//------------------------------// // Chapter 47: Fault // Story: Shy and Aggressive // by Johng117 //------------------------------// Koizumi was chuckling as he had his helmet's visor displaying live footage of the different areas of the castle. The feed read "drone 1" through "5". They were placed in different areas of the castle based on where the traps were. Koizumi looked down as the visor made the live feed more opaque, exposing the organ keys. Each key was painted with a different number on, and in front of him were note sheets with the color coding and numbers that were meant to be played in a specific order to activate a specific trap. Right now, he just played a set of keys on the organ, and then turned up the visibility on his visor's feed, showing that a group of Purists were rushing down a hall, only to caught by multiple arrows that fired from crossbows that appeared out of the floor. "Ooh! Nice!" laughed Koizumi. He felt like he was playing a video game. "Koizumi, we got the hostages!" said Inoue over the COM. "OK, cool. I'm having a blast down here with this organ! By the way, Yoshi told me that some choppers were inbound, so we're good on numbers and fire power," said Koizumi as he looked through the camera feed. "Hey, listen, I gotta get back to work. You guys just get out and I'll try to keep these fuckers confused," said Koizumi as he hung up his COM. He then pressed a set of keys, causing a tune to come from the organ. He watched in his feed as a couple of Purists fell down a pit filled with metal spikes. "Damn this is wonderful!" cried Koizumi. From within the castle, Junior remained close to his mother and Posey as they, the Main Six minus Fluttershy, the Dazzlings, Sunset, Luna, Celestia, the spider Transmutant teens were escorted by the armed soldiers and Guardians. They cautiously moved through the castle, checking corners and such. Junior was distracted, worried for Fluttershy's safety during this chaos. The stress he was undergoing was prompting an itchy and irritating sensation on his skin. This triggered an alarm in Junior's mind. He took a few breaths in attempt to calm himself. It would be ugly if he were to transform, especially now of all times. As the group moved on, they ended up in the throne room, which was wide and open. The armed soldiers and Guardians began to spread out a bit. As they did this, a shadowy figure hung from the broken ceiling. The sound of jet engines roared in the air, startling everyone in the throne room. Junior shot his head up and saw the figure being lit up by the jet pack. Carbon fiber wings spread out as the figure dropped from the ceiling and dove down towards the group. "Bogey, above!" shouted a soldier as Adrian descended. The armed forces fired at Adrian, who quickly swerved about with grace through the air. From her pack, flares launched, brightening up the throne room with intense light. As the shooters were blinded, Adrian swooped in with her Sub-machine guns drawn. She peppered several soldiers and Guardians. "Everyone, get down!" shouted Kumonga as she and Manda went to cover the civilians. As they attempted to find cover, Adrian swooped by, dropping dark pellets near the feet of some soldiers and pillars of the throne room. The pellets exploded, killing some soldiers and injuring others. The civilians were taking cover from the chaos, but a pillar that was hit by the explosions began to collapse, along with part of the roof. "Watch out!" shouted Junior as it began to tumble in Luna's and Aria's path. They attempted to flee but the stones that fell from the roof stalled them. "Luna!" cried Celestia. "Aria!" cried Adagio and Sonata in unison. As the stones were about to fall onto the two, they stopped in midair. Everyone stared in shock and heard straining. Junior turned and found Mosura behind them with her hands raised and her eyes closed. She appeared to be struggling as a vein on the side of her head was exposed. "Mosu?!" said Junior. "Get out of there! Ergh! I can't hold it for long!" said Mosura as she began to sweat. Aria and Luna quickly moved away from the destroyed pillar. Mosura grunted as she willed the stones to the side away from everyone. She sighed in relief as she slumped. Junior rushed to her. "Mosu!" called Junior. Mosura smiled as she sighed. "Thank goodness, you're all-" Mosura was about to approach the group but was suddenly swooped up by Adrian. The girl cried out as she was carried off. "Mosura!!" cried Junior as the rest stared in horror. Adrian flew off with her clawed boots gripping Mosura by the shoulders. She aimed her guns at the large window of the side and fired, causing it to shatter. "No!" shouted Junior as he rushed down towards a door that was present and forced it open. "Junior!" called Miwa as her son rushed out of the door. The Transmutant ran through a narrow hall that soon led to the castle garden, where he found Mosura being dropped to the ground with Adrian descending. Adrian aimed her gun at the girl, while Junior quickly raised his own gun. He fired a couple of shots, both of which missed. Adrian quickly turned and fired her submachine gun at Junior, who dropped to the ground as the bullets sprayed around him. Mosura attempted to lunge for Adrian as she focused on Junior but found herself struck by one of the wings of Adrian. Junior shot back up and fired multiple times at Adrian, still missing. But a couple of rounds caught her in the armor. Adrian grunted as she quickly fired back, but her weapon clicked as she quickly ran out of ammo. She found Junior tossing his empty pistol aside as he rushed towards her. However, Adrian quickly reached for her side and drew out a yellow pellet. As Junior came in her space and reared his only fist back, Adrian quickly dodged the punch by stepping to the side. She then shoved the pellet into his mouth as he opened it from grunting when he swung his fist. Adrian then kicked Junior away, who stumbled back. Suddenly, he felt a painful pop in his mouth, where yellow gas began to flow out as bits of his teeth were spat out. Junior dropped to his knees in pain and sudden exhaustion. He coughed as the gas was caught into his lungs. Adrian kicked him in the back of the head, causing him to drop to the ground as he was in his weakened state. "I'll deal with you in a minute," said Adrian in a cold tone. She made her way over to Mosura, who struggled to get back to her feet as her face was bruised up. Adrian reloaded her weapon as she grew closer to the Transmutant. "I saw what you did with those rocks. I finally found you, Night Angel. Odd, I'm pretty sure that you were a guy when we met that night," said Adrian as she aimed her gun at Mosura, who gasped in fear. Suddenly, a stone whizzed through the air and smacked Adrian in the hand, causing her to cry out in pain as she dropped the gun and held her aching hand. She turned and found Battra to be standing on a balcony, lowering his outstretched hand. He jumped from the balcony and landed in the garden with a hard