//------------------------------// // 6: Haywaii // Story: MLP: Rebirth of the Queen // by The Bricklayer //------------------------------// “History shows again and again How nature points out the folly of man…” -Godzilla, Blue Oyster Cult Fear. That was the first emotion that Fluttershy felt. Then, a sense of wonder. As she saw the two massive insects meet head-on, she felt a sense of awe as she watched the two massive creatures go at it.  Mothra dug her scythes into the Muto Male’s thorax before being forced backwards by what had to be hurricane force winds. Landing on top of the airport terminal, she roared out her challenge. “CHEEEEERRRRRRRNNNNTTTTTT!!!!!” It was almost deafening. Mothra extended her massive wings, the membranes glowing in the moonlight, her crystal blue eyes narrowed at the MUTO who let out a trumpeting call in response. A series of screams erupted from the train car even as it started trundling along the track towards the terminal. Clicking her mandibles together Mothra stared the MUTO down, sizing up her opponent. She let out a series of chirps as she walked forwards on her forelimbs seemingly trying to calm down the MUTO. She would not engage in a battle unless it was her last choice, Fluttershy reasoned. She took note of the ‘eyes’ on Mothra’s wings, resembling those of much smaller moths. The Titan was very obviously using them as a sort of intimidation display.  “Oh Celestia, oh Celestia, oh Celestia, oh Celestia…” Fluttershy thought to herself frantically as she slowly began to realize that on a battleground between two primordial creatures was exactly the last place she would want to be. Mothra continued to walk forwards wings bared trying to coax the MUTO Male down from attacking her, and once more the Male let out a trumpeting call as his response. “We are like ants to them, simply nothing but ants. They ruled this world once, and they could all too easily take it back.” Fluttershy realized as the MUTO strode forwards before it grabbed the engine with one of its forelimbs and tossed it at Mothra who flew forwards as the engine landed. An explosion of towering flame went up as it collided with an airship, and Mothra flew out of the flames and then fired a burst of webbing stringing the creature to a nearby mountain pass before she built up speed for what was to come.  Flying high into the sky she then burst out of the clouds into a dive. Mothra rammed into the parasitic Titan like a truck going Mach 5, sending the beast flying as if it was a fly and not a 200-foot monster. The mountain itself was reduced to nothing but rubble as Mothra smashed right through it. It was swift to recover shaking its head and seemingly groaning out in pain. The Male took to the skies with Mothra following even as Pharynx’s squadron emerged from the jungle bearing witness to the two creatures trying to take chunks out of each other overhead. “...Dear Lady Luna, what is that?” one of the Guards asked as Mothra broke away clearly quite fed up with the male’s antics. The Male darted upwards with Mothra following the two breaking through the clouds overhead.  Beams of light were seen overhead, creating quite a spectacle indeed as the two Titans battled for dominance of the skies.  “Never mind them, just get everypony you can to safety alright?” Pharynx said muttering under his breath about how there went the masquerade. Presuming Honolulu survived this, this entire thing would be in the news by tomorrow night. The government would be demanding answers from Monarch about how they failed to keep these creatures under wraps.  “How do you do it, brother?” the Changeling Prince thought to himself galloping along the forest floor. “How do you deal with those idiots in the government? Sure you don’t just change into a bugbear and scare the shit out of them, right? No, that’s more something I would do…” He’d figure it out later. Right now he had bigger concerns. Taking flight, extending his dragonfly-like wings Pharynx managed to make it down to the outskirts of the city before his eyes widened in horror as the MUTO dived down out of the skies with Mothra in hot pursuit. She let out another squeaking roar as she barreled after the male, tucking in her wings before using one of her forelimbs to grab the Male and slam it into the ground. Dragging it along the valley's jungle floor, a great chasm was carved as she did so. Finally, the MUTO had enough of his humiliation. Breaking free of the Queen’s grip for only just a brief moment he rolled onto his backside. He lashed out with one of his forelimbs striking Mothra in the chest. She squealed out in pain. The MUTO’s eyes narrowed as the other limb struck the ground. A massive pulse of mana energy sent Mothra back. She shook her head in pain before the Male clamped down hard on her thorax and amazingly sent Mothra flying with one good toss.  