Chapter 4: An Even Younger Brother
Pit gripped his controller tighter and made a sharp turn to the right. I'm so close! He glanced to his side to see Dark Pit just as focused, trying to maintain his lead for one last lap. Both angels were determined to win their game of Mario Kart, especially since Palutena and Viridi decided to join in this time.
As they neared the end of the race, Pit realized there was no way he could catch up without resorting to some of his twin's tactics. It feels unfair, but I don't have much of a choice. He positioned himself behind Dark Pit and used the streamline speed boost he got to breeze into first place with a cheer. Dark Pit stared in disbelief before yelling, "That was completely undeserved!"
"I could say the same about most of your wins," Pit shot back.
"Then let's see who's better when there's no one to leech off of," Dark Pit challenged. "Time trials. Let's go."
"You three can decide who goes first," Palutena offered, seeming content with her third place result. Pit, Dark Pit, and Viridi locked eyes. Deciding who went first was never easy.
Pit made a logical suggestion. "I'll start. I'm the oldest."
"How does that even make sense? We're the same age," Dark Pit pointed out.
"Physically, sure, but I was born way before you, so you're the younger brother. And Viridi's definitely younger than ten."
"I'm immortal, remember? A goddess never reveals her age," Viridi said, mysteriously.
Pit looked to Palutena, who placed a finger on her cheek thoughtfully. "Pit has to be the oldest. If I remember correctly, Viridi, you've only been the Goddess of Nature for about twenty years, so you can't be much older than that. And you know as well as I do that no being is immortal."
Viridi glared at her. "H-hey! Why don't you tell us how old you are, Palutena?"
"That's a secret." Palutena stood up rather quickly. "I'll go get us some cookies, if you'd give me a moment."
"How convenient," Dark Pit called after her as she left.
"Talk about avoidance," Viridi muttered. "Now I'm even more curious. She must've told you, right?"
Pit shook his head. "Lady Palutena's always been a little insecure about her age. I stopped asking a while ago."
"Then what do you say we try to extract the truth?" Viridi suggested, already determined. "I could make a potion." Pit had to admit he was curious, and although Dark Pit just shrugged, he clearly wanted to know as well.
As it turned out, Viridi was an efficient worker when she wanted something done. She presented a small vial full of a pale green liquid to Pit the next day. "This potion is supposed to reveal someone's true age."
He looked at it warily. "You're sure it's safe, right?"
Viridi laughed. "Of course! Its main effect is drowsiness, or at least that's what the spellbook said. I kind of wonder how it'll work."
The plan was simple enough: sneak some into Palutena's tea and see what would happen. Viridi begrudgingly agreed to let her know first, just in case. Palutena was taking a bath, and they couldn't find her favourite cup, so Pit made the tea in a regular glass and decided to add the milk and sugar later.
Viridi sipped her own tea and Pit grabbed a cookie for himself as they waited. Everything was going smoothly until Pit looked over at the counter again to see the tea missing. Wait a second, that could only be… "Pittoo? What did you do to Lady Palutena's tea?"
"That was for Palutena?" Dark Pit walked into the kitchen, glass in hand. "What kind of idiot puts it in a glass? I thought it was left over. Didn't taste too bad, at least."
Viridi stared at him. "That had a potion mixed in, you dolt!"
He froze. "Wait, what does it do?"
She spoke carefully. "It's the one I made to test on Palutena. Don't worry, it's not supposed to do much. You might feel a bit sleepy."
Dark Pit shrugged indifferently. "Then I guess it'll cancel out with the caffeine."
Pit still felt uneasy. "You know, you're really calm for someone who just drank one of Viridi's potions."
Viridi frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a pained shout from Dark Pit. Pit caught him as he fell, and Viridi jumped to her feet. "Last time I checked, feeling sleepy doesn't mean you feel like you're about to explode!" he gritted. "Seriously, what was that potion supposed to do?"
"What do you even–" Pit was cut off by a flash of light, and jumped back instinctively. He looked back at his twin in concern as soon as it faded, but stopped and stared in shock. Where Dark Pit was just a second ago, a baby sat loosely covered by his now hopelessly oversized chiton, red eyes blinking up at Pit and Viridi in complete confusion.
