//------------------------------//
// Chapter 61: Rescue 
// Story: The Arrogance of Man 
// by Johng117 
//------------------------------//

Water, nature's fundamental element of supporting life. Currently, it's acting as a force of destruction. Vast amounts of water had flooded Sweet Apple Acres. The trees that were closest to the lower grounds of the orchard were sticking out half way above the water. Beavers worked to keep their dams durable to hold against the water, leaving the riverbed on the other side to be just mud. The Transmutants stood by as Fluttershy attempted to convince the beavers to take down their dam, but was failing.
"This is just great," said Junior with a groan. He then sighed heavily as he turned to face Shiragami in disappointment.
"Shiragami, I don't know how the end of today is going to turn out. But...I honestly think that we won't be able to use Discord's help to find Sunset Shimmer," said Junior. Erika lightly frowned as she lowered her head.
"But... I'm still gonna keep my promise to you. I'll help you find her. With or without Discord's help," said Junior as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Erika raised her head as she gave him a light smile.
"Thank you, Takeshi," said Erika. Junior nodded as he turned to find Discord water skiing across the flooded orchard. Two of the golden fish shaped soup tureens pulled him across the waters. Junior growled in response.
"That idiot," said Junior. Mosura and Angirasu glanced at each other and then back to Junior as he began to make his way over to the Main Six and Spike. The rest of the Transmutants moved on to catch up. Discord was pulled across the waters and to the hill that the group was standing on, making his way up to Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy, oh, there you are. A sight for sore eyes," said Discord as he spawned a towel into his hand and proceeded to dry himself up. Fluttershy sighed.
"As you can see, there's a big mess down here at Sweet Apple Acres," said Fluttershy as she gestured to the flooded orchard. Discord merely continued to dry himself off as he rolled his eyes.
"Oh, yes. Awful business, that. Mm," said Discord.
"It is awful. This is Applejack's home, and it's being destroyed by innocent creatures who would never be acting this way if it weren't for your reckless behavior," said Fluttershy in disapproval. Discord merely looked at her with a raised brow. The Valkyrie turned away as she crossed her arms. "You need to fix this,"
"Oh, yes, very well, I will fix it. I only ask one thing in return," said Discord. Fluttershy turned back to face him with a curious smile.
"Yes?" asked Fluttershy. Discord then pointed to the Element of Harmony that was around her neck.
"I ask that you never use your Element of Harmony against me. As a sign of our friendship," said Discord. Fluttershy looked at her Element of Harmony with an unsure expression, she then looked to her friends. They all shook their heads in silence.
'Aaah...' thought Junior with dread. Fluttershy then looked back to her Element of Harmony again and then took a calm breath. She then proceeded to remove her Element of Harmony.
"I will never use my Element of Harmony against you," said Fluttershy as she removed her Element, tossing it to Spike.
"Excellent!" said Discord as he snapped his fingers. A blinding light filled the air, disorienting everyone in the orchard. Fluttershy smiled to herself as she looked forward to seeing her friend restoring Sweet Apple Acres. However, when she opened her eyes, she gasped as she found the water to be frozen solid, and the land covered in snow. Discord was ice skating across the frozen water.
"There, much better! I do prefer ice skating to water skiing! Don't you?" asked Discord as he skated passed a desk filled with three copies of himself, watching his performance. They held up score signs with the number ten, the faint sound of a non-present crowd filled the air. Fluttershy narrowed her eyes in anger as she glared at the Draconequus.
"Discord! That's not fixing it!" shouted Fluttershy as she ran down to the frozen water. Discord's ears perked as he caught her tone. He turned to find her running his way. Fluttershy planted her feet on the ground as she prepared to give the Spirit of Chaos a piece of her mind.
"Why, I oughta..." Fluttershy stopped as she realized that she was still sliding across the ice. She wobbled in place as she attempted to stop herself while keeping her balance.
"Where are you going?" asked Discord as he smiled in amusement. Fluttershy slid to a halt, with her legs shaking as she glared at the Draconequus.
"What's wrong, pal?" asked Discord with a mock frown.
"Don't call me your pal!" spat Fluttershy.
"Oh, pfft, come skating with me, and we'll let bygones be bygones," said Discord as he spawned a pair of skating shoes and held them up by the hairs on his tail. Fluttershy merely frowned in response as she slumped her shoulders. She then noticed Spike skating down the ice with her Element of Harmony.
"Here you go, Fluttershy! Game on!" said Spike.
"He fixes this or he goes back to being stone! Princess Celestia will understand!" shouted Twilight from the hill. Fluttershy merely looked at her Element of Harmony offered by Spike, and then to the skate shoes that were offered by Discord. Only one decision could be made. Fluttershy continued to look at these items several times. Junior merely stood tensely.
"Come on, Shy. Make the right decision," whispered Junior. Fluttershy closed her eyes as she thought back and forth on which decision to choose. Then, she placed on a firm expression.
"I made a promise not to use my element against him, and I'm going to keep it," said Fluttershy as she took the skate shoes from Discord and proceeded to walk down the ice. The Transmutants and humans stared in shock, giving gasps or groans. Junior clenched his fist as he angrily stared at Discord. The Spirit of Chaos teleported beside Fluttershy with an arm around her shoulder with a look of triumph.
"Hahah! You see? She wants to have fun with me because we're friends. She can't use the elements against me because we're friends. I'm free forever!" said Discord as he gave a short maniacal laugh. Fluttershy gritted her teeth as she growled. The words that left Discord's mouth infuriated her.
"I. Am. Not. Your. Friend!" shouted Fluttershy as she tossed the ice skates away.
"Who cares? I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. I'm Discord, the master of chaos!" said Discord with a scoff.
"That's it!" said Junior as he gave a growl. He was about to step onto the ice, but Mosura grabbed his arm and held him back.
"No! No, wait a second!" said Mosura. Junior sent a glare and was about to retort.
"Shh! Just watch!" said Mosura as she pointed towards. "He's not going to risk losing the one thing he never had before,"
"You think you can boss Discord around?" asked Discord as he skated after Fluttershy. The Valkyrie merely held a hard expression as she walked along the ice, occasionally slipping after a couple of steps.
"You think I'm just going to turn all this back because you say so? Because if I don't, I'll lose the one friend I ever had?" Discord suddenly stopped as his eyes widened in realization. After saying his own words aloud, he realized the turn that the situation had taken. He turned to find the skates that Fluttershy had rejected, lying alone on the ice. His eyes watered as he continued to think back to his time in a petrified state, and the years before his fall.
"Oh. Oh. Well played, Fluttershy. Well played," said Discord as he began to skate away. Fluttershy lost her hard expression and raised her brows in surprise. She immediately turned and found Discord sitting on one of the sunken/frozen apple trees as he held his eyes closed. A great wave of magic melted the ice away along with casting away the flood. The beavers that were responsible for building the dams were returned to normal, and their dams vanished. Junior's eyes widened in shock.
"He... No way," said Junior. Mosura merely smiled.
'I knew it,' thought Mosura. Fluttershy stared in surprise at what had occurred. She then smiled as her friends greeted her with cheers.
"You did it, Fluttershy!" cried Rainbow.
"Woo! Not even Discord could keep you down!" said Rodan with a grin. The sound of a magic burst filled their ears, prompting them to turn to find Discord standing by with a soft smile.
"I liked it better my way, but... I guess when you're friends, you can't always have things exactly your way all the time, eh?" said Discord. Fluttershy merely smiled as she made her way over to the Draconequus and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"That's right," said Fluttershy. Junior sighed in relief. Mosura merely smiled as she nudged him in the rib.
"Told ya," said Mosura. Junior raised a brow at her.
"Yeah, but how did you know?" asked Junior.
"Well... I guess I learned a thing or two about him as well before we came here," said Mosura with a smile.




Later...

Junior sat alone on a bench as Fluttershy, Discord and Celestia held a conversation together. Twilight stood by the rest of the Element Bearers, and Transmutants as they conversed. Junior sighed as he propped his chin up with his hand.
"Hey," greeted Mosura. Junior turned and found her strolling over to his side with Angirasu with her. Junior smiled as he greeted them with a nod.
"Hey," said Junior. Mosura took a seat beside him while Angirasu merely stood by.
"Well, looks like things turned out well in the end," said Mosura.
"Yeah, thanks to her," said Junior with a light smile as he looked to Fluttershy. He then sighed with nostalgia.
"You know, I remember the first time that she offered me her hand in friendship. It was right after I showed an ugly part of myself when someone pisses me off. I remember how this Garuda was bullying her for bumping into her," said Junior. He then chuckled.
"When she asked if I would mind being friends with her, I thought she was joking. I thought, 'How can a girl this timid, this sweet, want to be friend with someone like me?' But I didn't care. I was too happy to refuse," said Junior with a smile as he watched Fluttershy converse with Discord. Angirasu smiled.
"Yeah, she's great," said Angirasu with a sigh.
"Careful, your face is flushing," said Mosura in a teasing tone. Angirasu looked away in embarrassment.
"You know, after all that's happened during the noon and witnessing the way Discord was, I didn't think she'd succeed. But... she stood against all odds and the face of overwhelming doubt," said Junior. Angirasu chuckled.
