Kingdom Hearts, Super Smash Brothers 1. Chapter 1: Back in Action

_Hello, folks! This is my first time on FF, although I'm certainly not new to fan fiction itself. I've dabbled mostly in Pokemon on various forums in the past, but after reading some fantastic Fire Emblem stories on here, I decided, what the hay? I'll sign up and give this place a shot!_

_Since I'm still getting used to this system, I thought I'd post a little lighthearted piece I've been working on lately. It's something I've been wanting to try for a while, but didn't really get the inspiration I needed until recently. Basically, a crossover between Nintendo and Kingdom Hearts. It's probably been overdone to tears, but still-write what you know, right? Chapter length might be irregular at first, just because I'm still trying to figure out the system and what not. _

_Anyway, sorry for the long note! Let's begin in Kid Icarus' world..._

* * *

**Chapter One: Back in Action**

Men came to call those days the Golden Era of the Goddess, the age without fear. The fall of the Lord of the Underworld brought peace and prosperity to all worlds of Angel Land, from Overworld below to Skyworld above. Watching over it was none other than the Lady herself, with the faithful assistance of her servants.

Admittedly, 'faithful' did not always equate to 'effective'.

Lady Palutena was grateful for the peace, of course, but she noted that it had the tendency to make people lazy. Particularly her people. Without enemies constantly threatening to break down the walls, the Centurions suddenly had found an alarming amount of free time that they hardly knew what to do with. Unfortunately, most resulted to sleeping on and off the job.

The goddess sighed as she passed yet another group of peacefully dozing guards. The simple oafs meant well, and would gladly lie down their lives for their goddess's will, but lately they hadn't had much opportunity for that. Sadly, however, the centurion army wasn't what it used to be—Medusa had seen to that.

The one person Palutena knew she could consistently rely on was the one person she was having a hard time tracking down. After the war, she had given him some space to let him recuperate. Taking out Hades had been no simple task, and Pit of all people deserved a break. But with morale taking a deep dive, she needed him back on the job. Now was as good as time as any to whip the Centurions into shape.

She thought that she might be able to find him on her own; after all, the little guy couldn't get very far on his own with his small wings. The task was proving more difficult than she anticipated. Her temple might as well have been empty for all the lack of activity on its grounds. Giving up, Palutena decided to turn to her telepathic powers. Sliding her shield off her arm, she turned its reflective surface towards her.

"Pit? Pit, where are you?"

An image of the angel replaced her reflection, jumping slightly as he heard her voice. Perhaps out of practice, Pit glanced left and right before remembering how her powers worked.

"L-Lady P-Palutena!" he stammered as he fumbled with something in his hands. Jerkily he hopped onto his feet and saluted her. "Er, I… Can I help you with something?"

The goddess tilted her head, half amused, half confused. His behavior was a little… off. "What are you doing?" she asked with a small chuckle.

Pit placed his hands behind his back, milking a façade of innocence. "N-nothing. Nope. Not doing anything here. Just a whole bunch of… nothingness."

That certainly didn't remove him from her suspicion. She narrowed her eyes playfully, even though she knew he couldn't see her. "Pit, you do know I am an all-seeing god. You can't hide anything from me."

He shifted uncomfortably before apparently remembering he had to keep up his act. Plastering on a smile, he waved dismissively. "Of course I know that… Anyway, was there something you needed?"

Palutena didn't need total omniscience to see that obvious attempt at changing the conversation. However, she decided to let it slide. Sobering, she said, "Yes, actually—have you been patrolling the borders lately?"

"Well… No, not really… I… kinda thought you were mad at me." He rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Mad at you? Why would you think that?"

"Cuz, well, you weren't talking to me. For a while. I thought that… maybe I might've done something wrong."

The goddess of light chuckled again, slowly shaking her head back and forth. "You haven't done anything wrong, silly. I was giving you a brief _vacation_."

"Oh. Huh. So… is it over now? Can I go back to serving you?" His face lit up in eager anticipation.

"Of course."

The angel jumped into the air, pumping his fist. "Yeah-ha-ha! Sah-weet!"

"Yep. You can start with that patrol I mentioned."

"Right! Er…" Sheepishly, Pit pulled out something from behind his back. "Can I finish this battle real quick first? It's against the gym leader…"

Palutena grinned as she sensed the fourth wall moaning. How long had it been? "Is that what you've been up to? Fine, just hurry and get it done. I want that patrol done as soon as possible."

The angel frowned. "Why's that?"

Her smile faltered for a fluttering second. "No reason. Let's just call it a dry run. Thanks, Pit."

Pit stood straight and saluted the goddess, nearly knocking his handheld device from his hold. "It's always a pleasure to serve you, Lady Palutena!"

* * *

After preparations, Pit stood at the edge of a precipice waiting for his goddess. As he stared down into the clouds below, he heard her voice enter his mind.

"Ready, Pit?"

"Always!" was his enthusiastic reply. Pit felt more than prepared to end his so-called vacation. The rest had been nice, but he missed his two favorite things about his missions: flying and Lady Palutena's company. Admittedly, Pit wished he could go flying on his own; what kind of an angel couldn't use his own wings anyway? Before Medusa's first uprising, all the angels had been able to fly. But then, she turned them to stone and… Well, that was one reason why Pit felt so sensitive about his shortcomings: he was the last angel of Skyworld.

"Here we go!" Lady Palutena warned.

Pit glanced over his shoulders at his wings and watched as they lit up with the goddess's power. Grinning from ear to ear, the angel launched himself from the ledge and met with the wind. It ruffled his thick brown hair like an old friend in greeting, blasting it free from his face. Feeling an adrenaline rush wash over him, Pit hollered on the top of his lungs and twisted his body into a tight barrel roll. Palutena let him drop into a steep dive before swooping out over one of the guard towers.

"It's been way too long, Lady Palutena," said Pit when he leveled out.

"Well, if I had known you were ready to end your break, I would have contacted you sooner. At any rate, let's check out that perimeter."

Pit tightened his grip on his bow as the goddess controlled his flight path, taking him on a wide turn around her palace. Even though times of peace had fallen upon the realm, Pit's deep sense of duty kept his eyes sharp. Not even the serene beauty of the skies around him distracted him for a second. Five minutes was all he had to run his perimeter check, and the last thing he wanted to do was fail the woman he served so faithfully.

The first few minutes passed by without much incident. As much as Pit hated to admit it, his mind began to wander. Some time had passed since the Underworld Wars, and he wondered how the humans he had fought so hard for fared. He didn't have the omniscience of his goddess, so he had no idea if they had successfully rebuilt their lives. Were they growing things again? Were they happy and safe? At the very least, he hoped the goddess of nature, Viridi, wasn't giving them trouble.

"You're awfully quiet today, Pit," Palutena observed. "Did you lose your gym match?"

Pit shook himself from his thoughts. "Hmm? No, no, I won. I was just thinking."

"Uh-oh. That sounds dangerous," she teased.

The boy angel scowled. "Hey, I resemble that remark!"

To his chargrin, the goddess giggled. "I think you mean, 'resent'."

"I've heard it both ways," the angel huffed. "You know, you've been rather quiet yourself." He paused, giving this trip more consideration. "Why are we out on this patrol again?"

The goddess took her time to reply. "I'm not sure."

That took Pit aback. How could Palutena, of all people, not be sure? She was an all-seeing goddess! "W-what do you mean?"

"I don't know. It's just… I've had this nagging feeling these past few days. Like something _should_ be wrong, but as far as I can tell, everything is going just fine."

Pit frowned, still feeling confused. "Maybe it's just gas?" he suggested.

"Er, I don't think so. It's… probably nothing. The power of flight is running out of time. We should get you back to the temple."

The angel's frown deepened. Had that much time passed already? "Aw… Can't we go a little further? Just to the other side of that cloud, maybe?"

"All right, we'll go a little further."

Pleased, Pit gave his wings an unnecessary flap. Although he had hoped the extra mile would drag out the time, they reached the other side faster than he would've liked. To his disappointment, there was nothing to be seen.

"Here we are," Lady Palutena's voice announced. "And here we g—"

The skies fell dead silent.


	2. Chapter 2: Deity of Space

_A/N: Uploading this early since I've been having internet issues; hope you enjoy! :) _

* * *

"…Lady Palutena?" Pit timidly called out, wondering if his connection with the goddess had been cut off. He scanned the skies around him once more for enemies or interferences, but failed to spy anything out of the ordinary. The clouds were as white and unassuming as ever.

"_Look out!" _

The angel heard the goddess's cry seconds before the sky split apart. The air became alive with sound and light, blasting Pit backwards into a rolling tumble. He fought against the dizziness and tried to get a handle on what was occurring. An ugly black and purple scar marred the skies before him, reminding him all too clearly of his episode with the Chaos Kin. Heart skipping with sudden fear, Pit watched the rift in space anxiously, half-expecting the unearthly creature to crawl out and threaten his goddess once more.

However, an entirely different creature emerged from the rift.

First to come through was a small head at the end of a sinuous long neck—worm-like, but ending in a sharp forward-facing crest. Sharp fangs jutted from its lower jaw, right before a pair of crazed ruby eyes. The creature released a raspy roar before the rest of its full form was revealed: a rose-tinted dragon with thick armor set over its shoulders, sword-like wings, and a thick, powerful tail.

"Watch out!" Palutena warned as the creature charged forward. Pit felt her influence jerk him out of the way before the dragon tore past him, but he couldn't escape the wind whipped up in its wake. For the second time, Pit found himself tumbling head over heels.

"W-what was that thing?" the angel stuttered as soon as he righted himself.

"This isn't good… That was Palkia, the deity of space. And she's in a rampage…"

"Wait, Palkia?! As in…" Pit paused. "Wait, _she_?!"

"This is no time to fall behind, Pit. You need to stop her—she's headed straight for the Temple!"

"R-right! Er, leave it to me!" Striking a pose, he declared, "It's dragon-slaying time!"

"Heavens no! Don't hurt her! Do you know what effect that could have on the very fabric of space?"

The angel's brave stance faltered. "I'm guessing… it would be bad?"

"Very bad. Let's just try to calm her down. And quickly—the power of flight is running out." She started moving the angel through the air again in pursuit of the outraged dragon.

Pit frowned, preferring problems he could surmount by shooting things out of the air. This situations had more complications than he was sure he could deal with. "How will I do that?"

"I'll equip a new power to your roster—with it, your bow shots should tranquilize Palkia without hurting her. Just be careful not to hit her more than three times, got it?"

"Got it!" To emphasize his readiness, Pit spun his bow in his hand before taking aim at the dragon. Her movement, however, was completely erratic. She squirmed rather than flapped through the air, her wings barely flapping as she sliced through the air like a sword. The first arrow Pit fired overshot his target by a mile.

"Sheesh, Pit—you haven't gotten rusty, have you?"

"She won't stop moving!" the angel grunted with a tone of indignation.

"Focus! You've dealt with worse before."

"I'm trying!" Pit bit his lip in intense concentration before releasing a second arrow.

This time, his projectile found its target; the arrow imbedded itself into the dragon's right flank. Unfortunately, the attack didn't go unnoticed. Palkia stopped her craven flight and snaked her head around to face Pit. She marked him with those baleful red eyes, releasing a terse snort.

"Er, time for a new tactic." Lady Palutena muttered in his head.

"W-what's that?" Pit stammered, unnerved by the dragon's livid glare.

Palkia released another bone-rattling roar before charging towards the angel.

"Try not to get eaten!" said Palutena as she turned the angel around.

* * *

The battle with Palkia reminded Pit somewhat of his battle with Hewdraw—except with more blue-plasma dragon-breath blasts and a lot less bickering. Palkia was dangerously fast, as well as completely beyond reason. Palutena guided Pit's flight, but it was up to the angel to dodge the frenzied creature's never-ending onslaught.

"I could really use a fairy-type right about now!" the angel yelped as he rolled under the dragon's glowing claws.

"You know, she's really not that bad. She's actually rather sweet, once you get to know her."

"Sweet?!" Pit exclaimed as a blast of blue dragon fire nearly singed his wings. Somehow, even between the claws and the breath, he just couldn't bring himself to believe his goddess at the moment.

"Yeah. She just has slight… temperament issues, that's all."

Pit merely grunted as he twisted about, taking aim at the dragon once more. As Palkia roared challengingly, he let another arrow fly. For the second time, his aim met its mark, striking the dragon square in the forehead. Palkia's roar was cut off-mid bellow, finally giving the angel some breathing room.

"Oh, ouch…" Palutena grimaced. "She's going to feel that in the morning…"

Honestly, Pit couldn't say he shared her sympathy. He found it hard to feel sorry for anything that seemed bent on turning him into chopped and/or charbroiled liver. He was also having difficulty accepting that this being was indeed Palkia: a creature he had assumed only existed in games. If it—er, she—was real, what else did that mean? What's more, what was she doing here?

Palkia shook off the attack and continued her pursuit. To Pit's relief her movements were noticeably slower, showing that Palutena's power-ups were working. One more hit, and that dragon would be sawing logs.

"Wow," said Pit as he admired his handiwork. "If it takes only three of these arrows to take out a space-bending dragon, then I wonder what it could do on a single Underworld minion… Hey, is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?"

He glanced over his shoulder, wondering if the dragon's breath had singed his wings after all. To his dismay, he could see his wings glowing red with heat.

"You're running out of time," warned Palutena. "You're going to have to end this, or I'll have to pull you out of there."

Pit grunted in acknowledgement. He suspected he would have gotten the job done sooner, if he didn't need to be so careful. Still, he felt no desire to find out what would've happened if something befell the deity of space itself. Dodging another swipe of the claw, the angel took aim once again.

Palkia, however, had more tricks up her sleeve. Holding back, she glared at the boy as the pearls on her shoulders began glowing with intense pink light.

"Uh, oh, Pit—watch out! Here comes her signature move!"

The boy angel nearly dropped his bow as Palutena jerked him to the left. Meanwhile, Palkia's attack reached fruition. The energy stored by the jewels transferred down her arm, which she swung in a swift uppercut. Her claws raked the space before her, ripping it apart and unleashing a blade of pure pink-tinted energy.

"S-spacial Rend!" the boy yelped as the blade rocketed in his direction. He twisted his body into a barrel roll to speed up his goddess's evasive maneuver.

Palkia's attack narrowly missed, but Pit felt new pain flare up in his wings. His time had run out.

"That's it. I'm getting you out of there. The Centurions can—"

"No, wait!" Pit objected, glancing at his opponent. The dragon hung motionless in the air, apparently recharging after the all-out attack. He still had one slim window of opportunity. "Cut off the power of flight!"

"What? I can't just—!"

"Trust me! I can get this last shot!"

The goddess was hesitant, but Pit felt the pain in his wings ebb as she withdrew the power of flight. The sky began slipping away from him as he fell backwards, keeping his eyes on the dragon. Keeping his wings and legs spread out for balance, Pit drew back the ethereal string on his bow. Sluggishly, Palkia nose-dived after him, clearly deluded and weak but still intent on finishing her prey.

When the creature was directly overhead and in his range, Pit released his last arrow.

Palkia bellowed in surprise as it struck her shoulder, but its effect was swift. The dragon fell limp as the last dose of tranquilizer knocked her out. Pit cried out in victory, but soon realized he had a new problem on his hands.

An unconscious dragon was falling on top of him.

"That was your plan?!" Palutena's voice scolded incredulously.

"It sounded better in my head!" Pit screamed out as Palkia's mass descended quickly towards him.

"We really need to work on your critical thinking skills. Lucky for you, I got you covered. Catch!"

Palkia suddenly shimmered, and like a snake shedding its skin the dragon's scales flaked away and scattered in the light. Soon all that was falling towards Pit was a small round object that the angel easily caught.

"A pearl?" He blinked.

"It's a Pokémon thing… I'll explain later. Let's get you back on solid ground, first."

"I won't say no to that…" He didn't feel particularly eager to find out what happened when falling angel met ground.

* * *

_A/N: Ha-didn't think that was a Heartless, did ya? Nope, but soon we'll be getting into the "world" concepts behind KH logic-and who better to introduce that then the space deity Palkia herself? Well, when she's in her right state of mind. Those darn legendaries-they may be OP'd, but they have ridiculously short tempers. Get on their bad side and they go off the deep end :P But hey, she's got a good excuse this time around, which we'll get into next chapter. _

_That aside, I'd appreciate any constructive criticisms! Especially since I'm dealing with canon characters. I've been so used to using OCs in Pokemon fanfics that I'm usually not comfortable handling characters that aren't my own. But I'd still like to give it a shot, because this is a story that I'd like to tell :) Thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3: Woe of the Worlds

**Chapter Three:** _Woe of the Worlds_

Palutena frowned as she personally checked over her last angel's wings. Simple enough, but Pit made it more difficult by his constant fidgeting. She knew he was bursting with questions, but she refused to say anything until she was certain his health was intact. The last time he overused the power of flight was still fresh in her mind.

"Doesn't look like there's any permanent damage," she finally concluded, releasing him.

Immediately the angel broke free and whirled around to face her. "I told you. Now can you tell me what's going on? What's Palkia doing here? Why was she acting so crazy? And why is she suddenly a stone? Does this mean that are Pokémon real? If they are… can I get a Pikachu?"

The goddess of light took a deep breath. "Yes. I don't know. Not sure. Because all Pokémon came from earth. Yes. No."

He stared at her blankly. "Um… Okay…? Now maybe explain…?"

She sighed. "Sorry, I didn't think I'd have to bring this up until the next Super Bash Sisters game."

"…You mean, Super Smash Bros."

She waved dismissively. "What I'm trying to say is, other universes exist other than our own. A lot of those games you play come from the stories that occurred in those universes."

Pit let that sink in for a while before grinning impishly. "So Pokémon _are_ real!"

"But you _won't_ be getting one," she gave him a stern look. "There are strict rules in place that keep the worlds separate and distinct, and for good reason. Can you imagine the chaos there would be if there were no boundaries between the worlds? People and _things_ coming and going as they please? Think about it this way—what would have happened if Hades invaded the Pokémon World? Or stole the Triforce from the Zelda universe?"

The angel winced. "Yeah… That would've been bad…"

"Exactly. That's why crossing-over is not normally tolerated—for the sake of maintaining order and balance in each world."

"But then… what about Super Smash Bros? Does it take place in its own world, too?"

"It's a bit of a special case. There has to be an opposite to everything; so, to create balance, order must be complimented by chaos. That's why the World of Trophies was created—to channel chaos and keep it contained. No real people actually live there, however; instead, avatars of the worlds' heroes are created and sent in their stead. These would be the trophies you see in the game."

Palutena's angel opened his mouth in a circle. "Ooooooh. I guess that explains why I've never been there before, even though I'm in the game. Wait, when did you make an avatar of me?"

"When you were asleep. I figured I'd tell you about it once we finally got our sequel, but I guess I forgot about it."

Pit frowned, upset that he had missed out on that. The avatar thing sounded interesting, and he wished he could have seen his own in person before it got shipped off. Still, he thought it was neat that somewhere some tiny version of himself was fighting off calamities. Unlike a certain other version he could think off.

Glancing over at the pedestal in the center of Palutena's chambers, Pit studied Palkia's pearl. "So… if the worlds are supposed to stay separate, then why is Palkia here?"

The goddess followed his gaze and pursed her lips. Standing with her in person, Pit could see how much the situation troubled her. "As deity of space, Palkia is responsible for keeping the boundaries between the worlds, making sure they stay separate. She can freely move between them if the needs are great enough, but… Something terrible must have happened to her to throw her into a fit like that…"

"Like what?"

"…I'm not sure… We'll just have to wait until—"

Palutena cut off as a sudden humming filled the air. Both goddess and angel stood at attention as the pearl in the center of the room began glowing. As if suspended by some unseen force, it began to rise and increase in size. Pit took a step in front of Palutena as the stone blossomed into a dragon once more—much smaller in size, but still a force to be reckoned with.

Eyes still red with rage, Palkia scanned the room hungrily. A harsh feminine voice pierced Pit's thoughts.

"_All right, where's that puny little angel? I gotta score to settle with him." _

* * *

Palutena took charge before the situation could erupt into chaos. Speaking quickly, she welcomed the legendary dragon.

"Lord Palkia, you gave us quite the scare back there. What on earth brings you to Angel Land?"

The dragon snorted. _"Angel Land? Is that where I ended up? Huh. Guess there's worse places… Hope I didn't trash the place. Wasn't quite in my right mind, if you know what I'm saying."_

Pit blinked, wondering at the dragon's manner of speech. She spoke bluntly and with a slight drawl—not at all what he was expecting for the supposed deity of space. Half of him had been expecting another Arlon, or maybe even a sultry voice like Pandora's. Instead, Palkia gave off clear tomboy vibes.

The goddess of light nodded sympathetically. "I thought you seemed a little… out of sorts. What happened?"

Palkia's grimace turned into a snarl_. "What happened? I'll tell you what happened! Some stupid franchise has grown bigger than its britches and is giving me all kinds of grief." _The dragon stomped its feet, shaking the entire room_. "Hmph! Why anybody thought it was a good idea to create those soul-sucking leeches of darkness is beyond me. They keep popping up in all the wrong places and I'm at my wit's end trying to keep them contained. Even with all my efforts, worlds are disappearing left and right. But of course, that's what happens when you craft a game that has A COMPLETE LACK OF REGARD FOR THE BOUNDRIES BETWEEN WORLDS. THINGS WERE BOUND TO GET OUT OF HAND. BUT NO. IT'S ALL FOR THE STORY. ARGH, JUST THINKING ABOUT IT—"_

Pit winced as the dragon's voice skyrocketed in volume. The spatial Pokémon was getting worked up again, and the angel worried that he might have to calm her down again. Thankfully, Palutena intervened once again before things could take a turn for the worst.

"Palkia, calm down… You're not making any sense."

Palkia pressed her jaws into a thin line in an apparent attempt to retrain herself. Releasing her breath in a gusty sigh, the dragon said, _"The boundaries between worlds are being threatened, Goddess of Light. My realm is diving into chaos. Been working my tail off to restore order, but the second I had my back turned, I was attacked."_

"But that's impossible. You're the only one with access to the Realm Between."

"_Not anymore,"_ the dragon snorted derisively. _"Like I said, _they've_ been breaking rules left and right. They're making their own paths…" _

Pit had been trying his best to follow the conversation, although ultimately failing. Palutena had only just introduced him to the concept of worlds. All this talk went over his head. Still, having sat on the side lines for so long, he felt he had to speak up.

"Who's they?" The angel asked.

Palkia opened her mouth to reply. Before she could utter so much as a syllable, the doors to Palutena's chambers swung open.

"Lady Palutena!" a tiny Centurion squeaked in the open doorway. "Milady, there's been an attack! The humans are suffering!"

The deity of space slowly straightened, her face grim. _"I was afraid of that."_

* * *

Chaos. Familiar, but unwelcomed.

In the streets the people were screaming and shouting, some raising their voices to the gods and demanding why their happiness had been shattered so soon. Was peace that intolerable? Were the gods pleased only when mankind suffered?

While these stooped in their self-pity or bitter accusations, a few men—veteran soldiers—took up arms against the rising threat. However, their attackers were unlike anything they had ever faced before. Not even the forces of the Underworld compared; these new and foul creatures were mindless but unyielding, bolstered by their ungodly number. Their dead yellow eyes stared out of their black skins, hungrily eyeing their victims.

The human resistance was quickly discovering that their weapons were useless. Some breezed through these new enemies harmlessly, as if they were nothing but ghosts. Others discovered that those they managed to vanquish only returned.

Only one fighter was having any success: a masked youth with a strange sword and dark cerulean hair.

This chaos was all too familiar to this fighter, and all the more unwelcomed. One fight always led to another. The fighter was beginning to realize that the road to home would never be paved smoothly.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for how brief this chapter is, but the next chapters will be much longer-and full of actual action ;D __At any rate, yay! I finally (officially) got to introduce Palkia! I hope people won't be too upset that I decided to make her female, but personally in my mind I like assigning genders to Legendary Pokemon even though they are supposedly genderless :P I also chose to make her female so I could assign her a properly gruff tomboy personality, which I am very eager to write about in future chapters. Poor Pit's got yet another gal to harass around xD  
_

_Speaking of Pokemon, we touched a little of my own headcannon/theory/ect concerning the little creatures and their origins. Most species (if not all) seem to have strange connections to stones. You have evolutionary stones (even the Everstone), and more recently the Megastones. Then you have the light and the dark stones, which held Zekrom and Reshiram. Palkia's "Pearl" form that I used in this fic is basically the same thing-a dormant stage for the dragon. I could go into more details and theories, but this isn't a Pokemon fic, so... HEARTLESS!_


	4. Chapter 4: Attack on Heartless

_A/N: I was replaying the "Heads of the Hewdraw" chapter of Kid Icarus: Uprising the other day, and got the most random conversation. Pit said he wished he could be a goldfish, and when asked why he just says because it'd be so easy... Palutena admits she can never keep them for very long. And it just ends. ...LoL? Just thought it was weird, but ya gotta love the dialogue in that game xD_

_So anyway, I realized sometime during this chapter that I might be using some worlds/characters that folks might not be familiar with, which concerns me a little. I'm wondering if I should start including bios or some kind of background material so folks don't get too confused... Let me know what I should do if you come across this :) Thanks!  
_

_And one final note-there's two new characters in this chapter. One which is from Fire Emblem: Awakening (that is a bit spoilery for the game), and another that is a loose reference to both Greek mythology and a game I have heard of but never played that was produced by a third-party developer to Nintendo (therefore emphasis on LOOSE). I'll explain more at the end of this chapter. For now, enjoy!_

* * *

Falchion slid through the creature with ease, dissipating it into smoldering clouds of blackness. The wielder of the legendary blade had little time to catch their breath before the next foe struck. Fortunately, its attack was reckless and easily dodged. One side step later, it met the same end as its former companion.

