platform to begin land battle.

BGM End

Shortly After…

The Dimensional Heroes land on the floor, only for reality to suddenly flip just after they disengage their flying devices, sending all but the sticky Spider-Man to the labyrinth's real floor below. "You guys alright?" asked Spidey from the now-ceiling to his friends on the now-ground.

"Ow! We think so…" Weiss grunted, getting to her feet alongside the others and as Spidey drops down to meet them.

"The sooner we beat up Pandora, the quicker we get outta this weirdworld." Sonic scowled.

BGM-Kid Icarus: Uprising OST- Into the Labyrinth

Taking a step through a door and the Alliance begins exploring the unusual terrain. In the moment they began exploring, so does a demon god begin sassing them telepathically, 'Quite the thrill seekers, aren't you?'

Spidey remarks, "Is that…?"

"Pandora, goddess of calamity!" Pit recognized her voice.

'We let ourselves in. Hope you don't mind.' Palutena joked to the demon goddess.

'Oh, please. Make yourselves at home. Doesn't bother me. But you should know that the whole 'goddess of calamity' was really the old me. The new me leads a more grounded life. Yoga, macrobiotics, reflexology.' Pandora snarked.

"Don't you need feet for that?" Pit quipped.

'How dare you take that tone with me?! Especially since calamity is really more YOUR domain these days!' Pandora retorted angrily.

'Uh…' Palutena can't argue with that.

'It's really quite insulting.' Pandora remarked.

"What's insulting is this funhouse. It's so bland and lame. Not surprising considering it was built by a goddess with no limbs. A loser with a fishbowl is more creative, and deadly." Spidey mocked, just to infuriate the calamity goddess.

'We only just met and I ALREADY despise you.' Pandora snarled.

After traversing through the starting area, the heroes walk into a room with multiple doors. "There's so many doors…And I'm sure there are just as many tricks." Sonic noted.

'Uh, no doy.' Pandora snarked.

"You are an expert in this environment, Spider-Man. Care to determine which door is true?" Lucina asked her leader.

"Leave it to me! I know EXACTLY how we're gonna get outta here! This ultimate strategy, that transcends time and space and conquered fate itself, has never failed me before! Watch and learn!" Spidey accepted the task proudly. Tapping into his ever-useful Spider-Sense, and deciding to make fun of the situation, the Web-Slinger keeps pointing his finger at each door while singing, "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by the toe…" His playful nature elicits different reactions from friends and foe alike, such as Lucina looking dumbfounded, Weiss facepalming with growing irritation, Sonic and Pit looking amused, Palutena giggling, and Pandora sighing with even more distaste for the arachnid hero.

BGM End

Fortunately for another God of Trickery, the Spider's shenanigans distracts his teammates from a mystical portal opening beneath their feet. Just as Peter is about to finish his little rhyme, "…miney…", his Spider-Sense alerts him to the portal that is about to swallow up his friends. "MOE!" He hurries to their rescue, but was only fast enough to catch Pit, leaving the rest of his friends' fate unknown.

"GUYS!" Pit reached out for his kidnapped friends as the portal disappears.

'Loki only caught three. That sucks. Guess I'll have to find a way to tolerate you two.' Pandora quipped dryly.

"Typical Loki and his surprises. Trying to interrupt my rhyme…" Spidey sighed with visible annoyance upon learning the God of Mischief is collaborating with the Goddess of Calamity in this mission.

"Are they dead?" Pit asked with concern for his captured friends.

"Doubtful. Loki and Pandora want to divide and conquer. Though I don't like not getting a read on their signals." Spidey replied.

'Loki's magic has grown stronger since we last trained together. I can't get in contact with the rest of the team. And until you defeat Pandora, I can't extract everyone.' Palutena said to her remaining two heroes.

"Hope they're okay." Pit said worriedly.

"They are. Just believe in them." Spidey assured his angel protégé.

"That's what they said when you were being trashed by Goblin." Pit recalled.

"It's because we're friends. Friends support each other no matter what they're up against. We're trusting them to handle Loki, as they are trusting us to handle Pandora." Spidey lectured.

Quickly understanding his mentor's wisdom, Pit nods, "Right!", before following Peter through the right door as it is no up to them to defeat Pandora.

Elsewhere…

The magic portal drops Weiss and Weiss alone in an illusion realm resembling a cold and barren world with very little sun light and almost perpetual winter. The huntress sighs, "Whew! I'm going to kill Spider-Man for wasting time. Where the heck am I?"

