Elements of Harmony

by JCMorrigan

The multiverse is a lot bigger and more complicated than six little ponies could have imagined. Rated T for language/suggestive themes/violence. Contains slash and het shipping. Rating may go up eventually. CURRENTLY FLATLINED

61. Prison Break

A/N: You will want to familiarize yourself with the song "Knife Fight" by Lemon Demon before this chapter.

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61. Prison Break

THE PRISON OF THE DAMNED, THE BORDERS OF OLYMPIC GREECE

Zeus led the fleet toward the island of Aegaeon. He wasn't sure what to expect. Something in Hera's words had led him to believe that he was headed towards much more than he bargained for…and it was inconceivable that the mortal thief could have been working on his own, at least to Zeus. There had to be a higher power behind him.

He saw the towering shapes near Aegaeon. He could name them all: Themis, Leto, Oceanus, Rhea. They stood side by side with Echidna, with Eris…with Hades. It was perhaps the worst possible sight Zeus could have seen.

He roared for all to hear: "NOOOOOOOO!"

"TITANS?" Ares was dumbfounded.

"Hades," Athena seethed.

"Can you not see that the Titans are the bigger threat?" Ares snapped at Athena.

"They have ONLY ever been a threat because of Hades' help!" Athena retorted. "Are you only here to be contrary to me about everything?"

"You're the one being contrary to me!" Ares shot back.

"Then I'll just have to kill them ALL!" This remark was added by Kratos, who rode in Ares' chariot. The Ghost of Sparta, as he was known, felt what was almost a need to destroy the group of Olympus' most wanted that the fleet approached.

"AS YOU WERE," Themis commanded. "LEAD THEM INTO THE DEPTHS OF AEGAEON! THIS TIME, WE STAND TOGETHER!"

Eris appeared as a human-sized wisp perched upon Themis' shoulder. "That would mean you and I would stand together."

"AND MAYBE YOU WILL LEARN TO ACT IN COORDINATION WITH ANOTHER FOR ONCE," Themis huffed.

"Or maybe you will learn to think OUTSIDE the box when you pick your allies," Eris teased.

The Titans and all of Hades' army returned to where they had been before the small ship had appeared on the horizon. When the Olympians reached Aegaeon, the fleet split up, and the gods pursued their targets.

Zeus' chariot flew towards where Perses waded in the ocean; the king of the gods drew a long metal cylinder crackling with energy from his robes. From it, he released a storm's worth of lightning to strike Perses.

Leto stepped into the lightning's path, and she and Perses both drew the fire from it; Leto bit her lip to keep from crying out. Several jet-black tentacles reached up from the ocean below, swatting at Zeus' chariot and causing him to lose control of the lightning.

"ALECTO!" he roared. "You only have your power because of me! DON'T DEFY ME!"

"Funny thing…" In a rush of gray smoke, Hades appeared within the chariot. "I only have my power over the Underworld because of you, and that only seems to make me want to defy you MORE."

"Hades," Zeus seethed. "I should have known you would betray us again."

"Yada, yada, yada," Hades mocked. "Just shut up already, will ya?"

He thrust an arm at Zeus, and a full blast of fire rocketed at him. Zeus had no choice but to leap off the chariot. He called the clouds to him, forming a platform to land on. Once he found solid footing on the clouds, he quickly set to creating three replicas of himself out of pure lightning energy, sending them to deal with Leto, Perses, and Alecto; each lightning replica became engaged in battle immediately. Perses and Leto were pummeled by their elemental opponents while Alecto nearly tangled herself in a knot trying to eliminate hers.

A column of blue flame erupted on the cloud platform. Zeus had expected that. When Hades fully materialized, he was greeted by a barrage of lightning. In response, he threw three fireballs as fast as his reflexes allowed. Where the two energies hit, they canceled out. Where they didn't, lightning reached through to sting Hades and fire burned patches of Zeus' skin.

"Almost forgot," Hades said, noticing something behind Zeus. "There's one more goddess who'd kind of like your head on a plate. If I were you, I'd call it quits right now. You're outmatched."

Zeus felt a great blow to the back of the head. He staggered, then turned to see who had delivered it. "H…Hera…"

"It ends," Hera said simply.

Zeus' left hand guided lightning toward Hades. His right hand guided lightning toward Hera. Hades readied all his flames and Hera summoned a sparkling pink aura. All the while, Perses, Leto, and Alecto wore down their lightning opponents, waiting to spring upon Zeus himself. Hera and Hades danced around the blows aimed at them, firing repeatedly; Hera was silent, but Hades couldn't resist getting in a "Ha!" or a "BOOM!" every time one of his fireballs hit home. Zeus pressed on in his battle. He would not allow himself to believe that he was being defeated.

Poseidon left his chariot as well, his form growing and changing. His body grew in size, suddenly taking on the appearance of being completely made of water. The horses that drew his chariot underwent a similar effect, bearing him on their watery backs. A trident that also appeared to be composed of water but was in fact solid materialized in Poseidon's hand, and he thrust it at Oceanus. Cetus grabbed hold of the trident shaft, tugging it so that Poseidon nearly lost grip. He was eventually able to plunge the trident head into the ground, creating a whirlpool of water that rose up and twisted its way toward Oceanus. Oceanus caught the cyclone, spinning it with his own hands, tossing it back towards Poseidon. The cyclone collided with Poseidon, knocking him down, and Cetus pulled him under.

Hebe's chariot flew over Prometheus, and the goddess let the cup on her head spill. The water from it doused Prometheus' flame. The cup refilled immediately. Before Hebe could pour it a second time, her chariot was destroyed by a spear of ice breathed by Ladon; she tumbled through the air, grasping for the cup. She was caught by a cold wind, more of Ladon's wintry breath, that frosted over her skin.

Hermes was having altogether too much fun teasing Theia and Facilier. The former threw several spheres of light in succession while the latter conducted a steady stream of flame through his cane. Hermes was able to fly around it all, chirping, "Ha! Too slow! Say, you cats really need to cool down, yeah? Oh, almost got me! Hahaha, not to…day – "

Hermes was halted in midair, finding he was somehow anchored in place, unable to fly away. He was then pulled lower and lower to the ground. He then observed what was happening; Facilier had stomped on his shadow when it passed over the ground, and as he spun his cane, it reeled Hermes in like a fish. "I'm not the one who needs to cool down," he said, stopping when Hermes was rooted in front of Theia. "He's all yours, chère."

Theia slammed a ball of light into Hermes' face. Hermes, still able to move his limbs, leapt into the air and kicked Theia in the head. Theia grabbed his ankle and slammed him to the ground. Hermes twisted to get out of her grip; he accomplished this, but Theia wrenched off one of his winged sandals and threw it aside. She lost no time stripping him of the other one. When Hermes swung his leg at Theia's ankles to trip her up, she leapt over it, readying her fist so that when she landed, her hand connected with Hermes' face.

Several globules of light surrounded Palutena; they came together to forge an elaborate staff in the air. Palutena reached upward to grab the staff. "POWER OF CAGING!" she cried, spinning the staff, and metal bars formed around Hyperion and Stheno.

"Hey, no fair!" Stheno yelled, rattling the bars of her cage. "Wait a minute. You're Palutena, right?"

"That I am!" Palutena announced proudly.

"EURYALE!" Stheno yelled, looking over to where her sister waited with Thera. "I found the jerk goddess that messed with our sister!"

"Take her down," Euryale growled to Thera as she leapt toward Palutena, Hyperion, and Stheno.

"Gladly," Thera replied, following. Thera's fiery blade cut through Hyperion and Stheno's cages.

"POWER OF MAELSTROM!" Palutena cried, and a torrent of water rose behind her, surging forth to knock down her four opponents. While Hyperion and Thera were swept up, Stheno and Euryale rose above the water, propped up by the elongated snakes on their heads.

"You wanna see what happens when you mess with a Gorgon, LADY Palutena?" Stheno growled.

"Uh…" Palutena let out a nervous giggle. Then she turned and ran, screaming, as Euryale and Stheno pursued her, firing their petrification beams. When Palutena left, the maelstrom abated, and Thera and Hyperion set off after the goddess as well.

When Ares landed before the Nemean Lion, three pairs of insectoid limbs sprouted from his back. He swiped these at the Lion, jabbing his skin without piercing it, pushing him back. When the Lion struck out at Ares with his mighty claws, the six new limbs became a shield that protected Ares. Iapetus rushed Ares from behind, but Ares turned, the insect legs on his back fending off the Lion, and he drew a sword imbued with flame to clash with Iapetus' spear. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Crius running at him, and so he launched several spheres of flame to knock the Titan back. "You cannot defeat me!" he boasted, keeping all three of his opponents at bay.

The ground shook beneath Ares. A high-pitched wail resounded in his ears; a massive shockwave of energy threw him out from between the Lion and Iapetus. Flat on his back, Ares looked up to see Dark Danny hovering before him. "So this is the god of war," Dark Danny remarked.

Ares had just enough time to lift his sword and deflect Iapetus' spear point, but there was nothing he could do against Crius or Dark Danny's blows of fire and of plasma. The Nemean Lion just sat back and watched, laughing.

Asclepius looked around at his fellow Olympians falling. There was not much he could do to fight, but as the god of healing, his job was always to tend to the wounds of the fallen. From above, he dealt healing magic to those who needed it. To Zeus, protection from Hades' burns. To Hermes, a recession of the bruises Theia dealt. To Ares, the closing of the few scratches Iapetus got the window to make with his spear.