Lucina leapt back out of the fray, taking a moment to catch her breath. Although she had never encountered these foul creatures before, they were not unlike Risen—the undead warriors she had dealt with in the past. Both breeds of evil were similarly mindless and bent on killing anything with a beating heart. Neither left behind a corpse.

She found she could deal with this new threat the same way she had dealt with the Risen. In many ways they were easier to defeat, but what gave her difficulty were their numbers. For every creature she felled, three more filled their place. The creatures crawled all over the village she had found herself in, and no one but Lucina could seem to hold them off for long. Innocents were falling left and right, despite all her efforts. She was beginning to realize this battle was grimly one-sided.

"Retreat! Retreat to the temple!"

Lucina glanced up through her mask to see a small group of militia fleeing through the streets. Leading them was a man she had recognized from the start of the invasion. He wielded a weapon she was unfamiliar with—a dark, barbed sword with no hand guard. With it in hand, he seemed to have an easier time fighting the enemy than his comrades, although he could not dispel the creatures like Lucina could. Still, he fought the harder battle in keeping his men alive.

His eyes glanced her way with a hint of recognition. Waving to her, he shouted, "Help me get these men to the temple!"

The ex-princess's momentary reprieve was over. Grunting with a nod, Lucina sprinted after them, slashing at any creature that threatened to impede the group's progression.

Keeping her voice low to mimic a man's voice, as she had done so long ago, Lucina asked, "Does this temple offer a better defensive position?"

The leader smirked. "In a way. You're not from around these parts, are you? The temple is dedicated to the Goddess of Light—Palutena. Those foul monsters cannot set foot there."

He sounded confident. Lucina could only hope that confidence wasn't misplaced. While she had never heard of this deity, her travels had taught her to be open-minded. "Are you certain of this?"

One of the soldiers promptly spoke up. "Yes! I've seen it with my own eyes. The temple is protected!"

"The women and children have been ushered inside," the leader continued. "We've tried our best to search for stragglers, but my men can't handle much more. It's high time we saved our own hides, and live to fight another day. The name's Heracles, by the way."

"Marth," the word spilled quickly out of her mouth before she could give it a thought.

"Hmm, foreign for sure," the man grunted. "But I appreciate your help, nonetheless."

He continued to lead the retreat seemingly unbothered, while "Marth" fell to the rear of the column. The group continued to wend their way through the ruins, with Lucina and Heracles giving it their best to fend of the attacking creatures. She hadn't noticed it at first, but some of the men they protected seemed affected by the onslaught. Their faces were pale and taut, as if stricken with illness. Although concerned, Lucina kept the brunt of her focus on protecting them, whirling Falchion through the air left and right.

"There it is!" Heracles announced as they rounded a block of half-collapsed buildings. The only intact structure in the area was the one he gestured at with his barbed sword. Rectangular in shape, the temple's outer walls were lined with tall, snow-white columns, the statue of a graceful woman guarding its doors. The village's assailants were gathered around it, although they seemed physically incapable of venturing inside. The creatures would stretch their claws out with vile intent, only to shrink back as if striking an unseen barrier. Between the pillars, she could see the relieved faces of the townsfolk watching their failures.

Heracles beamed at his men, waving his weapon about. "Take heart, men! Just a few steps more!"

Those that still had energy surged forth, but the sickly ones stumbled. Lucina and Heracles skidded to a stop.

"Men?" the older warrior asked, hesitant.

No answer came from the stricken. They gaped at their protectors mindlessly, black auras radiating from their beings. Lucina's mind went blank as she laid witness to a new horror. Before her eyes, the men lost all humanity. Thier forms became twisted and stained with black. Their vacant eyes grew large and pupil-less, turning on their former comrades with hunger.

The first to recover, Lucina shouted a warning at Heracles.

The warrior, left dumb stricken at the transformation of his once close allies, could not react quick enough before the monsters jumped him.

* * *

"No!" Pit shouted as he watched the battle through Palutena's scrying pool. "This… This is terrible!"

Turning to Palkia, he asked, "What are those things?"

The dragon scowled at the vision with distaste. _"In the world they come from, they are known as Heartless—manifestations of the darkness in people's hearts. They were supposed to stay in their own Realm. But since everybody and their grandma has darkness in their hearts, there ain't many places they _can't_ get to. This is only the beginning…"_

Pit didn't like the sound of that—not one bit. He glanced up at his goddess, hoping for some encouraging word, but Palutena looked uncharacteristically grim as she stared at the vision in her pool. Following her gaze, Pit watched as the masked warrior struggled to rescue the group's leader. He was dismally outnumbered…

"We've gotta help them!" the angel declared, clenching his fists. "Lady Palutena, I need to get down there!"

His bold declaration shook the goddess from her reverie. She slowly turned to face him, her expression was unreadable.

"_Ha!"_ Palkia barked. _"Don't be brash. You? They'd eat your light for breakfast, kid."_

"I'm not a kid!" retorted Pit. Returning his focus on his goddess, he begged, "Please. I can't just stand by and watch the humans suffer like this. There's got to be something we can do."

"…We may be the only ones who _can_ do anything," Palutena glanced at Palkia, who frowned. Turning to her angel, the goddess sighed, "But you've already used the power of flight today…"

Pit fidgeted in place, stealing another glance at the scrying pool. "Isn't there some other way to get me down there?"

Palkia snorted derisively. _"What am I? Chopped liver?"_

He shot her a confused look. Palutena, however, shook her head. "I couldn't ask you to do that—you're still recovering from the attack."

"_Please, goddess,"_ the dragon rolled her eyes. _"I ain't delicate; it would take more than the likes of chicken-wings over there to take me down. Us Legendaries are made from tougher stuff than that. If you really think your angel's gonna do any good here, then you get him geared up. _I'll_ get him down there and throw him into the fray." _

Palutena's angel was about to ask how she was going to do that, until it clicked. Space-bending dragon and that… how could he forget? "Er, I hope you don't mean that literally," he piped.

Her reply was an unsettling tooth-filled grin.

* * *

"_One… Two… Three… CONTACT!"_

Pit barely had time to blink before he descended into chaos, promptly falling on his face. His journey through Palkia's wormhole had been less than enjoyable. Running through it felt like sliding through a kaleidoscope, full of vibrant colors and constantly shifting shapes. With all the constant motion, Pit felt like he had been running in place; it seemed like magic when the light at the end of the tunnel jumped at him, tossing him back into reality.

The wormhole had been completely devoid of sound. Now, suddenly finding himself literally thrown into the midst of a town in peril, the cacophonous choir of battle stung his ears.

"_Still in one piece, chicken wings?"_ Palkia's voice reached his mind as he picked himself up from the ground.

He listed to the side, wobbling unsteadily on his feet as his vision danced in a circle. "Ugh… I feel like I've been on Pandora's merry-go-round…"

"_That sounds like a riot, heheh."_

"Seriously, though. What did you do to me? Am I missing a liver? Did something go wrong?" The angel's imagination ran wild with everything and anything that could go wrong during a trip through space. What if his insides had ended up on the outside? What if his kidney ended up in Timbuktu?

"_Calm down, kid. That's just a side effect. The dizziness will wear off soon enough."_

"Hopefully sooner than later," the angel muttered, still trying to get solid footing. He was thankful, at the very least, that the trip through the wormhole hadn't been any longer; it had reminded him somewhat of Pandora's maddening Labyrinth. Even Palutena had difficulty guiding him through the twisted dungeon, where right could be left and up could be cheese.

"_Look alive, chicken-wings. Shadows at twelve o'clock!" _

Pit shook his head and tried to focus. Sure enough, a pack of insect-like creatures squirmed towards him, antennas twitching above their saucer-shaped eyes. Steeling himself for battle, Pit raised his new bow—the Kingdom Bow, as Palutena had called it. Glinting with both gold and silver, it had a simple, gradual curve to it, much like his signature weapon; the grip had a shape reminiscent of a crown, although the arrow rest itself was etched in the symbol of a heart. The goddess of light had crafted this bow specifically to face these creatures.

"_The Heartless are embodiments of darkness,"_ she had informed him. _"Only weapons of magic and light can keep them at bay."_

"Let's see if this works," the angel grunted as he drew back his hand. An arrow of pure white light formed down the bow's sight, aimed directly for a witless Shadow. Mentally crossing his fingers, Pit let the projectile fly.

His aim was spot on. The arrow struck the creature in the forehead, and instantly it evaporated into black smoke.

"Yeah!" Pit hooted, pumping his fist in the air. "It worked! Lady Palutena, did you see that? It worked!"

He heard her brief guffaw. _"Of course it did. Was there any doubt that it wouldn't? It _is_ my own handiwork, after all."_

"_Don't get cocky, you two,"_ Palkia huffed. "_That's only one Heartless out of a thousand, with more are popping up by the second." _

As if to emphasize the dragon's point, more Shadows pooled around the angel, slowly rising out of the ground with their claws ready. They started closing in on Pit, but he was hardly intimidated. Smirking with new confidence, the angel yanked his bow apart and readied its blades.

"Time to go to town!"

The Shadow Heartless fell just as easily to the blades as they did to the arrow. Although they outnumbered him, Pit utilized his speed and dexterity to mow his way through them. The first wave quickly fell, but replacements were on the way. Pit frowned as more Shadows scurried towards him.

"_Forget the small fry," _Palkia chimed in. _"They ain't worth your time. Keep your strength up for the real fight." _

"What do you mean by that?" Pit asked, warily drawing another arrow.

Before Palkia could respond, Palutena voice lanced through his thoughts.

"_Pit, you need to get to those humans, and fast_! _They need you, now!"_

The angel was running even before he eagerly replied, "On it!"

The Heartless gave chase, but Pit stubbornly refused to be impeded by their efforts. Charging up a shot, he gave his pursuers a powerful backwards dash attack before speeding around the next corner, where he knew the humans' temple would be. Already he could hear their distressed screams. Hopefully, the goddess's blessing would continue to shield the—

Pit skidded to a halt as soon as the temple came into sight. The humans cowered inside, their eyes locked a hulking monstrosity rampaging outside their sanctuary. Unlike the Heartless before, this beast stood almost as tall as the temple itself. Sharp horns rose from its bull-like skull, which in turn was supported by a sinewy man-like torso. In both hands it held crude swords, square in shape but hooked at the tip. As the Heartless twisted about, Pit could see a heart-shaped hole running all the way through its chest.

"_A Minotaur Heartless? Well, that's original_…" Palutena grumbled.

Ignoring her comment, Palkia cheerfully said, _"Well, congratulations! Looks like you found the boss! Now hurry and go kick its trash so we can get this over with. I'm getting hungry."_

"Is it lunch time already?" asked Pit, momentarily forgetting the situation as he always did when food was brought up. He was quickly recalled when the Minotaur suddenly bellowed, swinging one of its blades down in apparent frustration. Pit blinked as he saw something a blue blur dash between its legs.

"Hey, someone's trying to fight it!" he needlessly shouted.

"_What? But who…?"_ Palutena trailed off.

Making no further delay, Pit leapt back into action, pulling back on another arrow. He let it charge up a moment before rolling forward, using his momentum to create a powerful forward dash attack. The Minotaur was completely blindsided as his arrow impacted its shoulder, causing it to lose its balance. Taking advantage of the distraction, the blue blur leapt at the creature's face, spinning twice before bearing a golden sword down on its face.

Pit arrived right where the warrior landed with another arrow nocked.

"Thanks," the golden sword's wielder gruffly acknowledged, speaking in a low but youthful voice. His face was obscured by a butterfly-shaped mask, but as far as Pit could tell, he _seemed_ human. The angel had to wonder otherwise, given his unusual apparel and remarkable fighting prowess. His attacks seemed to be having real effect against the Minotaur Heartless. It clutched at its right eye in obvious pain.

"Er, don't mention it?" Pit replied, experiencing major déjà vu. Strangely, he felt like he was reliving his first encounter with the human, Magnus.

"_Wait, is that…?"_ Palutena spoke up, mystified. _"No… It can't be…!"_

"Is something wrong, Lady Palutena?" the angel frowned, ignorant of the strange look he earned from the masked warrior.

The Minotaur was on them again before he could hear her reply. Pit jumped backwards, avoiding its massive blade before firing his next light arrow. This time, the creature was prepared for Pit's attack. It lifted its hilt in time to deflect his attack, and would have followed up with a counter strike if the masked warrior hadn't interfered. The Minotaur instead stepped backwards to avoid getting grazed by the golden sword.

Pit surged forward to assist the warrior, but the Heartless boss suddenly spun around, whipping the both of them with its tail. The duo was sent flying backwards, landing hard on their backs several feet away. Both the landing and the blow knocked the wind from them.

"He sure packs a punch," Pit winced.

"We need to work together," the masked warrior grunted, using his sword as a crutch as he got back on his feet. "The eyes and the ankles are the weak points… Cover me while I go for the ankles!"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Pit lifted the Kingdom Bow and took aim.

* * *

_A/N: Aaaaaaand here we go! I hope I don't confuse you with Lucina in this and the next chapter. She is disguising herself as a young man, which is why you will see her addressed as a "he" when we are in Pit's point of view. Oooohhh, the fun we shall have. :)  
_

_Now, regarding Heracles. No, he is not THE Heracles-not the one from mythology and not exactly the one from Glory of Heracles. I have never played that game, so this Heracles will remain, as I've said, a loose reference with a personality of my own choice. In my mind, he is merely named after the legendary hero, although the sword he uses is an actual weapon from Greek mythology. I actually debated naming him Perseus instead, but in the end I wanted to keep that small reference to the Glory of Heracles. Soooo, there you have it._

_What happened to that sucker anyway? Weeeeeeell, we'll have to find out later :)  
_


	5. Chapter 5: Warriors of Light

_A/N: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter, but May is a ridiculously busy time for florists, as you can imagine. I lost my chapter buffer as well, but what can you do? :) Since I'm trying to do longer chapters, I might switch to updating every other week instead of every week.  
_

_I figured the last chapter would cause a little confusion, but I need to make this clear-the "Marth" referred to in these chapters is not THE Marth. I'm excited to finally have our second main character in here, who is one of my favorites from FE: Awakening! :) Without further ado..._

* * *

Lucina and the winged boy launched into their plan just as the bull-faced monster shuffled towards them, blades at the ready. The archer fired his arrow at the beast's face, distracting it long enough for Lucina to close the distance between them. While her unexpected comrade continued raining arrows, she set Falchion at her side. The blade glowed blue as she ran it through the beast's haunches, illuminating the wisps of darkness that escaped the wound it left in its wake.

The creature released a fresh bellow of pain, but to Lucina's frustration, it remained standing. She had failed to sever any tendons like she had been intending. Still, the princess had no time to fret; the monster returned its attention on her, dropping both of its massive blades down.

Blocking was out of the question. Lucina leaped backwards and narrowly missed a beheading.

"My turn!"

The masked swordswoman glanced up to see the archer scaling the beast's back, using his wings for an extra boost. Their foe flailed its arms in annoyance, attempting to dislodge the winged boy, but with little success. When he managed to reach the head, the boy pulled back another bolt.

"Light Arrow! Apply directly to the forehead!" he shouted before letting it loose.

At that point, Lucina wasn't sure if her new ally was insane or… odd. Still, his unusual tactic had merit. The beast howled in pain, dropping its weapons before clutching its head. Lucina saw her chance. She dashed in for another attack, followed closely by the winged archer. Together, they took turns delivering strokes to the beast's hide until it retaliated. Lucina and her comrade were sent flying again as it backhanded them.

If the beast had been outraged before, now it completely livid. Snorting white smoke from its nostrils, the creature dug its hooves into the ground several times before lowering its head.

"Quick! Heads or tails?" the archer asked as he picked himself back up.

Lucina inclined her head towards him, baffled. "What…?"

The beast began its charge, aiming its horns right at the duo.

"Heads it is, then," the winged boy hastily replied. Leaving Lucina in the dust, he rushed forward as if to tackle the beast head-on. When he drew near, the beast swung his fist down, but the boy rolled between its legs. As he landed on his feet, he thrust his bow blades out and sliced into the monster's ankles.

Releasing a surprised but chocked bellow, the beast fell to the earth. At last, Lucina realized what the winged boy had meant. Picking up Falchion, she leapt into the air and bore down the final blow, impaling the creature right through the skull.

Time froze. The temple square fell dead silent, all motion ceasing for a brief moment. Then, the monster collapsed in on itself. Lucina braced herself as its hulking mass evaporated into black mist, blasting her face with a gust of wind. Soon nothing remained of the creature, no sign that it had ever existed, save for the hole Falchion had pierced into the ground. The shadows that had been watching the fight began to shrink away, disappearing to parts unknown.

Lucina stood and pulled her legendary sword free. Though she had hoped for a reverent moment to gather her wits, her wish was denied.

"Woohoo!" the winged boy hooted, raising his bow triumphantly into the air. "Heartless Boss annihilated! How was that for _chicken wings_, Palkia?"

He looked pointedly into the sky, as if challenging some onlooker. Lucina gave him a cautious side-glance as she slowly sheathed Falchion. Did she dare interact with him further? She had to admit that though he had demonstrated capable fighting abilities, there was something… not quite right in his head. If that were the case, perhaps it would be better if she—

"Hey, wait!" She winced. Too late. She turned to see the winged boy practically rushing over to her, his mouth moving at a thousand miles per hour.

"That was amazing back there! Those crazy jumping attacks and that crazy golden sword and the glowing thing and… You're a really good fighter, for a human—er, you are human, right? Do you know Magnus, maybe? Wait, are you from around here? What's your name?"

From behind her mask, Lucina blinked. His questions were overwhelming… Did he honestly expect an answer from all of them? Which one should she answer first? Deciding the last was the easiest, she calmly but curtly replied, "Marth."

Although she had felt more comfortable using that cover name this time around, she hadn't expected his reaction. The winged boy's eyes grew wide.

"Wait, Marth? Like… _the_ Marth? The prince of Altea? From _Fire Emblem_? No way! But… it makes sense! Blue hair, blue clothes, awesome fighting skills… Is that Falchion, then? It looks a bit different from what I remember. You're a bit smaller than I expected, too. In _Smash Brothers_ you always looked—"

Lucina's breath hitched when he named her weapon. Out of reflex she took a step back, her hand flying back to Falchion's hilt. No one in this country knew about her or her weapon. No one _should_ have known. "How do you know that name?" she demanded.

The boy must have realized he struck a chord. He held out his hands in an attempt to placate her. "Whoa, whoa, easy—just calm down a second. I know because I…" He stopped, a strange expression crossing his face. "Wait… You… You're not supposed to be here."

Turning his attention back to the sky, he asked, "Palkia, what's going on?"

Lucina again considered just walking away. This boy was clearly unstable, speaking to no one in particular—and then holding conversations with them. The thing that kept her rooted in place, however, was his apparent knowledge of Marth and Falchion. 'Altea' was a name that had thrown her for a loop. She wasn't certain she had heard that name before… Was she just—

"What? But if he's not Marth, then… Who is he?" The angel frowned, returning his confused gaze to her. However, his eyes grew wide for the second time. "Wait… He's a girl?!"

Falchion flew from its sheath, pointing straight at the boy's throat. Without bothering to mask her voice, Lucina growled, "Who are you? _What_ are you?"

"H-hey!" the archer gulped, staring down her blade. "E-easy! I'm a good guy! A friend!"

She didn't move Falchion. If anything, she tightened her grip.

Moving cautiously, the boy slowly lifted his bow and used it to ease move Falchion away. "Look, I think we got off on the wrong start…" he tried to sound casual. "How about we start over? Hi, I'm Pit."

He held out his hand in a friendly gesture. Lucina, however, didn't return it. Behind the mask, she narrowed her eyes.

Awkwardly, 'Pit' withdrew his hand. "Er, right. Anyway, I'm an angel—a servant to the Goddess of Light, Lady Palutena. The reason why I know so much about yo—I mean, '_Marth'_, is because…"

He stopped, his eyes darting to the skies again. "What's that, Lady Palutena? …Er, is that allowed? Okay, then!"

Addressing Lucina, he added, "If it's alright with you, Lady Palutena would like to speak with you in person. Is that okay?"

Lucina lowered her weapon. Palutena? That was the name Heracles had used, before… the monster appeared. This 'Pit' certainly wasn't making it up, then. Was this goddess a real person?

Pit seemed to take her slight relaxing as an affirmative. Grinning, he glanced over at the people cowering in the temple. "Hold on one second," he told her.

Before she could stop him, the angel approaching the temple. Calling to the villagers, he declared, "People of the Overworld! The Boss has been conquered, and the Heartless have retreated! You may return to your homes, now. If trouble ever arises again, know that the Goddess of Light has blessed this temple. You will always find sanctuary here."

Even from where she stood, Lucina could see the relieved expressions on the faces of the people. Some even began to cheer, praising the good goddess' name as they emerged from the shadows of the pillars. Falchion's wielder was surprised; all these people seemed to believe the angel's words. Some even approached him to personally thank him, to which the angel sheepishly scratched his head. He quickly separated himself from the crowd before it could overwhelm him and skipped back to her side.

"Sorry about that!" he said, a goofy grin spread across his boyish face. "Ready to go?"

Chrom's daughter studied the angel closely. She had never been one to blindly trust anyone, friend or foe. Even when in the company of the Shepherds of Ylisse, she held secret doubts against all of her father's companions, suspecting each and every one of them of a treachery that had doomed her future. Lucina knew as well as anyone that even a face as innocent as Pit's could hide a deceiving cutthroat.

"How do I know I can trust you?" she finally voiced her suspicions.

That seemed to put a downer on the winged boy's spirit. His wings drooped slightly as he responded. "Trust me? Um, well… I'm an angel. It's against our sacred code of conduct to lead others on in deceit. We're to be honest at all times! …Except when it comes to Lady Palutena's cooking." He winced and quietly muttered, "Sorry, Lady Palutena…"

When she continued staring without uttering a word, the angel straightened. "Okay, how about this: I swear by the sacred name of Lady Palutena that I will in no way harm or deceive you. Angels' honor!"

He finished his oath by placing his fist over his heart. Lucina let her guard down a little, considering the angel's words. So far, he hadn't given her much reason to doubt him—if fact, he gave her anything but that. He had helped her take down that monster, and after that… She glanced over at the spectating villagers. Many were nodding encouragingly at her, as if trying to assure her that the boy could be trusted. He had treated them so kindly, she had to admit.

Numerous times, this Palutena character had been addressed as a goddess of light. If that were so, would she even be capable of deceit? What if she was a sham? Lucina shuddered inwardly as she thought of the Grimleal—the Plegian cult that had brought her world so much misery. The dark religion had followed foul practices designed to please the Fell Dragon Grima, and despite the corruption it sowed, it had fooled many into fervent but blind worship. What if Palutena was another Grima?

Lucina looked at the angel, and then back down to her sword. Although all her instincts told her one thing, it felt like her heart was telling her another. Even though she knew nothing about Palutena, Lucina couldn't deny she felt a certain degree of peace at the mere mention of the name. Looking at these people, and at Pit, she could almost see a spark of light in their countenance. Despite the attack, they seemed… happy. Almost glowing with joy. That was something she had never encountered with the Grimleal, whose joy came only when others suffered.

And then there was the temple itself. Lucina had seen for herself how it had repelled those creatures of darkness. It seemed silly to think that darkness could ever repel darkness, for a house divided would never stand.

She wondered: could darkness be disguised as light?

Maybe Palutena could have been another Grima… But what if she was another Naga?

Sighing in defeat, Lucina sheathed Falchion one more time. "Where are you taking me?" she asked submissively.

Pit beamed, his spark reigniting quickly. "To Palutena's Temple in Skyworld!"

He held out his hand. Lucina stared at it, wondering what exactly she was consigning herself to. She wasn't sure how she had ended up in this strange company, with dark beasts and winged men, but there was no going back. Hesitantly, she took it.

"Okay, Lady Palutena!" Pit lifted his eyes to the sky. "Beam us up!"

Lucina gasped in surprise as a warm beacon of light encircled them. A sound almost like a singing choir rang in her ears before she and the "angel" where slowly lifted from the earth. She opened her mouth to ask what was happening, but all she could manage was a small squeak before the damaged town disappeared completely from her view.

* * *

Palutena's extractions were as familiar to Pit as breathing. He never gave them much thought, nor did he think they were that frightening. Travelling through Palkia's wormholes was worse by far. Given that, he wasn't expecting "Marth's" reaction. The angel winced as the human's hold on his hand tightened into a death grip. He thought he would have lost all feeling in it if the trip hadn't been as short as it was. As soon as they had their feet on solid ground once again, the angel tried to reclaim his hand.