'Welcome, Ice Queen! So glad you could drop in!' announced Loki, also using telepathy to speak with mortals from afar.

"Oh great, it's Loki. I don't care if you're a god! Don't you EVER call me that again!" Weiss retorted angrily.

'My, my, you are as touchy as you are fragile.' Loki snarked, 'If your little mind hasn't noticed yet, I have separated you from your companions and trapped each of you in an illusion of my making. I call them my Realms of Despair!' He revealed dramatically.

"Realms of Despair? About as uncreative as the Labyrinth of Deceit." Weiss sassed with her arms crossed with indifference.

'You are trapped in an illusion modeled after my birthplace, Jotunheim. If the Ice Queen wish to save herself from this icy Hel, you must survive to the end of this course and exit through the portal. It will return you to Pandora's Labyrinth. Let's begin, shall we? Start running.' Loki declared eerily after explaining the rules of his illusion.

BGM-Marvel Future Fight OST-The Wrath of Jotunheim

"Start running from what?" Weiss shrugged, until she noticed the sky has gotten dark all of a sudden. She looks up to see not an eclipse, but massive ice spikes raining from the heavens and shadowing her terrified presence, and would've killed her if she didn't run for her life. "I ALREADY HATE THIS PLACE!" She screamed.

In contrast to Pandora's tricky Labyrinth, Loki's Realms are littered with traps and hazards that can be activated with a glow from his scepter. Here in this Jotunheim illusion, Weiss is surviving by sliding across frozen rivers and past hazards such as slippery ice floors and more falling ice spikes that threaten to crush her. Her unique powers are the only reason she's still alive, as evident by her glyphs helping her avoid sliding blocks that are popping out of walls.

While the Schnee is navigating through some monkey bars, Loki laughs from watching it suddenly collapse and throwing her across more slippery ice floors that she then slides on. 'With skills like that, I find it hard to believe you were chosen to be an Avenger that defends dimensions. Should've stuck with hunting Grimm or run the family company, my dear. Gods are much out of your league.' Loki taunted her to give up.

"Don't be so arrogant!" Weiss argued, using glyphs to better dodge giant spears protruding from the ground while running more smoothly on the icy floors, "I am always working toward the best version of myself. Being an Avenger is helping me fulfill that. The honor of the team and my family rests on my shoulders. And I'll be sure that YOU won't tarnish it!" It does looks to Weiss that the obstacle course is almost over as up ahead there's a mirror-like portal that'll return her to the Labyrinth of Deceit. "There's the exit!" She proclaimed.

BGM End

Quickly, Weiss jumps through the portal seconds before she could've been skewered by the icicle rain. However, unbeknownst to the huntress, there is more to this portal than meets the eye. It looked to have scanned her somehow, for some reason. Loki knows exactly what is going on, watching in eerie delight of a dark silhouette of Weiss Schnee forming in the portal, 'Naïve fool…THIS will decide the best version of you.'

Back with Spider-Man and Pit…

"Where are we?" asked Pit, upon his squad entering a room with moving walls.

'The Hall of Marvelous Moving Walls.' Palutena replied dryly.

'Your delivery stinks. Say it with feeling. This isn't public radio, you know.' Pandora snarked.

"I blame the stage designer. This place isn't very exciting to talk about." Spidey quipped whilst easily traversing through this room.

'I will not accept criticism from a mortal with your fashion sense! Underoos, seriously?' Pandora retorted angrily.

Meanwhile with Lucina…

BGM-Sonic and the Black Knight OST-Shrouded Forest

The Future Princess is trapped in her own Realm of Despair, one modeled after Vanaheim. This illusion is filled with vast forests, fields, and planes. As well as pathways that are crumbling and forcing Lucina to flee at desperate speeds while also avoiding large boulders and fireballs. She does however, briefly, crash into a Looney Tunes-style scenery painting until she shook away her own daze and escaped to a somewhat safe haven with Underworld Monsters that she is more than comfortable in killing.

"This illusion will not hold me, Trickster! I will escape and bring you to justice for your crimes!" Lucina declared while slashing monsters.

'Someone's overconfident from their war with Grima.' Loki mocked telepathically, 'Unlike him and Naga, I am a true god feared across the realms. There is no special relic that can defeat me. I am unbeatable. The future is as good as mine.' He claimed arrogantly, making it clear that he is familiar with some of the Dimensional Avengers' history.