"She may not look it, but she's strong," said Angirasu. Junior sighed. He then noticed Discord approaching.
"Discord," greeted Junior with a nod and indifferent expression. The Draconequus tapped his claws together as he cleared his throat.
"Um... listen, Gojira. I uh... I've been harsh to you when I was freed for the first time into this era," said Discord. Mosura's eyes widened in surprise while Junior looked at him in confusion.
"I've brought up some of the things that you were only able to share with me and used them to break your spirit. More than it already was. I even turned your friends on you," said Discord. Junior even gave him a deadpanned stare.
"You also forced me and Angirasu to fight in your stupid gladiatorial game with Mantises, nearly exposing us to our friends at the time," said Junior. Discord looked at him in annoyance.
"I was getting to that!" said Discord. He then sighed.
"I just want you to know that... I'm... I'm..." Discord struggled to get his words out. Junior raised a brow while Mosura smiled with glee.
"Go on! Go ahead and say it! You boys need to patch things up!" said Mosura. Discord blew steam out of his mouth as he struggled to speak.
"I'm sorry!" said Discord as he turned away with his arms crossed.
"You're... what?" asked Junior in surprise.
"Are you deaf?! I said I'm sorry!" shouted Discord. The Transmutants recoiled back from his loud tone, Discord's eyes widened as he felt the other Transmutants and humans staring at him in confusion. He cleared his throat as he turned back to Junior, who bore a look of surprise.
"No need to shout," said Junior with a soft chuckle. Discord merely scowled in response.
"Well, just so you know, I'm not looking for you to-"
"Eh, I accept it," said Junior. Discord raised a brow. Junior merely bore a neutral expression as he shrugged.
"I'm not in any position to hold a grudge against someone that can take away my abilities to transform. I once went toe to toe with Nightmare Moon, but even I lost that fight. Of course, that didn't stop me from fighting Chrysalis, but I digress," said Junior.
"You're forgiving me that easily?" asked Discord in confusion.
"Who said it was easy? Besides, it became easier since I actually considered you to be my only friend. Celestia told me stories about you and showed me your stone statue. I knew you couldn't have respond, but I thought it'd help me get through some tough times. Even if you didn't cared," said Junior with a sigh. Discord cleared his throat.
"I see. Say, are you still having insecurities like what cute girls think about you?" asked Discord. Junior's eyes widened.
"Th-That's ridiculous! I've never-"
"Don't bother denying it, Goji," said Mosura with a deadpanned stare. Junior sighed.
"So, you do remember that night? Yeah, it was pretty pathetic," said Junior as he rubbed his forehead.
"Yeah, pretty much. But I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't have missed your company," said Discord in a soft tone. "You did relieve me of boredom and you intrigued me with your interest in me. Maybe you did start off as an annoyance when you were a kid, but... you sort of grew on me," said Discord.
"Then...why did you say that I had no purpose and that I was doomed?" asked Junior. Discord shook his head.
"Because you reminded me of myself when I was younger. Someone that didn't have others around much like himself, in a world filled with people afraid of what you are," said Discord. He then turned and noticed the humans approaching.
"I was ready to give you a very special place in the kingdom that I had planned when I first returned. I thought by breaking you from these humans, would give you a chance to start something better. But I think you have something better now," said Discord.
"Out of curiosity, what was that special place?" asked Junior. Discord smirked.
"Careful, you might regret not turning over to my side if I tell you now," said Discord. Junior scowled.
"I doubt it," said Junior.
"Well, let's just say that the world was going to be at your fingertips," said Discord with a wink. Junior's eyes widened in surprise.
"That kind of special place?" asked Junior. Discord shrugged in response as he made his way over to Fluttershy and Celestia.
"Unfortunately for you, I'm reformed now and I'm using my powers for good! You snooze, you lose!" said Discord as he chuckled. Junior merely kept a neutral expression.
"I could have been the ruler of the goddamn world if I was on his side," said Junior in disbelief. "Now I regret asking,"
"Seriously?" asked Mosura in worry. Junior merely smiled as he turned to face her.
"I'm kidding. My friends are worth more to me than that," said Junior. Mosura sighed in relief, she then sent him a glare.
"You see, I can never tell whether you're joking or not! You're gonna give me a heart attack over every deadpanned phrase like that!" said Mosura in a scolding tone.
"Sorry," shrugged Junior. He then stood up to his feet and joined the group. Mosura stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.
"Goji, about that night in your past. Just know that you're worth more than you think. If you were gone, we'd miss you. We're your friends and we love you, Gojira," said Mosura with a frown. Junior merely smiled.
"Thanks, I love you guys too. You're my family," said Junior. Mosura merely wrapped her arms around him as she pulled him into a hug as she smiled.
"Oh! Didn't you want to ask Discord for help?" asked Mosura.
"Oh! Right!" said Junior as he and Mosura pulled away from each other. He then began to run down to the group.
"Discord! Hey, I want to ask you a favor!" said Junior.
"Is it about me keeping the fact that you accidentally destroyed one of the gargoyle statues in Canterlot Castle's statue garden when practicing your martial arts as a kid a secret?" asked Discord. Junior's eyes widened in response. Celestia turned to face Junior with a look of disapproval.
"What?" asked Celestia in a stern tone. Junior slumped his shoulders as he gave a nervous chuckle. He then gave Discord a glare, who smiled nervously as he shrugged.




Later that night...

Junior stared out the window, into the night inside of Twilight's library. He then turned as he found the rest of the Transmutants standing by with Discord. He glanced to his side and found Twilight and the other Element Bearers looking on in worry. He then turned and found Celestia standing by anxiously. Junior sighed.
"You found her, Discord?" asked Junior. Discord merely stood with a handheld device with a spinning satellite on top. He hummed to himself as it began to beep.
"Hold on, it's not easy locating her. But the demonic energy that she's radiating with helps. I am capable of locating beings with great power, or even ones that seem a lot more out of the ordinary, even god-like," said Discord.
"Demonic energy?" asked Twilight.
"Oh, you didn't know? Rebecca Shoichet is a human that's transcended with the powers of a demon. Very ruthless beings that are the masters of Dark Magic. They're very rude as well. I knew this one demon named Krampus, and he said some very hurtful things to me, on Hearth's Warming Eve!" said Discord with a scowl.
"Wait, her name is Sunset Shimmer. Who the hell is Rebecca Shoichet?" asked Erika in confusion.
"Oops. Excuse me, I've just gotten so infuriated with thinking about Krampus that my mind wandered into another reality," chuckled Discord. Rodan raised his hand.
"So demons. Don't you count as a demon? Eh, No offense!" said Rodan with a nervous smile.
"Nooo. I am the Spirit of Chaos! I may have been evil, but all I wanted to do was rule the world. Demons are larger in number compared to me and want to see everything killed and destroyed. Some even have powers that rival my own. We have enough differences to be separate. But, if I drone on about those guys, we'll be here all day," said Discord in annoyance.
"Well, that explains Sunset's appearance that day," said Erika as she looked to Junior, who nodded in response. Celestia stepped to Discord's side.
"Discord, you seem to be more acquainted with demonic beings. How is it possible for a spirit to be transcended with a human?" asked Celestia.
"Well, the spirit world is filled with forces that can grant mortals gifts. Much like Avatars, who can be granted a significant amount of power if a human were to reach that ascension from performing certain actions. Demons can enhance mortals in certain ways, but not as greatly as stronger forces," said Discord as he placed on a pair of glasses and took on a lecturing tone.
"They can sometimes possess a being that's vulnerable, filled with a raging amount of negative emotions. But they only do this to ruin lives and to move freely around the physical world since most are bound to remain in Tartarus. Another way is if a demon teaches them the art of Dark Magic, or exposes their spiritual essence to them. Sunset must have been exposed to a demon's spiritual essence. A strong one as well," said Discord as he continued to turn the dial on the device that he held. The Transmutant Four glanced at each other, recognizing the term, 'spiritual essence'. Discord then looked at Junior curiously.
"You know, I've noticed something odd about you and three of your Transmutant friends," said Discord. Junior went stiff.
"O-Oh?" asked Junior. He then recoiled as Discord invaded his personal space and observed him with a magnifying glass.
"Indeed! You seem to be giving off a strange type of energy. In fact, if I didn't knew better, I'd say-"
"It's probably radiation!" lied Junior with a nervous smile. Discord raised a brow.
"Radiation? What kind?" asked Discord.
"Um... nuclear! Yes, we're filled with a mix of nuclear energy, geothermal..." Mosura named off the energies that she and the other Transmutants were able to absorb.
"Oh! Don't forget solar energy for me! Very clean and environmentally friendly!" said Erika, oblivious to Mosura and Junior attempting to deter Discord's curious analysis. The rest of the humans looked at Junior and Mosura suspiciously as they bore nervous smiles. Discord shrugged.
"Yes, that might be it," said Discord with a shrug. Junior and Mosura mentally sighed in relief, thankful that they did not have to risk freaking their friends out that they absorbed spiritual essence of giant monsters. Celestia rubbed her chin.
"Wait, Discord, what was it that-" Celestia was interrupted as the device that Discord held began to beep.
