//------------------------------// // Talks and Escape // Story: The Kaiju Heir // by Princess OtakuGeek //------------------------------// Despite the events of the day, the invasion and destruction of Canterlot, there were still a number of bars and taverns still open. And it was here that Spike and Cadence started their search. There were three reasons for this choice, number one if Twilight felt like she had a new leash on life and wanted to cut loose or do something different, than a bar or tavern would be a pretty solid place to start. Reason number two, given everything that happened recently, getting rejected like that (Spike filled her in on that and Cadence felt like she'd be having words with her husband to be), having to search for a way out of the caves, almost DYING and transforming into something; Twilight might feel like possibly trying out the joys of strong drink. And third reason, it's the last place anypony would think to look for her. Anyone who knew Twilight like her brother, her teacher and her friends would assume she would hide at the library or the archives. Maybe even Donut Joe's or her home in Ponyville. Even if they were assuming that she wasn't herself they'd probably check restricted or sensitive areas. Bottom line, chances were that nopony would think to check any of the bars or taverns until they exhausted all other options. Nopony that is except Spike and Cadence. And even if it didn't pan out, there were still one or two other options, but Cadence was confident that she was right. She could feel it in her gut. Now Canterlot was a big city with lots of different bars and taverns, however through the process of elimination they were able to narrow it down. Since Twilight had just escaped the castle, Cadence highly doubted that she'd be at a place anywhere near the castle or even in her old neighborhood. This is Twilight we're talking about, she's too smart to let herself get caught or spotted by someone she knew. Cadence also had the gut feeling that Twilight would want to leave Canterlot while she could so it would be a safe bet that she'd find a place near the train station or any roads leading out of Canterlot. Maybe even near the edge of the city if she was feeling particularly brave. The doctors and nurses did say that she sprouted wings. So, with these criteria in mind, alicorn and dragon headed out to find their friend. The first two tries were a bust but finally at their third stop, a tavern call The Sea Dragon, they found her. Cadence didn't recognize the little filly she'd used to foalsit at first. She knew that she'd grown, but she hadn't expected her to be so big. The dark coat, red orange eyes and trident shaped horn had also made her do a double take, but looking beyond all that, she was still recognizable as Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight!" Spike exclaimed, immediately launching himself at Twilight from Cadence's back and startling the transformed unicorn at his shout. Despite the distance, Spike managed to reach Twilight in one jump and latch himself around her neck. "Spike! You're here!" She exclaimed in surprise as Cadence approached. At the movement, Twilight noticed the alicorn. "And Cadence too? What are you two doing here?" "Looking for you." Cadence answered simply and Twilight looked unsure. "Don't worry, we won't take you back to the castle. I just want to talk." "About what?" Twilight asked. "Lots of things, though if you'd like, we can keep it more private." Cadence said as she gestured around, indicating the fact that they were at the bar in front. "Why don't we order some food and get a booth, my treat. Sound good?" ✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴ After placing orders for cheesy fries, some gems and a meat platter (Cadence gave Twilight a funny look when she requested it), everyone slid into a booth at the far corner of the room. Twilight slid in last after some trail and error getting in. "Darn it, as if adjusting to my increased body mass wasn't hard enough, these wings are just seem to get in the way any chance they get." She grumbled as she finally settled into her seat. "I'm still trying to figure out how they work." "Hmmm, well I don't know how much I can help you since mine are different, but I think I can give you some tips on how to keep them out of the way." Cadence hummed. "That would be a big help." Twilight sighed in relief. "So, what do you want to talk about?" "Well I was thinking we might want to catch up first. So how've you been?" Cadence asked casually. The next few minutes were spent chatting and catching up with each other. When the food was brought around, Cadence finally decided to ask the question that had been nagging at her for a while. "So Twilight, what happened to you?" She asked. "I'm not trying to be offensive, I'm just curious. What happened?" Twilight considered this question as she scooped up a slice of pork covered in a sauce and popped it in her mouth. "Well, it happened when I passed out....." She started. ✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴ "....and when I next woke, I was in an operation room of the Royal infirmary." Twilight finished. "The rest I think you know. And since I've been here, I've been thinking about what Godzilla said before I passed out. I think kaiju, or at least his type of kaiju, can get angry easily. And considering how big they were, anger meant a lot of destruction. I may not be as big, but I'm willing to bet that I'm just as powerful so until I know more, I'll have to try to reign in my temper." "Mmm, I agree." Cadence hummed thoughtfully. "I could even teach you some breathing exercises to help you