//------------------------------//
// Chapter 62: Lighten the Burden 
// Story: The Arrogance of Man 
// by Johng117 
//------------------------------//

The sound of roaring filled the park of Ponyville. Animals that were sleeping nearby woke up with a start and fled the area to avoid whatever beast made such terrifying roars. 

"Be quiet! People are trying to sleep!" said Discord as he looked at Junior with a glare. He stood by with the Main six, Spike, Sunset Shimmer, Celestia, and the rest of the Transmutant Four. Junior was inside of a large, transparent cube. Junior roared again as he slammed his fist against the cube, causing the girls to flinch. He snarled as he continued to slam his own body against the cube, attempting to free himself of the confined space. His glowing red eyes shone through the night. 

"I can't stand to watch him like this," said Rarity as she looked away. 

"What the heck is wrong with him?" asked Rainbow in worry. 

"Yeah, and why are his eyes all glowy like that?" asked Pinkie. Junior continued roar as he clawed at the box. 

"He was just like this when he attacked Cadence, Luna, and I," said Celestia with a deep frown. 

"I believe it. He didn't seem too fond about having a conversation earlier," said Angirasu as he rubbed his shoulder. He was wearing a pair of sweatpants with a sweater, which was given to him when he reverted back to his human form. 

"He looks pretty angry," said Applejack warily as Junior continued to claw at the box. 

"Princess, we can't possibly leave him like this! How did you fix him last time?" asked Twilight. 

"Caesar may know, since it was his doing that Junior was able to return to normal," said Celestia. 

"He's still in that thick skull somewhere. We just have to reach into him," said Mosura as she made her way over to the box. Junior slammed his head against the wall as he snarled at Mosura. 

"Careful Mosu," said Rodan with a wary expression. 

"Relax, that barrier will hold. I made it myself," said Discord proudly. Mosura raised her hand and gently placed it on the barrier. Junior continued to growl as he bared his teeth. 

"Twilight, could you step over here with me?" asked Mosura. Twilight raised a brow but stepped over to Mosura's position. 

"Yes?" asked Twilight. 

"I want to try something. It might not work, but I'm willing to do anything to get my friend back," said Mosura as she hardened her eyes. 

"What are you going to do?" asked Twilight. 

"Earlier, I was able to link my mind with Gojira's. Something in his spirit is causing him to behave this way. In fact, it threatens to wipe out the Gojira that we know and replace him with a monster," said Mosura. Twilight looked on at Junior in despair as the beast began to pant. 

"What can we do?" asked Fluttershy. 

"Well, we're just going to have to wake Goji up," said Mosura. She then took a seat with Twilight as they sat close to the barrier. 

"Everyone, I need silence for this. Twilight, I need you to close your eyes and to clear your mind of negative thoughts," said Mosura as she placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. The Elf nodded in response as she closed her eyes. She took a soft breath and sighed as she relaxed herself. Mosura closed her eyes as she set her free hand on the barrier. The humans, drake, Draconequus and Transmutants watched in silence as Mosura focused her psychic abilities and her forehead began to glow. Everyone that was watching gasped in shock as a golden symbol appeared on Mosura's forehead. It appeared as a cross in the center of a sun-like image as if it originated from some ancient tribe. Mosura's hands released a soft golden glow as she focused her abilities. When she opened her eyes, Mosura found herself back in the ruined city. She turned and found Twilight looking around anxiously. 

"Wh-Where are we?" asked Twilight. 

"I guess here is the representation of the state that Gojira's heart is in," said Mosura. Twilight looked around towards the tall buildings that were damaged, knocked over, and on fire. The streets were filled with debris and the clouds above gave a look of hopelessness. 

"It...it feels so lonely here. As if...he's destroyed everything that was around in a fit of anger," said Twilight with a deep frown. Mosura walked with Twilight through the city. Debris from standing buildings fell to the ground, the sound of them impacting the ground echoed through the air. Some buildings even just fell over or just collapsed under their own weight. Twilight jumped whenever a building collapsed, scared out of her wits. 

"There he is!" said Mosura as she began to run. Twilight chased after her with wide eyes as she found Junior chained up around debris. Mosura and Twilight knelt around Junior with worried expressions. Mosura began to shake Junior by his shoulders. 

"Goji! Goji, get up!" cried Mosura. Junior remained unresponsive. Twilight gritted her teeth. 

"Gojira, please get up!" cried Twilight. Junior's face slightly crinkled, but he did not wake up. Mosura's eyes widened in surprise as she noticed Twilight's shoulder beginning to glow through the t-shirt that she was wearing. 

"Twilight, what's that?" asked Mosura as she pointed to her shoulder. The Elf looked at her in confusion but then gasped as she found her shoulder to be glowing through her shirt. She pulled her sleeve back and found her Cutie Mark to be glowing. 

"My Cutie Mark," said Twilight. She then looked down in confusion. 

"I don't understand. Why is it-" Twilight was interrupted as she felt the ground shake. Mosura shot up to her feet as she bore a frantic expression. 

"No, he's here!" said Mosura. 

"Who?!" asked Twilight as she shot up to her feet. The two wobbled as the ground shook with each heavy thump that filled the air. From the corner of a street, a massive foot stepped over a chariot, crushing it. Twilight's blood ran cold as she saw the size of the foot. She slowly raised her head up, finding powerful legs with thick, lava-like scales. Her eyes traveled up higher to the burly chest of the creature and to a familiar head. Mosura immediately stood in front of Twilight as she glared at the giant. 

"That thing...it looks like..." Twilight gasped as the creature lowered itself from the ash clouds in the air. 

"You dare to trespass in my world again? You are a nuisance like the insect that you are," growled Akuma. 

"You're the nuisance! We demand that you give our friend back control of himself!" said Mosura. 

"You are in no position to demand me of anything! Gojira is me! I am him! We are the same and we will crush anyone who stands in our way!" said Akuma. Twilight flinched from the Kaiju's booming voice. She then reluctantly peeked from behind Mosura. 

"Gojira has no time to be wasting on friends. Humans are but an anchor weighing him down from his full potential. He does not need you or anyone else. I will make him greater than any life form on this planet!" growled Akuma. Twilight narrowed her eyes at this creature's words. Her Cutie Mark began to glow brighter. Akuma lightly moaned as he placed his hands over his lowered head. Mosura looked on in confusion. 

"What is this?" asked Akuma. 

"You're wrong!" shouted Twilight. Akuma's eyes widened in shock. He turned his head and found Twilight moving away from Mosura as she bore a sharp glare. 

"Everyone needs a friend in their life! Friends help people grow and to better understand others and themselves!" said Twilight as she stepped forward. Akuma slightly turned away. 

"No, why is she here?" whispered Akuma. 

"You may not think that Gojira has time for friends, but he has shown me that he does! He has people around him that love and care for him!" said Twilight as her Cutie Mark glowed brighter. 

"When I first met him, he was drowning because he had no one close to him! We're not an anchor weighing him down, we're a life boat that's keeping him afloat so that he may reach the shore!" said Twilight. She then turned to Junior as he lied unconscious. 

"He doesn't need to be greater than anything else. I love him the way he is," said Twilight. Akuma groaned in pain as he stepped away from the light that glowed brighter. 

"Damn you! Those feelings are what makes him weak!" snarled Akuma. Twilight looked on in surprise and then at her Cutie Mark. Mosura turned to face Twilight with a smile and nodded to her. Twilight nodded back as she smiled in determination. 

"No, this is one of many things that makes him strong," said Twilight as she made her way over to Junior. She grabbed the chains that bounded him, finding them to suddenly burst in lavender sparkles. Junior groaned as he slumped over but was caught by Twilight. 

"I got you," whispered Twilight as she wrapped Junior into a tight hug. 

"You may have him as your slave for now, girl. But one day, he will be free!" declared Akuma as he stomped towards the trio. Twilight glared at the Kaiju as it approached. 

"He'll be free as soon as he learns to let things go!" said Mosura. Twilight turned to the side, allowing her Cutie Mark to be facing Akuma. A bright beam of light shot from her shoulder and shined on the dark Kaiju. Akuma screeched in agony from the blinding light and the power that it had over his hate and rage filled heart. He immediately vanished into a dark plume of mist, flowing through the city and away from the light. 

"There is no chance in hell that he'll do that," said Akuma. He gave a dark, maniacal laugh as he disappeared from sight. Twilight and Mosura sighed in relief. 

"Do you think that worked?" asked Twilight. 

"Well, only one way to find out," said Mosura as she looked down at Junior. The male Transmutant stirred in Twilight's arms, weakly opening his eyes. 

"Twilight, Mosu?" called Junior in a weak tone. Twilight lightly smiled as she nuzzled him. 

"It's alright. We're here," said Twilight. Mosura knelt down beside them as she bore a soft smile. 

"I... I feel so tired," said Junior. Mosura and Twilight wrapped their arms around Junior in a warm embrace. 

"It's OK. Rest now," said Mosura. 







Later... 


