Author's Notes:

Thankfully, I was able to use my generous church's internet, so I was able to post this quick little start of a new series. Yes, I'm still working on my advertised story, but I kinda figured I'd also give this story a shot.

Let me know what you think of it in the comments section below, and as always, if you like the story so far, please feel free to hit that "Thumbs-Up" button above, and perhaps even hit that "Star" button if you would like to be kept up-to-date with it! Remember, though! The more "Thumbs-Ups" I get, the more progress will be made on this story as well! (Same goes for every other story in my Library, as well.)

And again, please enjoy the show!

The red sky was covered in black clouds that swirled in a circular manner. The dark purple rocks of Tartarus crumbled and floated into the sky vortex while a group of six strong, colossal bipeds stood in the center of a large plateau. Each of the colossal figures was clothed in pitch black plate mail armor, and all of their helmets had a single red glow in the center of the openings.

In the center of the plateau, a young-looking elven girl with pure white hair, a light blue maiden's dress, and a pair of light blue boots with long white stockings below them, floated in the air with her sky blue eyes closed and her mouth weakly opened, allowing her to breathe, if only slightly.

The six titans stared away from her with their spears and shields drawn. They looked around the area while a seventh figure sat on a black throne that levitated in the air behind where the girl was facing.

The figure in the chair was a man with long black hair parted at the center, pale white skin, a black goatee, and a pair of blood red eyes. He was wearing a black sleeveless leather vest, a pair of black leather armbands, black leather pants, and a pair of black leather boots with a skull on the fronts of their ankles.

His left hand was hanging limply at the end of the throne while his face was leaning on his right hand with a bored expression. He just sat there silently, staring at the girl for a while, until the sound of distant footsteps filled the air.

A menacing grin formed on the corners of his lips as a young man dressed in a pure black hooded cloak slowly walked up the plateau through a bridge of floating rocks that moved in front of his feet as they left the previous rock.

The tall man stood from his throne and floated down slowly with his arms spread wide open. Then, in a gruff yet calm voice, he chuckled and said, "Ah, it looks like the prodigal son has returned!"

The cloaked man stopped walking once he reached the corner of the plateau and grinned wickedly at his father. "Actually, you've got the wrong idea, old man... I'm not here for repentance... I've come for Jill."

The man's expression quickly soured at that statement. "Jill? Oh, don't tell me... you're here because of my foolish brother, aren't you?"

The hooded figure shook his head and replied, "Not quite... but I suppose he does play a small factor in this."

"Jack! I've raised you better than that!" the man shouted before turning towards the six titans that circled Jill. "Guards... take my foolish son over to the dungeons at once... he needs to learn his place in the world... and be reminded of who it is that he serves!"

The titans all saluted him before replying, "Yes, Master Hades!" Then they turned towards Jack and raised their spears at him. "Come along, Jack... we don't want this to get uglier than it already is."

Jack's grin intensified behind his hood. He reached his left hand onto his right shoulder and firmly gripped onto the cloak before tossing it overhead, revealing his true form.

Like his father, his skin was pale, his hair was pure black, and his eyes were blood red. He wore a long, ash gray turtleneck shirt below a red t-shirt, light blue denim jeans, and a pair of black combat boots.

He snapped his right middle finger and thumb together, causing a red vapor to form from his hand. Then, once he balled his hand into a fist, a Katana with a pitch black blade and handle, a red guard, and a red braid over the handle, materialized from the vapor.

The titans backed up slightly at the sudden appearance of the sword. Even Hades raised an eyebrow at his son's rebellious action. "Jack... what is the meaning of this?!"

Jack pointed his sword at Hades and retorted, "It seems you're the one who needs to learn his place... for you see, I already do know my place in the world... I serve no one."

The front-left titan was the first to react. He thrust his spear towards Jack while he saw Jack focused on Hades. Jack quickly leaped into the air and landed on the blade right as soon as it hit the ground then began running up the spear's shaft with the Katana held reverse-handed. Before the titan could react, Jack sped up until he was nothing but a blur, and pierced through the titan's chest and landed on top of the next one's forehead while the first one dropped its spear and shield and fell to its knees.

The next titan attempted to swat Jack off of its forehead, but he was too quick and pierced his Katana into its helmet and crawled into it.

A red mist quickly blew out of the titan's armor's cracks before a red blur shot out of its chest. Jack landed on the ground with his right knee on the ground and his left foot propped on the ground in front of its chest. His sword was still being held reverse-handed, but in his left hand, he was now holding a small red orb that pulsed every few seconds.

He looked forward and grinned again as he crushed the orb in his left hand, which caused the titan behind him to fall to the ground in pieces as more red mist flew out of the cracks of its armor.

Hades, despite just losing two titans, stared at Jack unimpressed. Then he folded his arms in front of his chest and weakly grinned. "Ah... so you did manage to harness all of Akashi's power... for once, I'm actually impressed!"

Jack stood up and pointed the sword at Jill. "So... care for me to spill more of your men's blood, or will you just sit by and let me take Jill off your hands now?"