There was a beat of silence. Then total chaos. "Pittoo?"
"What the heck just happened?" Viridi's agitated yells overlapped with Pit's.
"Are you alright?"
"I don't know how to reverse this!"
"You can't understand us, right?"
"Is that really your biggest concern right now, Pit?"
Maybe they should have quieted down when they saw Dark Pit flinch at the loud noise. But they didn't, and he immediately started to cry, which didn't help at all. Oh no. What are we even supposed to do?
"Pit? Viridi?" Palutena called, rushing into the kitchen. "What in Skyworld is going on here?" Her green eyes scanned the chaotic scene, and Pit was surprised and grateful that she didn't question anything.
As soon as she saw the now-infant Dark Pit, Palutena switched to a completely different tone than her usual, teasing-older-sister one. Pit and Viridi didn't interfere as she crouched down in front of him and spoke softly. "Hello, there! What are you crying about, hm?" She gently picked him up, wrapping his clothes around him as he flinched at her touch. "I'm sorry, I know my hands are probably cold… Pit, Viridi, how about you get him something to wear? And when you're back, I expect an explanation. Can I ask that of you?" She turned her attention back to soothing the crying baby in her arms. "It's okay, it's all okay."
"O-Of course, Lady Palutena!" I guess it's hard to switch back and forth from Mom mode. It was working, though, and Dark Pit gradually calmed down, resting his head on Palutena's chest. Pit had a sinking feeling that this situation was going to take some getting used to.
"There we go!" Palutena said brightly, adjusting the back of Dark Pit's tunic so that his tiny wings were able to move freely. The downy black feathers tickled her fingers, and he babbled something in response. Palutena smiled contentedly as she lifted him up. At least he's properly clothed and much more sociable now.
Viridi had an obvious soft spot for everything cute, and clearly Dark Pit was no exception. She reached up to touch his arm. "Feeling better now? Sorry about all this, 'kay?" She giggled as he leaned over to grab her finger. "Adorable!"
"I know, right?" Pit ruffled his fluffy black hair, making him look around curiously. "He totally takes after me! Don't you, Pittoo?"
"Uwah!" Palutena had no idea how Dark Pit learned to respond to his nickname so soon, especially since he'd never been physically younger than thirteen before, but his excitement was contagious.
Palutena laughed. "As much as I love this, I think I'd like to know how it happened."
Pit rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Well… it was a potion. We didn't warn him, and he drank it by accident."
"Ah. Would you mind showing me which one?" As Viridi went to get the book, Palutena adjusted the baby in her arms. "Stop squirming, Pittoo. Do you want to run around, or something?" She placed him on the ground, but he seemed more interested in her hair and the ornaments on her dress than exploring.
Pit laughed. "Maybe not."
Palutena sat down and pulled Dark Pit into her lap, and Pit and Viridi sat on either side of her. Viridi opened the book. "I tried making this potion here." She seemed flustered. "We were going to test it on you, but I swear I didn't know this could happen!"
"Why would you want to test it on me in the first place?"
"It was supposed to reveal your true age. We were just curious after yesterday," she admitted.
Palutena skimmed through the page. "I see. This is a variation of a youth potion, Viridi. It only affects those whose chronological age is less than their physical age, so it wouldn't have done anything to the rest of us."
"But hasn't it been more than three years since Pittoo was born?" Pit pointed out.
"I suppose so, but he wasn't exactly alive during the years when the Chaos Kin took over," Palutena explained. "If I had to guess, he's only about eighteen months old right now."
"It's reversible, right?" he ventured.
"No spell or potion is permanent, Pit. It'll wear off eventually, but it's always good to have an antidote ready just in case. Shall we, Viridi?" She nodded, and Palutena took a deep breath as she stood up, Dark Pit in her arms. "If this happened because I kept secrets, I'll be more straightforward from now on. I've lived for just over five centuries, and considering that a god's lifespan is about a thousand years, I'm far past my prime." She was quick to add, "But physically I'm twenty."
"Who said your 'prime' is when you're young?" Pit asked, empathetically. "I can guarantee that when you were half this age, you wouldn't have been able to maintain Skyworld and the Overworld so well."
