//------------------------------//
// Chapter 16: Reunion 
// Story: Shy and Aggressive 
// by Johng117 
//------------------------------//

From within the Everfree forest, Alpha stood outside of the cave that was within the chasm. He looked up to the afternoon sky as he remained silent. From behind, Manda came rushing out of the cave along with a couple of other men and women.
"Do you need us to go and investigate those roars?" asked Manda. Alpha glanced her way and then shook his head.
"No. I already know the source of the roars," said Alpha with his brows furrowed. He then turned to face the young woman.
"Remain here with the rest. I'm going to Ponyville to investigate," said Alpha.
"Wait, alone? Alpha, at least one of us should go with you!" said Manda.
"I'll be fine. Besides, I think it is time that I returned home," said Alpha. Manda looked at him in confusion.
"Alpha?" called Manda. The leader of this group turned away and started to walk.
"I'll be back, Manda," said Alpha as he climbed up the stone steps on the side of the chasm. Manda slumped her shoulders as she glanced at the other Transmutants, all bearing unsure expressions. Meanwhile, Alpha was treading through the Everfree forest.



The search was finally over. Miwa was relieved to know that her son was safe and sound. However, she had received troubling news from Fluttershy. The very fact that he had actually transformed felt her up with an overwhelming amount of anxiety. She was shaking with worry as she drove her car outside of town and onto a dirt road that led towards the Everfree forest. Her eyes caught sight of Junior sitting on the ground with a shirt covering his lap as Rodan, Fluttershy and Mosura were present next to him. Miwa parked her car just outside of the forest entrance and hopped out of her car. She ran over to her son and wrapped him into a tight hug.
"Oh, thank God! I thought I lost you!" cried Miwa as she held her son tightly. Junior returned her hug as he looked away with a small scowl.
"Um... Did you bring my clothes?" asked Junior. Miwa shot up with a sheepish smile.
"Oh, right! One second," said Miwa as she ran back to the car and reached for a bag of clothes in the passenger's seat. She rushed back over to her son and handed him the bag.
"Thanks. I want everyone to look away while I find somewhere to get dress," said Junior as he stood. As everyone looked away, Junior held the shirt over his nether region as he made his way over to a tree. However, Mosura couldn't help but glance at the naked Transmutant. She quickly tore her eyes away as she caught a glimpse of his back and part of his rear. She flushed furiously to herself as she mentally moaned in shame.
'Curse these hormones!' thought Mosura. As Junior hid behind the tree and unpacked his clothes, Miwa turned to face the other teens.
"This doesn't leave the forest. We can't let anybody know about this," said Miwa.
"But... What if this happens again? Gojira didn't behave like himself when we found him. This could be dangerous to just ignore what happened," said Mosura.
"Yeah. It could be worse then what happened earlier," said Rodan in agreement.
"I know. It's just that... I don't know what to do!" said Miwa as cupped her hands over eyes in stress.
"There's not a Transmutant that we know who can transform at will in Ponyville as far as we know! Not to mention that I don't even know how a Transmutant is meant to behave!" cried Miwa. Fluttershy looked at Miwa with an unsure expression.
"Don't you think that maybe... MONARCH can help?" asked Fluttershy. Miwa looked at her in disbelief, which caused Fluttershy to shrink back.
"We can't ask them! Who knows what they'll want to do with him if they found out!" said Miwa. Fluttershy looked down at her feet.
"Sorry," said Fluttershy in a small tone. Junior came from behind the tree fully clothed.
"Don't be hard on her, ma. She's just trying to help," said Junior. He rubbed his shoulder as he stood with his mother.
"Maybe we can figure this out without MONARCH knowing. I think I can ask around a couple of Transmutants in town. There's bound to be some old enough to know what's going on with me and how I can keep myself from losing control," said Junior. Miwa gave him a reluctant nod.
"OK. But right now, we need to come up with a reason why you were missing," said Miwa. Rodan hummed in thought.
"You can say that he was out because he was feeling depressed for being part of a segregated race and decided to be alone somewhere," suggested Rodan. Junior scoffed in response.
"Ugh. Yeah, make me sound like a whinny little punk," said Junior with a tone of disgust. Mosura shrugged.
"Well, it's the best and most believable thing we can come up with. Depression makes people do things they normally wouldn't do," said Mosura. Rodan smirked.
"It's that, or it's you taking drugs and prancing out into the woods buck naked," said Rodan. Miwa's eyes widened. She then looked to Junior with a stern expression.
"You're going with the first excuse. No complaints," said Miwa. Junior sighed in exasperation.
"Fine," said Junior with a scowl. He was almost tempted to take the latter excuse as well. He had too much pride to be seen as a depressed mess over Transmutant segregation. Soon, the teens got into the car, but as they entered Alpha came from out of the shadows; his presence remained hidden by a tree. His eyes focused on the young Transmutant and his human mother as the vehicle drove off. Alpha allowed a small sigh to escape his mouth as he lowered his head.