expression. "That's because I'm the Night Angel," said Battra in a low tone. Adrian's eyes widened behind her helmet. She quickly looked to the girl on the ground and towards the young man before her. She narrowed her eyes as she fully recalled his voice. "Of course," said Adrian. Battra looked to Mosura after he noticed Junior to be heaving as he clutched his stomach. "Take your friend and get out of here," said Battra. Mosura shook her head as she bore a panicked look. "Battra-" "Go! I got this!" said Battra as he turned and found Adrian lunging for her gun on the ground. Battra quickly rushed towards her before she could reach for it and kicked her in the side, knocking her several feet away. Mosura gritted her teeth as she rushed to Junior's side and helped him up to his feet. "Come on Goji! Let's get out here!" said Mosura as she began to walk with Junior, who stumbled with the effects of the gas on him. As the two made their way to the entrance of the throne room, Mosura briefly looked back as Battra was throwing punches at Adrian. Adrian grunted as she blocked a few punches and began to jab her fists into Battra's ribs and quickly stepped back as he punched back. As he missed, Adrian kicked Battra in the side of the head and caused him to stumble. Adrian then spread out the carbon fiber wings and her pack ignited, allowing her to take off. She then kicked her legs up and caught Battra by the shoulders with the metal clawed boots. "Let's go for a ride, asshole!" shouted Adrian as she soared into the air with Battra struggling to get free. As they passed a castle tower, Battra grabbed a stone statue that they passed that was shaped as a perching dragon. As he kept a firm grip on the one of the horns, Adrian found herself being stalled from her flight as a whiplash came. Battra grunted in pain as his muscles stretched from the pull. Adrian looked back and found Battra pulling himself closer to the statue with his one arm and grabbed it with the other, allowing himself to pull towards the ledge with all his might. Adrian added more thrust to her pack, causing Battra's grip to loosen. The Transmutant's grip caused the horn he was holding to break off, causing him to hang by one arm. He cursed as he held the stone horn as Adrian strained to get him to release the statue. Battra looked to the back of her leg just above her armored calf. She was exposed there. He quickly jabbed the stone horn into the back of her leg, causing Adrian to cry out in agony. Battra was about to jab the stone into her wound again but the woman released him and flew off, allowing Battra to drop to the ledge. He grunted as he rubbed his aching arms. Turning around, he found Adrian to be rounding back in the air, drawing out a pistol from her side as she held out one arm. She began to fire automatic shots from the pistol, which Battra quickly ducked under and ran along the stone ledge of the castle. He dropped down towards a close roof and landed on the bricks. He sprinted across the roof as Adrian continued to shoot at him. As she ran out of bullets, she put her gun back to her side and soared over to Battra as he leaped over stone structures on the roof. Her wings extended sharp blades, which reflected the moon light. She came towards Battra, who slid under her as she swooped towards him, with the blade slicing through the stone pillar and causing chunks of it to fly. He turned and found the blade to still be intact. "Jesus! What the hell is that thing made of?!" asked Battra with a pant. The Purist rounded back as she yelled angrily. "This is for everything you've done, you bastard!!" shouted Adrian as Battra ran towards her. He was about to slid under her again but the Purist kicked her legs up and struck the Transmutant in the chest, knocking him back. She then cut off her thrust from her back and landed on the ground. Her wings were still spread out and began to flex and bend as she kept a tight grip on the handles to them. She turned and swung one of the wings at Battra, where the blade whistled through the air. Battra quickly rolled away, narrowly avoiding the blade. As he stood up, Adrian grunted as she rushed towards him and swung the other wing, which Battra avoided by doing a back flip. Adrian then yelled as she leaped in the air as she brought the wings up in front of herself. Her pack's thrust allowed her to gain more air. She then dropped back down and made a chopping motion. Battra then stepped in her personal space, raised his hands and caught her wrists as she landed. Adrian grunted as she was unable to strike Battra down with him this close to herself, and she was unable to move her arms with him holding her wrists. So, she ignited her pack, which caused the two to fly off through the air, but with no way of steering. The two crashed into a castle tower, where they fell to a ledge. Adrian panted as she retracted her wings. "You think you're so tough?! Huh?! You think you can kill all of us?! You and your filthy race will be just a distant memory when we're done with you!" shouted Adrian. "And you're willing to kill innocent humans in the process?! You people are insane! You have already gotten the government to turn against you all along with many of the citizens! It's just a matter of time before others in the world wake up and realize that you're just as much as a threat as any other terrorist out there!" said Battra. "Go to Hell, you piece of shit! Don't you dare try to use that 'innocent' bullshit on me! It's because of your kind that my family is dead!" shouted Adrian as she quickly crouched to the ground with her pack aiming at Battra. From the pack, a drone suddenly popped off and flew towards Battra. His eyes widened as the drone fired bullets from its front. Battra quickly bent backwards, as the bullets whizzed over him, and the drone flew over. He quickly got back to standing up right with a pained grunt as his back popped. However, Adrian was rushing towards him and tackled him to the ground. She began to punch him multiple times as Battra held his arms over his face as the woman punched him, failing to block some. Scar stared at the Ark with a neutral expression. What he and the others witnessed early was a complete shock. In fact, it took him a while to believe that one of his men was vaporized before their very eyes. Whatever was in here must have been very important if such a fail safe was in place on this crate. Now, he was watching as Impact held Fluttershy at gun point as he walked her to the ark. If it was true that this girl could open the ark, then they could use her to find what was so damned important in this crate. Amber was carried by Stinger as she remained in the net. "Now, be a good girl and open it," said Impact as he brought Fluttershy closer to the Ark. Fluttershy trembled in fear as she looked around, surrounded by men with guns. "B-But..." "Come on! If the bug says that you'll live when opening the damn thing, it's good enough for me! Now open it!" shouted Impact, causing the girl to