Junior lied down on a mattress in one of the spare rooms in the Golden Oaks Library. He was in his human form, wearing a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. Twilight sat down at his side as she bore a smile. She turned to find Celestia and Sunset Shimmer to be standing in the doorway. The two did not share eye contact. In fact, Sunset avoided eye contact with Celestia the most. Sunset Shimmer cleared her throat as she approached Junior's bedside. She knelt down as a light blush was present on her cheeks. Junior's eyes lazily focused on her, filled with exhaustion. 

"Um... I... I want to thank you, f-for saving my life," said Sunset. Junior yawned. 

"Thank Shiragami. She was the one who convinced me," said Junior. 

"But... you didn't have to, so I'm thanking you for doing so," said Sunset. 

"Don't. I actually did it for a selfish reason. I didn't want Shiragami to go on without a friend like I used to," said Junior as he turned away in bed. 

"I'm still not happy with the fact that you threw away my trust when you two tried to escape," said Junior. Sunset lightly frowned. 

"Gojira, I-" 

"I don't want an apology. I just want to finish this stupid war that MONARCH is responsible for. What happens to you and Erika is up to Celestia. I've already done my part," said Junior. Sunset was going to speak, but she hesitated. She lowered her head as she sighed. Twilight and Celestia frowned due to Junior's response. 

"OK," said Sunset as she stood up and began to walk away. She passed Celestia and made her way out to the main part of the library. Celestia made her way to Junior's side and sat on the mattress next to him. 

"Junior, she regrets what happened between you two. She really wants to start over," said Celestia. 

"How can I trust her when she's stomped on my trust twice? First, she promised that I'd be left alive and arrested by MONARCH, then she made it seem like she was on board with starting over when she was a prisoner. We've been at each other's throats in an attempt to kill each other. We're better off going our separate ways," said Junior. Celestia sighed as she ran a hand over his shoulder. 

"You may be better off starting over together. You two have things in common. She needs someone who understands those about her, and so do you," said Celestia. She then leaned over to Junior and kissed his cheek. 

"Just think about it. I love you," said Celestia as she stood up from the mattress and began to walk out of the room. 

"Love you too," said Junior. He then sighed as he closed his eyes. Twilight stood up from the mattress and made her way to the living room. 

"I'll be right back," said Twilight. She made her way over to the main room of the library, where Celestia, Mosura, Erika and Sunset stood. 

"You're highness, technically we were prisoners. But... what happens now?" asked Erika. 

"Well... since you two believe that MONARCH's leadership is corrupt and that the prisoners are presumed to be dead, I suppose you are free to go," said Celestia. 

"But where will they go? They were stationed in a base, right?" asked Twilight. 

"Well... they are free to take up residence in my castle. Or perhaps somewhere else that's close. I'd be happy to assist," said Celestia as she looked to Sunset. The Elf merely held her arm as she looked away with a light frown. 

"Um... they're free to stay with me," said Twilight as she raised her hand. 

"Oh, we couldn't impose! Besides, I already feel terrible for taking up space in Yasu's home," said Erika. 

"Besides, I don't think it's a good idea if I were to stay over here tonight," said Sunset with a frown. 

"Oh. Right," said Twilight with a sheepish smile. 

"Don't worry about staying over at our place, Shiragami. You're welcome any time! And Sunset Shimmer, you're welcome too. Since Goji isn't going to be home tonight, we have a place for you to sleep," said Mosura with a warm smile. Sunset looked to her in reluctance and then nodded as she bore a small smile. 

"Thanks," said Sunset. 

"Thank you, Mosura. Now, Discord and I must be going. Twilight, the Elements are now in your hands," said Celestia. Twilight nodded. 

"I'll take good care of them," said Twilight with a look of determination. Celestia then turned to face Mosura. 

"Before I go, I'd like to discuss something with you, Mosura," said Celestia. 

"Sure! We can talk," said Mosura. 

"Please, come with me. Would you ladies mind giving us a minute?" asked Celestia. They all nodded in unison. Celestia led Mosura outside of the library and to the corner of the tree. Discord stood by with a bored expression. Celestia turned to Mosura with a firm expression. 

"Mosura, are you and my son hiding something from me?" asked Celestia. Mosura's eyes widened in surprise. 

"I-I beg your pardon?" 

"You have to be specific, dear. Tell her why you're so serious right now," said Discord. 

"Mosura, when you and Twilight were helping Junior, a mark appeared on your forehead. When it did, Discord and I sensed a strange power coming from within you," said Celestia. Mosura's eyes widened as she felt her forehead. 

"I-I did?" asked Mosura. 

"Discord is neglecting to tell me what it is. I believe that you may know," said Celestia. She held Mosura by her shoulders with a look of urgency. 

"Mosura, please I want to know what is going on. I had a vision of something coming. Something terrible," said Celestia. Mosura looked away briefly and then sighed. 

"Your highness, there is something that you should know. It likely does have something to do with us," said Mosura. 

"Caesar told us something about ourselves that was hard for us to accept, and it may be harder for you. If you wish to ask him for confirmation, I am sure that he will confirm it. You see, Goji, myself and several other Transmutants are..." Mosura began to explain the truth about herself and the others. Caesar didn’t forbid them from telling anyone, he just recommended to wait for the right time to tell those close to them. Tonight may have been the night to tell one person. As Mosura continued with her explanation, Celestia's eyes widened while Discord cocked an eyebrow and chuckled. 

"Ooh. I have a feeling that things are going to get chaotic," said Discord to the reader. 







Later that night... 


Junior lied down in bed in a blissful sleep. He breathed softly as Twilight was snuggled next to him with a large blanket over them. She sighed as she held his hand over her belly. She was going to leave him to sleep on his own, however she ended up falling asleep in bed with him an hour before when she was lying with him. As the two remained in a blissful sleep, the air around the room grew colder. A figure stood in the darkness of the room next to the mattress of the couple, watching them in silence. The figure was feminine in build, her skin was pale and her body was covered in a white cloak that only revealed her chin. The figure moved quietly around the mattress to Junior's side, not causing a sound. She then knelt down beside the Transmutant and stared at his sleeping face. The cloaked figure then raised a hand and gently ran it over Junior's hair and then brushed aside hair that hung over his forehead. She pulled away as Junior began to stir in his bed. The figure rose up to her feet and made her way over to the door and proceeded to open it. Junior raised himself out of bed and rubbed his eyes. As they attempted to focus in the dark, he noticed a slight brightness of white near the door. His eyes widened as he watched a cloaked figure walk out of the room. He turned and noticed that Twilight was sound asleep at his side. 

"What the hell?" whispered Junior, wondering who the intruder could possibly be. He immediately shot out of bed and followed the figure out of the room and into the main library, searching the room in confusion before noticing the figure's cloak outside from the window. He rushed towards the front door and made his way outside, finding the figure making her way to the backyard, away from the road and any small buildings in town. He hardened his eyes as he chased after the figure into the back of the library, but was surprised to find that the figure was suddenly several feet further then she originally was. 

"She's fast," said Junior as he picked up his speed. The figure then stopped and slowly turned to face Junior. 

"You! Who are you, and what are you doing in the library?" demanded Junior as he stepped closer to the figure. The figure was silent for several seconds. 

"Who I am is not important, rather my purpose for coming here is. I was merely here to check on you," said the figure in a soft tone. Junior looked at her in confusion. Her voice carried a Neighponese accent in her Equish. 

"Check on me? Listen lady, I have no idea who you are. I also don't like it when people try to spy on me or pay me unexpected visits," said Junior as he narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to the figure. She stood to be five foot eight in height. She did not crane her neck back to gaze at him. She kept her hood down over her face. 

"Yes, I know," the figure gave a soft chuckle. Junior looked at her in confusion, which then turned into annoyance. 

"What do you want?" asked Junior. 

"I want to speak to you. I've noticed that you have been holding such hate in your heart," said the figure. 

"I don't see how that's any of your business. You don't know a thing about me," said Junior as he crossed his arms and looked away. 

"You are Gojira Takeshi the 2nd. The son of Gojira Takeshi the 1st and Miwa. Your grandfather is named Ishiro, and you are the last member of the Takeshi clan warriors," said the figure. Junior's eyes widened in shock before glaring at the figure. 

"How do you know that? Are you another enemy of the family that I haven't heard of and that I have to deal with?" asked Junior. 

"The opposite. I'm not your enemy. But, I do have information about the enemy you are thinking of and your father," said the figure. Junior scoffed. 

"My father is dead, along with everyone else in my family. Destoroyah is going to be next when I get my hands on him the next time that I see him," growled Junior. 

"No, your vengeance for Destoroyah of the Spider crab clan was never yours to bear. It was your father's," said the figure. 

"He's dead, so I inherited his vengeance for that bastard!" said Junior. The figure placed a hand on Junior's shoulder. It was as cold as the air around them. 

"No, your father is still alive," said the figure. Junior's eyes widened as he turned to face the figure. 

"You have a lot of nerve saying something like that! I watched him die when I was a kid!" said Junior. 

