When a jealous Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings) expresses anger over Xena's (Lucy Lawless) growing popularity, Ares (Kevin Smith) reminds her that it is Gabrielle's (Renee O'Connor) stories that are really responsible for turning Xena into a legend. Aphrodite decides she must do something to stop Gabrielle's tales of Xena's exploits and that night, she steals into their camp. As she secretly eavesdrops on their conversation, she is pleased to hear Xena urging Gabrielle to try her hand at fiction rather than recount their latest adventure. Intrigued by the idea, Gabrielle starts a new story in which she herself is the hero and Xena has gone fishing. When Gabrielle drifts off to sleep, the invisible Aphrodite snaps her fingers and a strange aura passes over the scroll.
The next morning, Gabrielle awakens with a start when five barbarians come riding out of the woods straight towards her. She amazes herself as she fights them off in brilliant Xena-esque style. When Joxer (Ted Raimi) suddenly pops up from the bedding beside her, she deflects a dagger meant for him and drives off the screaming barbarians. Gabrielle quickly realizes that the morning's events mirror exactly what she wrote in her scroll the night before and further, that whatever she writes is somehow turning into reality. Soon, a cocky Gabrielle is creating scenarios all over town. But when her pen starts to cause serious trouble, Gabrielle resolves to put it aside forever. Joxer, however, convinces her that her writing just needs some judicious editing. Eager to use the scroll to end war, Gabrielle inadvertently divests Ares of his godhood when she writes that war has lost all its power. An outraged Ares falls at her feet. Then, as she quickly tries to reverse her mistake by writing that the force that enchanted the scroll is stripped of its powers, Aphrodite falls from above, as helpless as Ares.
As the two ex-gods clear their heads, Ares admits that he manipulated Aphrodite into going after Gabrielle in order to get Xena out of the way. He confides that he has an army assembled and ready to attack the surrounding valley, but promises to call off the assault if his powers are restored. Meanwhile, as Ares' commander Thelonius (Stephen Hall) and his lieutenant Munk (Ranald Hendriks) continue to wait for the signal to attack, Gabrielle and the others decide that they must bring Xena back in order to straighten things out. But as careful as Gabrielle tries to be in describing Xena's return, her written words result in the arrival of Minya (Alison Wall), an old friend and Xena wannabe. After several additional attempts fail to produce Xena, Gabrielle and her cohorts set out to find a trout stream or fishing hole, hoping to locate her.
Later, in his never-ending quest to win Gabrielle's heart, Joxer jots down the beginning of a limerick on Gabrielle's enchanted scroll, producing three naked dancing Gabrielles, who are quickly dispatched to the caves. He then trades his scabbard for a beautiful necklace for Gabrielle, unaware that she has hidden her scroll inside it. Gabrielle sends Joxer to wait in the caves and takes off with the others to find the peddler who has the scabbard. Soon Gabrielle and Ares are hot on the peddler's trail, which leads towards the caves. Upon entering, they find Joxer, the five barbarians, the three naked Gabrielles, and all the other characters causing trouble in Gabrielle's stories. Pretty soon, everyone is chasing everyone else to get the scroll. Gabrielle finally grabs it and before losing it again, writes that the scroll finds Xena. When the peddler runs out of the caves with the scroll, pursued by Minya, the barbarians and the naked Gabrielles, Thelonius takes this to be his signal to attack. A short while later, back at the caves, Gabrielle, Joxer, Ares and Aphrodite are surprised by Xena, who arrives with the scroll in one hand, pulling a huge wagon of fish with the other.
After questioning Aphrodite closely, Xena concludes that they must write the truth -- with no embellishments -- in order to break the spell on the scroll. Xena instructs Gabrielle to write down everything she does, exactly as she does it. She then begins attacking Thelonius with a slingshot, flinging fish at him and his army, as Gabrielle and Joxer carefully observe and report from the sidelines. A huge battle ensues, leaving dead fish everywhere. Soon, Aphrodite and Ares are back to being gods and quickly disappear. With the fight finally over and everything back to normal, there's nothing for Gabrielle to write but "The End."
Guest Starring: Ted Raimi (Joxer), Alexandra Tydings (Aphrodite), Kevin Smith (Ares), Alison Wall (Minya), Stephen Hall (Thelonius), Ranald Hendriks (Munk), John McKee (Scaberus), Lawrence Makoare (Barbarian Leader), Chris Auchinvole (Man), Alvin Fitisemanu (Tavern Keeper), Ann Baxter (Woman/Village Woman/Old Woman), Jean Hyland (Priestess #1), Beryl Te Wiata (Priestess #2), Paul Norell (Peddler), Peter Mason (Billius), Andrew Glover (Man #2)
Starring: Lucy Lawless as Xena, Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle
Written by Hilary J. Bader
Directed by Andrew Merrifield