//------------------------------// // Angel Puberty // Story: Kid Icarus: Equestria // by Spokes //------------------------------// Pit ran-flew happily over the bridge that connected the sports atrium from the rest of Plautena's Palace. The bridges where the only means over the massive gorges that separated the humongous units of the Palace, a architectural choice that puzzled most of the Palaces residents but that nobody paid anymore mind to. When you have wings the consistency of the solid ground becomes far less of an issue. As such the bridges where the only real way of dealing with this artistic choice and where there as an obligation. Of course to the flightless Captains they were a necessity and the only means that they could take back to the Palaces central body. They were rickety things and the quickly pace that Pit ran-flew at only served to emphasise this. Dark Pit scrabbled for the handrail again as Pit landed after another bound further along the bridge. The merry behaviour of Pit had been a great source of Dark Pit's current discomfort. When they were making their way back through the halls and the centurions were dragging Magnus back to the infirmary he had only regarded Pit's gleeful gaunt with a small smirk and a shake on his head. But now as it threatened to dislodge the flightless angel from the precarious perch, he regarded it with more severity. Bracing the after shock of Pit's latest bound, Dark Pit opened his scrunched up eyes and yelled towards his companion. "Knock it off already!" "What?" Pit replied, still revelling in his victory. "Can't I just skip merrily along?" "Not if it means I will fall to my death." Dark Pit retorted, his disgruntlement mirroring his twin's happier mood (a circumstance others frequently pointed out). He took a quick look over the edge and recoiled quickly, still in the bracing position. Pit did the same, albeit more casually and looked up at Dark Pit's contorted face with an eyebrow raised and a slight smile. "Weird for a bird-brain to be afraid of heights. An angel with acrophobia. Something isn't right there" He teased. Annoyance flashed on Dark Pit's face in response. "I'm just as much a bird- brain as you and my 'phobia'." He said straining the word. "Is based solely in fact." "You had the complete power of flight in your hands." Pit pointed out casually leaning against the guard rail. "Which I lost and now very much leaves me with risk of leaving a black and red smear on the ground when I fall from a great height." Dark Pit said slightly more panicked as he visualized his fear. "We haven't fallen yet and aren't going to." Pit said matter-of-factly. "Stop being so high strung." "High strung?!" Dark Pit squealed, the fall becoming higher and higher and the bridge appearing weaker and weaker. "You of all angels should know what I mean! You fallen from the stratosphere for heavens sake!" Pit tittered at this outburst before replying. "Yeah, and I survived. So there's nothing (much) to fear." He finished walking back along the bridge with his hands in the air and a backward glance. Dark Pit huffed and cautiously made his way along the bridge, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the firm safely of the exit passage. "It was only because of me that you survived." He muttered as he eagerly stepped in to the entrance corridor. "Yeah, and I'm thankful for that." Pit said, overhearing his throwaway comment, spinning around and draping an arm over Dark Pit's shoulders while matching his pace. Dark Pit tensed at the contact as Pit continued. "And do you know what I learned from that?" He asked with a friendly tone. The silence afterward was made somewhat awkward by Dark Pit interpreting this as a rhetorical question. Pit saved the moment by continuing on past Dark Pit's deadpan stare. "It's that you've got my back bro." He gave Dark Pit a playful lunch, breaking away from the embrace. "And as long as we keep doing up like that, what could possibly go wrong?" Dark Pit visibly relaxed at this and sighed with a slight smile. Pit's smile widened at this and he beckoned Dark Pit on. "Now come on, I am really overdue on sleep time." Dark Pit smirked and began heading off after his partner. He then scowled and yelled. "Stop skipping!" Before dashing after Pit to preform some physical deterrent. "And humming, you know I hate humming!" The sound of Pit's laughter echoed down the hall. *** The sensation was back again. Pit thought it had gone, though he had won the battle. Three hours of resisting couldn't have been for nothing, could it? It granted him solace but apparently not more than 40 minutes. This was not worth it, the things he was being told to do were not helping. He couldn't keep resisting like this! He just had to itch, oh heavens how he wanted to itch. The sensation was mocking him. It wasn't as forceful now but came in more of a dull throb in several areas at once rather than the earlier bout that screamed "Scratch your wings now!" until it deafened his own mind. No, in may ways this one was worse. It was trying covert tactics when the other tried sheer force. Pit wasn't really sure how an itch could actually itch covertly but it made sense in his mind and he was going to run with -Gaghh!