"He's alive, but not the way that you think he'd be," said the figure in a solemn tone. She raised her hand towards Junior, who stepped away. 

"It's OK, I'm going to show you what I mean," said the figure. She then placed her hand on Junior's forehead. He suddenly saw visions of his past. He found himself hiding in the bushes as his father in his Transmutant form fought against Destoroyah in his demonic form. The battle was fierce, filled with blood and roars. The past version of Junior ran away as he was told to flee by his father. Junior watched the vision as his father was struck by Destoroyah's laser energized horn, and then struck by a purple beam to flow out of his mouth. Senior suffered from these attacks until the point that he had stopped fighting back and passed away. Destoroyah screeched into the night sky as he displayed his wings. 

The vision then jumped to showing MONARCH employees rolling a large platform that carried Senior's corpse. Junior's eyes widened as the vision shifted Senior being left inside of a lab, where he was skinned until he was nothing but bleached bone. Soon, he was witnessing scientists and engineers planning out designs for a mech. One that was too familiar when Junior caught sight of a blue print. His eyes stared in horror as he watched the vision show mechanical parts and wiring to be being built over the skeletal remains of his father. When the mech was finished, Junior recognized it immediately. It was none other than Kiryu. 

"Kiryu, online," said the mech in a monotone voice. Another vision was played, showing Kiryu fighting Junior when he was back in Saddle Arabia. Junior gritted his teeth in anger as his eyes burned with tears. Then, the last vision that was shown to Junior nearly made his heart stop. Kiryu was locked inside of a hangar with several other mechs. Its parts were damaged and its optic was hanging from its socket as its jaw hung loose. The mech convulsed in the dark hangar as it sparked. 

"H-H-Help....He-Help me," said Kiryu in a distorted and raspy voice. Its optics glowed a hellish red as if it were someone holding onto the last threads of life. The vision faded, Junior found himself standing outside in Ponyville. The hooded figure stood a couple feet away from him. Junior yelled angrily as he dropped onto his knees and slammed his fists onto the ground. 

"No! No!! Why?! They desecrate my father's remains and now he's a ghost haunting that damn machine?!" cried Junior. His eyes allowed tears to fall down his cheeks. 

"Goddamn you, MONARCH! Goddamn you all to hell!!" shouted Junior. He clutched his head as he gritted his teeth. He lightly panted to himself as he remained on his hands and knees. The hooded figure knelt beside Junior and ran a hand over his head. 

"He's trapped inside of his own remains, which have been desecrated to create a weapon. Because of that and his feud with his enemy before his passing, your father is trapped in the world of the living, doomed to remain in that state for as long as the feud between the Takeshi and Spider-crab clans last. The creation of Kiryu has only worsened this feud, and it will continue to do so," said the figure as she brought Junior's face to meet hers. 

"The humans that you have rescued the girl from. The ones who are pulling the strings to MONARCH are attempting to bring back the souls of the dead Kaiju, especially Ghidorah's," said the figure. Junior merely listened, wondering how this stranger knew so much about him and all of the things happening. 

"No being must touch the souls of the dead. It is a crime against nature. The coming war between reincarnated Kaiju will be man's punishment for his arrogance," said the figure. Junior sniffled as he shook his head. 

"I'm trying to prevent this war from happening. If I don't, I might lose the people that I love. I can't lose them, not like my parents," said Junior. 

"The war has already begun. It is up to you and your friends to be the ones to win and give humanity another chance. This war is meant to show man and every other sapient being in this world that nature is not in their control. Some will be humble, others will continue to challenge this order," said the figure. She then placed her hands on Junior's shoulders. 

"If you hold onto your hate and anger, it will poison your heart and soul. You will find yourself with a short life and you will hurt those around you. Meaning you should let go what Destoroyah has done to you, you should forgive MONARCH for desecrating your father's remains, and you must forgive Sunset Shimmer for what she's done to you and betraying your trust," said the figure. Junior pulled away from her as he hardened his eyes. 

"I can't forgive them! Destoroyah took my father away! MONARCH dehumanized me and enslaved my father when he should be resting in peace! Sunset Shimmer... she's..." Junior gritted his teeth in anger. The figure took Junior's hands into her own, allowing the Transmutant to feel how cold they were. 

"Remember, forgiveness is not a feeling. It is a choice that you make. You can choose to not forgive someone, but you'll end up hurting yourself just by holding onto the weight that has made you sad or angry," said the figure. Junior's eyes slightly widened as he recognized the words. He shot his head up as he gazed at the woman, unable to see her face. 

"You're not forgiving someone for their sakes; you're doing it for yours. You'll-" The figure was cut off as Junior opened his mouth to speak. 

"-Be free when you choose to forgive," said Junior in a soft tone. The figure merely smiled under her hood. Junior sighed as he looked away. 

"That's exactly what my mother said, just a couple days before she died," said Junior with a frown. "God, I miss her so much," 

"I'm sure that she misses you as well. I believe that she'd be proud to know that her son remembered what she taught him," said the figure. 

"Hey... why are you helping me? I don't even know who you are," said Junior. 

"You'll know soon enough. But, concentrate on your purpose in life. I am helping you because life in this world is wonderful. It should be preserved. However, some threaten it. I believe that you and your friends can ensure the protection of this troubled but beautiful world," said the figure. Junior slowly nodded. 

"You're right. People may treat me in a less favorable way, and I may be scorned because of what I am, but that doesn't matter. I have people close to me that I want to protect. And if I have to scare the world as a force of nature to show them that there is someone stronger defending it, then so be it," said Junior with a determined smile. He then stood up from the ground and began to make his way back to the library. 

"Thank you. You actually helped me with some trouble," said Junior as he waved goodbye to the figure. The woman lightly smiled as she waved as well. 

"You're welcome, Junior," whispered the figure. She watched as Junior continued onto the library. She turned and walked away from the field. She continued on until she found herself further out into the field, away from the town. She turned and found herself at the entrance to the Everfree forest. The woman merely pressed on without an ounce of fear in her heart. 






Sunset Shimmer sat down on a bed with Erika at her side. The two were currently alone inside of Junior's chamber, which was currently housing Sunset. The elf looked to towards her friend with a look of reluctance. 

"Hey... you don't have to sleep on the couch. I could take it tonight and you can have the bed," said Sunset as she pulled her knees up to her chin. The cold air was giving her goosebumps on her arms and legs. 

"No, it's OK. You've been a prisoner and obviously had no comfort in sleeping. You deserve this," said Erika with a smile. She then gestured to the room. 

"Besides! It's actually nice and roomy in here. It's not that large in here, but there's enough to move around," said Erika. 

"Yeah..." said Sunset as she looked away. She reached for chest and placed her hand on it. Memories of Thanatos's hand moving inside of her body chilled her spine. She even felt violated when Sombra looked at her with lust in his eyes. Sunset immediately looked around the room to take her mind off of her experience. She then noticed a picture frame sitting on a small drawer nearby. Curious, she leaned over and took the picture frame into her hand. 

"He's cute, isn't he?" asked Erika as she looked over Sunset's shoulder with a smile. 

"Hmm. Yeah, cute kid," said Sunset with a light smile. Nostalgic memories returned to her as she analyzed the photo of Junior in during his childhood. She then lightly frowned as she lowered her head. 

"I wish I could make up what I did to him. If only I could turn the clock back and start over," said Sunset as she placed the picture down on the dresser and buried her face into her knees. Erika placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

"Hey, there's no point on dwelling on the past. Look, he seems like someone who likes to hold onto stuff," said Erika. 

"Was that supposed to make me feel better," deadpanned Sunset. 

"You didn't let me finish. Anyway, just give him some time and I'm sure he'll come around. Just try to be friendly with him, like you were trying to earlier," said Erika as she nudged Sunset's shoulder. 

"I guess," said Sunset with a sigh. 

"That's the spirit!" said Erika. She then yawned as she stretched her arms. 

"Well, I'm off to bed. Sweet dreams, Sunset," said Erika as she began to walk out of the chamber and passed its curtain. Sunset nodded. 

"Goodnight," said Sunset as she watched as her friend left. She sighed heavily to herself as she turned off the lamp in the room and reclined on Junior's bed. As she pulled the covers up to her chest, she lied her head down on the soft pillow. She took one last glance at the photo of the Transmutant that sat on the dresser and then turned to the side. 

'I guess he really hates me,' thought Sunset with a deep frown. 

