A.N.: Good day, everyone. I actually had a different note up here, but I was doing a few grammar edits and I accidentally lost the original note. Not that anyone reads this anyway, probably. But if you noticed this was different, that's why.

Anyway, I basically wrote this as a bit of an intro to the original Kid Icarus, because why not? NES games are infamous for throwing you into a game with no explanation, story or instructions at all, and I kinda wanted to provide that. Now, the original instruction manual for the game has a bit of story in it, but it's kinda goofy and kinda lightly glosses over the fact that Medusa kinda ransacked both Skyworld and the world of mortals and imprisoned the only 2 survivors on opposite sides of Angel Land, or whatever you want to call the Underworld-Overworld-Skyworld setup. I mean, that's pretty hardcore. So, I figured I'd give it a bit more of a dramatic spin. Was this an improvement? Should I have bothered? Well, I'll let you be the judge of that. :)

Anyway, sorry about that rambling on there. The game Kid Icarus, its elements, and its characters are owned by Nintendo. Really, the plot is theirs, too, I just jazzed it up a bit. :P Please enjoy it!


The attack came swiftly and without warning.

That's not to say it came completely out of the blue. Palutena had expected opposition, contempt, and rancor from the goddess of darkness after her exile to the Underworld. But the ferocity and intensity with which the Underworld Army swept across Angel Land, bearing the burning vengeance of Medusa herself, was far beyond what anyone could have expected. And as the enemy stormed with the unstoppable force of a tsunami toward Skyworld, it was clear that her underestimation of the serpent-haired goddess would be her gravest mistake.

The centurions of her guard responded immediately to the call to arms, but they were hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed in every way. For the vast majority of them, it was their first real taste of combat, and as the shadow of Medusa's wrath loomed over the light-bathed world, it was clear that this would be a fight for their very lives. Nevertheless, they held their ground, swallowing their fear, prepared to fight to the bitter end to defend their home and their goddess.

"The troops are assembled, Lady Palutena," a young voice reported smartly. The goddess of light glanced down at her captain and almost smiled. He was young, barely more than a child, even by mortal standards, and it was almost comical to see this wet-behind-the-ears angel saluting her with all the authority of a high-ranking military officer, armed with nothing more than a little bow. Anyone else would have thought it was foolishness to recruit the angelic youth into any kind of combat setting, never mind being given the role as captain, especially where his snowy, white wings couldn't even lift him off the ground, but she saw beyond all of that. Behind the physical weaknesses, there was a light in his eyes; a courage and resolve that burned with a brightness that rivaled her own. Bordered by a kind and gentle face, a fiery passion for justice blazed out of the sapphire orbs that even now stared up at her with that unwavering faith that firmly believed that good would always triumph over evil. It was that pure and simple, undying hopefulness that gave her the foolish epiphany of putting a flightless angel in charge of her forces.

It was the fear of quenching that fiery glow that kept her from confessing how she knew this massacre would play out.

"Good. You'd better go join them, Pit," she said. "It won't be long now before they arrive." With one final glance at the rapidly approaching forces of darkness, she turned and reached for her helmet and shield. They had been a gift long ago, and she never thought she'd ever have to make use of them, but with death literally at her doorstep, now was as good a time as any to arm herself for a potential last stand. "We can't let her gain any further headway."

The polished, blue armour shimmered as it caught the light, and she caught a glimpse of her reflection staring back at her, the wavering dread in her eyes unmistakable even in that quick glance. She quickly dismissed the blue face in the shield with a no-nonsense scowl at it, hoping that it was convincing enough to smother the sinking sensation that was building in her chest.

"Are you gonna fight, too?" Pit asked with an almost incredulous undertone.

She took a deep breath and locked eyes with him, her face a mask of steeled resolve. "Medusa is invading our home, Pit. My home. She is no longer welcome in Skyworld, and I'm going to personally make sure she understands that."