- That side-tracked though process didn't distract him like he hoped it would. Aw, heck. He might as well fold. He wasn't the angel of steel some (or at least he hoped some) people thought he was. Sure, he could take down the flaming demon Twinbellows with nothing more than a shock collar and a bucket of water but that was his duty not his personality. He couldn't be all calm, strong and silent like Pitto or have the 'hard mantle' of Magnus. No he was a piece of paper when it came to mild inconveniences and he would fold like one to. "Ahhh! I can't take it!" Pit piped up jumping from his bed and furiously grating his wings. Feathers fell from the afflicting areas as Pit dealt with another case of late night itching pangs. They had only gotten worse after a month had passed when Dark Pit had become his co captain, and he had complained of them to. In fact it became quite a common sight for residents of the castle to find fresh trails of either ivory or ebony feathers trailing around the Palace whenever either of the captains had their episodes late in the middle of the night and tried to walk (or otherwise) it off. They always lead back to the captain's shared quarters and ended in large heaps of shed fast growing baby feathers. That was the problem, thought Pit as he ground his fingernails into the apex of his right wing. Why did his body only keep growing baby down? The follicles of his wing became inflamed and rushed out the easiest production feathers they could produce which clashed with the other feathers around it and caused itching. He would begin to itch and they would fall out and his body would again try to compensate for the now more inflamed skin and lack of feathers. It was a vicious cycle he and Pitto were doomed to repeat. Moving to the bathroom as to better assess his condition, Pit heard noises from the room. Opening the unlocked door he saw why was co-captain was absent from his bed as well as he was. Dark Pit was busy gnawing at the roots of his left wing like a feral beast, black feathers floating down to the floor. Both he and Pit stopped mid itch as they locked eyes with Pit's mouth slightly open from shock and Dark Pit's open due to the wing in it. Well so much for calm, strong and silent, thought Pit. Dark Pit broke eye contact and went back to chewing on his root. "Go ahead, judge me, I don't care." He said through a mouthful. Pit disregarded the semantics of the situation and the broken façade Dark Pit had tried to create and asked an honest question. "How long have you been in here for?" Dark Pit sighed and spat out his limb. "I don't know. Kinda lost track of time." He replied, grabbing his other wing and pinching out loose down. "Is it just me or his it getting worse." Pit said frowning and grating the same spot. Dark Pit shared his expression and concern. "Yeah, and this is by far the worst one. At this rate I might even cut 'em off." Pit was uneasy as Dark Pit said it in the tone he adopted when he was being properly serious (he was always serious). Unfortunately it was also the tone he used when he was being darkly humorous which is where Pit was unsure. Dark Pit's left wing twitched outwards quickly and a dissatisfied somewhat pained expression crossed his face. "Ah, where did that come from?" He muttered. He indicated with his head for Pit to scratch it. "Could you just.....?" He half ordered. With his free hand, Pit scratched the sore spot. The back of the root, very hard to reach. Pit had had a few bad ones there to so knew what Dark Pit was going through. The last night that had happened he had to borrow a cooking utensil or two from the Palace kitchens. He had replaced them where he had found them but didn't touch any of the soup prepared for the next days breakfast. "Ahhh....! Thanks." Dark Pit muttered when Pit had scratched the feathers loose, quite satisfied. "What are we gonna do?" Dark Pit asked, now kneading the arch of his right wing. "Showers sometimes help." Pit stated. "Ahhh...ha...yeah." Dark Pit replied guiltily looking down at his wing as he worked it. "What..?" Pit asked. A slight tilt of the head was his answer. He stepped over to the shower and peered in. The water was not draining properly and the reason was clear why. Fluffy black down was built up around the drain and the water pooled round it hopelessly. The offending feathers were not exclusive to the floor either, fine coarse fur plastered most of the falls indicating that Dark Pit must've shaken like a dog in desperation to get them all loose. Pit knew this as he had done it himself. "Well I'm not cleaning it." Pit remarked neutrally, absolving himself of all responsibility. Dark Pit looked up again from his red raw wing. "We've got to see Palutena about this." He said serious again. Pit's eyes widened. He had learned a long time ago not to wake up a sleeping Goddess at three o'clock in the morning. "We can't....!" He said slightly worried, remembering the expression and close burning she had afflicted on him. "You got any better idea?" Challenged Dark Pit, somewhat perturbed. "She'd probably tell us to the same thing anyway." Pit rushed out, fumbling for reason's not to go. "And what would that be?" Dark Pit replied, half curious half annoyed. "To stop itching." Pit said, oblivious. "How's that workin' out for ya?" Dark Pit deadpanned. There was a momentary silence between the two. Pit looked down at his inflamed wing. "Point taken. Let's go." "Oh wait right after this." Dark Pit interjected as his wing went into another itching spasm which he clawed at. Both Pit's wings twitched similarly. "Ahhh, now you've got me doing it." He said angrily but more at his biology than his twin. Slipping on the first clothes they could find, the captains made their way out of their quarters and deeper into the palace, grumbling, itching and shedding where they went; leaving a trail of black and white feathers out of their room. *** Palutena really didn't want to be in this situation again. She layed with her eyes twitching and wide open as her captain continued to make a racket down the corridor to her quarters. "Ahhh! The other one's at it