Meanwhile, Erika made her way up to the main house of the Transmutant lair. As she entered from the hall, Erika lied herself down on the sofa in the living room, adjusting her pillow as she pulled her covers over body. She sighed to herself as she rested her head against the pillow, waiting for the blissful sleep to take her into a dreamland. As a few minutes passed, Erika felt a chill around herself. She shivered under the covers as she bent her knees and brought her legs closer to herself. She then heard soft footsteps stepping from the side. Erika's eyes shot wide open as she stood up and saw the white cloak of a figure walking through the hall and into the deeper parts of the cave. With caution, Erika slowly removed her blankets as she stood up from the couch. She began to stalk the cloaked figure, who was already half way down to where Sunset and the other Transmutants were sleeping. Erika gritted her teeth in worry. She made her way down the metal bridge and into the great chamber where everyone else was resting.  As she found herself on the stone walkway, the cloaked figure was nowhere in sight. Erika rushed around the area and down the metal stairs until she found herself on the bottom. Her eyes widened in shock as she watched the cloaked figure already walking across the metal platform that was down below, making her way into the armory. Erika sneaked around the large pool of water in the center and crouched as she neared the armory. She watched as the figure in white made her way over to a set of samurai armor that bore the Takeshi clan symbol. The figure gently ran a pale hand over the chest piece of the armor as she looked over the armor. Erika immediately backed away from the armory and rushed back up the stairs and over to the closest chamber, which was Mosura's. 

"Yasu! Yasu, wake up!" whispered Erika as she shook Mosura awake. 

"Hmm. Huh?" muttered Mosura as she raised herself out of bed. Her hair was a mess, with strands sticking out everywhere and against her cheeks. She yawned as she rubbed her eyes. 

"What's wrong?" asked Mosura. 

"Shh! Someone sneaked in here! I think she's a burglar!" said Erika. Mosura looked at her in confusion. 

"Huh? But who would come all the way out here to steal?" asked Mosura in a drowsy tone. 

"I'm telling you the truth! She's in the armory!" whispered Erika. Mosura's eyes slightly widened. She then tossed the covers off of herself and made her way outside. 

"Hold on, we'll need help catching her," said Mosura as she rushed over to the chambers of the male Transmutants. Erika made her way over to Junior's chamber next door to find Sunset. She pulled back the curtain and found Sunset trembling in bed. 

"I-I saw someone's shadow. It looked like a cloak!" whispered Sunset with a look of dread. She began to hyperventilate. 

"Oh no. Oh no! They've come back for me!" whimpered Sunset as she placed her hands over her head with a look of fear. Erika rushed towards her and took her hands into her own. 

"No, I don't think this is the same person. She might be just a thief since she's in the armory," said Erika. She then stood up with Sunset. 

"Come on, we'll need your help to catch her," said Erika. Sunset nodded in reluctance. Erika frowned to herself as she felt Sunset's sweaty palms as she led her out of Junior's room. She found Mosura with Angirasu and Rodan. The crimson haired Transmutant bore a look of annoyance. 

"Couldn't you have taken her out yourself," deadpanned Rodan. 

"Shh!" said Mosura with a sharp glare. She then raised a hand and then pointed down to the lower level of the chamber. Mosura immediately ran and dropped down to the lower level, creating a small thud. Angirasu, Rodan and Erika followed her lead as Sunset skittishly made her way down the metal stairs. The Transmutants parked themselves at the sides of the wall near the armory. Erika peeked over the wall and found the figure standing by the armor. She then turned back to face Mosura and the rest of the Transmutants. 

"She's right in there by the armor!" whispered Erika. 

"OK. We'll catch her on three," whispered Mosura. The Transmutants tensed themselves as they waited to strike. Sunset planted herself against the wall as well as she bore an anxious expression. 

"1...2...3!" said Mosura as she and the Transmutants moved into the armory. 

"Hold it right there, criminal scum!" said Rodan as he pointed to where the figure was. However, the figure was missing from where Erika had claimed that she was standing. Rather, the armor was the only thing present. Rodan's shoulders slumped as he lowered his arm. 

"Hmm. It looks like she escaped," said Angirasu as he relaxed himself. 

"No! No, that's impossible!" said Erika. She rushed over to the armor and began to look around it and then around the armory. 

"She was right here!" said Erika. 

"Shiragami, are you sure you saw someone? I mean, perhaps you must have been seeing things since you're so tired," said Mosura. Erika looked at her with a glare. 

"No! I saw someone in the living room and I just saw her seconds ago!" said Erika. 

"Then where is she?" deadpanned Rodan. 

"I don't know! But she was here! Sunset, you saw someone from Takeshi's room! Back me up here!" cried Erika as she turned to the entrance of the armory. Sunset peeked her head through with a nervous expression. 

"I saw a shadow of someone. But I didn't get a look at what the person looked like," said Sunset. Erika groaned in annoyance. 

"Hey, relax. I believe you," said Angirasu as he placed a hand on her shoulder. 

"I don't," said Rodan in annoyance. 

"Look, maybe someone was here but escaped via teleportation magic," said Angirasu with a shrug. 

"But that comes with a sound of magic bursting. I didn't hear anything like that," said Mosura. 

"N-Neither did I," said Sunset as she stepped further into the armory. Erika looked down in confusion. 

"But...how else could someone leave here without a trace?" asked Erika. Rodan sighed in annoyance. 

"Look, maybe you and Sunset are seeing shit after a long day. Why don't we all go back to bed, and forget about it?" asked Rodan as he made his way passed all of the Transmutants and out of the armory. He then leapt up to the higher level of the chamber and made his way back into his room. 

"No, I-" Erika stopped herself as the rest of the Transmutants left the armory. She sighed in exasperation. Sunset stood by with a nervous expression. 

"Are you sure it wasn't one of them?" asked Sunset. 

"I'm sure. Those guys were wearing black. This woman was wearing white," said Erika. She then shook her head as she followed Sunset. 

"What were you still doing up?" asked Erika. 

"I...I had a hard time falling asleep. I had a lot on my mind," said Sunset. Erika shook her head. 

"Come on, you gotta give your mind a rest to sort stuff out," said Erika as she led Sunset out of the armory. She then looked down in thought. 

"That woman was mysterious. But, where is she? Or...did I just hallucinate that like they said?' thought Erika. Unbeknownst to them, the figure in white remained in the shadows, watching the Transmutants leave the armory. 







The next day...
 

Sunset Shimmer sat down at the kitchen table with bags under her eyes. Her hair was a mess and her posture was hunched. Sunset nodded her head slightly as her eyes fluttered closed. She then slumped her head down and began to lightly snore. As the sound of glass hitting the table reached her ears, Sunset yelped as she shot her head up with wide eyes. She turned her head to the side with a look of panic, finding a startled Rodan. 

"Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!" said Rodan as he stepped back. Sunset sighed in relief as she placed her hand over her racing heart. 

"It's...fine," said Sunset. She then looked down at the table and found a plate filled with scrambled eggs and toast. 

"Sorry, did you prefer them sunny side up? I can toss them out," said Rodan as he anxiously made his way over to the table. 

"No! No, it's fine. I actually like scrambled eggs," said Sunset with a forced smile. Rodan nodded in response as he briskly made his way to the kitchen. As he served himself, he made his way over to the table on the side and sat sitting across Erika. Rodan calmly ate, but Sunset noticed the wary glances that he sent her. Sunset mentally sighed as she ate. 

"Sunset, you don't look so good," said Erika with a look of worry. 

"Sorry. I couldn't sleep," said Sunset as her eyes remained heavy. 

"Nightmare again?" asked Erika. 

"No. It's because of what happened last night. I kept thinking that one of them was going to kidnap me in my sleep," said Sunset as she continued to eat. The front door opened, prompting everyone in the kitchen to turn their attention to the front door. They found Fluttershy, Angirasu and Discord arriving inside of the house. 

"Helloooo everybody!" cried Discord with high volume. Sunset jumped at the Draconequus's loud voice. Rodan's glass of orange juice suddenly shattered in his hand, spilling the contents on his lap. He then looked at Discord in annoyance. 

"Would ya mind keeping your voice down," said Rodan as he took several paper towels and started to dry himself off. He then groaned in annoyance. 

"Screw this! I'm changing my jeans!" said Rodan as he stomped out of the kitchen, passing Mosura. 

"Good morning, Fluttershy and Discord!" said Mosura with a smile. 

"Good morning," said Fluttershy. 

"What brings you two here?" asked Erika in curiosity as Sunset sluggishly ate. 

"Well, Angirasu was actually joining me for breakfast, but then Discord dropped by for a quick visit," said Fluttershy. 

"Yeah, and it was going well," said Angirasu under his breath as he bore a bitter expression. 

"Yes! I actually wanted to see Gojira," said Discord as he searched the living room and kitchen. 

"He's not here. He stayed over at Twilight's, remember?" asked Mosura. 

"All I remember is an exciting and daring rescue," said Discord with a grin. His eyes then slightly widened. 

"He stayed over at Twilight's?" asked Discord. He then grew a coy smile. 

"Ooh. I wonder if he decided to score," said Discord as he tapped his chin. 

"No!" said Mosura with a look of disapproval. 

"Hey, you don't know for sure. Young love, am I right?" asked Discord. 

"Discord, that is an inappropriate thing to bring up," said Fluttershy. 

"Right, right. Anyway, I just wanted to see how he was doing," said Discord. He then noticed Sunset slumping her head down on her plate. 

