12. Twilight Of The Thunder God
Zeus found himself hurtling through the air, away from the merry party he was at mere moments ago. His wine addled brain hadn’t quite caught up to his current situation yet, so he wasn’t quite prepared to cushion his inevitable fall. He hit the ground hard, ragdolling over an impressive distance before eventually slamming into a marble pillar of a building, leaving him sitting upright with his back against it.
The body of a god was naturally resilient, but even Zeus would feel some degree of pain after being thrown about so violently. He blinked a few times to clear his head, rubbing a few aching spots on his body while he processed the current situation. Even though he was drunk, he was still able to at least think straight, even if it was slightly delayed.
One moment he was enjoying himself with all of his friends, and the next, an explosion sent him flying through the air. There was only one reasonable explanation, which was that Hades and his posse were attacking sooner than anticipated. A sobering thought to say the least. Realising the need for immediate action, Zeus made to get up and back to the party grounds in order to organize a counter-strike, no matter how unorganized. Time was of the essence now.
He didn’t get very far, as an invisible force slammed into his face, effectively burying his head into the pillar behind him. Before he could react to the unexpected assault, a second hit connected with his gut, sending the rest of his body clean through the pillar and embedding him into the wall behind it.
Not wanting to give his assailant another chance, Zeus sent out a pulse of lightning all around him. To his satisfaction, he could feel a disturbance in the force right in front of him, confirming that he had hit whoever was assailing him currently.
“I must say,” Zeus grunted as he extracted himself from the wall, causing pebbles to rain down to the ground around him. “I truly didn’t expect this to go down this way… Hades.”
“I was counting on it,” Hades replied breathing heavily. He removed his helmet so he could talk properly to Zeus. “You always were overconfident, and now your high horse came back to kick you in the ass. As we speak, your entire faction is being suppressed, and seeing how out of control your party was, I’d say they didn’t stand a chance and are already mostly taken out by now.”
“That’s a shame,” Zeus patted himself down to get rid of some marble residue. “I was hoping to crush your little resistance with overwhelming power. But I must admit that you’ve outsmarted me in this instance. You were always the better tactician.”
“I’ll take that compliment for what it is,” Hades nodded. “I’d really prefer it if you would just give up, but I assume that this is too much to ask?”
“It certainly is,” Zeus sighed. “I may be cornered, but I’m not going down without a fight. Besides, you made one crucial mistake in your planning.”
“And what would that be?”
“Even if you take out all of my supporters, even if I’m the last one standing… Once I take you out, the rest of the other gods will be a piece of cake to defeat,” Zeus smirked. “And to be honest? I don’t think that’ll be so difficult.”
“I see,” Hades let out a guttural laugh. “It seems we think we are more alike than I thought. It just so happens that I was thinking the same thing. Taking you out…” Hades put his helmet back on, once again turning invisible. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”
A split second later lightning struck the ground where Hades disappeared, the following thunder working as the bell announcing the fights official start. Zeus realised too late that Hades had already moved, his mistake costing him dearly, as he was struck again, crashing through the wall he just extracted himself from.
Atlas’ hooves clacked as he walked over the obsidian platform he made to hold the array. Luna was slightly off to his side, doing the same thing as he did, which was checking the embedded runes for any discrepancies. The sun was shining down on them as they diligently worked. Luna was really the only pony who could possibly help him out with this task, and ever since Atlas delegated most of his more simple tasks to the mages of Equestria, there was little else than two had been doing ever since.
Setting up an array of this size was a monumental task, and they couldn’t afford to make a single mistake. Not to mention the fact that they had been teleporting all over Equestria to set up the relay arrays as well. They were mostly controlled and managed by a small horde of Discord clones, but his knowledge on runes was still far below Atlas’ and Luna’s.
They had been slaving away for days, albeit making sure to take frequent breaks. They couldn’t risk making careless mistakes due to being sleep-deprived, and as such slept for five hours each day, although not at the same time. They mitigated any leftover sleepiness with reinvigorating spells from Atlas’ arsenal, which allowed them to work tirelessly.
Only three days remained until the deadline.
Ponies and other creatures arrived in Ponyville from all over Equestria. The small town had become a huge center of activity over the past few days. Unable to accomodate all of the visitors, the outskirts were filled with tents.
Being able to provide enough food for this many ponies was nothing short of a miracle, only made possible by the crown splurging on their budget. Celestia had done some incredible work organizing this whole mess, and without her handling the logistics, giving Atlas some peace of mind, they would never even had made it this far.
“Dad?” Luna suddenly called, ripping Atlas’ from his thoughts. “Can you come over here for a second and check this part?”
“Sure thing,” Atlas made his way over to his daughter, finding her thoughtfully looking down at a set of runes. “What is it?”