flinch and to break into a quiet sob. "I swear to-" Impact groaned as he pulled the girl by the shoulder and pulled the hammer on his pistol and pointed it at the girl's head. "Listen here! I have just about run out of patience today! Now you can either open it, or I can just put a bullet in your skull and just move on to one of your friends!" growled Impact. Fluttershy continued to whimper as she shook like a leaf. Impact smirked. "Or maybe... I can just bring one of the others out here right now. If you don't do what we say, they get a bullet to the head. And their deaths won't be on me, they'll be on you," said Impact in a sadistic tone. Fluttershy bore a look of horror as she gasped. "No! Please, don't!" cried Fluttershy. "Then open the fucking ark!" shouted Impact. "I think you'll catch more flies with honey, human," said Amber in a deadpanned tone. Impact growled as he glared at the moth. "I swear to God, if you say something one more time, I'll pluck your wings!" said Impact. He then pulled Fluttershy close with a glare. "But that's nothing compared to what you'll experience if you don't do as your told," said Impact. "No!" shouted a familiar voice. Everyone turned their attention to the cave entrance and found Senior to have been standing with a shot gun at his side. "Gojira!" cried Amber in joy. "You?! How is this possible?!" demanded Scar with a look of shock. The Purists aimed their weapons at Senior. "Wait! I'm not here to fight! I'm here to warn you about the Ark!" said Senior as he dropped the gun to his side and held his hands out with a pleading look. "Please, just hear me out," said Senior. As Stinger was about to step forward, Scar held a hand out in front of him. "Then tell us, Transmutant. What is it that you have to say?" asked Scar. "No! Fuck this, Scar! He's stalling for time!" said Impact. "Am I? Then let's cut to the chase. Amber, what is the purpose of the Ark? Why was it made? And what does it do?" asked Senior. Amber sighed. "The Ark- Ah!" Amber yelped as Impact released Fluttershy and snatched the fairy from Stinger and began to shake her. "Shut up!!" shouted Impact as he began to squeeze Amber. "Hey!" called another voice. Everyone found Onyx to be walking into the cave as he was flanked by a couple of MONARCH soldiers, armed with rifles. "Do not squeeze the bug. Let her talk," said Onyx. The Purists began to ready their weapons, but the soldiers quickly raised theirs. "Hey! Unless you'd like to get a bullet in your head first, I'd tell your men to stand down!" said Onyx with a glare. Scar growled as he looked to his men. "Stand down. Let's hear her out," said Scar. Impact growled angrily. He felt that they should be killing these guys, not letting them speak. "OK. In the beginning, there was my father. He forged the heavens and the world which we walk on. During this, he created six gems known as the Gems of Genesis. These gems hold a portion of his power. One of them lies within this crate, the gem of the spirit. The Ark was made to contain the gem safely and to keep it away from the hands of those who would use it for evil. It was forged from wood in which he had influenced to strike down those whose sinful deeds has tainted their entire soul," said Amber. "Wha... Some of that almost sounds like..." Onyx's eyes widened. "And what is the purpose of the spirit gem?" asked Senior. "To enhance those with supernatural senses and to restore living things. It can reflect what's in your heart and soul and manifest your physical being. It's what allowed for the Serekuta to give rise to the Transmutants from ancient humans and why it affects the girls. Its power can even enhance them further. But it can also be used to curse," said Amber in a grim tone. "You can plunge the very world into more chaos if you are to toy with the gem. Imagine, regressing life cell by cell. The Earth could become a barren husk," said Amber. Everyone was silent, trying to process this information. Scar bore a neutral expression as Senior looked towards him. "Scar, you can't open the Ark," said Senior. "No! Scar, this is bullshit! Don't tell me you believe this!" said Impact. Scar merely glanced at him. "Impact, I've started to question what I thought was rational and irrational when I met a talking insect. I don't know what to believe," said Scar. Impact scoffed. "Oh, come on! These assholes obviously formed some kind of cult around this thing! I mean, spirits? Curses? Sins? If I didn't know better, I'd say they were trying to convert us!" said Impact. "This isn't a cult or any kind of religious conversion! This is real!" said Senior. "Please, I know that humans and Transmutants have had their differences. But you must put your prejudice aside and look at the bigger picture! If you use what's in there, you can very well destroy the entire world!" said Senior. Impact growled as he threw Amber, who yelped in fright as she slammed into Onyx and both fell to the ground. "I've had enough!" said Impact as he grabbed Fluttershy and aimed his gun at Senior and fired at him. The Transmutant dropped to the ground as the other Purists began to fire at Onyx and the soldiers. Senior grabbed the shot gun and Amber and retreated to cover with his allies, where they began to shoot back. Meanwhile, Impact growled as he threw Fluttershy against the Ark, where she made contact with it and felt a spark course through her body. She cried out as Impact grabbed her by the hair and held his gun against her back. "Open this thing before I shoot!" said Impact. His eyes widened as he saw that his allies were being shot down by their foes. Senior and Onyx came out of cover as they fired their weapons. Onyx shot down a couple of Purists with a few burst worth of a few rounds, and Senior rushed his foes as he fired his shot gun at them. "Haha! This old dog still has fight in him!" said Onyx as he turned and found a Purist popping from cover, which he quickly took down with a few rounds to the head. "Damn it!" said Scar as he backed away with what remained of his men. Impact forced Fluttershy's hand against the lid of the Ark and pushed it off. As it slid off, he shoved the girl to the side and reached down for a glowing object as Onyx prepared to fire his rifle. As Impact grabbed the glowing object, he felt a shock in his hand leading through his arm and body. He cried out in agony as a burst of light filled the cave, blinding everyone as a wave pushed everyone off their feet. As they regained their vision, they found Impact standing by the Ark with his eyes rolled back as he trembled in place, his breaths ragged. Scar stood up with a confused look. "Impact?" called Scar. Impact's veins glowed from under his flesh as he groaned. "This... Is it true? I can..." Impact began to mutter incoherently to himself. Fluttershy gulped as she nervously watched the man speak to himself as he stood in place. "They're a plague. All of them..." said Impact as his voice became distorted. "Impact!" called Scar. Impact turned his head to meet Scar's eyes, but