Then, all of a sudden, Asclepius forgot completely why he was even doing it. Why it mattered. Who these beings even were he was healing. All he could do was sit in his chariot in confusion and wonder why he was there.

From below, Mnemosyne watched his still chariot, admiring her work.

"Good job," Gegeines told her.

"Now we can sit back and watch," she reassured him. The two of them reclined, taking in the sight of battle.

Athena ran towards the Hydra, a gleaming sword drawn. She leapt through the air, over the water; Tethys summoned a massive wave that Athena was able to cut through. She landed on the Hydra's back, and all its heads turned to look at her.

"Stand down," Pallas ordered, stepping onto the scaly reptilian back as well. Xyr sword and shield were drawn. "Hydra, attack when I need you. Otherwise…I want to settle this myself."

"Pallas," Athena said sternly. She wasn't surprised – when she'd seen the other Titans, she thought it was only a matter of time before her old rival turned up. "You wish to be defeated again?"

"I want a rematch," Pallas said. "Though I was hoping it would come out differently this time."

Pallas and Athena charged each other, swords blazing. Metal clashed. Athena summoned the Aegis, the great shield bestowed upon her by Zeus, to her hand to protect her.

"NOW!" Pallas cried.

Athena knew Pallas and xyr fondness for playing unfairly all too well. The Hydra stayed completely still. Athena knew it wasn't going to make a move. What she had to watch for was coming from behind. She spun, thrusting out the Aegis.

Medusa's petrification blast ricocheted against the shield, and Medusa barely sidestepped it. Medusa then saw the Aegis directly, at close range…and she screamed in abject terror.

Shining within the metal of the Aegis was her own face, but not a reflection. It was a severed head, the face cold and dead, enchanted to sit within the two-dimensional metal as though on a shelf.

"But how?" Medusa asked, trembling, remembering Hades' words on the very subject.

"DON'T WASTE TIME!" Pallas cried, swiping xyr sword at Athena. Athena ducked, rolling toward Medusa.

"I should have known I would have to do this to you again," the goddess growled, leaping to her feet, sword drawn.

Tethys appeared between Athena and Medusa, blasting Athena backward with a torrent of water. Pallas snapped xyr fingers, and the heads of the Hydra plunged toward them. Medusa, Pallas, Tethys, and Athena were lost in a tangle of Hydra necks.

Between the swirling of the purple reptilian necks, Athena would catch a flashing glimpse of what she needed to deflect a split second before it attacked. One of the Hydra's heads. Pallas and xyr sword. Tethys wielding a roiling wave of water. Medusa, eyes aglow. Then Athena found herself slamming her shield against Pallas' blade at the same time that Tethys washed her over in seawater, and Athena was falling, falling…

She hit water.

Cupid remembered Pain and Panic well. He seethed with anger in remembrance of when they'd hijacked his forge of love arrows to turn them into hate arrows. At that moment, Cupid had neither; he shot light arrows, meant to deal damage. He loaded his bow, ready to fire.

"PAIN, LEFT! PANIC, RIGHT!"

The imps split and leapt in the commanded direction, and Cupid's arrows bit the earthy skin of Aegaeon. Phoebe laughed. "Archery is even more predictable," she cackled. "You have to aim at your target every single time."

Out of anger, Cupid shot an arrow directly at Phoebe. Phoebe just caught the shaft and tossed the arrow over her shoulder. "Take him down," she commanded Pain and Panic.

The pair shifted into the forms of fanged serpents. Cupid loaded his bow as quickly as possible, but Phoebe still called out to Pain to move before the arrow could hit its mark. Stunned, Cupid contemplated flying away; Phoebe yelled, "BEFORE HE GETS AWAY!" Both snakes launched into the air, curling around Cupid, constricting him.

The tiny Hestia steered her vessel toward Echidna and Leto. "What can SHE do to us?" Echidna sneered.

Before Leto could answer, Hestia released a massive wave of energy that caused both to stumble. "She must be dealt with at once," Leto stated.

With a mighty roar, Echidna charged Hestia. Hestia released more energy, pushing Echidna back; Leto forged her way through and swatted the chariot out of the sky. Echidna grabbed Hestia out of the air only for Hestia to make her body become incredibly hot, so hot that Echidna dropped her, yelping as though she'd touched a giant smoldering coal.

Dionysus pulled his chariot up to Themis and Eris. "You've come to the right place if you wanted the party," Eris teased.

Dionysus didn't dignify her statement with a response. In a flash of light, a spear decorated with pinecone spines and various leaves but tipped with cold iron appeared in his hand.

Eris circled him, faster and faster, spinning Dionysus around. When he finally got his bearings, he realized where Eris had put him: high up in the sky, upside down. The sea and the island were above him and the black void below. Before he could make any move toward the sea, Themis appeared before him, also upside down.

"Your revelry has always disturbed me," Themis related. "You don't know how long I've wanted to bring you to calm, quiet, and order."

She raised her blade; it clashed with Dionysus' spear. Dionysus thrust the spear at Themis' stomach; she deflected it with the sword and kicked him down.

As Apollo's chariot, borrowed from a lower member of the court, veered toward where Helios stood alongside Orcos, Helios weighed his options. There was an appeal, he admitted to himself, to challenging the sun god himself for domination of the sun. The idea of overthrowing him and becoming the only sun god. However, a worry overtook Helios: what if the Titans lost? Then his chance would be ruined forever. If he refused to challenge Apollo, though…the odds were still high that whoever won would welcome him into the court under probation. Especially if he could deliver the final playing piece. So he fled, leaving Orcos to face Apollo on his own.

Apollo let a volley of arrows loose at Orcos, but Orcos merely batted them aside. Apollo left his chariot to match Orcos' proportions. In a flurry of claws, Orcos made several blows at Apollo, leaving bloody scratches all over his skin. Apollo backed away, ichor dripping from his wounds. He was already out of breath, and he realized that he still wasn't truly back on his feet after his skirmish with Mozenrath. Orcos quickly closed the distance between them, clawing a deep gash into Apollo's side.

As Helios fled, he thought of his sisters. Selene would be fine. She would be able to handle whatever happened. It wasn't as though he was that attached to her anyway. But Eos. Eos was near defenseless, a poor soul that couldn't handle being on the losing side. He wouldn't let her be compromised. He wouldn't let her fall into danger. He rushed to the hallway where she stood alongside Adonis.

"Come with me!" Helios barked, seizing Eos by the wrist and dragging her away.

"Where are we going?" Eos asked.

"To make sure we win!" Helios replied.

Aphrodite landed in the hallway then, having only Adonis to face. "I will destroy you for Hades," he told her.

"Oh, dear, you're under hypnosis, aren't you?" Aphrodite realized, noting Adonis' blank eyes. "Here. Let me get that for you." She snapped her fingers before his face.

Adonis blinked. It was as if he'd closed his eyes in Thrace and opened them to find himself at Aegaeon. "Where am I? Where are my servants? WHY am I not in my palace? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

"Poor thing," Aphrodite murmured. "You really are a pretty one, aren't you?"

"I – " Adonis then realized to which god he was speaking. "Well, they do say I am the most beautiful mortal man in the world for a reason."

"Just so you know," Aphrodite explained, "Hades had you under hypnosis so you would fight against us Olympians."

"NO ONE takes control of the royal mind!" Adonis snapped, quite unaware that he was no longer royal. "Why, if I weren't terrif…I mean incredibly respectful of the Lord of the Dead, I'd make him pay for that! In coin. A lot of coin, though!"

"I think Zeus is going to be able to make him pay a higher price than you would," Aphrodite pointed out. "Let's at least get you somewhere safe. There's room on my chariot."

"Well!" Adonis laughed. "I accept your invitation."

The two boarded Aphrodite's chariot, which took flight above Aegaeon to sanctuary.

In the depths of the prison, the sun burned as bright as ever. Helios dragged Eos toward the reins of the steeds that pulled the chariot attached.

"Brother," Eos wailed, "please tell me what is going on!"

"We will deliver the sun to whomever wins," Helios explained. "That way, you and I will be in the favor of whichever side deals the punishments!"

"Is that not dishonorable, Helios?"

"It is better than being chained up in Tartarus!"

Eos trembled at the thought. She made no move to leave the chariot. Helios cracked the reins, and the chariot took flight.

Outside, all who battled shielded their eyes temporarily from the flash of the sun. Helios didn't take it high enough to light the world; only out of the depths of Aegaeon. The chariot then set to circling the island.

"I would go after it," Aphrodite pointed out, "but I'm not the best fighter on Olympus."

"It does make for excellent mood lighting," Adonis added. "We could just…enjoy the view until we see how things turn out."

"Good call." She moved closer to him, her shoulder pressing against his. He wondered if it was allowed for a mortal to put an arm around the shoulders of a goddess; he tentatively put up his hand. Aphrodite rolled her eyes at his hesitation and grasped his wrist, gently settling his arm around her, and they watched the battle continue.

Orthos and Geryon approached Artemis from two directions; she loaded her bow with arrows and spun in a circle, firing. Geryon hastily swung his club in time to catch the arrows; Orthos hit the dirt to avoid being pierced. "And y'all thought I wouldn't have enough arrows to fire at five targets," Artemis boasted.