“This sequence here seems a bit… off… to me,” Luna said. “I can’t really put my hoof on why that is though.”
“Let me take a look…” Atlas peered down at the offending carvings and studied them intently. “Hmm… they look okay to me.”
“Are you sure?” Luna asked insistently. “It still seems weird to me…”
Atlas took a glance at his daughter with suspicious eyes, something was wrong. “Luna?” he asked like a father who knew his child was up to no good. “When was the last time you slept?”
Luna’s eyes widened a bit and she made it a point not to look at Atlas. She mumbled something incoherent, which caused Atlas to groan. “How long, Luna?”
“About twenty-six hours ago…” Luna said, shrinking into herself a bit.
“I thought I made it clear that we have to get enough sleep,” Atlas said with a sigh. “You’re of no use to anypony if you start seeing things that aren’t there.”
“But, father,” Luna pleaded. “I have stayed up before for several days without any issues whatsoever, why would this be different?”
“Look, making rune arrays is something that doesn’t allow for mistakes. I know that you know that,” a slight annoyance crept into Atlas’ voice. “Doing what we are doing right now is extremely taxing on the mind, and if you don’t take some rest at regular intervals you’ll start to make mistakes. I’ve told you this like five times already since we started.”
“But there is just so little time left…” Luna pawed at the obsidian beneath her.
“I know you only have the best intentions in mind,” Atlas pulled her into a hug. “But you have to understand what I’m telling you. Also, you’re going to sleep, now. No ifs or buts, this is happening.”
“Auntie Luna!” A call from the castle’s direction disturbed the little moment they had.
“You’re not off the hook for this,” Atlas said as he released her, facing the speaker, which turned out to be a pink alicorn with a multi-hued mane, accompanied by a white stallion sporting a blue mane.
“Cadance, Shining Armor,” Luna called back as they approached, inadvertently introducing them to Atlas. “Such a pleasure to see you.
“It’s a pleasure to be here, even if it is due to some rather dire circumstances…” Cadance replied. “You must be Atlas then? I’ve heard so much about you already.” She turned towards Atlas with an extended hoof.
“Only good I hope…” Atlas bumped her hoof in greeting and repeated the motion for Shining Armor.
“Let’s just say it was rather mixed,” Cadance chuckled. “Though I must admit that I was rather surprised that Celestia and Luna’s father just suddenly showed up out of nowhere. The fact that you’re not an alicorn makes the circumstances of your long life very intriguing.”
“I may not be an alicorn, but at this point it would be crude to say that I’m just a simple unicorn,” Atlas nodded. “There are reasons for the way I am, but I’m not about to disclose them to just anybody.”
“It’s true,” Luna grumbled. “Not even my sister and I know the full truth.”
“There is only one being who knows the full truth about who and what I am, and I intend to keep it that way,” Atlas noted.
“There is? I just assumed you’d take that secret to your unlikely grave,” Luna questioned with a raised eyebrow. “Dare I ask who it is?”
“Discord, of course,” Atlas smiled. “I feel I’m somewhat responsible for the way he… is…”
“Ah yes, another revelation that no one saw coming,” Shining Armor chipped in. “Learning that he was never really evil and was just putting on an act as dictated by you… was a rather hard pill to swallow.”
“I had my reasons, and it all turned out for the best in the end…”
“It would seem like Celestia is taking after her father,” Cadance rolled her eyes. “Just as mysterious and unwilling to share vital information as her, if not worse, if I heard correctly.”
“Sometimes it is better to not know certain things,” Atlas said with finality. “Lord knows I certainly could do without some of the knowledge I’ve accrued.”
“Why yes, if leading the Crystal Empire has taught me anything, it’s that not everything should be shared,” Cadance looked thoughtful. “I do hope you’ll at least reveal to us why you have summoned us to Ponyville, I hope?”
“I’m sure that could be arranged,” Atlas smirked. “Although I’d suggest we discuss this over some tea and snacks, instead of standing out here in the open, what do you say?”
“That would be wonderful,” Cadance nodded. “Why don’t you lead the way?”
Cadance stepped to the side in order to let Atlas through, which the gray stallion immediately did, Luna trailing not far behind. It didn’t take long for them to arrive in the castle, where they decided to occupy one of the many meeting rooms that were available. Before entering, they tasked one of the maids to bring them the aforementioned refreshments. They sat down at the table, Atlas and Luna on one side, and Cadance and Shining Armor on the other.
“It sure seems weird to see Twily’s castle this bustling with activity…” Shining Armor commented. “I’ve gotten used to how empty it is usually.”
“I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner,” Cadance nodded. “She is a princess after all.”