"Ah ha! Found her!" said Discord as he began to stare at the device. He then hummed.
"Good news, she's still in Equestria and alive," said Discord. Erika sighed in relief.
"Thank god," said Erika.
"Save your prayers my dear. For all we know, she can be missing her limbs, dying, or as old as Celestia," said Discord. Erika's face went pale while Celestia looked at him in offense.
"Hey!" said Celestia.
"That last one is ridiculous. She's only been gone for over a week, and she'd be dead by now," deadpanned Junior.
"Expect the unexpected, Gojira," said Discord as he raised his eagle claw and slashed the air. The claws opened a portal that revealed a dark, icy hall. Everyone in the library recoiled.
"Wait, where is that?!" exclaimed Rodan.
"Calm down, it's just Northern Equestria. Now, feel free to take your time or just run in and save your friend," said Discord.
"Technically she's not my friend but, whatever," said Junior as he popped his joints. Celestia looked at him with a frown, but then her eyes widened.
"Wait, you're not going with them?" asked Celestia as she looked to Discord.
"Why should I? They're big boys and girls that can take care of themselves and destroy an entire army alone. I see no problem," said Discord with a shrug. Twilight stepped forward with her friends.
"Wait! We should go with you guys. From what we've seen by those Elves, they had some pretty dangerous magic," said Twilight.
"No, that's out of the question. Remember what we talked about, Twilight," said Junior.
"Yes, I remember what we talked about! But we-"
"Twilight, if you and the others come along, you're all just going to get in the way," said Junior.  Twilight and the other Element Bearers looked at him with hurt expressions. Junior's eyes slightly widened as he analyzed his own words.
"Girls, I-I didn't mean it like that," said Junior with a light frown. Twilight looked at him in frustration.
"You know, just because you can transform into another creature, heal from wounds sooner than normally, and lift things several times your weight, doesn't mean you have to act so macho when it comes to things like this!" said Twilight.
"No, it's not like that!" said Junior.
"I thought you already learned that you can rely on us," said Rainbow as she crossed her arms.
"I did! But this is a different situation!" said Junior.
"How is it different?" questioned Applejack.
"One, this isn't some friendship situation that you deal with when you're not saving Equestria," said Junior.
"There's also the fact that these guys are allied with Transmutant Revolutionaries and can wield strong magic," said Angirasu.
"Twilight can wield strong magic!" argued Pinkie.
"I have no doubt that she can. But these guys are something else. She's not combat oriented like they were," said Junior.
"If that was the case, I wouldn't have stepped up when Equestria needed us the last few times!" said Twilight. "We don't need you protecting us all the time! You always have us sit on the sidelines for conflicts like this one!"
"Uh... guys?" said Rodan as he glanced at the portal. Junior scoffed.
"That's an exaggeration. I don't-"
"Yes you do! Whenever there's a creature issue, a Transmutant issue, you always want us on the sidelines," said Rainbow with a glare.
"Guys," called Rodan as he stood anxiously.
"I didn't hear any complaints before," said Junior.
"Actually, they did every time. You chose to tune them out," said Mosura. Junior groaned in annoyance.
"Look, perhaps I should go with you all instead," said Celestia as she stepped forward.
"Oh, ho, ho! Hell, no. I'm definitely not getting you involved in this," said Junior.
"Junior, I am fully capable of handling myself. Besides, Sunset Shimmer is family as much as you are to me," said Celestia.
"If something were to happen to you, then not only would I lose you, but Equestria would lose a princess!" said Junior.
"Guys!" shouted Rodan.
"What?!" said Junior in annoyance.
"Look!" said Rodan as he pointed down the hall. Junior turned to the portal and his eyes widened as he found several Elves in dark clothing charging through the halls.
"Shit! Come on guys, we gotta move!" said Junior as he turned to the Transmutants. Erika nodded as she ran through the portal first and began to charge towards the Elves.
"Rodan!" cried Rainbow as Rodan ran to the portal.
"I'll be back, babe!" said Rodan as he ran through the hall. Mosura made her way through the portal with Angirasu close behind.
"Be careful, Angirasu!" said Fluttershy. Angirasu merely nodded to her as he gave a thumbs up. Junior then ran after his fellow Transmutants.
"Gojira, we're gonna talk about this when you get back!" said Twilight.
"Fine!" said Junior as he ran through the portal. Twilight groaned in frustration.
"No, forget this! I'm not going to stand by while they're doing this alone!" said Twilight as she made her way to the portal.
"Wait up!" said Rainbow as she and the others followed after her. Celestia began to follow them as well.
"Discord, close the portal! I don't want any them coming here!" shouted Junior as he slammed a man against the wall.
"Done! I'll check on you later!" said Discord as he snapped his fingers, causing the portal to disappear right before Twilight could enter. She gasped as she stumbled back. She turned and shot a glare at Discord.
"Why did you do that?! How are they supposed to get home?!" demanded Twilight.
"Not cool, Discord!" said Rainbow as she flew in his face. Discord teleported away from her and appeared on the staircase.
"I did what he asked. Like I said, I'll check on them later," said Discord with a shrug.
"Discord, now is not the time for your games! My son is-" Celestia was interrupted as Discord raised a hand.
"-Fully capable of taking care of himself. Besides, the others are with him. I'll visit their location as soon as I think they've had enough time to find your former student," said Discord.
"Discord, please, open the portal," pleaded Fluttershy.
"Oh, Fluttershy. You know I'd do it for you, but he does have a point," said Discord as he lied back on the staircase.
"Discord, he is going up against foes that outnumber him and his friends! Foes that have knowledge of dark magic!" said Celestia with a glare. Discord sighed as he shook his head.
"You know Celestia, for a being as wise and strong as you are, you failed to figure out the source of that energy source that's popped up," said Discord as he conjured up a glass of lemonade and proceeded to drink from it. Celestia's eyes widened. The Element Bearers looked at her in wonder.
"Wait, you know its source? Where and what is it?" asked Celestia.
"Tsk. Tsk. I'm not at liberty to say," said Discord.
"Damn it, Discord! I need to know! And what does this have to do with my son?!" demanded Celestia. The Element Bearers recoiled at Celestia's swearing. Given that they have never heard her swear before, whatever had her worried must be serious.
"Um... no, you don't need to know. You want to know. But I can assure you that the source could not have been in a better place than it already is," said Discord. Celestia narrowed her eyes at him. Tension filled the air, crushing the Element Bearers and the drake under its weigjt. They just waited for these two older beings to duke it out.
"Open the portal, and take me to my son," ordered Celestia in a firm tone. Discord sighed in response.
"Truth be told, I have no actual say in the matter. I did promise that I'd be more of a friend and that I would put my magic to good use," said Discord as he stood up and popped his knuckles.
"Very well, I shall open the portal again, but in a different location. Whoever they infiltrated may be surrounding that hall," said Discord. The Element Bearers smiled brightly.
"Thank you, Discord," said Celestia with a soft smile.
"Yeah, whatever," muttered Discord. He then sent the Avatar a glare.
"But you better take the blame for me bringing you along!" said Discord. Celestia gave a short laugh.
"Fair enough," said Celestia. Twilight stepped forward.
"I'll come too!" said Twilight.
"Oh no, I'm definitely not bringing you! I'm already bringing his adoptive mother, but I rather not face a speedy trial while receiving the death penalty for bringing his little girlfriend too!" said Discord. Twilight gave him a look of annoyance.
"Please don't call me, 'little'," said Twilight. Applejack sighed as she placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder.
"Rise above your height insecurity, Twi," said Applejack. Twilight groaned in annoyance as she crossed her arms. Discord waved his hands as he prepared to create another portal. Twilight turned to Celestia with pleading eyes.
"Very well. But stay close," said Celestia in reluctance. Twilight smiled brightly and made her way to her mentor's side. Discord sighed in exasperation.
"Humans," said Discord.
"Please, look after them," said Fluttershy with a look of worry.
"Yeah! They better be back in one piece!" said Rainbow with a glare.
"Would you prefer one body bag each, or fused together?" asked Discord as he removed a leg and arm, and then fused them together. Everyone in the room gave him a deadpanned stare.
"Don't even joke about that," said Rarity.
"Yeesh. Tough crowd," muttered Discord. He then used his eagle claws to slice the air, spawning another portal. The location was a dimly lit room with several piles of laundry. Discord turned to the other girls in annoyance.
"I swear, if I catch any of you following us, I'm tossing you through another portal to Manehattan, leaving you to take a train back home!" said Discord. They looked at him with innocent smiles. Discord then bowed as he gestured to the portal.
"Ladies first," said Discord.
"Oh, what? You're afraid to step through first?" asked Twilight with an amused smile.
"Don't be silly. Whoever heard of someone being afraid of entering a laundry room?" asked Discord with a deadpanned stare. He then glared at the girls.
"I also want to make sure we aren't followed," growled Discord. The girls merely kept their innocent smiles. Celestia then made her way through the portal, followed by Twilight.
"Be careful, Twi," said Spike with worry. Twilight gave him a reassuring smile. She then leapt through the portal, followed by Discord, who pulled down a zipper and sealed the portal shut. The Element Bearers were left alone, the air was filled with silence.