it turned in an unnatural way as the sound of bones popping filled the air. His eyes had turned a hellish red. "The power! It courses through my very soul! I can feel it!" Impact began to laugh psychotically, unnerving everyone in the room. "I can see everything! I can see them! Hahaha!!" laughed Impact. "Who? What is wrong with you?" asked Scar. "They're all around us! They're here, but only I can see them! They know the answer to the cleansing of our race!" said Impact as he began to twitch. "Amber, what's wrong with him?" asked Senior. "The power of the Gem, his sins are being reflected on his body through the gem. He's just become aware of the unseen. His mind, it's..." Amber spoke with dread. "The human race as a whole... It must be cleansed entirely! It's the only way to rid the world of the Transmutants!" said Impact as his bones popped and his body morphed. Everyone backed away in shock as he grew, as his clothes tore and his collar bone became exposed from his flesh. He grew to be fourteen feet in height, where his muscles grew, giving him a bulky and unnatural appearance. Spikes grew from the end of his forearms, by his wrists. His face even appeared skull-like as the flesh sunk into his sockets and cheeks. His teeth grew sharp. He bore a red mark over his forehead, that glowed. The mark appeared as a double helix. Ironically, his face appeared like a physical manifestation of the Purists’ symbol. Impact gave a monstrous groan as he slammed a hand against his chest, where his flesh parted and absorbed the white gem, which stuck out like a zit. His skin bore red marks that appeared as lightning strikes, over the muscles of his arms and legs, and chest. The marks lightly glowed, adding to Impact’s demonic appearance. "My God," said Onyx in shock. "Behold, the physical manifestation of this soul's sins," said Amber. "Impact?" asked Scar in shock. Impact merely slammed a fist into the ground, causing a tremor that caused everyone to drop to the ground. Impact lifted a chunk of the earth and threw it towards Scar, who rolled out of the way. "Impact is dead!!" roared Impact. Scar and the remaining Purists began to fire their weapons at him, which only bounced off him. He gave an annoyed roar as he charged down towards the Purists. He stomped on one, who burst into a paste of blood on the ground from the tremendous force. The cave rocked as he stomped about. Scar rushed to the exit of the cave as what remained of his men were killed. Stinger raised his mechanical tail and fired a laser beam from the tip. The laser burned Impact through his flesh. He swatted his former ally, who flew across the cave as the laser wildly scorched the cave walls. Senior and Onyx and the two soldiers fired their weapons at Impact, but their bullets failed to pierce. Impact slammed a fist onto the ground, causing it to crack as the shock wave blew them off their feet. Meanwhile, the two soldiers were crushed by falling rocks from the ceiling of the cave. Impact turned with a snarl as Fluttershy shakily stood up. She gasped as the demonic being chuckled and approached. Fluttershy attempted to run but she was grabbed by Impact's massive hand. She screamed in terror as Impact stomped out of the cave, while Senior growled as he stood up with his eyes growing more reptilian. He rushed after Impact as his body began to morph and change. He grew in size as he reached the exit of the cave, while Impact sprouted bat-like wings from his back. Like his body, the wings bore glowing red lightning-like marks over the membrane. His wings were structured that made them look almost like a kite. He leaped into the air as he held Fluttershy, who continued to scream. Senior had fully changed into his monstrous form, leaping just as the demonic being was growing distant. Senior clamped his jaws onto Impact's leg and brought him back down to the ground. Impact roared in agony as he released Fluttershy. The girl screamed as she fell but found herself landing on the Transmutant's tail. She was lowered to the ground and staggered back as Senior swung his head, throwing Impact against the chasm wall. Fluttershy quickly ran from the area and hid behind fallen rocks. She watched as Senior, who towered over Impact, stomped towards the demonic creature. Senior roared as he puffed his chest out, but Impact merely pounded his chest as he grew in size. He grew to be over thirty feet, just tall enough to properly fight toe to toe with Senior. He roared as he rushed towards the beast. Impact sent a powerful punch towards Senior in the gut, causing him to hunch over. He then got under him and picked him up over his shoulders. Impact roared as he threw Senior out of the chasm and into the forest. Impact turned with a snarl as he found Fluttershy to be hiding. The girl gasped as she began to run but she was picked up. "No! No, someone help me!!" screamed Fluttershy as Impact leaped out of the chasm and just by the castle. He roared as he turned to the side, finding more Purists to be standing in shock. From the mech suit, Dreadnought raised the guns and fired multiple bullets that raced towards the demonic being. Impact growled as the bullets stung, along with the rest of the Purists. He stomped on the ground and caused the earth to break like a wave, knocking the Purists off their feet. But Dreadnought was still standing. He made the mech rush towards the beast and reared his fist back and punched him in the shin. Impact groaned as he dropped to a knee, but smacked Dreadnought away, causing him to fly across the area. From the castle side, the civilians, Guardians and MONARCH soldiers had finally managed to escape from the castle, but were able to hear the destruction going on. Inoue's eyes widened. "What in the hell is that thing?!" exclaimed Inoue. Everyone stared in shock as the beast roared to the heavens as a high-pitched scream filled the air. "That thing has Fluttershy!" cried Rainbow Dash. "No!" cried Posey in horror. From the other side of the castle, Junior panted as Mosura helped him move away from the castle. Mosura bit her lip as she wondered how her brother was doing. She hated leaving him alone to face that women in the bat suit. But she had to help her friend and get away from the castle. She just had to trust her elder brother. After all, he had done stuff like this before. The two stopped as they heard a howling roar and a high-pitched scream. Junior's eyes widened. "That's Fluttershy!" said Junior. The two-caught sight of the demonic state of Impact to be stomping towards the ledge of the chasm, with Fluttershy in his hand. Junior gritted his teeth as his heart raced. His dear friend was in that creature's clutches. Because of him and his involvement with all that's happened, she was going to die. Junior dropped to his knees in the grass, much to Mosura's alarm. "Gojira!" called Mosura as she knelt beside him. She then noticed that he was growling and violently trembling. His skin began to darken and harden. His irises covered the white of his