Mothra let out a cry of pain as she was thrown into a nearby mountainside and then the shockwave came flattening trees and buildings for miles around and forcing Pharynx to the ground. The Prince groaned out in pain, small droplets of blood hitting the ground even as the Male flew overhead. He heard a small sob and then broke out into another gallop as he saw a group of young changelings and their parents trapped under the ruins of what used to be a building. Charging up his ‘horns’ he fired a ball of red energy smashing a hole through some of the rubble and sending it flying. “You alright?” he asked the youngest of the three children who could only nod weakly. The galloping of hooves was heard from behind him. Two members of the royal guard. “Take them, get them to a shelter. I personally do not want to be here any longer than we have to!” As the group broke out into a sprint Mothra had managed to recover and was now flying back towards the male quite intent on meeting him head-on. Powerful wind gusts were created from the sheer force required for a creature of Mothra’s size to even get off the ground, let alone fly. Soon, the group found themselves running for cover as ponies in the streets were swept away in the wind.  Screams rose up as the two massive creatures met head-on once more. The pair were biting and clawing at one another, drawing blood at certain intervals. Mothra once more fired her silk at the Male pinning him to a massive skyscraper. Once more she began building up enough speed to ram him yet again.  Glass shattered and steel buckled as the top half of the skyscraper was sent toppling to the ground creating massive choking clouds of dust. Mothra dug her claws into the Male, slamming him into the ground. The Male for his part was having none of this. He snapped and bit at Mothra, her head moving ever so slightly each time to dodge the strikes. He saw red; this creature dared to defy him? Reaching out with one of his forelimbs he slammed it into the ground unleashing another anti-mana pulse. He’d learned. Every time he did this, the pretender to the throne was forced backwards by the sheer concussive force of the pulse. Mothra stuck back with a vengeance.  The MUTO’s vision was a world of white as Mothra’s wings began to glow before unleashing a sheer blinding light of unimaginable power. Searing pain reached his eyes. For those on ground level, it looked as if the day had broken for a brief moment. “Holy shit, did you see that?”  “What is it?”  “...By the Goddesses…” The upper hand had been gained. For a few moments, the MUTO was flailing about rubbing at his eyes blindly lashing and striking. Mothra then grabbed the MUTO with her mandibles again dragging him along the ground as if he were a child’s doll ripping up the streets below and sending great chunks flying. The Male finally broke free and flew upwards with mach speeds with the sound of a thunderclap. Mothra followed.  Racing alongside the male she fired a beam of energy from her antennae. A bolt of light struck the MUTO sending him crashing towards the ground.  Mothra was swift to chase after her prey. “CHEEEEERRRRRRRNNNNTTTTTT!!!!!” she squealed again before she struck. Mothra dug in her claws once more as the two tussled into buildings sending rubble flying every which way. Mothra managed to pry herself free from the Male’s grip flying upwards but the MUTO wrenched himself free from the remains of a skyscraper and then bit down on Mothra’s left wing and soundly tossed her into another building. Mothra’s eyes widened as she saw the Male coming towards her again. Launching herself upwards she performed what looked like a hammerhead maneuver.  From her spot at the terminal, Fluttershy for just the briefest of moments saw another creature, far darker in shading performing this exact same maneuver. She was in a different place, a different time. She was onboard a ship flying above the stormy seas with a massive creature in pursuit. Shaking away the memories, she reminded herself this was not that creature.  Mothra once again lit up her antenna and fired twin bolts at the MUTO. He dodged right out of the way and flew into the depths of the massive sprawl of a cityscape that was Honolulu. Mothra was right behind in hot pursuit. She knew what he was doing, he was toying with her and trying to wear her down. That could not be allowed. Building windows shattered in their wake as they flew past skyscrapers and office blocks. Anyone who was inside got brief glimpses of the two massive titans before they had to dive underneath their desks to avoid massive shards of glass ripping into their skins.  A storm broke open above the skies of the city soundly reflecting Mothra’s mood. These ponies should never have been involved in her fight against the MUTO. Instead, the beast had forced her hand. She knew, of course, it wasn’t actively malicious nor was it actually trying to be. It was just trying to meet up with its mate to lay eggs and create offspring to further its kind like all animals. However, the trouble was if this creature was allowed to propagate its kind would soon grow and overrun the country and the ponies Mothra had sworn it upon herself to protect. She honestly doubted even with Godzilla’s help she would be able to save them all.  She had asked her priestesses once, she remembered, about why they called her the Queen of the Monsters. She didn't even know what the title meant at the time, what it stood for. With giggling voices, they had happily explained. Mothra knew that those small ones actively revered her and her fellow Titans although she did not know why. They just happened to share the same planet that was all. Nothing more and nothing less.  