She then doubled over, clutching at her stomach. Selene stood over her. "You thought you had control of the moon from me," Selene explained, "but as it turns out, the moon also controls you. At least in my hands. After all, it was my moon first. Gentlemen…continue."

Artemis shakily strung her bow again as Orthos, Geryon, and even Astraeus rushed her. Geryon's club batted her quite a distance as though she were a baseball; Selene reached up toward the moon, drawing from its energy, and Artemis wobbled as she tried to regain a foothold.

The Chimaera charged at Pan, all heads roaring. Pan casually lifted his panpipes, the Syrinx, to his lips, and he blew a short sequence of notes. The sound echoed softly; it haunted. The Chimaera cowered in fear, backing slowly away from Pan as the faun smiled.

"Oh, ENOUGH!" Asteria, unfazed by Pan's Syrinx-induced panic, rushed at Pan to punch him in the face with a fistful of dark magic. Pan went reeling. "Try and send a Titan into panic, will you…"

Epimetheus struggled against the vines that Demeter had called from the ground to bind him. They wrapped him up like a spider's prey in its cocoon. Demeter stood over him, glaring angrily. Nearby, Tisiphone attempted to swoop in and attack Demeter, but a giant flower emerged from the ground – breaking through Aegaeon's skin – and enveloped Tisiphone and her eagle of flame in its petals. Tisiphone kicked and punched from the inside, but the petals wouldn't break. Demeter put her hands on her hips, proudly admiring her work.

Until the voice from above said, "YOU were dumb enough to fall for it, too? Not that I should be complaining, but you're all getting PREDICTABLE!"

Demeter looked directly up into the blast of aura that the real Tisiphone sent rocketing at her. She retaliated by calling another giant flower to shield her. Vines rushed at Tisiphone, whipping out to capture her. Laughing, Tisiphone swept her arm through the air; as the bird followed that pattern and cut all the vines, ten visions of Tisiphone appeared, and all laughed madly. Demeter ordered vines to attack all of them. They all readied enormous blasts of magic.

When the real one struck Demeter, the goddess was knocked out cold.

Morpheus attacked Menoetius from behind. Menoetius sensed his presence a second too late and braced for the strike of a weapon. Instead, he felt a strange calm. All Morpheus had done was place a smaller version of his blanket of night over the great Titan, and Menoetius gave in to drowsiness and lay down to sleep.

"Sometimes, when we're angry, we just need a good night's rest to calm down," Morpheus stated with satisfaction. He smiled just before he was caught up in the explosion of darkness that Cerberus had breathed into the ground. When Morpheus landed, he was as unconscious as Menoetius.

Hephaestus struck out at Metis with his hammer, blazing hot. "How do you expect to fight with such broken weapons?" he taunted. His hammer connected with her broken blade.

What was left of the sword didn't break or melt. It didn't even vibrate. "I have crafted weapons longer than you," Metis explained. "These weapons have only dulled over aeons since the age of chaos. There is nothing you can do to break them!"

She sliced through the shaft of Hephaestus' hammer, and the blazing head of it hit the ground. Hephaestus was disarmed. Megaera's beetles swarmed him.

"This is terrible," Twilight moaned inside the cell.

"My dad…the other gods…they're losing." Hercules slumped to the ground, sitting against the back wall that was made up of Aegaeon's massive arm. "And I can't even help them. What if the worst happens? What if…"

"They'll be fine," Meg said, though she didn't believe it. "It's not like they haven't gotten out of worse scrapes."

"And after all, do some of them not deserve to be defeated?" Zoë asked. "This war has begun because of those Zeus hast slighted. Hera, Hades, the Titans! All were betrayed by Zeus and Olympus!"

"Except for two things," Applejack pointed out sternly. "One, the Olympians were keepin' order on this world, even when they didn't get along. I remember that much from Twilight's lectures. If they lose, there goes Olympic Greece as y'all know it! And two…they ain't perfect, but I sure don't believe they deserve to be defeated or possibly die at the hands of the Titans or Hades' weird little army."

"I suppose thou art correct," Zoë admitted. "Olympus should not pay for the mistakes of one."

"If they had any sense whatsoever," Rarity stated, "they'd talk out their issues instead of beating each other senseless! But of course that's not the route they go at ALL!"

"You realize what this means?" Phil added. "Even if the gods do win, we've still got Hera bein' too mad at Zeus to do her job as the goddess of marriage, Zeus running from too many enemies to do his job as the god of the sky, Ares and Athena are probably still at each other's throats and there go war and wisdom at the same time, and you don't even know how much control Hades has over the Underworld. If he ain't doin' HIS job, that's chaos even Eris couldn't believe."

"Ares and Athena are fighting because of that stupid apple!" Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"Oh, if only there was a way we could make everyone see order instead of chaos!" Icarus wailed, pressing his hand to his forehead dramatically.

"We could really really really really REALLY use some kind of last-minute miracle right now!" Pinkie Pie added.

"Or we just sit here and welcome the inevitable," Cassandra said calmly. "It's about all we can do right now."

"SAY IT AIN'T SO!" Icarus cried, and he and Pinkie embraced each other, sobbing loudly and emitting tears that came out as fountains of water.

It was at that moment that the rainbow striped apple tumbled out of the folds of Applejack's peplos.

"Hang on a minute…" Applejack picked up the fruit, inspecting it. "Now, I ain't no expert on what the Elements of Harmony can do to an apple, but an ordinary zap-apple woulda rotted by now."

"It looks delicious," Rarity pointed out. "Would you mind sparing a bite of it?"

"Just looking at it is making me hungry!" Pinkie Pie added.

"Hang on a minute," Twilight said. "Does everypony in this cell suddenly want a piece of that apple?"

"Yes," everyone answered at once.

"It looks like the most delicious apple ever created by the gods!" Icarus gushed, salivating.

"Eww," Cassandra remarked, backing away from the spit on the floor.

"It hasn't rotted…and everypony wants it almost as much as they wanted the chaos apple," Twilight reiterated. "This just might be our miracle! Zoë! You've spent a lot of time around the apples of discord. What do you think of it?"

Applejack tossed the apple to Zoë. Zoë turned it over in her hands.

"A strange thought crossed my mind when thou gavest me this," she muttered. "A thought that even among mortals, my duty to the cosmos has not lessened. Even among mortals, I can cause great changes that will affect the world. Small thoughts that would have occurred to me on my own, but strangely have crossed my mind along with touching this apple. The golden apple was one of chaos, but it now bears thy colors of harmony." Zoë's eyes widened. "Of course…it is no longer a chaos apple, but an order apple! Thy powers have turned its polarity!"

"So why hasn't that apple just magically brought order to everything?" Rarity whined.

"Because order is more difficult to produce than chaos," Zoë stated. "I would not have even thought such a thing possible. Enchantments break bonds, but they can rarely make them."

"So the apple actually does nothing," Cassandra groaned.

"But it did make me think," Zoë pointed out.

"Remember what Phil said?" Twilight recalled. "While the Olympian gods are fighting, they're abandoning the aspects of this world that they're gods of. If we can just even get them to think about that, they might call the whole thing off."

"That's a HUGE leap," Phil snapped. "Assuming you're right about this apple, you really think reminding everyone of what they're supposed to be doing instead of bashing each other's heads in is going to be enough?"

"Well, why else would Hades and Eris have gone after the mortal world?" Hercules realized. "Hades is ALWAYS after Olympus. The only reason he went after Greece is because what happens to Greece affects Olympus! If the gods remember what matters to them, they'll realize THAT'S how they can save Olympus!"

"And explain how that gets rid of the Titan problem," Phil went on. "Or the Hades problem!"

"Even if one being switches sides, that can affect how the entire fight comes out," Twilight explained. "I'm one hundred percent sure Hera isn't with the Olympians right now. If she remembers what's more important to her than getting revenge on Zeus…"

"And don't forget that Athena still got messed up by chaos!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. "Think about what she could do if she wasn't!"

"Whatever happens, we still have to give this a shot," Twilight stated with finality. "It's that or let things keep going as they are now."

"Well, then, by all means…" Phil sighed. "Do whatever it is you're gonna do with the rainbow apple. Just PLEASE don't tell me that your plan is throwing that apple out the bars and seeing what it hits."

"Actually," Applejack said, "we do sometimes have a little control over what the Elements can do. When we wanted Discord to be stone, he was stone. When we wanted to break him out, we broke him out. So if we use the Elements to do something that spreads order…well. Long story short, I got a plan."

---

Deep within Aegaeon, Discord listened to what went on above. "The Olympians are practically being pulverized," he pointed out. "You know what that means. The absolute perfect time would be right NOW."

The heart beat.

"Now the FUN begins," Discord stated.

---

Aegaeon came alive.

Morpheus and Menoetius both were jolted awake when the ground beneath them moved. Artemis fell right over, but so did Geryon and Astraeus, when the arm they stood upon raised itself. Palutena leapt over the hands that reached out, trying to crush her.

And from it all, a deep resonating sound, one word, uttered in a tone that sounded as though it came from the very center of the earth: "ZEUUUUUUUS…"

Aegaeon's massive head reared up, roaring the name of the one he cursed.

"NO!" Tisiphone screeched.

From the other end of the prison, Megaera echoed her sister's sentiment. "This prison was OURS! YOU CAN'T BE ALIVE!"

