Author's Note: If you are reading this because you got an email alerting you of its existence... I have to commend you for your patience. This has been a long time coming. My last update was April 2013, and as I write this it has been almost three entire years since. I never meant for the story to stretch out as long as it did – especially considering how close it was to completion before I suddenly vanished off the face of the earth...

I have to say though, to those who have been here from the beginning – thank you :) I plan to rewrite this story someday, so keep an eye out for that – as well as the sequel/companion story "The Art of WAR" which will be starting up soon after this epilogue is posted. I hope you all will be satisfied with the ending – which I will now let you get on with reading.

A week had gone by faster than any of them would've thought possible. It seemed like so much had happened – and yet... things remained mostly the same. Together Dr. Bradley and his daughter had fitted Pit for a fake wing, and spent much of their time away from the manor working at putting it together for him. In the meantime the angel had opted to wear the cloak he'd been given, which allowed him to walk around without getting strange looks from everyone who looked his way.

To his surprise, he'd even managed to hold onto the new friends heed made over the course of his recovery – even now the group of them were sitting around in one of the manor's many entertainment rooms, taking turns dueling it out on Super Smash Brothers Brawl. It was currently Pit's turn to watch, since he'd won the last match – and he couldn't keep the smile from his face as he looked around the room at everyone.

Link, with his tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration as his character on-screen went flying off the edge of a cliff; Red leaning against the foot of the couch and cheering at his successful smash attack while the Hylian scowled; Princess Peach giggling at the boys' antics while Marth used them as an opportunity to snag the Smash Ball and release an attack of epic proportions; Samus cursing and almost smashing the real prince's head in for costing her her last stock; Falcon booing at the Altean's victory – offering Samus a chance at playing his team nest (which she not-so-politely declined); and Zelda, hiding her laughter behind her hand as the battle shifted from the tv screen to the living room.

"That was cheap!" The Hero of Time could be heard over any of them, and before Pit knew what was happening he had thrown himself on top of Red, and the two were wrestling on the floor in a matter of seconds. Peach and Falcon jumped back, but Samus merely delivered a kick to the struggling duo, forcing them away from the Wii so they wouldn't damage the system. Grabbing up the combatants' abandoned wiimotes, she tossed one at Pit and offered the other to either of the princesses.

"Who's up next?" She asked cheerily.

"I'll watch," Pit had caught the controller well enough, but he was feeling oddly passive at the moment and thought he would enjoy himself more just being a spectator. Zelda took the controller from him instead, settling in for the next match while the angel turned to look at the battling boys rolling around behind the couch.

Leaning over the back slightly, he rested his chin on his right hand. He'd kept it swathed in black ever since his accident – not even willing to reveal the damage to his closest friends – but he'd figured out how to make his hand work despite the missing digits, so it didn't bug him now like it once had.

"Are you guys seriously fighting over a video game?" His voice cracked slightly with laughter as both Hero and trainer paused to look up at him.

"Well, yeah!" Link was the first to speak. "He cost me the entire match!"

"I'm only fighting him because he jumped on top of me," Red said blankly, which became twice as hilarious when considering he was currently lying on his back underneath Link, staring upside-down at Pit through a curtain of spiky hair.

Pit laughed, and within a few moments the other two had joined him, and Link slowly climbed off his opponent - even going as far as to offer him a hand and help him to his feet.

Brushing imaginary dust off his shoulders, Red stretched his arms above his head and glanced back at the tv screen with a little smirk.

"Zelda's better at playing Link than you are, Link," he commented, and Pit turned his head once more to confirm that the young man was entirely correct. Zelda – playing as Link in a Goron Tunic – was annihilating the others in record time, and one look at the Hero's playful scowl was enough to set Pit off laughing yet again. He sank back into the couch with a smile, not so much as wincing when his ruined wing pressed against his back. It didn't hurt anymore. Nothing hurt anymore – and somehow he felt like it never would again. He had friends now. People who cared about him, and who he cared about. Kindred spirits who had once been strangers – brought together under the strangest and most tragic of circumstances... but ones the angel no longer had the heart to regret.

In fact, now he was thankful for the accident that had nearly claimed his life. Thankful, of course, that it hadn't – but also for what it had given him, which was in no way anything less than it had taken. In fact, he believed he had gained more than he had lost, and watching his friends' excitement over the game they were all entirely immersed in only strengthened his opinion on the subject.

Just as the Hylan princess lost her first stock to Peach's home-run bat, the angel climbed over the arm of the couch and stretched his arms in the air, much like Red had moments before. The aforementioned trainer looked his way.

"Going somewhere?" He asked lightly. Pit nodded.

"Just to get some fresh air," he said with a smile, noting with a small twinge that almost half the gathered fighters looked up at this.

"You feeling ok, bud?" Link tilted his head slightly at the angel, who took a step back as the others paused their game to stare his way as well.

"No, I'm fine," he said quickly, having not expected this reaction at all. "Just... thirsty," that wasn't exactly a lie. "I'm just going to grab a drink."

"Oh," Link said. Peach and Zelda exchanged a look, as if communicating with their eyes, but nothing more was said as Samus turned the game back on without a word of warning to anyone. The intense battle resumed, and Pit headed for the door with a barely-concealed sigh of relief. It was true that he was thirsty, but getting a drink had never been his intention when he'd mentioned stepping out. He made for the kitchen anyway, not wanting his lie to be discovered, and once he'd downed a glass of water he headed back up the stairs, passing over the floor where his friends had gathered and instead making his way up, up, and up again, all the way to the top floor of the manor, and then to the roof. He left the stairwell behind and headed to the very edge, where he stood directly against the guardrail, hands resting lightly on the top.