"I don't know why Discord is afraid of Goji killing him. He's immortal, isn't he?" asked Pinkie.
"Eh I think he was just trying to make a point at how furious Gojira would be," said Applejack. Rainbow sighed.
"Man, this blows. We should be down there backing them up," said Rainbow with a scowl.
"Indeed. And Gojira's comment was most uncalled for," said Rarity with a hurt expression.
"Aw, come on! You all know he didn't mean it," said Spike as he gave his friends a reassuring smile.
"Oh yeah, I sensed how insincere he was when he said that we'd get in the way," scoffed Rainbow as she crossed her arms.
"Yeah, he acts like we can't even take care of ourselves! Like we're some 'damsels in distress'," said Applejack in annoyance as she made air quotes.
"Oh, I don't think he meant it like that," said Fluttershy.
"Are you implying that Goji is saving his former crush so he can get a kiss from her, since she's the damsel in distress today?" asked Pinkie with a raised brow. An uncomfortable silence filled the air.
"Nooo. I'm pretty sure that'd be him cheating on Twilight," said Rainbow with a deadpanned stare.
"Besides, he's faithful to her. A very nice trait in any man or woman," said Rarity with a sigh.
"Yeah, you're right. Besides, this isn't a harem fic, where sometimes the protagonist is indecisive to the point of not choosing," said Pinkie as she walked away.
"Wait, what?" asked Applejack. Spike tilted his head.
"What's a harem?" asked Spike in confusion.
"Nothing!" said the girls in unison with nervous smiles. Spike merely grumbled in response.




Meanwhile in the Frozen North...

Twilight shivered as she clutched her arms. The cold air chilled her and Celestia to the bone.
"Man, it's freezing in here! Where the hay are we?" asked Twilight as she looked around the vast amount of laundry.
"Obviously, the laundry room," said Discord as he wore a sweater and scarf, and began to drink hot coco. "Ooh! I am looking forward to this year's Hearth's Warming Eve! I even got my festive sweater and hot cocoa ready!" said Discord. Celestia and Twilight looked at him in annoyance.
"Oh, did you want some?" asked Discord.
"Actually, we were hoping that you'd offer us something warm to wear," said Celestia as she shivered in place.
"Oh, right," said Discord as he snapped his fingers. Celestia and Twilight were suddenly bundled up in sweaters with scarfs.
"Thank you," said Celestia. Twilight began to search the room.
"So, where should go?" asked Twilight.
"Well, we can find her ourselves. We find Rebecca Shoichet, we find Gojira," said Discord.
"Again, who is this Rebecca Shoichet?" asked Twilight in annoyance.
"You wouldn't understand," said Discord as he proceeded to float around the room.
"Maybe if you'd explain it, I would!" said Twilight.
"Don't mind him, Twilight. Discord has always been this random," said Celestia.
"And you always been concerned about the mass of your rear and thighs!" said Discord. Celestia sent him a glare while Twilight's eyes widened.
"Not in front of my student," growled Celestia.
"It's not even that big! You women always look for anything in your image to be flawed and despair over it!" said Discord.
"Hey, that's sexist!" said Twilight in offense.
"Oh, don't even deny it! You were offended when I called you little. I bet you once tried to dress sexy to impress your boyfriend because you were worried that he'd look at other women," said Discord with a laugh. Twilight's face flushed furiously.
"Th-that's not true!" said Twilight. She avoided eye contact with Celestia, unable to take what sort of reaction that she may have held.
"Discord, you should know that it's a lot harder for women to take care of their appearance," said Celestia with a look of disapproval.
"I never said it wasn't. I'm merely saying that you both look fine and you should relax a bit," said Discord as he lied back in the air. Celestia and Twilight scowled in response.
"Next time, just say so instead of doing what you just did," said Celestia with a light blush on her cheeks.
"If it makes you feel better, men get insecure about some things too," said Discord as he filed his claws. Twilight looked at him curiously.
"Really? Like what?" asked Twilight.
"Well, there's their masculinity, who wears the pants of a relationship, finances, physical fitness, and there's also the size of their-"
"Discord!" shouted Celestia with red cheeks.
"Well, it's true! That last one is the number one insecurity!" said Discord with a shrug. Twilight merely kept a blank expression. Oblivious to what was the cause of Celestia's flushing face.
"What was that last-"
"Do you hear something?" asked a voice that muffled from behind the door. Twilight cupped her mouth with her hands. Celestia gasped as she lowered herself.
"Oh, right," whispered Discord as he transformed into a basket. Twilight and Celestia dove for cover into a large pile of laundry.
"I think it came from here," said another male voice. The door to the laundry room creaked open, revealing two Elf men to be walking in. They both searched the room with sharp eyes.
'Ugh! These socks reek!' thought Twilight in disgust.
"I thought I heard voices in here," said one of the Elves.
"Probably just two of our own making out while on duty," said the second Elf.
"Hey, you better not be making out! You're supposed to be working right now!" said the first Elf.
"Dude, come on. They're not gonna answer," said the second Elf in annoyance.
"I'm serious! I want my socks and underwear nice and clean!" said the first Elf. He was then pulled out of the laundry. The door was closed and the faint sounds of their footsteps soon left their hearing range. Twilight immediately burst out of the laundry.
"Please tell me that we weren't hiding in anyone's underwear!" whispered Twilight in disgust. Discord suddenly returned back to his original form.
"Actually, the underwear is in the corner. Right next to that flag over there," said Discord with interest as he flew towards the corner and picked up the black flag. Celestia stood up and turned to find Discord looking over the flag.
"Hmm. This is an interesting symbol," said Discord as he turned the flag over. Twilight's and Celestia's eyes widened and then hardened.
"What? Not your taste?" asked Discord with a shrug.
"No, that's a symbol of death to innocent lives," said Celestia. Discord looked at the symbol again with a raised brow.
"It's the symbol of the Transmutant Revolutionaries, a group of Transmutant terrorists," said Twilight. Discord immediately dropped the flag.
"Oh," said Discord. He then cleared his throat.
"Well, we should get going. Pretty soon, Gojira will beat us to Sunset Shimmer," said Discord.
"Lead the way," said Celestia.



The freezing cold air trailed throughout the hall that the Transmutant Four and Erika were currently in. Unconscious elves lied scattered across the hall. Junior knelt down by a man that was missing his front teeth.
"I guess we're in the right place after all," said Junior as he stood back up to his feet. Rodan searched the hall in confusion.
"So... where do we go now?" asked Rodan.
"Hmm. Maybe we should have interrogated one of these guys," said Angirasu as he scratched his head. Erika and Mosura looked at the male Transmutants in annoyance.
"We kept trying to tell you to not rough all of them up so much," deadpanned Mosura. Junior shrugged.
"Oh well. We still got a whole lot of them to interrogate later," said Junior. He made his way down the hall with his muscles tensed.
"Wait! We should really think about this," said Mosura as she ran to Junior's side.
"I've got a game plan already. You guys search for Shimmer. I'll draw away any assholes that may interfere," said Junior.
"Are you insane?! You do realize that there are potentially other Transmutants here, right?!" demanded Erika.
"Exactly," said Junior as he hardened his eyes.
"Goji, you'll need some back up. I'll go with you while the rest search for Sunset Shimmer," interjected Angirasu. Junior turned to face the other Transmutant, who merely kept a hard stare.
"You really don't have to," said Junior.
"I know. But I think with both of us, we can keep everyone else away," said Angirasu. Junior merely smirked.
"Alright, you can come," said Junior as he turned back around and made his way down the hall. Angirasu ran after him.
"Be careful!" said Mosura with a look of worry. Rodan frowned in disappointment.
"Damn. Oh well, I at least got rescuing damsel in distress duty," said Rodan with a smile. He then turned to other side of the hall and began to run.
"Onward!" said Rodan. Mosura sighed in annoyance.
"Maybe we should have made Gojira take Rodan with him," said Mosura as she turned to Erika.
"Doesn't matter now," said Erika as she ran after Rodan. Mosura shrugged and decided to join her group.
Meanwhile, Junior and Angirasu continued to run down the hall. As they reached a corner, they slowed down and slid against the wall. As he reached the corner, Junior peeked over and found a few men in cloaks conversing with urgency. Junior brought his head back and looked towards Angirasu.
"I've got a scent on several Transmutants down here. What do you want to do?" asked Angirasu.
"Kick their asses," answered Junior in a flat tone. Angirasu nodded as he bore a smile.
"Lead the way," said Angirasu. Junior turned to the corner.
"There are some elves down here. Let's rush them," said Junior. He then burst into a sprint over the corner of the hall and began to charge towards the humans.
"What the-" One of the elves turned and found Junior charging towards him. He was knocked off of his feet and flew to the side as Junior rammed his shoulder against him. The Transmutant kicked an elf that was on his left and knocked him to the ground.
"Why you-" a woman raised her hands and fired of spark of dark magic into Junior's chest. The Transmutant grunted as he was forced back. He gasped as he clutched his chest and dropped to his knees. The dark magic that had struck him felt as if it were burning into his soul. His heart weakly pumped as he began to feel cold. His eyes briefly flashed red as he felt his mind wander. His eyes widened as he found the elf looking down at him with her hand engulfed in a dark aura.