Pit blinked with surprise at the serious words from the normally good-humoured goddess, the heaviness of the situation finally beginning to set in. He opened his mouth briefly to say something more, then thought otherwise and brought his fist to his heart and inclined his head in a parting salute. "Okay. We'll hold her back with everything we've got." He brought his eyes up to meet hers before adding, "We won't let her back into Skyworld, Lady Palutena. I promise."

Palutena raised her staff in dismissal. "Go, Pit," she ordered as he left for the battle. The skies by this point were the blackest she'd ever seen them, with thick, angry clouds closing in on all sides and blocking out the sun. Her mask of bravery faltered for a moment as anguished cries and terrified screams from the people already being engulfed by Medusa's forces reached her ears, begging for deliverance from the plague of death that had suddenly befallen them. She tried to suppress the overbearing shame and humiliation that in their hour of need, when they needed her most, she was unable to do anything but make a final, feeble stand against the terrible darkness that now threatened them all. Darkness that she, ultimately, had created.

She had only a moment to reflect on this before the Underworld Army crashed through Skyworld's gates, dispersing chaos and destruction in their wake. Pit courageously led the counter-charge, but despite their fearlessness, it was laughable how absurdly out of their league they were. The centurions were immediately scattered in all directions in the violent confusion, despite Pit's desperate attempts to hold formation.

"Aiyeeeee!"

"Th-there's way too many!"

"Stand your ground! We have to defend Skyworld!"

"I know! But-aaaaargh!"

"What are these things?!"

"I never signed up for this!"

"Waaaaaugh!"

"Why is this happening?!"

"No! Hold your position!"

"What position?!"

"Eeeeeek!"

Just as the chaotic confusion was about to spill over into panic, a beam of pure light shot out of the Temple of Light and pierced through the swarms of darkness like a lance. Palutena herself stood at its doors, expertly wielding her staff as it channeled her strength into a radiant death-ray for the invaders. A victorious cheer erupted from the disarrayed centurions as the Underworld monsters began scattering.

"Alright! Take that, Underworld fiends!" Pit shouted triumphantly.

"Don't celebrate just yet," Palutena warned him, her voice reaching him clearly despite the distance between them. "This is far from over."

No sooner had she spoken when a thick, black shock wave of physical blackness pulsed across the sky, breaking through Palutena's beam of light like it was nothing. She stumbled backwards from the sudden, harsh counterattack, and glanced up in time to watch it fill the sky in all directions and then descend upon them, enveloping Skyworld in an oppressive and foul-smelling cloud of inky, black fog.

Her army staggered through the haze as it enveloped them all, desperately searching for each other while trying not to gag at the stench. Blinded by uncontrollable, burning tears, as well as the fog, they were quickly set upon by the onslaught of monsters hidden in the shadows that now mercilessly preyed upon them. Palutena tried to break up this new attack by distributing small orbs that would flash with bursts of light that pushed back the cloud, but while it would briefly disperse, it would just as quickly close in again, trapping her terrified centurions once again in its reeking clutches.o99

Surrounded by the frenzied screams of her soldiers as the cloud closed in around her, she focused her energy inward and then upward, becoming a pillar of radiance that forced back the shadowy mist with a menacing and vengeful hiss. Upward it raced, into the swirling mass of blackness that hung over Skyworld, crashing into it like an avalanche. But it didn't break through. Like a stone wall the ceiling of shadows held firm, and in fact appeared to be pushing back Palutena's attack as endless streams of black fog swirled around it from beneath, trying to drag it down to the depths far below.

There was a brief lull in the action as friend and foe alike stared in dumbfounded awe at the dazzling brilliance standing up to the fog, waiting to see if it or the swirling darkness would give way first. Even Pit gazed with wide eyes through the obscuring fog at this new display of his goddess's power, and how even it seemed to be powerless before the engulfing shadows. He could feel a touch of warmth from its rays on his face and wings, but it seemed to be muffled by the surrounding darkness that was trying to smother it.