"Uh oh," said Erika as she made her way over to Sunset and shook her shoulder. Sunset gasped as she shot up awake. Her toast was stuck to her face, which slid off and fell back onto her plate. Sunset groaned as she lowered her head. 

"What's her problem?" asked Discord. 

"I haven't had a goodnight's sleep," said Sunset with a drowsy tone. 

"Then go back to bed," said Discord with a deadpanned stare. 

"I..." Sunset gulped to herself. The idea of falling back to sleep and waking up to find herself back in her prison as if it were all a dream brought fear into her heart. 

"Sunset, it's OK if you want to go back to sleep. I'll even be here with you," said Erika with a smile. 

"Yeah, you should sleep. You can use the couch if you'd like," said Mosura as she made her way over to the couch and moved the unnecessary pillows and placed them on the ground. Erika helped Sunset from her seat and guided her to the couch, allowing her to lie down. 

"Would you like a lullaby?" asked Fluttershy. Discord raised a hand as he spawned a bass. 

"I have one!" said Discord as he stood near the couch that Sunset lied down on. Sunset bore a grimace. 

"That's not-" Sunset was interrupted as Discord strummed the strings on the bass. 

"I got my G cord here~. That's where the journey begins~. Here I am, sitting in the house nice and cozy, then we move on to the C cord,~" sang Discord as he strummed the bass. Everyone in the room bore a look of confusion as they listened. 

"Then you poke your head out the door with a C chord. Everything looks okay out here~. Maybe I'll take a walk outside to the D chord Oh walking around outside...look at all the stuff out here!~" sang Discord as he looked at the window, observing the sky that was slightly obscured by the Everfree forest. 

"And then we go to an A minor Getting a little cloudy out here.~ Looking like we might have some weather Then we go to E minor.~ Oh definitely got some weather Things are a little more complicated than they seemed at first And then we go back to my house-~" sand Discord. However, he was interrupted. The front door suddenly opened, revealing Junior to be stepping inside with a deadpanned stare as he focused on Discord. 

"For someone who doesn't sing, I've gotten use to the norm of people randomly singing. But you sound like an unbelievable douche," said Junior. Discord merely narrowed his eyes as he focused on Junior. 

"Then, Gojira comes in and I change up the tempo.~ Gojira comes in and he changes the song.~ Looking at me like he thinks I'm a douchebag,~" sang Discord as he changed the tempo of the bass as he continued to play. Junior merely kept his deadpanned stare. 

"But he's gonna learn pretty fast that he's wrong.~ Hey Goji, why are you bringing me down, man?~ Why are you bringing me down?~ DON'T BRING ME DOWN!~" sang Discord as he quickly strummed the bass. The room was filled with silence. Sunset placed a hand over her face as she shook her head. Discord cleared his throat. 

"Music and Lyrics plagiarized by Discord," said Discord as he banished his bass. Junior shook his head. He then noticed Sunset peaking from the sofa, finding her bagged eyes and messy hair. 

"Wow. You look like shit," said Junior in surprise. Sunset immediately hid her head behind the couch. Mosura and Erika merely looked at Junior in disapproval. 

"So, what brings you here?" asked Junior as he looked back to Discord. 

"I just wanted to see how my new friends are doing!" said Discord as he wrapped an arm around Junior and pulled him close. He then placed his eagle claws on Junior's cheeks and stretched them, exposing his teeth, which were suddenly razor sharp. 

"I mean, you did lose control last night and became a beast reacting on primal instinct," said Discord. Fluttershy yelped as she spotted Junior's sharp teeth. 

"Change my teeth back!" said Junior in annoyance as his tongue felt the change as it brushed against the teeth. Discord released Junior's cheeks, allowing his teeth to revert back to normal. 

"Actually, I wanted to have a little fun. You see, being the Spirit of Chaos comes with some perks," said Discord. 

"What sort of fun?" asked Junior in reluctance. 

"Don't worry! This will be completely safe! I sometimes do this when I'm bored, and I even interact with it once I want to spice things up," said Discord with a grin. He then snapped his eagle clawed fingers, causing a wide and large screen to appear on the wall in front of the sofa, with a projector in the middle of the living room. Discord then slid the sofa that Sunset was lying on and moved it to the side, and then spawned another sofa with a recliner chair at the side. 

"You watch movies? Hmm. That seems fun," said Angirasu with a smile. 

"Oh ho ho! No, my dear boy! I do watch something, but it's different," said Discord. Junior's face turned to a grimace. 

"It's not porn, is it?" asked Junior. Discord's bore an appalled expression. 

"Gojira! I was not expecting you to have such a lewd mind! What would Celestia say?!" asked Discord. 

"Yeah, that's gross," said Erika in disapproval. 

"What?! B-But I... Oh, come on! He spawned strippers in Fluttershy's home!" said Junior in a defensive manner. 

"Discord, why don't you explain what you meant?" suggested Fluttershy. 

"Alright. Well, this projector will act as a window to see into alternate realities. I have seen a lot of interesting ones in my time," said Discord as he spawned a bucket of popcorn and sat on the recliner. 

"Alternate realities?" asked Junior in confusion. 

"That does sound fun!" said Erika as she rushed over to the sofa and sat beside Sunset Shimmer, who merely yawned. 

"Yeah, it does sound interesting," said Mosura as she made her way to the sofa and sat down beside Erika. Angirasu and Fluttershy proceeded to sit on the empty sofa. Junior merely shrugged in response. 

"Ah. What the hell?" Junior made his way to the sofa and sat with Erika, Sunset and Mosura. He suddenly realized that he was sitting right next to Sunset Shimmer, who avoided eye contact with him as she slightly scooted away from him. 

'Oh great,' thought Junior in annoyance. 

'I better give him his space,' thought Sunset with a light frown. Rodan suddenly arrived with a dry and clean pair of jeans on. 

"Hey Discord, Flutters and Goji. Oh sweet! You guys are gonna watch a movie?" asked Rodan with a grin. 

"Better! We're gonna watch alternate realities by using this special projector!" said Discord as he placed on 3D glasses. 

"Nice!" said Rodan as he hopped over the sofa and sat in between Fluttershy and Angirasu. The Valkyrie scooted away as she bore a look of disappointment while Angirasu shot Rodan a glare. Discord then used his magic to close the curtains to the windows and turned off the lights. He then spawned a couple of more buckets of popcorn and passed them to the others. 

"Show time!" said Discord as he snapped his fingers, causing the projector to turn on and for the fan inside of it to hum. The light from the projector beamed onto the screen, displaying a black screen with several text. The top text bore the words, 'Present reality'. The rest bore numbers after the word, 'reality'. 

"What's this?" asked Junior. 

"I call it a 'Main Menu'. It bears the realities that I have saved last night when looking through them. Now, some of these may be in the past or are taking place now or in the future in their own reality. So, keep that in mind if you see yourself and your about to bite the dust," said Discord with a chuckle as he held up a controller. He pressed down on the down arrow key and then clicked the remote as the text, 'Reality 2' was highlighted. It flashed, and the screen suddenly switched to displaying footage of a large city. The group watched with interest. Fluttershy awkwardly stood up and made her way to Angirasu's side. 

"Um...do you mind if I sit here?" asked Fluttershy in a timid manner. 

"Nope!" said Angirasu with a smile as he forced Rodan to scoot over. 

"Watch it!" said Rodan in annoyance. Fluttershy smiled as she took her seat next to Angirasu with a light blush. 

The screen showed the city to be decorated with flags with the Takeshi clan symbol on them. There was Neighponese text decorating a few buildings. 

"Hey, it's Neighpon!" said Mosura with a smile. 

"Yeah, decorated with flags with my clan's symbol," said Junior in confusion. The audience watched as the screen showed soldiers covered in dark armor, armed with rifles and wearing the Takeshi clan symbol on their chest pieces. The soldiers marched through the streets as the citizens, young and old, all watched and cheered. The screen then displayed a great building in the city, where several men and women in Samurai inspired armor stood in rows before a throne. The samurai bowed before the figure on the throne, which the camera perspective began to pan up to. On the throne, was a man wearing a robe with a hood over his head. At his right was an Elf woman, standing in a dark uniform with boots and black tights. An armband with the Takeshi symbol was on her arm. Her hair was violet with very light teal highlights. On the man's left was a man that wore a cloak as well, but it was white with brown marks. The man on the throne suddenly removed his hood, which brought shock to everyone watching the footage. The Elf woman stepped forward as she bore a bright smile. 

"All hail,  our glorious Emperor Gojira Takeshi the 2nd!" cried the woman. The samurais in the room rose to their feet as they gave a loud, simultaneous stomp. 

"Hail Emperor Takeshi! Hail Emperor Takeshi!" cried the samurai in unison. Junior's eyes widened in shock as he watched the screen. The man was indeed him, although he appeared older. Either in his mid to late twenties. He bore a scar over brow and his chin was covered in light hairs, from a beard. He almost thought that he was looking at his father. 

"The East has been united," said the emperor with a smirk. Discord suddenly changed the screen, forcing it back to the menu. Everyone turned to face him. 

