Riku was sitting in the hospital waiting room, early in the morning. She was dressed in dark uniform rather than her combat armor. She was present with other people in the room, only a few seemed to have been there for themselves given their coughs, while the rest were likely the loved ones of the victims of yesterday's attack. She turned her attention to the television on the wall, which played the morning news. A woman was being interviewed, who was sobbing on camera as she held a photo a girl.
"How could anyone kill innocent children?" sobbed the woman in front of the camera as the news played. Riku clenched her fists over her lap as she kept a stone-cold expression, her eye shedding but a small tear as this woman despaired over the loss of her child. It broke her heart that many students died as no parent should have to outlive their child. She was slightly trembling in anger, knowing that if Angirasu had attended school, she may have well lost him too. Taking a breath, she wiped the tear from her eye and subdued her anger, since it would cloud her judgment and influence her actions. She had to remain strong. The scene on the news changed to the high school, where a few students were seen walking to the front entrance, where bullet holes and broken windows from the doors were visible.
"After the tragic incident that had befallen Ponyville High, students have returned to their weekly routine of attending school. Though some have stayed home in fear or in need of recovering from the trauma," said a woman's voice over the footage.
"Aiko Riku, we are ready to see you now," said a nurse. Aiko Riku turned her attention to the nurse and quickly stood up. She began to make her way over to the nurse, where she was lead through the hospital until she had arrived at Angirasu's room. The two entered and found the teen to be lying in bed watching the news. He turned his attention to the door and his eyes widened in shock.
"Mother?" Angirasu asked in surprise. Aiko gave her son a small smile as she approached his bedside.
"Good morning, Angirasu," said Aiko.
"His surgery was a success. No complications. But I do recommend on keeping an eye on him, given his inhibitor chip is gone. We'll prescribe you Antidepressants for your son," said the nurse.
"Antidepressants?" asked Angirasu in confusion.
"Since non-human behavior or transformations in Transmutants can be triggered by emotion and stress, the medication can help calm you and prevent these symptoms," explained the nurse.
"But... my friend doesn't use this medication. Not that I know of," said Angirasu.
"Well, you can ask him about it. But I guarantee you that this is legit. Your insurance will cover the whole thing," said the nurse.
"We'll take it. Thank you. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to have some time alone with my son," said Aiko.
"Of course. Just call for me if you need something," said the nurse as she left the room. Aiko pulled out a chair and took a seat by Angirasu's bedside.
"Did you hear about the school?" asked Angirasu. Aiko solemnly nodded.
"I did. I was there," said Aiko. Angirasu sighed with a look of anxiousness.
"I hope my friends are alright. I was still under when this all happened," said Angirasu.
"Ah. I ran into some kids your age that seemed to know you," said Aiko.
"I see. Hopefully..." Angirasu sighed. He then looked to his mother.
"What are you doing here by the way?" asked Angirasu.
"Well... I'm on a mission. I'll be stationed here until further notice," said Aiko. Angirasu looked at her curiously.
"Is it something you can talk about?" asked Angirasu.
"After a report on you came into the Director's office, he thought it was better if I were the one to keep watch on you," said Aiko. Angirasu looked away.
"So... That's all you're here for?" asked Angirasu. Aiko took his hand and held it firmly.
"Son, I know how it sounds. But I didn't have to do this. The Director could have chosen someone else, but he chose me. And I'm glad he did. Given your predicament and how serious it is, you need someone close to you to support you. Don't look at this as me just following orders. Look at this as your mother taking advantage of the chain of command to come home to you," said Aiko as she planted her forehead against Angirasu's. Angirasu slightly pulled away from her.
"Mom, why couldn't you have just taken more breaks? You could have, but you didn't. The only interactions that we ever had were on the phone. But even those became less frequent," said Angirasu. Aiko took on a look of regret.
"Son, I just... I was busy. I had to-" Riku was interrupted as Angirasu sent her a hard stare.
"Why are you making excuses? You always make excuses when I bring this subject up. I just want you to be straight with me," said Angirasu.
"Angirasu..." Aiko sighed as she sat back in her seat.
"I have an apartment ready here in town. I ask that you move in with me," said Aiko.
"Do I have a choice?" asked Angirasu.
"Of course. I won't force you to move out of your aunt and uncle's. Son, please I just want to make things right," said Aiko with a soft expression. Angirasu slightly nodded.
"Alright," said Angirasu. Aiko gave a small smile of satisfaction and relief.