“Young Twilight has refused to employ the aid of other ponies until recently. She only agreed to it due to the somewhat dire circumstances this time around, and only as a temporary measure,” Luna commented.
“It sure is growing on her though,” Atlas chuckled. “She might just keep them after this whole debacle is over.”
A knock announced the return of the maid, which brought them their requested drinks and foods. She efficiently distributed them and left the room with a small bow, leaving them to their talks.
“So, how much do you know?” Atlas asked, deciding to stop beating around the bush.
“Aunt Luna has informed us on pretty much everything as far as I can tell,” Cadance replied seriously. “We have been corresponding via letters for a while now, and Discord visited every now and again to tell us the breaking news.”
“Which also took some getting used to,” Shining Armor supplied.
“The one thing we don’t quite understand is why you need us to be here, if I understood everything correctly, we could just be located at the array Discord is setting up in the empire,” Cadance mused. “Or is there something I missed.”
“You could say so, yes,” Atlas stroked his chin. “Although the transmission from the various arrays is as effective as can be, there is some unavoidable loss of mana on the way from the location to here. As such we are gathering the most powerful entities in Ponyville, as to keep the loss to a bare minimum. And to be perfectly honest, among all of the ponies we’re gathering, you two have some of the biggest mana pools around, especially you, Cadance, seeing as you’re an alicorn.”
“I feel flattered to also be included in this upper echelon, then,” Shining Armor said with a slight grin on his face.
“Do you need us to do anything special?” Cadance asked after elbowing her husband's side.
“Not in particular, it is just better for you to be here instead of over there,” Atlas shook his head. “Although there is one thing I would like to discuss with you, maybe sometime tomorrow, if you wouldn’t mind. I’m afraid meeting you wasn’t exactly on todays schedule and Luna needs to go to bed, preferably, right. Now.” Atlas made sure to put emphasis on the last two words, shooting a glare at his daughter, much to the mirth of Cadance and Shining.
“But father, these two only just arrived, it would be rude to just leave them alone… like..” Luna started pleading but noticed her fathers look left no room for argument. “My apologies, you two, I really must retreat to my chambers.”
“Don’t worry about it Auntie,” Cadance suppressed her mirth perfectly. “We’ll have enough time to see each other in the coming days.”
“Then, if you’ll excuse me,” Luna nodded before getting up and leaving the room, three sets of eyes following her exit.
“I must admit, that was a lot funnier than I expected it to be,” Cadance said with her eyes lingering on the door.
“It might sound rude coming from me, but I also always quite enjoyed this part of parenting,” Atlas smirked. “Albeit in smaller doses.”
“I can imagine,” Cadance nodded, returning her attention to Atlas. “Before we go our separate ways again, might I at least ask what you would like to discuss with us tomorrow? That way we might be able to prepare better for the talk.”
“But of course,” Atlas smiled warmly. “It is about the power of love,” Cadance visibly perked up. “I heard that you have displayed a usually impossible feat when a certain changeling queen invaded Canterlot a few years back. And seeing as the crystal empire itself seems to function on love as its primary power-source, I assumed it would be at least worth looking into. As far as I can tell, love might serve as a sort of catalyst which amplifies the effect of mana under certain circumstances. Since you two are the only ones we know that have pulled off this feat, as well as you, Cadance, being the alicorn of love, I figured there was no one better to ask.”
“I… see,” Cadance replied, sharing a look with her husband. “What you say is certainly true. I fear we might have less input than you hope for, but we will most certainly provide all the information we can give, isn’t that right, honey?”
“Absolutely,” Shining Armor confirmed. “If love can help resolve this problem, all the better.”
The two shared a quick loving kiss, before returning their full attention towards Atlas. “At what time would you like to meet up?”
“I’m not sure yet myself, I’ll have to look into my schedule and move some things around. I’ll have somepony inform you as soon as possible with a time and location,” Atlas said as he got up. “For now though, I have a rune array calling my name. If you’d excuse me.”
With a last smile, Atlas left the room as well, leaving behind Cadance and Shining as the sole occupants of the room.
“Want to go and see what Twilight is up to?” Cadance asked, already aware of the answer Shining would give.
“Do I love corn-dogs?”
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So... has he met the changelings before or what?
He probably met the changelings. no?
9398401
He still has his book of MLP knowledge. I think he brought it out after he awoke to get himself caught up.
I'm still shocked that we're already approaching the end. We're not even to half the length of Divine Indifference, which itself was less than half the length of Divine Entertainment.
Are you getting burnout on this universe and just want to wrap it up? That's the only thing I can think of for why this feels more like a short story or novella rather than a full sequel.