"Not as long as I draw breath!" proclaimed Lucina, spin-slashing the remaining demon that reveals the path to her own mirror portal, "The Avengers defeated you once before. And as Dimensional Avengers, my friends and I will do the same. Do not underestimate our bond. It will change fate and ensure your demise!" She threatened the god before fleeing the illusion through the portal.

BGM End

And just like what happened with Weiss, this mirror portal was affected by Lucina's presence and is in the process of creating what appears to be a dark copy of her. A clone with a scary color scheme based on her old Dark Shadowy teammate, Tharja, and featuring the Underworld insignia on the back of her cape. 'Do not be mistaken. Your bond will be much useful to me.' Loki muttered ominously.

Back with Spider-Man and Pit…

'Those orange platforms seem to spell something.' Palutena noticed, while her two young heroes are traveling through another room with a set of platforms shaped like letters.

"What, like a secret message? Can you decode it?" Spidey asked.

'It says… P-A-N...D-O-R-A... It...doesn't seem like there's much to decode here.' Palutena quipped.

"Well, that was a letdown." Pit commented.

'You're just jealous of my knack for interior design AND my flair for spelling.' Palutena accused.

'Yes. I'll never have powers like yours.' Palutena snarked wryly.

Meanwhile with Sonic…

BGM-Sonic Runners OST-Power Ride

"Guessin' I should keep running away from the magma balls and the creepy skull ghost that looks like it will KO me in one go." smirked Sonic, running away from an Orne and rolling magma balls in this fiery Muspelheim illusion of the Realms of Despair.

'It's called an Orne, and no. They are perfectly harmless.' Loki joked.

"Worst liar ever. Guess that's why you're famous as the Prince of Lies." Sonic snarked.

An illusion covered in pools of lava and giant flame pits. Sonic's speed is the only thing keeping him cool while fleeing this fiery furnace toward the exit. He outruns the Orne and magma balls and lands on a large makeshift seesaw, which comically sends him flying by a magma ball dropping to the other side of the seesaw. Lava spurts behind him from the new grounds he landed on, prompting him to continue evading danger by running and opening doors until he reaches a bridge, which surprisingly collapses and forces him to climb it up back onto land.

'You do impress me, Hedgehog. Not many rats have defeated gods and outpace my father in a race like you have. Sonic the God Butcher. How useful your skills would be to my cause.' Loki mockingly complimented the speedster.

"Sorry, pal, but you're gonna have to hire an actual rat to do your dirty work." Sonic quipped while outrunning more lava, "My skills are used to help people, not control them. You say freedom is life's great lie, well I argue its life's best gift and everyone deserves to enjoy it, even scumbags like you. But if you're going to abuse your gift to hurt others, then I'm gonna enjoy whoopin' your butt 'til you learn your lesson!"

'Spare me your morals when they have been proven flawed by humanity's long history of warfare. Gods are above them. It is our job to fix what is wrong with the world and control the chaos that you represent from ever spreading again.' Loki argued calmly.

BGM End

"Well, agree to disagree." Sonic snarked while exiting the illusion through his own mirror portal, which in turn creates its own dark copy of the Hedgehog that sports black fur, no mouth, pupilless eyes, and spiked-up quills similar to his Super Form.

'No. Looks to me you're agreeing with me wholeheartedly.' Loki muttered to himself, while the newly-created clone begins chuckling ominously.

Back with Spider-Man and Pit…

BGM-Kid Icarus: Uprising OST- Into the Labyrinth

"It's my turn to ride the tank!" said Spider-Man, swinging around a racetrack where Pit is having a blast driving a sacred chariot-like vehicle.

"Exo Tanks are vehicles of the gods, Spidey! Meant to be driven by gods and servants of the gods only!" Pit teased.

"Aren't I an honorary god for helping out Lady Lights? Don't I count?" Spidey retorted.

'Nope.' Palutena quipped.

"Can you at least remind me what we're doing here again? You have a habit of never giving us the mission briefing before sending us to disaster. That can cause a lot of problems." Spidey snarked, with the team having been clueless of their mission objective until now.

'Pandora has the Mirror of Truth, making her Medusa and Loki's most valuable commander.' Palutena finally decided to inform the two of their objective.