Junior stood in the main foyer of the school. Beside him were Mosura and Rodan. The three stared at the wall away from the entrance. They were seeing photos of students that had perished the previous day, with flowers decorating the corners of the canvas that hung on the wall. On the ground were flowers that were placed beneath the canvas, along with stuffed bears and balloons. A student came by the canvas and placed down a bouquet of flowers and left. The three Transmutants approached the canvas and stared at the memorial canvas that was before them.
"Oh no. That's Rick from Gym class," said Rodan in a soft tone as he spotted one of the photos. Mosura shed a couple of tears as she saw the photos that depicted the students were killed. There was at least a couple dozen or so that were on this canvas. Some of these students weren't familiar to these teens, but these were lives that they may have saw once in these halls, and may never see ever again.
Mosura wiped her eyes as she stared at the canvas. She then noticed Erika coming by with some flowers.
"Oh. You guys are here," said Erika.
"Hey, Erika," greeted Junior. He then noticed the flowers.
"From you?" asked Junior.
"No, I gave the bear holding a heart with a cross on it," said Erika as she pointed to the ground, where a white teddy bear sat on the ground, holding a stuffed red heart with a golden cross sewed into the center.
"This is actually from one of the victim's mothers," said Erika as she knelt and placed the flowers on the ground and stood up to pin a photo onto the canvas. Junior's eyes widened as he recognized the student's face on the photo. It was the same Transmutant girl that he and Erika had stood up for against some bullies. If her photo was here, then that meant that she did not survive the shooting. Erika sniffled as she held in a sob.
"Oh, heavenly father, please look after us all and the families of those who are now in your warm embrace," said Erika as she wiped her eyes and left. Junior clenched his fist as his eyes were hard.
"Rodan... You believe in Hell?" asked Junior.
"I do," replied Rodan in a low tone.
"Then if there is a place for people like them, we can assume that's where the Purists that died yesterday ended up?" asked Junior. Rodan merely glanced his way with a cold stare. The look of disturbing to see on this boy's face, who always seemed to be in high spirits, but that was gone today.
"You're goddamn right we can," said Rodan. Junior merely nodded.
"Good," said Junior.
Senior sat in his cell as he watched Onyx make his move, using his knight to knock out his pawn. The holographic piece burst into sparks as it was taken off the board. Senior moved his pawn, taking out one of Onyx's pieces.
"The Revolutionaries are a threat to humankind, Director. You can even say that we are as well, but that is not the purpose of our group. However, the Purists are a threat to both human and Transmutant," said Senior as Onyx moved one of his pawns.
"I know. Unfortunately, the United Nations has us stay out of Purist activity. It would be 'too controversial' to act against them given that they are delusional enough to believe that the Purist extremists are a minority and would cause backlash from the public, who most would believe are majorly anti-Transmutant," said Onyx with a scoff.
"There is no doubt a number of people who fear us and may consider us beneath them, but the numbers of them are exaggerated. I have lived for over a hundred years and lived over a decade here, and I am impressed how much people have changed to see us as one of their own," said Senior as he analyzed the board.
"I tell you, giving this much power over government organizations is dangerous. This is coming from a man who served Imperial Neighpon's military," said Senior as he moved a knight.
"Agreed. I served this country as a soldier to preserve freedom. I joined MONARCH to protect others from those who would threaten freedom from across the globe, but it seems that we have fools waiting for problems to grow bigger before acting. After what happened in Ponyville High, I guarantee that the public will get the government to get off its ass and do what it is supposed to do," said Onyx.
"Freedom. You know, despite my kind not being able to enjoy the same freedoms that humans get to have decades ago, I felt more free here than any nation. When more rights that you enjoy became available to us, it touched my heart, knowing that's what Equestria still stands for. The history of its foundation is not pretty, but let's face it, no nation has a clean past, but what has come out of it and what is continuously being done to improve it shows me that we can live in harmony," said Senior as he moved a pawn.
"But your people face strife even today. Children are being brought up to despise you and demonize you," said Onyx.
"True, but there are people out there who teach the next generation about us. That we share the same thoughts and feelings as they do, humanizing us. There will always be prejudice and hate in this world, but I believe what matters most is the love. We forget that there's still love," said Senior.
"Then why assemble a group of rogues? Why arm yourselves and become a militia group?" asked Onyx.
"What we did is not meant for humanity, Director. No, I don't believe that senseless violence will save us," said Senior.
"I was there in Solgell during your uprising. How do you tell me that senseless violence won't save you when you used it to start a war across the islands?" asked Onyx with narrowed eyes. Senior was quiet.
"I was a different man in those days, Director. I was filled with bitterness and anger for the treatment my people went through when constructing those cities. Maybe there could have been another way for us to have be free. But what we faced and succumbed to, with no compassion from those who ran the construction of these cities, we felt that we had to get what we wanted by destroying. It may have worked temporarily, but it may have made things worse for both humans and Transmutants. I learned that after I encountered Destoroyah," said Senior with a hard expression.