"Ow, ow, ow—Okay! We're here! You can let go now!" he whimpered.

'Marth' grunted an apology and quickly released him. The human, however, became quickly entranced by their new surroundings. While the angel tried to rub circulation back into his fingers, 'Marth' stepped across the forecourt of the temple grounds, gaping at the statue of Palutena gazing down at them above. Ethereal white wings of massive proportions extended from either side of it protectively over the temple, almost like an eagle guarding her nest.

Pit remembered asking Palutena once what the wings were made off, but he couldn't remember what her answer was.

The human's gaze continued to wander across the grounds, taking in all the white and golden architecture spread across the floating islands. Pit wondered what was going through his/her (er, its?) mind, but the mask hid any and all emotion the warrior might have been expressing.

Whatever it was, Pit figured he'd finally get around to formally welcoming the stranger.

"So, here we are," the angel gave a sweeping gesture towards the structures surrounding them. "Welcome to Skyworld!"

'Marth' was silent for a brief moment, as if still trying to decide what he/she thought of the place. "Are those islands… floating? In the sky?"

"Yep." Pit answered, popping his lips on the 'p'. "We don't call it Skyworld for nothing, you know."

"…How is this possible?" the human breathlessly muttered, speaking to his/herself.

Pit scratched his head, trying to make up his own mind on something else. The stranger's mask was making him feel uneasy, appearing so cold and impassive. What kind of person hid behind it, if it wasn't Marth? He wondered, but he didn't question his goddess's decisions. She trusted this human enough to bring them to her temple. They tended to work out in the end, even if, at times, it put the angel in danger.

"You should feel honored," he commented. "You're the first human that's ever set foot here, as far as I know."

"…Am I?" the human seemed surprised. Whatever thoughts went through his/her head, he/she eventually bowed his/her head in reverence. "It is an honor, then."

This person was respectful, at least, but Pit felt odd being on the receiving end of it. Usually folks just picked on him… Looking to change the subject, the brown-haired angel took a few steps towards the statue. "Lady Palutena is just up ahead—we shouldn't keep her waiting."

The human hesitated for a brief moment, but nodded his/her head.

Pit led the way through the temple's grounds, crossing first over the grand bridge that spanned the distance between the main island and Palutena's chambers. Thankfully, it had been repaired since the incident with the Chaos Kin, allowing easy access for mortals and flight-challenged angels. Most other sections of Skyworld had also seen renovation since then, although others still bore the scars of war. Yet the light of Angel Land had been restored, and Pit could think of no other place he would rather call home.

The walk to the temple was a long one, allowing 'Marth' plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. Every time Pit glanced over his shoulder to check on his charge, the human had his/her head turned towards some passing landmark, silently observing.

"What are all these buildings for?" Pit's charge startled him by speaking up. Their journey had been so quiet up until then, the angel hadn't been expecting a conversation. "It seems to me you have a small city here, not just a temple."

Pit frowned. Back in its golden age, Skyworld had been a bit of a city with all the angels that had lived here and served Lady Palutena. The Centurions made use of most of the buildings now, though some remained unused.

"Oh, this and that," Pit finally replied with a shrug. "Some are for living in. Others we use for training, or storage, sometimes banquets or dance parties. Maybe an occasional karaoke night."

"…Karaoke?"

"Yep. You know, singing? I don't mean to brag, but… I make a mean alto. I've written a few of my own songs, too."

"I'll… take your word for it." The conversation died after that, much to Pit's disappointment (after all, he wouldn't mind sharing one of his masterpieces). Their journey continued in an awkward silence, bringing them across the great bridge and into the courtyard of Palutena's Chambers. Although this had been one of the most drastically remodeled parts of the temple, Pit still hated passing through here. It reminded him all too clearly of the day he had to fight the goddess of light to free her from the Chaos Kin's control. The angel picked up his pace, which the stranger matched without question. Pit, however, could feel the human's eyes on the back of his head.

The Centurion Strongarms on either side of Palutena's door stood at attention as the duo approached, saluting their captain. However, they looked down at the human with some distrust, and seemed hesitant to let them pass.

"You may open the doors, Centurions. Lady Palutena wishes to speak with this human," Pit informed them simply, his tone suggesting that his words were an order.

The Strong Arms had no objections after that. With a grunt of affirmation, they reached out their brawny arms and pulled the giant doors apart, revealing the goddess's grand foyer in all its splendor. To Pit's surprise, Lady Palutena and Palkia were already waiting for them inside.

"There you are, Pit," she said pleasantly. "Looks like you made it back in one piece. Palkia's wormhole didn't turn you inside out after all."

The dragon beside her snorted.

Ignoring her, Pit strode forward and presented his charge. "I brought the human as requested, Lady Palutena."

"Thank you, Pit." Turning to '_Marth'_, she said, "Welcome to Angel Land, child of Naga. You may remove your mask; you're among friends, here."

* * *

_A/N: Did that battle seem a little too easy? Good ;) BTW, why _hasn't_ a Minotaur been used as a concept for a Heartless yet? It'd be a pretty cool beast, methinks. Well, here's to hoping in KH3! :D_


	6. Chapter 6: Lucina

**A/N: Oh hey, an update! Not as pleased as I have been with other chapters, but this one has its moments :) At any rate, this chapter was a lesson in RESEARCH xD**

* * *

Lucina had always lived in a world of impossibilities. She had seen the eyes of Grima and had survived. She had traveled to the past to avert a world apocalypse. She had changed both her fate and the fate of her loved ones. Now, she found herself on an island floating in the sky, standing face to face with a goddess.

Perhaps it all could have been an elaborate hoax, but Lucina felt very little doubt now that she saw with her own eyes. Palutena's presence was not unlike one she had felt before. In fact, Lucina could see some resemblance between this "goddess of light" and the all-mighty dragon, Naga. The green hair was only the beginning of the similarities. But the differences were there as well. While Naga bore an air of ancient wisdom and solemnity, Palutena glowed with warm and youthful energy.

Although she had been invited to remove her mask, Lucina continued to hesitate. "You know who I am?"

Palutena nodded, a smile never leaving her kind face. "Your name is Lucina, correct? Princess of Ylisse?"

The winged boy nearly jumped out of his feathers. "W-wait, '_Princess'_?"

Lucina didn't turn to look at him, instead keeping her gaze pointed at the goddess. To her surprise, however, a voice echoed through the room around them, seeming to have no discernable origin. The Exalt's daughter recognized soon, however, that the words were in her mind—similar to the way when Nah, Nowi, or Tiki spoke in their dragon forms. Lucina immediately lifted her eyes to the foyer's last occupant.

"_Don't tell me—out of all the games you've played, you haven't picked up the newest Fire Emblem?"_ the white-and-pink dragon smirked down at Pit.

"I played _Shadow Dragon_!" the angel objected.

"_I was talking about _Awakening_, you nitwit!" _

"_Awakening_? Oh, um…" Pit suddenly looked sheepish.

"He's not allowed to play anything over E ten and up," Palutena explained.

"…_Really?" _The dragon arched a brow.

"I know!" Pit groaned. "I keep telling her I'm over 100 years old now, but she won't even let me play _Twilight Princess_…"

Lucina turned to the angel with renewed amazement. How could he be that old? He looked no older than she was—younger, in fact. She would have pegged him for being fourteen or fifteen… Or five.

The dragon rumbled with laughter. _"Ha, right. Guess we wouldn't want to corrupt your young precious mind. It's a shame, though. You're missing out on a great game."_

The angel repeated his groan with more gusto. "Palkia, you're not helping me here."

Lucina glanced back up at the dragon, who Pit had called Palkia. She had no idea what they were talking about, or why they thought the Fire Emblem was some sort of game (perhaps a misunderstanding?). Hoping to change the subject, she asked, "Are you a Manakete?"

The giant reptile smirked. _"If I was, I'd be the most broken unit ever."_

"There's a lot of explaining we need to do," Palutena cut in before Lucina could ask what a "broken unit" was. "But I have a few questions to ask you, first. So… the mask?"

The goddess gestured once again to Lucina. The room fell silent as all eyes turned to her, breathlessly waiting for the unveiling. Lucina clenched her jaw, conscious of their stares. She felt hesitant to remove her mask. To her, it had been a source of security. Since leaving the world of her parent's past, it had shielded her from strangers and kept her anonymous. At the same time, it served as a painful reminder of her self-induced exile. Still, it had no use here. Palutena somehow knew who she was. What point was there in hiding?

Reaching up her hands, Lucina untied the bands of her mask. As it fell from her face, her long cobalt hair fell in waves past her shoulders, unmasking her true identity. She opened her eyes, revealing unflinching sapphire orbs that returned the goddess's patient gaze with the pride that spoke of her noble bloodline. One was marked clearly with the sacred symbol of Naga.

Pit, of course, was the one to state the obvious. "S-she… She really _is_ a girl!" He took a step back, clearly floored even when the others seemed unsurprised.

"_Pit. You have the observational skills of a Zubat…"_ muttered Palkia.

"What are you talking about? Zubat don't have eyes…"

Ignoring her snort of contempt, Pit opened his mouth as if to ask Lucina more questions. However, his goddess quickly stepped in.

"Sorry, Pit, but you'll have to save your questions for later. First, I think Lucina should tell us her story." Turning to her, the goddess asked, "How did you get here?"

Lucina knitted her brows together, letting her gaze fall to the white tiled floor. There wasn't much of a story to tell. After the Fell Dragon Grima was defeated, she had spent most of her time wandering the continents, searching for her place in the world. After some time…

"I… came to the Outrealm Gate," the blue-haired youth said.

Palkia suddenly roared with outrage. "_OLD MAN HUBBA?! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! THAT PERVERTED SON OF A—"_

"Palkia!" Palutena tersely hissed. "Not in front of the angel!"

Said angel, oblivious to whatever phrase Palkia had been intending to use, was more concerned with names. "Who's Old Man Hubba? What's the Outrealm Gate?"

Manakete or not, the last thing Lucina wanted to deal with was a livid dragon. Speaking quickly, she interjected, "I did not encounter the fortune-teller."

Palkia and Palutena immediately clammed up, staring.

"When I arrived," Lucina continued, "it was Anna that greeted me at the Gate."

"_Anna_?" the dragon frowned. She and the Palutena exchanged looks, but it was the goddess that urged, "Go on."

The ex-princess reflected back on her strange encounter with the Anna gatekeeper. She was one of a dozen identical women who traveled her old world selling goods, and while all had their quirks this one had been especially curious.

* * *

The Gate of the past had been no different from the Gate of the future. The island it rested on was nothing more than a barren rock jutting from the ocean, devoid of life both green and breathing. The occasional ruin struck the imagination that it might not have always been so, but Lucina suspected the decimated buildings had held religious rather than practical purposes.

The last time Lucina had traveled to the Outrealm, she had been guided by Naga and accompanied by trusted comrades. Risen had harried them from all directions, giving them no peace until they slipped through the Gate.

Now, Lucina was alone, and the island was dead silent.

It was strange; the landmarks were familiar to her, and yet she felt as if she were drifting through a dream, or a ghost of a memory. Nothing felt real.

_A far off dream that was like a scattered memory… A scattered memory that was like a far off dream…_

Lost in herself, Lucina hardly expected to run into anyone. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she rounded a corner and collided with a colorfully dressed redhead.

"Well, will you look who it is?" Anna greeted, putting a hand on her hip. "The former Princess of Ylisse, finally gracing my doorstep. It's about time, hun—I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show up. Looks like Hubba just lost a bet."

Lucina eyed the woman warily through the slits in her mask. She knew better than to make assumptions of familiarity with Annas. She had dealt with many, both in the past and the future-past, and it was impossible to tell them apart. When dealing with anyone member of the clan of identical-appearing women, it was always a necessity to ask, "Have we met?"

"Nope," Anna replied casually, as if it was the most natural thing to know someone's secrets without ever meeting face-to-face. "This is the first time we've ever met."

Disturbed, Lucina began, "Then how do you—"

"Details," the redhead waved her hand impatiently. "They don't matter. What really matters is: what are you going to do now?"

Lucina stared, stricken with sudden speechlessness.

Anna grinned. "Welcome to the Outrealm Gate. Care to visit another world?"

She stepped aside, swinging her arm in a grand gesture as if to reveal the sight behind her. Lucina tightened her jaw, recognizing the valley before them. At the bottom rested the Gate. Nondescript in appearance, it had been crudely carved from the surrounding stone with little adornments etched into its surface. Lucina would have passed it off for ordinary and insignificant, were it not for the eerie blue light escaping the cracks.

"You knew I was coming," said Lucina, stating rather than asking.

"Obviously. I know your story better than you think—you came back from the future of despair to rewrite history. You saved your father, changed the Heart of Grima, and saw the end of the Fell Dragon. You did all that you wanted and more… But now that your work here is done, you find yourself in a world you don't belong to. It was only a matter of time before you ended up on these shores."

The cobalt-haired princess winced. Her inner turmoil had been laid bare before her by a complete stranger with unsettling lucidity. To say she was disturbed was a sad understatement. How did this Anna know so much? It seemed impossible, unless she was some kind of seer or oracle. Who knew? The Anna clan was an enigma in this world no one could understand; they kept their secrets to themselves. This woman was no different, having made it clear that she wasn't going to answer any personal questions.

Swallowing her misgivings, Lucina decided to move on with other questions—some she was reluctant to ask. "Can the Gate take me back?"

"To the future? Your future? 'Fraid not, hun. The Gate doesn't quite work like that—see, you can only travel back in time. Going forward is a messy business… At any rate, _that_ future doesn't exist anymore. Even if there was a way, what would be the point?"

That news came as another crushing blow to Lucina, despite how insouciantly Anna delivered it. Naga had, of course, warned her of this. Even though Lucina had accepted that, she had had hopes that perhaps…

She turned her gaze back to the stone doors. Even beneath her mask, her expression was unreadable even though she was on the edge of despair. "Where else do these doors lead?"

Anna shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"…Beg pardon?"

"Well you see, it all depends on which worlds are closest to ours at the moment you step through."

"Which worlds… are closest?"

"What, are you really gonna make me explain it?" The woman sighed with exaggeration. "Fine, it's like this: you are currently standing at the edge of the world; if you step beyond this point, you'll find yourself at the beginning of another. See, the Gate can take you through both time _and_ space. I should mention, though, that the worlds are always in motion. You'll never know which one you'll end up in, though they usually tend to be in need."

Wrapping her mind around the concept of time-travel had been difficult enough for Lucina, but now the redheaded gatekeeper was heaping even more abstract knowledge on her head. She felt her head spinning as she thought about it—worlds other than her own. At the same time, the revelation wasn't mind-blowing to the point it was crippling. In fact, it seemed reasonable… maybe even logical.

"I suppose my journey, if anything, has taught me that anything is possible," she mused out loud, not really addressing the gatekeeper.

Anna, however, heard it. "Bingo!" She snapped her fingers. "Anything is possible—that's the best attitude you could ever ask for when facing life. That's what I always say. Given that, it's possible for you to become whatever you want. So I got a question for you now, Princess Lucina: what do you want out of life?"

Unprepared for the question, Lucina faltered. "Wh-what?"

"You know, you've always acted for the good of others—which is a good thing, don't get me wrong. But now, you're here, and you're alone. Your past no longer exists, and there's no going back. So what will you do now—for you?"

When the princess remained silent, Anna began circling around her. "You got two choices, really. You can stay here in this world and do Naga knows what for how long… OR…" Anna held her forefinger in the air dramatically. "You take a chance and let the Gate take you wherever it may."

Lucina trained her sapphire eyes on the doors. Anna was right about one thing: in the future-past, her decisions were mostly made on behalf of the people's welfare. Many had been difficult. Some she had made without a second thought to save lives. None had been made selfishly.

No one was depending on her now. For the first time for as long as she could remember, Lucina faced a decision she could be entirely selfish with. Rather than feeling liberating, it felt… uncomfortable.

Should she stay? Or should she go?

The ex-princess thought of the reasons why she had come to this world in the first place. As Anna had said, she had done all that she had set out to do. Disasters had been averted, and destiny rewritten. The road hadn't been easy, and several times her mission seemed doomed to failure, but she had done it. The new future was bright for the Lucina of this Age. But where did that leave the old Lucina?

_Where did she belong?_

Perhaps if she had been like her comrades from the future, she could have lingered. However, the mark that meant to signify her royal heritage now made her an outcast. She couldn't stay in Ylisse. There would be questions, complications. Even though she had made the world a better place, it remained a different place—one that had no place for her.

Could she be selfish? Just this one time?

Watching Lucina's inner struggle, the mischievous glint normally seen in Anna's eyes extinguished. Facing the princess, Anna with somberness said, "There is still much good you can do."

"…I will go."

Anna smiled approvingly. "That's my girl."

The redhead turned to the Gate, producing a rod seemingly from nowhere. Waving it, she beckoned the doors to open. Lucina watched glumly as they slowly answered, swinging outward and bathing her in an ethereal blue light. The last time she had seen this sight, she had been escaping a dying world, surrounded by friends and enemies alike. Now she stood calmly before the Gates with no real urgency; the anxiety she felt now came from a longing, not pure desperation. She still had to wonder: was she doing the right thing?

No turning back now.

"When you go through, you'll be asked three questions," Anna informed the young woman as she took her by the shoulder, gently prodding her forward. "Answer them honestly, and the magic will do the rest!"

Curious—she hadn't been told that last time. But this was not the same, and Lucina had no time to ask about it.

"Thank you, Anna." A grin from Lucina was rare, but a genuine one found its way. Bracing herself, Lucina stepped past the doorstep.

* * *

"Anna gave me an offer," Lucina chose to summarize her experience in as few words as possible. "I decided to take it."

She left it there, making it clear she didn't want to explain further. Palutena seemed to catch on to her unspoken request, saying nothing as she studied the young woman with tight lips. Pit opened his mouth as if to ask questions regardless, but silenced by the tip of a dragon's tail.

Taking the opportunity to change the subject, Lucina asked, "What is going on in this world? What were those creatures?"

Palutena exhaled, rubbing her temple with a forefinger. Today was just one problem right after another. First an outraged dragon, then the Heartless, and now an Outsider… All together they culminated into a monstrous headache she couldn't deal with all at once. The goddess needed a reprieve—a moment to gather her thoughts.

"You probably have questions more to ask me," she finally replied. "I will answer them as best as I can, but not now. We'll talk after lunch. For now, you should rest. Pit, can you show her to the guest chambers?"

The angel looked incredibly put off. "Are you gonna have me play escort all day long?"

"Pretty please?" She returned his frown with an apologetic look, which seemed to pacify the boy into submission.

"…All right, but only because you asked. Er, this way, your highness."

Lucina gave the goddess one last glance before following the angel, clearly disappointed but too tired to object. Palutena listened until their footsteps faded down the hallway.

"Things just got complicated," the goddess sighed as soon as she was sure they were out of ear-shot.

Her draconian guest snorted. _"If Kingdom Hearts is involved, of course it will be complicated." _Sobering, Palkia asked, _"You think Anna knows?" _

"Honestly, I don't know what to think of that woman. But she must have known something."

"_Should we contact Naga?" _

"No. She's had enough to deal with lately. I wouldn't be surprised if she went back to sleep again after all she went through."

"_What are you going to do with the girl, then?"_

"I hate to say it, but… we need her help. You saw for yourself that Falchion's effective against the Heartless. Pit's strong, but he can't take them on alone. And besides…" The goddess glanced back down the hall. "Where else does she have to go? She's Lost, now."

* * *

**A/N: The scene with Anna gave me quite a bit of grief-when I first wrote it, I hadn't realized that Lucina had actually been to the Outrealm Gates before (I didn't want to consider any DLC to be canon for this story, but looks like it will be oops). As it turns out, that's how she came to the past in the first place. So... basically I had to rewrite the last half if this chapter (which is why I'm not too pleased with it) xD But hey! Finally, Lucina and Pit interactions! Awkwardness! xD**


	7. Chapter 7: Tea Time with Palutena

**A/N: Aaaand here we go! :) Some of these next few chapters will start with a flashback of Lucina's journey through the Outrealm Gate, just so you don't get confused ^^ Also, there's a reference in this chapter to a scene from a classical Disney animation (well, there's two kind of, though I wouldn't count the second as a classic yet xD). Cookies to you if you get it ;D Also, we're getting closer to actually getting the main quest of this story started! YES! As much as I love Skyworld, I'd like to start getting into the different worlds of the Nintendo-verse. Without further ado...**

* * *

_Whiteness engulfed Lucina when she stepped through the Outrealm Gate. Unlike the last time, it didn't fade out; she seemed stuck in between, walking through an endless empty space with nothing but white in all directions. She panicked at the unfamiliarity, fearing that something had gone wrong. However, such fears were forgotten as a shape materialized as if through a fog. _

_Muscular in build, Lucina immediately took it for a man. Two swords hung from either side of his hips, and as more of his features became apparent she could see the long white ponytail held above his pinched face. Lucina realized that she had caught a glimpse of this man before—in one of the most important battles of the Valmese War. _

"_Yen'fay?" she cautiously asked. _

_The swordsman didn't acknowledge her inquiry. Peering at her through squinted eyes, he asked her, "What is it you are so afraid of?" _

_Lucina knitted her brows together. What was going on? Why was Yen'fay here, and why was he asking her such a strange question? After some puzzling, she remembered: Anna had warned her of this; she was to be asked three questions which she had to answer honestly. Perhaps this was all just part of the test. Yen'fay, whether or not he was real, seemed to be waiting patiently for the answer, his posture relaxed. Lucina sensed that she had time to ponder her response thoroughly. _

"_Losing the ones I love," she finally concluded, eyeing the once-enemy general closely. _

_Yen'fay nodded grimly. "I once failed to protect the ones that mattered most to me. Truly, there is no pain greater… For all the shame I felt, in time I began to realize—whether or not our loved ones are with us in the flesh, they will always be in our hearts. You must honor their memory…"_

_The white fog shifted, and the Chon'sin general disappeared from her sight, leaving the princess to ponder his cryptic message._

* * *

"So, er, sorry if things are a bit dusty," Pit apologized as he opened the double doors that led to the guest chambers. "We haven't had a guest since… Actually, now that I think about it, I can't remember the last time we had a guest."

Lucina said nothing as she stepped inside. Like every other part of the temple, the room was blindingly white. Flawless marble framed the circular room, interrupted every so often by ribbed columns and golden sconces promising to hold fire when evening fell. A massive bed graced the far end, hidden by an excessive amount of silk curtains. Several more curtains billowed out around a glass door that seemed to lead to a furnished balcony.

Pit watched her anxiously, wondering what she thought. He found that even without the mask on, he had trouble reading her. Not that he was ever good at reading people; he didn't exactly have the practice for that, being cooped up in Skyworld with Centurions for eons. Was that why he was so gullible? Ah, he was getting off topic. At any rate, Lucina didn't look completely disgusted with the furnishings, so… that was good.

"There's some extra clothes in the closet, I think… If you need any, that is," said Pit, stepping in behind her. Remembering his manners, he quickly added, "Your highness."

"Lucina," she replied shortly. "Please, just Lucina."

"O…kay?" That confused Pit a little. Didn't Palutena say she was a princess? Truthfully, she didn't exactly act like one—going around wearing masks and beating things up with a big sword and the like. But what did he know? The only experience he had with them was through games, where they were always being kidnapped or throwing fancy parties. She _was_ a Fire Emblem character, though. They were a little different.

He relaxed a little, relieved that he didn't have to worry about all that protocol. First name basis was best basis in his book, pardoning the Lady.

"If you ever need something while you're staying here," he continued, "there's a bell over there that'll summon one of the Centurions. There's also… Oh! Oh! Lemme show you the hot springs!"

"The wha—?" Before Lucina could begin to frame her question, Pit grabbed her wrist and yanked her across the room, making a beeline to one of the side rooms. The air grew noticeably humid before the short hallway spat that out into yet another circular room. This one, however, sported one thing and one thing only: a golden pool of steaming water.

"Now I've seen everything," Lucina muttered, sound baffled and amused at the same time.

Pit took in a deep breath, drinking in the warm vapor. The springs looked so inviting, he couldn't help himself. The angel took the last few steps separating him from watery pleasure and jumped in. Lucina recoiled sharply to avoid getting splashed.

"Ah," the angel sighed dreamily when he surfaced, indifferent to the fact that his clothes were now completely soaked. "Nothing like a good quick healing in the hot springs!" Grinning up at the staring young woman, he waved, "Come on in, the water's great!"

She made no move to join him, instead shooting him a rather annoyed look that instantly made the angel uncomfortable. "I think I will pass," she said in a dry undertone.

"Are you sure? These hot springs are magic, you know, and they'll heal—Whoa! What's wrong with your eye?"

Out of reflex, Lucina turned away, shielding the left side of her face. Rather tersely, she snapped, "There is nothing 'wrong' with my eye. I thank you for your assistance, but I believe I can take things from here."

Pit frowned. Was she… dismissing him? "But… I had some questions about your game and—"

"I do not play games, nor would I have the desire to. Now would you kindly leave?"