It was early evening. Junior and Miwa sat across from each other as they ate dinner. The Transmutant was silent as he sluggishly ate. His mind filled with worry over his predicament as a Transmutant. Miwa was doing no better than he was on the issue. They were able to get everyone else to buy their lie on Junior's reason for missing. However, they both didn't feel right about lying to Blaire and the other teens. Miwa was already feeling wrong for involving Mosura, Rodan and Fluttershy into the lie, but it was necessary to do so until they could find a way to prevent Junior’s situation from happening again. As they ate, the doorbell rang. Miwa turned her head curiously and then placed her fork down. She left her seat and made her way to the living room and to the front door. As she opened it, her eyes widened as she found a familiar face.
"Oh my..." Miwa spoke with a breathless tone. Her lips quivered as her knees felt weak and her eyes watered as she cupped her mouth. Before her was a man in a dark jacket, standing tall over her with a strong body build. His amber eyes softly gazed into her eyes and over his brow was a scar, along with his upper lip.
"Where is he? I want to see him too," said the man. Miwa nodded as she quickly turned.
"J-Junior! Junior come here!" cried Miwa. From the kitchen, Junior immediately shot up with a startled expression. The frantic tone of his mother sent him running out of the kitchen and towards the living room. His eyes widened in shock at who stood in the door way in front of his mother. Miwa was shedding tears of joy as she looked at her son. Junior stood still as stone as his eyes focused on the man that bore his likeness.
"Dad..." said Junior in a soft tone.
"I'm here, son. Sorry that I've been gone all this time," said Gojira Takeshi the first with a small smile. Miwa wrapped Senior into a tight hug as she sobbed. Senior returned her embrace as he stroked her head. Junior approached the two with a look of disbelief. Miwa took his hand and brought him close and brought him into the circle of embrace. As Senior wrapped an arm over his son's shoulder, Junior felt himself choke up. He gave a small laugh as his eyes watered. He wrapped his arms around his parents as he returned their embrace.
Later, the three were sitting at the kitchen table. Miwa placed a plate of beef with a side of rice in front of Senior with a smile. The older Transmutant smiled back at her.
"Thanks, dear," said Senior. Miwa took a seat next to him while Junior sat down on the side.
"Where have you been this whole time? For years, people always accused you of becoming a terrorist and joined the Revolutionaries," said Junior. Senior sighed.
"Well, I didn't exactly join the Revolutionaries. I did become part of a group of Transmutants, but not the same way as the Revolutionaries were formed," said Senior. He cleared his throat.
"Listen, I left you two because there was something very important that had to be protected. I can't say too much, however," said Senior.
"Wait, wait. You can't- Dad, you've been gone for years! Don't we have a right to know exactly why?" asked Junior in disbelief.
"Gojira, what was it that was so important to have you leave?" asked Miwa with a light frown. Senior sighed.
"Alright. What I'm about to tell you does not leave this house. The very fate of the world depends on it. And no, I am not exaggerating," said Senior in a firm tone. Miwa and Junior glanced at each other in confusion.
"Before I left, a... Something supernatural came to me," said Senior. Junior sighed in response.
"Oh, don't tell me that you got sucked into some weird religion that says it's weakness or something to be part of a family. Come on, supernatural? You gotta be joking," said Junior with a deadpanned stare. He then realized the irony of his statement when he thought back to his experience at the potentially haunted castle during Halloween with the others.
"Son, I would never make up something to explain my disappearance. I've learned that there is more to this world than meets the eye. In the couple hundred years that I've been alive, nothing can compare to what I saw," said Senior. Miwa looked at her husband in reluctance.
"What was it that you saw?" asked Miwa.
"She called herself a Fairy," said Senior. Junior rolled his eyes in response. His father was obviously trying to make up excuses to cover whatever real reason that he was missing for all of these years.
"She was a creature that looked like a large moth. She spoke to me and pleaded to me that I travel to the Everfree forest to protect an old artifact," said Senior.
"That's where you been? The forest?" asked Miwa in surprise.
"For most of the time. Sometimes I had to go out and find a few other Transmutants that the fairy had told me to find. In fact, we took part in rescuing a few other Transmutants that were threatened by the Purists in the country. That was how our group was mistaken as a terrorist group," said Senior as he took a few bites of his meal. Junior shook his head.
"I'm sorry. Dad, I'm happy to see you home. But honestly, I can't help but be angry at you. You're making up an elaborate story to-" Junior groaned in frustration as he stood up from his seat and turned away. Senior glanced at Miwa, who bore a deep frown. It was evident that she didn't believe him as well. Senior sighed.