"Uh, what's the Mirror of Truth?" Pit questioned.

'I'll bet smarty-pants here knows the answer.' Pandora sassed.

'The Mirror of Truth makes a copy of whatever stands before it.' Palutena answered.

"You're saying she has a clone machine? Why?! Why is it always clones?! This is extremely ungood! They usually bring bad news!" Spidey complained at this horrible fact, knowing from terrible experience how much clones can ruin everyone's lives.

"So, hypothetically speaking, it could turn one ice-cream sundae into two?" Pit understood, in his own childish way.

'And that's why you're one of the great minds of our time.' Pandora retorted with her usual sarcasm.

'It copies what's in your heart and creates beings identical in nature. So what Pandora possesses is a way to create monsters on a catastrophic scale.' Palutena explained.

'That's one way of looking at things.' Pandora quipped.

"Then it has the potential to make entire ARMIES for Medusa. We have to destroy it!" Pit realized.

"We BETTER destroy it!" Spidey emphasized with fiercer determination.

"But wait... Does the mirror copy the reflection's soul too? Or just the body?" Pit questioned.

'That's a good question. Maybe Pandora will tell us.' Palutena responded.

'Do I LOOK like a strategy guide? In case you haven't noticed, this isn't the Ask Auntie Pandora hour.' Pandora yelled.

"She makes a good point, especially when she yells." Pit quipped.

BGM End

Elsewhere in the Labyrinth…

Weiss, Lucina, Sonic, all three of them returned from Loki's illusions around the same time. Lucina was the last to jump out of her portal, reuniting with her two friends saying, "I see you all survived your trial."

"It was a breeze." Sonic retorted with a smiling thumbs up at the princess.

"Then why do you smell like burnt toast?" Weiss asked casually.

"Probably cuz I was racing inside a volcano." Sonic quipped.

"Let's get in contact with Spider-Man's group. Tell them we're okay and we'll rendezvous with them shortly. I suspect they are close in confronting Pandora." Lucina takes command of this small group.

"Right!" Sonic nodded.

However, before any of them could take a few steps forward, a strikingly familiar voice with a cold tone orders them to, "Hold it right there!"

"Did you say something, Weiss?" Lucina questioned the heiress, as that voice sounded like Weiss.

"No." Weiss denied by shaking her head.

BGM-Tekken 5 OST- Destined Interlude ~ Sinister

The hero trio turn around to find another Weiss Schnee standing behind them suddenly and ominously. Despite sharing a similar white and light blue color scheme, this fake Weiss is dressed a little differently from the original, evident by her Atlas Military-based uniform with a white trench coat and blue sunglasses that hides her non-existent scar on her left eye. And unlike the original Weiss, this dark reflection of her looks coldly stoic, refusing to ever smile while maintain a calm composure.

"Is that…me?" Weiss reacted in utter shock at herself.

"Don't fall for it! Just another of Loki's illusions!" Sonic retorted.

"Really now?" The Dark Weiss snarked, stoically pointing her own Myrtenaster rapier at the hedgehog and smashing him to a wall with a surprisingly powerful energy blast that is equal to the original.

"Sonic!" Weiss shouted in great worry for him.

Sonic survived, albeit with wounds that enrages him to scowl, "Gettin' really tired of these tricks!"

The Blue Blur rushes to assault Dark Weiss at speeds she can't possibly perceive. Yet the clone remains calm and still and doesn't bother to defend herself, and it's all because of a Dark Sonic that comes to her defense by intercepting his surprised double with rivaling speed. "Nice to meet ya!" quipped Dark Sonic, before brutally uppercutting his counterpart into the air, where a Dark Lucina follows up his fierce strike with a sudden and fiercer downward slash that slams him down near his friends.

While Weiss hurries to check on her recovering hedgehog friend, Lucina defends them both by brandishing her sword and shouting, "What trickery is this?!", at all three dark doubles.

"This is no trick. Don't be more naïve than you are now." Dark Lucina mocked her counterpart, speaking just as heartlessly as her dark allies.

"Just who are you?!" Weiss angrily confronted the new threat.

"We're you. The truth made manifest. And once we eradicate you, we'll be the only you." Dark Weiss declared coldly, before leading her dark allies in a fearsome fight against their startled counterparts.

BGM End

Back with Spider-Man's Group…

'Pandora is just up ahead. It's time for you to destroy the Mirror of Truth!' Palutena proclaimed while Spidey and Pit race each other toward Pandora's chamber.