And yet they somehow found themselves in wonder of her. She knew they revered her as something amazing and powerful and revered the King of the Monsters -as they called him- even more so. She remembered once upon a time asking her priestesses why this was so. Why they had delegated these titles to both her and Godzilla. Upon learning of the reason why she figured it a fitting moniker she supposed. She was pleasantly surprised by the meaning and if they wanted to call her and Godzilla that let them do so. But that was then and this was now. Eyes narrowing as the rain pounded down on her fur and her thorax she chased after this rampant Male. She would not allow any further harm to come to those who lived below her watchful gaze. Like a mother, she would protect them.  Charging after the Male she decided it was time to put an end to this nonsense whether he liked it or not. She would have liked to have her King by her side while she did so but she could handle herself well enough she supposed. She remembered this creature’s ‘parent’ for lack of a better term. The Muto Prime, was that what they called it? That thing had been a real pain to rid themselves of. She suspected she should have tried harder to see if it hadn’t laid any clutches. At the time she and Godzilla had thought it the last of its kind. Apparently, they had been mistaken.  Mothra honestly feared for her king. These creatures, believe it or not, were in fact, Godzilla’s natural predator. He didn’t even fear the Golden One as much as he feared these. He hated the bastard sure, but he actively feared these creatures. They -if he was to be believed- somehow managed to kill his parents. Mothra wasn’t quite sure how this was the case but she suspected she didn’t want to find out. Calmly, she considered calling for her King. Then she decided against it. No, the threat wasn’t grave enough yet to warrant calling in the King of Monsters. This she could handle alone.  Was it a form of arrogance? Perhaps. But Mothra knew she had to nip this one in the bud and stop it from ever reaching the female of its kind.  Perhaps there was another reason. Mothra remembered -thanks to her kind’s… unique biology- her time as the Battle Moth, the one they called Battra. She had razed entire civilizations to the ground under her(?) lust for power. She at the time believed herself above ordinary mortals. She relished in her power. She shuddered at the memory soundly reminded of the Golden One and his demeanor. Never again, Mothra swore fighting back another shudder. Never again. This time she was to protect ponykind and all of the other races. She was the Giver of Life and this would not stand!  Raising her wings as she perched herself atop another skyscraper Mothra then let the Male have it. Blasting him with her ‘God Rays’ with all the power she could muster she forced him into the ground. The blast was powerful enough to create a massive crater, with flames licking at its edge. Mothra allowed herself to relax taking heavy breaths spent from the battle. There was no way the MUTO could have survived that. He remained motionless. It seemed the battle had been won. Mothra studied the fallen Titan and mourned. They were now so few in number, the ponies having taken up the planet. She knew every creature had its age but it still did not please her to know that another of the Titans was dead. And this time it was by her own hand no less.  Then the MUTO proved that thought a mistake. He struck with lightning speed and precision lashing out with one of his forelimbs. Another pulse came. Mothra barely had time to think upon the creature’s cleverness before the pulse slammed into her with the force of a freight train and knocked her off the building. The ground rushed up to meet her and she felt darkness overcome her as the Male let out a triumphant trumpeting roar.  The MUTO let out a dismissive huff as he gazed upon the Queen’s unconscious form with fiery red eyes. This was the Mother of All? If that was indeed the case she should have put up more of a fight. Perhaps he was mistaken, this was just a pale imitation of Mosura. But still, he mused -even as he took flight grabbing the crystals within his jaws- he had to admit that was more of a challenge than he actually expected to face. Yes, his mate would praise him so for overcoming such odds after he presented her with these gifts. Letting out another roar he called out to his beloved mate. He was coming.  After the dust had settled, Fluttershy found herself wandering through the rubble of the fallen city. Coughing as she did so, she took in the sights around her of what remained of Honolulu. Fluttershy vaguely remembered in the back of her mind that this city had been named for the Princess of the Night herself, and she wondered what Luna would think of her namesake in its current state. The sound of a crying child was heard in the background even as Fluttershy flew over one of the battle-scarred streets, the tarmac below her having been ripped open by the battle. Steam rose up from below the streets and a nearby fire hydrant had been burst open spraying water everywhere. Everywhere around her, the scenes could be described as apocalyptic. Smoldering ruins were visible in the night even as the rain slowly put out the fires that had sprung up. Gently gliding over another set of ruined streets Fluttershy flew down over to a collapsed building. There she found two members of the local regiment of the Guard in need of an assist. They were currently trying to move a collapsed timber aside so they could rescue those behind it.  