"Well, it's a good thing that I brought proof," said Senior as he stood up and made his way to the window. Junior raised a brow in response as his father opened the window. Suddenly, a cat sized moth whizzed through the window and flew around the kitchen. Miwa gave a yelp of fright at the massive insect while Junior recoiled.
"What the hell?!" exclaimed Junior. The moth fluttered over to Senior and perched itself on his shoulder. Senior patted the fairy on the head.
"Hey, I said to ease yourself in," deadpanned Senior.
"Sorry. I just wanted to get out of the cold," said a small feminine voice.
"Wha- who said that?!" exclaimed Junior. The moth turned his way.
"I did," said the moth. Junior's eyes widened in shock as he found the mouth of the moth open and close as words came from it.
"What in the hell..." said Junior with wide eyes. Miwa began to slightly relax herself.
"Son, Miwa, this is Amber. She's the fairy that came to me. Amber, my son and wife," said Senior as he gestured to the two. Amber looked to Miwa with a hum.
"Wow! She's beautiful! And your son, he looks a lot like you!" said Amber as she fluttered towards Junior. The Transmutant backed away with a nervous expression.
"He's cute too," said Amber with a small giggle.
"Cute?" asked Junior with a grimace. Miwa stared with wide eyes at this creature that bore a fluffy white body with large blue insect eyes. Her wings bore gold patterns. As she fluttered through the air, a trail of golden sparkles was left behind.
"You... You were telling the truth! She's real!" said Miwa.
"I am. There're many of us. As is the artifact that myself and my sisters asked a few worthy Transmutants to protect," said Amber. Junior grimaced.
"There're more of you?" asked Junior. Miwa looked at Amber with a frown.
"But... Why couldn't you tell us about this?" asked Miwa.
"It would be too dangerous to have you know. This artifact was placed upon the Earth and was not to be used unless an emergency required it. If you were to be involved with Gojira during these last few years, you'd be a target for the humans that are hunting him and Transmutants with the ability to transform. So, he had to disappear without saying a word for your sake," answered Amber. She then fluttered over to Senior and perched herself on his shoulder.
"Wait... So why did you come back if this artifact is so important?" asked Junior. Senior sighed.
"I heard the monstrous cries coming from you, son. I recognized the sound of the roars and I knew that I had to risk seeing you both again. Fortunately, I have allies back where the artifact is hidden to keep it secured while I am here," said Senior. He placed a comforting hand on Junior's shoulder as his son looked away with a frown.
"My inhibitor chip was broken after an accident that I had a few months back. Lately, I've been feeling a bit more aggressive and I've been having random minor transformations to my body. Earlier I had completely transformed. You know, I kept wishing that you were here to help me with this. I wasn't expecting it to actually come true," said Junior with a small smile.
"I'm here now. Son, you're coming of age as a full Transmutant that is not bound by the inhibitor chip placed inside of you. However, since you never had experienced life without an inhibitor chip, your body is trying to accelerate your maturity as a Transmutant. This would include an accelerated version of..." Senior cleared his throat as he looked away with an uncomfortable expression. Junior raised a brow at him.
"What?" asked Junior with a tilt of his head.
"Puberty?" asked Miwa.
"Yeah... That," said Senior. Junior cleared his throat as he looked away.
"You uh... I'm pretty sure that you've may have thought more about sex than you normally have before you had your inhibitor chip damaged," said Senior.
"Er! Dad, let's not have that talk! Mom and I already did and uh... I-I don't think about it a whole lot!" said Junior with flushing cheeks as he avoided eye contact with his parents.
"Son, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Every boy goes through it," said Miwa with a reassuring smile.
"Well, most Transmutants these days didn't have to worry about Transmutant puberty," said Senior in a nonchalant tone. He scratched his chin.
"That's actually worse for a boy or girl, since they are biologically based on certain creatures, which mostly concern themselves with survival and reproduction," said Senior.
"He's right. If you lack self-control, you might end up performing intercourse or even a mating ritual with the ones you are attracted to as a male. You may find yourself looking at certain females a certain way with intimate desire," said Amber in a nonchalant tone. Junior flushed furiously as he recalled the night that he was at Mosura's apartment. He remembered just how aroused he was getting when near her, drawing in her scent and looking over her body. However, he was able to resist thinking with the wrong head and kept himself under control. Still, he felt himself filled with shame for looking at her like that.
"Well, I think I'm fine there," muttered Junior.
"There's something that's actually a bigger problem than you experiencing Transmutant sexual maturity. Since you've never had the experience to transform often throughout your youth, your mind reverts more to animal instinct," said Amber. Junior looked her way with an attentive expression.
"You see, the ancients told stories that the rise of Transmutants was due to supernatural means.  These stories are dismissed today as a fairy tales by scientists, but the modern human scientists are wrong," said Amber. Junior's eyes widened in response.