Solgell, Transmutant Prison Facility. 1973.
Gojira Takeshi lied against the stone wall of his cell. The cell was cold and dark, where water tended to leak in during the rain. His eyes were hard as he lied in filth from the dirty cell. Only things that were here were a silver toilet that rusted and a cot with a smelly mattress. He had been in this cell for day. He was going to be held here until either he died from the lack of proper care, or age came in, whichever came first, though he was leaning to former rather the later since he was going to outlive every human bastard on this island. Gojira sighed heavily as he heard footsteps, prompting him to look to the side and found a guard coming by, dropping a tray on the ground in his cell. The tray bore a small bowl of gruel, a small roll of bread, and steamed baby carrots. Gojira reached for the tray and took it. He eyed the unappetizing food and the bitter smell from the gruel and carrots wasn’t any more promising.
"Enjoy, mutie," said the guard as he left. Gojira suppressed a growl.
"You'd do well to eat as much as possible. You have to keep your strength up," said a man from a cell across from Gojira's. He found a muscular man with scarlet hair on his head. His yellow eyes stared at the Transmutant, but as Gojira got a better look at him, his eyes widened.
"Destoroyah," said Gojira. The man merely smirked.
"Long time no see, Gojira Takeshi," said Destoroyah as he sat up, fully facing the other Transmutant.
"I hadn't seen you since our forces moved through Chi-nai. I was called back to defend Trotkyo while you and the others continued to conquer the rest of the nation. You were enslaved too?" asked Gojira.
"Of course. A majority of Transmutants in Neighpon's military were sold over. Me included," said Destoroyah.
"And what got you in here?" asked Gojira.
"I rebelled, just like you. Unfortunately, I was put down quickly. I've been here for six years. I've seen Transmutants come and go. As in, some came in, and their souls passed on when they succumbed to this prison's conditions," said Destoroyah. Gojira growled to himself as he punched the wall.
"Bastards!" said Senior.
"Yes. We served our country. We fought till our bones broke and our souls tainted with the blood of others. It was done to turn Neighpon into the greatest empire on the planet, with all Neighsian countries under our banner," said Destoroyah with a growl.
"And what do we get in return? We are sold into slavery and are forced to build cities for the humans until we die," said Destoroyah. Gojira held the bars of his cell with a hard expression.
"This is unjust. Why do these humans get to decide who is superior to who?" asked Gojira in a bitter tone.
"It doesn't have to be that way forever," said Destoroyah. Gojira raised a brow at him. Destoroyah looked at both ends of the cell block hall, finding no one present.
"Gojira, we are men forged in the fires of war. We were hailed by our comrades as the Gods of War," said Destoroyah.
"What are you suggesting?" asked Gojira.
"I am suggesting a war that will bring our people to glory. If no human will stand up for us, then we shall stand up for ourselves," said Destoroyah. Gojira looked to the ground. What Destoroyah was suggesting was absolute madness. To rebel and start a war would be their end. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and they were bounded by the inhibitor packs, which kept them from transforming.
"But how would we win? We would surely fail," said Gojira. Destoroyah chuckled to himself.
"Oh, Gojira. I've been here for years. I've thought about the scenarios. I have planned, and even reached out to those here, who passed on information as far as the next block over. Some of us may die, but it is better to die free than to die a slave," said Destoroyah.
"We'd have a better advantage without these packs," said Gojira.
"Don't worry about that," said Destoroyah as he began to grunt. His face turned red and his eyes watered. He appeared to be gagging as he coughed. Gojira looked on in confusion and worry. Suddenly, Destoroyah retched as he vomited into his hand, much to Gojira's disgust. Destoroyah sighed as panted, staring at his bile soaked hand. He placed his hand on the ground and dropped a red object, but as Gojira got a closer look, he saw that it was not inanimate. It was a live small crustacean creature, about the size of a quarter. It was red in color, bearing a jagged carapace, and small legs and a tail. It almost reminded Gojira as a trilobite, an ancient and extinct crustacean, but this creature appeared far more threatening despite its small size.
"That's...." Gojira's eyes were wide as he saw the small teeth in the creature's mouth chomp as it gave a small chatter.
"Recognize it, don't you? I am unique from most Transmutants. I can divide a portion of my body, giving rise to smaller creatures and allow them to have enough intelligence to follow my will. I always have one separated from my body in case I am in a jam," said Destoroyah as the critter scurried around on the ground.