"He is waking!" Hera yelled. "I thought he was DEAD!"

"Hey," Hades told her, launching another fireball at Zeus. "You wanna be glass half empty or glass half full? Empty half: so a blood traitor that's been around since the age of chaos just woke up from what we thought was death. Full half: he wants to crush the same god we want crushed. And I say never to look a gift Hecatonchire in the mouth. No, seriously, the guy's mouth is disgusting, he hasn't brushed his teeth in, what, ten thousand years?"

"Your point is valid," Hera said with a grin.

Zeus fended off blows of magic from both. "WILL THIS NEVER CEASE?" he roared.

"Given how many enemies you've made?" Hades replied. "My guess is…mmmmmmmno."

As Aegaeon's arms reached out, trying to grasp and crush the hapless Olympians, they broke away from the structure of the prison. Entire cell blocks fell into the ocean; Helios steered deftly to avoid the chariot being crushed by a hallway. One cell in particular was shaken from between Aegaeon's hands, plummeting toward the sea, one wall left completely open where it had been filled by a giant palm. Out of the open wall, the cell's lone occupant leapt, creating a sphere of air beneath his feet, rising until he could stand on one of the writhing arms of the giant. "They've had their fun," Mozenrath growled as he landed, "but now they PAY."

At the same time, the arm that made up the back wall of the cell that held the motley group of heroes dislodged itself, leaving a clear path to escape. "Talk about your deus ex machina!" Phil remarked.

"Let's GO!" Hercules cried, and Pegasus immediately galloped to his side.

"Go WHERE?" Cassandra asked.

"To help!" Hercules answered. He and Pegasus charged forth; they leapt off Aegaeon's arm, into the air, and Pegasus dove below Hercules so that the demigod landed upon his steed. Hercules drew his sword, and he didn't even need to tell Pegasus where to go. They sped toward the cloud where Zeus did battle with Hera and Hades as Perses, Alecto, and Leto circled.

"You heard the kid!" Phil yelled. "Pick a god and get in there with 'em! CHARGE!" With a goatish bleat, he raced out of the cell. Most of the others followed.

The only ones who remained were Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Zoë. Zoë handed the apple to Rainbow Dash. "What do you plan to do with this?" she asked.

"Something awesome," Rainbow Dash said. "You go on ahead! We'll go do our amazing plan!"

"Good luck," Zoë said before drawing her bow and running into the fray.

Rainbow Dash turned to Applejack. "Um…what IS our awesome plan, anyway?"

---

Coeus couldn't believe it. He was being bested not by an Olympian, but by their mortal champion. Kratos pummeled the Titan in the face, weakening him. One blow sent Coeus tumbling over the unstable ground.

"YOU…DARE?" Nemesis stormed toward Kratos.

"You have no reason to target me!" Kratos yelled in return. "WHAT LAW HAVE I BROKEN?"

"Oh, shall I count the offenses?" Nemesis mocked. "You left the Underworld alive. There are reports that you spoke to Eos on Olympian ground despite being mortal. You broke a blood oath to Zeus, though admittedly the little loophole of Orcos' death got you out of that one. But the fact still remains that YOU SPILLED THE BLOOD OF A GOD. I should have killed you the day you killed Persephone. But Ares and Athena BOTH told me not to. They laid down a law for you. As of today, I'm no longer operating under their orders. I'm going to give you the punishment you deserve by divine law." Both hands transformed into shining broadsword blades. "Today, you DIE!"

"I don't think so, Nemesis," Kratos growled, drawing the Blades of Chaos.

Coeus only moaned from where he lay down, wallowing in his wounds.

As if struck by one of the Muses, Nemesis began to sing:

"I tire of your mind games!

I'm sick of playing don't offend Zeusy!

Good sir, no more rock-paper-scissors for me!

But wait…are we not both champions of the divine?

I challenge you to a battle of…" She savored the word as it rolled off her tongue: "KNIFFFFES."

She rushed Kratos, yelling, "KNIFE FIGHT!" Both arms clashed with the Blades of Chaos. "You're gonna fight for your life! KNIFE FIGHT!" Kicking Kratos in the stomach – he made no reaction; it was like kicking a mountain – and getting some distance, she stabbed at his stomach with one arm; he pinned it between both his blades. "You're gonna fight with a knife! KNIFE FIGHT!" She swung the other arm at Kratos' head; he shoved her away and backed off hastily. "A really really really sharp knife!"

"Yeah," Coeus sang from the sidelines, "knife fight!"

"I'M A VENGEFUL," Nemesis sang, charging Kratos, "WEAPONRY WITCH! I'mma cut you – swish swish!" She made two swipes at him; he dodged both. "In a knife fight!" She stabbed; he parried. "KNIFE FIGHT!" She swiped at his neck; he deflected it. Two more times she lunged at him and he evaded: "KNIFE FIGHT KNIFE FIGHT!"

The two backed off to look each other in the eye. "Let me tell you something," Nemesis sang. "I can't be beat."

"Oh yeah?" Kratos challenged.

"Yeah," Nemesis affirmed. "I rule the Olympian streets!"

"NEMESIS!" Kratos roared. "I'll pin you to the WALL!"

"Oh yeah?" Nemesis taunted.

"Your weapons are far too small!" Kratos added.

Offended, Nemesis replied, "My weapons are super sharp and that's what counts!" All the same, she changed them out; her right arm became the blade of a battleaxe while her left widened into a greatsword. "I'm gonna make you bleed copious amounts!"

"Remind me to thank you right after I shank you," Kratos growled.

"Jerk."

"BITCH!"

They rushed each other, yelling in unison, "KNIFE FIGHT!"

Nemesis swung her axe at Kratos' neck, singing, "You're gonna fight for your life!"

Kratos leapt over the axe, thrusting his hands downward, seizing the metal wrist attached to the axe. As he slammed Nemesis' axe hand to the ground, the two chorused again, "KNIFE FIGHT!"

Nemesis stabbed upward with the greatsword blade. "You're gonna fight with a knife!"

As Kratos slammed both Blades of Chaos into the greatsword, he joined Nemesis to sing again, "KNIFE FIGHT!"

With a shower of sparks, Nemesis' greatsword blade slid off the Blades of Chaos. "A really really really really sharp knife!" she reminded Kratos.

"Yeah," Coeus sang, "knife…fight?"

"You're a crazy," Kratos accused, "vengeful bitch!"

Nemesis didn't disagree. "I'mma cut you," she sang, "swish swish!" She swung the axe again and again at Kratos while he backed one step away each time, putting himself out of her reach. "In a knife fight," Nemesis growled, "knife fight…knife fight!"

Both warriors paused, sizing each other up. "I'm gonna slice you up," Nemesis threatened.

"And I will cut you down," Kratos countered.

"I'll put you in your place!"

"I'll send you underground!"

"This is the end for you, you custom-breaking cur! I've got a TIP for you! Get the point?"

"Oh, SURE!" Kratos roared, more furious at the pun than anything else Nemesis had thrown at him. "It's time to meet your end!"

"Time to face the facts!" Nemesis countered.

"Time to bite my blade!"

"Time to pay the tax!"

"I HAVE OLYMPUS' FURY!" Kratos reminded Nemesis, and the Blades of Chaos glowed with bright flame.

"Well, I'm a ball of rage!" Nemesis countered.

"You ready, NEMESIS?" Kratos challenged.

"BORN READY!" Nemesis replied, drawing both arms back.

They rushed each other again, screaming, "ENGAGE!"

---

Zeus' strength was fading. He fell to his knees, giving a groan of agony.

"Looks like we finally wore him down," Hades stated.

"Hades…Hera…no…" Zeus begged.

Hera formed a sphere of aura within her hands. "I want the last thing you know," she said, "to be – "

She stopped midsentence. Her gaze was fixed on something over Zeus' shoulder, at Aegaeon. "No," she hissed.

"Excuse me?" Hades snapped. "Can we have less distraction and more smiting?"

"He's here," Hera snarled.

"Frankly, who isn't here?" Hades replied.

Hera pointed at a spot on one of Aegaeon's writhing arms. "The one who stole the sun. HE'S HERE."
"WHAAAAAAAT?" Hades burned bright orange. "Okay, new rule. Nobody touches Zeus until I get back. This is my right as much as it is any of yours." In a rush of fire, he vanished.

Hera planted a foot on Zeus' back, forcing him down to lie on his stomach. "You won't be going anywhere," she growled.

---

"KNIFE!" Nemesis yelled, swinging her broadsword.

"FIGHT!" Kratos bellowed, parrying it with a Blade of Chaos.

"AXE!" Nemesis roared, aiming the named weapon at Kratos' stomach.

"FIRE!" Kratos cried, casting a burst of flame that blasted Nemesis midswing and caused her to stagger.

Nemesis changed tactics; the axe became a spinning saw blade. "SAW!"

"ICE!" Kratos cast a casing of ice around Nemesis' feet. She easily smashed it with her weapons.

"SMITE!" Nemesis swung the saw and the greatsword together; Kratos maneuvered his blades between them at the last minute, causing a burst of sparks.

"THUNDER!" Kratos struck Nemesis with a bolt of lightning that jolted her momentarily before she shook it off.

Before either could make another move, Hades materialized between them, holding out his hands. "Hey, wait a minute, WAIT A MINUTE!"