again!" "Oh shut up! Your not helping!" "I'll complain all I want! It's the itches fault not mine." Wait, was he with someone? Palutena resigned herself to the intrusion, partially out of inevitability and curiosity. Sighing, she slipped on a robe and walked to her door to brace for Pit + one arrival. "Pit, this better be another Orne infestation or so help me....." Palutena began rubbing some sleep for her eye. She paused mid rub with her mouth slightly agape when she took sight of her guests. Dark Pit was trying to eat his wing while Pit was covered in snow white feathers from head to toe. There was a second of silence before Pit spat a few stray feathers from his mouth. "Oh, oh, oh s-so sorry Lady Palutena! We just came here too, erm well.." Pit rambled before trailing off as he desperately tried to make himself look presentable and gather up as many feathers as he could. Palutena had relaxed and taken the situation in and smiled at her captain sweetly and turned to his dark counterpart who promptly took the opportunity to explain the situation proper. "The wing itches.... there getting unbearable...." Dark Pit groaned kneading his wing. "For both of us." He continued. "Is there anything...." He trailed off again as a particularly horrible itch came up, leading him to knead harder. "Oh, OK." Palutena began, forming a plan. "I didn't know it would be this early but..." She admitted. "You'd better come inside." Dark Pit followed his Queen with Pit dropping his pile of feathers and kicking the last off his sandals, following right behind him. *** "We going to fly....?" Dark Pit repeated with some disbelief. "Whoop!" Pit shouted again in response as he continued to tear round the room with his arms and wings outstretched, his itches apparently drowned out by his glee. "Essentially, yes." Palutena confirmed with a smile that held no candle to Pit's. "Your just hitting the moulting process. I wondered when Pit was due, he's a late bloomer it seems, but every angel goes through it." The light goddess explained. "And the incessant itching?" Dark Pit asked, instinctively itching his wings. "Years of erm...moulting, catching up to you." She answered. "What does this entail exactly?" Dark Pit responded, more curious. "What do you mean?" "Like, why moult? What does it do to help us fly?" Dark Pit clarified. "Well, your wings are adjusting." Palutena explained, as she gently picked up the tips of Dark Pit's wings and held them out. "And growing." She finished smiling again. "See?" She pulled his wings forward and showed Dark Pit the slight difference in length in them. They certainly were bigger than he remembered, especially now. He took them out of Palutena's hands and looked at them himself before stretching them out and smirking slightly. "Your wings are growing rapidly, but will even out. It seems especially bad tonight, we must be getting close to your first flight now!" She said gleefully. "WHOOP!" Pit shouted again, in response, still half listening. "Pit quiet down, others are still asleep." Palutena hush shouted, with a disapproving scowl. "Sorry..." Pit whispered stopping to rub the back of his head. "Why haven't I heard of this before?" Dark Pit asked, slightly annoyed. His smirk now a light frown. Palutena turned back to him as Pit began running around gleefully again. A flash of nervousness waved over face and she became obviously reluctant to respond. "Well, you know...." She started. "It's the last part of...." She trailed of, avoiding eye contact. "What?" Dark Pit asked, genuinely confused. He added a raised eyebrow to his frown. Palutena blushed slightly before saying in a hushed tone. "Angel Puberty." Dark Pit frowned again. "Angel Puberty?" His faced relaxed slightly as he turned to his excitable co-captain. "I'd never heard of it before." He finished, throwing his voice so that his roommate would hear him. "Ahhh, guess I forgot...?" Pit said nonchalantly, still darting about. "How could...! Will you stop that!" Dark Pit said beginning to get frustrated. "No harm done." Palutena democratically interjected. "Your going to be able to fly tomorrow anyway." She smiled again but not before throwing a warning glance at Pit who remembered his vow and mimed zipping his mouth. Pit let out an audible, internal whoop as Dark Pit turned back to his mistress. "Here, this should take care of the itching." Palutena said, handing the Dark angel a bottle. " 'Aphrodite: Sleek and Shine' " Dark Pit read. "This is shampoo" He questioned. "Yeah but it's great for itchy scalps!" She said a bit to enthusiastically. Dark Pit's eyebrow raised again with his smirk this time. Palutena looked distinctively embarrassed. "You have a old woman's scalp." Dark Pit commented. Pit tittered. Palutena saw red and moved to do something not entirely positive to Dark Pit. Dark Pit imeditatly backed away. "Well, it's very nice of you to see us milady annnnnd thanks for the shampoo." Dark Pit said semi-calmly while pointing at the bottle. "But you know it's late and we really need to get going." He continued, grabbing a passing Pit by the collar. "Sorrybyeokthankssorry!" He blurted as he dragged himself and his friend out the door as he bolted down the corridor. Palutena launched the table the shampoo had been on at the door as it closed sharply behind the duo. She visibly calmed and chuckled to herself. She picked the table back up and returned it to its place, dusting it off lightly. Sighing she lent on it. "Be careful you two, big things are coming and I don't want to be the one who kills you before then..."She said to know one in particular. Jumping back on her bed she let out another well deserved sigh before falling fast asleep.