"Lady Palutena…?" he breathed softly. He didn't know she could do that. It was such a bold and powerful explosion of energy that was nothing like he'd ever seen before, and yet he couldn't help but wonder if such an extreme display was a bit of a last-ditch effort.

Fear pricked at his heart as the situation was quickly becoming more and more dire. What if she couldn't break through? How long could she keep this up for? And, come to think of it, why hadn't she answered him? Whirling around and landing a well-aimed arrow at a serpentine Shemum that had tried to sneak up behind him, he sprinted toward Palutena with an ever-building sense of urgency. "Rally to the light!" he called out to his remaining soldiers. "We have to protect Lady Palutena! Rally and re-establish ranks!"

"Ha ha ha ha… I don't think so," an icy cold and eerily familiar laugh echoed throughout Skyworld, sending chills of dread down everyone's spines. The swirling, black mass compressed itself at the end of the beam of light and, with a deadly pulse of energy, quickly overwhelmed it and drove it like a piledriver back at Palutena. As it struck its target, there was a cry from the goddess followed by an explosion of light and dark energy that quickly smothered any remaining glow of her power.

"NO!" Pit screamed as the energy wave raced toward him. He dove for the ground as it surged over him, a frigid chill rushing over his wings as his face scraped over the marble tiles. It rushed over him like a gale, threatening to blow him away completely, but he held out until it finally died down. Springing to his feet, he barely had time to regain his footing before he froze and blanched at the sight that met him.

Standing between him and Palutena was the unmistakable silhouette of the goddess of darkness herself. She had her back to him, looming tall over the fallen form of her nemesis, a long, shadowy purple and gold trimmed dress wrapped around her ashy, greenish-grey skin, and coils of hissing serpents in place of ebony hair, but it was definitely her.

"Medusa!" He charged towards her, drawing his bow. Goddess or not, there was no way he was going to let this intruder anywhere near Palutena.

Her head turned slightly, and a few snakes atop her head snapped in his direction, baring their fangs and spitting venom viciously. "Oh? Still fighting, are we? Cute," she said coldly, her voice scraping out of her throat like a rusty razor. Without even glancing in his direction, she generated a small orb of dark energy at her fingers and flicked it at him. It moved faster than he anticipated and slammed into his stomach with the all force of a sledgehammer, sending him tumbling backwards, end over end, until he finally collided with something hard, rugged, and solid that nearly knocked him senseless. He crumpled in a disheveled heap, groaning as he struggled to fight through the black tunnel that had started closing in around the edges of his vision.

"Enough!" Palutena shouted and, quickly rising to her feet, swung her staff at her attacker, unleashing a blinding wave of light in a wide arc. Medusa blocked it with an outstretched arm and countered with her own wave of blackness. Barely holding her ground, Palutena withstood it and retaliated again, leading the two goddesses to a back-and-forth rally of light and dark energy blasts that shook Skyworld to its foundations.

"Enough? This is just the beginning."

"Ngh! You have no right to be here!"

"Haven't I? This is my home as much as it is yours, goddess of light."

"Not anymore. Your presence is a danger to all who live here."

"Ha! Including yourself? Is that why you had me exiled?" Black lightning shot out of Medusa's fingers as her words abruptly turned violent.

"Aah!" Palutena managed to raise her shield in time, but waves of energy rippled up her arms in icy tendrils that burned her skin.

"And if that wasn't enough, you turned me into this!" The single, crimson eye in the center of her serpent-wreathed face unleashed a sudden pulse of concentrated malice that wrenched Palutena's shield from her grip, leaving her open.

"Uhn!" Staggering backwards, but remaining in a shaky stance, she held her staff with both hands in front of her as a last wall of defense. "N-no. All I did was show you the shadow in your heart that everyone else could already see."

"Ha," Medusa spat mirthlessly, her eye narrowing to a scarlet slit, her snakes hissing in venomous antipathy. Then she bared her pointed teeth as her face twisted into a sadistic smile. "Is that so? Then I suppose it's only fair to return the favor."