"I can't absorb it back into my body given that my abilities are restricted, so I keep it hidden by swallowing it whole, where it remains hidden and fed. But it's not greedy," said Destoroyah as he handed a piece of bread to the creature, which began to devour it by bits.
"You know that these can eat through metal. We can rid ourselves of our inhibitor packs with this one. Once I'm free, I will divide myself further and have them destroy the packs," said Destoroyah, while Gojira stared in amazement. Destoroyah looked to him with a serious expression.
"But we can't do this alone, Gojira. We need strong Transmutants to lead the fight to save our people. Can I count on you to join us in this Revolution? Will you fight alongside me again, nakama?" asked Destoroyah. Gojira closed his eyes and opened them with a hard face as he looked to Destoroyah.
"I will," said Gojira.
It had been a couple of days since the new meat was brought into the prison. A guard was on his usual stroll across the facility, whistling to himself as he passed some Transmutants' cells. As he passed through the hall, he heard a sound. He stopped whistling, stopping as he looked around. The sound was that of scurrying and chattering.
"Ugh. Fucking rats,' said the guard in disgust. The downside to not keeping this facility clean was the infestation that it brought. However, as he continued his patrol, he heard clicking. He stopped, beginning to tense as he heard the clicks. He looked around in search of the source, tensing as he cautiously stepped about. He suddenly heard heavy metallic clanging on the ground. He whipped around and saw that a Transmutant in his cell was sitting on the ground as his inhibitor pack suddenly dropped to the ground in pieces. Suddenly, more metallic clangs filled the air. The guard looked around in shock as more inhibitor packs from the other Transmutants in their cells were suddenly broken apart, falling to the ground. The backs of the Transmutants were covered in grotesque scars. The Transmutants glared at the guard as the hall was suddenly filled with animalistic growls. The guard stepped back in fear.
"Wha- What the..." the guard suddenly found red pellets to be scurrying on the ground from the cells. The guard gasped as the pellets climbed up his legs, where he felt agonizing stings on his flesh. He cried out in pain as he stumbled back, while his pants were eaten away at while the pellets climbed up higher on his body. The guard fell to the ground screaming in agony as his body was engulfed by the pellets, which he saw to be tiny crustaceans. His entire body was encased by these creatures like a mummy, where his flesh began to scar with burns and bites. Soon, he was just a flailing mass of tiny critters that gave gurgled cries as they devoured him inside and out.
Soon, the cell doors were broken down by the prisoners, who stepped out clutching their sore shoulders and stinging backs. Gojira stepped out of his cell, with a cold expression as he watched as the man on the ground was left as nothing but bone. The crustaceans began to disperse from the skeleton and reassemble together, where they melded together. As they combined, they took on a humanoid appearance that was turning its carapace into human's flesh. Destoroyah stood naked in the hall as one last crustacean was absorbed into his chest and changed color to match his skin tone.
"You know what to do," said Destoroyah as he looked to Gojira, who nodded.
"Follow me," said Gojira as his flesh hardened and his eyes became more reptilian. He ran down the cell block, while he was tailed by the other Transmutants, whose bodies began to shift in form. Meanwhile, Destoroyah took off into the opposite end of the hall, where a couple of guards came rushing in with guns. They fired at him, and Destoroyah caught some bullets. However, he charged towards them like a mad bull. His entire form suddenly dispersed into a swarm of crustaceans that swarmed through the air via the growth of membrane wings. The swarm engulfed the humans, who screamed in agony.
Meanwhile, the rest of the guards heard the sounds of roaring. The sound of heavy footsteps filled the air. They turned and were shocked to find Gojira charging through the prison block as a beast. His large body barely fit in the prison as he crumbled the walls. Behind him came large reptilian beasts that ran on two legs, along with insect-like creatures. The guards scattered as they fired their weapons as the prisoners. This only enraged the Transmutants as stomped or struck any of the guards in their path. Soon, the Transmutants burst through a wall and into the prison yard.
A siren went off as spot lights were shone on the Transmutants. Suddenly, soldiers appeared, firing their weapons at the creatures that had escaped. They all roared in fury, while Gojira's dorsal plates lit up. He sprayed his atomic breath onto the soldiers, burning their bodies to ash. From the hole in the prison, more Transmutants ran out and into the yard, ecstatic for having liberated themselves. Destoroyah's swarm came out and came together to form a large creature just fifteen feet in height. Destoroyah's form was like a demonic crustacean beast, with two long spindly and thorny legs on his back. He bore an almost serpentine upper body with sharp teeth that were like a tunnel. His small yellow insectoid eyes glowed in the dark prison and the bony ear-like flaps on his head sparked with energy. He gave a shriek as his legs carried him over to the nearest soldiers. Bullets were fired onto his exoskeleton but they did little damage. He impaled those in his path with his large spindly legs on his back and stepped on those in front of him with the bulky legs he walked on. The soldiers were mercilessly slaughtered as the beasts stomped about like elephants in a circus tent.