"Leave this to us! Just focus on finding Sonic and the others! I have a bad feeling all of a sudden…" Spider-Man retorted, sternly and unknowingly sensing his friends confronting their dark counterparts.

Heading through a door, the heroic duo made it to the boss chamber where Calamity Goddess Pandora emerges from behind the Mirror of Truth. "You made it. Yay." Pandora greeted them indifferently.

"Pandora!" Pit confronted. Before they fight it out, the angel thinks now is a good time to strike several poses that he thinks are cool and make him look cool, "Underling of Medusa floating before us! It's time for you to atone for your crimes. I am Pit, servant of the goddess of light! And you. Are. History!"

Awkward silence fills the room from his confusing poses. There is Pandora just floating and blinking at him, and there is Spider-Man raising a confused eyebrow before breaking the silence with, "…What was that all about?"

'I have no idea.' Palutena quipped dryly.

BGM-Kid Icarus: Uprising OST-Boss Fight 1

"OK, whatever. Do what you're gonna do." Pandora snarked, apathetically firing a barrage of purple fireballs that Spidey counters with rapidfire web bullets.

"What kind of attitude is that to have? I can take anything but indifference!" Pit retorted while evading the highly explosive bombs she deploys onto the battlefield.

"What's the point of getting worked up? What's the point of anything, really?" Pandora remarked with such indifference even while she is easily flying away from the heroes' combo attack.

'Quite an existentialist view for a ball of vapor.' Palutena quipped.

Sprung himself high to the air, Spider-Man tries catching the ever-bouncy Pandora within a large web sphere. It stopped her for her moment to liberate herself with a flaming explosion that packed the firepower to fling the webslinger to the wall. As soon as he dropped, the Calamity Goddess attacks him with a fireball barrage that were swiftly deflected by Pit's Guardian Orbitars before the reckless angel rushes at her. Pandora tried stopping him with another fireball barrage, only for Spidey to counter her flames with his web blasts to cover the dual-wielding bladed Pit before watching him unleash a flurry of devastating slashes that, while does push back the goddess, fails to do significant damage as Pandora was quick to blast away the angel with a charged fireball attack.

"Our attacks aren't doing much to Pandora!" Pit acknowledged.

"She's a god. She was bound to be tough." Spidey remarked. But after glancing at her god bombs scattered around, he gets a bright idea that will turn the tide, "But even gods have their weaknesses." He grabs one bomb with a webline, then shouts, "Yo, Pandora! Play bomb!", before hurling the explosive bomb back at her to finally do significant damage, "Failure! Would've caught that if you had hands!"

"I still have a mouth to bite your annoying head off!" Pandora retorted, furiously charging mouthfirst at the webhead.

"Oooh, how intimidating from a flaming booger." Spidey joked, countering her charge with immobilizing webbing so Pit could knock back a few more bombs to damage her.

"Oof, there's not many that can rile me up. And to think you're just a mortal of bugs. How disgusting and insulting." Pandora retorted.

"It's a gift. Just like this." Spidey quipped while kicking back one more bomb that weakens the evil goddess.

BGM End

"OK, OK. I'll give you what you came for." Pandora announced her odd surrender.

"Wait, seriously? I was expecting more of a fight considering you're a god." Spidey responded, getting suspicious about this.

The Calamity Goddess then teleports to her mirror, "Here it is. The Mirror of Truth.", floating behind it while presenting it to Pit and Spider-Man.

'Something's not right…' Spidey thought suspiciously while stepping away from the mirror frame, 'Spider-Sense is going crazy at this mirror. It didn't feel like Pandora gave it her all in that fight. She's supposed to be the Goddess of Calamity…but Palutena compared her to Loki. Which means…'

Just as Spidey gasped upon deducing Pandora's true plan, Palutena orders her angel to, 'Pit! You have to destroy that mirror!'

"DON'T! IT'S A TRAP!" Spidey shouted in vain as Pit is already running toward the mirror.

"YAAAAAAAAAH!" Pit's own battle cry drowns out Peter's warning before dropkicking the mirror. His recklessness is about to cost him, as he sees his reflection's wings begin to radiate a purple aura and his eyes gleam red, "Huh?!" As Pit shatters the mirror, his own dark clone bursts out from the other side. Pit lands, just as Spidey joins his side and they both take a shocked notice of the newly-created Dark-Winged Doppelganger, "What the-?"