Palutena set her jaw firmly. "Darkness cannot overcome light, Medusa. You cannot defeat me."

"Heh-heh. We'll see," With a chorus of hisses from her hair, she lunged forward in a final attack.

"Ugh…" Pit shook the last of the stars from his eyes and found himself staring into the blank yet intently focused gaze of a monoeye, directly fixated on him and rapidly closing the gap in between them. With a panicked yelp, he sprang out of the way as it rammed into the spot where he had been an instant earlier, narrowly escaping the monster's attack. He expertly drew an arrow as he spun around and let it fly, the arrow piercing its dry, scaly flesh. As it melted away into dust, he glanced down briefly, and physically recoiled in aghast repulsion at the sight of what the fiend had run into instead of him.

It had toppled over from the impact, but there was no mistaking it: the small, stone structure he had been leaning against moments ago was a statue. But it wasn't one of the white, marble pieces of art that decorated Skyworld, it was a dull, grey stone: rugged, hard, cold, and devoid of any kind of life. It wasn't the material that struck him into horrified silence, though; it was the fact that carved into the bleak, dead material was the petrified form of a centurion, his face frozen in a permanent, silent scream of terror. The cold, wide open, lifeless eyes stared blankly into space, forever locked onto an enemy he could no longer see and yet could not look away from. His body was twisted in between fighting for his homeland and running for his life, and it was morbidly clear from the cracks that ran along his torso and arms that he would be doing neither again anytime soon.

Wrenching his eyes from the dreadful fate his comrade had met, Pit staggered backwards and took a few seconds to take in the state of the battlefield as the invasion continued in full force all around him. Dozens of lifeless statues littered the now barren landscape of crumbling marble pillars, with hideous monsters of the Underworld weaving through the maze of ruins that was all that was left of the once beautiful Skyworld. Only a handful of his soldiers remained, but they were scattered in every direction, desperately trying to fend off the never-ending stream of blood-thirsty enemies that fell upon them from all sides. All he could see around him was his home being overridden with creatures that looked like they had crawled out of a nightmare and had now taken up a hobby of desecrating all of Angel Land as quickly and thoroughly as they could.

At the entrance to the Temple of Light, Palutena was still under attack by Medusa, the two now fighting over the glowing sceptre clenched tightly in the goddess of light's hands. It was clear that Palutena was struggling to maintain her grip as she dodged the green lightning her foe shot at her from her eye while trying to resist Medusa's attempts to yank the staff away from her.

Pit gasped and dashed toward the quarreling goddesses, taking out all the Underworld minions that stood in his way. He wouldn't allow himself to be knocked back so easily this time, weaving in and around waves of reapers, miks and speknoses, laying waste to everything within range, rearming his bow as quickly as he could fire. His rapid surge through the enemy's defenses caught the attention of his remaining soldiers, who began gathering to him and firing on anything their captain missed.

"Push back the enemy! Don't let them get any farther!" he shouted to his troops. Though few in number, they answered with a rallying, wholehearted shout that signaled their last stand.

"Ugh. How annoying," muttered Medusa, rolling her eye and scowling at Palutena with contempt. "How do you put up with those little pests?" Then, without waiting for an answer, she threw back her head and screeched, "Commanders of Darkness! Get up here, now!"

Before anyone could react further, a cacophony of harmonized howling rang through the air, and a swirling column of flame erupted from the darkness, tinting the black sky a deep shade of blood red. It rooted itself firmly in between the goddesses and Pit's ragtag team of survivors, forcing the advancing soldiers into an abrupt halt. The scattered remnants of the army of light was flung back into even further disarray as first a paw and then a long, scaly tail stepped out of the inferno. Suddenly, with another ghastly chorus of hellish howls, mixed this time with vicious roars and bone-chilling laughter, the fiery pillar exploded outward revealing three horrific figures: a massive, snarling, two-headed dog draped heads-to-toe in blazing fire; a long, winding, serpentine, dragon body sporting three hungrily grinning heads; and a smaller but no less frightening ball of blue fire that looked over at her newfound prey with maniacal glee in her otherwise lifeless eyes.