Soon, the beasts burst through the wall of the prison, charging through the prison yard as they continued to flee from the prison grounds. A siren filled the air as the beasts were shot at by remaining soldiers outside. Gojira took the opportunity to spray his atomic breath towards a couple of incoming tanks that were parked in the perimeter. The tanks were scorched, and the soldiers inside were cooked within the tanks. The tanks exploded, causing a disorientation of the soldiers that had barely responded to the break out. The Transmutants rushed away from the prison grounds, bursting through the wall and moving out into a field. They were miles away from any civilization on Solgell, and just yards away from a cliff. The Transmutants moved towards the edge of the cliff, jumping as they reached the edge, with Gojira looking back at the prison, where the alarm howled like a banshee in the night. He then followed the rest of his fellow Transmutants and dove down to the water below. The larger bodies of the Transmutants caused great splashes in the water. Soon, a few soldiers came looking over the cliff, where they found the beasts diving under, with Gojira's dorsal plates slowly disappearing. They began to fire at what they could see, but to no avail. The Transmutants disappeared under water.
It had been over two months since the prison breaking. Gojira Takeshi wore old clothes and reeked from a lack of proper care of his hygiene. It was no different than from when he was a slave. He stood in the wilderness with a hard expression as Destoroyah stood by his side, as several dozen Transmutants, former prisoners, stood before them.
"We have gotten word to the other islands. We have the support of other slaves and prisoners," said a Transmutant as he approached the two war veterans.
"Excellent. With that, we can begin the liberation of the prisons, with my little helpers," said Destoroyah with a low chuckle as he held up his hand and found a small crustacean to be emerging the flesh of his palm. Gojira nodded.
"Then while you're freeing prisoners, we'll be assembling our followers for battle. But we must make sure that we are not caught by any soldiers," said Gojira.
"There's also the concern of the military being deployed against us. We may be strong, even without our inhibitor packs, but we can still be overwhelmed by the might of the Equestrian military," said a Transmutant.
"Hence why we will be starting this rebellion simultaneously. With all our allies attacking at once from across Lagos, Solgell, Letchi, and Odo, the Equestrian military will be forced to divide its forces across the islands to suppress us. We take advantage of their division and our strength to defeat them," said Destoroyah as he fused the crustacean back into his hand.
"But they still have guns, bombs, tanks, and choppers! How could we hope to win?!" asked a Transmutant. Gojira stepped forward.
"Yes, they have technology on their side and training. But do not let that deter you, brethren," said Gojira as he gestured to all of the Transmutants.
"We are fighting to free our people from these oppressive humans, who exploit our strength for power. But we will not bow to them. No, we will rise up and fight for the future of not just ourselves, but all Transmutants," said Gojira. Some of the Transmutants began to give shouts of agreement.
"We may face the hand of a nation's military, but our people were hailed as the very forces of nature in ancient times. Now, let us show them who we are! Show them what happens when you kick a dog to many times! Show them what monsters truly look like! Show them that we are the Revolution!" shouted Gojira.
"Revolution!" shouted Destoroyah as he raised his fist.
"Revolution!!" shouted the other Transmutants. This rag tag group of slaves and prisoners were staking everything on this fight. Their lives and their freedoms. If they were to be damned as monsters by the human race, then they shall give them a reason to call them as so.
Three Days Later...
The city of Solgell was locked in a bustling state. People made their way about the city to get to where they needed to be. The streets were filled with buses and cars that were causing traffic. Horns honked, filling the air as impatient drivers complained about the traffic. Suddenly, the sound of screams filled the air. Gun fire erupted, causing pedestrians to turn their heads around to find several Transmutants emerging from an alley, shooting in the air. They fired upon the humans as they shouted. The Transmutants filled the streets in an instant, while drivers abandoned their vehicles. Gojira emerged from an alley with a makeshift flag, which bore an insignia of a spiked embryo in a fetal position, with a DNA helix in the center. His expression was hard as he held a rifle over his shoulder, passing fleeing humans as the other Revolutionaries began to fire in the streets. The sound of police sirens filled Gojira's hearing, prompting him to stop and find a police car to be screeching to a halt. Gojira raised the flag into the air and slammed it upon the concrete ground, causing it to stand tall as the flag swayed in the wind. He quickly raised his rifle and began to pepper the police that were about to intervene. His expression was stone cold. All the anger he felt from years of the mistreatment of his people and the injustice that they had endured had hardened his very heart. Only blood shed from his foes would bring him satisfaction. So, he moved up with as he mowed down every officer that dared to challenge him. When humans got in his way, he merely shoved them aside and resumed fighting the authorities, not wanting to waste his anger on those who were in no position of authority. He also didn't bother to regulate the other Revolutionaries, for he was lost in his own war.