"Back off!" shouted Angirasu as he grabbed the woman's wrist and forced her arm behind her back. The woman attempted to struggle out of his hold but was then flipped over and fell to the ground. She groaned painfully as her back ached from landing on the stone. As she shot up, Angirasu immediately placed her into a sleeper hold. His opponent groaned as she attempted to fight the Transmutant off, but her efforts were fruitless. Her air was being cut off and she felt light headed as she frantically moved her arms.
"Shh. Go to sleep," whispered Angirasu as he felt the woman give in. She rolled her eyes back as she slumped into Angirasu's arms, unconscious. The Transmutant sighed in relief as he gently lowered her to the ground. He turned and found Junior sweating as he clutched his chest.
"Hey, you alright?" asked Angirasu worriedly. Junior grunted as he shook off his disorientation.
"I'm...I'm fine. Her spell was a dozy," said Junior as he shook himself. He then sluggishly stood up to his feet. "Listen, try to avoid magic attacks that are black like that. Dark magic is not fun to be hit by."
"I was just going to tell you that," chuckled Angirasu.  He then nudged Junior's shoulder. "Come on. Let's rock and roll,"
'More like someone's head is going to roll,' thought Junior as he clenched his fist. He nodded to Angirasu.
"Got it," said Junior as he moved on ahead. His eyes then flashed red as he thought back to Destoroyah. His scent was in the air, signaling that he was close.
"Angirasu, if we run into Destoroyah, just know that he's mine," said Junior as his eyes hardened. Angirasu glanced at him warily as he heard his friend's sharp tone.
"Are you sure? I mean, maybe we'd have a chance if-"
"No. I can handle him myself. I'm going to make sure he doesn't make it out of here alive," said Junior. Angirasu sighed.
"Alright," said Angirasu in reluctance. The two picked up their speed and found themselves in a large room. It was empty, filled with only a few torches.
"Man, it's cold in here," said Angirasu as he shivered.
"Well, I wouldn't worry. Once we get caught in a battle, you'll start to build up heat," said Junior as he turned to the shadows, finding multiple figures stepping out with weapons. They all sent the Transmutants glares. Junior's ears perked as he looked up to the ceiling and found a few mantises clicking their mandibles. Junior smirked as he popped his shoulders. Angirasu popped his knuckles as he chuckled.
"Oh, this is going to be fun," said Angirasu. Junior dropped to his knees as he slammed his hands onto the ground, causing the stone to crack. He grunted as his body grew his dorsal plates and his charcoal grey scales. Angirasu groaned as he dropped onto all fours as his arms and legs grew. The humans backed away as the Transmutant mantises dropped from the ceiling and began to screech. The entire room erupted into loud roars that echoed out in the temple.




Meanwhile...

A group of Shadow's Hand members ran down the halls of the temple. They wore dark armor and were armed with weapons. As they rounded a hall, they passed a large wall. After several seconds later as they left this wall, it suddenly rolled up like a sheet and disappeared. Discord peeked out from where the false wall covered a corner of the temple and watched the humans leave. He then placed a paw behind his ear as he heard faint echoed roars.
"Hmm. Sounds like Gojira is starting trouble already," said Discord. Twilight peaked out of the corner with a look of disbelief.
"He transformed? Ugh. I thought he'd be more stealthy about this," said Twilight.
"We'll just have to make this quick. Where to, Discord?" asked Celestia as she peaked from out of the corner. Discord reached for the fang that stuck out of his mouth and removed it. He then tossed it to the ground, allowing it to skid across the stone floor. The tooth suddenly changed in shape and size, morphing into a pole with an arrow on top. The arrow pointed to the opposite end of the hall from where the elves had come from.
"Down there!" said Discord as he grabbed the object and caused it to shrink back into his fang.
"Very good. Let's go!" said Celestia as she sprinted down the hall with Twilight trailing after her. Discord sighed in annoyance as he stuck the fang back into his mouth and floated after them. He held his arms back as he allowed himself to levitate towards Celestia’s side while in a lying position.
"You know, this is quite exciting. I mean, I never thought I'd already be on my first mission for the good guys," said Discord.
"Discord, be serious about this! This isn't a game!" said Celestia as she looked towards the corners of the halls that they passed.
"I'm not treating this like a game. I'm merely stating how exciting this is," said Discord with as he flew up ahead by Twilight's side.
"So tell me, Twilight. How did a socially awkward book worm like you manage to get into a relationship with an anti-social punk like Gojira?" asked Discord. Twilight looked at him in annoyance.
"Can this wait?" asked Twilight.
"I don't see why not now. Tell me now before we save his former crush! By the way, does it concern you that he's putting this much effort to save her while he's having you wait on the side lines?" asked Discord. Twilight's eyes slightly widened. Celestia hardened her eyes.
"Discord, please," said Celestia.
"It's just a simple question. I only bring it up because I remember how he would talk about her whenever he got the chance," said Discord. He then pulled out a hand puppet that bore Junior's appearance and held it up to Twilight's face.
"Oh, you should've seen her! She has this amazing crimson hair! It's beautiful like a Phoenix's feathers!" said Discord as he moved the puppets mouth. He flawlessly mimicked Junior's voice, much to Twilight's disturbance. She watched the puppet in annoyance but then found herself imagining the words actually coming from the Transmutant's mouth.
"My, she sounds like a knock out, Gojira!" said Discord as he looked at the puppet with a sly smile. He made the puppet turn to face him.
"That's not all, Discord! I always was a fan of girls with pointed ears. She's got 'em too!" said the puppet. Twilight's face turned into a scowl as she continued to run.
"Maybe I should ask her out? Nah, that'd be too crazy! But she's really beautiful!" said the puppet. Twilight stopped running as she turned to face Discord with a glare.
"OK! I get it, he had a crush on her and now he's going to rescue her! Can we drop it?!" shouted Twilight as her eye twitched. Discord and Celestia flinched in response. Discord and the puppet glanced at each other and then looked back to Twilight, who fumed in anger. Discord then moved the puppet closer to Twilight, who merely glared at it.
"Twiliiiight. Puppet Gojira wants to talk to you~," said Discord with a smile.
"Discord, please stop," said Celestia.
"I don't want to talk to him. I just want to find Sunset Shimmer so we can all go home," said Twilight as she crossed her arms and looked away. Discord lightly frowned in response, but then smiled as he held the puppet by Twilight's shoulder.
"Don't feel bad, Twilight. At least you weren't trying to kill me like an insect," said Discord as he mimicked Junior's voice. Twilight merely glanced at the puppet.
"Unlike a certain girl that I had a crush on. What a witch! At least I met someone else, who likes me back. That makes you feel good, right?" asked the puppet. Twilight's expression softened as she looked at the puppet.
"Forgive me for saying this Princess, but it actually does make me feel better," said Twilight in a neutral tone.
"Good! Because I'm only doing this because that other Transmutant is nagging me to!" said the puppet in annoyance.
"I... I can't say that I blame you for being upset, Junior. But I do ask that you give Sunset a chance," said Celestia. She then looked to the puppet with a soft expression.
"I think that you both should put your past behind yourselves so that you both may have a fresh start. Forgiveness will lighten your burden," said Celestia with a soft smile. Twilight lightly smiled as she looked at her mentor. Meanwhile, Discord stood by in discomfort.
"At first, this was amusing. Now, you made it creepy," said Discord. Twilight and Celestia both gave Discord a deadpanned stare in response.
"Hey! Is that you, Goji?!" cried a male voice. The trio were startled by this voice, prompting them to turn to a cross section of the hall and found Rodan peeking out of a corner with the rest of the Transmutants.
"Rodan? Mosu? Guys!" cried Twilight in surprise.
"Twilight?! Princess Celestia, wha- what are you two doing here?!" asked Mosura as she made her way over to the trio. Rodan looked at Discord briefly and then shook his head.
"You brought them here? Man, Goji is going to be pissed when he finds out," said Rodan
"He only brought us here because we made him. I shall explain that to Junior," said Celestia. Twilight looked around in confusion.
"Wait, where are Angirasu and Gojira?" asked Twilight. Erika looked down the hall, checking for any eavesdroppers.
"Takeshi and Riku are causing a distraction right now. We're looking for Sunset, but no luck so far," said Erika.
"Well, we already located her. She's just down here," said Discord as he pointed to his left. Mosura looked at Rodan in annoyance.
"I told you that we were supposed to make another right back there!" said Mosura.
"Good god, woman! Could you not nag me about directions in this place?! It's huge, freezing, and it’s filled with too many damn halls!" retorted Rodan. Celestia turned back the Transmutants with a serious expression.
"You said that Junior and Angirasu were somewhere else?" asked Celestia.
"Um...yeah, they're like back down there. Just make-" Rodan was interrupted as Mosura placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Your highness, if you'd like, I can escort you," said Mosura with a smile. Celestia nodded.
"I would greatly appreciate that, Mosura," said Celestia.
"Good! You guys just follow Discord and regroup with us when you have Sunset Shimmer," said Mosura as she led Celestia through the hall. Rodan scowled.
"She's just saying that because she thinks I have no sense of direction," said Rodan.
"Let's worry about that later, we have to find Sunset!" said Erika in urgency.