Feeling like a child that just received a harsh scolding, Pit abashedly rose out of the water. Muttering an apology, he took his leave, dripping water all over the floor as he retreated.

Looking at the puddles he left behind, Lucina sighed. "Gods… What have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

"_So then I said, 'You know what your problem is, Arceus? You got your da—'_," the dragon cut off short as a rather dejected angel joined them in the kitchen. _"Oh, hey chicken wings. Something got your Gogoat?" _

Palutena glanced up from mixing something in a bowl, looking surprised before her expression creased in worry. "Pit? Is everything okay? …Why are you soaking wet?"

Pit collapsed onto a kitchen stool with a harrumph. Dealing with Lucina, he decided, was a lot like dealing with Viridi or any of the other women he had met on this crazy world (in fact, now that he thought about it, he seemed to surrounded by them). Somehow they all left him feeling frustrated and confused, no matter what he did to please them.

The angel chose to summarize all his problems in one short statement: "I don't understand girls!"

Palkia snorted in her usual cynical tone. _"That's a shocker."_

Setting her spoon aside, Palutena put a hand on her hip. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" the angel lifted his hands defensively.

The goddess of light continued to scrutinize him through narrowed eyes.

Pit squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. "I don't know! I was just showing her around and—"

"You jumped into the hot spring, didn't you?"

"It was a hot spring! How could I _not_ jump in?"

The goddess heaved a weary sigh before returning to her mixing. "We really need to work on your etiquette, Pit."

"_Particularly about how to act around a lady, it seems,_" Palkia grinned toothily.

"Hey, it's not like—wait…" Pit dropped the conversation completely, taking note of what his goddess was doing. "Are you… cooking?"

"Of course I am," she stabbed her spoon into the mystery substance in the bowl, which for some reason had an unusual green tint. "What kind of a host doesn't cook for her guests?"

The angel involuntarily winced. "Yeah, but maybe you should let Louis—"

"Nonsense. I'm perfectly capable of preparing a meal. It's simple! All you do is follow the recipe."

Palutena's general gave the mess scattered before his goddess dubiously, suddenly losing his appetite. The goddess of light had many talents and powers, but cooking was not one of them. The last time she had tried cooking, Skyworld nearly fell to a carrot apocalypse… Unfortunately, once she was bent on doing something, there was no talking her out of it. The angel could only pray that lunch would turn out. Somehow.

Scanning the recipe displayed on her mirror shield, Palutena read, "Okay, next it says to fold eggs in gently…"

The goddess turned to the ingredients scattered across the table, scanning over them twice before spotting the ivory ovals. She picked them up and studied them before shrugging, "Oh well!", and placed them straight into the bowl—shells and all. Humming pleasantly, she manually folded the dough over the eggs. Pit cringed when he heard the shells crack under her hands.

_Lord Zeus Almighty_.

Pit cleared his throat. "Uh… How about _I_ make the tea, Lady Palutena?"

* * *

It took some convincing, but Palutena eventually consented to let Pit prepare the tea. Thus the brave warrior was barely able to salvage their lunch. He couldn't make tea on the same level the Centurion cook Louis could, but at the very least they had something consumable by the time everyone was summoned to the table.

With the latest disaster averted, Pit realized he had another problem coming: eating lunch with their new guest. He shot a fleeting glance at the dining area entrance, wondering if Lucina was still upset at him. Such worries frustrated him, as he believed that he had done nothing wrong. Did jumping into someone else's hot spring really spell the end of the world? It wasn't like that had been a problem before—there had been countless times the angel had helped himself to the magical spas: the Reaper Fortress, the Space Pirate's Ship… heck, even the Underworld! No one had objected then, not even Medusa!

…Was it something he said, maybe? He had been trying to be friendly, and maybe get to know her a little better. Was that so wrong? No, maybe he had been wrong about Lucina. Maybe all princesses were stuck-up, snobby, miserable little—

"Princess Lucina!" Palutena warmly greeted. Pit's eyes shot back to the doorway, where the blue-haired young woman was being led into the room by a tiny Centurion. The grime of battle had been washed from her face and hair, and she had exchanged her blue battle duds for a clean set of white and green robes. She seemed slightly uncomfortable in the unfamiliar Grecian garb, but at least they had had something for her to wear. Hopefully, the servant Centurions would be working on cleaning her original uniform.

Palutena waved at the table before her, saying, "Please, take a seat."

Lucina nodded at the invitation and made her way to the table, purposely (Pit was sure) avoiding the angel's gaze. She took her seat next to Palkia, who had somehow shrunk down to human size so she could sit at Palutena's elegant white table. After the goddess excused the servant Centurions, their modest lunch affair began. The table had been spread with fresh fruits and vegetables, which had been another suggestion made by Pit (so at least some of the food was edible). Palutena's creation—spinach puffs, supposedly—were left untouched by all except Palkia, who downed them with great gusto.

Between all her bites of… whatever it was… Palkia dominated the conversation. Even though her stature had changed, she had no less amount of volume behind her voice. Which was weird to Pit, since she didn't even use her mouth to talk. …How did that work, anyway?

Lucina was mostly quiet during their meal. She would answer the occasional question Palutena would pose, but in the fewest amount of words possible. Despite her silence, the princess seemed to be making an honest effort to follow the conversation, though ultimately failing.

In time, the tea and food disappeared. Palutena dabbed at her lips with her napkin before setting her plate aside, her liveliness dampening into seriousness.

"Palkia, I believe we should start answering questions now," she said.

"_Right,"_ the dragon grunted. _"We'll start with Lucina's, since they're bound to be the only intelligent ones."_

"Hey!" objected Pit.

He was, of course, ignored. The deity of space concentrated on the princess as she began, _"You asked us what was going on in this world—well, it's the same thing that's going on in all the worlds: the Heartless." _

"Heartless?" Lucina furrowed her brows.

"Those creatures you just fought," Palutena explained. "They are beings of darkness created when a person loses their heart."

"_And we don't mean the organ that pumps blood_," added Palkia. _"We're talking about the center of our emotions and memories."_

"It's both physical and metaphysical," the goddess nodded.

"That's… confusing," Pit put in his two cents, even if they were muddled.

The blue-haired princess stayed silent, mentally chewing through the new information. Her culture had supported the belief of the metaphysical heart, and knew enough of the physical, but it seemed there was more to the heart than she previously gave credit.

"The Heartless are driven by an insatiable hunger," Palutena continued. "They continually search for more hearts to consume. Since almost all hearts contain darkness, no one is safe from them."

"_They're like a disease,"_ Palkia sneered, narrowing her eyes. _"Once they infect a planet, they'll grow and grow until they find the cornucopia of hearts… The heart of the world."_

"Worlds have hearts?" piped Pit, leaning over the table to get closer to the conversation.

The dragon snorted in contempt. _"That's what I just said, ain't it?"_

"But you only—"

"What happens when the Heartless consume the heart of a world?" Lucina interrupted, wanting to stay on topic.

Palutena's expression grew grim. "The world disappears."

Lucina and Pit were taken aback. "D-disappear? What do you mean by that?" asked the angel.

The goddess sadly shook her head. "I mean, it fades from existence. The darkness released by the Heartless destroys it completely."

"_I've seen it one too many times,"_ Palkia sighed. _"Stars winking out. Skies darkening. Worlds here for one moment; gone the next." _

The space deity's gruffness dropped completely, showing for the first time signs of her uphill battle. Her shoulders and wings drooped; her eyes were hooded, peering at the world with weariness. Pit wondered how long the dragon had tried to keep the Heartless at bay alone. Perhaps it was a good thing after all that she had popped into their world, even if she nearly shredded the winged teenager to pieces.

"What happens to the inhabitants of those worlds?" Lucina asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"_Gone,"_ was her answer. _"Lost to darkness…"_

The lunch room became painfully quiet.

Pit clenched his fists, a sudden passion seizing him. People were losing their homes—losing their lives—even as they stood there talking about it. With that knowledge, he couldn't just stand by. Looking at his goddess and the dragon Pokémon with fierce determination, he said, "How can we stop them?"

The same look was in Lucina's own eyes. She followed the angel's gaze with no less fortitude, just as eager for a reply. Although their courage was admirable, Palkia's face twisted into a scowl.

"_There's not much _we_ can do,"_ said the dragon.

Pit didn't care for that answer. Slamming his fists on the table, rattling the dinnerware, he exclaimed, "There's gotta be something!"

Lucina, on the other hand, caught the Pokémon's strange tone. "If not us… is there someone who can?" she inquired, watching Palkia closely.

The deities exchanged looks, looking hesitant to reply.

Frustrated by their reluctance, Pit said, "Please, if you know something, tell us!"

"There… is a way," Palutena began. "But…"

Palkia pushed herself out from her chair, rising to her feet. Looking straight at the young warriors, she explained, _"In the universe the Heartless came from, there is a special weapon known as the _Keyblade_."_

"Keyblade?" Pit furrowed his brows, while Lucina frowned.

"_Yep. Keyblade. It's a nifty, magical weapon that can lock or unlock anything—and it is the only thing that can vanquish a Heartless for good." _

This time, it was Lucina and Pit's turn to exchange looks.

"But Falchion and the Kingdom Bow got rid of them," noted Pit.

"_Hate to say it, but… they didn't. Not really. All they did is temporarily destroy their physical forms. Give 'em a few days of smoldering in the darkness, and they'll be back." _

Despair washed over Pit. The Heartless would return? The humans would be in danger again! After he had told them they would be okay…

Different thoughts seemed to go through Lucina's mind. After staring at the end of the table a while, she asked, "How were we able to affect them at all? The weapons of those men back at the village slipped right through the creatures as if they were made of nothing."

Palutena stepped up to answer that question. "Weapons of light or magic can prove somewhat effective against them. I created Pit's bow and infused it with some of my light. If I recall, your blade was created from Naga's tooth and blessed with her power, was it not?"

"_But only the Keyblade can release the captured hearts from the Heartless and defeat them for good,"_ Palkia finished. _"But that's not even the most important thing it can do. A Keyblade's useful for lockin' the Keyhole to a world's heart, keeping the Heartless from finding it in the first place."_

Pit's head was spinning with all this new vocabulary he was learning today. First the Heartless… then the Keyblade… Now Keyholes? "Wait… what's a Keyhole?"

"_You need to get your ears checked or something? A Keyhole is like the door to a world's heart. Keep up, chicken wings." _

While Pit scowled at the dragon, Lucina divined where the conversation was going. "So if we find this Keyblade, we will be able to protect the worlds?"

"…In theory," said Palutena.

Palkia grinned approvingly. _"I like this one. She's sharp. …Unlike a certain angel I could mention…"_

Ignoring her jab, Pit asked, "So where can we find a Keyblade?"

Both deities clammed up; Palutena bit her lip while Palkia twitched her claws uncomfortably. "We don't know," the goddess of light finally replied.

* * *

**A/N: Why does Palkia have to pick on Pit so much? Hmm, probably because she's still sore about getting beat by him xD**


	8. Chapter 8: The Quest

**A/N: I guess I should talk about this now (kinda wish I didn't have to haha, but it seems to be a big thing on here). About pairings... They are by no means the focus of this story. I will give an occasional tease (no yaoi), but nothing is official. Heck, I haven't even mentioned who Lucina's mother is. I'd like to leave most of that up to the imagination of you viewers. :)  
**

**Outside that, it looks like I can't keep up with my planned schedule, but that's only because I want to put in as much time and effort to make these chapters enjoyable. I'm having a lot of fun writing this story, and I'm glad so many people are enjoying it :D Thank you for all your comments and support! **

**You can always check my profile for updates on this story's progress-I try to update at least once a week. Thank you for your patience, and enjoy! :D**

* * *

"Wh-wha…?" Pit jumped back, nearly knocking his chair over. "B-but Lady Palutena… You always know everything!"

The goddess looked ashamed as she admitted, "I know only what lies within my realm of power, Pit. Even I can't know all there is to know about the wider universes."

"_If you knew how many worlds there are out there_," Palkia put in, _"you wouldn't be surprised. Every star you see in the night sky represents one world—and there's thousands, each with their own rules and history." _

Lucina let her gaze wander to the nearest window. Even though it was still daylight, she envisioned the night sky, shimmering with countless stars. It had never struck her that each one might represent a different world, where people went about their daily lives in complete ignorance of what was going on outside. The wider universe was much vaster that she had realized, and full of more life than she could ever hope to comprehend.

"But the Keyblade is somewhere out there," she spoke her thoughts aloud, half to herself and half to the others.

"_I guess… If there even is a wielder still alive. They went crazy a few ages ago and nearly wiped out their kind, if I remember right." _

Her next thought sounded ludicrous, even to her own mind. However, she had learned from her father's tactician that even the craziest of ideas had potential. And so, taking in a breath, she proposed, "…Then we should try to find one."

Palkia and Palutena stared, neither saying anything for the longest time. Pit, however, jumped right on her idea with complete enthusiasm.

"Hey, yeah!" he said. "We could travel to other worlds and look for the Keyblade. Palkia, you're the space deity—you can help us get to them."

The dragon continued to look at the two as if they had just suggested inviting Kyogre and Groudon to a tea party. _"Weren't you listening to what I was just saying? I just got done telling you how many worlds there are out there! Searchin' through 'em for that stupid sword is gonna be like finding a freakin' needle in a haystack!" _

"What other options do we have?" Lucina continued arguing her point. "From what you're saying, the Keyblade is the only way to stop the Heartless. Unless you are suggesting we stand by and allow them to continue laying waste to worlds?"

Palkia slumped back, her lips curling. _"No, that's not what I'm saying."_

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Pit.

"_You kids don't understand. This ain't going to be easy." _

"No, it won't be." Heads turned to Lady Palutena, who was slowly rising from her chair with staff in hand. The goddess glanced between all of them before continuing. "But… we have to try."

Palkia cocked a brow—or rather, she would have if she had one. _"Palutena? Ah, come on. You agree with them?" _

"As Lucina said, we don't have any other options. The worlds are defenseless right now; many have no way to fight back the darkness. With or without the Keyblade, we may be able to help them—even if we just delay the inevitable. Pit, do you remember what happened when you took out that Minotaur Heartless?"

The angel took a moment to remember. After the Minotaur went up in smoke… "The Heartless all retreated."

"Yes. The Heartless are a little like the Aurum forces we fought all those years ago; they have a hive mind. If you take out their leader, it should disorganize them for a time."

Pit brightened considerably, which was quite a feat for the already vibrant brunette. "So we can protect the worlds by going around and taking out Bosses while we're looking for the Keyblade."

The dragon stared at them incredulously. _"You're all insane,"_ she finally concluded.

Palutena smiled apologetically. "Comes with the territory, I suppose." Dropping the grin, the goddess sobered again. "But Palkia…? We can't do this without you. We could really use your help."

Palkia shifted her gaze over the gathered trio, starting with the goddess and finishing with the princess. Her shoulders sagged, and she sighed in defeat. Grumbling miserably, she said, _"Fine. As much as I'd hate to admit it… I could use your help, too. My realm's complete chaos right now, and a dragon can only do so much. If you really think these punks can do anything to fix things…"_

"They are up to the job," Palutena assured. "I know they are."

The pink and white Pokémon eyed the two warriors. _"For the sake of all the worlds, I hope they are. Aight. I can't stay away from the In-between any longer. I gotta go back soon or things will really be Muk'd up. You two better get geared up, because you're in for one heck of a ride. Here, I got this for ya."_

Palkia held her arms horizontally before her chest, palms facing each other. A fleeting flash of pinkish light ignited between her claws, and a baseball-sized orb materialized out of thin air.

Pit frowned. "What's up with you and pearls, Palkia? You're kinda obsessed with them."

"_What girl isn't?"_ Palkia smirked toothily. _"Seriously, though—this ain't no ordinary pearl. Think of it like a communication link, mixed with a tracker. As long as you hold on to it, I'll always know where you're at." _

"How's that supposed to be comforting?"

Palkia narrowed her eyes. Reaching over, she bopped the angel on the head none-too-gently. _"Because it could save your sorry hide someday, feather-brain. I won't be going with you into the worlds—I gotta stay and maintain the order in my domain. So since I won't be there in person, I'll need some way to pin-point your location so I can extract ya from the world's you'll be visiting."_

"Okay, okay! I get it: magic pink orb equals escape key," The brunette rubbed at his head, muttering under his breath.

"_Good. So you better not lose it! Also, if you give the surface a good rub, you can talk with me if I ain't busy. But keep in mind that only the person holding the pearl will be able to hear and talk to me." _

"Sounds kinda like a magic lamp," Pit observed, speaking up in spite of the dull throb in his head. "Except instead of a wish-granting genie, you get a cranky pink dragon…"

His witticism was rewarded with another bop on the head.

"_For that, I'll be giving it to Lucina instead,"_ Palkia snorted before passing the pearl to the young woman. _"Take good care of it, princess." _

Lucina solemnly accepted it, inclining her head respectfully. "I shall guard it with my life."

"_Arceus, you _are_ a grim one. Don't go that far. If it comes to a choice between you and the pearl, I would hope you would save yourself. It's not like I can't make more. I'd just rather not have to come chase ya down in some random world. Your lives are more important than some pearl, got it?"_

With that, the dragon stepped away from the table. _"Alright. I think we got all our bases covered. Whenever you're ready, give that pearl a good rub and we'll get this suicide mission started. And don't worry, Palutena. I'll check up on that thing you asked. Adios, muchachos. Peace!"_

The air around Palkia suddenly became distorted, twisting into a vortex of pink and purple. Smirking, Palkia gave one last wave before stepping backwards into the portal. Once it swallowed her whole, the vortex winked out of existence faster than Lucina could blink, leaving little evidence that the space deity had ever been there.

The room seemed a lot smaller without the boisterous dragon, and certainly quieter. Palutena, in no rush at all, picked up her mirror shield and faced her two warriors. "Well, I suppose that's it, then. We have a lot of preparations to make, so we'd better get started."

Lucina continued staring at the spot where Palkia had stood, eyes wide with wonder. "How did…?"

"That will have to be a conversation for another day, I'm afraid," said Palutena. "Let's head down to the armory."

* * *

The armory had been built to be practical—not to be pretty. Practicality was, after all, preferred when one had to scramble into battle. No matter how perfectly placed a flawless bust might have been placed, it would have only gotten in the way when the soldiers were dispatched, and in the end it would do little to improve one's life expectancy. Thus in comparison to the rest of the temple, the armory was a little drab.

To Lucina, it was still grander than any mortal construction she had seen. The ceiling arched impossibly high above them, most likely to leave room for Palutena's strange soldiers to fly through in hordes. The width of the room was generous as well, to accommodate some of Skyworld's larger soldiers and equipment. Yet for all the space in the armory, there was little life to be seen. The only people the trio passed by a crew working on one of the stone-faced artillery units Pit called Juggernauts. Tiny Centurions had been crawling all over it like gremlins, while a lazy knight had been "overseeing" their labor. A sharp word from Pit got the armored soldier up on his feet and assisting the frazzled munchkins.

Eventually, Palutena brought them to the end of the armory, where the hall split in three different directions. The door on the left was simple compared to the rest, with a pair of rings for handles. The one on the right was more richly adorned with multiple patterns etched into its surface. The one in the middle… It stood from floor to ceiling, but wherever the floor actually was puzzled Lucina. The glass-like plane below her feet dropped into a darkened pit, leaving empty space between them and the door. Yet the door could apparently still be accessed via a flight of floating translucent steps that looked as if they were made of light. Another feat of the goddess's?

"This way, please," Palutena asked pleasantly, taking the door on the far right. Lucina reluctantly followed, taking one last glance at the otherworldly staircase. She had countless questions, but she doubted she would get any straight answers presently.

The door they took lead into what must have been a private section of the armory. Weapons Lucina was unfamiliar with—different from the Centurions' as well—hung from racks on the wall or sat displayed on tables. Some looked similar to the light-producing bow-blades Pit had used before, although they had unusual shapes and colors that made them look… unwieldy. Lucina wondered how the angel managed to use them at all.

Ignoring all the weapons, Palutena marched up to a pair of mannequins outfitted with armor—one white, one black. Pit frowned as he spotted them.

"What are these doing here, Lady Palutena?" he asked. "Aren't those from the Light vs Dark matches?"

"Yes, but I thought I'd get some made for you and Pittoo. You know, to make you less fragile. Plus they look dashing!"

"Well, I guess… Wait, who are you calling fragile?!" the angel puffed out his chest indignantly.

"At any rate, I thought these would serve you better on this particular journey. You'll want to wear them when travelling through the Lanes Between with Palkia. No doubt darkness has grown strong there with the invasion of the Heartless—it will certainly pose a threat to you if you're not careful."

Intrigued, Pit picked up the helmet to the black set of armor. He looked at his reflection in the visor and sighed wistfully. "Shame Pittoo didn't get to see these. I bet he would have liked them."

Lucina was tired of being out of the loop. The past few hours had been one fit of confusion after another. Still, she couldn't help her curiosity. Chancing one more question, she asked, "Who is Pittoo?"

"He's… um…" For a supposedly all-knowing goddess, Palutena seemed hesitant in her answer. "He's kind of like Pit's brother. Sort of. It's complicated. But he's not with us right now, so you can have his suit."

Pit passed the helmet to Lucina, who took a turn to stare at her reflection in the visor. The brand of the exalt stared back at her.

"I'm trying to devise of a way you could quickly get the suits on and off," Lucina heard Palutena continue. "I got a few ideas, but since we're pressed for time I think I'll just condense them into a ring."

Lucina noticed Pit wincing out of the corner of her eye.

The goddess, ignorant of his reaction, went on, "Whenever you slip the ring on, the armor will appear as simple as that."

"…Does it have to be a ring?" Pit hesitantly asked, his expression glum.

"Certainly. I mean, why not?"

The angel didn't reply.

Tearing her gaze away from the helmet, the princess examined the rest of the suit and tried to picture herself wearing it. She could appreciate how light it was; the plates of metal were situated only on the shins, forearms, torso, and one shoulder. Yet the style was so bizarre. Would it be all that effective during battle?

"What are you waiting for?" Palutena broke the duo from their thoughts. "Why don't you try them on?"

Without waiting for a reply, the goddess tapped the floor with the butt end of her staff. Not even a half a second later, Lucina found herself blinking through the visor of the helmet, fully outfitted.

"Hey, nice!" Pit had similarly been instantaneously equipped, although he didn't seem as startled as the cobalt-haired princess was. He examined his new effects from all angles, but stopped short when he couldn't spot his wings. "Wait, where's…"

"Those won't do you much good in Palkia's realm, I'm afraid. It'd be better to keep them protected as well. Which reminds me—there's a few things I need to warn you about, Pit."

Lucina had seen the goddess's expression flicker from mirthful to serious quite a few times in the past hour, and it was happening once again as she turned to her angel.

"As I mentioned before, my powers only extend to this realm. Once you step outside of this world… I won't be able to help you."

It was difficult to see the angel's reaction beneath the white armor's visor, but it was evident in the way he took a step back. "Like… at all? You mean—"

"No flying, no talking, no guidance, and…," she spelled it out for him. "Well, I can't save you if you get Finished…"

"Oh…" He looked as if the wind had been taken out of his sails.

Palutena smiled sympathetically, like a mother to a son. Clasping him by his shoulder, she said, "But I have faith in you. Just be a little more careful than usual, okay?"

It took some time, but that boyish grin found its way back. "You bet, Lady Palutena. If I have your faith, then there's nothing I can't do."

The goddess crinkled her nose and grabbed one of the wings on his helmet, shaking it from side to side. "That was cheesy."

He laughed back and tried to squirm free, returning, "But I wasn't joking."

Their interactions were sweet, but filled Lucina with a pang of longing. The two were really were like mother and son. Watching them reminded Lucina of her own mother and the painful situation she had been in. In reality, it was almost like she had had two: the one from her time, who had been taken from her; and the one from the past, who had taken her in regardless of her origin. She had told Lucina that she didn't have to leave; that she could have been a part of their family, always. But Lucina knew it wouldn't have worked.

She wondered how they were all doing now…

Hating to dwell in tender memories, Lucina cleared her throat. Palutena glanced up, remembering that the mortal was still with them.

"Let's see," the goddess looked over the young woman with a critical eye. "Something's not quite right…"

She snapped her fingers, and a bright light nearly blinded Lucina. Once the spots cleared from her vision, she saw Palutena looking at her with more approval.

"That's better. What do you think?" She slid off her mirror shield and held it before the cobalt-haired princess.

Somehow, the goddess had changed the armor. Not only did she give it a more feminine flair, but kept some of the style of her old armor, making it blue as well as dark gray. Her helmet's crest had been modified to resemble the butterfly mask she had come in, with the Brand of Naga replacing the red jewel at the forehead. Lucina approved of the changes, and felt more comfortable in the armor now.

"I believe it shall serve me well, Lady Palutena," the princess replied. "Thank you."

"Hopefully, it will," said Palutena, taking the mirror back. After examining Pit's uniform, she tapped her staff against the floor once more. The suits seemed to turn into pure white light, breaking off into shards before collecting into a single glowing mass. Palutena held out her hand, and the lights descended, falling into her palm as two rings—one black, one white. Lucina glanced down, surprised to find herself wearing the same green robes she had been borrowing. But perhaps they had been beneath the armor the whole time?

