Kratos struggled to his feet, his legs weak, his arms ached and the Blades of Creation dangled uselessly from them on decaying chains. His head pounded, his stomach churned. When he found his balance and straightened up, he recognised his surroundings, the twelve bright white pillars, three on each quarter of the round arena,in which Kratos stood, each set holding a marble beam. The laces of gold throughout the pillars reflected the dark, heavy clouds above, only a little sun penetrated the cloud in deep red and orange streaks. Kratos stumbled to the middle of the Rotunda of Olympus, dragging his blades along the ground they were no use to him in this universe, their power had dissipated. Kratos stood panting, but still his eyes burned with vengeance and now was his chance.
Zeus landed on a marble beam disguised as an eagle, staring at Kratos, before launching himself down towards his son morphing into his Godly form as he landed. He held the weapon of the Gods, the Blade of Olympus, it pulsed a vibrant blue which stood out against the gold handle and the darkness of the environment. As he approached Kratos, he raised his weapon ready to kill the source of his fear and anger. Kratos, however, swung the Blades of Creation in Zeus' direction as he spun to face the King of the Gods. Zeus quickly changed his swing and sliced through the chains of the Blades of Creation sending the blades hurtling off the side of the Rotunda to fall down the mountain.
"When will you learn that your resistance is futile?" Zues asked, the sky flickered with lightening illuminating the God and Mortal.
"I will get my revenge Zues!" Kratos seethed, launching himself at Zeus.
Zeus brought his blade across his front, forcing Kratos to alter his charge, before getting ready to strike again. Kratos continued to approach Zeus and avoided another swipe of the blade, tackling the God and sending the blade skidding across the arena. Kratos managed to hit Zeus with two devastating punches before being knocked off. Zeus scampered to his feet, and put himself between Kratos and the Blade of Olympus.
"You were born to die, Kratos" Zeus explained, wiping blood from a cut above his eye, while his usually bright white beard held streaks of blood.
"Not by your hand!" Kratos replied, studying the God.
"We will see about that!" Zeus said calmly, with a little smirk, welcoming the challenge.
Kratos did not reply, he attacked again. Zeus laughed, holding his hand to the sky he formed his famous weapon, the Lightning Bolt. He threw several in Kratos' direction who managed to avoid them by rolling or sidestepping but still Zeus fired them continuously. Kratos made his way around Zeus and grabbed the Blade of Olympus as he rolled to avoid a Bolt. Kratos promptly used the blade to deflect the lightning and attack Zeus. Charging, Kratos had to deflect more bolts doing so with relative ease. As he approached his father, he raised the Blade before slashing down with Godly power. Zeus managed to quickly sidestep out the way, embracing the speed of Lightning, before punching Kratos and sending him into a pillar.
Kratos recovered and climbed back to his feet, the pillar lay shattered behind him, and collected the Blade of Olympus again. Zeus stood smiling, before launching himself towards Kratos. The two warriors met, a fury of blows were dealt and Kratos lost hold of the Blade before managing to knock Zeus down. Kratos stood over his fathers body.
"My vengeance ends now!" Kratos said, the anger filling his words as he stared at Zeus bloodied on the ground. Zeus only smiled in reply.
Kratos grabbed Zeus and threw him towards a relatively undamaged pillar at the end of a set, sending a cloud of dust into the air. Kratos quickly reached the God and grabbed his hair before using the stump of the pillar to slam Zeus' face against it. After several blows, Kratos released Zeus who collapsed on the floor, his face severely bleeding; only white speckles remained in his once glorious beard. Kratos approached him, and saw the Blade of Olympus a few feet away and quickly decided to retrieve the weapon, Zues did not make a sound other than rough breathes.
As Kratos stood above Zues, the Blade of Olympus sparking with energy in his hands, Zues' eyes narrowed, his hand became a fist and he let out a cry that was matched by a deafening roar of thunder and flash of light. As Kratos' eyes readjusted to the dim light of the world, Zeus was gone, only specks of blood remained on the ground. The Blade of Olympus was also missing from Kratos' hand.
Kratos fell to his knees in a surge of pain, arching his back as the Blade of Olympus protruded through the Ghost of Sparta's stomach. Kratos looked down, his arms outstretched, to see the vibrant blue of the Blade of Olympus being contrasted by the dark red of his blood. He felt a foot on his right shoulder blade and, as quickly as it entered, the blade was pulled out. Kratos muttered a few inaudible words as he fell, the warmth of the blood soaked ground faded, as the redness in the sky turned to black.
The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted worse was to come. Princess Celestia had struggled coming to terms that her plan was in ruin, and her nightmares continued, with Zeus stealing Kratos from the camp. She could only wish upon the stars that Kratos was alive. Princess Luna had tried helping, but in turn realised how little hope there was in winning this war. The Princesses feared for their ponies. Their lifeboat had sailed away. They stayed in their tent for long periods, Shining Armour led the guards and volunteers though they never left the area. There had been no attacks from either side since Kratos and Zeus left Equestria, but one was certainly lingering in the air.