"You see, the origin of Transmutants had taken place over four thousand years ago. A spirit called Serekuta was tasked to insert the genes of ancient beasts that predate most species into the DNA of certain tribes of human beings. Afterwards, those tribes began to develop from humans into a race with the ability to shift their very forms into other creatures," said Amber. Junior shook his head.
"Wait, Wait. You mean, our existence was not an accident? But... Why? Who ordered this Serekuta to do this? Was it some kind of curse that was meant to punish these tribes and their descendants?" asked Junior as he furrowed his brows. Miwa placed a hand on his shoulder as she gave him a pleading stare. Junior relaxed himself and sighed.
"No, this was not meant to be a punishment, little Gojira. The one who tasked Serekuta to do this knew that the Earth was going to face dark times in the future. So, it was his decision to use the mightiest creatures to have ever walk the planet and to blend them with a few humans that were worthy of such power. Think of it as like a gift," said Amber. Junior scoffed.
"Gift? Sorry that I strongly disagree with that," said Junior as he crossed his arms. Miwa looked at Amber curiously.
"You said, 'he'. Who is this, he?" asked Miwa.
"My father," said Amber. Junior glanced at her with a raised brow.
"Father?" asked Junior.
"That's what you refer to someone who had given rise to your existence, right? You refer to them as a parent," said Amber. Miwa's eyes widened in surprise.
"I... I think I understand," said Miwa. Amber fluttered over to Junior and landed on the table in front of him.
"Little Gojira, I know things have been hard for you as a Transmutant. One of the major flaws in people is that they are often afraid of things that are beyond their understanding. But I promise, you and other Transmutants are no accident. You all have a destiny ahead of you," said Amber. Junior avoided her gaze as he furrowed his brows.
"I find that hard to believe," said Junior. Miwa frowned in response and then she looked towards her husband. Senior sighed.
"Junior, the point is that because of us bearing the likeness of creatures in our blood, it comes at a cost where we behave like the creatures we are based on from time to time. But I can help you control your transformation. I can teach you how to will it on your own, with that will come with your human consciousness dominating the animal instinct that comes with being a Transmutant," said Senior. Junior looked his way and then his eyes widened as he found his father holding a charcoal grey reptilian hand out.
"Like me and a few others, you can will it on your own. You can avoid hurting people unintentionally and as your mind is able to fully develop without the inhibitor chip, you can dominate the primal instincts that are trying to work in full force," said Senior. Junior sighed as he turned to face him.
"What do I have to do?" asked Junior.
"Well... I'll need you to come with me to the Everfree for a couple of years," said Senior. Junior's eyes widened.
"Wait, you want to me to just leave everything that I have here and stay with you?!" asked Junior in an incredulous tone. He then glanced at his mother and looked back to Senior.
"What about mom? What about school? What about... my friends?" asked Junior as he slumped his shoulders. He never thought that he would actually worry about being separated from those that he had gotten close to. He wasn't one to admit it around them, but they had grown on him much more these past couple of months.
"Junior, I know it's hard. But you need this. Otherwise you may lose control of yourself and... Well, I rather not think of the consequences of that," said Senior with a light frown. Miwa deeply frowned in response.
"I can't believe that you're just going to take our son with you after showing up from being gone all of these years," said Miwa as she glared at Senior. Her husband slightly recoiled in response.
"Miwa, I..." Senior stopped as Miwa turned away as she gritted her teeth in anger as she clenched her fist. Senior sighed as he lowered his head.
"He has a life, Gojira. You can't just expect him to throw it away easily," said Miwa. Senior looked at her in disbelief.
"Are you saying that I found it easy when I had to leave?!" demanded Senior. Miwa turned his way with tears running down her cheeks with an angry expression.
"Well, why the hell didn't you talk to me about this?! Why didn't you ever give us any hint that you were still out there alive?!" demanded Miwa. Junior winced as his parents raised their voices at each other. This was not any way that he would want to spend a reunion with his father, but he couldn't fault his mother for being furious at him. She was obviously heartbroken after all of these years and she kept it all bottled up until now.
"Because I- I..." Senior looked away with a deep frown.
"No, you're right. I was afraid that you'd want to come with me with our son. I didn't want you two to abandon your old lives and I couldn't remain idol after all that I learned. But I should have told you. Both of you," said Senior as he looked towards his son.
"I know that it's shallow of me to come back after all of these years only for me to whisk our son away from you. But I can't let him go on without guidance. I've done that for too long," said Senior as he lowered his eyes to the ground. Miwa's expression softened as she sniffled. Junior looked down at the ground with a light frown. Amber scurried into the middle of the table as she tapped her foot on a plate.
"Um... How about we compromise?" asked Amber.
"Compromise?" asked Junior.
"Yes. Your dad needs you to be with him just to train you to control yourself once transformed. You just need to work out a schedule where you go and meet him throughout the week while you can still spend your ordinary life," said Amber. She then turned to face Miwa and looked towards Senior.