"Don't lose these," Palutena passed the rings on to the warriors, giving Pit his with extra emphasis.

"Why does everyone think I'm going to lose things?" he complained, but accepted his ring nonetheless.

Ignoring his grumblings, Palutena continued, "I'm going to start development on new weapons, but I hope you don't mind carrying around the Kingdom Bow a little longer, do you?"

"Not a problem! I don't think I've seen enough of what this puppy can do."

"Good." The goddess turned to Lucina. "My servants are cleaning and mending the clothes you came in as we speak. They should be done by morning."

Lucina was surprised by the gesture, but ultimately grateful she wouldn't have to travel the worlds in foreign clothing. So much was changing; it would be nice to have a little piece of home to take with her besides Falchion. "You are too kind, milady."

"Oh, it's nothing," she dismissed with a wave of her hand, though she seemed privately pleased. "Anything I can do to help. All right, Pit. We got some Centurions to whip in to shape."

* * *

Night fell over Skyworld, painting Palutena's temple in new light. The floating islands had been impressive enough during the day, but as Lucina stood gazing on her balcony, she was completely swept away by the sky's splendor. The stars felt closer than she had ever seen them, and they glowed with such vitality that the moon's absence was hardly noticeable. A river of fine dust wound its way through the radiant points, adding a final delicate touch to the nocturnal display.

Despite its familiar beauty, this sky was alien to her. The Ylissean princess could not find any of the constellations she was familiar with. The shapes were all wrong, clusters gathering where they shouldn't be. It was a fresh experience, but disorienting at the same time. On top of that, she struggled with her newest revelation: that each star represented a new world. And she could see thousands of stars…

She had never felt so small.

Sighing, Lucina dropped her gaze. Below her, Skyworld was entering its nightly slumber. The white marble buildings were illuminated with warm torchlight, although it revealed little signs of life. Occasionally she would catch a glimpse of a patrolling pack of Centurions, but the rest of the army seemed to have retired.

The peace gave Lucina some much-needed time to reflect over the events of the day. Stepping through the Outrealm Gate had certainly given her more than she had bargained for. Fighting strange monsters, meeting gods and angels, learning about new worlds… All happened within the course of a few hours. And now, she was embarking on a bold new quest. She wondered if she was truly ready for it.

Soft rapping from somewhere behind shook her from her thoughts. Lucina whirled around, expecting trouble, but to her surprise the green-haired goddess of light was standing at the door.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Palutena offered an apologetic smile.

The Ylissean princess relaxed, slightly embarrassed by her overreaction. "No, that was… My mistake. May I help you with something?"

The goddess shook her head and walked out onto the balcony. "I was wondering if I could join you out here. Do you mind?"

Lucina didn't know what to say. Why should she—a goddess—ask a mere mortal like her if she cared for her presence? Although Lucina no longer doubted her credibility, Palutena certainly didn't act anything like she expected from a goddess. Numbly, the young woman shook her head and made room along the balcony's railing. Soon, she was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with deity.

Leaning against the railing, Palutena glanced up at the stars and sighed. "I always thought that this balcony had the best view. And tonight's such a nice night."

"Do you…?" Lucina stopped.

Palutena, however, looked at her in curiosity. "Do I…?" she encouraged.

Though the wielder of Falchion was cautious of offending a goddess, Palutena was speaking casually enough that Lucina thought she could take a chance. "Forgive my boldness, but… do you often come to stargaze at the guest balcony?"

Not angered in the slightest, Palutena replied wistfully, "This wasn't always the guest quarters. My sister used to live here. When we were younger, we used to come out here to look at the stars."

"You have a sister?"

"I _did_." Palutena's smile vanished. "She committed a crime that could not be forgiven, and so she was banished from Skyworld."

Disquieted, Lucina returned to her stargazing. It was… off-setting to learn that her quarters had once been the abode of a banished goddess. Palutena didn't provide any details (and probably didn't want to), but Lucina had to wonder what kind of crime could cause a deity to fall from grace. What must it have been like for Palutena? Lucina couldn't imagine it, losing a sibling to exile. Her own had never committed a crime so serious that it couldn't be forgiven, although they had been separated for a time. She could at least understand the pain and worry that came from being apart.

The goddess suddenly blew through her lips. "Wow, that put a damper on things. Sorry to bring down the mood like that. So… how are you doing?"

An obvious attempt at changing the subject, but Lucina didn't mind, although she wished she wasn't the next subject of their conversation. Still, they were speaking so casually—like one girl to another. Lucina was dressed in a nightgown while Palutena had left behind her shield and staff. If it weren't for her unearthly beauty and soft glowing aura, the goddess could have passed for an ordinary mortal woman. She seemed to be by nature quite motherly, having shown nothing but kindness to the stray princess. Lucina found that she felt comfortable speaking her mind.

"If I'm being honest with myself…" she admitted. "I'm feeling overwhelmed."

As Lucina had come to expect, Palutena nodded sympathetically. "You've been through so much today. It's a lot to process all at once."

The princess turned to the sky. "I just never realized how big the universe was. I'm not so sure I know my place in it anymore…"

Palutena said nothing, her expression uncharacteristically unreadable. Several moments of silence passed by as the two observed the heavens, wandering through the constellations and back. Lucina was just getting used to the quietude when the goddess spoke up again, this time in a small voice.

"…Are you certain you want to be a part of this?"

When Lucina glanced back in confusion, the goddess continued, "We're asking a lot from you—maybe too much."

Chrom's daughter took the time to think about it, but in the end she shook her head. "It was partly my idea, wasn't it? Besides… I chose this path. I knew that there would be no going back, even before I walked through that door." She wearily closed her eyes. "I have seen enough suffering. If I can bring an end to it, then I'd commit my life to that very end."

The goddess studied her, a look of both softness and appreciation on her glowing countenance. "You truly are a brave one, Lucina. …I hope you find what you're looking for."

From the tone she used, Lucina suspected that Palutena meant more than finding the Keyblade. Before she could ask as much, the sky erupted into life. Lucina was struck speechless as shooting stars raced across her vision, their white-hot tails spraying the world with fine white dust. With their proximity, the falling meteors seemed larger than life. As awed as the princess was, Palutena viewed the sight with sadness.

"And so, it begins…" she sighed.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you KH buffs remember the significance of those meteor showers. As Palutena said, now it begins...**

**...**

Pit: Are you really going to be in the next Super Smash Bros, Lady Palutena?

Palutena: Yep. Time for this goddess to have her day in the sun. No more standing on the sidelines.

Pit: Oh, man! This is going to be so awesome! I can't wait!

Palutena: Those mortal warriors won't know what hit them! But fair warning, Pit-won't go easy on you.

Pit: Wait, you? Easy on me? Er, aren't you forgetting how our last battle went? I won, remember?

Palutena: You won against the Chaos Kin-not me. If I had been in my right mind, you wouldn't have stood a chance. And you won't stand a chance.

Pit: ...Are you saying I'm going to lose against you? In Smash?

Palutena: Every. Time.

Pit: I don't think so! I'm getting new buffs this time around! You're the one who's gonna lose!

Palutena: Only one way to find out, isn't there?

Pit: OH, IT'S SO ON!

Together: SMASH-DOWN!


	9. Chapter 9: Spaaaaaace

**A/N: This chapter has been updated as of 9/20/2015 to correct a small detail about the Falchion**

* * *

Morning found Pit, Lucina, and Palutena back in the armory in front of the three doors. Outfitted in her old apparel, the princess looked more at ease—if not a little anxious to begin their journey. Pit, on the other hand, was as fidgety as a chicken in a nugget factory. The angel kept dancing in place as he listened to Palutena's final instructions, switching his bow from one hand to another. His adventures had taken him to many places, from Galactic Sea to the Underworld, but none had ever taken him to a whole new world. Already his imagination was running wild.

What if he got to go to the Mushroom Kingdom and meet Mario? Or Princess Peach? _Boy,_ he thought, _what would be really cool would be if I got to fly in the Arwing. Or Samus' ship! I wonder what they'd think of my weapons… It's too bad I don't have a blade or cannon to show—_

"Pit!" Palutena placed her hand on his head, effectively holding him in place. "Are you listening?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Pit looked at her blankly. "Huh?"

The goddess sighed and shook her head. "I know you're excited, Pit, but try to pay attention. I just got done telling you and Lucina to stay on the down low. That means that you cannot interfere with their stories, or let anyone know you came from a different world."

"Why not?" he frowned.

"Remember what I told you earlier? When Palkia first got here? The worlds are kept separate for a reason. We have to maintain order and balance. The Heartless are creating enough chaos as it is without you planting ideas in other peoples' heads."

"Right… Gotcha…" said Pit, glancing down at his bow. So much for all his fantasies…

Palutena softened. "Just stay focused on taking out the Heartless and finding the Keyblade, okay?"

"We will do just that," Lucina stepped forward, giving Pit a meaningful look. He furrowed his eyebrows back at her. What was that all about?

"That's all I ask," said Palutena. "Well, I think that's everything. We'd better get you going on your way. Rings at the ready?"

Simultaneously, Pit and Lucina withdrew their armor rings from their pockets and slid them on their fingers. Instantly a light enveloped them, lasting not even a second before it revealed them in their new set of armor. Even though they had seen them just last night, Pit couldn't help but look over it one more time.

"You know, these are cool and everything," he said. "But how do we get them off?"

"Just take the ring off, silly," came Palutena's simple answer.

Pit lifted his hand up, and was surprised to see that the ring was still on his finger. "Oh."

The goddess moved on, turning to the other Keyblade seeker. "Lucina, would you like to give Palkia a call? Tell her she can set the portal up through the bay door there."

Nodding wordlessly, the princess reached into the bag tied to her hip and withdrew the pink orb. Haltingly, as if unsure of her actions, she rubbed her gloved hand over its surface.

"Lady Palkia?" she called.

"_Lady?"_ A voice immediately entered her head. "_Don't get called that very often. What's up, kid? Ready to head out?" _

Lucina nodded, only to realize that Palkia probably wouldn't pick up on the gesture. "We are waiting in the armory. Palutena says—"

"_The bay doors? Ain't that cliché? Alright, gimme a moment." _

Suddenly, the floor-to-ceiling doors began swinging outwards, bleeding golden light into the room. As they watched, the air outside began to distort, twisting into a blotchy pink vortex. Half a second later, a familiar dragon stepped through it.

"_Good morning ladies," _Palkia greeted. As an afterthought, she added, "_Pit._ _You're all looking sharp today." _

"You seem to be in a good mood today, Palkia," Pit commented.

The Space Pokémon snorted. _"Yeah? You gonna make something of it?" _

"Aaaaand, I take it back," he withered.

The corner of her mouth twitched and for a moment she appeared amused. However, the look was fleeting. She glanced over at Palutena, and the two deities seemed to have a serious, silent conversation. Before Pit could voice his curiosity, the dragon abruptly barked, _"Alright, people. We're here. We're ready. We're wasting daylight. Let's get this show on the road."_

Pit glanced over at his goddess, wondering what that had been about. He knew that Palkia's telepathy could be selective at times—had she been saying something to her that he and Lucina had missed out on?

Palkia turned around and crouched, spreading her blade-like wings apart. _"Get on, you two—and hold on tight. It's gonna be a wild ride." _

Without hesitance, the two warriors did as they were told. Using Palkia's thick tail as a ramp, they climbed on to her back, with Lucina taking up position the front and Pit right behind her. The angel flashed his companion an excited smile, realizing that their adventure was finally beginning. The princess, however, ignored it and looked to the portal with grim determination.

"Good luck, you two!" Palutena waved. "Remember, the fate of the entire universe rests on your shoulders… If you fail, the darkness will destroy everything we know and love… But no pressure! Try not to die!"

She smiled as if she had just given them the heartiest pep-talk of the century. Pit clenched his teeth in a forced smile and muttered back, "Right… no pressure or anything…"

"'_Nough chit-chat; this train's leaving the station. Later, Palutena_!" Palkia declared, then shot off like a rocket towards the open doors. Pit barely had time to shout his farewell before the pink vortex swallowed them whole. Then, Skyworld disappeared completely from around them.

* * *

For a brief moment, Pit felt like he was in a kaleidoscope again. Distorted colors twisted all around them as they shot through space, hurting his eyes. Yet at the speed the Pokémon was travelling at, the confusion only lasted a moment. The colors dropped away from them, emptying them out into a vast… nothingness. Up, down, left, right—it was all the same, a void filled only with stars and space. For a disoriented moment, Pit wondered if there really was an "up". Next, he wondered about air.

Palkia snickered when she heard the angel gasp in alarm. _"What's the matter, chicken wings? Forgot how to breathe?"_

Lucina likewise was giving him an odd look—or at least, that's what it seemed like. Pit couldn't actually see her eyes through the armor's visor. But she gave off a general aura of being annoyed.

"Oh…" The angel coughed, trying to clear the embarrassment. "I thought that maybe…" He stopped, giving it some thought. "Haven't you ever wondered why we're able to breath in space? I mean, it's weird, isn't it? I went to the Galactic Sea and back, and Mario did his thing in Mario Galaxy and—"

"_Is there a point to this? Or are you just going to sit around and ask stupid questions?"_

"…Never mind. So where are we going to first?"

"_I did my rounds last night, and I've narrowed it down to two choices."_ The dragon flared out her wings, bringing them to an effective stop. Once the pearls on her shoulders were glowing, she brought her fists together. The motion created a wave of energy that shot out laterally from their position, leaving behind a trail in its wake. Some ways ahead the wave branched off into two different directions.

"_The world on the left is a tropical place with a bunch of ruins_," Palkia explained. _"It might be a good place to start searching for clues about the Keyblade. The Heartless there are a bit weaker and… distracted for some reason. I don't know why, so don't ask. The world on the right is full of tougher enemies that're causing a real mess. I'll let you two decide which one you want to head to first."_

Pit and Lucina studied the ethereal paths before them, and answered simultaneously.

"Right."

"Left."

Palkia craned her neck around to face them, arching one of her brows.

Pit stared at Lucina, surprised to say the least. It hadn't occurred to him that they might have their differences. They seemed pretty united on their goals earlier…

"It sounds like the world on the right is in more danger," he began, hoping he could get her to see his point. "We should help them first."

Lucina, however, shook her head. "We would be better equipped to help them if we found the Keyblade first. If the world on the left really has any clues to offer—"

"Well, yeah, but if people are getting hurt, it's our responsibility to help them!"

Her tone was quickly growing agitated, despite her attempts to stay agreeable. "But until we get the Keyblade, we cannot get rid of the Heartless for good. They would come back and cause more trouble later on."

"But what if—"

"_Are you two really gonna argue this out?" _Palkia cut in, her harsh voice lashing through their minds. _"Heck, I didn't think this would be that hard of a decision. Put your heads together and pick a darn world already! The longer we stay out here—"_

A bolt of white-hot energy cut her off as it shot through the path of light, shattering it like glass. Palkia instantly took evasive action and took a nosedive spin. Pit and Lucina barely had time to hold on before they were rocketing through space again. The angel glanced over his shoulder, seeking out the source of the wild shot. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of several blocky shapes pursuing them.

"Space ships?" His face screwed up in confusion.

"_It's the Heartless' transports,"_ Palkia growled. _"They're what attacked me before I ended up in your world. Muk-ing nuisances… Well, they've made your choice for you. Pit, make yourself useful and take a shot at them. Keep 'em off my back." _

"Roger that!"

While Palkia continued to dodge enemy fire, Pit pivoted around and readied his bow. He regretted not having a one-handed weapon like a staff or a blade, as it would've made his job easier. Still, he fought his hardest to adapt. Sliding down Palkia's back, he took up position at the base of her tail, where he took aim at the nearest ship. The first arrow exploded in a shower of light against its hull, but did little to halt its progress. Perturbed, Pit kept firing, and eventually his barrage of arrows took it down.

"One down, a million more to go," he grumbled as more ships took its place.

From behind him, he heard Lucina call out, "Palkia!"

"_I see 'em,"_ said the Pokémon, already gathering energy within her maw. Half a second later, a beam of dark purple energy erupted from her throat and vanquished a small fleet of Heartless transports that had been assailing them from the front.

Glancing over his shoulder, Pit made a face. "Why didn't you do that earlier?"

"_Oh, sure, let's go ahead and use up all my energy right away,"_ she sneered back with a snort. _"I'm sure that'd work out great. Keep your head down and keep firing!" _

"Okay, okay! Gimme a break," he muttered back. Regardless, he did what he was told. The frenzied chase continued, with Pit covering them from behind and Palkia unleashing the occasional frontal attack between her evasive maneuvers. Although the dragon could dispatch her opponents with ease, Pit felt like it took him ages to take down a single ship. He wasn't sure if his bow was to blame, or the enemies' armor.

"Sheesh, what are these things made of?" he finally asked after a felling a particularly troublesome ship. "Diamond?"

"_Gummi blocks,"_ grunted Palkia. _"That trippy stuff you see floating all around us. It's what's left of the barriers that once stood between the worlds."_

"Isn't there an easier way to get through it?"

"_Sure. Grow some scales and a real pair of wings." _

"Ha, ha. You're hilarious," Pit dead-panned. He didn't have to be turned around to know that the dragon had a smug look on her face.

In time, the number of enemy ships diminished. In contrast, the colorful space rubble Palkia had called _gummi_ grew more plentiful. The team was able to shake off the rest of their pursuers by ducking into the maze the material created. Unfettered, the trio drew a collective breath.

"Forgive me," Lucina winced. "I wasn't much help back there…"

"_Meh, you're fine,"_ Palkia shook her head in a motion similar to a horse tossing its mane. _"You got a sharp pair of eyes, that's for sure."_

"Maybe we can find you a good long-range weapon when we get back to Skyworld," suggested Pit, retaking his place behind the princess. "Are you good with a bow?"

"…Admittedly, not."

"_I reckon you mostly trained with Falchion, growing up."_

"Yes, for the most part. Although I do have some small training with lances."

Pit frowned ponderously. "Maybe you could use a lance staff, then…"

"_Figure it out later. We're coming up our destination."_

Thoughts about staffs and bows were completely tossed out of Pit's mind as he craned his neck over Palkia's wings to catch a first glimpse of their first world. The celestial body was mostly covered in ice-blue ocean, broken only by an island covered in lush green rainforests. A lone landmark stood out on its crown—a rickety thatched-roof hut built on stilts by the beach. A sign stood over the hut's door, but Pit couldn't read it to save his life. Unfortunately, he was as illiterate as ever.

"Wait, which path did we take?" asked Pit, faltering slightly.

"_You two took so long to make up your bloomin' minds that I just went with whatever one was closer—the one that was on the left. Now don't give me that look! The Heartless here might not be as big as a threat, but they're here nonetheless. Might as well get rid of them before they _do_ turn into trouble."_

Palkia flared her wings out once again, coming to a complete stop. _"Okay, you two. Time to shine. Lucina, still got that pearl tucked away safely? Good. I'm gonna beam ya down to the surface now. Remember, you're looking for anything related to the Keyblade. If you can't find something, just take out the Boss and be done with it. Any questions?"_

Pit raised his hand.

"_No, there won't be refreshments. Or floor ice cream."_

The angel lowered his hand.

"_Right. Let's do this."_ Palkia charged up energy in the pearls on her shoulders before raking her claws across the space before her. It tore like fabric, leaving a tattered purple-glowing hole. Pit groaned as he recognized it—a wormhole, like the one he had travelled through earlier to go to Lucina's rescue. Only Palkia knew how to ruin the excitement of visiting a new world…

The Pokémon flew up to the side of the vortex, turning to the side to give the two warriors a clear access. Pit looked at the portal with trepidation, while Lucina stared in fascination.

"Do we have to take the wormhole?" Pit complained.

"_Well, if you want, I could just throw ya at the darn planet and see if you burn up in the atmosphere. How's that sound?" _

"…Not any better."

"_Wormhole's the best and fastest way, kid, so stop your complaining. Besides, you ain't getting far without the power of flight. And before you ask, no. I can't grant that power. So tough luck. Now, off with ya."_

Lucina was the first to stand and face the vortex.

"Careful," Pit cautioned. "It's a pretty crazy ride. You'll be super disoriented when you get to the other side. Maybe a little nauseous. But it won't last long. I think."

She hesitated, but again the helmet prevented him from seeing her expression. Would she take him seriously? Whether she did or not, the young woman said nothing as she leapt from Palkia's back, falling into the open vortex. Sighing, Pit braced himself and followed.

* * *

As she passed through the "wormhole", Lucina wished that she had given Pit's word more heed. The whirling colors of the passage threw her off balance, besides giving her a pounding headache. She tried to make sense of the chaos, but with little success. All she knew was that she was falling at an alarming rate.

Abruptly, the passage ended. Lucina barely had time to think before solid ground rose up to meet her. Disoriented as she was, she could do little to make her landing more…graceful. The princess ended up tumbling forward into thick vegetation, face-planting into damp moss. Though the spongy plants cushioned her fall, it left her spitting out green fuzz from her mouth. The earthy taste did not help the discomfort she suddenly felt in her stomach.

Ignoring her body's complaints, the young woman pulled herself up off the ground and looked around her new surroundings. The world tilted around her, making the task difficult. One thing was immediately apparent: the air was thick. It pressed in on her like a heavy blanket, threatening to crush her beneath its weight. Not only did it feel suffocatingly close, the air was also hot and sticky. Lucina had been glad to regain her long-sleeved ensemble, but now it was promising to be more of a burden than a blessing. Hardly a minute had passed by and already the cloth was clinging to her skin uncomfortably.

Behind her, the wormhole flashed and widened. Lucina turned in time to see Pit making his entrance. The angel pulled off his ring as he fell, dismissing Palutena's special armor to free his wings. Spreading them out, he slowed his descent and came to a slow, gentle landing. Lucina bit back a pang of envy.

Pit shook himself before glancing about. "Huh, that wasn't so bad this time around. Guess you get used to it after a few trips." Noticing that she was struggling a bit, he took a step forward. "Hey, you all right?"

"Fine," she muttered, waving off his offered hand. She instead opted to steady herself against the nearest tree trunk as the last of her dizzy spell wore off.

Pit gave a frown, but shrugged indifferently. He glanced again at their surroundings and let out a low whistle. "It's a real jungle out here. I wonder what world this is… It's sure humid, that's for sure."

Lucina straightened and pulled off her ring, letting the dark gray armor dissolve into light. Although she wanted to be thorough in their search, she couldn't deny that she would be happy to leave this world behind. Humidity like this… did not suite her. Turning to face the jungles before them, she began, "We should begin our search, now. Palkia mentioned that there were old ruins somewhere on this world. I think we should start by—"

She was interrupted by a euphoric hoot. The princess turned and found her companion bouncing on a giant… flower?

"Whoo-hoo! Yeah!" he hollered again, a wide grin on his face. Between each bounce, he shouted, "Hey! Lucina! You! Gotta! Try! This!"

It took Lucina a while to form a response. "Wha… What are you doing?"

Pit flapped his wings a few times to gain extra altitude before doing a forward flip onto the flower again. He laughed. "What does. It look. Like? It's like! A Tramp! O-line!"

She blinked at the plant, trying to decide whether or not her eyes were deceiving her. No matter how hard she tried to clear her vision, the gigantic red flower remained where it was, catching Pit with every fall and launching him back into the air again. But… how could such a thing be possible? The plant's disk must have been ten feet or more in diameter.

The young woman shook herself. Real or not, it was a distraction. Pit should know better—they had a mission to complete.

"Gods above," she muttered before raising her voice. "Pit! Enough of this! We need to find the Keyblade."

Pit immediately stopped, letting his bounces simmer to a stand-still. He scratched his head guiltily. "I know… But… it looked like fun."

Lucina tried not to scowl. Her opinion of the angel wasn't taking the best turn. He was a capable warrior, no doubt, but the other sides of his personality weren't what she expected. He was childish, impulsive… with no sense of self-control. If he really was over ten decades old, why didn't he act like it?

The Ylissean princess rubbed her temples. The humidity and his behavior were contributing to a painful headache. Still, she knew she had to be patient. As much as she'd hate to admit it, she needed Pit. She couldn't take on the Heartless on her own—the battle back at that one town proved it. Besides that, Palkia and Palutena trusted her to work with the angel to overcome the darkness. Although the goddess of light seemed kind, Lucina didn't want to risk offending her.

"Let's just get going," she finally sighed.

Picking a direction at random, Lucina took the lead.

* * *

Falchion, as it turned out, wasn't well suited for chopping through plants. Of course, the holy blade could easily slice through anything—including stone, as her father had proved—but its latest reincarnation was built for power, not finesse. Maneuvering the thick blade to hack at errant plants wore Lucina down faster than she expected, and in the end she had to relinquish the lead to Pit, whose small bow blades had an easier time carving their path. She wasn't particularly pleased with the arrangement, but he at least seemed to be taking their quest more seriously now.