Gojira proceeded to take the weapons of the fallen officers, just as more began to approach. But the Transmutant wouldn't let up, taking cover to avoid their lines of fire. Despite their numbers, he was in no way concerned. He fought in the greatest war in the history of the planet. He had endured worse. Now, he was going to take that experience and use it to conquer those in power. Soon, all will know to fear and respect the Transmutant race.
The battle was fought long and hard. Gojira stood among rubble beside Destoroyah as the Revolutionaries cheered in victory. The military vehicles burned, and the bodies of soldiers lied scattered along the streets. Gojira's wounds bled, but he showed no signs of pain.
"We have done it, nakama. We have won," said Destoroyah with a smile. Gojira nodded.
"The battle is done, but the war has yet to be won. We may have driven the soldiers away from the island, but we need to ensure that we keep our freedom," said Gojira. Destoroyah nodded.
"Agreed. We must be recognized for our supremacy," said Destoroyah.
"But how?" asked Gojira.
"We demand sovereignty. We get Equestria, the world, to recognize us as our own nation. No, nations," said Destoroyah as he stepped away from the rubble.
"Soon, our brothers on the other islands will be through with their battles. We will unite these islands under one single banner, where all Transmutants can be free," said Destoroyah. Gojira nodded with a small smile. He then heard footsteps approaching. The two turned and found a Transmutant with a gun to be stepping over to the two.
"Sirs, we have found some humans that survived during the battle. What should we do with them?" asked the Transmutant. Gojira lowered his eyes to the ground.
"Kill them," said Destoroyah.
"No. No," said Gojira as he looked to Destoroyah.
"I think it would be better if we spared them. If we execute survivors, then we would be no better than the humans who enslaved us. Let us round them all up together and deport them from the islands as a sign of us desiring a negotiation," said Gojira.
"Are you certain?" asked Destoroyah. Gojira nodded.
"Yes. You and I will contact Equestria for our demands. Let's find the means," said Gojira.
Present...
Senior sat in his cell across from Onyx as his last piece was taken off the board.
"So... It was you who ultimately decided to spare survivors?" asked Onyx.
"It was," said Senior.
"And do you think that excuses you? You think that redeems you of your sins?" demanded Onyx.
"I never claimed that it had, Director. I know I've done terrible things in the name of freedom. As I said back then, I did it in attempt to convince the Equestrian government to be less likely to retaliate," said Senior. Onyx narrowed his eyes.
"I don't buy this, 'regret of the past' facade. Anyone can do that. I am in shock that someone of your past was able to start a family, after seeing the man that you are," said Onyx.
"As am I. But I assure you, I do regret my past. Every action that I have done today is an attempt to wipe my slate clean, yet all I have done is resume as leader of another rogue group of Transmutants. Worse, I've abandoned my family in my delusional quest to make up for my sins. That was my worst sin, to let my wife struggle to raise our son. I wasn't there to guide him to avoid making the same mistakes that I had. I now realize that I have two sons that I've abandoned," said Senior as he glanced to his left. Although he couldn’t see past the metal walls in his cell, he knew that Xenjira sat alone in the cell next to him. In the next cell over, Xenjira sat in a corner with his eyes hard and his fists clenched.
Ponyville...
It was just during lunch. Junior found himself sitting outside in the quad. The atmosphere in the cafeteria was uncomfortably quiet. He was so use to it being loud due to students but today, not everyone was in high spirit. Not after what had happened. It was here that Junior noticed the number of students in school today. They seemed to have dropped significantly for him to notice. There must have been at least half or more gone today. In fact, he hadn't seen the Dazzlings today either. Junior sighed to himself as he sat on a bench outside as a few students were present outside together here as well.
The Transmutant was lost in his thoughts. He had grown distracted from the world around him, worried for his father. There was not a moment that he hadn't thought of him. It wasn't fair to have been separated from him again after just shortly reuniting with him after all these years. This time, Junior feared that it may be permanent. Those thoughts kept Junior from noticing that he was being approached.
"Gojira?" called a familiar voice. Junior tore his eyes away from the tree in the center of the quad and turned to find Twilight standing by with the rest of the Main Six, Sunset Shimmer, Erika, Mosura, Rodan and Flash Sentry. Twilight had her hands behind her back as she avoided eye contact.