"Besides, I think it would also give you a chance to spend time with your wife and son. Isn't that what you want?" asked Amber. Senior nodded.
"More than anything," said Senior. Amber nodded in approval.
"I... I would be fine with that," said Miwa as she wiped her eye. Junior nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that sounds alright," said Junior.
"We have an accord! Now, this must stay between us. Little Gojira, don't say anything to your friends about seeing your dad again. Make sure you are alone when you visit the Everfree forest. Gojira, I will make sure that MONARCH is ignorant of your presence as you come to visit," said Amber.
"Is that really alright? I mean, the others..."
"Oh, they can handle it! Besides, a couple of my sisters are there with them as well so it will be fine," said Amber. Senior looked to his family and then back to Amber.
"Alright. Son, let's discuss your schedule," said Senior as he looked to Junior with a firm expression.



It was the next day. Junior was sitting down at the lunch table with a look of annoyance on his face. Pinkie Pie was in his personal space, holding him in a tight hug as she caressed his head. The Transmutant sighed in annoyance as she continued this.
"It's gonna be alright, Goji. We're here for you," said Pinkie. Meanwhile, Mosura bore a light scowl as she ate her lunch and sat beside Junior. Jealousy filled her over how Pinkie was able to hold him and run her hand over his spiky hair. Meanwhile, the rest of the club members and Main Six looked on in amusement.
"Please stop," said Junior as he held Pinkie by the wrist and moved her hand away from his head.
"Don't be ashamed to feel the love! Someone who's down in the dumps needs a nice hug and caress once in a while!" said Pinkie a she wrapped her arms around Junior and nuzzled his cheek. The Transmutant groaned in annoyance.
"She's just trying to help, Gojira. There's no harm in her showing affection," said Erika. Junior grunted as he gently pushed Pinkie away as she flailed her arms to reach him.
"Except that there's too much affection going on that it's gonna make me sick," said Junior with a gag. Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"Please, you know you like it. You are a guy, after all," said Rainbow as she leaned back in her seat.
"I don't. Rodan would," said Junior.
"You know, he's right," said Rodan with a shrug. Junior grunted as he turned Pinkie to face Rodan.
"In that case... Pinkie, go show him affection," said Junior. In a flash, Pinkie appeared beside Rodan and wrapped him into a tight hug.
"Oof! Oh, wow you're quite the hugger!" grunted Rodan as he felt his breathing being limited by Pinkie's deceptively strong hug. He then gave the male Transmutants a thumbs up.
'Curvy girls have more love to give!' thought Rodan. Junior and Angirasu glanced at each other with annoyed looks, both knowing that Rodan was likely having more thoughts of a ladies' man. Meanwhile from a table over, Junior caught a conversation from other students.
"Hey! Did you hear on the news on how they reported some creepy sounds going on in the night?" asked a female student.
"Yeah! I actually heard them too! I thought it was a ghost or something," said a male student. Junior slightly shrunk in his seat as he kept his eyes on the table.
"So no one knows what the sounds were from?" asked a female student.
"Nope. But there's a couple of guesses on the internet," said another female student. Meanwhile at the table that Junior was sitting at, he heard Rarity give a frightened shudder.
"All of these rumors of hearing strange and loud moans in the night brings back unpleasant memories," said Rarity as she rubbed her shoulders.
"Ugh. Don't even remind me," said Sunset. Rainbow looked at Fluttershy in curiosity.
"Hey, didn't you say you heard the sounds one night?" asked Rainbow. Fluttershy went stiff in response. She glanced at Junior while he kept his eyes down on the table with a look of clear discomfort.
"Um... Yes, I did. But... It could've been anything," said Fluttershy in a timid manner. Junior cleared his throat as he stood up from his seat.
"I gotta get going. I just remembered that I have something to take care of," said Junior as he briskly walked away. The rest of the group, excluding the Transmutants and Fluttershy, looked on in confusion.
"What's up with him?" asked Rainbow in curiosity. Pinkie tapped her chin in thought and immediately stood up and began to walk after Junior.
"Pinkie, where are you going?" asked Twilight.
"To find out what's wrong with Goji!" said Pinkie.
"Use tact!" said Mosura.
Meanwhile, Junior was walking through the hallway in silence. He gave a heavy sigh as he held his hands in his pockets and sat down against the wall.
"Goji?" called Pinkie. Junior slightly flinched in surprise and turned to found the girl looking at him with a smile.
"Oh. Hey, Pinkie Pie," greeted Junior. Pinkie sat beside him as she looked at him curiously.
"What's wrong? Is it about your depression?" asked Pinkie. Junior scowled as he cursed the lie that he had agreed to go by. He inhaled deeply.
"Yes. I guess I'm just upset about my state," said Junior. Pinkie took Junior's hand and began to rub it, much to his confusion.