The others didn't know he still came here – or if they did, they'd never mentioned it to Pit – but he was okay with that. He knew they didn't like to be up here anymore anyway, and he really couldn't blame them. He rubbed at the guardrail absently. He had been unable to find any traces of the incident in his own memory; of himself climbing the rails, of the unintentional attempt he had made to end his own life. The others had assured him it was better that he didn't remember, but it still haunted Pit that they had to.

There always seemed to be a slight breeze this high up, and the angel smiled as it ruffled through his hair, swishing his cape around his ankles. He lifted his head towards Heaven and closed his eyes relishing in the feeling of being above the clouds – though he knew he was no such thing. He never would be again, and he had come to terms with that. Or, he thought he had, but at the sudden feeling of a tear running down his face, the boy was forced to reconsider. He raised his undamaged hand to wipe it away, then opened his eyes and turned back towards the door to leave.

But the door wasn't there.

"What the...?" Pit's eyes widened as he realized he wasn't at the manor at all anymore. Instead he appeared to be... above the clouds?! His heart sank.

So here I am again, he thought bitterly. Turning, he looked over his shoulder, expecting to find his wings gone as they had been in his previous visions. But they weren't. Nor were they restored to their former glory, but rather exactly the way he knew them to be in reality. A quick check under his glove revealed his hand to be in the same condition, and he whipped his head around, taking in every inch of the area he had somehow wound up in once again.

There was nothing here – only clouds as far as the eye could see. It was beautiful, but he knew there was more to the scene than met the eye. There had to be, and just as the thought crossed his mind he heard the footsteps. They approached him from behind, and he turned without lifting his head, dropping to one knee to greet his Liege.

"Lady Palutena," he greeted her with his eyes on the hem of her skirt, and only then did he realize he was shaking. He could remember only too clear the previous episodes he'd had like this – his memory of those painful events unaltered to the point where he could hear her voice in his head, banishing him from her service all over again... but all that changed when the goddess opened her mouth.

"Pit," she spoke softly, and the tone alone was enough to compel the angel to lift his head. He raised his eyes to meet hers, and she was smiling.

"My Lady..." He started, but she lifted a finger to her lips, and she laughed.

"Shh," she bent and offered him a hand, and when he took it with his broken one she didn't even flinch. She helped him to his feet, and nodded. "You are ready," she said lightly.

"What?"

Her smile only widened, "what?" She replied. "You didn't think I was going to release you from my services forever did you?" She winked. "If only you could be so lucky!"

Pit felt like he was falling. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?!

"So you—"

"Yes, yes," the goddess waved a hand in the air to cut him off. "You are my captain once again, and I would never have it any other way." Her eyes glanced towards his healed injuries, as if daring him to voice a protest. Pit didn't.

"We will have time to discuss this later," she looked satisfied, and like she knew something he didn't, but he didn't get a chance to ask because of what she said next; "there is someone here to see you."

"What?" He asked again, but the clouds were already vanishing around him. He grunted, and prepared himself for the fall that he knew was coming... but it never did.

When he opened his eyes, he was inches above the ground, and his feet lowered with impossible slowness, touching gently to the concrete roof just as the door burst open behind him.

"I knew I would find you here!" Someone exclaimed, and Pit took his hands off the banister and turned slowly around, more than a little disoriented at his sudden change of surroundings.

"Natasha," he greeted softly when he saw her, unable to keep his gaze from falling to the large package in her arms.

"I've got something for you," she headed closer to where he stood, and Pit noticed her father and Joe lurking in the doorway. He pretended he hadn't seen them as the girl came to a stop beside him.

"What is it?" He asked, though from the rough size of the white wrappings he felt like he already knew. Natasha smiled, and wordlessly dropped it into his arms.

Pit hesitated, cradling it in his right arm for a long moment before making to peel back the covering. He was met with a beautiful display of pure white feathers, and his mouth fell open.

"No way..." He breathed as the last of the wrappings fell away to reveal the fake wing in its entirety. He had expected this when Natasha had shown up out of the blue, but not... like this. The object he held in his hand was a work of art. It was impossibly light, plastic melded into the shape of bone and seemingly just as solid, and the feathers that had been attached in a perfect duplicate of the ones that spanned the remaining appendage on his back. It was beautiful, and when he looked back up at the girl there were tears shining in both their eyes.

"Do you want me to help you get it on?" She whispered. Pit didn't trust himself to respond. He nodded.

The wing fit like a dream; the strap going around his back and shoulders to keep it into place. It went snugly over what remained of the right wing he had been born with, and he grinned as he twisted his body this way and that to admire the way it looked. Normal.

"That looks great!" He looked up again at the sound of Joe's voice, his grin only widening as he and Bradley approached. Pit threw himself forward without thinking, wrapping his arms around both men with a gleeful laugh.

"Thank you!" He practically shouted, barely giving them a chance to respond before he'd launched away again and towards Natasha. He gave her a similar expression of gratitude, and she only laughed in return.

"I'm so glad you like it!" She beamed. "We were worried it might not fit the way-" She stopped, suddenly struck mute as Pit had run back to the guardrail and vaulted himself on top of the ledge. "What are you doing?!" Natasha rushed forwards, catching his ankle as he stood, perfectly balanced on top of the railing. She held tight, but when Pit turned to look down at her, there was something in his eyes that made her let go.

"It's okay," he said, the ecstasy on his face quickly fading into an overwhelming serenity. He smiled as the familiar voice of his patron deity echoed in his head. She, too, had every confidence they would be able to do this. Pit held Natasha's gaze for a long moment, then broke away to face the clouds with a long, deep breath, followed by a sigh of absolute contentment.

His smile never wavered, and after a moment he bent his knees just slightly, and pushed off. He launched himself forward, suspended for a short eternity in the vast expanse between the roof and the Heavens –

and then he flew.