eyes and appeared more reptilian. She backed away with a gasp as he grew as his form changed. He tore through his clothes and grew into the familiar reptilian beast that she saw before. Junior gave a screeching roar, drawing Impact's attention. Impact roared as he leaped over the chasm and began to stomp through the forest. Junior roared as he began to stomp around, while Mosura began to run to avoid being stomped on. "Gojira!" called Mosura. She gritted her teeth, fearing for her friend's life and what would happen by the end of all of this. From the other side of the chasm, Senior groaned as he shakily stood up to his feet. He roared as he began to pursue Impact into the forest. From the castle side, the civilians were being escorted further from the castle, just as the girls were protesting. "Wait! We gotta go save her!" shouted Rainbow. "Please! My daughter!" cried Posey as she was ushered away from the castle grounds along with the others. "Our priority is to get you all to safety," answered a soldier. A radio then crackled. "This is Director Onyx! What is the status of the civilians?" asked Onyx. "We're escorting them from the castle now sir. But two are still unaccounted for," said Inoue as she held her COM. "Change of plans. Leave the civilians to the Guardians. All units, converge on that creature that appeared," said Onyx. "To the rogues?!" asked a soldier incredulously. "Listen! That thing is going to cause a lot of havoc once it reaches the town! I need every able-bodied unit to kill it!" said Onyx from within the chasm as he painfully made his way up the stone steps all the way to the top. He found Dreadnought to be lying unconscious in the seat of the prototype mech suit that was stolen months before. He crossed the bridge. "We have a duty. To serve and protect the people from all threats to mankind! Right now, an ally who was our foe is attempting to stall it, but I doubt he can do it alone," said Onyx as he crossed the bridge and made his way to the slightly damaged mech. He pulled a handle by the cockpit, causing it to open. He grunted as he yanked the Purist out of the cockpit and proceeded to climb. "I'll be damned before I stand around and doing nothing," said Onyx as slipped on gloves that controlled the arms of the mech. The seat buckled him in as the cockpit sealed itself shut. The screen in front flickered to life. He then grunted as he made the mech stand from the dirt, causing it slightly to creak and whir. The mech stood tall as dirt fell from it and the long gun barrels from the arms extended out. The soldiers looked to each other. They were clearly outmatched by the colossal demonic being, yet they had a job to do. "Hey," called Baragon, drawing Inoue's attention. "The cave still has some explosives and plenty of ammo and guns. Those should help level the playing field," said Baragon. Inoue nodded as she pressed a hand against her COM on her helmet. "Copy that, sir," said Inoue. From above the castle, Battra was leaping with acrobatic grace all around the roof tops of the castle, dodging Adrian's wings and weapons. He jumped off a wall as black pellets fell his way, causing the wall to explode. Battra skidded across the roof as he landed on his feet and hands. Adrian dove down towards the Transmutant, but Battra fired violet beams from his eyes. She banked left and right as she avoided the deadly beams, which lit up the night. As she came close, Adrian cut off her thrusters and began to descend with her legs aimed at Battra's head. As she came close, she ignited her thrusters to slow her descent a bit just to avoid breaking her bones should she miss. Battra grabbed her by the ankles and swung her onto the ground with all of his might. Adrian groaned in agony as she lied on her back. She attempted to fly off but Battra held her by the ankles, causing him to slightly skid across the roof as he was dragged. "Let go!" shouted Adrian as she attempted to kick, but she found herself being swung towards a wall this time. She dropped to the ground as her pack powered down. Arian panted as she held her shoulder. Battra then approached the woman and kneed her in the chest as she attempted to stand. Adrian coughed as she lied against the wall as Battra panted, covered in bruises. "It's over! Give up, now! I don't want to kill you!" said Battra. Adrian panted as she removed her helmet, revealing her angered face, as blood ran from her nose. "What's stopping you? Huh?! If you're smart, you'd finish the job now! You never stopped before!" said Adrian. "I know. But I believe in mercy. I can end your life tonight and you'll die as a sad, angry and hateful person. Or, we can both walk out of this alive, and we can both reflect on ourselves and why we do what we do,” said Battra as he knelt down before her with a soft expression. "I can tell that you're hurting. Your mannerisms, your words, and your actions are the result of someone who is drowning in their anger and sadness," said Battra. Adrian merely held a hard expression. "You're not going to find peace by killing us. You'll only continue to hurt," said Battra. "You... You don't know shit about me! You Goddamn freak!" said Adrian as she pressed a button on her gauntlet. Battra's eyes widened as it flashed red. Explosions occurred from all around the two. The roof suddenly began to crumble and give in. Adrian grabbed her helmet and placed it on. Her pack ignited and she took off into the air as Battra fell with the roof. Adrian looked back to the destruction as she soared. She was about to go down to search for his body but her COM crackled. "All remaining Purists! We must retreat! The mission was a failure!" said Scar over the COM. Adrian growled as she took off from the area. Down inside of the castle, Battra groaned as he emerged from rubble, with his brow bleeding. He watched from where he was as Adrian disappeared into the night. The demonic form of Impact moved through the forest, knocking down trees as he kept a firm grip on Fluttershy. The girl struggled to free herself and merely screamed as her captor stomped about. Right now, Impact's vision was blood red. The world around him seemed to be on fire as he felt a burning in his soul. Impact heard roaring, prompting him to turn and find Senior lunging for him from a group of trees. He bit down on his shoulder, causing Impact to wail in pain. Senior scratched him with his claws and slammed his heavy body weight against him, causing Impact to fall back. Fluttershy gave fearful cries as she was swung about through this fight. Impact kicked Senior in the face, causing him to stumble back. "Come on you freak! Let's finish this!" shouted Impact in a deep and demonic voice. He was about to lunge for his opponent but was suddenly struck in the chest by a blue electronic bolt that shot through him. Impact wailed as he fell back, dropping Fluttershy. The girl screamed as she fell past branches but found herself caught. She panted and turned that a large mech had caught her. She was lowered to the