The Dark Pit looks over his shoulder at his counterpart, coolly greeting him with just a, "Hey."

Having failed to prevent this clone's creation, an irritated Spidey grunts, "Hook, line, and sinker. Now she has a clone. At least it's only one…"

Right on cue just to prove Spidey wrong, Sonic's group is smashed through the walls of the boss chamber and lands groaning in pain from the mysterious fight they had. "Guys!" Spidey reacted at their surprise entrance. And in the next moment, Dark Sonic's group make their shocking appearance to reveal themselves as the assailants. "And…guys?" He then reacts to their shocking entrance, realizing his friends have also been cloned by the trickster gods, "Aw crap."

And to make matters even worse, Loki warps into the chamber to gesture triumphantly before his assembled team of villains, "Let's get right to introductions. This here is our Dark Avengers."

"They'll be your escorts out of this life." Pandora declared sinisterly.

But unexpectedly to the villains, Dark Pit rebels by punching Pandora and sending her flying backwards. "Speak for yourself." Dark Pit snarked.

Loki just shrugs off his disobedience by quipping, "Hmm. Oh well.", before heroes, villains, and Dark Pit confront each other for a climactic showdown.

BGM-Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 OST-Into the Fray

First to fight are the Dimensional Avengers versus the Dark Avengers. The Sonics start off their brawl fast and furious, trading high-speed blows with Spin Attacks so evenly-matched around the arena that it's impossible to tell which hedgehog has the edge. The twin Weiss battle next, with both relying heavily on ricocheting off either surrounding surfaces or their glyphs to try and quickly take control of this ridiculously even matchup. Then there are the two Lucinas and their Falchions, locked in a ferociously fierce duel of equal proportions that is strikingly reminiscent of when Lucina dueled her father under her Marth disguise.

So far, it's only Spider-Man having trouble against his opponent, who isn't a clone but the actual God of Mischief. Loki fires an energy blast from his scepter at Spidey, who counters with a quick web shot at the god as they duke it out in a brutal battle. Spidey's superhuman punches barely faze the god that flings him to the ground. The Wallcrawler then fires a large web blast, but Loki deflects it. Despite his acrobatic fighting style, Spidey continues to be overpowered and is quickly knocked down by the Asgardian that stands over him, pointing his scepter's tip on his head.

"Kneel." Loki demanded.

"Not today, Joki!" Spidey quipped upon activating his X-Aura for that extra boost, flipping and knocking him back with a roundhouse kick.

"You fool! You were created to serve ME! Your opponent's over there!" Pandora scolded Dark Pit, finding her unfortunate self battling both Pits at once.

"You're A boss, Pandora. But you're not MY boss!" Dark Pit snarked, assaulting his creator with the powerful dual blades of his Silver Bow.

"Wait, so was creating the Dark Avengers part of Pandora and Loki's plan all along?" Pit realized.

'Having an angel and several powerful mortals CAN come in handy. And Dark Pit is quite the little scrapper, isn't he? Use his scrappitude to your advantage and take down Pandora together.' Palutena commented.

"Your Mirror just HAD to have the power to make clones. Couldn't just use it to brush your nasty teeth." X-Auraed Spidey quipped while narrowly backflipping away from Loki's explosive scepter slam, "How were you able to clone the others anyway? The mirror was right here before Pit shattered it!"

"I used my magic to link its energies to the portals that your friends used to escape my Realms of Despair. The moment they passed through them, their doubles were created. That is why I separated your team. To make it easier to form your perfect rivals." Loki explained, telekinetically grabbing the spider and fiercely flipping him across the arena.

"The Mirror of Truth is just that. It reflects the truth. It seems that under that cute veneer of yours, Pit, you're actually quite ferocious." Pandora mocked.

"You don't know anything about me!" Pit repels her with some bow shots that allows Dark Pit to assault her mercilessly.

"I AM disappointed that I didn't receive my Dark Spider-Man! You have failed me, Pandora!" Loki scolded his lackey.

"It's not my fault! The kid's tricky to trick! What good would a copy of that blabbermouth be anyway?" Pandora snapped angrily.

"He is the host of The Other, the Great Totem Beast. He would've led my Dark Avengers in conquering both worlds with his immense power. Alas, it's left to being wasted by this pathetic four-limbed excuse for a spider!" Loki retorted, before being webbed to the face.