"Right, lead the way- Hey, what's with that puppet?" asked Rodan in confusion. Erika turned to Discord and noticed the puppet that was in his hand. Twilight merely held a look of annoyance as Discord held the puppet up.
"I'm no puppet! My name is Gojira Takeshi the 2nd! And I like to beat up monsters!" said Discord as he mimicked Junior's voice.
"Hahaha! That actually sounds like him! No wonder why I heard his voice," laughed Rodan.
"Oh my gosh! That's so cute!" said Erika. She then shook her head furiously, mentally scolding herself for being side tracked.
"Please, let's just go!" said Erika.
"Discord, lead the way," said Twilight with a hard stare. Discord sighed as he banished the puppet away and flew down the hall.
"Hang on, Discord. You'll be able to have your fun later," said Discord with a scowl. The group eventually came across a darker area, where a wooden lied. Discord morphed his finger into a key and stuck it inside of the key hole. Before he could twist his finger, Erika gently pushed him aside.
"I'm sorry, but we have no time for that!" said Erika. She then rammed her shoulder against the door, causing it to fly off of its hinges. Inside was a dark dungeon, where several cells lied. The sound of chains rattling filled their ears.
"Wh-Who's there?" asked a frightened voice. Erika gasped as she ran to the far end of the dungeon. She stopped at a cell and found Sunset Shimmer slowly approaching the cell door. Her clothes were ragged, her skin was pale as a ghost and her hair and skin was a mess. Her eyes widened as she rushed towards the door.
"Erika?" called Sunset with hopeful eyes.
"I'm right here, Sunset! We're here to rescue you!" said Erika as she grabbed the door and began to pull on it. Sunset took several steps back and watched as Erika removed the door and tossed it to the side. She then approached her friend, who met her with a tight embrace.
"You're alive! You're alive!" cried Sunset as her eyes ran with tears of joy. Erika returned her hug as she smiled. She then released her. Sunset's eyes widened as she spotted Twilight, Rodan and Discord.
"Wha-" Sunset looked at Erika in confusion and slight worry.
"It's OK! They're with us," said Erika with a reassuring smile.
"Yeah, but we're still unsure about this guy," said Rodan as he gestured to Discord, who merely stuck his tongue out at him.
"Princess Celestia and Gojira are here too," said Twilight in a soft tone. Sunset's eyes slightly widened as she relaxed her shoulders.
"They...are?" asked Sunset in disbelief. Erika nodded.
"Yes. Come on, we gotta go now!" said Erika as she pulled Sunset along. The Elf pulled back.
"Wait! We can't leave now! Something big is going on!" said Sunset. Twilight and Rodan looked at each other in confusion.
"Big? Like what?" asked Twilight.
"If it's MONARCH working to take over the world by gaining more trust and freedom over the nations, then it's not something we didn't already know," said Rodan with a scowl.
"No! This is much bigger than that!" said Sunset with a look of dread. She felt her chest as she recalled how Thanatos stuck his hand into her body. She slightly trembled as she recalled the horror that she felt.
"The people here are the ones pulling the strings to everything! I don't know much, but they keep talking about this new king that was released," said Sunset.
"New king?" asked Erika. Discord raised a brow.
"Yes! I...I forgot his name, but he seems very experienced with dark magic. But they formed some triple alliance with the Changelings and the Revolutionaries!" said Sunset.
"Wait, the Revolutionaries are here?!" asked Rodan in shock.
"An alliance with the Changelings?!" exclaimed Twilight.
"That's not all! These guys are planning something! The Revolutionaries keep talking about something called, 'Kaiju'. Saying how they're gonna bring salvation or something," said Sunset as she rubbed her head. She stumbled to the side but was caught by Erika.
"I... I can't think straight. They barely give me food and water," said Sunset. Discord spawned a glass of water with a sandwich and held them out to her. She gasped and immediately took them and began to scarf the food down.
"Kaiju? Wait..." Erika looked down in thought. Rodan's eyes slightly widened.
"Gojira told me about Kaiju. He said that they were mythical creatures in Neighponese culture," said Twilight.
"Yeah, so why would they be talking about them as if they were real?" asked Erika. Sunset panted as she took a short break from her food.
"It could be some kind of cult the Revolutionaries formed," said Sunset with a shrug.
"I... I don't think that's it," said Rodan. The rest of the group looked at him in wonder.
"Then what else could it be?" asked Twilight.
'Oh man. Is now a good time to come clean? Would they even believe me?' thought Rodan.
"Does it really matter now? Perhaps we should regroup and worry about more pressing matters," said Discord as he made his way out the door.
"Right, let's get going," said Twilight as she and Rodan followed the Draconequus. Rodan then noticed Discord giving him a wink, much to his confusion. His eyes then widened.
'Does he know for sure?' thought Rodan.
"Can you walk on your own?" asked Erika.
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so," said Sunset as she sluggishly began to walk. She stumbled a bit until she recovered the feeling in her legs. She continued to walk with Erika, slowly picking up her speed.



"Gah!!" cried a member of the Shadow's Hand as he was flung across the room and slammed into a wall. He fell down to the ground, unconscious. Junior snarled as he locked his hands on the hooked appendages of a mantis Transmutant. The beast shrieked as it attempted to snap its mandibles against his muzzle. Junior raised his foot and then sent a powerful kick against the mantis's chest, launching it back several feet. With its clawed appendages locked on by Junior, the mantis's limbs were torn off, making it fall back. The Revolutionary shrieked in agony as it convulsed on the ground, allowing its bleeding wound to stain the ground. Junior grunted as he tossed one of the hooked appendages to the side and proceeded to stomp towards his opponent. The mantis sluggishly stood up as it attempted to flee, but it was tackled to the ground.
Junior growled as his eyes flashed red. His rationality was currently absent, replaced by a primal instinct. He dove down for the mantis's back and bit down with his mighty jaws. The mantis gave a gurgled screech as it felt its carapace mauled. Junior tore his head away with a chunk of the Revolutionary's carapace in his mouth. The red glow in Junior's eyes died down, returning to its normal amber appearance. He gasped as he immediately shot up to his feet and spat the carapace that was held in his jaws. His taste buds tingled from the taste of the insect's bodily fluid that seeped from its wound.
"Wha-What the hell?" muttered Junior as he immediately spat on the floor. He watched as the Revolutionary perished from its wounds, unnerved on what he was doing.
"Oh shit. I wasn't going to eat him, was I?" asked Junior as his stomach turned. Despite the fact that the mantis was lacking human traits, he still felt that it'd be cannibalism if he were to devour his opponent like an animal. He shook his head immediately and turned to find Angirasu swinging his clubbed tail against three members of the Shadow's Hand, knocking them away to the far end of the room.
"These guys must feel really confident that they can beat us," said Angirasu as he shook his body. He then turned to face Junior with a smirk. "Ready to cause more trouble?"
"Uh...yeah! Yeah, let's go," said Junior as he quickly walked down the hall. Angirasu cocked his head to the side, curious.
"Hey, you OK?" asked Angirasu.
"I'm good. Come on," said Junior as he continued to move through the icy halls. Angirasu sighed as he walked on all fours after his friend. The two began to stomp through a narrow hall. Their bodies grazed against the brick walls. Junior growled in annoyance as he held his arms and shoulders closer to himself in an attempt to slide through. The pair eventually came across a grand room, where an altar stood and a frozen wall in the corner. They remained vigilant as they circled the room.
"So, you came," said a voice. Junior and Angirasu immediately turned and found Thanatos, Ghidorah and Destoroyah standing on the altar. The two Guardians tensed as they snarled.
"I must say, I am surprised to see you present in our sanctuary," said Thanatos as he spoke through his hood.
"Well, we had some help finding it. Thank a certain girl that you were keeping prisoner," said Junior with a glare. Thanatos merely kept a neutral expression.
"So, you're here to liberate her? We can't have that. Not when my master desires a powerful bride," said Thanatos.
"Yikes. He sounds like a creep if he's forcing her into marriage," said Angirasu as he pawed at the ground. Destoroyah and Ghidorah both grunted as they transformed. Junior hardened his eyes as he focused on Destoroyah as he took on his demonic form. Destoroyah cackled as he folded his wings.
"Enough talk! It is time to die!" said Destoroyah as he and Ghidorah took to the air. Thanatos merely vanished into thin air, reappearing in the corner of the room. Junior and Angirasu let loose loud roars as they prepared to battle. Destoroyah dove towards Junior with his claws held out. Junior merely leapt towards his nemesis and locked his jaws onto his neck. Destoroyah shrieked as he dropped to the ground with Junior, clawing him. Angirasu dashed towards Ghidorah as he hovered a few feet above. He leaped into the air and rolled himself into a ball. Ghidorah screeched as he was caught by the spikes of the Transmutant as he collided with him. The two slammed into the ground, turning to face each other.