Hades sat there for a moment and rubbed his chin in thought. The remaining four titans turned towards him with worried expressions on their faces. Finally Hades shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Eh, I suppose the fun has to end eventually."

Jack nodded his head and began walking towards Jill. As he did, Akashi, the Katana, vanished into a red mist again, freeing his hand, and allowing him to hold Jill with both hands.

As he turned to leave, however, he heard Hades ask, "Oh, but before you go, I do have one simple question."

Jack stopped and looked at Jill with a slight hint of concern on his face. "What is it?"

"You claim that you serve no one... and yet you're freeing the one who has hindered your freedom for a whole year... why is that?"

Jack sighed before turning towards Hades and glaring at him. "This war between Tartarus and Olympus is all yours and Uncle Zeus's business... not mine, and not Jill's."

Hades grinned wickedly at him. "Ah... so you do have a heart?"

Jack rolled his eyes and sighed before continuing to walk down the stony path again. "If not for the fact that my life is sealed with hers, then yes. Even a heart of stone is still a heart."

Hades snorted at that comment before waving his hands in a shooing manner. Then Jack leaped into the air and vanished before everyone's sight, along with Jill.

One of the titans looked at Hades confusedly. "S-sir! With all due respect, s-shouldn't we be going after him?! He did just take our prisoner, after all!"

Hades shrugged his shoulders before replying, "I wouldn't worry about it now... after all, he would've just killed you all, anyways." Then his grin returned. "Of course, neither he or his cousin will be a problem for us in a long time."

"S-sir?"

Hades looked at the confused titan and chuckled. "Let's just say I may have left a little... gift for the two of them that they should find right... about... now."

Jack looked at Jill while he was in the air and gasped when he saw a strange light begin to glow from the center of her dress's chest area. When he carefully reached his hand towards it, however, he gasped when he noticed the familiar glowing bead in his hand. "YOU SON OF A BIT-" he began shouting before both he and Jill were engulfed into a bright flash of light. When the light faded, none of the two were anywhere in sight.

When Jack opened his eyes, he grumbled at the sudden appearance of sunlight. He slowly sat up and looked around. From as far as the eye could see, all he saw was green grass, blue skies, and a city in a distant mountain. "Ugh... damn it... I swear, when I get my hands on him... wait, Jill?! Jill, where are you?!"

A soft feminine voice replied, "Jack? Jack, I can see your hands... what's going on?!"

"Jill? Where are you?"

They both paused for a moment. Then Jack looked towards his right and spotted a small pond. He quickly crawled up to the pond and looked inside it. What he saw, however, caused them both to gasp. In the pond he saw his own reflection... but inside his reflection was a ghostly figure of Jill staring right back at him as well.

"Jack... I... I think I'm trapped inside your conscience!" Jill shrieked.

Jack groaned and punched the reflection in the water frustratedly. In a loud roar that could be heard from miles on end, he shouted, "DAMN IT!"

From inside the Golden Oak Library, a library carved inside a tree in Ponyville, a bipedal, lavender coated unicorn with purple eyes, a purple mane and tail that had a pink stripe on the sides, and hands instead of forehooves, looked towards her living room window after her right ear twitched. She was wearing a purple frilly skirt, a sleeveless white button-up shirt, white pantyhose that covered her legs below her skirt, and a pair of black loafers over her hooves. On each of her shoulders was a mark of a pink six-sided star with a few smaller white stars around it. In her hands was a book labeled "Daring Do, and the Quest of the Sapphire Stone", and she was midway through the book.

From the bottom of the stairs inside the living room, an adolescent purple and green drake that stood half as tall as the unicorn ran up to her and asked in a worried tone, "Twilight? D-did you hear something?!"

Twilight closed her book and nodded her head before turning towards the drake. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and a pair of green pants.

She took a deep breath and sighed before nodding her head. "Yes, Spike... and I'm about to see what it is, too... stay here, and inform Princess Celestia and Princess Luna immediately! Okay?"

Spike gulped and nodded his head before heading towards the nearby desk. "Alright... be careful, Twilight!"

Twilight nodded her head. "Don't worry, Spike... I will be." With that, she ran out the door, and was on her way to the center of the grasslands surrounding the humble little town of Ponyville.

From inside the Canterlot Throne Room, Princess Celestia's horn began to flicker and her eyes shot open at a sudden disturbance. Princess Luna quickly rushed inside the room and asked, "Tia... have thou felt it as well?!"

Celestia nodded her head and rubbed her forehead in slight pain. "Yes, Luna... and I fear that he may be closer to Ponyville than he should be."

Luna nodded her head and glared at the widow towards the source of the magical disturbance. "Then We must send an army there at once!"

Celestia shook her head. "No, Luna... you and I both know that he would just wipe them out quickly... we must go there ourselves."

Luna sighed before nodding her head again. "Very well, then... We shall gear up... but We encourage thee to at least bring support."

Celestia shook her head and replied, "They would only be a hindrance... we must do this alone."

Luna shrugged her shoulders before running out of the throne room. Celestia turned towards Ponyville and sighed heavily. "I only hope Twilight and her friends haven't felt it, yet." With that, she headed outside of the throne room, and began her quick trek through the halls and towards her room.