"I think I understand why exactly," said Pinkie. Junior raised a brow.
"Your chip thingiee isn't working right," said Pinkie. Junior's eyes widened in shock.
"Eh... H-How did you know?" asked Junior.
"Remember? I saw your hand when it was all scaly. That's how I found out. Don't worry, I never and I won't say anything," said Pinkie as she made the gestures to her Pinkie promise.
"You never said anything?" asked Junior in disbelief.
"Yep! I mean, I know you would never become a terrorist! Besides, how can you fix your chip if you went to jail?" asked Pinkie.
"Fix my... Wait, Pinkie I-" Junior stopped himself as he found her reassuring smile on her face. She was ignorant to the fact that his inhibitor chip was irreplaceable and was just trying to cheer him up. He felt wrong for denying her that. Junior softly smiled.
"Sure. I'll get it fixed soon," said Junior. Pinkie smiled brightly in response.



Later in the day, Twilight was walking down the hall as she looked at her cell phone. She found a text from Junior saying that he wouldn't make it to the club room after school for a couple of weeks. It was peculiar that this was the case considering how Junior seemed like someone that did not have a busy schedule. She assumed that his recent disappearance had gotten him grounded by his mother. As she began to open her locker, Applejack appeared at her side.
"Howdy, Twilight. Heading up to the club?" asked Applejack. Twilight nodded.
"Yeah. Except a member is going to be absent for a while. I guess Gojira's disappearing act got him into a lot of trouble," said Twilight. Applejack glanced away.
"I've been meaning to talk to ya about that," said Applejack. Twilight looked at her curiously.
"What's up?"
"Well... Remember how he said that he was just feeling upset and left home because of that? I can't help but feel that he's being dishonest," said Applejack. Twilight's eyes widened in surprise.
"What on earth could get you to think that?" asked Twilight.
"You know me Twi. I can see a liar stick out like a sore thumb. The way he avoided eye contact when he told us and how his tone changed a bit when he said, 'Oh, I was just feeling out of it today. You know, Transmutant segregation has gotten to be a bit more of a pain lately that it was easier for me to be alone for a while.' His tone kinda went from sounding mellow to sounding agitated. Like he was bothered to say what the problem was," said Applejack. Twilight gave her an inquisitive look in response.
"Wait, you remembered every single word?" asked Twilight. AJ tapped her noggin with a smirk.
"I got a pretty good memory for dialogue. But that's not the point," said Applejack.
"Well, maybe he just felt embarrassed to say what his problem was. You know how he doesn't like to talk about himself much. Unless it's on an issue on violence," said Twilight as she gave a slight tone of irritation in her voice. Applejack raised her brow.
"Twi?" called Applejack. Twilight cleared her throat as she shook her head, not wanting to get into the conflict that she and Junior had nearly gotten into the day before.
"Nothing, don't worry about it. I just think that he has too much pride on himself and doesn't like to admit his feelings," said Twilight. She shrugged. "Guys are like that, aren't they?"
"Yeah, unless they're with someone they're comfortable with opening up to, but it's not that. Plus, he never seemed like the kind of boy that'd let a bunch of folks that are afraid of Transmutants bother him. Normally I expect him to give them a nice punch to face or the stink eye," said Applejack as she made a punching motion. Twilight rolled her eyes at the former action of response.
"Yeah, that does seem like his style," said Twilight. She then leaned against her locker in thought.
"You know, he does sometimes seem like he's hiding something. I wasn't going to say anything about it before, but I noticed that a few times every other week, he just quickly gets up and leaves the club room. I try asking about it, but he just avoids the question or downright shoots it down," said Twilight as she rubbed her chin. She did recall that time how she was offering to lotion his neck when it had a ghastly rash on it. He never brought it up again or what it was exactly. He just played it off as being a normal occurrence, but it was very suspicious.
"Hmm. Well, let's try to keep this between us. We can just keep an eye on him," said Applejack with a wink. Twilight nodded to her in response.
"Sure. I'll see you later, AJ," said Twilight after she had taken her stuff from her locker.




Later that day...

Junior bore his hood over his head as he cautiously looked around, searching for any signs of people following him. He was present just outside of the Everfree forest during the late afternoon. His nose smelt the air to search for any scent that he could point to jeopardizing his mission. Once he felt it was all clear, Junior immediately broke off into a sprint and into the forest. His breathing was paced as he continued to run through the forest. Fortunately, there wasn't a whole lot of homework that he had to do before coming here once he had gotten home first and the weekend would start the following day. The Transmutant soon came across a branch where a soft glowing light appeared. He stopped as he found Amber dropping from the branch and fluttering towards him.
"Little Gojira! Glad you could make it!" said Amber in an enthusiastic tone. Junior sighed in annoyance.