"I don't suppose you're here to tell us that knives are dangerous and that somebody could get hurt," Nemesis sneered.

"Noooooo," Hades said, "what I'm here to tell you is that THE MORTAL BRAT THAT STOLE THE SUN IS GETTING AWAY OVER THERE!"

He pointed to where Mozenrath sprinted across Aegaeon, leaping from hand to hand.

Nemesis seethed. She briefly looked Kratos in the eyes; "I will deal with YOU later." Raising her weaponized arms, she ran after Mozenrath, giving a high-pitched battle cry.

"Well," Hades remarked, "looks like my work here is done. Back to business." He vanished, leaving a brief smolder in his wake.

Kratos turned to Coeus. "Now, WHERE WERE WE?"

---

A rush of fire, and Hades reappeared on the cloud. "Now where were we? Oh yeah. Digging a thorn out of my side."

Zeus gritted his teeth, clawing at the surface of the cloud with his fingers. "You can't kill me forever," he growled.

"We will show the others that you are weak," Hera explained. "When you return to life, you will be newly born, with no power! When you return, you will have NOTHING!"

"Not to mention that there isn't exactly no precedent for gods NOT COMING BACK," Hades snarled. "Now – "

Hades took a sharp blow to the side of the face. Pegasus had swooped past him, and Hercules had dealt a fist to his head. Pegasus halted in midair as Hercules drew his sword. "You never learn, do you?" Hercules taunted with a grin.

"Hercules!" Zeus cried. "My boy!"

For a moment, Hercules felt hurt. Zeus had never really betrayed him other than lying to him about his parentage. But he had betrayed the two that stood ready to strike him down. Hercules had to ask himself the question again: was Zeus truly worth saving?

He knew the answer in his heart. Right or wrong, he loved Zeus as a father, and part of him couldn't stop loving Hera as a mother, either. For them, he would fight Hades and the Titans until the end of the world.

"WHY?" Hades roared. "WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO GET IN THE WAY OF MY PLANS? EVERY! SINGLE! TIME!"

"Because he's got our blood in him," Zeus answered. With newfound strength, he stood, releasing himself from beneath Hera's foot and sending Hera reeling backward.

"If you're going to kill him," Hercules told Hades, "you'll have to go through me first!"

"Strangely," Hades said, "I don't see the downside. PERSES! ALECTO! LETO!"

The simulacra of Zeus forged of his lightning all faded away. The two Titans rushed toward the cloud, and Alecto's limbs whipped into the air.

"I can take care of these two!" Zeus yelled. "You take the Titans and the Fury, my boy!"

"I'm on it!" Hercules directed Pegasus to fly toward Perses. He wove around the large and rocky Titan, swiping Anaklusmos at Perses' arm; Perses clutched the wound instinctively. Hercules knew of Leto's service to Olympus; the thought of her betrayal surprised him. Instead of slashing at her with his blade, he leapt off Pegasus, colliding with her shoulder, shoving her backward so that she fell into the ocean. Pegasus caught Hercules and brought him around to deal another cut to Perses. Alecto's tentacles shot upward, surrounding Hercules, but the demigod had anticipated this. He leapt off Pegasus, landing on one of Alecto's tentacles and grabbing another. He then leapt toward Perses, kicking off against the Titan's side, spinning around him. He was tying Perses up with Alecto as a living rope. And all the while, Zeus fended off Hades and Hera's attacks on the cloud.

Palutena talked to herself as she ran in her panic. "You can do this," she told herself. "You just have to figure out a plan!"

"LADY PALUTENA!" Pit swept out of the air, landing behind Euryale and Stheno; before either Gorgon could even turn to react, he had stabbed each with a blade.

Stheno had just enough time to frustratedly scream, "Not the Underworld AGAIN!"

Palutena stopped running, whirling to look at her savior. "Pit!"

"Let's show these Titans who the REAL boss is around here!" Pit cried, running to Palutena's side.

Thera and Hyperion caught up, but instead of running, Pit and Palutena faced them directly. Pit's blades clashed with Thera's sword, fire exploding where the metals met. Palutena summoned another maelstrom that rained upon Hyperion, pushing him back and surrounding him in clashing waters.

"Stab him!" the Nemean Lion chanted to Iapetus as he and Ares faced off. "Stab him real good!"

"HEEEEEEY!" Icarus yelled from nearby. The Nemean Lion, Iapetus, Crius, and Dark Danny all looked to see who had spoken. "I'M A DISTRAAAACTION!" Icarus yelled. "MR. DISTRACTION, RIGHT HERE!"

Ares caught onto his game first. When Iapetus' attention was diverted, Ares seized his spear arm, twisting it. Iapetus' grip broke. Ares stole the spear away. "Not so tough without THIS, are you?" Ares taunted.

"So we meet again," the Nemean Lion told Icarus, advancing upon him.

"SO! IT! SEEMS!" Icarus replied. "And it looks like it's MY JOB TO DEFEAT YOU AGAIN!"

"I'm not so sure you actually defeated me the first time, twerp."

"OH YEAH? WELL, I KNOW I DID BUT WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Before the Nemean Lion could think of a comeback, Icarus had leapt at him, aiming a kick to his face. By some miraculous accident of fate, his foot planted directly into the Lion's nose.

"That…actually hurt," the Lion whined, wrinkling his nose.

Now wielding two weapons instead of one, Ares was able to hold his own much better, especially with Iapetus disarmed. He lashed out at Crius and Iapetus, reflecting Crius' blows back at the pair of brothers. The silver spear even frightened Dark Danny, who tried to stick to a plan of attacking from afar. When he began another wail, he found the spear thrown right at him. Dark Danny quickly dodged the spear, letting it fall through empty air and land in Ares' hands again.

"Uhhhh…I THINK I'VE DEFEATED HIM ENOUGH!" Icarus cried, running past Ares in a panic with the Nemean Lion in hot pursuit. "YOUR TURN TO DEFEAT HIM NOW!"

Ares swung the piercing spear down in front of the Lion, cutting him off from his pursuit of Icarus. The Lion swallowed hard. "Yeah," he muttered, "this isn't gonna end well…"

Insectoid legs slammed into Crius. Ares' greatsword swung at Iapetus. The spear was thrust at the Nemean Lion.

Athena opened her eyes, looking directly upward. She floated on the surface of the water. She righted herself, paddling to a stone, once a chunk of prison wall, that floated in the sea. She hoisted herself up onto the stone, wincing. Ichor flowed from several wounds on her body. She felt weak, wondering if she could carry on.

Then she saw the mortal woman paddling out to the same stone. Meg crawled up onto it, brunette hair dripping with water, and approached the goddess. "Hey, look, I know this is awkward," she said, "but you look like you could use a hand." Meg removed a roll of bandages from within a pocket. "Phil's had me carrying these ever since we left Chryse. Here."

"Mortal…" Athena gasped. "I thank you…"

"Hey, it's no problem." Meg wrapped the bandages around each of Athena's wounds. "Sorry I won't be able to help you out with the whole fighting thing."

"This is enough." Athena stood, stretching her limbs. The bandages held the wounds tautly. "I am ready to – "

"To do what?" A third figure crawled onto the stone and stood.

"And you'd be Medusa, right?" Meg identified.

"You were in Thrace," Medusa replied.

"I think you and my husband had a bit of a bone to pick with each other there," Meg confirmed.

"Hercules is…your husband?" Medusa gasped.

Athena drew her sword. "I beheaded you once in a past life, Medusa," she stated, "and I can very well do it again."

"Hey, whoa!" Meg interrupted. "I wouldn't do that. I'm okay with the Celestial Bronze, thing, but you kind of need to leave this one alive."

"Why should I, mortal?" Athena snapped.

"Because she's a friend of a friend," Meg explained, "if you didn't catch that."

"I had deduced it," Athena growled. "Am I not the goddess of wisdom? But her crimes are worth punishment more than her past relationship with Hercules is worth forgiveness!"

"Well, I don't want to fight with you," Medusa said. "I can fight someone else!" Then she took off, seeking another opponent.

"Does she think she will be spared my wrath because I am with the wife of her friend?" Athena growled.

"I don't know," Meg said, "but if I were you, I'd be more focused on that."

She pointed out to where Tethys had created a wave upon which she and Pallas surfed on their bare feet; the wave carried them toward Athena. The Hydra followed the wave, heads snarling. Athena readied her sword. Meg dove back into the water to get out of the way of the conflict.

Cassandra would come running up to where Pain and Panic held Cupid. Panic would immediately let go of Cupid, that was for certain. Then he would try to make the loss look like an accident.

No, Phoebe would stop him. But he would then attempt to fight her despite all his attempts to be covert. That would leave Cupid able to fend off Pain and fire at all three of them.

So she would kill him, then. But then Pain would balk and desert her.

All outcomes were decidedly a loss. Phoebe cried out, "I will NOT suffer this humiliation!" before storming away.

"Huh?" Pain wondered out loud.

Cassandra arrived, not even sure why she'd chosen to run to that spot. She knew she wasn't any good in battle. She'd just chosen a location at random, seeing Cupid struggling from afar, and hoped for the best. She was utterly perplexed as to why the Titan had turned and run, and even more confused as to why Panic suddenly let go of Cupid, saying, "Oh, I…slipped!"

Cupid threw Pain onto the ground, loading his bow. Pain and Panic exchanged glances before screaming in terror and fleeing. Cupid fired shot after shot at the retreating imps' heels.