"What is it?" asked Junior. Twilight cleared her throat as she looked to Junior with an apologetic look.
"We... We came here to tell you that we're sorry... For everything. I'm sorry," said Twilight in a soft tone. Applejack took off her hat and held it against her chest with a look of shame.
"Yeah. I'm sorry for not believing you too, sugarcube," said Applejack.
"We were wrong for not giving you the benefit of the doubt, darling. Unlike some of us," said Rarity in a small tone. Rainbow sighed as she looked away.
"Yep. That's our bad, man. Sorry," said Rainbow. Junior looked to all the girls with a neutral expression as they individually apologized. He then found Pinkie approaching with a sad smile as she held out large cookie shaped like a heart.
"And if you want, we want to welcome you back to the Friendship Club," said Twilight as she handed Junior a pink slip. Junior looked at the paper and back to the welcoming smiles of the girls. He then found the smiles of encouragement from the others. Junior then looked back tp the paper and stood up. He then began to crumple it up. The girls gasped in shock as they watched the paper ball fall to the ground. Junior looked to them with cold eyes.
"Dude!" said Rainbow in disbelief.
"Don't you 'dude' me!" said Junior with a scoff. Twilight bore a look of shock and great confusion. She appeared to be having trouble processing what had happened.
"Gojira, I thought-"
"You thought what?" interrupted Junior with a look of anger. Twilight shrunk back.
"I thought that we could put this behind us and start over," answered Twilight.
"Are you serious? After what you did? What all of you did?!" demanded Junior with his voice raised, startling everyone.
"I-"
"You were just like everyone else! You didn't give me a chance to defend myself! You didn't listen to me! You just judged me guilty of X’s crimes! Now you expect me to pretend that none of it ever happened?! That I was never betrayed by YOU?!" demanded Junior. Twilight shrunk back with sad eyes.
"Gojira, I..." Twilight's voice broke as her eyes watered. Flash sent Junior a glare.
"At least Fluttershy and the others gave me a chance. That's more than what you all gave me when I was close to being locked up," said Junior as he began to walk away.
"Gojira, please wait!" cried Twilight in desperation.
"I don't want to hear it!" said Junior. Flash quickly moved passed the others.
"Hey! What is your deal, man? They apologized and want to-" Flash chased after Junior and grabbed him by the shoulder. Junior suddenly growled as he grabbed Flash by his jacket and picked him up. With a yelp, Flash was slammed against the tree, much to the panic of everyone else.
"Gojira!" cried Fluttershy in alarm. Junior merely glared at Flash as he held him against the tree with one arm. His reptilian eyes stared at him as his skin around his eyes began to darken and harden.
"I may have one arm left at the moment, but I'll still kick your ass if you ever try to pull something like that again," said Junior in a low tone. He then dropped Flash to the ground and proceeded to walk off. The rest of the teens rushed to Flash to inspect him.
"You alright?" asked Rainbow as she helped Flash onto his feet as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah," said Flash with a wince. Rodan rushed after Junior, followed by Fluttershy. Sunset, Erika, and Mosura watched him leave with deep frowns. Twilight wept to herself as Rarity began to comfort her. Pinkie allowed tears to freely flow down her cheeks as she held the heart shaped cookie, which suddenly broke in half in her hands. She wept to herself as she held the broken heart.
Meanwhile, Junior was moving out of the quad as students fled his path. He entered the school hall, with Fluttershy and Rodan running in his path.
"Goji, what are you doing?" asked Fluttershy incredulously.
"Walking through the hall," said Junior in a sarcastic manner.
"Don't be a smart ass! What the hell was that out there?!" demanded Rodan.
"Exactly what it was. They apologized, I rejected their apology," said Junior as he attempted to walk past his friends but Fluttershy quickly stepped in his path.
"But why?" asked Fluttershy.
"You know why. How can I trust people who never trusted me in the first place?" asked Junior incredulously.
"Gojira, it doesn't work like that. Trust is earned. And let's be fair, you kept secrets," said Rodan. Junior glared at him.
"You know why I kept secrets!" said Junior with a growl.
"Exactly! Which is why you shouldn't be so hard on them! You both had good reasons!" said Rodan. Junior scoffed.
"Except I never hurt anyone," said Junior. Rodan sent him a deadpanned stare.
"Dude, you made Twilight cry," said Rodan. Junior merely responded with a cold look.
"I don't care," said Junior. Fluttershy looked at him in disbelief as the Transmutant walked away. Rodan crossed his arms as he shook his head.
