The Dove and the Raven (Kid Icarus: Uprising Fanfic)

Calamity Strikes Back

Once the angels were deep inside of the volcano, Palutena instructing and guiding them the whole way, the final entrance was within reach as the massive mirror loomed upon a sneaky, blue haired goddess. They both rushed to the bright cavern, weapons equipped and prepared for battle.
  
The true Mirror of Truth was almost exactly how it appeared on the book Pittoo read to Pit a while ago. The frame holding the duplicating glass was golden and extremely detailed with curves and swirls and beautiful shapes crafted into the solid metal. The glass inside was clear and vibrant as it lit up the entire lonely cave. The mirror was even bigger than the mother of all Aurum dimension portals back in the other world, so it must have been sixty feet tall. Pandora, with her moderately tall height, looked rather tiny as she floated gently at the mirror’s side.
   
Pit and Pittoo didn’t even have to get the goddess’s attention. It’s as if Pandora was expecting them and already knew they were there. She turned around and peered devilishly at the warriors. Her lips were curled upward into a menacing sneer and her arms were folded in an assertive fashion. But something seemed a bit off about Pandora, and both Pit and Pittoo immediately noticed this from the difference in her eyes.
   
“Hey, hon,” Pit whispered quietly to his darker counterpart. “Doesn’t something seem strangely different about Auntie Pandora?”
   
“Since when have you started calling her that?” he hissed back under his breath. “But I agree. Something’s fucked up about her that shouldn’t be fucked up.”
   
It was clear as morning daylight or a glistening river what was wrong with the goddess. Pandora’s once rosy pink and slightly seductive, yet sweet eyes were now pitch black, her pupils a glowing yellow. Everybody knew Pandora for being twisted and unhinged and even slightly insane, but now she appeared to be just straight up evil and cruel as her intimidating eyes seemed to stare straight through Pit and Pittoo’s souls.
   
“That’s not her,” Pit whispered sharply in response to Pittoo, unintentionally allowing Pandora to hear. “Something’s definitely up.”
   
“Silly little Pit,” the tricky goddess sighed. “This is the real me. I was a fool to convert to the light side. Who needs to be good when you can be evil and have everything you desire? Power. . .control. . .and souls?”
   
Wow. Pandora was acting just like Hades! All she ever used to want was to mess with people and prank her friends, and she never once really mentioned souls. But there she was, with eyes dark as midnight with shining yellow moons resting in the center of the skies in her eyes.
   
Back when Hades was still alive and in power as a god, he had a twisted and bold bloodlust and craving for souls. He wanted all the souls of the living to himself--to manipulate, to distort and mold into another shape, and even to eat. It had been Hades who took the souls of the dead and molded them into Underworld monsters. It was repulsive. Hades had stated one time that he especially wanted to keep Pittoo’s soul for his own, seeing as he thought it was “chewy” and “malleable”. This disgusted the angel, of course, and the bloodlust of Hades turned everybody’s stomachs. Thankfully, though, the lord of the Underworld was defeated a long time ago now and peace was restored to the living and the dead. But it seemed there was somebody else now who wanted the same thing that Hades did. Pandora, the goddess of calamity, lusted for souls. Who would’ve ever predicted this?
   
Pit wasn’t buying it. Dense as he was, he knew that there was someone behind all this. Pandora never once mentioned souls to anybody and didn’t help Hades in any way in the final battle. She turned against Hades’s doings and way of thinking once she found out he was responsible for the final death of Medusa, who was the blue haired goddess’s best friend. But now her mindset was focused on souls.
   
“I’m not having it,” Pit shot back. “The goddess of calamity I know never hungered for souls. The Pandora I know likes to prank and trick others, but not full on take their lives. The Pandora I know turned against Hades because he used her best friend like a puppet! Evil being controlling the goddess of calamity, we will bring justice to you and defeat you!”
   
For a moment, Pandora’s aggressive, yellow eyes softened back to her rosy pink irises from Pit’s sharp voice, stabbing through the possessive being like a knife. Her eyes showed sorrow and mourning for her lost friend, Medusa. A frown warped her grotesque, evil smile as her true emotions seeped through her possessed shell.
   
“Pit,” she murmured despondently, looking at the angels with guilt and sadness. “I’m sorry. . .”
   
“It’s okay, Auntie Pandora,” Pit sighed with relief, sort of in disbelief that the being freed the goddess that easily. He still had to make sure that this was truly Pandora. “Is your mind freed? We’re gonna destroy the Mirror of Truth and get you out of this place.”
   
“I’m sorry. . .” Even while her voice was reduced to a weep, within a flash her eyes darkened once more as the grin spread across her face again, her voice sharpening once more to a wicked chortle. “Sorry that you have to face me and stand before the face of death!”
   
Pit’s blue eyes widened in shock, and they slowly narrowed in anger and fury. The being, whatever or whoever it was, possessing Pandora would pay for all that it did to her.
   
Pittoo glanced over to his white winged angel and scanned over the anger, which was an emotion hardly ever visible on his face. Pit’s anger bothered Pittoo from the depths of his heart, and just for the bad feeling in his gut brought by seeing Pit’s rage, he would bring justice to Pandora. “Shall we?” Pittoo asked, ready to win. Pit glanced back at his dark counterpart and knew exactly what he was talking about.
   
“Of course!” Pit exclaimed, with a smile bending his angered expression. He cleared his throat and rose his fist in determination. “Evil, possessive being controlling Pandora, hear our words!”
   
“And see our actions!”
   
“I am Pit, servant of the goddess of light!”
   
“And I am Dark Pit, servant to the goddess of nature!”
   
“Together we will rain death upon you!”
   
“So, anyone who wants to die, step right up!”
   
“And anyone who doesn’t want to die, too bad!”
   
“Aw, yeah!”
   
Possessed Pandora blinked her soulless eyes in surprise, but soon after a little bit of silence a smile spread across her face as she let out an evil, ear piercing cackle, making it echo throughout the rocky walls of the bright cavern. The little angels were ridiculous--in over their heads. Did they really think they could defeat the mighty Amazon Pandora? Did they think they could stop her especially after being possessed by a powerful, wicked being?
   
“Stop laughing at us, fool!” Dark Pit barked. “We know you’re not Pandora. She wouldn’t be doing any of this according to Pit and Palutena.”
   
“I’m sorry,” the bewitched goddess giggled, wiping a fake tear from the corner of her black eye. “That little chant was just too cute. You little angels really are darling, but I destroy anybody who gets in my way no matter how cute they are.” Pandora whipped out her signature amethyst purple and pearl white sword, the blade sharp and polished and ready to stab. “Enough talking. Let’s get to the main act!”
   
“With pleasure!” Pit roared with excitement. He was pumped up and ready to start the battle. Just as he was going to shoot his trusty angel bow at the crafty goddess, Pittoo widened his eyes and stopped him, tightly grasping the edge of the bow.
   
“No!” he cried unexpectedly, causing Pit to lower his bow and slowly pull back the arrow. “Don’t hurt her! Please.”