"Oh ho, you sweet talker you." Spidey wisecracked, just as the furious Asgardian God once more gains the upper hand and begins beating the superhero into submission.

"Might as well leave the job to Goblin kid then." Pandora quipped.

"Leaving us the pleasure to destroy you!" Dark Pit retorted, surprising the goddess with a diving kick to her ghostly face.

Having endured enough of the dark angel's insolence, Pandora becomes consumed by furious desperation and is unleashing her full might in a last ditch effort to kill the angels. Her body turns orange upon trying to vacuum Dark Pit into her non-existence belly, and despite his best efforts, the clone cannot free himself alone. This is where Pit comes to his rescue, smacking leftover bombs that disrupt Pandora and allow Dark Pit to clobber her away. She then switches targets, turning invisible to surprise Pit with energy discs but fail to surprise Dark Pit as he counters with swift bow blasts that forces her mouth to stay wide open. Pit saw this as his moment to deliver the finishing blow, knocking all the remaining bombs on the arena into the mouth of the Calamity Goddess. Gulping in fright at the inevitable, Pandora succumbs to her own explosive diarrhea that ends her.

BGM End

"And that's that!" Pit declared triumphantly.

"…Took you long enough." Dark Pit scoffed dryly.

Defeated, the Goddess of Calamity explodes. But before his counterpart could think of helping his friends, Dark Pit rushes over and kicks him in the stomach with the brutal force to send him flying backwards until he lands rough on his stomach. 'Pit!' Palutena exclaimed in concern for her angel.

"That's for ripping off my look." Dark Pit claims himself to be the original between the two.

"I'M the original here!" Pit countered.

With his lookalike weak and the others distracted by their own battles, Dark Pit leaps through the remnants of Pandora just to absorb her energy. 'What are you doing?!' Palutena questioned him.

"Just making sure Pandora's powers don't go to waste!" Dark Pit retorted, rising into the air before flying himself out of the labyrinth.

"He can fly?!" Pit reacted with confusion and shock in his face, just as the other battles end up in a stalemate upon witnessing Dark Pit's new power.

"Wonder where he's flying off to." Dark Sonic commented stoically at the dark angel's retreat.

"Good question. Let us find out for ourselves." Loki responded, before facing the tired heroes and mocking them with, "Today was fun. Until we meet again to play with you more.", right before using his magic to vanish from the labyrinth alongside his Dark Avengers.

Exhausted from fighting two gods back-to-back, Spidey fights through his panting pain to ask his other wounded friends, "Is everyone okay…?"

"No! I was beat up by myself…!" Weiss retorted, both angrily and tiredly from her fight with her own dark clone.

"You'll get used to it…" Spidey weakly brushed off her complaints.

'Dark Avengers…The Multiverse's Toughest Villains. And if Dark Pit has Pandora's powers, then he could be allied with Medusa and Loki. We need to follow them.' Palutena declared, with her light shining down over the team so they could be whisked back to base and prepare for their inevitable rematch with the Dark Avengers.

BGM-Kid Icarus: Uprising OST-Solo Menu

KFX Here: Yeesh, what a chapter! From Palutena's history with Asgard to the creation of the Dark Avengers. Unlike the original story, Dark Sonic will NOT betray his team. Yet. Dark Sonic's design is based off his only appearance in Sonic media, and that was in a single episode in Sonic X. Dark Lucina's design is based off her Tharja-inspired alternate costume from the Super Smash Bros. series. And Dark Weiss's design is based off Negative Weiss from RWBY: Ice Queendom. Each hero and their Dark Double will have a sub-plot that will continue into the next chapter. Look forward to it.

Next Time: New Goblin Revealed! The Beast Unleashed! Enter the Dark Clone Brawl!

Please leave a review that'll tell me what you thought of this chapter! What did you like? What didn't you like? Would really appreciate the feedback.

Attention fellow Omega Flight Agents! I have downloaded the newest Marvel mobile game, Marvel Future Revolution, and I'm having a blast so far! If you also have the game, feel free to send a friend request to "KingFrancisX" and join my alliance under the name "UnitedHeroes" so we may have fun together! I'm usually in the "Sakaar 1" server room!

Remember: I have a forum page! Link can be found on my homepage or search for the "United Heroes Series" forums!

BGM End