"We need to do something Sister." Luna said, repeating her words from their earlier discussion, hoping now Celestia had a plan.
"What can we do? We are under attack from creatures, monsters and Gods! We had a solution, but even that has been torn from us." Celestia replied, the stress was creeping on her.
"Well we brought him here once, can't we do it again?" Lunas' voice perked up thinking she had an answer.
"I have tried, but I cannot locate him. His world is so much more different than when we found him. It is chaos." Celestia spoke softly, trying not to shoot down Lunas' idea too much.
"Then why don't we just go find him? Surely we could find a rough location? Zeus must have found a weak spot between worlds if he can keep jumping between them!" Luna asked, getting more serious as she refined her ideas.
"It could be worth a shot, but we should make sure the camp is safe before we go, and I don't think it is best to send Twilight and her friends to a strange new world." Celestia thought aloud. "Which leaves one of us going, probably best if I go in case Zeus is waiting for us. I couldn't live with myself if I sent you to die Sister"
"We need him back, but is it worth the risk?" Luna started "Without him we have no hope, but without you we have nothing."
A familiar voice was heard at the entrance of the tent, the sisters turned to face the gleeful Pinkie brandishing a broad sword, "Hope is what gives us strength. It is why we are here. It is what we fight with when all else is lost. We were once filled with fear, but with Kratos on our side it was Zeus who was filled with fear. Our fear was replaced by hope." Pinkie finished before bouncing away, returning to whatever she was doing.
The two Princesses stood in silence trying to comprehend what was just said. Pinkie Pie was right Kratos, though being a terrifying angry pony, he gave them hope. He gave them the will to fight, whether it was through hope or shear terror was a different matter. He made the Princesses army strong and with one only pony lost the statistics were looking good. Celestia sighed deeply and put a leg around her sister, "I must go immediately, the longer we delay the more damage could be done."
"What do we do I'm your absence sister? Do we hide or fight?" Luna asked, realising the challenge in front of her. She was lost, her mind began panicking. One wrong decision and lives could be lost because of her.
"Stay here, double the guard and scouts. Any slight chance they are coming, leave some guards and head back to towards the castle. Make camp in a place with good cover, and I will return." Celestia smiled at her Sister, it didn't feel long since they were little fillies gallivanting in the fields.
"I will try, hurry back." Luna spoke softly, her Canterlot voice was miles away from the silence words she spoke. Fear was creeping in.
The sky was heavy, the deep dark clouds towered like a dull fortress, fighting against the light. Tornadoes and hurricanes ripped across the horizon, and lightening flooded the air with electric blue light followed by a deafening crack of thunder. It was not Celestias first time in this world, but this was not how she remembered it. The Gods of this world had forsaken it.
Celestia never did like being a homo sapien it didn't feel natural to walk on two legs instead of four, the temptation to walk on four was always there. She did not know where she was, or where Kratos was, if he was I'm this world. She stood on a cliff, to her right a large statue thst seemed familiar from an odd dream, behind her stood a stone arch, decorated in gold with two homo sapien warriors holding large shields carved into each column. In the middle of the arch was an elaborately decorated symbol, similar to the cutie mark Kratos had. Celestia examined it and ran her new fingers down a crack in the middle of the arch, the stone felt warm. The stone seemed to flex with her touch, and as she applied more force, the stone swung open revealing Olympus.
Everything shone like gold, from the floor to the statues, the seats to the throne that sat high above the room on top of a mountain of steps. The world outside may have been forsaken, but this place was immaculate. Celestia made her way into the room cautiously, checking for movement and sound. The ground was warm against her bare feet, a pleasant surprise from the cold stone she was on before. As she approached the foot of the stairs, she heard footsteps coming from another room. She had no time to hide, and prepared for the worst, she looked for a weapon but found none. The footsteps drew closer.
Celestia stood, naked and afraid, in the room as the footsteps grew louder: then her heart leapt. It was Athena. She didn't seem at all surprised to see Celestia standing there and even brought a sheet for Celestia to wear. Celestia took her time to regain control before giving Athena a hug. The two deities smiled at each other, before Athena led Celestia a way from the room.
"It's good to see you again Celestia, for this world has been lost, however I am afraid you have arrived too late." Athena said, her voice being soft yet commanding, as she led Celestia through a maze of golden corridors and elaborate staircases.
"What do you mean?" Celestia asked, beginning to sense this journey was in vain.
"Zeus has left this world, he is set on taking yours." Athena explained as they turned a corner which led back onto stone, in the distance was a crumbled and destroyed Rotunda. "Kratos has been killed by the hands of his father."
Celestia stood in silence thinking on what to do, how to proceed. Was it just a matter of time until her world is lost to Zeus and all she holds dear? Minutes passed before she spoke "Is there another way?" She asked, pleading with some form of greater power than her that there was, her legs were trembling with the weight of this new pressure.