9398455
Yeah, I only thought about that after I posted the comment and I just didn't bother changing it :P
When read the title of the chapter I was like oh god what did you do Twilight, did you steal Zeus' power you crazy mare
9398462 If I recall correctly he had planned on this being one story but broke it into three because of the length he perceive it was going to be at the end. I think he just didn't realize at that time that it might have been okay as two instead of three. It is hard to judge sometimes at that early stage of writing the exact length the story is going to take. I know from my own experience I didn't expect that my book 2 and 3 would each double in length from their preceding books.
This is really wierd, because I was listening to this song earlier during lunch. To think that it was just a prequel to this!
Very nice. Is atlas going to reveal the fact that him and discord destroyed all the knowledge of how the crystal heart was made? I doubt it but it would be an interesting conversation.
9398462
AH, but the plan might not work causing allot of plot potential.
Heck yes. Moar.
9398620
I see plenty of interesting conversation potential.
9398640
I would be inclined to agree, were it not for Orthoros himself saying "the climax is creeping closer" and and "This is rapidly approaching the end" in the author's notes. Could it be deliberate misdirection? Sure, but I don't think that is the case here.
Shining armour likes corndogs. Who knew?
Too bad Twilight can’t help with rune since Celestia doesn’t know much about it herself.
Time to go reread "Divine Indifference"
9398705
derpicdn.net/img/2013/4/7/290470/medium.png
9398462
9398533
Rammy is absolutely right. Originally, all of this was supposed to be one long story. After noticing just how long it would be( I originally thought it would be no more than 120k words for all three parts), I decided to split it up into thematically logical parts, so as to make it seem less overwhelming to new readers. A lot of people are more willing to read a 180k story with sequels than some 350k monster.
So I split it whenever there was a major skip/change. It just so happens that the latter two parts take up way less story than the first one did.
9399165
I know this is a ridiculous request. But can you make an alternative ending when Atlas goes completely mad with power. Just out of his mind
Just for shyts and giggles. For laughs of course.
9399165
I prefer longer stories, personally. 300K words? That's fine. 500k words? Also fine. 1+ million words? Yes please. The longer something is the longer it can hold my attention the happier I am.
9399354
Ohohohohoho, you said you like long stories? Then I do I ever have a story for you!
EDIT: Here it is!
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/367720/maleficus-victoria-tome-one-the-age-of-crusades
The author does take a quite along time to upload but it is worth it when they do
9399490
Started reading that at one point, didn't like it sadly. I have read and kept current with both The Chase and Diaries of a Madman though.
Going by the myths, Hades’ coup shouldn’t work, at least not in a permanent way, cuz of the Cycle of Patricide-Kronos deposed Ouranos, Zeus deposed Kronos, and the myth says that Zeus will deposed by his kid (which is why he ate/absorbed Metis). Though, he IS prophesized to have a son by Metis, so if said son pops out soon and immediately turns around to kill Zeus...
Oh, was I rambling? Ignore me, I’m still loving this fic!
Can you make Sombra identity into Star Swirl plzzzz.
9400764
What if Atlas is both Atlas and the person in this prophecy?
9403874
Entirely possible. The prophecy only says that the sperm donor has to be Zeus god of the sky and boning anything with less that six legs.
Doesn’t say anything about the soul belonging to a titan.
9399537
I have read both The Chase and Diaries of a Madman several times over and while I love them both, to my knowledge (gained from a conversation I had with the author), it is sad to say that The Chase will most likely never be completed, unfortunately.
Edit: Side note, I have read from the very beginning of Devine Entertainment to here in about 5 days
9404302
I see... that is unfortunate. Did Kudzuhaiku say why he would never finish The Chase?
9403927
true, I guess, but I feel like mythological accuracy has jumped out the window a looong time ago :3
9405072
The only way this would break myth accuracy is if Atlas knows and regularly saw his biological father prior to the whole... pony thing.
It’s ZEUS, god of ONE NIGHT STANDS. he arrives, he impregnates pretty girl, he leaves.
9405070
What he told me where 2 things:
1) the he was trying to figure out how to split it due to the 1000 chapter limit.
2) that he was in a dark place when he was writing it and does not really want to remember that.
9405985
American is not a race. Stop trying to make everything about race, that's another thing you like to do that's annoying.
how did i get to the most resent chapter so fast i started the first book like 4 days a go
9409656
It happens to the best of us, brother :D
Yay, I'm caught up on this epic story!
2nd time reading this series but there is a continuity error in this chapter. Shining Armor and Cadence both express surprise at seeing so many ponies working in the castle for Twilight, the castle that is only a few days old which they have never been to before.
9631131
ah damn, I guess you're right. let's just pretend we didn't see anything...
RAGNAROK AWAITS!
Um. They’ve literally never seen it before. It just grew right before Atlas showed up...
We need Thor and his buddies up in here, they would solve it hopefully. X)