They came across a few crude structures now and again—mostly pillar-like statues with strange feathered creatures at the crown, heavily encrusted with moss and vines. The two investigated every ruin they came across, but couldn't find anything of interest. The primitive statues seemed to be entirely for show rather than tell. Although, during one investigation, Pit and Lucina had a momentary scare when one pillar unexpectedly fell over and nearly flattened them both. Thankfully, their quick reflexes saved them from a grisly demise.

After a good long while of exploring, Pit paused, one of his blades still poised to strike a plant. Slowly, he brought the two together and reformed his bow. "Luc," he whispered, waving her over as he hunched down. "Check this out."

She felt mildly annoyed by the use of a nickname; very few people got away with calling her "Luc", and Pit _wouldn't_ be one of them. Still, he had a note of caution in his tone that demanded attention. For now, she would let the name slip by. She crouched next to him, peering through the vegetation. Beyond the branches, she could see into a wide sun-lit clearing. A large yellow mass of something took up most of the space, and all around it blue-furred creatures danced about.

They were completely silent, save for the soft thumping of their clawed feet.

Frowning, Lucina pushed aside a branch to get a closer look. The creatures resembled monkeys, with their long tails and big round ears, yet their eyes were large and pupil-less. Their swollen hands ended in sharp black claws. Emblazoned on their chests were black hearts marked with red lines.

"Heartless?" she immediately guessed.

"Yeah, I think," Pit muttered back. "But I don't get it. What are they doing with all those bananas?"

Lucina glanced back over at the yellow mass; really, it had been a giant pile of spear-shaped fruit resting on a wooden cart. What _were_ these Heartless doing? From what Palutena and Palkia had told them, they fed off of peoples' hearts—not actual food. Unless, bananas had hearts? It didn't seem likely…

Pit and Lucina jumped to their toes as a deep thrumming filled the air, accompanied by a furious hoot. The monkey Heartless froze, turning their featureless faces towards the sound. From the shadows, Pit and Lucina watched as another new creature entered the scene. Intimidating in size, it swept through the Heartless, muscle-bound arms effortlessly launching them into the air.

Beside Lucina, Pit let out a gasp. "Is that Donkey Kong?"

The Heartless still on their feet retaliated. The giant punched many of them aside, but the Heartless proved to be more agile; most leapt out of the way of its fists and scratched at its brown fur. The giant let out an angry grunt of pain.

"We need to help him!" said Pit, gripping his weapon tightly.

Lucina narrowed her eyes, accessing the situation. The Heartless in the clearing were numerous, and they moved noticeably faster than the ones they had fought back in Pit's world. The giant was able to incapacitate a few, but that was only with the element of surprise on his size. Now that they were aware of his presence, the foul creatures were beginning to overwhelm him. Lucina wanted to help, but she was wary of this new breed of Heartless. If she and Pit weren't prepared, they could make the situation worse.

She nodded and began to say, "Yes, but we should plan our approach carefully. If we can strategically…"

The ex-princess trailed off, realizing Pit was no longer listening. The angel was charging through the undergrowth, bow blades drawn.

"Pit! No!" she hissed, but he was well out of hearing. Lucina's head fell into her palm as Pit made his not-so-subtle entrance and attacked the Heartless head-on. So much for strategy… Robin, she knew, would be appalled. Returning her attention to the field, Lucina tried to think of a way to salvage the situation. Pit had created quite the stir, and although it had been reckless, it had momentarily disoriented the Heartless. Perhaps if she attacked from another angle…

Turning to the side, Lucina started ducking her way through the vegetation. If nothing else, at least she could—

The great ape suddenly howled, tearing Heartless off from his shoulders. In a fit of rage, the beast began pounding the earth with its hands, sending a quake through the surrounding area. Pit and the Heartless faltered, nearly losing their footing. Meanwhile, the stone slab Lucina had been walking across suddenly gave out. Before she could react, the earth swallowed her up.


	10. Chapter 10: Jungle Japes

**A/N: Update time! Ah... Donkey Kong Country. These were actually the first video games I ever touched back when I was a kid. But I was a terrible player, haha.**

**Real quick I wanted to bring up a point that one of the last chapter's reviewers brought up. When I wrote that Lucina had a hard time cutting through the forest, it wasn't from any lack of ability of Falchion's to slice through the plants. Chrom mentioned once or twice that he was actually able to break down a stone wall with the legendary blade. What I was thinking was that Falchion would be _unwieldy_ to use to cut through vegetation. It's a big sword, so I imagined it would have been like using a claymore to cut through underbrush-not impossible, but very tiring to the wielder. I assume folks use machete's to cut through jungles for a reason-because they are smaller and lighter, much easier (for the wielder) to slice through plants. That's why Pit had an easier time in the end.**

**But I really appreciate someone pointing that out; if you find any other discrepancies in this story, please point them out. I'm certainly no J.K. Rowling-I know there's certainly a lot I can improve on, so here's to getting better at writing!**

* * *

Pit found out rather quickly that these new monkey Heartless were really, _really_ annoying. They had this habit of sliding under the angel's blades and kicking him in the shins. When they weren't making a slide to home base, they were slashing their claws through the air like manic cats. More often than not, Pit was put on the defensive.

Thankfully, Donkey Kong's ground-pound gave him the break he needed. Recovering quickly, Pit lunged forward and dug his right blade into closest monster. Twisting three-hundred and sixty degrees, the angel continued on and brought down his other blade twice on the Heartless next in line. The third opponent tasted both his weapons. Before the creatures could regroup, three of their own had gone up in smoke.

The enemy didn't take kindly to the news. Fuming, the monkeys pressed their attacks. One slid at Pit with murder in its yellow eyes, but seeing the attack coming, Pit brought down his backwards-facing blade to meet the on-coming foot. The result was… surprisingly comical. The Heartless started jumping up and down on one foot, cradling the other in soundless pain. Pit gave the creature an odd look before taking advantage of the opening.

With Donkey Kong bashing the Heartless about, the tides seemed to be turning. The angel finally caught up with the great ape, leaping in to cover his back. DK snorted appreciatively as he smashed an enemy into the ground. Working together, the duo took out most—if not all—the aggressive Heartless. Before long, the clearing was empty and still.

Pit scanned the area for any stragglers, but for the moment the area appeared secure. Satisfied, Pit straightened and brought his blades together to reform his bow, then slung it across his back.

"That took care of that," Pit turned to the ape with a grin. "Looks like we saved your bananas, DK."

The ape hooted triumphantly, beating his chests with his thick fists. He brushed past Pit to the impressive pile of fruit and looked over it thoroughly, as if checking to make sure that not even one banana was out of place. Smirking, Pit turned to see if Lucina was watching.

Only then did he realize that he and the oversized gorilla were alone in the clearing.

"Lucina?" he called out, a tone of worry in his voice. He didn't know her well, but she didn't seem to be the type that would abandon a fight. Not unless something serious happened to her…

Did the Heartless get her?

"Lucina? Lucina!" he called out with more urgency.

Behind him, Donkey Kong growled.

Pit whirled around in time to see a curious creature emerged from the jungle. It was small—around the size of DK's head—and seemingly made of wood, although the angry eyes set in its face seemed real enough. It didn't have wings, but somehow it drifted weightlessly through the air like a messed-up Tiki balloon. Pit hesitantly reached for his bow; he wasn't sure if the creature was a Heartless or not, but it didn't look friendly.

The creature soundlessly shook its twig-like arms, gesturing wildly at empty clearing around them. Pit couldn't make heads or tails of what it was trying to say. He glanced over at the Kong uncertainly, but the great ape was scowling. Clearly the two had encountered each other before, and their interaction had been less than pleasant.

After venting whatever fury had possessed it, the creature took a deep breath—then started waving its arms back and forth methodically, its eyes becoming a hypnotizing swirl. Pit swore he heard some sort of tribal music before the air around them suddenly shimmered with pools of darkness. All around them, the Heartless made their reappearance.

"Seriously?" Pit gaped, shoulders slumping. "We just took you guys out!"

The blue-furred monkeys were back, but this time they were joined by a new type of Heartless. These resembled giant flightless birds, with glossy black feathers and thick, jagged, bone-white beaks. They jerkily tilted their heads from side to side like mutant chickens, peering at the duo with vacant, dinner-plate-sized eyes. Though they didn't look like the sharpest crayons in the crayon box, they still looked dangerous.

Even though the Tiki creature didn't have a mouth, Pit swore it wore a maniacal grin on its wooden face. The angel and ape duo braced themselves for another battle when it waved its arms again. The Heartless didn't move, but the canopy above their heads suddenly shuddered. A shadow crossed over the jungle's clearing, and Pit and DK looked up to see a crude air ship drift in.

Pit gaped. Since when did _Donkey Kong Country_ have giant blimps? Or floating Tiki heads, for that matter? None of this was making sense! He peered back at the strange creature, wondering again if it was a Heartless… or something else. Whatever it was, it seemed to have control over the Heartless, though Pit couldn't understand how.

Ropes fell from the ship's hull, landing around the cart of bananas. At the Tiki's order, several of the monkey-like Heartless surged forward and began tying the ropes around the cart.

Donkey Kong roared in outrage. Without thinking, the great ape charged into the thicket of enemies. Pit stretched out a hand to stop him, but the puny angel would have had better luck trying to stop a speeding train. As the great ape tried to fight his way to the bananas, the other Heartless converged on him.

Pit glanced at the Tiki before going to the rescue. It _was_ controlling the Heartless. He was sure of it now. But he still couldn't understand how. Could a Heartless Boss be something other than a Heartless itself? Determined to find out, Pit strung his bow.

* * *

Lucina felt a scream rise up her throat as she fell through the darkness faster than her mind could follow. She couldn't understand. What just happened? One moment, she was slinking through the underbrush, and the next…

Before she could so much as open her mouth, Lucina's harsh descent was cut off. The scream she had been fighting escaped as a grunt as she landed on a hard, rough surface. Was it… wood?

The young woman took a few moments to catch her breath before reaching out with her fingers. She barely got them an arms-length away before they butted against more wood—all the way around her. By some miracle, she had fallen perfectly into something round and oblong. A barrel, perhaps? She wasn't sure how she had been so lucky as to fall in it, but at least she hadn't come to harm. Taking a deep breath, she started to stand.

The container—or barrel, or whatever it was—suddenly tipped. And exploded. Inexplicably, against all reason and logic, Lucina found herself blasting through the air. This time, she did scream.

Another wall of wood stopped her crazy flight, but she couldn't even right herself before that barrel exploded as well. What were the odds? Had she fallen into a trap? What in Naga's sweet name would be at the end of this demented contraption? She should never have—

The air rushed out of her as she finally landed on something other than wood: a moist mat of green moss. No more explosions, no more unexpected surprises. Lucina groaned and sluggishly pulled herself up onto her hands and knees. Clearing her head with a shake, she glanced around her new surroundings.

Understandably, she found herself in an underground cavern, but it wasn't as dark as the passage she had "flown" through. Light filtered in through holes in the earth above her head, following the path of several crystal-blue cascades. The walls reverberated with the roar of the falling water. Though the air was still thick with moisture, it felt cooler—almost refreshingly so after the sweltering heat above. Despite that, the warrior felt shaken.

What on earth had she just endured?

Lucina stood slowly, glancing over her shoulder at where she came from. She could see no sign of the sorcery that had brought her here. But where was _here_? More importantly, how would she get out?

Suddenly, she found a name for all her troubles.

"Pit," she cursed under her breath. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't be in this situation. Now that they were separated, they were vulnerable. The Heartless attacked in numbers that would easily overwhelm a single man or woman, no matter how competent a warrior they were. She had learned that lesson the hard way, back in Angel Land. If the Heartless found them now, she wouldn't last, and neither would Pit—especially if the great ape proved to be a foe.

How was he fairing now? The fool had jumped into that fight without a second thought. If he made a grave mistake in his judgment…

She had to find her way back to him before the angel got himself into worse trouble. Even if he was a nuisance.

_No way to go but forward_, she thought to herself as she turned. However, she hesitated. Which way was forward?

_Not forward. Upward._ She tilted her head towards the incoming waterfalls. Beyond their misty crowns, she could see hints of the jungle canopy outside. Could she simply scale the walls to escape? That might be more efficient than meander aimlessly through the cavern, but then again, if the walls were slick, the climb would be dangerous…

As Lucina scanned the walls for a path, she began to pick out shapes that did not quite belong. Heavily encrusted with moss, they were nearly unrecognizable, but she thought that they looked too symmetrical and straight to be natural.

"More ruins," Lucina mused aloud.

After a great deal of scrutiny, she finally discerned what the shapes were: the remains of an ancient system of waterwheels. Some still rotated beneath the force of the falling water, but most seemed to be in various states of disrepair. The constructs were wooden, and had to be rotting in these moist conditions. The moss was likely all that was keeping the wheels from falling apart. Lucina wasn't sure if she would trust them to carry her weight, but the sight did give her some hope. If the wheels were made of wood, then they had to have come from the jungle above—in which case, there had to be a road leading to the surface somewhere.

Determined to find Pit as quickly as possible, Lucina crossed the cavern to the nearest waterfall. The roaring waters grew deafeningly loud as she approached, but she kept her head held high as she searched for a path.

Above a coiling mass of dank roots, she noticed an indent in the cave wall too perfectly cut to be a coincidence. Even if it wasn't a road, the ledge could give her some much needed elevation. She couldn't see where it began, but it didn't matter; she figured she could safely climb up to that height, at least.

The rocks were slick, as she suspected, but she found amble hold in the roots and (surprisingly) the moss she found growing between them. Smiling to herself, she thought that she couldn't have found a better spot to climb. Before long, Lucina had reached the ledge. She was about to pull herself over when she heard a soft rustling sound, like leaves quaking in the wind.

Glancing up, Lucina caught sight of a giant red mass, oval in shape and framed by thick leathery leaves. A flower bud? A massive, ape-sized flower bud. She stared at it with a frown, wondering if it was related to the flower Pit had been jumping on before they got separated. That was the only explanation she could think of in this strange world of giant creatures and exploding barrels. Right now she was more concerned about the noises she had heard. They could have belonged to some vermin, fleeing from her sudden appearance, but what if—

The entire bud shuddered. Before Lucina could blink, it lunged. The petals flashed open and revealed a hungry, sharp-toothed maw that could easily swallow her whole. Lucina jerked back with a yelp, inadvertently releasing her hold on the roots. The carnivorous plant snapped its jaw shut inches away from her face, and she caught the rancid odor of its breath before she fell.

Her stomach flipped. Flailing her arms, Lucina tried to catch hold of a root or a strand of moss—anything—but gravity had claimed her. The ex-princess could only brace herself and hope the landing wouldn't break bones.

Something grabbed her from behind: a pair of strong hands. A crackling sound met her ears, one like a fire suddenly igniting into life. Her fall slowed into a gentle descent. As she watched, the earth rose up to her at a slow, calm pace. Was she… flying?

When her feet gently touched the ground, the hands let her go. Lucina spun around to face her rescuer, but she saw no one—at least, at eye level. Something chittered at her feet, and she glanced down to see a long-tailed monkey dressed in a red shirt and hat smiling up at her.

* * *

Lucina's first instinct was to draw Falchion. The little creature looked too reminiscent of the Heartless she had encountered earlier, and she wasn't about to make the mistake of being careless around an enemy. The brown-furred ape screeched in alarm and started waving its arms frantically in front of its chest. The motion was so human-like that Lucina paused.

Sensing her hesitation, the monkey lowered his arms and blinked at her warily. He made some unintelligible chattering noises as he pointed to his chest—right above the heart. Then, he gestured to hers.

Frowning, Lucina gave the creature a second inspection. Although he had the same physical shape as the monkey Heartless, from the big ears to the long tail and arms, the similarities ended there. His fur wasn't blue, and his eyes weren't vacant or yellow. They looked at her meaningfully, full of surprising intelligence. There was something almost… human about them. The red shirt and cap only added to the mystery.

The monkey pointed back to his chest, and at last Lucina understood.

"You're… not a Heartless," she stated, rather than asked, though she still kept Falchion aloft.

He nodded his head vigorously.

Mentally, Lucina bit her lip. Although wary to grant her trust, the evidence was piling up. If this creature had been a Heartless, surely it would have attacked her by now. Certainly, it wouldn't have saved her from her fall. While it could have been an elaborate trick meant to deceive her, she doubted a single Heartless would be capable of such cunning. From what she gathered from Palkia and Palutena, they were mindless beasts driven only by hunger.

Curiosity struck her. "Wait… You can understand me?"

Again, the monkey nodded.

Falchion slid back into its sheath as Lucina considered the creature. A flying monkey who could understand human language… Was such a thing possible? If boys could have wings and barrels could shoot her through the air, then she supposed so. Still, she felt rather silly speaking to an animal.

She glanced at the cap, noticing the white lettering across the forehead. Though the writing looked foreign, she found that she could still read it. "Is your name 'Nintendo'?"

The monkey looked amused, but shook his head from side to side. He made more chattering noises.

"I'm sorry," Lucina frowned a second time. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

He scratched the back of his head, looking genuinely puzzled. A second later, his eyes lit up and he took the cap off. Holding it up to her, he pointed at one of the letters.

"D?" she asked, wondering if the letter was all there was to his name. However, the ape moved on to another letter—"I". Then "D", then "I" again.

"D-I-D-I?" Lucina put the letters together after he replaced the hat on his head. "Your name is Dee-dee?"

He frowned and shook his head.

"But I thought—"Lucina stopped. She might have gotten the pronunciation wrong. "Die-die? Did-die? Diddy?"

Grinning triumphantly, the monkey nodded. She smiled in return. Despite her earlier doubts, he was turning out to be a rather friendly creature—if not a bit goofy. He reminded her of Pit, in a way.

The thought quickly soured her mood. _Pit_. She still needed to find him. Looking at Diddy, she wondered if he was somehow related to the giant ape the angel had chased. Would he know how to get out of this hell-hole?

"Diddy? My fri—"

She stopped herself short. Pit was _not_ her friend. They were only in this together because they needed each other.

"I mean, my _companion_ is in grave danger, and I need to get back to the surface to find him. Do you know how to get up there?"

Puffing out his chest with a look of determination, Diddy nodded. He pointed up the way Lucina tried to climb and shook his head. He scowled theatrically and clasped his hands together like a great claw, snapping it open and close as he made growling noises. Lucina suspected he was referring to the carnivorous "flower" that just tried to eat her. Shaking his head again, Diddy pointed away from the tangled mass of roots and signaled for her to follow him.

Lucina gave the ledge one last look before she followed the monkey deeper into the cavern. She prayed for this unexpected detour to be quick… and safe. If this world was full of more surprises like the man-eating plant or the exploding barrels, then she and Pit might not last as long as she hoped. For his sake, she hoped the giant ape would be as kind as Diddy.

* * *

Diddy led her along the wall for quite some time before they began to see anything remotely resembling a path. They had to climb up a steep slope of slick, loose rocks before they reached a mossy, narrow shelf that slithered up the cavern's wall. It wasn't the road Lucina had hoped to find, but it was something. She trusted that her tiny guide knew where he was going—at least, until they reached the first gap.

Lucina stared down at the cavern floor with a frown. The gap that impeded their progress looked to be more than ten feet across—impossible for her to jump alone. Though they had climbed a fair distance, they weren't even a third of the way up. Lucina pressed her lips in a thin line, trying to mask her frustration. This had been a waste of valuable time.

She turned around and started to retrace her steps, but Diddy stopped her by jumping onto her shoulders.

"Diddy!" she objected, trying to shrug him off. Stubbornly, the monkey resisted. With one hand he forced her to look back, and with the other he pointed meaningfully at the opposite ledge.

"Diddy, it's a dead-end," she told him. "We couldn't possibly make that jump."

He grunted, and finally jumped off. Chattering something unintelligible, he jumped in place and—

Wooden barrels materialized on his back, spewing fire as they propelled the chimp into the air.

Lucina stared. Of course. He could fly. With magical barrels. Because, why not? Nothing else in this gods-forsaken world made sense! The princess moaned and rubbed her temples. Suddenly, she was wishing she hadn't let Anna talk her into crossing the Outrealm Gate.

"Okay, yes," she finally said as she mustered the last of her sanity. "You can fly across. …Somehow. But I can't."

Diddy leapt back onto her shoulders and held on tight. With a look of determination, he pointed.

"You'll… carry me?"

She hesitated; he had done it before, when he rescued her from the fall, so she didn't doubt his strength. If something went wrong, however… She glanced down over the edge again. The ground seemed so far away. Lucina never thought that she had a fear of heights, but the thought of falling from here felt intimidating.

"Is there another way?" she asked.

Diddy shook his head. He didn't look like he was lying, as far as she could tell. Then again, she wasn't sure how good she was at reading monkey faces.

She sighed. What other options did she have? "Then let's do this."

The monkey hooted excitedly, and started waving his fingers forward. She understood—he needed a running start.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered to herself as she mentally and physically prepared herself. Acting quickly—before she could talk herself out of it—Lucina surged forward. She heard the barrels ignite, but she didn't dare look back. When she reached the edge, she planted her feet and jumped.

Diddy's rockets propelled them across the gap, lifting her higher and farther than her normal jumping ability ever could. Lucina held on to the monkey for dear life as she watched the cave floor scroll past her feet. Her breath caught in her throat, but only for a second before solid ground was below her once again. Distracted, she failed to get her feet below her in time.

Lucina once again tumbled face-first into the moss, while Diddy was sent flying from her shoulders. When all fell still, the princess grunted and propped herself up, spitting the familiar but awful taste of earth from her mouth. Not far away, Diddy was sitting up, rubbing his head but looking otherwise unharmed.

"Sorry," she winced. "I should have paid more attention to the landing."

Diddy stopped rubbing and stared. Slowly, a sheepish grin worked its way across his face, and he started laughing—so hard that he rolled onto his back.

She gave a weak chuckle, more out of relief than anything. They were alive—but Naga's scales, she did _not_ want to do that again. Diddy might've pull stunts like this all the time, but Lucina felt most comfortable with her feet planted firmly on the ground. Standing up, the princess dusted herself off and glanced around.

The path ahead curved around a corner, but from this new angle, Lucina could see more evidence of ancient human activity. The shelf had been reinforced with moss-covered wooden scaffolding, spanning gaps like the one they had just crossed. She still doubted their integrity, but she hoped they would be strong enough to hold them. Some stone structures were interspersed here and there, including a broken bridge and a skeletal archway, but nothing to suggest that anyone ever lived down here.

Leaving Diddy to catch his breath, Lucina wandered further up the trail. Her eyes wandered across the ruins as she wondered about the people who had left them behind. Were they still around? Or had something happened to them? With giant flesh-eating plants, large apes, and exploding barrels, living here must have been fraught with danger. What had they been looking for, down in this cave?

As she rounded the corner, Lucina paused. On the bare rock of the cavern wall, she found paintings. They were crude, nothing more than stick figures, but they told a story. Monkeys played in the trees while crocodiles crawled beneath them. A fiery figure stood on a mountain before all the other creatures of the jungle—foremost among them was a figure that almost looked human, although much too big.

None of the scenes made sense to Lucina. Were they supposed to? Maybe they were the innocent scrawlings of children, etching their fantasies into the rocks on a bored day. Or maybe some artisan merely wanted to practice his art. Frowning, Lucina moved on to the last group of paintings.

Something about them struck her as odd. They didn't seem to go with the others, and their style was completely different. In them, three white humanoid figures stood side by side holding hands. They were encircled about by several circles, each with a different but unrecognizable symbol. Lucina ran her fingers over the one such symbol, wondering what it all meant.

A curious chitter broke her from her thoughts.

Lucina turned to see Diddy staring up at her impatiently, as if saying,_ "Are you ready to get a move on, already? I thought you were in a hurry!"_

She gave the paintings one last glance before turning and giving the monkey a nod. Without speaking a word, the two continued their trek to the surface.

Behind them, the symbol began to glow.

* * *

**A/N: I think this chapter could alternatively be called, "Let's mess with Lucina and through her through all the quirky game mechanics". Poor thing. I'm sorry... but I'm not xD**

**Confession time for Char-I actually have not touched the newest Super Smash Brothers. It looks like it's a lot of fun of the 3DS, but I'd prefer to play it on the WiiU when it comes out. I'm certainly excited though! Although I'm worried that the Pit conversations are going to mess with my story cannon xD It's killing me to see what the heck Chrom says to Palutena during one of those conversations.**


	11. Chapter 11: Butt Mugly

**A/N: Thanks everyone for you patience! I had a hard time getting this chapter done-thanks to NaNoWriMo and all the holidays. The former tends to screw up my entire writing process and writing style, so... it took a while to recuperate from that (but I did win ;D). But here we are! :D I hope you enjoy this chapter! And thanks also for all the recent reviews! You guys are too kind xD Hopefully, I can keep up with your expectations! Thanks for reading!**

**Also, reviewer Raikouga made a very good point in regards to Chapter Nine, and I sincerely thank you for that! I will be going back and editing the last section of that chapter to fix that up. With such a wide universe I'm writing in here, there's sure to be some stuff I get wrong, so I deeply appreciate any corrections/criticisms like these. Thanks again! :D**

* * *

"Get. Off!" Pit shouted as he tried to shake off his attacker.