Cassandra wondered if her timing could allow her to take any credit for that victory.

Echidna grasped Hestia in both hands, squeezing tightly, intending to crush her. "That is the LAST straw!" she muttered; even as the goddess became hotter and hotter, Echidna resolved not to let go.

Then she felt the light arrow pierce her back, and she dropped Hestia in shock. Hestia turned her attentions to pushing Rhea back with massive bursts of energy while Echidna swatted at her back, trying to get rid of whomever had fired the arrow.

Zoë ran down Echidna's spine, away from her head, turning every now and again to fire an arrow and keep the mother of monsters occupied.

Asteria's full attention was focused on Pan, and so she didn't see the living projectile headed toward her. Phil headbutted her with full force, catching her off guard and sending her flying. She tumbled over and over.

"How do you like THEM apples of chaos?" Phil quipped; Pan grinned before returning to the Syrinx to keep the Chimaera at bay.

Round and round, Helios drove the chariot of the sun at Aegaeon's base, Eos at his side. He kept a steady pace. It was simple to tell when he was going to pass by any point at any given moment. One of Aegaeon's arms stretched out over ocean; the chariot was about to pass under it. So Mozenrath had noticed. He ran out onto the writhing arm, waiting for the chariot to pass beneath him so he could leap onto it and throw Helios out of the driver's seat.

A shrill keening pierced his hearing: "AYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIIIIIIII!"

When Mozenrath turned, he was met with the outstretched axe and greatsword that were Nemesis' hands. As he dropped to his knees, passing under the blades, he slipped inadvertently into hypertime, able to watch the weapons slowly execute their very near miss. A lock of hair was clipped from his forehead. Had he been any slower, it would have been his whole head.

When Nemesis was behind him, time reverted to its usual speed. Mozenrath had an aura of flame ready, balled up in his right fist; he spun and lobbed it at Nemesis. Nemesis batted it away with the greatsword blade. "YOU ARE SENTENCED TO A SMITING," she said, running at him again, "FOR THE THEFT AND DESECRATION OF OLYMPIC PROPERTY!"

Mozenrath drew two shamshirs from Hammerspace, crossing them in front of his body to block the greatsword blade. Nemesis pushed against his weaponry, causing a shrill grating sound and a rainfall of sparks. Mozenrath was knocked off balance, flat on his back; he quickly crawled backward, away from Nemesis. He flicked his right wrist at her repeatedly, a lightning bolt emitting each time. She deflected each bolt with her axe hand.

As he got to his feet, Mozenrath realized he was probably in real trouble.

Applejack led Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie to one of the cell blocks still standing atop one of Aegaeon's joints. "And we got soil!" she said, noting a dirt floor.

"I'm only going to ask one more time," Rainbow Dash said. "What IS your plan?"

"We plant this apple," Applejack said, "and we use the Elements of Harmony to make it grow. If everythin' goes the way I think it will, we'll get order apples all over this here prison. It's probably only gonna be as temporary as the chaos apples were over in Greece, but it'll solve our problems for now."

"Of course!" Twilight said. "Okay, everypony…let's do this!"

Applejack planted the apple in the soil. The six gathered around it in a circle. A sphere of light surrounded them all; their amulets glowed.

Twilight's gaze wandered a moment, and she spotted a strange sight across the island. Perhaps, given more time to think it over, she would have made a different choice. Perhaps she would have recalled the breakdown she'd had in Colchis and decided the situation wasn't worth intervening in. Perhaps she would have prioritized making the order apples grow. However, her heart told her one thing and one alone at that very moment. She saw someone dear to her being attacked by Nemesis, and she had to stop the vengeful goddess from harming him.

The sphere broke. The amulets dimmed. "What's goin' on?" Applejack asked.

Twilight bolted. She charted a course for the site of the battle, leaving her friends behind.

Rarity watched her in horror. "TWILIGHT!" she gasped. "Whatever has gotten into – "

All five of Twilight's friends heard her as she cried out, "MOZENRATH! NOOOOOOOOO!"

Rainbow Dash looked at where Twilight was headed. "I can't BELIEVE this! HIM? HERE? NOW?"

"Well, it looks like your plan just isn't going to work!" Rarity barked at Applejack.

"Twilight will come back," Fluttershy stated. "I just know it! Once she's sure he's safe, she'll remember the plan!"

"But what are we supposed to do until then?" Rarity asked.

"Can we help out the others in the fight?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Pleeeeaaaase?" She hopped up and down, repeating the word as she bounced: "Please! Please! Please!"

"Fine!" Applejack resolved. "We each go help somepony out in the battle, but when Twilight is done with…whatever's goin' on over there…" She had to stop and let it actually settle in. She looked over at the sorcerer battling Nemesis. It was Mozenrath, all right. "We all meet back up here! Now GO!"

"YEAH!" Rainbow Dash cried, shooting up into the sky. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie galloped toward four different destinations.

Poseidon struggled to get his head above water; Oceanus pressed upon his chest with his foot, pushing him down, as Cetus, keeping a stranglehold on the Olympian, pulled him under. He twisted sharply; Oceanus fell and Cetus was wrenched above the ocean surface.

A torrent of crystal arrows fell upon Cetus until the sea monster weakly let go of Poseidon. Poseidon watched in surprise as Cetus sank down into the depths before turning to look up at Aegaeon and the source of the arrows.

"You can thank me later!" Rarity called out.

Poseidon nodded before Oceanus rushed at him; Poseidon plunged his trident into the water, forming another cyclone. Oceanus pushed it back; Poseidon urged it on. The cyclone was kept steady between the two of them, every now and again edging closer to one or the other. Finally it exploded toward Oceanus, catching him up in a whirl of water.

Hebe grabbed at her cup, flinging water from it at Prometheus' fire; Ladon clutched her in a great claw, squeezing her tightly. Hebe trembled, trying to keep her grip on the cup. Ladon's heads all drew back to breathe ice upon the Olympic cupbearer.

"HEY, ICE JERK!" Rainbow Dash yelled from behind Ladon's heads.

All heads turned to see Rainbow Dash's sword held to the sky; lightning fed into it and wind swirled about her. Enraged at the sight, Ladon let loose all his breaths of ice.

Rainbow Dash countered by swinging her sword, sending out the electric rainbow shockwave. It shattered all the ice and slammed into Ladon's heads, stunning the dragon unconscious. Hebe wormed her way out of his claw and onto her chariot, which her horses had brought around; she refilled the cup and turned her attentions to Prometheus.

Themis kicked Dionysus down, raising her sword high to drive into his chest. As she held it high, a great BOOM sounded near her ear, and she was knocked off balance by a burst of confetti. She whirled to see who had startled her.

"Hello!" Pinkie Pie greeted, standing next to Themis. At first, Themis wondered how the Kentauride had gotten there. Then she realized that was the least of her concerns. Pinkie Pie was standing on the same level as her – upside down to the rest of the world.

"How are you doing that?" Themis asked.

"I LOVE walking upside down!" Pinkie Pie replied, her glitter pistols appearing in her hands. "Really sorry about this!" She opened fire.

Themis charged and swung her sword; suddenly Pinkie wasn't there. A BOOM of confetti alerted Themis to the fact that Pinkie Pie was behind her. Themis charged again, but again Pinkie Pie was gone just in time; another BOOM sounded from Themis' right.

"HOW ARE YOU EVADING ME?" she growled.

Her teeth gritted as she heard Dionysus collapsing in laughter and Eris remarking, "I like her style."

"You make no sense," Themis growled, stabbing out at Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie responded by leaping up and somehow balancing on Themis' outstretched blade, walking toward her. "You know, we could just stop fighting and play tag instead," she suggested. "We're kind of already doing that."

Themis screamed wordlessly, flinging the sword down – or up, as the case was. Pinkie didn't seem to notice that she was standing on nothing until she actually looked down at her hooves planted solidly on thin air; only then did she collapse to what qualified for ground level.

"So that's a no for tag?" Pinkie said sadly. "Oh well…" The shoulder-mounted launcher materialized. Before Themis could complain again, she was blasted with energy and confetti.

"ERIS!" she growled. "HELP ME!"

"I thought I didn't have a place in your world," Eris said before vanishing into nothingness.

Dionysus couldn't stop laughing as Themis staggered to her feet, picking confetti out of her hair. Without Eris around, gravity reversed to normal. Pinkie, Themis, and Dionysus were all deposited onto Aegaeon's body.

Artemis crouched on the ground in agony. Selene flicked her wrist, sending more pain coursing through the goddess' body. Astraeus, Geryon, and Orthos just watched and laughed.

Seeing red, Fluttershy galloped toward them. "You think it's FUNNY to be BULLIES?" she challenged.

"Well, what are YOU gonna do about it?" Geryon challenged.

"THIS!"

In the next instant, Fluttershy set upon Geryon, crossing her sword blade over him furiously until he was too weak to stand. Orthos rushed her, but she incapacitated him in a similar manner. Next, she slashed at Selene three times; that was just enough for Selene to lose her focus.

Artemis strung her bow, aiming it at Selene. Arrows sank into both Selene's shoulders; at this, Fluttershy flinched and backed away, feeling faint.

"Good job," Artemis congratulated her. "I can take it from here."

Fluttershy galloped away as Artemis faced Astraeus and the wounded Selene; Geryon and Orthos decided it was naptime right then and there.