"Man, that's cold," said Rodan. Fluttershy looked down at the ground sadly. She knew that Junior had a right to be angry, but it was pointless now. The others apologized, but they fell on deaf ears. Fluttershy sighed to herself.
Canterlot...
Just within GeneCo, armored trucks from MONARCH had parked themselves out in the back of the building. Right now, men in uniform were rolling body bags through a hallway, where Discord was present at the end. They stopped, allowing Discord to view at least a dozen bags that have been rolled in on carts by these men.
"The Director hopes that your company keeps this quiet for your project," said one of the men. Discord nodded as he unzipped one of the bags, finding the pale, lifeless face of a man inside.
"Of course. Tell the Director that not a peep will be spoken about this," said Discord.
Later, he found himself standing in a lab where his scientists rolled the carts of body bags around. Some bodies were taken to a room that bore freezing temperatures and a biohazard symbol on the door. The rest of the bodies were placed on tables, where scientists proceeded to get tools ready.
Discord smiled in approval as he carried an object through the lab and towards the exit. He ventured off to his office, where he locked his door and closed the blinds. Using the secret doorway, he descended through his elevator and traveled down below to his hidden facility. Discord left the elevator and passed by cages, where the humanoid dog creature and his lab monkey lied.
Discord entered his lab, where everything was neatly placed and organized, and placed the object that he carried on the table, revealing it to be a dismembered arm to have been sealed up in a container with a yellow liquid. He smiled to himself as he looked at the I.D. tattoo on the wrist. Soon, Discord had set the arm in a bigger container that was in another room. It bore the same liquid, but the new container could fit an entire human inside. The arm floated inside of the container as soft lights lit up the room. Discord stared at the arm with a smile.
"The subject's arm is in my possession, which was lost during the tragic shooting on Ponyville High. It seems that the Director may be faced with another challenge, the Purists. As of now, I am unsure whether the subject is alive or not. But in any case, he will be 'lending a hand' for my projects," said Discord with a small chuckle. He turned to a control panel that had risen from the ground. He grabbed a switch and pulled on a control stick. From within the container, a silver cloud puffed through the liquid, with debris. The small cloud began to cover the arm and proceeded to move towards the severed end.
"I have now introduced the medical nanobots into the tank for a thorough examination of the specimen. Thankfully we had finished this on time or I would have to do this traditionally," said Discord as he shuddered at the idea of cutting through this arm to study its nerves and cells. It would be such a waste of a specimen with nerves intact. He looked to a screen where he saw the point of view of the nanobots, which began to move through the cauterized wound. As they made small breaches for themselves, they burrowed in through the arm and into the blood stream. Discord directed the nanobots through the arm until they came across nerves that were still intact, just near the elbow.
"The nanobots had succeeded in moving into the arm. They are now staring at the subject's nerves," said Discord as he looked back to a laptop where he was recorded.
"From what we've learned, the Transmutants do not bear any sort biological mechanisms that can be seen to transform. No special organs, no bones, nothing. However, we learned that their nervous system delivers signals into their bodies that can trigger a transformation. This mixed with their mysterious genes can cause a metamorphosis in their biology. Emotions seem to be a common factor for this. I wonder if this can be triggered even when separated from the brain, the factory of emotional production," said Discord as he began to press a couple of buttons on the panel.
Suddenly, the nanobots began to fire small needles with wires connected to them. The nerves were impaled by these needles, and were suddenly stricken by an electric charge. The arm suddenly began to twitch and convulse in the container, while Discord hardened his eyes. As the fingers and the hand twitched, they began to sprout black claws. Discord smiled as the arm darkened and increased in mass. The pinkie shrunk from sight, leaving four fingers. The arm grew charcoal grey scales as it began to look less humanoid and more reptilian. Discord stared at the screen and found the nanobots witnessing the bones to be growing as nerves and muscle began to stretch. A few of the nanobots were crushed during the transformation, but the rest lived on. Discord in fascination as the arm grew, almost outgrowing the tank. The pressure from the mass began to cause some of the liquid to breach a couple of holes around the container, spraying onto the ground.
"Damn!" said Discord as he quickly began to type on a tablet. He had to keep the arm preserved, and the liquid was what was necessary for preservation. The tubes around the container took out some of the liquid, reducing pressure. While liquid still sprayed onto the ground, Discord began to type on his tablet, causing a second layer of glass to be dropping over the first, stopping the breach. Then, the glass layer underneath raised itself up into the metal plug that held the container in place. The arm and liquid flooded into its wider environment, leaving Discord to sigh in relief. He then stared at the monstrous arm in amazement. He had succeeded in forcing a transformation without the host.
"Experiment is completed. Now, to take samples," said Discord.