"That's because I have all of you by my side. Thanks, Pit." She gave Pit a hug, and Dark Pit snuggled into her in a way his teenage self would never dare. Pit even managed to drag Viridi in, and she surprisingly didn't protest. That's what I was so reluctant to say? I don't know what I'd do without them. "Let's go create that antidote," Palutena finally suggested. She tried placing Dark Pit on the ground again, but he clung to her dress. "You know we can't bring you with us, right? Pit, would you like to try holding him?"
"Me?" He looked surprised. "I don't know. I really don't want to hurt him."
"You'll both be fine." She held Dark Pit out to his brother, who took him hesitantly. Blue eyes met red, and the angels gradually settled into each other, sharing a smile. They looked up, startled, at the sound of a camera clicking, and Viridi grinned as she took another picture. Palutena gasped. "That reminds me, we have to take so many pictures today! Thanks, Viridi."
Viridi handed the camera to her. "He's going to kill us when he's back to normal, but this is worth it."
Pit had realized a while ago that just because Dark Pit was born from his dark side, it didn't mean that their personalities were anything alike. And he could clearly see parts of the personality he'd come to love in his brother's infant self.
Viridi and Palutena had left to make an antidote, so in the meantime Pit folded Dark Pit's clothes to put back in his closet. Dark Pit himself watched silently, not moving except for his fluttering wings. Pit glanced down at him. "We're going to get this to your room. You can go ahead and explore, you know. Have fun!"
The deadpan stare he received in response was so much like the teenage Dark Pit that Pit couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, fine. If you want to be useful, here you go!" He held the stack of clothes in front of the baby. "You can take the crown, Pittoo." Dark Pit frowned, eyebrows furrowed, and Pit pointed to the laurel crown, which he eagerly picked up.
Pit smiled fondly when Dark Pit ran beside him in the hallway, gripping the crown tightly. "What do you think of the temple, Pittoo? It took me forever to figure it out, even though I've lived here for as long as I can remember!" Dark Pit responded excitedly, not that Pit could understand him, but he enjoyed it anyways. He only talks if someone else starts the conversation, huh? That sounds just like him. "We should talk like this more often. I'm always here to listen." Pit stopped walking once they reached the door to the small hallway connecting the angels' rooms, and Dark Pit held onto his chiton with his free hand as they stepped in.
Pit watched, amused, as Dark Pit took in the stone-grey walls, the consoles on his desk, and the guitar, which he'd probably been practicing before all this, on his bed. "What do you think, Pittoo?"
"Gya!" he replied enthusiastically. He started pointing at some objects and looking at Pit expectantly. Does he want me to tell him what those are?
"That's a guitar. That's your 3DS, and that over there is a plant Viridi gave you." Dark Pit could name a couple of items himself, and made adorable attempts at repeating the new ones. Pit let him explore while he placed the clothes in the closet.
He turned when he heard a small voice. "Pit!" Dark Pit held up the crown, and his wings fluttered excitedly at his brother's reaction.
"Wait, did you just say my name?"
"Pit!" He seemed a little more impatient this time. That's definitely my name!
"Thank you!" Pit took the crown from him and picked him up for a hug. "I'm not treating you any differently just because you're cute. You'll always be my little brother, got it? I don't want to hear any more 'we're not even related' when you're back to normal."
The angels observed each other's expressions intently, and Dark Pit babbled something as he placed his hand on Pit's feathered wing. "That's good enough! How about we go outside for a bit? I have something to show you!"
Once they were at the training grounds, Pit headed for the weapons, keeping the infant where he couldn't hurt himself. "Just stay here for a second, okay?" He walked past the rows of items until he finally found what he was looking for: the orbitars. Pittoo has always liked orbitars for some reason. I kind of want to see what he'll think now.
Pit grabbed two pairs of orbitars and headed back, but he stopped halfway in surprise. Dark Pit was hovering about his own height in the air, his barely-developed wings beating furiously to keep him afloat. "Pit!" he called, flailing but seeming impressed with himself. At least until his wings gave out and he fell face-first.
"Look at you, you can already sort of fly!" Pit cheered as Dark Pit got his face out of the ground. Lady Palutena was right, his wings finally got to develop properly! In his enthusiasm, Pit only noticed the tears welling up in the baby's eyes a second before he started to cry. Oh, no. "Don't cry, Pittoo. You're fine," he assured him as he scooped him up. "Guess what? I brought some orbitars. Want to take a look?" He deftly placed a pair of orbitars around them and held out his free hand to activate them.