Demeter turned in circles, looking at the many Tisiphones that surrounded her. All of them gathered up more energy to throw at her and incapacitate her. They laughed as one.

A golden rope cracked through the air, swirling around each form of Tisiphone, binding them all. The loops tightened around them; all dissolved but the real one. "I'm tired," Applejack declared, "of you not tellin' the truth about where you are!"

"You're sure you want to do this?" Tisiphone maneuvered the rope into her hands, breaking it, bursting out of the bond.

"I'm sure," Applejack said, twirling the whip. She winked at Demeter.

Demeter took the opportunity, calling up a great flower to encase Epimetheus and focus on holding him.

Tisiphone sent one, two, three comets of energy rocketing toward Applejack. Applejack darted beneath the Fury, evading them all, though the last one emitted a shockwave that caused her to stumble. The whip cracked against Tisiphone's shoulder, and Tisiphone rubbed the place where it smarted. She conjured more plasma; Applejack readied the whip again.

Axe blade met dual shamshirs. The greatsword was evaded, clipping another lock of hair. Locked in a duel of clanging metal, Mozenrath sweated, weakening against the sheer force with which Nemesis dealt each blow. Nemesis yawned. "This is really the best you can do?" she taunted.

"I don't see you getting anywhere," Mozenrath replied.

He slipped. There was blood. He cried out.

Nemesis gritted her teeth in frustration. All she'd managed to do was slash a cut into the side of his waist – probably painful, but decidedly nonlethal. It did make him stumble again, though, giving Nemesis the perfect opportunity to strike.

"NO!"

Deep pink aura washed over Nemesis, stalling her, holding her back. Twilight skidded to a halt, slamming her staff upon the ground. Nemesis broke through the aura she'd cast, perplexed. "What is this?" the goddess sighed in frustration.

"You're going to leave him alone," Twilight growled. "Now."

"Twilight!" Mozenrath, awash with relief, turned to face his rescuer.

Twilight kept her eyes focused on Nemesis. "Not," she seethed, "now."

"Try and stop me," Nemesis dared, raising both arms.

Twilight raised her staff, letting it glow.

In a flash of hypertime, Mozenrath made his way behind Nemesis; Nemesis turned so that one arm could reach out to each opponent.

Mozenrath took the opportunity to cast a rush of flame at Nemesis. Twilight, at the same time, thought to cast a massive freezing charm. All Nemesis had to do was take two steps backward and the spells cast each other out.

Mozenrath snapped his fingers in the air, calling creatures forth from the darkness; five Dementors materialized. Nemesis sighed with boredom, pointing at Twilight; the Dementors converged upon the Kentauride.

Twilight was overcome with a deep fright and the sensation of freezing skin; she was nearly paralyzed as the creatures advanced upon her. She identified them as Dementors immediately, recalling her studies, but every other piece of knowledge she had evaded her at that moment, focusing on the five black shapes that approached. One of them took the lead, smelling out the emotions that ran rampant within the intended victim, reaching out for Twilight's face.

"NO!" Mozenrath screamed angrily. "NOT HER! GET AWAY FROM HER!"

The Dementors didn't listen to the panicked command. A rotted-looking hand caressed the side of Twilight's face roughly. Twilight heard the Dementor inhale sharply, about to drink.

She remembered.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The owl burst from the star that topped her staff, screeching as it enveloped the Dementor in its wings. The Dementor chose that moment to disappear. The Patronus kept moving toward its four fellows, which all retreated. The owl made one last stop, veering directly toward Nemesis.

Nemesis sliced right through the Patronus with her greatsword blade, and it dissipated into silver smoke. "You two just don't coordinate well in battle," she laughed.

Ultimately steamed, Twilight cried out, "HOLYJA!"

Simultaneously, Mozenrath let the darkness course through him, funneling out through his right hand, becoming dark tendrils that sought out Nemesis.

Nemesis laughed at the attempts to cast polar opposite spells from either side of her – one of light, one of darkness. She expected them to cancel each other out as the fire and ice had done. But when the two spells collided –

Nemesis was caught up in a bright sphere that shone red, fading to purple, fading to pink, fading to orange, all the colors of dusk and dawn. She was lifted into the center of the energy, immobile. She screamed – it wasn't pain, but a strange pressure, one that bore down on her hard and terrified her. Twilight and Mozenrath each took a step back, stunned by what they'd done.

The sphere dissolved. Nemesis slumped to the ground, breathing heavily. "That magic…" she babbled. "How could it…" Shaking her head, she got to her feet unsteadily. "You…you will be dealt with…!"

Trembling, she turned and ran.

"Well…that was unexpected, to say the least," Mozenrath remarked. "And you – "

"Okay, I am NOT happy with you right now," Twilight interrupted.

This left Mozenrath perplexed. As far as he knew, his laundry list of sins hadn't included any strikes against her. "Because…?"

"You know what you did!"

"You're going to have to be more specific."

Twilight tried to think of how to most concisely put it. She was cut short; Hecate teleported in behind Mozenrath.

"THERE you are," Hecate growled. "I'm getting you out of here before you get into any MORE trouble!" She slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, NO – " Mozenrath was heard saying before they both disappeared.

Twilight stared at the empty air for a moment before remembering she had other business to attend to. She'd abandoned the apple completely. She turned to run back to it, hoping she could remember the location.

Twilight passed Rarity, who took that alert to run after her. From the skies, Rainbow Dash saw them and changed her course to meet them. Rarity called out to Applejack, who used her whip to throw Tisiphone back one more time before ditching the battle to run towards the apple as well; Tisiphone reeled before righting herself and setting her sights to Demeter again.

Fluttershy was already waiting there, hiding behind what was left of the stone wall of the cell. "Fluttershy!" Rarity called out.

"Pinkie Pie went pretty far," Rainbow Dash began to explain. "It might take her a while to – "

"HERE I AM!" Pinkie bounded into view.

"Or it could take her two seconds to randomly get here," Rainbow Dash sighed.

"I'm sorry," Twilight sputtered. "When I saw him, I just – "

"You protected a friend," Applejack finished for her. "You did all right."

"And you gave us a chance to kick major tail in this entire battle," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"But we should probably get the apples growing now before everything gets destroyed!" Pinkie insisted, jogging in place to assert the urgency of the situation.

"Right," Twilight agreed. "Okay…let's try this again!"

The six circled the apple, focusing on it. The sphere of light reappeared. All six levitated ever so slightly, amulets glowing. A shaft of soft rainbow light stretched out from each amulet and touched the apple.

The apple sank deeper into the soil, disappearing. A carpet of rainbow then exploded out from the soil patch, rolling like the tide over Aegaeon. Tendrils of rainbow, like vines, stretched out to touch the clouds as well as the floating cell debris in the sea. Aegaeon roared and writhed in anger, but his movements only quickened the rainbow. The trees then sprouted, going from sapling to adult in a matter of seconds. In each of Aegaeon's palms. On the crust of his skin. On the clouds, on the cells floating in the sea. They had trunks that shone like bronze, white leaves tinged with soft rainbows, and bright rainbow apples that bloomed to full fruition.

One of these trees erupted before Zeus, Hades, and Hera. All three of their blows – lightning, fire, aura – hit the tree trunk and were absorbed.

"What is this?" Zeus wondered out loud.

"I…don't…" Hera reached out instinctively, picking an apple. "I don't know…" All she knew was that she wanted one of the apples, and quite badly, too.

Zeus also reached out and picked an apple, to which Hades could only say, "Hello? Middle of a climactic battle here? WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE – well, actually, those do look pretty good…" Overcome by a temptation he didn't understand, he also plucked a rainbow fruit.

All three bit at the same time. And it hit all of them at once.

For Zeus, that the sky needed him if it did not have a sun. But he already knew that.

For Hera, the marriages of the mortals she'd sworn to protect. If she focused all her energies on defeating Zeus there and creating her new regime, the wives who counted on her to protect them from the same fate she suffered by Zeus would be ignored, let down. In horror, Hera dropped her bitten apple.

Hades' hand, clutching his own bitten apple, shook in rage. "And leave a chance that the Underworld could fall to HECATE?" he roared. "NO WAY!" In a rush of flame, he vanished.

"What have I done…" Hera muttered.

"Hera," Zeus said, "it isn't too late to say bygones – "

"There are no BYGONES," Hera stated. "You have still wronged me, and you will still pay me for it eventually. But I cannot let the Titans rise again!" She also vanished, leaving Zeus behind on the cloud. Zeus grabbed the opportunity, changing in size so he was fit to fight Perses before sending a jolt of lightning toward the Titan.

Theia knocked Hermes down. Facilier approached the messenger god with a grin, raising his cane. "Hope you've had time to say all your goodbyes," he threatened.

A flash of fiery light; Hades stood next to him. "Hey. Shadow Man. We're out of here."

"But – " Facilier gestured toward the fallen Hermes.

"Yeah. I know. I also know that right now, we are risking the Underworld being left in the hands of ALL the wrong gods. We need to get back there…NOW."

Facilier wanted to argue, perhaps suggesting that Hades was seized by a temporary madness of sorts, but Hades grabbed his wrist and took him along when he vanished again.

Hermes stood, staring down Theia. "Well," he remarked, "this oughta even the odds."