ground as the cockpit opened, revealing Onyx. "Get back! This is going to turn into a war zone!" said Impact as his cockpit sealed itself and he extended the gun barrels on the mech's arms. He charged towards the fight, where Senior and Impact delivered blows to each other. Fluttershy gasped as she found several MONARCH soldiers to be rushing by, armed with rifles, grenade launchers and RPGs. As they began to fire their rifles at Impact, Fluttershy covered her ears as she ran for cover. Impact roared as he punched Senior in the jaw, knocking him back but panted as the wound in his chest bled. He roared angrily as Onyx used the mech to fire a hail of bullets at him. This aggravated him when followed by the bullets from the soldiers. He was about to strike but Senior rammed into Impact, causing him to fall to the ground. Fluttershy watched as the Transmutant stomped on his chest as he roared. The Director and soldiers took every chance to pepper the Purist with their guns. Impact caught Senior's next stomp and pushed him back, causing him to fall onto his back. As Impact stood up, Onyx brought up the missile battery on the mech’s shoulder and launched a few rockets at Impact, which exploded. The demonic being wailed in agony as the soldiers also began to fire their RPGs and their grenade launchers at him. The constant explosions created nasty burns and wounds that caused Impact to drop to his knees. He roared as he slammed his fists onto the ground, causing it to crack and split. A few soldiers screamed as they were unfortunate enough to have been standing where the split was, falling down a trench as deep as the chasm. Soldiers began to spread out as they continued to fight back, but Impact retaliated by swinging a large tree that he picked up, swatting more soldiers. Senior roared as he lunged from behind but was struck in the face by the tree once…twice…and then multiple times. As Senior dropped to his knees and hands, he looked up to find Impact rearing his fist back. He was then struck in the head by a powerful punch, rendering him unconscious. Onyx began to flip controls in the suit. A meter appeared on screen, which began to fill out. As the meter became full, a long barrel cannon dropped down over the mech's shoulder. It sparked with electricity and neon blue lights. The weapon let out a loud and buzzing pop that launched a round that pierced through Impact's back. Impact roared angrily and lunged for his foe as he was peppered by a hail of bullets by the Director. Onyx quickly stepped to the side, dodging the taller foe, while launching a few more rockets at him. Impact groaned as he dropped to his knees, but the back of his wrist began to grow a long, pointed bony spike. Impact then turned and jammed the spike into the cockpit. Onyx gasped as he felt his gut pierced by the spike that barely stuck him. It was midway in his torso. His controls sparked and flickered as the beast chuckled. The spike was yanked out of him, allowing Onyx to groan as the mech toppled over. Impact howled as the remaining soldiers fired at him, but the beast had enough. He lunged for them and proceeded to stomp and smack those who challenged him, reducing them into bloody messes. Inoue and Koizumi retreated along with a few remaining soldiers, while others were slaughtered as they fought. Impact turned as he heard helicopter blades. He found four transport choppers approaching, each bearing the MONARCH insignia. "What the hell is that?!" exclaimed a pilot over the COM. "Surround it! Light it up on my command!" said a soldier from within one of the choppers. Impact merely knocked another tree down and picked it up. He grunted as he threw the tree at a chopper, knocking it from the air. "Ah shit! Fire! Fire now!" shouted a soldier as the gunners in the choppers aimed at the demonic beast. Their mini-guns fired their bullets upon him, which Impact hid his face from. He then picked up a chunk of earth and threw it at the choppers, causing its side to cave in. It fell to earth and exploded, while Impact leaped into the air grabbed the tail end of another chopper. The passengers gave panicked cries as the chopper was swung and tossed towards the remaining one, which both exploded on their collision. The debris fell to the ground, burning and creating an orange light in the darkness. The area around Impact burned, who roared to the heavens. "Fall back!" shouted Koizumi as he and Inoue retreated into the darkness. However, the remaining soldiers were unlucky as Impact immediately went for them, crushing them all. Impact panted as his wounds bled and burned. He heard whimpering, prompting him to turn and find Fluttershy on the ground, crawling away from a fallen tree. Impact chuckled as he stomped towards her. "Hey there, little girl," said Impact as he reached Fluttershy. The girl screamed as she cowered on the ground. Before Impact could grab her, Junior came charging through trees as he gave a screeching roar. He rammed into Impact's back and knocked him over. Fluttershy gasped as she saw the Transmutant, able to fully recognize him when she saw his stump where his left arm should be. Impact roared in rage. "You're pissing me off!" shouted Impact as he lunged for Junior. The two slammed into each other, where they stomped about, crashing into trees. Fluttershy yelped as she ran away from the fight, getting further to cover. She hid by a mound of rocks as Junior clawed at Impact's face. The Transmutant was then slugged in the jaw, causing his head to whip back to the side as he stumbled. Junior roared as he bit Impact on the shoulder, causing his foe to wail in agony from the powerful bite. Junior then forced him to the destroyed choppers, where they stomped over metal and through fire. Junior slammed his burly body into Impact, causing him to stumble, while clawing at him. Impact swung his spike from his wrist and slashed Junior in the gut, where blood began to pour. Junior shrieked in pain as he slightly hunched over and was met with a chunk of a chopper against his back. He dropped to the ground on his knees and was kicked in the ribs by Impact, making him fall onto his side. Junior groaned as Impact began to beat him as he was on the ground, sending punches and stomping on his side and head. "No! Gojira!!" cried Fluttershy in despair as she watched her friend being beaten by this monster. It seemed hopeless. Nothing was going to stop Impact. Not even two large Transmutants like Junior and his father were no match. She then noticed a small glowing object embedded into Impact's chest. It was giving off a soft white light and was pulsing in the center. Fluttershy's eyes widened, remembering how this all started. If the gem was really the cause of this, then perhaps they could end it by getting it away from Impact. "Goji! His chest! Go for his chest!" called Fluttershy. Junior briefly glanced at her but tore his eyes away as he groaned from the beating he was getting. Fluttershy gritted her teeth. Even if her friend knew where to