A monkey Heartless had landed on his back and was currently trying to pluck all the feathers off of his wings. With enough jerking, the angel finally managed to dislodge the creature, yet he didn't get a moment's reprieve before a thick beak fell towards his head. He crossed his bow blades in front of his face just in time to intercept it, but the giant bird's momentum pushed him back. Unexpectedly, he found himself tripping over the very Heartless he had shaken off.

The angel landed on his back with a grunt. Things… were not going as planned. Pit had tried to give Donkey Kong some back-up, but this second wave of Heartless was proving more difficult to dispatch than the first. Under the direction of the Tiki creature, they were moving more intelligently. The second the angel tried to shoot at the apparent boss, the Heartless had turned and rushed at him, leaving him no room for his ranged attacks.

Between all the beaks and claws, Pit only caught glimpses of how Donkey Kong was faring. The giant ape was still standing, bashing aside the enemies with his thick fists, but even he could only do so much.

Before the angel could move, black talons pinned him to the ground. He glanced up to see the thick-beaked monstrosity of a bird peering down at him, cocking its head from side to side. Just behind it, the cart of bananas was rising up into the air.

"DK!" Pit shouted out. "The bananas!"

Not half a second later, he heard the ape's bellowing roar. Heartless were thrown about with renewed fervor as DK tried to power his way to the ascending cart. Likewise, Pit mustered up his strength. Kicking at the bird Heartless, he freed his hands and plunged his blade into the creature's chest. He didn't stick around to watch it disintegrate. Rushing forward, he dodged a flurry of swipes from an attacking monkey and barreled into another unsuspecting bird, pushing through it with his weapon until it dissolved.

When the darkness cleared, he could see Donkey Kong clearly—and he could see that he wasn't going to make it. Already, the blimp had pulled the cart high above his head, out of the Kong's reach. From on top of the pile of bananas, the floating Tiki head was waving his tiny fist triumphantly as if it had already won.

Pit scowled. There was no way he was going to let it get away that easily! The Tiki was his target, too; until it was defeated, the Heartless would continue to plague this world. Not to mention that they would eat all of DK's bananas. _That_ wasn't cool at all.

Rushing past the remaining Heartless, Pit called out for Donkey Kong once more. "I got it!"

By the time the ape turned to face him, Pit was already climbing over him. Leaping from the Kong's head, Pit pulled back on his bow and took aim at the Tiki. He charged up his bolt of light for as long as he could, then, as gravity began to reclaim him, he released. The arrow streaked towards the Tiki, who ducked at the last second. Instead, the projectile sliced through one of the ropes.

The blimp wobbled unsteadily in the air, spilling some of the bananas into the jungle; however, it kept rising. Soon, it drifted out of their sight.

Donkey Kong caught Pit before he could crash back onto the ground. The ape set him back down safely before looking at him with obvious concern.

"I'm fine," Pit grumbled, dusting off his chiton. "But your bananas…"

A sound from behind them quickly stole their attention. DK and Pit whirled around, expecting trouble. They saw the horde of Heartless stare at them before their forms quivered and dissolved into shadow. Once again, the jungle was silent and empty.

Grumbling, Donkey Kong abruptly turned back to the direction that the blimp had disappeared. He hooted and beat his chest.

"Yeah, I didn't care much for that guy, either," Pit agreed. With a frown, he added, "You know, with that rope sliced, they probably won't be able to make it very far. They'll have to land soon to fix it."

Snorting, the ape stormed forward.

"Hey, wait!" Pit started after him. "I want to help!"

Donkey Kong jerked his head in a curt nod, but didn't pause for a moment. He wanted those bananas back, and he wanted them now.

"Not one for small talk, are you?" Pit frowned, jogging to keep up with him. He glanced back hesitantly over his shoulder.

Still no sign of Lucina.

He wanted to look for her, but at the same time he wanted to help DK—and take that Heartless Boss out as well. Maybe once the Tiki was out of the picture, it would be easier to find her. Maybe Donkey Kong would even lend him a hand. Hopefully, she could hold out until then.

"Hang in there, Luc," he muttered before running to catch up.

* * *

For being such a big guy, Donkey Kong could sure move quickly through the jungle undergrowth. Admittedly, Pit wasn't sure if it was because he was fast, or if he could cover that much more ground in a single stride than the tiny angel. Either way, the Centurion's captain was having difficulty keeping up, even after the Kong found reasonable trail through the jungle. At some point, the ape grew impatient and scooped him up onto his back.

The race from then on became much more exciting.

Donkey Kong powered through the jungle at full speed, deftly dodging obstacles with relative ease. He didn't even skip a beat when their path was impeded by ruins or large gaps; the Kong simply leapt over them, finding new paths over treetops or boulders, even leaping onto ancient rooftops from time to time. Pit couldn't help but hoot and holler with giddiness at every extreme stunt he pulled. Hands down, this was much more exciting in person than it was playing on a video game. It felt like a roller coaster ride with no seat belts and no rules. Was this how Diddy felt all the time?

Eventually, Donkey Kong coasted to a stop. Ahead was nothing but air; the earth ended abruptly in a steep, drop-off that gave them a clear view of an extensive canyon below them. Tooth-like rock formations jutted out from the ground between the canyon's walls, but they looked too far to reach by jumping. That in and of itself was discouraging, but at least they could see their target. The banana-ridden blimp was descending through the air to the other side of the canyon, just past a grotesque monster face carved into opposite cliff wall.

"It looks like they might be landing over there," Pit mused aloud, watching the blimp's gradual descent. "If we could cross this canyon, we might could… Wait, what are you doing?"

The ape had started backing up, hunching his shoulders as if bracing himself.

"Oh, no," Pit paled, realizing what he was thinking. "You're not going to… But how will—"

Before Pit could stop him, Donkey Kong surged forward and jumped.

"I CAN'T FLY!" Pit hollered.

Donkey Kong glanced over his shoulder, his eyes growing wide as he let out a rather befuddled grunt. Together, the duo turned their attention back to the ground, which was approaching them at an alarming rate, and screamed. He knew it would make no difference, but Pit still tried digging his hands into DK's fur and flapping his wings with all his might. His best efforts didn't even slow them down.

Closing his eyes, Pit turned his thoughts to his Goddess, praying that somehow she'd be able to reach them in this crazy jungle. Only then did he remember: she couldn't save him. If he got _Finished_, he was dead. He was going to die. An unfamiliar feeling washed over him, and he opened his eyes again in a panic, just in time to see the jungle canopy rise up all around them. Leaves and branches lashed at them as they passed through, until Donkey Kong managed to catch a hold of one.

The ape came to an abrupt halt, although the sudden jerk caused Pit to lose his grip. Giving a frightened yelp, the angel continued falling—but not for very long. Something soft and spongey cushioned his landing, hissing out air in his ear at impact. The cloud of dust that followed obscured his vision momentarily, at the same time catching in his throat.

Pit sat up, coughing roughly to clear his lungs. When the dust settled, he realized that he had landed on a bed of gigantic mushrooms. Which meant that the "dust" wasn't really dust. He tried not to give it too much thought. Shakily, he rose to his feet and checked himself over, finding himself alive and whole.

The branches above his head suddenly shuddered. Pit glanced up to see Donkey Kong drop from canopy, landing with a heavy thud beside the angel. For a minute, the two stood and stared at each other, until Pit broke the silence with a frustrated growl.

"Why did you do that? You could have gotten us killed!"

The ape narrowed his eyes, reaching over and gently tugging on the boy's wings.

His face grew red. "H-hey! I tried to tell you! I _can't_ fly. Seriously."

The Kong frowned and tugged on his wing again.

"Stop that!" Pit flicked the feathered appendage free before crossing his arms in frustration. "They don't work right, okay? I couldn't fly even if I wanted to."

Donkey Kong heaved a sigh, shaking his head from side to side. Glancing around, the ape seemed to gather his bearings before ambling off once more.

Grumbling, Pit followed. As his embarrassment simmered down, he took in their new surroundings. This section of the jungle floor was nearly pitch-black. The thick canopy above blocked most of the sunlight, choking the feeble life on the ground. Nothing really grew here other than mushrooms, which coated the air with the odor of decay.

They made a steady climb upwards, winding their way through stone outcrops until Donkey Kong led them into a small cave not even fifteen feet deep. Pit frowned, seeing no possible way forward.

"Where are we supposed to go now?" he wondered out loud.

In response, Donkey Kong pounded at the ground below them. Pit hadn't even realized that they had been standing on wooden slats until they splintered beneath the ape's fists. The drop into the tunnel below wasn't very long, but it still took Pit by surprise.

"Could you warn me before you do something like that again?" he complained after landing safely on his feet. "I know we're working with a language barrier here, but still!"

Donkey Kong shot him a look that might have read, _"You talk too much_," before sliding down the tunnel's deep slope. Pit sighed with exasperation before sliding down as well. At the bottom, he saw something that might have given him a thrill any other time.

Carving its way through the underground was a set of rusty iron tracks, with a single dented mine cart resting before them. Donkey Kong jumped in without a second thought, then glanced over his shoulder at the hesitating angel.

"Ooo," he grunted, patting the side of the cart with his massive hand. Pit, however, stood stock-still at the edge of the tunnel.

"Er… You should know, I've had some bad experiences with these things," he said, thinking of all the times he had killed the Kongs on the mine cart levels in _Donkey Kong Country_ until he rage-quitted.

DK batted the cart again, hooting confidently.

Pit scratched his head with a sigh. "Right. You probably know what you're doing…"

Steeling himself, the angel climbed in next to Donkey Kong. As soon as he was seated, the wheels on the cart screaked into action. Pit gripped the side of the cart as it slowly rolled towards the edge, where it hesitated for the briefest moment before plummeting down the sharp slope. For an old, rickety hunk of metal, it sure could accelerate quickly, though it was a cake-walk compared to the Lightning Chariot. In time, Pit relaxed. Once or twice they took a sharp corner that made the cart tilt dangerously, but they had yet to encounter the gaps in the rail he truly dreaded.

With everything going as smoothly as it was, Pit began to wonder if the gaps in the video games were just an invention of the developers, or—

"Oh, no," Pit paled. Just up head, the tracks had been torn asunder, the metal jutting out at twisted angles. At the rate they were going, they would reach it in seconds.

"No, no, no, no!" the angel held on for dear life.

Ignoring his panicking, Donkey Kong grabbed the sides of the cart and suddenly jerked the whole thing upwards. Pit's yelling echoed through the cave as their ride jumped the tracks, sailing through the air briefly before landing perfectly on the tracks on the other side. They continued rolling on as if nothing had happened.

Shakily, Pit sat up straight. "Please tell me that that was the only—"

"Ooo," Donkey Kong interrupted, leaning forward. Pit followed the ape's gaze and saw another cart sharing their rail—but riding straight towards them. Purple and black in color, the front end had been crudely cut in half to form a jagged-toothed mouth that actually seemed to open and close on its own accord. Mirroring the cart's vicious grin was its driver: a lanky, dark-skinned figure with a hardhat complete with a headlamp over its round yellow eyes.

"Heartless?!" Pit yelped as he caught sight of the emblem on the cart's front. The creature in the cart jumped up and down in excitement before leaning forward, pressing its demented ride to go faster. Pit gripped the side of their cart, his knuckles turning white. "It's gonna ram us!"

The Kong snorted, looking hardly concerned. As the mine cart Heartless drew near, he seized the sides of their ride and forced it to jump the tracks again. Their cart sailed through the air, landing right on top of the startled Heartless. The enemy dissolved completely—even down to the cart itself—allowing the two heroes to continue unimpeded down the tracks.

"Okay…?" Pit let out a weak laugh. "That wasn't so bad, I guess."

Turning to see what was coming, however, Pit's smile quickly faded. Ahead, the mine rail had been divided across several broken tracks, each with more mine cart Heartless patrolling to and fro. Many rose and curled in a rollercoaster-like fashion that would have made no sense in any sane mining facility. Seeing the obstacle course that awaited them, Pit let out a low groan.

"I just had to open my big mouth." Slinking back into the cart, he grumbled to the Kong, "Let me know when it's all over…"

At least they didn't have to look for KONG pieces in this mess…

* * *

Rays of sunlight pooled around the pair of travelers as they emerged from the underground caverns, taking them up in its warm embrace. Diddy wandered ahead, chittering contently while Lucina took a moment to catch her breath. The climb out had been quite the physical excursion, compounded by the humidity she was so unfamiliar with. Her monkey guide had led her over and under stone, once even climbing up a vertical wall of vines. She was relieved when the scenery changed around them, turning into thick forested undergrowth instead of cold, hard rock.

Diddy held a hand up over his eyes, apparently scanning the jungle ahead. He turned back around, hooting as he held a thumbs-up to her. Lucina returned the gesture with a weary smile.

"I owe you my thanks, Diddy," she said. "I doubt I could have found my out of there on my own."

The monkey rubbed at his nose with his thumb, looking rather smug.

Lucina took a few steps forward, observing their new surroundings. They had come out near one of the waterfalls that spilled into the underground, with the area surrounding rising in gentle hills. Not too far ahead, she could see the face of a sheer cliff wall rising high above the jungle's crown. Frowning, she turned her back to it.

"Now," she turned to Diddy, "where can we find Pit…?"

Almost on cue, an off-key holler echoed through the air. Lucina and Diddy both glanced up in time to see something silver streak down the slope of a steep hill at incredible speed. Two figures seemed to be riding inside: one massive and brown, the other screaming at the top of his lungs. In their speeding silver chariot, they plunged down the trough before launching off the next rise—leaving the ground completely.

Lucina could distinctly hear one of the riders cry out, "PALUTENA!", before the cart disappeared back into the jungle. The princess and her guide stared after the oddity in a long moment of silence. Eventually, Lucina glanced down at Diddy, who could only offer a shrug.

When the shock wore off, she felt a mixture of concern and annoyance replace it. Growling the angel's name under her breath, she raced off in the direction they had disappeared, with Diddy hot on her heels.

They didn't get far before the air suddenly shuddered. Orbs of darkness flickered to life, spewing out a number of Heartless—including a new variety resembling a giant bird.

"Not now," Lucina winced, skidding to a halt. She drew Falchion, and this time, the legendary blade would taste battle. But would it be enough? She glanced at her newest companion, who had nearly tripped over his own tail back-pedaling. She wasn't sure she would be able to protect herself and Diddy against this swarm.

The monkey narrowed his eyes, but didn't back down. To Lucina's surprise, he withdrew a pair of wood contraptions from thin air and pointed them at the Heartless. Giving a yowling battle-cry, the chimp fired some kind of projectile from the contraptions, which promptly exploded in the monsters' faces. Lucina wasn't sure how it worked, but it did. The Heartless stumbled back in pain, giving her an opening.

No time for questions. They needed to end this quickly, for Pit's sake. Rushing forward, Lucina swept her Falchion through the first rank of Heartless.

* * *

Pit wasn't sure how Donkey Kong was able to navigate through all the obstacles, but he was sure about one thing: the mine cart ride didn't end soon enough. After being jerked back and forth, smashing Heartless and jumping between tracks, the ride finally escalated in one final flight. The jump carried them so high into the air that the jungle canopy looked like a lush green carpet beneath them. As gravity began drawing them back to the ground, a curious sense of weightlessness washed over Pit, and he felt himself rising out of the cart.

Yelping, he latched on to DK's arm and watched as the ground rose up quickly up to meet them. With a heavy thud, the cart landed perfectly on yet another set of tracks.

"Is it over yet?" the angel asked wearily, refusing to let go of the giant ape.

Donkey Kong responded by prying him off his arm, and grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. Next thing Pit knew, they were leaping out of the cart, which plummeted into a seemingly endless pit while they landed safely on the other side of the chasm.

Setting the angel back on the ground, the ape grunted as if saying, '_Yes, we're here_.'

"Land!" Pit collapsed, showing the dirt with kisses. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see you again!"

The angel's companion grunted again, this time rolling his eyes. He trudged along down the edge of the chasm a ways before stopping and pounding his chest. Glancing up, Pit saw what got the ape's attention. Masked beneath the tangled undergrowth of the jungle slept a sprawling mess of ruins. Behind a broken wall, he spied the top of the Tiki's blimp resting near ground level.

"We caught up to them? Already?" Pit stood with a frown. "Guess mine carts really are the way to get around here. …Not that I want to try them again any time soon. Well, DK—let's go get your bananas!"

Donkey Kong screeched in agreement, a fierce glint in his eye.

They navigated through the ruins, ducking through and under moss-encrusted stone, until they came upon a nearly intact building hidden beside a rocky outcrop. A single archway led inside, but it was difficult to see what waited inside beyond its dark corridor.

"I'm getting major boss vibes from this place," said Pit, anxiously spinning his bow in his hand. "What do you think, DK?"

"Ooo, ooo," the ape grunted in agreement.

"I saw we show 'em who's really boss!" Pit pumped his fist. "We're getting those bananas back!"

Donkey Kong pounded his fists against his chest before barreling in through the archway, Pit right at his side. The corridor quickly spat them out into a wide, sunlit area walled in by stone bleachers. The seats themselves were in the darkness, but Pit could discern small creatures occupying them—more Tikis, like the one they had encountered earlier. They were making a cacophony of bizarre noises, though a hush fell through them as they caught sight of the intruders. Every wooden head turned to look their way.

A growl from Donkey Kong brought Pit's attention back to the ground. Across from them, a massive, dopey-looking beast was mowing through a pile of yellow mush. At the sound of the Kong, it slowly turned around, revealing a wide, frog-like face with a toothy maw dripping with mashed bananas. Pit curled his lip, disgusted by its repulsive appearance.

"Didn't anyone teach you to chew with your mouth closed?" he asked.

The beast continued chewing contentedly, Pit's words bouncing off him completely.

A commotion up in the bleachers stole their attention. Pit glanced up to see a familiar face glaring down at them—the Tiki who had controlled the Heartless. It curled its tiny hands into tight fists before suddenly relaxing. Lifting its arms, it began waving them back and forth, just like before, and Pit tightened his grip, preparing for trouble; nearby, he could sense DK doing the same.

A pool of darkness collected beneath the banana-eating beast, who stood there dumbly until the darkness rose and encased it in a purple-black cocoon. When the shadows dispersed, it revealed a transformed creature; still fat and pudgy in shape, looking like a fouled-up cross between a dinosaur, a frog, and a rhino, the beast now featured yellowish spikes protruding from its blackened hide that matched the crooked fangs in its wide jaws. Its lamp-like eyes focused on Pit and Donkey Kong hungrily.

The Tiki drifted down from the bleachers, and merged with the creature, disappearing from their view. Behind them, a gate slid into place, locking them into the arena.

Pit took a minute to process what had just happened. Finally, it clicked:

"It… It's a Heartless!" he spat out. "That Tiki-thing turned it into a Heartless!"

In response, the frog-rhino Heartless roared and charged. Pit and Donkey Kong leapt out of its way, but it kept going, eventually ramming into the stone wall. The force of the impact put a good-sized dent in the rock, but the Heartless merely turned about face, hardly fazed by the damage.

_Alright_, Pit began his analysis. _What would Lady Palutena say about this guy? Spikes—definitely ouchy. Thick skin… and a thick head, apparently_. Experimentally, he drew back an arrow and fired it. The arrow glanced harmlessly off its armor before fizzing out of existence.

"Frontal attacks are no good on this guy," Pit muttered. "But he's gotta have a weak point somewhere…"

The Heartless bellowed and charged again, lowering the spikes around his head. Pit and Donkey Kong side-stepped once more, leaving Pit with another observation.

"It can only charge in one direction!" The angel felt proud of his own deductions; however, the Heartless had one more surprise for him. Just as Pit was preparing another bolt, the creature hopped up high into the air, floated for a few seconds, then belly-flopped to the ground. The surprised angel managed to roll away before the Heartless could turn him into a celestial pancake.

"What kind of an attack is that?" he barked incredulously. "How are you even doing that?"

The Heartless didn't seem to care for logic, as it proceeded with another floating belly-flop attack. When it came down, Donkey Kong came up from behind and brought his fists down on the creature's rump. Pit shouted at the ape to warn him about the spikes, but to his surprise the attack actually worked. The Heartless yelped, retreating to the opposite side of the arena with its stubby tail between its legs.

"Wait," the angel put the pieces together, "so it's weak point is his… Hey! Just like Cragalanche! Of course!"

Separating his bow blades, he shouted at the Heartless, "Hey, ugly! Over here!"

The Boss jerked its head towards Pit, its empty eyes zeroing in on the angel. Roaring, it ripped at the earth with its front claws before charging. Pit waited until the last second before dashing to the side, following up a flurry of slashes at its behind. He was rewarded with another yelp from the beast, who quickly tried to retreat. One thing stood in its way—Donkey Kong. The ape leapt over the creature, landing solidly on the exposed weak point.

The Heartless roared in outrage. Shaking off its attackers, it retreated back to the wall, where the shadow began gathering around it. More spikes grew from its dark hide, which slowly changed colors from yellow to orange. With the minor transformation complete, the Heartless charged again—this time, moving noticeably faster.

"Phase two!" Pit shouted, dodging around the creature. "We're really making him angry, now!"

He went to slash at the creature, but it whirled around in an instant, knocking the angel aside. Seeing him in trouble, Donkey Kong rushed in to distract the Heartless. It turned on him and met the ape head-on, opening its jaws wide. Donkey Kong skidded to a halt, throwing his hands up to intercept its falling teeth. The two grappled back and forth while Pit recovered his footing.

Wincing while muttering something about unfair spike attacks, the angel reformed his bow. The Heartless was moving quicker now, thus melee attacks wouldn't be so smart. Hopefully, the Kingdom Bow's ranged attacks would make up for that. Carefully picking his way around the creature, he pulled back on the bow's ethereal string.

Donkey Kong stumbled backwards, shoving the Heartless into the ground. However, the creature swiftly got back on its feet, retaliating by ramming into the ape with its horns. DK's shriek sounded in Pit's ears, stirring him to action.

"Pick on somebody your own size!" He fired arrows at the Heartless' backside. Realizing what he'd just said, however, he faltered. "Um, actually… I guess DK _is_ more your size… But—"

The Heartless yelped as the bolts hit their target.

"I think you see my _point_!" the angel smirked.

Snarling, the enemy redirected its attention to Pit, charging forward in a blind rage. He side-stepped and retreated back a few steps, keeping his distance from the spiky beast. Though it collided with the wall again, the Heartless shook it off and roared. Pit braced himself, anticipating another charge, but at that moment something crackled and hit the beast in its face. Pit blinked as he saw tiny wooden shells fell to the ground.

"…Peanuts? …Peanuts!" Grinning widely, Pit glanced up to the bleachers. Standing on the arena's wall, holding up his wooden pistols, was a monkey dressed in a red shirt and cap. All around him laid a mess of incapacitated Tiki creatures.

"Diddy Kong!" Pit cheered. The Heartless, however, was less than enthused. Growling at the intruder, it leapt at the wall, snapping its wide jaws despite the distance between it and the monkey. Hardly intimidated, Diddy leapt from the wall, extending his jump with a front flip before leveling his pistols at the beast. With a sound snap, more exploding peanuts were fired at the Heartless, this time finding its weak point.

"Sharp shooting, Diddy!" said Pit as the smaller Kong landed in front of him. Diddy grinned rather smugly before flashing the angel a thumbs-up. Back near the wall, the Heartless gave another roar of fury. Dancing a moment on its pudgy limbs, it launched itself back up into the air and started its belly-flop tactic again. Diddy and Pit had to cut their brief moment of triumphant short, jumping apart to avoid the attack.

Failing to catch any of them, the Heartless growled and leapt back up into the air. As it floated, a second figure raced out from the bleachers and flew into the fray. In a blur of blue, the figure spun through the air several times before bringing a glowing, golden sword down on the Heartless' back.

Pit brightened, feeling his worries fall from his shoulders. "Lucina!"

The young princess landed first, her sword flashing as she held it out from her side. The Heartless fell right at her feet, dazed and in pain. Growling deeply, it rose and glared at the heroes gathering around it. Donkey Kong had recovered from his attack, and caught up briefly with his little buddy. Pit notched an arrow and charged it up, aiming at its face. Lucina held the hilt of Falchion near her ear, preparing for anything.

The Heartless hissed through its teeth, then began drawing the shadows around it. Pit called out a warning as it underwent a third transformation. The crew backed up as they watched more spikes sprout from its body, fading from orange into a smoldering red. Tendrils of shadow wandered over its hide long after the change was complete. The Heartless jumped higher into the air than it ever did before, and when it landed, it sent a shockwave through the earth that brought the warriors to their knees.

Pit's charged shot flew wildly out of control, ricocheting off the arena's walls before dissipating into nothing. He scowled in frustration, hating to see it go to waste; they were powerful, but they required valuable time to get ready. Still, no use crying over spilled orange juice. Wait, was it orange juice, or…?

"Pit!" Lucina snapped him back to reality.

He glanced up to see the Heartless looming over him. It licked its chops with its wide, flat tongue before opening its jaws wide. Pit yelped and scrambled out of the way. Nearby, Diddy fired his peanut blasters at the beast in an effort to distract it. He didn't have much success. The shells bounced harmlessly off its thick hide, and the Heartless continued chasing after Pit with its mouth wide open.