Athena motioned Celestia to follow as they headed towards a small stone building close to the Rotunda. "There may be a way, Celestia. It is more fate than anything, if Kratos is strong he will return." She explained as she opened the door to the building. In the centre lay a fantastically carved golden alter, the design showed each God of this world as well as the many beasts and monuments built for the Gods. On top of the alter lay Celestias' hope with a gaping hole in his chest and in a puddle of blood, Kratos. Some blood running down the alter, weaving through the carvings, and slowly dripping to the floor.
This was Celestias' first time seeing Kratos in his normal form, and she saw the power that he held. He looked like he would tower over Celestia, his build, his tattoo intricately painted on his body and the unmistakable ash coloured skin forced fear into Celestia. Its was clear why so many people, including Gods, feared him. "What's the plan?" Celestia enquired, running her fingers above the crevasse in Ghost of Spartas' chest.
"With Hades dead, only Princess Cadence is linked to the Underworld" Athena started, pausing to notice confusion on Celestias' face. "The Underworld is where the souls of those who died go, once there they are judged and their fate is decided. However, Kratos died in this world and so we can assume his soul is looking for Hades, it's his only way to get vengeance. You should take his body to Cadance; she may be able to force his soul into your world, then Kratos will need to find his body"
Celestia nodded, still looking lost with the plan. "So we need Kratos to have the strength and will to live?" She said, rather confidently.
"Yes, I am sure his thirst for vengeance will see him back to you" Athena replied with a smile.
"Thank you, Athena. Once this is all over it would be an honour to rule with you." Celestia hinted graciously with a smile.
"I would like that, Celestia, but this world needs order first. I can not abandon its people." Athena replied, solemnly. The two Gods stood in silence, before Celestia hugged Athena and gave her thanks.
Celestia looked at the muscle heavy Kratos and wondered about carrying him home, going back to Equestria shouldn't be a problem.
Princess Luna appeared to bathe in the moonlight, night was her specialty. Shining Armor stood in the gap between tents, as Luna basked in the centre, the sky was a gentle navy blanket. It was hard to see why so many ponies were afraid of the night, with sky and moon contrasting so beautifully. Shining cleared his throat to gain the Princess' attention.
"Princess Luna, I'm afraid we two teams of scouts have failed to return." Shining explained, keeping his distance from the Princess of the night.
"What? Where did they scout? I shall get my night scouts to search for them!" Luna asked panicking, the beauty that once surrounded her was gone.
"East, towards Horse Shoe Bay" Shining replied, his voice commanding yet filled with fear.
"We should get back to the castle, Celestia will return soon. I will send my elite soldiers out, we don't want to lose anymore ponies!" Princess Luna said panicking, looking around twitching as the wind whistled through the tress. Shining sensed she was not comfortable in this situation, and wondered why.
"What are your orders Princess?" Shining asked, trotting closer to help comfort her.
Luna paused and thought deeply, she knew Zeus would be cunning "We are heading to the castle, the missing scouts may be a sign that Zeus has succeeded in his plan and is moving to attack. The castle will be easy to defend as well, and we can keep a lookout for any advancing armies."
Shining Armor left quickly, leaving the Princess alone again. The wind began to pick up and the whispering trees changed roaring beasts with every breath. Luna headed towards her tent to begin packing up, wondering how Celestia was getting on in Zeus' world. As she approached her tent, a boom of thunder made the ground tremble. Luna quickly turned and galloped towards the Soldiers.
The thunder again made the ground growl, further alarming the Princess as no lightning flickered through the night sky. As she reached Shining, who was fully armoured, she noticed it was no thunder but trees being felled. She stood, awaiting what ever was coming, her army behind shaking, Shining Armor the only one with sword drawn. Soon, Luna realised it wasn't just the trees felling that sent tremors through the ground, there was something gigantic coming.
Suddenly, a huge pony burst through the front of the trees, sending trees crushing tents, several griffins followed keeping their distance. The giant stopped short of Luna; every muscle bulged with power, it wore similar attire to Kratos, and a sheath with sword that did not belong in Equestria. Luna stared, she could not tell where this beast in front of her was looking but his stare was fierce. A griffin flew up and unsheathed the sword with its talons and launched at Luna's front hooves forcing her to step back. The sword landed blade down, the handle wobbled with the force, and the Princess noticed the smeared blood trickling down the blade.
"What is the meaning of this?" Luna demanded, trying to sound assertive.
The giant looked down. "It is what remains of my brother and your hope!" The voice boomed.
Luna stared at the sword, her reflection appearing between the trails of blood. The giant let out a long laugh, before turning and leaving back through the trees. The griffin that threw the sword flew down, and screeched at Luna as it retrieved the weapon. The princess could only watch as the enemies disappeared into the night of the forest.
"Shining! Round every pony up! We are going back to the castle, Celestia will understand!" Luna ordered, a hint of her nightmare self in her voice, before galloping for her tank. Shining did as commanded.