strike, he was unable to get Impact off, who was much faster than he was. Fluttershy quickly looked around and found stones all around. She quickly picked up one the size of her hand and threw it at Impact's head. He turned and snarled at her as stopped he what he was doing. Fluttershy shook as she attempted to put on a brave face. "H-Hey! You leave my f-friend alone! You big... Dumb, meanie!" said Fluttershy, mustering up her best insult that she could. Impact stomped away from Junior as he glared at the girl. Junior snarled as he immediately got up and tackled Impact. Fluttershy quickly retreated as the two rolled around, with Junior clawing at Impact's chest. The demonic beast groaned as he punched Junior in the head and kicked him a few feet away. Junior groaned as he crashed into several trees next to his father. Senior's eyes shot wide open. He saw his son lying in the dirt bleeding and in pain as he groaned. Senior snarled as he found Impact approaching, but also noticed his slashed chest, exposing more of the Genesis gem. Impact chuckled darkly as he stomped closer. "When I'm through with you, the world will be barren," said Impact. Senior suddenly lunged for Impact and sunk his teeth into a chunk of his flesh. Impact screeched as Senior rolled, tearing out pounds of flesh, along with the Genesis gem. Impact's eyes were wide as he felt the gem leave him. He began to wail in agony as his body gave off a white glow before his body suddenly burst into a white light, igniting a portion of the forest. A wave of white mist also expanded all around, spreading throughout the forest, reaching the Guardians and civilians. Everyone yelped as they were pushed back by the wave, but Miwa gasped as she felt herself hit harder. She dropped to her knees, clutching below her stomach that ached, only for the pain to quickly subside. She felt herself in confusion and then back to the source the light, fearful for her son and husband. As the light died down, Impact was nothing but a pile of ash that scattered through the winds. Fluttershy came from hiding with wide eyes, finding Senior and Junior panting and in pain. She slowly began to make her way out of cover as the area smoked. Junior groaned as he lied himself down, as his body began to return to its human state. In panic, Fluttershy rushed to where he was, finding him lying in cuts and bruises, naked in the dirt. Fluttershy knelt next to him as she frantically shook him. "Goji, don't leave! Please!" cried Fluttershy in despair. Junior breathed softly as he slightly turned his head to look at the girl with a soft but pained smile. "Hey, Shy," said Junior. Fluttershy began to weep with joy as she wrapped her arms around him on the ground and buried her face into his hair. "I was scared! I-I thought-" Fluttershy sobbed. Junior weakly rubbed her shoulder. "I know. Me too," said Junior in a soft tone. Senior got on his knees as he groaned. His body began to change form, resulting in his human stage. He stood up as his wounds lightly bled but slowly healed. He knelt towards a pile of ash and found the Genesis Gem to be softly glowing. Senior carefully reached for it and picked it up. He grunted as he felt a surge in his arm, which immediately subsided. Senior panted as he held it. He then noticed the smoking mech that lied on its back. "Onyx!" cried Senior as he rushed to the mech. He made his way to the breached cockpit and proceeded to yank off the damaged metal, revealing Onyx to be slumped in his seat, wheezing. Senior carefully pulled him from the mech and lied him on the ground. Onyx coughed as he looked to Senior. "The gem... Where is it?" asked Onyx weakly. Senior found that he was losing a lot of blood from the wound in his stomach. "I have it. Impact is gone. The gem is safe," said Senior as he spoke softly. Onyx sighed in relief. "That's good. Heh. It's funny..." coughed Onyx. "What?" asked Senior. "For years, I've felt shame and despair over my time in Solgell. I regretted cowering and failing to stand with my brothers in arms when they needed me. Sure, I may have become Director of an entire organization, but I never felt peace from not sticking to one of the most brutal fights we've seem," said Onyx as he coughed. "I'm glad that I was able to face that through you, so I could do what I failed to do all of those years ago." "You and I... We're almost two sides of the same coin," said Onyx. He then mustered enough strength to put his hand on Senior's shoulder with a weak smile. “Thank you, for seeing me off," said Onyx as he lied his head back. His eyes were then drawn to a rising sun that began to light up the area. From the glaring light, he saw a group of men that stood in uniform, appearing transparent. Onyx smiled as his eyes grew heavy. "Hey boys, it's good to see yah," Onyx muttered. He then let out one last breath as he sighed, lying still in Senior's arms. The Transmutant bowed his head solemnly as the morning sun rose. It was the early noon. Men and women dressed in formal uniform stood at attention as they were in a large hangar, where a couple dozen caskets remained, covered in the Equestrian flag on each. Yoshi stood in front of the crowd next to a dark pillar with names carved into them. "The brave men and women who served alongside us have made a great sacrifice. They fought for the security of not just Equestria, but all of humanity against threats that wished to conquer us. Even Onyx Sanchez. He was a great leader. He knew that we were faced with threats that people believed were allies. He was willing to put his own life on the line to protect others. Some may call him a jar head, a monster of violence, or even a traitor. But we all knew who he was. He was a hero, like those we've lost. He was a brother, and he and all of our fallen will be remembered for their sacrifice," said Yoshi as he bowed his head. From the crowd, Inoue stood in uniform with light tears in her eyes, as Koizumi stood beside her, along with Gojira Senior, who was dressed in uniform as well. The sound of bag pipes were playing 'Amazing Grace' filled the air as a group of soldiers marched in the front. They stopped. "About face!" said an older man in uniform. "Present arms!" The marksmen held their rifles out. Senior watched in silence as the soldiers fired blanks off into the air with rifles. Each shot rang in his ears, repeating over and over. A sound that he had grown much familiar with. After the funeral, Senior was walking through the Alpha base of MONARCH. He passed a few uniformed men as he walked alone in silence in the hall. Soon, he came across a door that was cold and bore a single rectangular view of an office. The Transmutant briefly looked around and then carefully opened the door and stepped in. He found a desk by the window, where Onyx's name was present. He began to look around the office in silence until he noticed a file cabinet. Curious, he made his way to the cabinet and opened it, where several files were present. The Transmutant scanned through them