"I still got a score to settle with you!" shouted Angirasu as he charged towards the three headed dragon. Ghidorah's three heads smirked as the smaller Transmutant approached. The middle head fired the gold electric beam towards Angirasu, who evaded the attack by stepping to the side. The left head spewed a beam, and then the right. The beams forced Angirasu into the middle as he attempted to come closer. However, the middle head spewed the beam again, striking Angirasu in his shoulder. The attack caused the Guardian to roar in pain as he tripped and fell onto his belly. Ghidorah raised his foot and then stomped on Angirasu's head, grinding his heel over the flat skull. Angirarus then forced his forelegs to push himself up, making Ghidorah stumble back, and swung his clubbed tail at the stomach of the golden dragon, piercing through his thick scales.
"Wretched little-" Ghidorah charged back towards his opponent.
"Prepare to join your clan in the next life, Takeshi!" shouted Destoroyah as he grabbed Junior's neck with his pincer appendage attached to the end of his tail. Junior's eyes flashed red as he thrashed in place. His dorsal plates glowed; his throat released a neon blue light from the back of his throat and out came his atomic breath. The demon-like Transmutant wailed from the intense heat of the atomic flames. Junior immediately cut off his attack and charged towards Destoroyah, ramming into him. Destoroyah was forced down to the ground against the altar in a daze. Junior stomped towards the Transmutant but then growled in pain as a beam of dark magic struck him in his side. He immediately turned and found Thanatos looking at him with a smirk. Junior's eyes flashed red as he roared in fury. He charged towards the human in a blind, primal rage. No words left his mouth, merely animalistic cries that called for blood. He lunged towards the human, who merely leapt over him and landed from behind. Junior whipped his head around and narrowed his eyes. His tail immediately swung towards the old man, but missed as Thanatos ducked.
"I see," said Thanatos with a dark smile as Junior turned towards him.
"Your consciousness seems to be currently absent. As of now, your Kaiju spirit's enraged heart is attempting to manifest itself through you in order to fulfill its desire," said Thanatos. Junior didn't respond. Every word was nothing but muffle in his ears. He merely bared his teeth as he clenched his hands. Thanatos inhaled deeply as he sighed.
"Can you feel it, master?" asked Thanatos. Junior kept his eyes on Thanatos, but his eyes were drawn to a shadowy motion. He turned his head and found a shadowed figure in a plume of dark clouds seeping through the walls.
"Yes," said Sombra as he emerged from the walls in a misty form, his face being exposed. Junior roared as he charged towards Sombra, but found himself locked by several dark crystals that shot out of the ground. The crystals encircled him in a small prison and then closed in. Several more crystals shot out of the ground, piercing Junior in his sides and pinning his body in place.
"Skreeeeooonnk!!" Junior thrashed in place as he attempted to free himself. Sombra chuckled as he appeared before Junior's face, giving him a sinister smile.
"In your state, I sense a lack of fear in you, creature," said Sombra. Junior snapped his jaws at him, but his teeth only phased through the dark shadow.
"However, I can feel that your heart has hatred. You have anger. But with your power, it's costing you your mind," said Sombra with a laugh. Junior roared angrily as his body sparked and gave off a neon blue light as his dorsal plates illuminated. His body then gave off a nuclear pulse that blasted the crystals away, causing Sombra to grunt in pain as the blinding light flashed in his eyes. He immediately dissipated away from the light and the blast. Thanatos raised a shield to protect himself from the lethal pulse. Junior then slammed his hands onto the ground as he roared at the human. Thanatos immediately shot his hands towards Junior, firing a dark beam of magic against the scar over his chest. Junior's eyes widened as he felt the dark magic seep into his scar, causing it to open out and spray blood. Junior screeched in agony as he dropped to the ground and clutched his stinging scar. Thanatos turned and found Angirasu charging towards him.
"You bastard!" shouted Angirasu. Before he could ram into the human, Ghidorah grabbed him by the tail with his raptor-like feet. Angirasu suddenly found himself being carried up several feet into the air.
"You can fly, right?" asked Ghidorah.
"No!" shouted Angirasu as he turned his head to face Ghidorah with a glare.
"Oh, well that's a shame," said Ghidorah with a cackle. He then released Angirasu, dropping him several feet from the air. The Guardian cried out as he fell to the ground, causing a small crater into the ground on impact. Angirasu moaned as he lied on his back. Ghidorah chuckled as he descended down towards Angirasu until he placed one foot onto his belly, digging his claws into the softer hide. The serpent like necks swayed and hovered over Angirasu as they smiled with malice.
"It's too...it's too cold. I don't have enough strength to..." panted Destoroyah as he clutched his burning chest and sluggishly moved towards Junior. He normally disliked the cold in this temple, but he was able to find warmth in certain areas. In this room, however, the colder temperatures were beginning to take its toll.
"If it is much too difficult for you to finish him, we shall-" Thanatos was interrupted as Destoroyah snarled at him.
"No! I'll be the one to restore honor to my clan!" growled Destoroyah. Thanatos merely kept a calm expression.
"Very well. Do your worst," said Thanatos. Destoroyah growled as he stomped over to Junior, who lied on the ground with red eyes. He raised his head as he snarled at his enemy.
"K-Kill...you!" grunted Junior.
"Even his spirit's primal instincts are affecting his ability to speak," said Thanatos with a look of amusement. Destoroyah raised a claw into the air as he prepared to strike Junior's head, but was caught by a golden beam. He cried out in pain as he clutched his smoking chest. He looked and found Celestia charging towards him with a furious look.
"Stay away from him!" shouted Celestia as she continued to fire her beam towards the Revolutionary. Destoroyah was forced back by the Avatar's powerful magic and was harmed by its intense heat. It was as though the sun itself was casting its solar flares upon him. Ghidorah turned away from Angirasu as he held him down to the ground. He then snarled as his middle head opened its jaws, charging its projectile attack. Before he could fire, his head was struck by a heavy block of ice. He stumbled to the side with the middle head dazed. The two other heads turned and found Mosura rushing towards him with her another large block of ice held over her head. Ghidorah's left head fired an electric beam towards her. Mosura yelped as she stepped to the side, dodging the beam that scorched the direction that she was running in. She then grunted as she threw the block towards the middle head and then focused her telekinesis on it to add velocity. The block was telekinetically pushed towards the left head and knocked it into a dazed state. Ghidorah stumbled and fell over as the right head was unable to keep the body balanced. Angirasu grunted as he rolled back onto his feet.
"Thanks, Mosu!" said Angirasu with a nod.
"Sure, now go help the princess!" said Mosura as she pointed towards Celestia, who struggled to keep Destoroyah back while Thanatos shot his magic beam towards her. Angirasu nodded and ran towards the battle, rolling into a ball with an occasional small bounce. Angirasu slammed against Destoroyah's chest, piercing into his crustacean body. Destoroyah screeched as he fell backwards. Celestia fired a bolt of magic towards Thanatos, who raised a shield to catch it. However, the shield shattered once the bolt made impact.
"Damn!" growled Thanatos as he teleported away. Celestia rushed over to Junior's side.
"Junior, are you alright?!" asked Celestia in worry. Her eyes widened as she found his chest covered in his own blood. The Transmutant met her with a piercing red glare.
"Oh, no," whispered Celestia with dread as she recognized the intense look. Junior snarled as he snapped his jaws at her. Celestia immediately took several steps back as the Transmutant stood up to his feet.
"Junior, stop! Come to your senses!" cried Celestia. Junior merely roared at her as he extended his neck forward, spraying saliva onto the ground. Mosura and Angirasu immediately turned and witnessed Junior charge towards her. He slammed his fist down towards her, but missed as Celestia took off into the air.
"Gojira, what are you doing?!" cried Mosura.
"This happened before! Something is causing him to lose control of himself!" said Celestia as she flew higher as Junior hopped towards her and attempted to bite her.
"Well, how did you get him to stop last time?!" asked Angirasu as he anxiously watched as Destoroyah and Ghidorah beginning to rise.
"I don't know! Caesar did something to make him come to his senses!" said Celestia as Junior turned towards Angirasu and Mosura with a snarl.
"Goji, no!" said Mosura as he charged towards them. Angirasu grunted as he made his way to Junior and tackled him to the ground. Junior roared as he punched Angirasu.
"Knock it off!" shouted Angirasu as he butt heads with Junior. The two Transmutants groaned in pain as their heads collided.
"Ok, that was stupid on my part," said Angirasu as his eyes crossed. Junior shook his head furiously and then shoved Angirasu off of himself. Junior roared as he charged towards Angirasu, prompting him to tense up. However, Junior merely passed him and dove towards Destoroyah. He sent multiple punches towards the Revolutionary leader, whom raised his arms in attempt to block the attacks. Mosura watched with wide eyes as Junior's red eyes glared Destoroyah and her powers told her that his head was overwhelmed with rage that was taking over his human mind. She felt terrified to see her friend acting like that and knew that he was slowly slipping away from her and the others.
"Gojira, stop! Stop, we have to go!" cried Mosura as she ran towards Junior. She stopped and tugged at his tail. She gasped as she found Ghidorah rising to his feet.
"Gojira, come on!" cried Mosura. She then yelped as she felt herself swung around. She gave panicked cries as she held on tightly to Junior's tail as he swung it wildly. Junior growled as he turned from Destoroyah and grabbed Mosura. He brought her close to his muzzle as he snarled. Mosura trembled with fear as she was held by her arm, with her friend's snout just inches from her face with his teeth bared.