Donkey Kong finally came to the rescue, kicking the foe in the side with both feet. The assault knocked it off its feet, giving Lucina the opening she needed. She jumped, raising Falchion above her head before bringing it down once again on its weak spot. The Heartless yelped. Spinning around, it knocked the blue-haired princess aside and charged towards Donkey Kong. It moved faster than ever, taking both the human and the ape by surprise. The latter, however, managed to evade the attack by leaping over it.

The Heartless skidded to a halt—right before the point of Pit's charged-up arrow.

"Sorry, ugly," Pit smirked. "Angel's not on the menu tonight!"

He loosed his hold on the arrow, letting it explode in the monster's face. It reeled, stumbling backwards on its gimpy hind legs. From behind, Diddy started another round of firing, getting another good shot at its rump. They had it, Pit thought. With all four of them on the Heartless at once, it stood no chance.

The Heartless made one last attempt to fight back. Leaping into the air, it prepared for another desperate belly flop attack.

"Oh no, you don't," Pit growled, drawing back another arrow. Keeping it pointed at the ground, he started running towards Donkey Kong. "DK! Toss me up!"

The ape seemed to understand immediately, and cupped his hands together at ground level. Pit stepped right on to them, then found himself rocketing skyward. He passed the Heartless on its way down, and at the peak of his flight, he took aim and fired. The arrow found its target before it landed—backed with force, it rammed the creature into ground, creating a small crater.

When the dust cleared, they could see tendrils of smoke leaving the creature until nothing of it remained—expect for a single, disoriented Tiki.

DK bellowed and dashed towards the Tiki, pummeling it with his fists at incredible speeds before launching the creature into the sky with a powerful uppercut. Soon enough, it was completely out of their sight.

The second Heartless Boss was annihilated.


	12. Chapter 12: No I in Team

At the fell beast's disappearance, Pit hollered and pumped his fists. "Now that's how you take care of monkey business!"

Neither one of the Kongs gave his cheesy line much recognition. They were too busy finally enjoying their reunion, each one dancing in place while pounding at their chests. Pit smiled at their antics and turned to see if Lucina was watching. He met with a sharp glare.

"…Er… Lucina?" he faltered.

She silently sheathed Falchion, walked over to him—and struck him across the face with the flat of her hand.

The angel reeled, clutching at his stinging cheek. "W-what was that for?"

Her face grew flushed as if flustered by her action, but she didn't apologize. Rather, she demanded, "What were you thinking?"

Pit blinked, completely dumbfounded.

"Do you have any idea what I just went through?" she continued, an angry scowl growing on her expression.

"Um… n-no…?" he answered tentatively, taking a step back. He was vaguely aware of Diddy and Donkey Kong watching apprehensively in the background. "You k-kinda just… disappeared."

"Disappeared? I fell down a trap! When you took off after that… _thing_—"

Donkey Kong made an offended-sounding grunt.

"—the ground beneath me gave and I fell into…" She stopped, shuddering. "I don't know what—magic barrels? They blasted me through the dark until I landed in a deep cavern. I doubt I would have found my way out were it not for Diddy."

Magic Barrels? They were a real thing? If Pit wasn't so shaken by Lucina's wrath, he would have been intrigued. As it was, he felt increasingly like a child receiving a bad scolding—even though he felt sure he did anything wrong. What should he say?

"…Oh."

Unfortunately, that only incited more of her anger.

"'_Oh'_? Pit, this isn't some game! What if I had been injured? What if you had been? How would we have found each other again? Your rash actions could have cost us severely—perhaps with our lives!"

Pit thought of the momentary flash of panic he experienced when DK jumped from the cliff, but he quickly brushed the memory aside. He could feel his face growing warm with his own pent-up frustrations. She had been treating him like a nuisance since they started working together, despite his best attempts to be friendly, and now she was blowing up on him! What exactly was she accusing him of, anyway? He was an angel, and he was committed to helping those in need. He had done nothing wrong; if anything, it was her own fault for getting separated.

Feeling emboldened, he retaliated, "What was I supposed to do? DK was in trouble! The Heartless were after him!"

Lucina pinched the bridge of her nose, apparently trying to reign in her temper. "We're supposed to work as a team. We didn't know if…" she gave the giant ape a wary side-glance, "…_he_… was friend or foe."

"He's Donkey Kong! Of course he's a friend! Well, unless you're Mario—but that's beside the point!" Pit frowned back at her, remaining defensive. "He needed our help! What would _you_ have done?"

She narrowed her eyes, scowl returning. "_I_ would have used my head. There's a difference between bravery and stupidity."

Pit's wings flared, and he tightened his grip on his bow. "Are you calling me stupid?"

"I am saying that we should not leap into situations like that without thought."

"So what, you wanted us to just stand by while the Heartless ganged up on him?"

"No, that's not what I meant."

"What _did_ you mean, huh? Cuz that's what it sounded like! We're supposed to help people!"

"We can't help them if we're dead!"

"Stop saying that!" he shouted hotly, surprising even himself with the outburst. Silence followed, with even Lucina looking startled, until Pit grumbled, "Everything worked out in the end, didn't it? We even found and took out the Heartless Boss! Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Lucina took an even breath, lowering her voice. "Because we won't be so fortunate next time."

She was right, and Pit knew it. Luck would only carry them so far—less far, with his brand of recklessness. But acknowledging that didn't help with the injustice he felt.

"You're a fine one to talk about teamwork!" he retorted. "You've been treating me like garbage since day one!"

She paused, her mouth frozen mid-word.

Continuing, he said, "You've been ignoring me, acting all annoyed and stuffy all the time, and just… treating me like I'm stupid! I'm not! I am the Captain of Lady Palutena's Army, an angel and messenger of the gods! Sure, sometimes I walk into traps. Sometimes I go for a treasure chest and it happens to be a Mimi-cutie. And sometimes, I don't brush my teeth before I go to bed. I have an illogical fear of eggplants, and I never learned how to read. I know I may not be the brightest feather in the flock, but I have it where it counts: in heart."

Lucina listened quietly, her expression once again unreadable. She glanced to the jungle floor when he finished, becoming very interested in the large tropical leaf under her boot.

In a gentler tone, Pit added, "I feel like you're not even giving me a chance."

Her silence continued only a few moments longer. At last she sighed, her shoulders sagging. "You're right."

"No, listen! You—wait, what?" Pit staggered, hardly expecting that kind of reply.

"You're right. I haven't been giving you the respect you deserve. It's just… It's difficult for me because you act so… childish. To me, that is. And you must admit that what you did today _was_ absolutely reckless."

"I'm not a child," he asserted, feeling defensive again. He could not keep the guard up for long, however. Gods and angels could not measure age the same as mortals. Gods were timeless, while angels matured very slowly. Though he had lived longer than most humans, he was still young for an angel. Aloud, he admitted, "At least… not by your human standards."

She looked at him closely before continuing, "No, I suppose not. You are a strong and capable warrior. I've seen it for myself. Forgive me for the way I've mistreated you."

He blinked at her, at a loss for words. He hadn't expected an apology, not so quickly. The angel had pegged the princess as haughty, but the young woman before him now seemed sincerely humbled. Maybe he had mistaken her solemnity for pride. He could tell that she had a deep sense of duty, which she carried with severe, if not gloomy, determination. Palkia had called her grave, and Pit now understood why.

Scratching the back of his head, he admitted, "I… guess I had you down wrong, too. I'm sorry that I ran off like that. And made you worry. And… the barrels thing. You're right, I shouldn't have done that. I guess I'm just so used to working by myself that my own teamwork skills are a little rusty."

She nodded graciously, before letting out a bitter-sounding laugh, "Look at us. So much depends on us, and yet here we are, bickering at each other. We're comrades in arms, Pit. We need to trust each other and act with one accord, if this quest of ours is to succeed. I admit that I'm struggling with the former right now."

"You mean you don't trust me?" he frowned.

"I want to, but it's difficult for me, especially when you jump into action so flippantly. I don't have your knowledge of the outside worlds. I'm not so sure I fully understand how you have it. How, then, can you expect me to follow along without explanation? Blind?"

"I guess you have a point there. Alright, how's this?" He held out his hand. "I promise I'll try to keep you better informed, and I'll try really hard not to leap before I think. Really, _really_, hard."

At that, she smiled—a sight Pit felt sure he had never seen before. It stunned him almost as much as her apology.

Taking his hand, she said, "And I promise I will be more patient and considerate."

They shook on it, sealing the deal.

Grinning, the angel straightened. "Well, I don't know about you, but I feel a lot better getting all that off my chest. Hey, DK!"

He turned around, ready to apologize for the drama, and found the two Kongs watching them intently, eating from what appeared to be... a bag of peanuts.

"Wha…? Hey!" the angel shouted at them.

The Kongs quickly hid the evidence behind their backs.

"What do you think this is?" Pit gave chase. "A soap opera? Get back here with those peanuts! …I want some."

* * *

Lucina watched their goose chase with a sigh. This was just a side of Pit that she would have to learn to accept—the part that left her eternally confused. She imagined it would be some time before she got used to it, but she swore to herself that she would try to have a little more patience.

Turning her attention away from the threesome, she glanced up to the bleachers of the stadium. Above, she could see the shadowy forms of Heartless slowly slinking away, just as they had when they defeated the Boss in Pit's world. Their goals in this world seemed accomplished—except, they had failed to find anything about the Keyblade.

Admittedly, Lucina wasn't sure if there _was_ anything to find on this world. The structures she had discovered were primitive, if not entirely abandoned. Any civilization that had lived here couldn't have been advanced enough to forge magical weapons, she thought.

Was it time to move on?

Lucina cleared her throat to catch Pit's attention. The angel stopped his pursuit to look over at her.

"Pit, I believe we have done all we can here. We should call for Palkia."

He glanced at the jungle around them, scratching the back of his head. He looked reluctant, but he conceded, "Yeah, you're probably right. There's not really much here, is there? At least we took out the Heartless Boss, though. Say, can I give the pearl a try?"

Lucina fished the orb out of her satchel and tossed it at the angel, who promptly rubbed its surface. The pearl responded immediately, glowing with a pale white light.

"Hey, Palkia! How's it—" Pit stopped short, his face twisting into a grimace. Apparently, the dragon had some choice words to say to him. "Okay, okay, sorry! Sheesh! We just beat the Boss in this world. And we met Donkey Kong! Er, no…? Hey, give me some credit! Fine, whatever. Wait, really? Right. We're ready whenever you are."

The light in the pearl faded, and Pit handed it back to Lucina. "She's going to open a portal outside of this arena-thing, so we should probably say our good-byes."

They turned to see the Kongs regarding them questioningly, their bag of peanuts mysteriously absent.

"Well, we gotta jet," Pit said to them. "Glad we could find your bananas. Er, or at least, some of them. I think most of them got eaten by that Boss."

Donkey Kong furrowed his eyebrows, as if he had just come to that realization. Diddy patted his thick arm sympathetically.

"Thank you again, Diddy, for helping me out of those caves," Lucina added, kneeling down to offer her hand. The little chimp didn't just take it—he went through a series of complicated gestures that ranged from claps to bumps to odd shaking movements. Lucina dumbly suspended her hand in midair, uncertain what to make of all it.

"No, no—you gotta do it like this, Luc," Pit interrupted. What ensued was what Lucina could only call the most bizarre dancing ritual she had ever seen for a handshake. They were slapping hands back and forth, bumping fists and wrists, even twisting around to do it behind their backs. In the end, Diddy fell on his back rolling with laughter.

When Pit turned back to her expectantly, she just blinked. "Um, right."

Donkey Kong rescued her by coming up behind the angel and ruffling his hair, seemingly over his loss.

"Thanks for the help, big guy!" Pit said, bumping knuckles with the ape's massive fist.

"Yes," Lucina added. "I'm sorry that I doubted you."

The giant ape nodded with a snort. With a beefy hand, he tugged at one of the angel's wings.

"Hey!" Pit flicked it free, before heaving a sigh. "I know, I know—I won't be flying anytime soon. Don't worry. Shall we get going, Luc?"

She hesitated, part of her still cringing at the use of the nickname. All the same, she couldn't quite bring herself to stop him; not after all they had been through. They were trying to turn over a new leaf. What could it hurt? Nodding at her comrade, she bowed to the apes. "Farewell."

Pit followed up by using his own style of leave-taking, waving, "See ya later!"

Diddy and Donkey Kong waved in return, and watched the duo headed for the arena's exit. As they walked, Lucina glanced down at her hand curiously. Curling it into a fist, she turned to Pit curiously, "What was… this?"

"Huh?" he sounded confused.

"When you and Donkey did… this." She imitated the motion, bringing her two fists together briefly.

"Oh, you mean the fist bump?"

"Fist bump?"

"Yeah—don't you do that in your world?" When she shook her head, he scratched the back of his head. "It's kinda like a high-five. You know, something you do with your buddies when you do something cool. It's like a 'GOOD JOB!' or 'ALRIGHT!' or something."

She stared at her fist a while longer before holding it out to Pit. "Alright?"

He beamed, returning the gesture. "Alright!"

Lucina frowned as she considered the odd form of hand-shaking. "That felt silly."

Pit stumbled a bit. "You're killing me, Luc."

She looked at him in alarm. "What? How?"

"No, I was just—gah, nevermind. Let's just get our rings on. The portal's just ahead."

* * *

Palkia indeed had opened a portal at the end of the tunnel, its swimming purple lights illuminating their way. Lucina and Pit summoned their armor and walked into it, the former fighting against sudden nausea until they finally stepped out into… a square room adorned like a common area. Lucina stopped in her tracks, staring in amazement. Opposite of them, a fire crackled invitingly in a simple hearth, warming a pair of tall-backed red armchairs. A long table filled up the space off to the left, with papers scattered across its surface. The stone walls around it sported mostly vacant bookshelves.

To their right stood an impatient pink dragon.

_Took your sweet time, didn'cha?_ she glowered at them. She was human-sized this time around, apparently to fit in the humble quarters.

"What's all this?" Pit asked, too distracted by their new surroundings to acknowledge her agitation.

The dragon lightened up for a brief moment, almost appearing giddy._ Do you like it? I made you two your own personal pocket of space. _

"Made a what-now?"

_Eh, it's complicated. Just think of it as a kind of portable rest area. Basically, it'll be easier for me to send you back here between world-jumping then all the way back to Skyworld. I got most of your basic necessities here. Beds, food, books, a hot spring—_

"A hot spring?!" The excitable angel perked up, eyes glinting.

_Hold your Ponyta, kid. We gotta talk first. Go ahead and take off your rings. Did you find anything on DK Island? _

Pit glanced over at Lucina pleadingly, and the young woman shook her head. "I could not find anything on the Keyblade in the ruins I explored."

_You_ _explored?_ Palkia arched a brow. _As in, by yourself?_

Lucina winced. "We were… momentarily separated."

The dragon snorted, rolling her eyes. _Great. Your first day on the job and you went and got separated. Fantastic start to this crazy adventure, I gotta say._

"Hey, we found each other again!" Pit shot back.

_Nah, really? I wouldn't have guessed. So what did you find on your end, chicken-wings? _

Pit grumbled a moment longer before answering, his expression shifting rapidly. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something. When I was helping Donkey Kong fight off some of the Heartless, this tiki-lookin' creature came out and started ordering the Heartless around. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a Heartless, but… Is it possible for a Boss to be something other than a Heartless?"

_Well, sure—the Heartless are a mindless lot, and they can easily be manipulated by anyone or anything that has power over darkness._ The dragon frowned, scratching her chin thoughtfully. _Though that does bring up some concerns…_

"A-anyone? You mean, like, people? Humans?"

Palkia nodded gravely. _Though the Heartless are a fickle lot; if their masters show even the briefest moment of weakness, they'll turn on them. _

Lucina frowned. She hadn't seen the Tiki in action, though she believed Pit's report. She could see how controlling the Heartless could grant someone considerable power, but at what price… Their enemies sounded fouler with every new revelation they received.

Pit's eyes grew wide. "So wait, what about villains like Bowser? Or Ganandorf? Could they…?"

_That's exactly what I'm afraid of_, said Palkia. _Our worlds have their own brands of darkness, and the Heartless are only going to make things worse. I wish we had more time, but we don't. We need to hurry before everything goes to crap. Speaking of things going to crap, I got another world for you two to check out. _

The legendary Pokémon wandered over to the table, waving her claws over its surface. A transparent sphere of light flickered into life just above it. Lucina blinked, picking out some familiar shapes in the light—some trees and a lake. Was she looking at a world?

_I'll be taking you back to that first world I mentioned, but first you'll be taking a slight detour to this one, since it's on the way._

"Why the detour?" Pit asked.

_Because I'm still hoping to find a lead on the Keyblade before throwing you into the thick of things. It'd be better for me and for you if we could eliminate the Heartless in certain worlds for good. Not to mention that you'd last longer. Now, this world—it's a quiet place. Not too much going on, but there's… ruins, of a sort. More modern than what you found at DK Island. _

The angel leaned closer to the sphere. "What world is it?"

Palkia smirked. _It probably had a name once, but there's nobody around who remembers it._ _I'll let you figure it out on your own. You guys should take a brief moment to rest up. But make it snappy! One quick dip in the hot spring, then we're out of here, capiche? Oh, one more thing—if you would direct your attention yonder…_

The dragon pointed, indicating a small fountain that was bubbling in the corner of the room. The water spouts somehow suspended a large golden dish at its crown, and in the air above it glowed the symbol of a bow and arrow.

_A little something Palutena had me install_, Palkia explained. _Go up to it._

Curious, Pit approached the fountain while Lucina stayed where she was. When he was just a few feet away, the symbol suddenly flashed and transformed into an image of a familiar goddess.

"Hello, Pit!" the image beamed.

Pit brightened immediately. "Lady Palutena! You're here!"

"Kind of," the goddess corrected. "This is just a projection. I can't leave Skyworld, but Palkia found a way for us to communicate and exchange weapons." She gestured to the fountain below her. "Though I added a few touches…"

_Arceus, it took her hours_, Palkia complained, rolling her eyes. _She fussed over every last detail._

"Anyway, if you ever need to talk to me I'll be right here. Speaking of which, I finished crafting you a new weapon—as well as a new weapon for Lucina. Palkia told me about what happened in the Lanes Between, so I repurposed one of your old Insight Staffs for her. I'm beaming it over right now."

Light sparked inside of the golden dish, which dipped downward as the light took shape and form. Pit reached for the item after it solidified, and withdrew a sharply pointed weapon emblazoned with wings. The butt end curved inward away from the wrist, just below a sharp hook that jutted outward towards the tip. Lucina stared at it curiously, wondering how it was meant to be held. Certainly, it was nothing like the staffs she was familiar with—or lances, for that matter. What would Aunt Lissa look like waving one of those around?

Pit turned to Lucina, though a frown tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Will she be able to use these? She _is_ a human."

"Yes, but she has divine blood in her," Palutena said. "I think she should be fine. Now, for your weapon, Pit."

Light crackled in the dish once more. Pit passed the staff on to Lucina before turning and retrieving a second weapon. Lucina wasn't sure how describe it; similar to the Insight Staff, the handle was bent at an odd angle. Meanwhile, the rest of it was shaped like a club tipped on the wrong side. The fatter end pointed towards the hilt, leaving the narrow-but-blunt end to do the business. Overall, it seemed very unconventional for a weapon. The horn-like projection rising from where the "club" met the hilt certainly looked like it could do more damage than the actual point.

Pit turned it over in his hands, admiring the curious workmanship. He fiddled with the golden ring that pierced the weapon near the tip. "A blade, huh? It kinda looks like a bull's head."

Lucina narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. The weapon did resemble a bull's head, with the horn and the ring—but a blade? "Beg pardon, but did you say… blade?"

The angel smirked. Taking the weapon by the hilt, he flicked it to the side. Immediately, light sparked along its edge, solidifying into an ethereal plane Lucina could deign to call a blade. She stepped back, blinking in wonder.

"Our blades are a little… different from yours," Palutena explained, smiling apologetically. "We make them for close combat _and_ ranged attacking—so it's capable of firing projectiles. I felt inspired by your battle in Skyworld to make this one: I'm calling it, the Minotaur Blade. Not as good as Dyntos-make, but it should do."

"Minotaur Blade, huh?" Pit swiped at the air with the new weapon, testing it out. "Not bad!"

"I think you'll find that it excels at melee fighting, but charged shots will take a while to build. When they do, however, they'll pack quite the punch!"

Pit nodded appraisingly, turning to his goddess with a boyish grin. "Thank you, Lady Palutena. I can't wait to try it out!"

She grinned back, tilting her head to the side. "It's nothing. I just wish I could do more." Sobering, she continued, "Palkia told me you don't have much time, so I won't keep you much longer. But I expect to hear all about your adventures when you come back, alright?"

"You bet!" the angel practically jumped in place, while Lucina offered a nod.

"Go ahead and keep the Kingdom Bow with you, in case you want to use it again. Good luck out there! Hope to hear from you soon! Palutena out! …I've always wanted to say that."

With that, the projection faded, and Palutena disappeared from sight. For a brief moment Pit appeared crestfallen, but Palkia didn't give him the chance to linger.

_Alright_, the dragon started pushing them towards a doorway in the corner. _To the hot springs with you. Now. _

Lucina immediately dug her heels into the floor. "W-wait, t-together?"

Palkia snorted and pushed harder. For all her strength, Lucina couldn't stop the pink dragon from shoving her into the dark corridor ahead. _Yes, together. We don't have much time to waste. I want to get through this next world ASAP._

The end of the corridor was lit up with a dim golden glow, and when Palkia finally dumped them inside the hot spring chamber, Lucina found that the light came from beneath the pool of steaming water.

_Alright, in you go. You got thirty seconds. _

"Only thirty?" Pit sounded rather disappointed. Lucina stared at both of them as if they were mad.

"Y-you're not going to let us change, first?"

_How many times do I have to say this? We don't have time for that!_ A growl rumbled in the dragon's chest, a sharp contrast to the drawling voice lashing at their minds. _It's a magic freakin' healing pool. Get in, or else I'll throw you in._

"It's fine, Luc!" Pit tried to reassure her. "I do it all the time. Plus, it's like doing your laundry for free!"

Palkia rolled her eyes. _Palutena wasn't kidding. You really _are_ cheap, aren't you?_

"The angel code of conduct says—"

_Shut up and get in the pool. _

Pit didn't need to be told twice. Flinching away from the dragon's upraised arm, he jumped right into the water and melted into it with a sigh of pleasure.

_You too, princess,_ Palkia turned to Lucina.

Lucina stared into the water dubiously. Palkia and Pit had said that the waters were magical, and she did admit that she felt remarkably refreshed after bathing in the one in Skyworld—but that wasn't what bothered her. For starters, she did not want to get her battle attire wet. Besides that, everything else about this situation seemed… inappropriate.

"F-forgive me, but I think I will—"

_Nope. _

Before she could react, Palkia whipped her thick tail around and struck Lucina across the back, knocking her into the golden pool. Though the strike stung, the pain was quickly ebbed away by the water's pleasant embrace. It only came up to her stomach, but it was enough to work its healing magic. Soon, Lucina felt all her aches and pains slip away, even as she remained standing awkwardly where she clumsily landed.

After a moment, Palkia nodded. _Alright, that should do it. Get out._

Face red as a cherry, Lucina glared at the dragon before shuffling to the spa's exit ramp as quickly as possible. Pit, however, lingered in the water, floating on his back.

"Aw, can't I get thirty more seconds?"

_Get out, angel, or else I'm coming in after you. _

Lucina gritted her teeth, glancing at the puddle collecting beneath her boots. "You expect us to leap into battle like this?" She gestured to the soaked half of her uniform.

Palkia waved her hand dismissively, and suddenly, Lucina's clothes didn't weigh down on her frame. Glancing down, she realized that they were completely dry.

"Whoa," Pit clung to the edge of the pool. "How did you do that?"

_Dragon/Water type, remember? I got power over water… for some reason. Now get out, or I'll demonstrate my power over space. _

Grumbling a string of complaints, Pit crawled out over the edge of the pool, and waited for Palkia to instantly dry his chiton. Lucina watched closely this time, trying to understand what the dragon did. Yet all Palkia did was wave her hand, and the water was just… gone. The princess didn't know whether to be frustrated or awed.

_Get your rings on_, Palkia motioned for them to follow. _We're jetting, pronto._

Before they reached the main room, Palkia tore a hole in the dimensions in the hallway. Pit shot a look at Lucina, but she kept her gaze forward, still feeling hot with embarrassment. Later, she would have to have a word with a dragon—a very strong word with her. For now, she obediently slipped her ring on and awaited the next instruction.

_Grab my claws_, Palkia commanded, and they obeyed, taking one each. The dragon then surged forward, dragging them both into the void.

* * *

**A/N: It's been too long, guys, and I apologize. The reason: I ended up rewriting this chapter several times. Even though I have the story all plotted out, I decided to switch around the order of worlds for the sake of developing the companionship between Lucina and Pit. Because honestly, they still need to work a few things out.**

**I now have a tumblr! look up charmanders-wear-fedoras for news on future updates as well as previews for other stories I'm working on. Thanks for your patience!**


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Kingdom Hearts, Super Smash Brothers, Adventure, Humor