"Um... Could you not call me that? If anything, just call me Junior like my parents. It'll save you time," said Junior.
"Aw. I kinda find the name I have for you to be cute," said Amber in disappointment.
"I'm not a little kid, Amber. Now come on, where do I need to go to meet my dad?" asked Junior in an impatient tone. Amber began to fly off ahead.
"Follow me!" said Amber. Junior began to run after the fairy, running past bushes and trees in the area. He leaped over fallen branches and logs, while scaring off any small woodland critter that crawled on the ground. Soon after several minutes of chasing the fairy, Junior found himself skidding to a halt as he found the ancient castle that he and the others had visited during Halloween night. He slumped his shoulders as he stared at the ominous structure that decayed with time.
"Hey! Over here!" called Amber as she fluttered over towards a ledge. Junior carefully walked over towards her position and was surprised to find stone steps that led down below the chasm, where a cave lied. He recalled finding a glimmer during Halloween night coming from this very cave. Junior cautiously walked down the steps, being careful not to trip and fall. As he made it down to the ground, he followed Amber over towards the cave, where she traveled deep within. Standing just outside of the entrance was his father, who held his arms crossed.
"What took you so long?" asked Senior with a hint of annoyance. Junior scoffed.
"What? I had homework to do. Not to mention that this place is far!" said Junior. Senior rolled his eyes in response.
"I already can tell that both of us are going to have a hard time with this, which is why I said that it'd be best if you stayed with me," said Senior as he walked into the cave.
"I can't. Otherwise my friends will start asking questions. One of them lives next door, you know," said Junior.
"Hmm. That is a good point. My apologies," said Senior. Junior then shook his head.
"Hmph. Now I know where I get my attitude from," muttered Junior under his breath. He gave a calm sigh as he walked inside, finding the further end of the cave to be dimly lit. His eyes widened as he fully stepped inside and found large crates stacked around this dark cave, where moss grew on the walls and a few stones stuck out of the ground. He then noticed a few people present in this cave, standing by as they conversed. There was at least over a dozen people here, bearing the smell of Transmutants. As Junior walked further inside, finding large boards planted in opposite sides of the cave where a few sleeping bags lied behind each one, he felt his stomach sank. Especially when he found a crate where a man glanced his way as he held a rifle in his hand, where a few more were inside.
'I really hope dad was honest when he said this wasn't a terrorist group,' thought Junior with dread. As the two walked further inside, Junior found eyes locking on him and his father. He heard a few whispers coming from around the cave further away, where a few Transmutants leaned close to each other as they looked at him curiously. The rest of the Transmutants gathered around, muttering among themselves.
"Everyone, this my son. Gojira Takeshi Jr. He's going to be visiting us every now and then," said Senior in a nonchalant tone. Everyone in the cave looked on in shock. Manda's eyes widened as a look of surprise was plastered on her face.
"Wh-Wha?!" exclaimed Manda. Baragon emerged from the crowd as he took a swig of alcohol from a bottle.
"Huh. What do ya know. I can see the resemblance, boss," said Baragon as he recalled the fact that Senior had mentioned to him that he had a son.
"Hey," greeted Junior in a flat tone. A young woman raised her hand with a look of confusion.
"Uh... I-I don't understand. You have a son?" asked the young woman.
"Yes, he's right here," deadpanned Senior as he gestured to Junior.
"I thought you said that you didn't want to involve your family into our affairs. Why is your kid here?" asked Baragon with a curious look.
"You knew about this?!" asked Manda.
"Yeah. It's not my place to give off his business," said Baragon as he took another drink.
"No. No, my son is not here to be involved. He's here because I have to teach him how to control his instincts and his transformation. That roar from the previous day was his. He transformed because his inhibitor chip was damaged," said Senior. The group gave mutters of understanding. Manda smiled as she approached Junior and held her hand out. Here, Junior was able to see that she stood to be at least six feet tall.
"Hi! I work with your father! My name is Manda!" said Manda with a cheery smile. Junior gave a cough of discomfort as he reluctantly shook her hand.
"Yeah, I figured. Nice to meet you," said Junior.
"Wow, you really look a lot like him!" said Manda.
"So I've been told," said Junior as he glanced at his dad. Senior held his arms crossed.
"Alright, I need you all to get back to work. We need to have our equipment maintained. Manda, how are the girls on the silk?" asked Senior. Manda stood at attention as she was called on.
"Oh. The girls are doing great. We got the silk ready to be delivered over to the shop right now," said Manda. Senior nodded in approval.
"Excellent. I'll have to double their allowance for their hard work," said Senior with a smile. From the side, a few teenage girls grinned as they pumped their fists in the air with joy. Junior's eyes widened in surprise at how young they looked compared to the other Transmutants in the group. There seemed to be mostly young adults, to a few elders, and a few middle aged Transmutants. He wondered what all of these people were doing here and what their stories were.