"Hmph. So this is the so-called 'realm of light'? How drab," the fireball complained in an unimpressed manner.

"At least they sent us a welcoming committee," one of the dragon's heads offered, leering down at the bewildered centurions wolfishly.

"Heh-heh. Saved us the trouble of sniffing them out," another added, licking his lips with a forked tongue.

"Not that it would be hard," quipped the third, sniffing the air and sighing luxuriously. "Ahh. Don't you just love the smell of fear in the morning?"

"Deal with them," Medusa instructed, not even bothering to look over in their direction. "I'm catching up with my old friend, Palutena."

Pit's heart sank as the newcomers exchanged sadistic grins. He glanced between them and Palutena, who was still trying to hold back Medusa. Her eyes flickered in his direction, and her carefully crafted mask of bravery faltered for that brief instant, returning his desperate gaze with one of her own.

In that moment, he could see in her eyes the last shreds of hope slipping away from them, like sand through their fingers, and the unfamiliar sting of despair pricked unbidden at his heart.

The fiery dog moved first, lunging towards its prey with a duet of ferocious barking. The centurions immediately scattered, taking to the air in a frenzied flurry of feathers. It was clear that this was a mistake, though, as those that took to the air immediately became targets for the dragon, whose heads gleefully snapped at the ones within range of their long necks and breathed streams of fire at the ones farther off in between bouts of laughter.

Pit, of course, stayed low, diving out of the massive beast's way as it leaped at the escaping centurions with howls of bloodlust. He hated to leave his troops at the mercy of the invading fiends, but he needed to get to Palutena's side as soon as possible. He swallowed the rising fear in his chest and charged forward; he wasn't going to let this battle end like this if he could help it.

A snarl from behind warned him that he had suddenly become the focus of the ravenous canine that had decided on crispy angel wings for its dinner. He glanced over his shoulder to see two wide-open, snarling jaws full of teeth and fire quickly closing the gap between him and them.

"Going somewhere, Captain?" a bone chilling voice taunted him. The maniacal, blue fireball darted in front of him, blocking his path with the sadistic grin of a cat that was toying with a mouse. As he skidded to a halt, he whirled to face the burning beast that was making a final leap for him. He dodged too late, and while he avoided the razor-sharp fangs, the blaze singed his wing, and he struggled to keep his footing as he reeled from the intense heat and pain.

Talk about a hot dog, his brain chirped in an insane attempt at levity, but he didn't even have time to shakily laugh at his own, lame joke before he was knocked flat by a bubble of energy that touched his shoulder and exploded in an unexpectedly powerful blast. He propped himself on one knee, quickly drawing an arrow to his bow and promptly froze as he discovered there were no less than six sets of maliciously villainous eyes staring down at him on all sides, each daring him to make another move. He quickly pivoted around, aiming at each opponent in turn, knowing he couldn't fire, but still refusing to surrender.

"Oh dear, the little morsel fell down," sneered a dragon head with a toothy grin.

"Watch out! He's still got his pea-shooter!" another mocked in a condescending sing-song, wagging its head back and forth giddily.

"Shouldn't make him any less tasty," the third rumbled, swinging its head down close enough Pit could smell its foul breath and spot a lone sandal sticking out from between its teeth.

"It looks like you've run out of places to run," the blue fireball purred. "You should have flown away when you had the chance. Oh, wait. You can't."

"H-hey! That's-!" Pit blurted, whirling around at the obvious jab at his handicap. He didn't get any farther than that, though, for there was a sudden cry from Palutena as Medusa wrenched her sceptre away and, twirling it deftly, brought it crashing down onto her nemesis's head. The clang! of the staff hitting her helmet rang throughout Skyworld like a thunderclap, followed by the soft flump of her body collapsing onto the hard, marble tile.