until he came across "The United Islands Uprising". This file had a name that haunted Senior to no end. He reached inside and took it out, while making his way over to the desk. He read through the papers on the file, where pictures of the islands before and after the revolution occurred, as well as the post bombings. He read documents and letters that were surrounding this entire conflict all the way to the point of the recognition of the islands as united Transmutant states, where he and Destoroyah were known as founding members and briefly leaders. The Revolution was his legacy, one that has damned him to fight to make up for what he did. He couldn't ignore what happened and forget, he had to fix the wrongs he had done. Senior glanced to the side and found a picture of Onyx in his younger years, standing alongside several other men in uniform as they stood by a military tank. Senior shed a single tear from his eye as he stared at the photo with a heavy heart. "I'm sorry. I swear, I will make things right," said Senior as he wiped his eye. He placed the file back where he found it and proceeded to make his way out of the office. Soon, he found himself sneaking passed all until he made it into a van. He sat in the back, as Inoue turned on the engine, while Koizumi sat in the passenger seat. "Thank you, for this," said Senior as he removed a bit of the uniform. "Thanks for paying your respect," said Inoue with a soft smile. It was a cold day. The sky was shrouded in dark clouds. Junior was sitting on one of the steps to the upper floors of the school. With him were Rodan, Angirasu, the Main Six, the Dazzlings, Sunset, Erika and Flash. Everyone, excluding Junior, were in much more warmer clothes for the weather. Some wore longer sleeved shirts, jackets, sweaters, boots, thick socks or tights. "And that's what happened," said Twilight. "Man. That sounds pretty intense," said Rodan with wide eyes. "I'm sorry. I found out about this when they found out where I was staying, but my mom pretty much forbade me from using the phone. I could've warned you," said Angirasu as he looked to Junior with his head lowered in shame. "It may have happened anyway. They're crafty," said Junior. He then sighed. "Well... Now we have some answers. We know that whoever is responsible for this 'Spirit Gem', is the reason why you girls are getting these powers," said Junior as he scratched his head. "But why us? For what reason?" asked Adagio in confusion. "I guess time will tell," said Sunset. Applejack looked to Junior as she cleared her throat. "I uh... I hear that your pa is back. Just in time for Christmas," said Applejack. Junior slightly nodded. "Yeah..." said Junior. Everyone looked to him in concern. "You OK?" asked Mosura. "I'm just tired. I'm gonna go. Just... Let me know when you want to talk to Amber again," said Junior as he stood and walked away in silence. Fluttershy looked on worriedly. Later, Junior was standing outside in the quad alone. He bore a downcast look as he stood in the cold. Unbeknownst to him, Fluttershy came from the hall. "Gojira?" called Fluttershy in her usual soft tone. The Transmutant didn't answer. The girl began to walk over to her friend's side. Fluttershy bore a worried look. "Talk to me. What's wrong?" asked Fluttershy. Junior sighed heavily. "Just couldn't stand another minute with them," said Junior. "Do you really hate them that much?" asked Fluttershy. "I certainly don't like them," said Junior. Fluttershy sighed as she shook her head. "That's not just it. What else is there?" asked Fluttershy. "Aren't you happy that your father is back?" asked Fluttershy. "Of course. But it's just that all that's happened lately, I've been overwhelmed. I can't sleep without thinking that someone is out to get me. Mosu, Ro, and Aang don't have inhibitor chips, I don't have one, we're involved with Rogue Transmutants, and you’re experiencing powers? I'm just... Tired. I'm tired of wondering how the hell I'm ever gonna live a damn normal life. That's all I want," said Junior with a sigh. Fluttershy's expression softened. She then stepped closer to Junior. "Well... You're not alone. I feel the same way," said Fluttershy as she wrapped an arm around Junior and leaned her head against his arm. "Winter break is on the corner. Maybe we can finally get some normal time to ourselves," said Fluttershy. Junior nodded. "Yeah," said Junior. Hayato Yoshi was currently sitting before a group of high ranking officers of MONARCH, and the Equestrian military, along with the president. Yoshi was currently staring at the 'toolbox' that Onyx had given to him. It was hard to believe that the man who led the organization for years was now gone. "From what we know, this entire conflict was caused by the actions of the Purists. Kidnapping, spying, leaking of sensitive information, and of course, the casualties that also led to the death of Onyx," said an older man. "Before his death, Onyx had information on the whereabouts of the rogue Transmutants cell. He never documented exact coordinates, just that we know it is somewhere near Ponyville," said another man. "Then what should we do? Your thoughts, Mr. President?" asked another man. The president hummed to himself. “We can't risk the potential attack of Revolutionaries. We should intervene," said the President. "If I may, sir," said Hayato as he stood. All eyes were focused on him. "From what the former Director learned, Gojira Takeshi's group is not made of terrorists. They are merely a group assembled into their own community. They are not affiliated with the Revolutionaries. They just wish to be left in peace. After all, they did save civilians while neutralizing a great threat." said Hayato. "Are you suggesting we look the other way?" asked a man incredulously. "I'm suggesting that as the law states, we treat non-terrorist rogues as they are supposed to be treated. We monitor them," said Hayato. "Including Gojira Takeshi? I recall that he hasn't been accounted for in the Vault," said another man. "You let us worry about him, sir. He is MONARCH's priority," said Hayato. The president nodded. "Alright. For now, we'll continue to monitor Ponyville for these rogues. Once they do something, we act," said the President. Later, Hayato found himself wandering through a hallway in silence. He made his way into the office of what once belonged to Onyx. It was cleaned out of his possessions, leaving but a file cabinet, furniture, and tv screen. Hayato made his way to the file cabinet and pulled out a drawer, where he found labels on separated sections of the drawer. One read, 'Wanted'. Here, he found files that bore different names of dangerous terrorists and war criminals from around the world. One of them was Destoroyah. Hayato was going to place in Gojira Senior's file in, but then glanced to the side, where he found the 'Monitored' category, where several files were present. Hayato sighed as he placed the file there, in between the files labeled 'Angirasu Riku' and 'Gojira Takeshi II'.