calm down. So I'm guessing that your new species eats meat, correct." "Yep. I may not know much, but somehow I instinctively know what I'm supposed to eat." Twilight shrugged as she much on a slice of turkey. "I think that may have been a last gift from the kaiju. I know that the kaiju eat meat, but I also know that they primarily feed on radiation. And from what I can tell about radiation, it's like Aether itself." Cadence gasped. Aether was the rawest, most powerful form of magic known. Not even an alicorn command it's power. And apparently Twilight could eat it for sustenance. "That's.... unbelievable." She said quietly. "It sounds awesome!" Spike piped up. "I mean if can eat Aether, then what do you think you could do with it?" "I have no clue Spike." Twilight said with a shrug. "And by the way, you seem pretty okay with all this." The little dragon shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?" He asked. "I mean yeah you look a lot different, but your still Twilight. Besides, you've always been okay with me being a dragon, so I see no reason why I shouldn't be okay with you being a kaiju." Twilight pulled him into a hug, almost hiding him from sight with her bulk. "Thanks Spike." She whispered softly and Spike grinned as he hugged back. "Hey, that's what friends are for." He said. "And besides, what would you do without your Number One Assistant." Twilight let out a snort and Cadence smiled at the heart warming scene. She let them be for a little while before finally they separated from each other. "So Twilight, I'd like to know if you're doing okay." Cadence broke the silence. "Spike filled me in on what happened at the wedding rehearsal and I'd like to know if you're okay." Twilight chewed slowly as she gave the question some thought. A few minutes later, she answered. "Honestly, I'm not sure how to feel about." She said. "I feel hurt and angry at them for just leaving me like that and I kinda wonder if they trust me at all. I do want us to be friends, but right now I don't feel like forgiving them just yet." Cadence placed a hoof on Twilight's claw soothingly. "It's alright." She said gently. "I don't blame you. You don't need to forgive them right away. Take your time and eventually you will forgive them." "And for what it's worth, I'm really sorry for my part in that." Spike said as he glanced away and fidgeted with an amethyst. Twilight smiled softly and reached over to him and placed her claw on his head. "It's alright Spike." She said as she rubbed his scales. "I already forgive you." Spike's face lit up and Cadence smiled as well. "Speaking of forgiveness, there's something I think you should know." The Princess of Love said. ✴✴✴✴✴✴✴ Twilight was quiet after Cadence explained what they'd learned about the changelings. By this point, the meat platter was empty save for a piece of chicken that Twilight was using to mop up the last of the sauce. Cadence's own plate of cheesy fries was also running low and Spike had only a few gems left. The table was silent as the kaiju continued to mop up sauce that wasn't there anymore. Finally Cadence spoke again. "Listen Twilight, I don't expect you to forgive them right off the bat." She said. "Faust knows you have valid reasons for disliking changelings. But I don't want you to judge and hate their race. It's not healthy or fair. All I ask is that you keep an open mind and try to be understanding." Twilight didn't say anything, just nodded then popped her chicken into her mouth and stood. "Well it's been nice catching up and I'm glad to see that you're okay." She said. "Anyways, I should get going before the search parties find me. I'd like to get out of the city while I can." Spike nodded then scooped up the remaining gems and stuffed them in his mouth. The little dragon then jumped off his seat and took a position at Twilight's side. "Okay, I'm ready." He declared and Twilight's eyes widened. "Spike! You-!" She couldn't finish her sentence, but Spike knew what she was going to say and grinned. "Of course I'm coming with you." He said. "I am after all your Number One Assistant." Twilight blinked then scooped him up into a hug. "Thank you." Was all she could say. ✴✴✴✴✴✴✴ After a couple minutes of Cadence showing Twilight a breathing exercise and tips and tricks for her wings, they finally left. Cadence decided to stick around for a a few minutes and order another plate of cheesy fries and maybe a couple of drinks while Twilight and Spike went out the back. And with Spike settled on her back right between her neck and wings they were off. However, no sooner had they walked out than Twilight suddenly found herself attacked. A blow from above surprised and slightly dazed her followed by a second blow to her chest. While the second strike barely hurt, it still managed to push her back a step. Looking up at her attackers, Twilight's vision went red when she came face to face with two of her former friends. Now some might think that because of his age, Spike wasnt very smart. While there were some things he didn't know and a few words he couldn't spell, this wasn't exactly true. After all, there has to be some takeaway from being raised by the geekiest, smartest unicorn ever. Spike had seen Dash's divebomb just barely in time to duck out the cyan hooves that made a grab for him but not in time to warn Twilight before the pegasus ran right into her head due to momentum. Then right afterwards, they were pushed back by a buck courtesy of Applejack Apple. When he saw the look in Twilight's face, he knew he had to do something. With how recent her change had been, she likely didn't know her own strength and with how mad she was right now, she