"Hey! It was getting good!" said Rodan. 

"Seriously?" asked Angirasu with a raised brow. 

"Why did you change it?" asked Mosura. 

"I'm Emperor in that reality? But... that doesn't make sense! I'm not part of a royal family! And who was that woman?" asked Junior. 

"It was boring! Come on! Let's keep checking!" said Discord as he continued to select the next reality. Fluttershy then looked at Junior curiously, and then with slight worry. 

'I wonder...what sort of royal you would be,' thought Fluttershy. 

The vision then switched to showing a high school in a more modern town. More cars passed by the streets, houses were near the large high school. Junior scowled. 

"Great, high school," said Junior in disgust. The screen then suddenly showed multiple students walking through the halls, conversing with each other. Pinkie Pie was shown conversing with Rarity in the vision, appearing as students. 

"Hey! It's Rarity and Pinkie Pie!" said Fluttershy with a smile. The screen then showed multiple people running through the hall as a loud commotion filled the air. 

"Uh oh. You hear those chants?" asked Junior as he looked to his friends. 

"What about them?" asked Angirasu in confusion. Sunset looked to the screen with a frown. 

"It's the sound of kids watching a fight," said Sunset. The screen followed a few students running outside to the quad, where a large group had gathered. A boy was thrown towards a table and skidded across it. Some students gasped in shock while others cheered. 

"Whoa! Who's kicking ass?" asked Rodan with a grin. Everyone leaned closer as they waited for the screen to show the fighters. Junior's face bore a scowl as the fighters were revealed. It was this reality's version of Junior, fighting multiple other boys. 

"Wow. I can't catch a break in high school in this reality too?" asked Junior. Mosura placed a comforting hand on his shoulder in response. 

The vision showed Junior yelling angrily as he punched a boy that was his height in his face, knocking him back. Junior dodged a punch from another boy and then swept his leg. He then grunted as he felt a plank of wood shatter against his back. Junior turned and glared at a teenager that wore a sweater with a t-shirt that bore an image of a shield and a lightning bolt. His hair was blue in color and slightly spiked. 

"Oh. I am going to kick the shit out of you for that!" shouted Junior as he stomped over to student. The teen hardened his eyes as he raised his fists. 

"Kick his ass, Flash Sentry!" cried a girl from the crowd. Several other cries filled the air, rooting for the other teen. 

"Come on, you bastard," said Flash. 

"When I’m through with you-," said Junior as he stomped towards the boy. 

"Oh shit! Here it comes!" said Rodan with an eager expression as the scene played. The girls in the room merely looked at him in disapproval. The screen showed Junior getting closer to Flash, but from the crowd emerged this reality's version of Twilight. She immediately stood in front of Junior as she held her arms out as she bore a glare. 

"Leave him alone!" said Twilight. Junior snarled as his irises grew larger and more reptilian. Everyone watching the vision watched in shock. 

"Whoa, did you snarl at her?" asked Erika in shock. 

"I...I guess I did," said Junior in confusion. He watched as the alternate universe Twilight stood her ground. The other students stood by anxiously. Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow and Applejack appeared at Twilight's side, giving Junior a glare. 

"You should be ashamed of yourself for snarling at a lady like that! That is most uncivilized! Even for a Transmutant like you!" said Rarity. Rainbow punched her fist into her palm as she sent Junior a glare. 

"You mess with her, you mess with us!" said Rainbow. Junior growled as he clenched his fist. 

"Gojira, just walk away," said Applejack in a firm tone. From the crowd, Fluttershy came running. She quickly grabbed Junior's arm and began to tug at it. 

"Gojira, please stop! None of this is worth it!" cried Fluttershy with pleading eyes. Junior looked her way while the rest of the girls stiffened at their friend being close to the Transmutant at such an aggressive state. Junior's eyes softened as he found her desperate expression. The Transmutant unclenched his fist, feeling a painful shot at his pride for backing down. Junior exhaled through his nostrils as he glared at Twilight and then at Flash. 

"I'm not one to hit a girl. You got off lucky, Flash. Stay out of my way, or else you'll end up on the back of a milk carton," said Junior as he began to walk away. From the crowd came Mosura, Rodan, Angirasu, Erika and Sunset 

"What happened?" asked Sunset as she began to inspect Junior's bruised face. Junior pulled away in response. 

"Ask your boyfriend," spat Junior as he began to walk away. The crowd quickly dispersed out of his path, allowing Junior to leave. Sunset turned her attention to Flash, furrowing her brows in demand of answers. Flash merely bore a hard expression as he watched Junior leave, while Fluttershy ran after him. Mosura, Erika, Angirasu, and Rodan followed in suit. 

Back in the present reality with the rest of the group watching, there was silence. 

"Damn. You did have a bad high school experience," said Rodan with a frown. Junior sighed. 

"It was worst then this. You guys weren’t there. Especially Fluttershy," said Junior as he looked to the pink haired girl. Fluttershy lightly smiled at him in response. He then glanced at Sunset, who merely looked down at the ground. 

'Yet...Sunset seemed to care about me in that reality. As if we weren't enemies,' thought Junior. The screen suddenly returned to the menu. Junior still kept a small smile on his face. He then heard a sniffle from the side, prompting Junior to turn and find Erika sniffling to herself. 

"A-Are you crying?" asked Junior in confusion. 

"Yes," muttered Erika as she wiped her cheeks of her tears. "It's just so sweet that she would still be his friend." 

"It sounds weird when you refer to what is essentially myself as not me at all," said Junior with a raised brow. 

"Hey, did anyone else notice that the other Fluttershy and Rainbow didn't have any wings and the other Twilight, Sunset and Rarity didn't have pointed ears?" asked Rodan. 

"Yeah, I thought that was weird," said Mosura in surprise. 

"Well, that universe doesn't exactly operate the same way that ours does. But there are some similarities in place," said Discord as he dumped his popcorn into his mouth, swallowing it whole. He then gave a loud burp. 

"Who's ready for a couple more?" asked Discord. 

"Click that shit!" said Rodan with a look of excitement. 

"I'm curious to see what other realities exist as well," said Fluttershy with a smile. Sunset remained silent a she dozed off. Discord clicked the next reality option on screen. The screen then displayed Junior, Angirasu, Rodan and Mosura running alongside each other through a metal facility. Soldiers with rifles rushed towards them and fired their weapons. The sounds of these weapons were much different compared to what they were used to hearing. The sounded like fireworks going off. There was even a lack of magic bolts lighting up the air. Rather, lead projectiles whizzed from the muzzles of the rifles. Fluttershy immediately cupped her ears from the loud sound as she watched the Transmutants on screen evade the bullets that threatened to pierce through them. The alternate reality's Mosura used her telekinesis to pull away the rifles from the soldiers, allowing the other three male Transmutants to charge in and knock them to the ground. 

"Alright! This is what I'm talking about!" said Rodan with a grin as he ate popcorn. The screen suddenly changed, revealing Rodan to be sleeping on a couch as he bore a grin. Everyone that was watching looked on in confusion. The screen then showed Junior and Mosura sitting across from each other at a table as they looked at Rodan with raised brows. 

"Hmm. Looks like he's having dreams of us fighting bad guys with guns again," said Mosura. Junior smiled in amusement as he shook his head. 

"All in good time, Ro," said Junior. He then turned to the side and found a familiar woman handing him a cup filled with tea. He smiled as he took the cup. 

"Thanks, Mom," said Junior. Fluttershy's eyes widened in surprise as she saw the face of the woman. The Transmutants present with her that were watching the screen clearly recognized this woman as well. 

"No way..." whispered Junior with wide eyes. He felt himself tearing up as he watched the woman on screen hand the alternate reality's version of Mosura a cup of tea as well. 

"Thank you, Takeshi-san," said Mosura. Miwa nodded. She then glanced at her son, who proceeded to drink his tea. Miwa made sure that Mosura caught where she was glancing, and then suddenly winked at the Transmutant. Mosura blushed furiously and bore a shy smile as she avoided eye contact with Junior. Miwa lightly laughed in response. Junior bore a small smile as he watched his mother in this reality on screen, alive and well. 

"Oh! You kids better get going! You'll be late for your training with Gamera and your father," said Miwa as she tugged at Junior's shoulder. 

"Oh, shoot! Man, dad's gonna give me an earful if we're late!" said Junior as he quickly drank his tea. Fortunately, it was iced tea. Mosura did the same with her tea and stood up to her feet. She rushed to door but stopped as she rushed back to the table. 

"I'll take care of the dishes! You kids just go on ahead!" said Miwa as she gathered the cups. Mosura nodded. 

"OK! I'll make it up to you!" said Mosura as she rushed outside where a forest was. She turned and found Angirasu resting against a tree. 

"Aang! We have to go!" called Mosura. Angirasu shot up to his feet. Junior came out of the house with Rodan sluggishly following him. 

"Damn, I just want to take a nap!" said Rodan. Mosura laughed as she ruffled Rodan's hair. 

"Hey, you can nap later! Come on, lazy," said Mosura as she and Junior began to run ahead. 