Dark Danny hovered above Ares, trying to decide how best to attack him and avoid the point of Iapetus' former spear. He never got to finish the decision. Hades, Facilier's wrist in his left hand, materialized next to him in the sky, taking Dark Danny's wrist in his right hand. "Come on. We're blowing this wine stand."

"But we have a chance of victory!" Dark Danny argued.

"WE! ARE GOING! BACK!" Hades insisted. "AND THAT! IS! FINAL!"

The trio left the scene in one last burst of fire.

---

Athena clutched the order apple tightly. She'd knocked both Tethys and Pallas back into the ocean, and the Hydra was about to strike. She entertained the notion that she was, in fact, outmatched.

She fled to Aegaeon, landing near Ares. "I don't know what's come over me," she said to him. "Perhaps it was these strange apples."

"I had one too," Ares grunted, staring down Crius, Iapetus, and the Nemean Lion, who all sported the marks of his attacks and were each slightly afraid to advance. "And I think it's making me think what you're thinking."

"Better together?"

"Cover my back, and I'll cover yours."

Athena and Ares stood back to back. Tethys flew to their location, carrying Pallas; the Hydra charged after them, stretching out its necks to reach them. Crius, Iapetus, and the Nemean Lion readied for a final charge.

Athena and Ares drew their blades. They were ready.

---

High above, Asclepius plucked an order apple from a nearby cloud. He bit into it; he ate the entire thing.

All his memories re-entered his mind at once, settling in their proper places. He suddenly panicked. Looking down below, he could see that reinforcements had arrived for his fellow Olympians. He recognized Hercules and his friends. He recognized Zoë, former Hesperide. He recognized Pit, servant of Palutena. And he knew that the six Kentaurides arranged around the first order apple were benevolent.

He sent out his healing to all of them, reinforcing their strength, closing their wounds, fading their bruises. Hermes found the strength to flip Theia over his shoulder and onto her back. Apollo, refreshed, fired arrows with greater speed at Orcos, slamming his shield down hard onto Orcos' wrist. Morpheus, wide awake, threw his blanket over Cerberus, putting the hound to slumber. Hephaestus' hammer knocked Metis' sword hilt from her hand, and he shook away all of Megaera's parasites.

"IT'S WORKING!" Twilight yelled.

The rainbow kept on feeding the trees, putting the aura of order into the very air. The Titans found themselves beaten back; those who still remained of Hades' army began to lose hope.

"I know which side we're turning the sun to," Helios remarked.

"This is an absolutely RIVETING show," Adonis told Aphrodite.

Hera arrived with the finale. Tall as a Titan, she had the chains she'd used to fence off Olympus wrapped around her shoulder. She'd had to remove them all. She twirled one of the chains in the air, casting it out; it locked around Prometheus, binding him, bringing him to his knees. Hera then cast her chains at Perses, causing him to fall. Thera was the next to go down, crying out in anguish. Hera readied the chains for another swing, looking around at the potentials: Crius, Coeus, Iapetus…

"ATTENTION! MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!"

The call vibrated through the air, through the seas, through Aegaeon's body. All fighting halted. Hera's chain went still in her hand. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash broke their concentration on the Elements, breaking the sphere of light; the rainbow faded away, though the trees remained. All eyes turned to Aegaeon's head.

Discord stood there, holding a megaphone.

"There," he remarked. "That's better. Anyway. Will all Titans please proceed to the nearest hand of Aegaeon? Everyone else, back away from the Hecatonchire. And Aegaeon, you're going to do exactly what we talked about while everyone was having their little battle."

Aegaeon gave a slight nod so Discord wouldn't fall off his head. He trembled, standing up straight. Oceanus, Theia, Hyperion, Coeus, Crius, Iapetus, Mnemosyne, Tethys, Phoebe, Rhea, Themis, Selene, Leto, Asteria, Epimetheus, Menoetius, Metis, Astraeus, and Pallas rushed for the safety of Aegaeon's hands. Perses, Prometheus, and Thera were unable to move; the chains dragged them down into the ocean instead. Helios, despite Eos tugging at his shoulder, refused to follow the orders given.

"They're…they're going to retreat!" Hercules realized.

"EVERYONE GET OFF THE GIANT!" Zeus bellowed.

The Olympians followed his orders right away, leaping into the sea. Hercules and Pegasus sped downward, picking up Cassandra, and Icarus, carrying them to safety. Phil, Meg, and Zoë made for a nearby floating cell block. Pit followed Palutena to her chariot, and she let him sit beside her. Ares brought Kratos back to his own chariot. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie found the ground they stood on going completely vertical; they jumped into the sea alongside all the Olympians.

Alecto reverted to her humanoid form, calling for her sisters; she and Tisiphone picked up Megaera and carried her away from Aegaeon desite Megaera's cries that she wanted to remain with her beloved prison. Nemesis executed a triple flip and entered the ocean with barely a splash. Echidna beckoned all her children, "Come to Mommy!" Even those knocked out in battle awoke at that cry and ran to their mother's side. Pain and Panic flew toward the sky's blackness. Medusa ran for safety, making a leap of faith; she found Orcos, in the form of the jet-black human studded with her single oath stone, leaping alongside her, his hand in hers.

Aegaeon stood to full height. The last pieces of the constructed prison, metal and stone and dirt, fell from his body. The order apple trees withered and died, and so did those on the clouds and on the floating debris. Aegaeon clasped all Titans but the three captured and the two rebellious in his hands, very carefully so as not to harm them. Discord gave one final wave to everybody, calling out, "Antío!"

Then Aegaeon rose into the air. Levitated by Discord's magic, he took the Titans and the draconequus straight up, up into the black sky, until they were all out of sight.

Once she was sure the Titans were out of the equation, leaving Hades' forces alone with the Olympian gods and then some, Echidna panicked. "RETREAT!" she yelled, and she and her children turned to make way for the Land of Monsters as fast as they could. Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone each perched on one of Cerberus' massive heads. Pain and Panic clutched the hellhound's tail. Medusa and Orcos settled in on the back of the Hydra, casting gazes back at the battlefield.

Nemesis swam toward Hera. "I only ever meant to enforce the rules," she stated. "That is what you are going to tell everyone."

"That is what they all assume," Hera agreed.

Helios brought the sun chariot to a halt before Apollo. "My sister and I have rescued the sun!" he announced. "It is yours once more!"

Apollo climbed onto the sun chariot while Helios and Eos stepped down and into the water. "I am not sure I believe your intentions," he admitted, "but all the same, I must thank you for returning it. I'm going to put it where it belongs before there's any more damage." He cracked the reins; the sun chariot rose into the air.

A blinding flash of light; it took him only a second to bring the sun back to the unlocked Olympus. When nighttime reappeared, the stars all came out, and the temperature rose slightly. Everything felt right.

Meg stared upwards at where Aegaeon had disappeared into the sky. "You think it's over?" she asked.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash climbed up onto the same floating stone. "Yes," Twilight answered. "I think it's over."

---

Chapter 61:

· Yes, I looked up pretty much all the gods' movesets in GoW if they appeared in the series so I could know what to use. If they didn't have a moveset, I either looked to their original mythical background or made it up. Also, it's worth mentioning, as I didn't in the last author's notes, that Thera doesn't actually fight in GoW. I gave her a sword because I wanted to.

· The thing is that Hermes' GoW version has one of my favorite personalities of all the gods…but I like the Disney personality infinitely better. So that's the voice you should be hearing. Though I did have to make him make a crack about how his opponent was too slow.

· Palutena's moves actually come from the animated short "Palutena's Revolting Dinner," a companion to Kid Icarus: Uprising. I'm sure she has more, but those are the two we saw there.

· As you can see, a lot of this is "rematches." Athena fights Pallas as a mythological callback. Palutena fights Gorgons. Even though I'm not using the HTAS Cupid design, I'm still calling back to Pain and Panic sabotaging HTAS Cupid.

· Dionysus' spear is actually one from mythology.

· I needed Helios around so he can be in GoW III. And Eos…is just too damn innocent to not let go free.

· Aphrodite/Adonis is, of course, mythological canon. It was one of my favorite "confrontations" to write just for the SHIPPING!

· That thing about Selene controlling Artemis through the moon. I have no idea where it came from. It just did.

· Pan's use of the Syrinx to inspire panic is from original mythology. And while I didn't have room to bring it up here, I do want HTAS Syrinx to be canon. Meaning that Pan stole Phil's one shot at a girlfriend and turned her into a musical instrument.

· I apologize if the order apples are TOO much of a deus ex machina. It was an idea that I've had since beginning this storylet and I really wanted to implement it.

· The song Kratos and Nemesis sing is "Knife Fight" by Lemon Demon. Couldn't resist.

· I don't think I've actually HEARD Kratos call anyone a bitch, but he has the right to swear due to the GoW target age demographic, so I'm just gonna run with it.

· And once again, with Icarus and the Nemean Lion, we see a rematch (they faced off in "Hero of Athens").

· Remember how I needed you to remember just how tough Nemesis is? The reason for that is because she was always going to be the ONE that Mozenrath couldn't handle in this storylet.

· Don't worry. I'm not going to drag the Moz-Twi tension out forever. They'll get to have a longer conversation soon enough.

· Perses, Prometheus, and Thera are captured to be put back in place in time for the events of GoW III.

· And all the Old Ones (pretty much) get away! Meaning Discord wins. Eeyup.