could do something that she would regret. And so in the interest of breaking up the impending fight, Spike drew in a deep breath and released a big stream of flame between the two. Applejack reared and backed up and the sudden intense heat and Twilight, no longer able to see the earthpony, blinked as she snapped out of her red filled rage. Without a word, she started down another path when Rainbow Dash went to swoop in again. But before she could get close, another blast of fire from Spike pushed her back and blinded her. When the fire cleared and she was able to see, they were gone. ✴✴✴✴✴✴✴ Rainbow Dash searched the alleyway and all attached alleyways but her search came up fruitless. Still wondering how something so big could just disappear, she flew off to rendezvous with the others to plot out their next move. Only when he was sure the coast was clear did Spike remove the newspapers he'd wrapped around himself crawl out from under the dumpster he'd been beneath. He looked around a bit to be sure before finally calling out the all clear. "Alright, she's gone." He whispered just loud enough to be heard by the other two people hidden. The dumpster he'd hidden under groaned as Twilight shifted and began to climb out. The kaiju unicorn had jumped into the large trash receptacle and laid as flat as she could while covering herself with her wings. She didn't even need to move anything around to fit in as he weight effectively flattened everything in there. As Twilight climbed out as quietly as she could, a large box near the dumpster opened, letting out a bright yellow earthpony mare with a purple and blue mane. "Hey thanks for your help back there." Spike said and the mare nodded. "You're welcome. I'm Iris Song. Pleasure to meet you." The mare introduced herself. "I'm Twilight Sparkle." The kaiju introduced herself in response. "And this is Spike. Again, thank you for your help but we really should get going." Twilight said as she began to walk away. "I know and I'd like to join you." Iris replied as she fell in step with Twilight who shot her a confused look of surprise. "You want to come with us?" She asked. "Why?" "Mostly for science." Iris answered then began examining the kaiju. "You fascinate me Miss Twilight. It's not every day you run into a new species and I want to learn just as much as you do. Plus, I know how to haul my own weight and if we need supplies, I can go into town to get some. Both of you would stick out like a sore hoof, especially you Twilight. But nopony would give me a second look. So what do you say?" Twilight pondered this a bit. The mare had brought up some very good points and she supposed it wouldn't hurt. Plus they were a little pressed for time so she couldn't really think on it for too long. "Alright, you can come with us." She said. ✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴ "So now what?" Spike asked from his hiding place as they observed their obstacles. "How are we getting out of the city?" Neither mare answered as they were still trying to come up with a plan. The train station had been out of the question and the roads leading out of Canterlot had blockades so their only option was over the edge but even that looked like it was impossible as there were guards patrolling the city limits. Still, it was their best bet to get out of here. Then Iris struck on an idea. "What if you flew?" She suggested. "Flying? I'm not sure." Twilight admitted. "I'm still kinda new to this so I'm not sure if I can keep us aloft for very long." "You wouldn't need to fly for very long." Iris replied. "If you built up enough momentum and jumped at the right moment, then you could clear the patrols. After that, we could just glide down the mountain." As Twilight went over the math in her head, Iris continued. "Plus, I doubt they would expect to see you charging right at them and you would catch them off guard. And even if you didn't, with your added bulk plus momentum it would be like trying to stop a massive boulder." "Hmm, that just might work, Iris you're a genius! Let's do it! Besides, what have we got to lose." Twilight declared as loud as she could without drawing unwanted attention. Iris beamed at the compliment then followed Twilight as she trotted as far back as the alleyway would allow. Once they were as far back as possible, Spike settled into a spot in the hollow of Twilight's neck while Iris settled onto Twilight's back, stretching out between her wings and pressing as low as she could so she'd be more streamlined. The earthpony was pleasantly surprised to find that the spikes on the kaiju unicorn's back were softer than they looked, but they still poked and prodded her uncomfortably. Still, she bit the bullet and got herself a good grip on Twilight's back before nodding at the kaiju to let her know she was ready. With her passengers secure, Twilight took a running stance and even pawed the ground a bit. And when she felt she was ready, she shot forward as fast as she could. While there was some added weight with the addition of Iris, she didn't falter. If she was still a pony, she likely would've collapsed under the weight, but now she was strong enough to take it and some. By the time they burst out of the alley, she'd built up for good momentum. True to prediction, the sight of her barrelling right towards them made the guards falter. The only one to recover it time was a unicorn that hastily fired off a stunning spell that had about as much effect as a water gun would against an avalanche. The only thing the guards could do way get out of the way when she neared them and with a leap, she was in the air and gliding down towards the Everfree forest.