"Dad's alive..." said Junior to himself as he watched the alternate reality. He bore a smile as he watched his alternate self and his friends venture through the large forest, meeting with Gojira Takeshi the first and another man with dark hair and green eyes. 

"You're late," deadpanned Senior. Junior chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head as his friends stood by with nervous smiles. Mosura stepped forward with her hand raised. 

"Please don't be mad at him, Takeshi-sensei. It was my fault since I lost track of time when talking to your wife," said Mosura with a light frown. Senior merely kept a hard stare on the teenagers, who stood by anxiously. He then bore a soft smile. 

"Fair enough, Yasu-chan. I'll let him slide. But you have to check him whenever I'm not around," said Senior with a wink. Junior groaned in annoyance. 

"Dad!" said Junior. 

"I'll be sure to do that," said Mosura as she nudged Junior's side in a playful manner. The teenagers then noticed the other men stepping forward. 

"Good afternoon, children," said the man. The teenage Transmutants bowed in response. 

"Good morning, Guardian-sama," said the teens in unison. The man merely chuckled. 

"There is no need to use my title. Just refer to me by name, Gamera," said the man. The teens nodded in response. Senior clapped his hands together. 

"Alright, are you all ready for a hard day of training to be Guardians?" asked Senior. 

"Yes!" said the teens in unison. Senior nodded in response. 

"Excellent. The humans may not accept us, but our duty is the world itself and keeping it in balance. We cannot let their words and actions put us down. We must remain strong!" said Senior as he raised a fist. The reality screen changed back to the menu. Junior stared in silence as he processed what he had witness. He had seen his parents, both alive and with him. Despite them being gone in his world, it gave him comfort that in another world, he was able to be with them longer. 

"Are you OK?" asked Mosura in a worried tone. Junior nodded. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I was just shocked to see that," said Junior with a smile. Fluttershy smiled to Junior. 

"That was your mother, wasn't it? She looked more beautiful on screen compared to the picture," said Fluttershy. 

"Who was that other guy though? I never heard of him," said Rodan in confusion. 

"And where were the other girls?" asked Erika in curiosity. Discord shrugged. 

"Meh. I guess they didn't exist in that universe. Only the Transmutants," said Discord. 

"Hmm. That's a shame," said Junior with a light frown. 

"I wouldn't let it bother you, Goji. After all, we have them with us in our world," said Angirasu. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. 

"Yeah, that's a good way looking at it," said Junior with a nod. Rodan hummed to himself. 

'Was it me, or did Mosura seem pretty chummy with Goji in that reality?' thought Rodan in curiosity. He then shrugged in response. As Junior remained seated, he felt a weight leaning against him. Junior turned and his eyes widened in surprise as he found Sunset leaning against his shoulder with her eyes closed. She was breathing softly as she snoozed. 

"Aw. Poor thing finally went to sleep," said Erika. 

"I'm surprised that she was able to," said Rodan with a soft chuckle. Discord yawned as he stretched his arms. 

"Alright, just one more. I'm getting sleepy myself," said Discord as he popped his back. Junior slightly shifted in his seat, but Sunset merely scooted closer to him and began to snuggle against his arm. Junior looked away with a nervous expression. 

'I hope Twilight doesn't walk in here,' thought Junior. Discord then clicked the last reality on screen. The next scenery sent confusion into the viewers. The screen showed a dark room with two sofas facing a screen. However, the screen also displayed the same scenery. It was like an infinite mirror moment, where the images deeper in each level went on forever. They were able to make out the backs of their heads through the screen. Junior immediately turned his head in confusion, as if attempting to find a camera that may have been filming him. He then looked back to the screen, finding Rodan, Fluttershy and Angirasu to be looking back as well. The rest of the group continued this for several seconds. Junior then raised his hand, finding the action being mirrored on screen. He then turned back to face the back of the room with a bewildered expression. 

"What the hell am I looking at?! When does this happen in an alternate reality?" asked Junior. Discord stood up as he turned to face Junior. 

"Now. You're looking at now, Goji. Everything that is happening now is happening now," said Discord as he pointed to screen. Junior looked down in confusion. 

"Wait...we're looking at our own universe right now?" asked Junior. He then shook his head. "That's ridiculous! You said that we were looking at the past of universes or their future! What happened to seeing different realities?!" 

"We passed them," said Discord in a nonchalant tone. 

"When?" asked Junior. 

"Now. We're at now, now," said Discord as he pointed to the ground, gesturing to the present. 

"Well...go back to then! Show us something interesting instead of us sitting on the couches watching what we're doing!" said Junior in annoyance. Discord looked at him in confusion. 

"When?" asked Discord. 

"Now," answered Junior. Discord cocked his head. 

"Now?" asked Discord. Everyone in the room face palmed at the conversation. 

"Now!" said Junior. 

"I can't," said Discord with a shrug. 

"Why?" asked Junior. 

"We've seen it," said Discord as he pointed to the screen. 

"When?" asked Junior. The screen suddenly went dark and reverted back to the menu. 

"Just now," said Discord. Junior stared at him blankly. He then scowled. 

"Are you yanking my chain here by orchestrating that scenario for me to go through a confusing conversation?" asked Junior. 

"No, this is yanking on your chain," said Discord as he snapped his fingers, allowing for a chained shackle to appear on Junior's arm. He then gave light tugs, which Junior responded with a deadpanned stare. Discord scowled in response. 

"Alright, fine. I'll show you the real last one. This one I thought was actually quite odd," said Discord as he caused the shackle to disappear and then clicked on the remote. The group watched the screen as it showed Ponyville. However, the town seemed to be overrun by multicolored ponies. Various breeds of ponies were present. They ranged from earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. 

"Damn, who let these ponies out of their stalls?" asked Rodan in confusion. He then stuck his tongue out in disgust. "That's gonna be a lot of poo to clean up," 

"Gross," said Erika as she crinkled her nose. 

"Oh, but they're all so cute! Don't you think so, Angirasu?" asked Fluttershy. 

"Yeah, they are quite endearing," said Angirasu with a smile. Mosura scanned the screen in confusion. 

"Wait...where are the people?" asked Mosura. The screen suddenly showed a pony entering a restaurant, which then panned over to finding multiple other ponies sitting on hay at tables, eating food. 

"I'd like to order a daisy sandwich," said an earth pony mare as she looked towards a stallion that was dressed as a waiter. Everyone, excluding Discord, looked on in shock. 

"D-Did that pony just..." Junior's voice trailed off as the waiter responded, speaking as a human would. 

"What the hell?" asked Rodan as he tilted his head. Fluttershy looked on in confusion. 

"B-But... Animals do have their own language, but they aren't capable of speaking like we do!" said Fluttershy in shock. Her face then brightened up into a smile. "This is so amazing!" 

"Really? I kinda think it's creepy," said Junior with a grimace. 

"As long as they don't start speaking in tongues, I'm good," said Erika with a nervous expression. The group watched as the screen showed a park where six colorful mares sat together. It was then that Junior noticed that ponies bore familiar marks on their flanks. 

"Whoa. This has got to be a huge coincidence, but those look like Cutie Marks," said Junior with wide eyes. 

"You're right! Those are Cutie Marks! Look, that yellow pegasus has Fluttershy's Cutie Mark!" said Mosura as she pointed at the screen. Fluttershy's eyes widened in surprise as she spotted the pegasus. The screen then panned over to the pegasus, who was petting a white bunny. 

"Now, I want you to be on your best behavior. OK, Angel Bunny?" asked the pegasus, whose voice was the same as Fluttershy's. Everyone gasped in the room. 

"Ugh. What's taking them so long? I'm staaaarving!" said a rainbow-maned pegasus as she slumped in the grass. 

"No way!" said Rodan in shock. 

"Well, you know Gojira. He likes to be fashionably late," said a white unicorn mare with a curled, violet mane. She bore Rarity's voice. 

"I do not!" said Junior in offense as he glared at the screen. 

"Dude, she's not gonna respond," said Rodan with a deadpanned stare. The screen then showed a lavender unicorn reading through a book. 

"Hmm. He probably had to take care of something before he got here," said the unicorn, bearing Twilight's voice. 

"I'm super-duper excited to have our first picnic with them! It's going to be spectacularly glorious!" said a pink earth pony with cotton candy-like hair. Her hyperactive and upbeat personality and her voice was a dead giveaway as to who she was. 

"Simmer down, Pinkie," said an orange earth pony with a Stetson hat on her head. "If you get too worked up, you might scare them off before they arrive," 

"They're wussies if Pinkie scares them," said Rainbow with a laugh. She then turned and smirked. 