"What about the weapons from the Purists?" asked Senior. Junior's eyes widened.
"All accounted for from the little hole in the ground further south. They were packing," said a dark skinned Transmutant as he held up a rifle and looked it over.
"Geez. Where the hell are these guys getting this fire power?" asked a middle aged Transmutant with a disturbed expression. Baragon scoffed.
"I'm telling you, the government is supplying these fucks. They're trying to wipe us out without their hands getting dirty!" said Baragon as he pointed to the weapons.
"Settle down, Baragon. You're sounding like a conspiracy nut," said a woman with a look of annoyance.
"Ah you're just afraid to think about the possibilities, Kumonga! You can't trust these humans in these backwater towns! These dirty pricks are scandalous, willing to sell you out for a dime!" said Baragon with a slur. A teenage girl from the side sent him a glare.
"Hey, that's intolerant!" said the girl. Baragon pointed at her with a look of annoyance.
"You're intolerant!" spat Baragon with a slur as he belched. Senior sighed in annoyance while Junior looked on in confusion.
"Baragon, I told you no drinking during work hours," said Senior.
"Yeah, you’re wasted," said Manda as she went over to Baragon. The male Transmutant stumbled as he fell over but was caught by Manda.
"No, I'm just buzzed," said Baragon as he slurred. He then looked at the teenage girl that he yelled at, who crossed her arms in annoyance.
"Hey, I'm sorry for yelling at you Thorn, Sweetie. It's the booze," slurred Baragon. The girl sighed in response.
"It's OK," said the girl.
"Manda, please put him to bed," said Senior. Manda nodded in response.
"Sure boss," said Manda as she carried Baragon away.
"Oh, I don't need sleep! I can still work!" said Baragon with a slur as he spilled his drink along the ground. Junior looked at his father with a grimace.
"So... You've been babysitting a drunk for the last six and half years?" asked Junior.
"He's not always like that. Baragon is a valued member of the group," said Senior.
"And the silk?" asked Junior.
"Commodity. We found these girls homeless a couple of years back and took them in. They decided to pitch in to use their spider silk to sell to businesses for money that we use for supplies and food," said Senior. He then looked at his son with a look of caution.
"It's not slavery. They earn their own money as well," said Senior. Junior raised his hand.
"Dad, I was not accusing you of the sort," said Junior. Senior then looked to the rest of the Transmutants.
"Guardians, I'll be outside training my son. If you need anything, we'll be above," said Senior.
"Yes, Alpha," said the Transmutants in unison. Junior raised a brow as he led out of the cave by his father. Meanwhile, the teens watched as Junior left with Amber fluttering after him.
"Anyone else think he's kinda hot? He's got that bad boy look to him," said a girl with a look of interest.
"Down girl," deadpanned Thorn.
Meanwhile outside, Junior was led up above the chasm. He looked down in thought.
"Uh... Dad, what kind of organization do you have running here? I mean, you have weapons, a large group of Transmutants being recruited, and a secret cave lair. All of these are pointing to something that I've been ignoring what people said about you all of these years," said Junior.
"Son, I know it looks a certain way, but we are not like the Revolutionaries. All we're doing is protecting the artifact that we have hidden here and we're taking care of Purists that threaten Transmutants outside of Ponyville. Mostly in Equestria. We even take in some Transmutants with no place to go," said Senior as he made it to the top. He then turned to face his son with a firm expression.
"The Revolutionaries are hell bent on dominating the human race. We're just trying to save ours," said Senior. Junior smirked as he crossed his arms.
"You had me at 'taking care of Purists'," said Junior. He then shrugged.
"I mean, first the Night Angel and X. Then I hear about you. Transmutants can't roll over and die," said Junior. He then looked at his father in curiosity.
"You wouldn't happen to have those vigilantes with your group, would you?" asked Junior.
"No, I don't. But I have been hearing a lot about them," said Senior as he led Junior towards the trees. Amber perched herself on Senior's shoulder.
"That's the kind of behavior that's risky, Little Gojira. The Guardians mainly attack when threatened and save those in danger wherever they can be found. However, these vigilantes are putting themselves in danger by attacking Purists and their supporters," said Amber.
"At least they're standing up for themselves," said Junior. Senior glanced at his son's way, noticing his tone and words. They were filled with spite and disdain over these radical racial supremacists. He couldn't fault his son for feeling the way that he does. However, he hoped that this wouldn't lead him to holding the same disdain for humans that had no part in the attacks on Transmutants. He knew that he once did and it made him feel worse for not being around for his son to protect him from the prejudice.
"Son, sometimes one has to think before acting on impulse. Otherwise a regrettable action may be made," said Senior. He then began to remove his coat.
"Son, today I want to teach you to hone your senses. I rather we not delve into the transformation lessons just yet," said Senior. Junior nodded.
"Sure, dad," said Junior.