"NO! Lady Palutena! Are yo-aah!" Pit started to rush to her side, but was promptly blocked by two blazing rows of white-hot teeth that snapped at him as he leapt forward. He sprang sideways out of their reach, and then backwards as the grinning fireball lady swooped at him.

"Ah-ah-ahh, not so fast," she chided before spitting a glowing bubble of explosive energy at him, driving him further backwards. He fired at it, bursting it harmlessly, then launched himself forward again, making a desperate break for Palutena. He just caught a glimpse of a raised eye ridge and a smirk before getting slammed into from the side by a headbutt from a dragon's head. He was knocked onto the snout of a second dragon head, which tossed him up into the air where the third head was waiting with its teeth bared in an eager grin.

No! Not like this…! The thought ran through Pit's head as it looked like he was about to become dragon chow, but was cut off by sudden pain that instead of coming from the inescapable jaws of the beast came from its impenetrably scaly snout as it swung its head down and swatted him down to the ground like an insect. He hit the ground so hard he bounced, losing his grip on his bow in the shuddering impact. It clattered away out of reach as he lay breathlessly on the hard tile.

"Pit! Aaah-!" Palutena called out to her captain, but Medusa loosed wiry tendrils from her fingers which wrapped around her and formed into thick, black cords that bound her tightly.

"Ngh… no! L-leave her alone!" Pit struggled to get back up, reaching for his bow, but instead grabbed hold of a long, thin, scaly body, which wriggled at his touch.

"Ooh-hoo-hoo! Getting a little fresssh, aren't we?" a new voice giggled, and Pit immediately retracted his arm and looked up into the disturbingly dead gaze of a large, green serpent. Though not nearly the size of the dragon, its empty gaze reminded him of the distant, cold stare of the centurion statue, but with malicious intent directed solely at him.

It looked like the lifeless stare of death itself.

It suddenly sprang at him, winding itself around him with the speed and ferocity of lightning. Before Pit could even wonder where it had come from (Medusa's hair?), he was completely trapped in its deathly cold coils. He thrashed around desperately as it looped around his throat and slowly tightened its grip, but could only flail uselessly as the other Underworld monsters stood by and laughed.

"Look around, Palutena," Medusa'a voice crackled over the ruined landscape. "It's over. You've lost. Your ivory palace has crumbled. Your pathetic little stooges are nothing more than statues. And even your precious little captain is finished." She gestured around the remains of Skyworld with the stolen staff. "Now everyone can see you for what you really are: a weak, useless has-been of a bygone age. Now you'll see what a true goddess is capable of."

"Ngh… Nrrk…!" Pit grunted through the bands of death dragging him down, fighting it with all he had, refusing to give up even now, but steadily getting weaker.

"Ooh, aren't you the ssstubborn little pipsssqueak," the snake hissed in his ear.

"End him, Tanatos," Medusa commanded. The serpent grinned wolfishly at his prey, bared his fangs and drew back for a final, venomous strike, evoking a panicked squeak out of the half-strangled angel.

"Wait!" Palutena called out, straining against the cruel bonds. "Don't, please."

Medusa eyed her as the snake paused mid-bite. "Excuse me?"

"Spare him. Please."

Medusa raised an eyebrow in delighted surprise. "Is that begging I hear?"

Pautena met Medusa's gleeful gaze with resigned steadiness. "Hasn't there been enough bloodshed already?"

Medusa scoffed. "Enough? I told you, Palutena, this is just the beginning. Now you'll see what it feels like to have everything stripped away from you." She flashed a toothy smile as Palutena set her jaw grimly. Tanatos leaned in once again for the deadly bite.

"Then again, it has been a big day for everyone, hasn't it?" the goddess of darkness added coyly. Tanatos aborted his kill again with a disappointed hiss, as Pit gasped a few shaky, shallow breaths of relief. "And he does make the most entertaining noises, doesn't he?" She stooped down to her foe's level and tilted her chin up with the staff. "Maybe I'll keep him around for laughs. Torture him a bit. A few shrieks of agony could really liven up a Friday night, wouldn't you say?"