"Goji... Please, stop," said Mosura in a distraught tone. Junior merely kept his eyes narrowed on her as he gave a low growl. Mosura shakily raised her free hand towards him and slowly brought it to his snout. Junior's pupils dilated as his growls grew louder. Mosura was about to recoil her hand, but thought against it.
"It's OK. I'm your friend, remember?" asked Mosura in a whisper as she brought her hand over the Transmutant's snout. Junior's pupils slowly contracted, prompting Mosura to gently run a hand over his flat head. However, she noticed that his eyes were still red and that his mood still seemed primal.
"I'm going to find out what's wrong," said Mosura with a firm expression. She then closed her eyes as she linked her own mind with Junior's. The Transmutants were locked in an immobile state. Mosura opened her eyes and found herself in a dark and mysterious place. She recognized it to be the ruined city she saw during her meditation. Mosura searched the area with a wary expression. She then gasped as she found Junior sitting among a pile of rubble, bounded by chains.
"Gojira!" cried Mosura as she ran towards him. Before she could reach him, a massive foot stepped in between her and her friend. Mosura's eyes widened in horror as she shot her head up and found the dark dragon that she had witnessed once in this hellish world. She could fully recognize it as the same species of Kaiju that Junior was mutated with. The dark Kaiju lowered its head as it snarled at Mosura.
"Why are you interfering?" asked the Kaiju in a deep and dark voice.
"You! What are you?! And what are you doing to my friend?!" demanded Mosura. The dark Kaiju laughed, giving the sound of thunder.
"Your friend? Gojira does not need any friends, Mosura Yasu," said the Kaiju. He raised himself up higher and turned to the dark clouds that flashed with lightning.
"I am a part of Gojira's soul. I embodied his rage and self-loathing, but when the spirit essence of his past life was infused in his soul, I gained consciousness and became a second part of him, almost a separate yet similar entity," said the dark Kaiju. Mosura's eyes widened in shock at the thought of the Kaiju being a part of Junior, yet it explained Junior’s rampages. "The anger in his past life's heart was truly how I became more than just a nightmare. I am Gojira's true inner self, his next step in his evolution! I am Akuma!" said the Kaiju. His voice boomed throughout the city. Mosura narrowed her eyes.
"No, I refuse to believe that you're a part of him! Gojira would never attack the ones that he loves!" said Mosura.
"That is because he is weak! He still clings to his human traits when he knows that he can be so much more! He can rule this world with his power! He can bring justice and have his revenge on those who wronged him long ago!" said the dragon. He then glared at Mosura.
"But then you and those humans made him soft and weak!" said the Kaiju.
"He is not weak! Gojira, is one of the strongest people I know!" shouted Mosura. She turned to the side and found Junior to be unconscious and bound by chains.
"You say that you are a part of him. Somewhere in his heart, he really feels that he can use his power to take revenge on not just Destoroyah, but all of MONARCH. Yet, you call him weak because he does not focus on destroying MONARCH, rather his focus is on protecting his friends," said Mosura.
"He's been through a lot. We all have, but he is a survivor! He knows that there would be consequences to his actions and that his friends matter the most to him!" said Mosura. Akuma growled in anger as he narrowed his eyes on the Transmutant.
"He may not always do it, but Gojira does rely on us when in need! You may think that being human is weak, but it's what makes him special! He's holding onto his humanity, despite how hard the world tries to dehumanize people like us! In fact, you're the one who is weak!" said Mosura as she shot an accusing finger at Akuma.
"You can't help him, Mosura. More than anything now, Gojira wants to destroy Destoroyah because of what he did to us. And I will be the one who will give him the strength. You wouldn't understand, being but a child that does not have the guts to take a life, even if a loved one depended on it," said Akuma with a mocking smile. Mosura hardened her eyes as she clenched her fists.
"You give my friend his body back, you monster," said Mosura.
"Ha! When Gojira kills Destoroyah out of vengeance, it will be my body once I've consumed his consciousness. And when I'm through, I am going to tear apart every single one of you," said the dragon.
"If that's the case, then why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?" demanded Mosura. Akuma's eyes slightly widened in surprise. Mosura merely smirked.
"I guess Gojira wants control over his own body, not you and your savage personality," said Mosura. She then hardened her eyes. "Or could it be that deep down, you might care about me just a little bit? If that's the case, how do you feel about Twilight Sparkle?"
"Silence! Leave this world!" shouted Akuma as he raised his foot. Mosura merely closed her eyes as she focused her psychic abilities. She reopened them and found herself being held by Junior. His eyes were still red, signaling Junior's absence in controlling himself. Mosura's eyes widened as she found Destoroyah shooting up to his feet with his mouth open wide.
"Look out!" cried Mosura as she pointed behind Junior. The Transmutant immediately turned and found Destoroyah charging towards him. He tossed Mosura away, allowing her to fly across the room.
"Oof!" Mosura grunted as she landed on a large pile of pillows. She turned to the side and found Discord lying down on a large, floating pillow.
"How's it going?" asked Discord.
"Thanks, Discord," said Mosura with a smile. She then turned and found Angirasu and Celestia attempting to lure Junior away from Ghidorah and Destoroyah.
"Discord, we need to get out of here! Spawn a portal to the park in Ponyville!" said Mosura in urgency.
"Alright, alright! Keep your thigh highs on," said Discord with a look of annoyance. He swiped his eagle claw through the air, opening a portal to a park during the evening. He turned towards Rodan, Erika, Sunset and Twilight.
"Alright, everyone let’s go! We'll buy you time," said Discord with a grin as he ushered them through the portal.
"Hey, no pushing!" said Rodan in annoyance.
"Wait, what about Princess Celestia and Gojira?!" exclaimed Twilight as she turned to find Junior fighting Angirasu while Celestia fired a beam of magic at his back. Twilight's eyes widened.
"Wait, what are you doing?!" cried Twilight.
"Twilight, just keep going! We'll handle this!" said Mosura as she used her telekinesis to push Twilight through the portal. She yelped as she fell into Rodan's arms through the portal.
"Mosura!" cried Twilight as she attempted to run back inside of the portal.
"Stay out here, Twilight! It's too dangerous!" said Rodan as he held Twilight. Mosura turned to Discord from the other side of the portal.
"Something is wrong with Gojira. He's lost control and is lashing out at anyone that comes close to him or Destoroyah! Can you force him through and tame him?" asked Mosura in urgency.
"Fine, but I'm not taking too kindly with you bossing me around," said Discord in disapproval. Mosura sighed in annoyance.
"It's a request! Pretty please?" asked Mosura with pleading eyes. Discord shrugged.
"Fine, since you said 'please'," said Discord. He then spawned a new set of clothing over his body, giving him the appearance of a cowboy.
"Let's round 'em up!" said Discord as he pulled out a rope and twirled it around. He then threw the lasso towards Junior, wrapping it around his neck. Junior growled in anger as he glared at Discord and attempted to pull away. Discord's arms were forced forward as he slightly stumbled.
"Whoo wee! This varmint is a fighter! Ya'll get going Celestia and spiky!" said Discord as he placed on a fake southern accent while tugging on the rope.
"It's Angirasu!" said Angirasu in annoyance as he and Celestia headed for the portal. They turned and noticed that multiple shadows were coming from the different halls.
"Oh, looks like those reinforcements are catching up," said Discord in surprise. His eyes widened as he found dark clouds passing Ghidorah and Destoroyah as they charged away from the altar. As Celestia waited for Angirasu to move through the portal, her eyes widened as she spotted a pair of red and green glowing eyes among the shadows.
"Celestia..." called Sombra in a raspy voice.
"No, it's him," said Celestia. She turned to Discord in urgency.
"Stop fooling around and get my son out of here! Keep him away from that shadow!" said Celestia as she ran through the portal. Discord stepped through the portal as he tugged hard on the rope, pulling Junior off of his feet and through the portal with him. The portal immediately sealed shut before Sombra could pass through. He yelled in anger as he returned to his physical form.
"Damn it all! She has taken my bride! She was the only one with enough inner power to open the gates!" shouted Sombra as he stomped on the ground, causing multiple black crystals to sprout out all around himself. The Shadow's Hand members and Revolutionaries that had just arrived stumbled back from the growing crystals.
"Every time when he's in my grasp, he manages to slip away," growled Destoroyah. Ghidorah remained silent as he stood by and hardened his eyes. Thanatos stepped over to Sombra.
"Master, we shall retrieve the girl again. But we must make sure that our temple is hidden further from the original site of the Crystal Empire," said Thanatos. Sombra sighed heavily.
Very well. Make sure that the second artifact is retrieved from the one called, Vanity. We will need to be prepared for when the star is in the right position," said Sombra with a hard expression as he turned to look at his followers.
"As for the rest of you, I will not tolerate another failure such as this! Those who fail me will be punished! Is that clear?" questioned Sombra.
"Yes, Lord Sombra!" said the cult members that were present.
"Bring me the Avatar Amulet!" ordered Sombra. A woman emerged from the crowd and knelt before him as she offered the box with the amulet inside. Sombra then turned to Thanatos as he took the Avatar Amulet and clipped it around his neck, making his eyes glow red
"Come, we must move the temple," said Sombra as he walked away from the scene.