He was surprised at how quickly Dark Pit's crying stopped once he was distracted. He squirmed to reach for the orbitars, which just moved further away. "Hey, you don't want to hurt yourself! Let me show you how it's done."
Pit moved one pair of orbitars around him, and placed the other around Dark Pit. He activated his own with a flourish of his hands, and they smiled brightly at each other as Dark Pit copied him.
Pit wouldn't have noticed Palutena's presence if he didn't hear her giggle. "Lady Palutena? How much of that did you see?" He corrected himself. "Scratch that. How much of that did you take pictures of?"
"All of it," she said, unapologetically, stepping out from behind a pillar with Viridi at her side. "You two are always so cute!"
"And we've got an antidote!" Viridi declared, holding up a small bottle. "We'll get you back to normal in no time, Pittoo!"
Palutena was already playing with Dark Pit, and Pit took a picture for her with a laugh. "Let's hope it works, for his sake. I don't think he can handle any more embarrassment."
Making something for a baby to eat was a trial and error process, but Palutena eventually succeeded with some mashed fruit. Getting him changed was no simple task either, but she managed, mostly because neither Pit nor Viridi were willing to help. So naturally, she was also in charge of the equally difficult task of trying to get Dark Pit to drink some of the antidote. He was sort of fussy when she tried feeding him the thick, tasteless liquid.
"Seriously, how hard is it to feed a guy who doesn't check what's in his drinks?" Viridi sighed. "He doesn't even drink tea, and yet he managed to drink some potion along with it. And he's cloned from the guy who eats stuff off the floor!"
"Floor ice cream gives you health!" Pit retorted defensively.
Palutena tried again with a spoonful of the antidote. Dark Pit looked at it and then back at her. "Come on, Pittoo, just a bit more." He finally swallowed it, and she exhaled in relief. "There we go! It's slow-acting, so maybe he'll be back to normal after a nap."
"I'll watch over him," Pit offered, taking the sleepy infant in his arms. "Come on, let's go back to your room."
As Palutena put away the dishes from lunch, she acknowledged that she'd miss him being so small and cute. But our home felt empty without Pittoo. I honestly don't know how our life felt normal before we took him in.
Viridi's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Palutena? I put away the antidote. Wanna check what they're up to?" Palutena nodded her agreement.
Dark Pit's room was silent, so Palutena opened the door carefully and peeked inside. The angels were fast asleep on the bed, Pit's arm around his brother protectively as Dark Pit gripped his finger. That's adorable! She eagerly took a couple of pictures before she and Viridi quietly joined them. Viridi fell asleep immediately, and while Palutena tried to stay awake, she only lasted for a minute before drifting off.
Palutena woke up to the sound of a sharp slap and an irritated yell. "Hey, Pit-stain! Mind telling me what the hell is going on?"
"Ow! Oh, Pittoo! You're back!" Palutena opened her eyes and sat up to see Dark Pit, back to normal and dressed in his usual outfit, glaring at his twin. Viridi blinked her eyes open as well.
"Back from where?" He glanced over at the rest of them. "Why were my clothes back in my closet? And what are all of you doing here? This definitely has something to do with–" His eyes widened slightly, and his face flushed red. He remembers, doesn't he? "That stupid potion. Viridi, I will kill you."
She seemed unconcerned. "I said I was sorry, but that was totally worth it."
"You're deleting every picture you took today, Palutena," he seethed, only making eye contact for a moment before blushing a little harder.
"Aw, you're just like Pit when you're embarrassed!" she teased.
Before he could respond, Pit pulled him into a hug. "I missed you so much! And since you remember everything, that deal we made still stays, okay?"
"Huh? F-fine." Dark Pit hesitantly placed his arms around Pit in return, and after a bit, cautiously spread his wings to touch Palutena and Viridi as well. "Kind of weird that that was my first experience of childhood. Thanks, I guess." He gave them a wry smile. "But it better not happen again, or I'm throwing whoever's responsible into the Rewind Spring. Watch me."