"…"

"Hmm… you know, I'm in a pretty good mood right now, so maybe we can come to some sort of agreement. So how about this: tell me where you've hidden the Three Sacred Treasures, and I might just keep you and your precious little pet alive."

Palutena grimaced at the farce of an offer, then glanced at Pit, who was still struggling for breath a short distance away. It was clear that the battle was lost, and the Treasures would be taken whether she helped them find them or not. However, it was just as clear that the vengeful goddess wanted total victory over her enemy, and she would continue her rampage unless she got what she wanted.

For it wasn't the Treasures she wanted. It was surrender.

Palutena lowered her gaze somberly. "…Very well. You win, Medusa."

Medusa beamed triumphantly. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear that," she almost purred, returning to her full height.

"Ngrk! N-no…!" Pit grunted desperately, flailing weakly in Tanatos' grip.

"You always were far too soft, Palutena. Always looking out for the weak and helpless ones. First with those stupid humans, and now with this pathetic, flightless runt." She stepped toward Pit, who finally got a look at the hideous monster that was the goddess of darkness and choked on his own gasp of stunned horror. Her single eye narrowed. "Don't like what you see? You can thank your precious goddess of light for that." She smirked, adding, "Or, rather, ex-goddess. This is my world now."

"N-no… n-nev… er…"

Her eye narrowed further. "Still resisting? We'll see how long that lasts." Her eye slowly widened, glowing scarlet as her snake hair flared out to their full extent with fangs bared. Pit stared open-mouthed as her crimson gaze bore into his face, framed by a hissing halo of deadly vipers. He gaped in mesmerized terror at the monster that had conquered Skyworld, unable to look away or even blink, even as her subordinates leered down at him from the edges of his vision. Then, a sudden flash of light burst out of her eye, and he slumped lifelessly like a rag doll.

"Pit!" Palutena cried out as she watched him fall. Tanatos loosened his coils, and, with a disgruntled frown, watched him crumple limply.

"Oh, don't worry. He'll live. For now," Medusa assured her. "He'll wish I hadn't spared him before long, though." She waved to her minions vaguely. "Take him away."

As the Underworld commanders started bickering amongst themselves as to who should do this, Medusa returned her attention to her hapless victim. "In the meantime, there are quite a few changes I have in store for this world. And I want you to have a front-row seat of the whole thing." She towered over her prisoner as she added, "But first of all, where were we? Oh, yes, the Three Sacred Treasures."

Medusa threw back her head and cackled as Palutena hung her head in defeat, and the last glimmer of hope flickered out as Skyworld fell into darkness.


A.N.: Dun-dun-duuunnnn! Well, we all knew this was gonna happen, didn't we? But will things stay this bleak and hopeless? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out! (but you probably already know since you're here cuz you played the game so... I dunno).

I know that Pit is a much stronger character than this, but this is set 25 years before Uprising, so he's quite a bit younger and it's probably his first actual fight, and, honestly, if you've ever played the original NES game, he's pretty fragile until you level up a bit and get some decent power-ups (I wasn't kidding when I called his bow a pea-shooter; it's not exactly Link's magical sword.). So, I figured he wouldn't last long against Medusa at this point. It even mentions in the manual how quickly Skyworld falls to Medusa, so I do apologize for making him look like a wimp, but if you think about it, Kid Icarus is kind of an underdog story, coming up literally from the bottom and clawing your way to the top. He gets tougher, as we all know, so hopefully this wasn't too much of a stretch. :)

Also, I know that in the original game, Medusa had a much different design, but I really don't like it and I feel that her new look is waayyy better and more scary and evil and stuff. If it really bugs you that much, just pretend I described her as a large, blonde, green-skinned monster with gland issues. Though I did keep her in her monstrous form, so hopefully that's a decent enough compromise. :)

Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you all liked it. If you really liked it, I really like reviews, haha! Though I don't mind criticism, either. Gosh knows I could go back and fix a few things here and there.

Nora