"Speaking of which, here they are," said Rainbow as she stood up. The mares all turned and found four ponies. The first was a tall and strong kirin stallion with charcoal grey fur, yellow eyes, a dark and spiked mane, and fangs. The second kirin stallion was another large specimen, but was a bit shorter and more rounded in muscle. It bore a shade of brown, bearing an incredibly spikey mane and brown hazel eyes. Like the first stallion, he bore fangs as well. The third kirin stallion bore a brick red colored coat. His eyes were green and his mane was crimson. His hooves were covered in dark claws at the front, and he bore dragon-like clawed wings on his back. The fourth pony was an alicorn mare, standing to be shorter than the two larger stallions but about the same height as the dragon winged pegasus. Her coat was peach in color, and her mane was pure white with strands of hair hanging between her blue eyes and over her muzzle. Her wings were folded at her sides, bearing the likeness of Mosura's Transumutant wings. 

"Bout time you showed up!" said Rainbow. 

"Get off my back. I lost track of time," said the charcoal grey kirin in annoyance, bearing Junior's voice. The alicorn mare made her way over to the stallion's side and nudged her foreleg against him. 

"Don't mind Mr. Grumpy pants here. He didn't get any sleep," said the alicorn, bearing Mosura's voice. The brick red kirin planted himself beside Rainbow with a sigh. 

"So hungry," moaned the male pegasus, bearing Rodan's voice. The second to largest male kirin made his way to Fluttershy and sat beside her on his rear. 

"Hello, girls," greeted the kirin with Angirasu's voice. 

"Well, now that you guys are here, can we eat now?" asked Rainbow in annoyance. 

"Yeah, my stomach is eating itself!" said Rodan with a groan. 

"Alright, hold your horses. But we still have to wait until we're all here," said Applejack as she and Rarity passed plates to the other ponies. Back in the living room, the Transmutants and single human watched in shock. 

"We're talking animals in this universe," said Angirasu in a neutral tone. 

"I kinda think we at least look cooler compared to the other stallions that we saw. We look manly as shit, even as ponies!" said Rodan. 

“We’re neither. We’re kirins, excluding Mosura,” said Junior with a deadpanned stare. 

"You guys are so cute! Makes me jealous to not be a part of this!" said Erika with a look of disappointment. 

"Sunset Shimmer! Erika! Over here!" cried Pinkie as she waved frantically. The screen showed a yellowish unicorn mare with crimson hair with gold streaks, and a green kirin mare with vines wrapped around her fore legs. Her hair was matched the original Erika's hair and bore the same kind of eyes. This mare was about the size of the kirin version of Angirasu, shorter than Junior's kirin self. The two mares joined the group for the picnic. Erika's eyes widened as she spotted the green pony that bore a Cutie Mark that depicted a rose with thorny vines. Her pupils grew large and a wide smile appeared on her face. 

"Kyaa!!" Erika gave a high pitched squeal, causing everyone in the room to flinch. The screen then flashed back to the menu. 

"Well, I'm satisfied!” said Erika. Discord yawned as he turned on the lights and opened the curtains. 

"Well, I'm off! I hope you all enjoyed yourselves! See you next time!" said Discord as he packed the projector and vanished into thin air. Fluttershy smiled as he faced the Transmutants. 

"That was rather interesting. I especially liked the one with us as ponies! We were so cute!" said Fluttershy. Mosura nodded in agreement. 

"My favorite one was the one where Goji was kicking that guy's ass! Hey, do you know a Flash Sentry in this universe?" asked Rodan in curiosity. Junior shook his head. 

"No, I don't think so," said Junior. 

"I thought they were all pretty interesting. Especially that one with Goji as Emperor," said Angirasu as he gave a chuckle. 

"I still don't know what's up with that," said Rodan as he leaned back on the sofa. Erika turned to face Junior in curiosity. 

"Which one did you like?" asked Erika. Junior looked to the ceiling in thought. 

"Well... despite me living a crap life in high school in that vision, I did like how I actually seemed to have friends that time. But my favorite would have to be the one with my parents. I...I got to see their faces again while they were alive and well," said Junior with a sad smile. He then turned as he found Sunset softly breathing as she leaned against his shoulder. 

"Hmm. We better get her to bed," said Erika as she stood up. 

"Heh. I'm surprised she's still asleep after that squeal," said Angirasu. Rodan chuckled to himself. 

"Dude, she freaking said 'kyaa'! So cute!" whispered Rodan. 

"Uh...I'll do it," said Junior as he gently moved Sunset. Erika and Mosura looked at him in surprise. 

"Really?" asked Erika. 

"Yeah. It's no trouble," said Junior as he knelt down and picked Sunset up, bridal style. Mosura lightly smiled as she watched Junior carry her off out of the living room and into the back. Junior continued on down the metal bridge with Sunset sleeping in his arms. He eventually made it to the large chamber in the cave and made his way into his room. As he reached his bed, Junior gently lowered Sunset down and lied her down on the bed. He brought the blanket up from under her and began to bring it up to her shoulders. Junior stared at Sunset with a neutral expression for several seconds, recalling his past with her. He sighed heavily as he lowered his head as he remembered what the mysterious woman from the previous night had said. He heard Sunset give a small moan in her sleep, prompting Junior to look up to find her brows crinkling. She began to toss and turn in her sleep as she muttered in her sleep. 

"No..." muttered Sunset. 

'Oh. Is she having a nightmare?' thought Junior. Without thinking, Junior brought his hand over Sunset's sweating brows as she muttered in her sleep. 

"No...stay away, you monster," muttered Sunset. Junior's eyes widened in response. He then softened his eyes and then sighed as he looked away. 

"You haven't changed your thoughts about me. Not even a bit," said Junior in a bitter tone. Sunset's eyes suddenly shot open and she suddenly jumped out of bed with a cry. Junior recoiled in response, startled by her sudden awakening. Sunset panted as she bore a look of panic. She frantically looked around and then turned to find Junior. She gasped as she recoiled back with a look of fear. Junior merely hardened his eyes. Sunset lightly panted as she relaxed her shoulders. 

"Oh. It's just you," said Sunset in relief. Junior raised a brow. 

"What do you mean by that?" asked Junior. 

"Nothing! Nothing, I just thought that..." Sunset sighed as she lowered her eyes. "I was afraid that if I were to fall back to sleep, I'd wake up back in that hell hole," 

"Oh," said Junior. Sunset twiddled her fingers as she sat in Junior's bed awkwardly. She then looked around. 

"How did I get back in here?" asked Sunset. 

"You fell asleep back in the house. I brought you down here," said Junior as he sat on the ground next to the bed. Sunset looked at him in surprise. 

"You carried me?" asked Sunset. 

"You were taking up space on the couch," deadpanned Junior. Sunset lightly winced. Her face bore a look of hurt. 

"Sorry," said Sunset. Junior looked down. 

"Ah. No, I was just kidding," said Junior as he rubbed his head. He then glanced at Sunset. 

"So...what was your nightmare about? You were talking in your sleep," said Junior. Sunset looked away in embarrassment. 

"I was?" asked Sunset with a light blush. 

"Yep. Something about a monster," said Junior. 

"Well...it's a dream that I've been having a lot lately. I keep seeing myself as that winged monster. She would always torture me, say cruel things to me, and burn me," said Sunset as she visibly shook. She lowered her head onto her knees. 

"I keep having that stupid nightmare every other time I sleep and it seems to be getting worse," said Sunset. Junior nodded in understanding. 

"I sympathize. I have the same problem. Except it was me becoming a monster," said Junior. Sunset looked at him in surprise. 

"Wow. I...I never thought of having that in common with you," said Sunset. Junior shrugged. 

"Well, Celestia thinks that we do have a bit in common. I'm beginning to wonder that myself," said Junior. He then shifted in his seat. 

"Sunset," called Junior. Sunset's eyes widened in shock. It was the first time that she had heard Junior refer to her by her first name in years. Before, he only called her by her last name, as the stranger that she had become to him. 

"Listen I... I've... Ugh. I've been a dick," said Junior as he looked away. 

"Huh?" asked Sunset. 

"I've treated you harshly because I was pissed about you trying to escape the dungeon when Celestia was offering you a chance. I guess I wanted to start over as well. So when you took that escape, I felt betrayed," said Junior. Sunset deeply frowned as she listened. 

"But I was wrong to hold onto what happened. I was wrong to treat you like a nuisance when we rescued you. For that, I'm sorry and I forgive you. For everything," said Junior as he bowed his head. Sunset lightly smiled in response. She scooted closer to Junior and hesitantly reached for him Sunset then forced her arms around his neck and wrapped him into a hug. Junior's eyes widened in surprise. 

"Thank you, for saving my life," whispered Sunset. Junior smiled to himself and then wrapped his arms around her back. 

"You're welcome," said Junior. As the two released each other, Junior stood up to his feet. 

"Well, I'll let you get some more sleep. See ya," said Junior as he began to walk away. He then felt Sunset grab his wrist, holding it tightly. He turned and found Sunset looked at him with pleading eyes. 

"W-Would you mind staying here with me for a while? I'm...scared," said Sunset in embarrassment. Junior nodded in understanding. 

"Sure," said Junior as he sat himself down beside the bed. Sunset then lied herself down and gave Junior a soft smile. With that, Junior felt his burden lighten. Still, it felt heavy.