With a gentle hoof, Fluttershy helped her fellow pegasi pull it aside before kicking open what remained of the door. Whispering “It’ll be alright…” as she helped a young unicorn filly out of the house, she began bandaging her leg with whatever materials she could find.  “How many?” Fluttershy whispered to herself. “How many dead because of… that thing?” She wasn’t sure if ‘that thing’ at the moment referred to either Mothra, the MUTO or maybe both. Looking towards the city center she saw the massive moth beginning to stir. Little by little, her eyes fluttered open and then she began to lift herself off the ground, using her legs to balance herself. She was down but not out of the fight. If the ponies in the city scorned her, Mothra did not care. Mothra didn’t care if she was feared and hated. She had learned to deal with others fearing things they did not understand. It was not her concern. Yes, it saddened her but it was not her main concern. Right now her top priority was to find a place to rest and heal before the big battle that was sure to come.  The Male would now be rushing to join the female and the female would soon awake as it heard the now adult male’s cries. Mothra knew the devastation that was coming. The female would trample cities underfoot as she rushed to join her mate. She could only hope the ponies would be able to hold out until then before she arrived. Godzilla was currently not an option at the moment. She knew where she was, even as far away from him as she was, she had heard his cries. They knew where they were at all times. Currently, Godzilla was on the other side of the globe and would not be able to make it to the MUTOs in time. Her King was powerful yes but not naturally gifted in the speed department even when he was swimming. There was a reason Mothra was often the first line of defence against other rogue Titans.  Taking shelter in a massive mountain cave behind a waterfall Mothra readied herself. Soon, she mused. Soon. Meanwhile, Fluttershy gathered with the other refugees at the port. Tents had been set up and even as the dawn broke Fluttershy knew she couldn’t rest. This was only the beginning. Handing out medicine to those who needed it she soon was to meet up with Pharynx. “...Well, this all went swimmingly,” the Changeling Prince deadpanned. “Mosura and the MUTO battling it out in the city center. Oh, the government's going to have our heads for this one. I’ll be lucky if my dear brother keeps me from being persona non grata in Equestria after this.” “You did what you could,” Fluttershy said kindly laying a hoof on the changeling’s shoulder. Once, she mused she probably would have been afraid of him. But now they were two of a kind, just trying to make their way in a now chaotic world. She chuckled sadly to herself, she now knew what Discord had meant. This was something they had to figure out for themselves. “That’s all anyone could ask for right?” “No offense, but I doubt pony kindness is going to fix this. We screwed up, simple as that. We were supposed to keep the existence of these giants a secret and well… just look around you,” Pharynx remarked gesturing with a hoof to the makeshift infirmaries all around them. “You can see how that went, right?” “Nobody could expect you to keep them a secret forever,” Fluttershy replied. “Sooner or later one was bound to break out, surely you had to know this right?” “Suppose you have a point there,” Pharynx admitted with a small sigh. “I still don’t have to like it really,” he muttered while shaking his head. He gestured for Fluttershy to follow. Inside a tent, he led her, to where another Monarch scientist -”Just how many of these guys were there?” Fluttershy had to ask herself- was waiting with a series of drawings and some photographs laid out on a table. “Fifteen years ago…” the scientist started. Fluttershy would later learn his name was a Dr. Hardlight or something like that. Right now she couldn’t be bothered to care. “...They found a fossil of another giant animal in the Maretin Islands due south of here. Like Gojira. But this creature? It died long ago.” Pharynx gestured to the photographs showing truly massive bones inside a deep dark cavern. Also floating around the room were small spores with a truly massive creature -insectoid in nature- resting dead nearby. The Shinomura Pharynx called it.  “Killed by those parasitic spores you see, and those spores would migrate and eventually become that… thing that just flattened Honolulu. The MUTO. This was before my time you understand -I was only brought onboard recently via Thorax’s suggestion- but as I understand it this was one of the causing factors of Monarch’s formation.” “The hatchling Princess Twilight and Captain Fizzlepop found,” the scientist explained. “It burrowed right for the nearest abundant source of magical radiation. That valley. We were hoping to try and contain it, kill it if need be. But it gestated fast and hatched like a butterfly from its cocoon. And then you saw what happened when it did so. We all saw what happened.” Fluttershy took this all in. This was similar to what Twilight had explained to her when she brought her onboard Celeano’s ship. This creature, this massive entity was simply out to create more of its kind. It either didn’t factor ponies into the equation or simply plain up didn’t care. In any case, it would be almost impossible to stop it now. Almost. “Nature has an order. A power to restore balance,” Fluttershy whispered catching both the doctor and Pharynx’s attentions. “I believe she is that power.” “...Yeah, that’s pretty much what Twilight’s believing. These ancient alpha predators, they’re the key to stopping them. Because make no mistake, there’s more than one.” “M-More than one?” Fluttershy whispered. “Surely you can’t mean…?” Hardlight asked.  “Oh yes I do,” Pharynx said in reply before turning to look back at Fluttershy. “There was another spore found in that mine. We thought it dead, vivisected it and ran every sort of test on it for years. Maybe it was just dormant until now, waiting for a mature male of the species.” “So where is it now…?” Fluttershy asked. “My brother has it. I already sent him a message a few days ago to expect trouble. Problem was it was by changeling. Hive Mother only knows if it reached him in time.” “And if that fails?” Hardlight asked. “If he fails to contain it properly?” Fluttershy took in a deep breath and sighed. What she was about to suggest Pharynx already knew but it bore repeating. “Let them fight.” Far and away on the other side of the globe, the King battled. He had heard her cries. Mothra’s cries. He knew a great resurgence was about to occur. In fact, it was already in the middle of happening. All across the globe Titans were awakening to reclaim their homelands. He suspected it was in part due to Mothra herself -or rather her previous self Battra- awakening. For days he had been fighting and reasserting his authority as the King of the Monsters.  Godzilla let out a low growl as he was struck soundly in the face by a massive paw drawing blood. Godzilla let out a low reverberating roar of fury as he stared his opponent down. Zebricans watched as their Goddess did battle with the King of the Monsters. Sekhmet, they called her. A leonine Titan, the massive creature had been worshipped by the locals for ages.  So you can imagine they were caught off guard when she awoke. Even now as they watched, Sekhmet let Godzilla have it with a blast of pure hot flame. Godzilla let out another roar and then whipped his tail around slamming the massive lioness into a mountainside. Flames licked at the savannah beneath them. Anger, loneliness. Before Mothra had reawakened it was an itch as he fought to keep rogue Titans under control. He could ignore it easily enough. He could focus on the task at hand. But now he could ignore it no longer. Keeping the awakened under control was tiresome, to say the least. They all looked to him at times, wondering how to avoid squashing the little ones under their feet. They ruled this world now, not them. The ponies, the changelings, and the griffons, they were the rulers of this planet now. Like it or not Godzilla would have to get along with them. He wondered how father did it. The Father of all Monsters, he wondered how he kept his children in line. Fear was mostly a part of that he suspected. Fear of what he would do if they did not submit. Godzilla resolved to be a better King than he. He would handle those who needed help re-learning the world. He sighed to himself, Mothra was always better at this than he. Her kindness and tranquility was something to be admired. Looking upon Sekhmet he soon confirmed she was defeated. Defeated but not dead. He would leave her to lick her wounded pride. Right now there were far more important matters at hand. Megaguirus was awakening now. He would have to deal with her before her swarms caused trouble. Taking to the seas, he swam. Mothra would just have to wait and hold off the MUTOs for as long as she could.  Outside Las Pegasus there rested the wastes. And beyond the wastes rested a hive of changelings newly reborn and ready to face the world. For years that had been unknowingly suffering under Queen Chrysalis’s rule and now they had been freed.  Thorax pushed those painful memories away. He couldn’t think upon them now. Not when there was something that needed to be dealt with. His horns cast a glow upon the cavern walls. He had gotten his brother’s message. One tired changeling messenger had nearly collapsed upon the hive doorstep. His brother was right to be concerned. Years ago the former Queen Chrysalis had found this cocoon in some caves off to the south of her hive. She’d paid it no mind thinking it dead. But Thorax was a smarter buck than her. He and several others had always paid it a watchful eye. Especially after Monarch had come to call.  Now Thorax? He was proud of his brother, seeing him a fine fit for the organization. The Prince at times had never exactly felt at home in his own hive anymore, as Chrysalis’ reign -where he was at his best- had passed. He needed to find himself and even after his metamorphism, he had always felt out of place. Monarch served him well. “See anything, my king?” one of the drones asked as they explored the depths of the caverns. Water dripped somewhere to the left of them.  “Wish I could but it’s too dark down here…” Thorax muttered in distaste. He hated the dark, reminded him far too much of his mother’s hive. He hated having to be down here for any longer than he had to be.  Suddenly, something moved to the left of him. At first, he thought it was rocks falling but then an eye became visible. A creaking sound was heard as something massive moved about in the darkness. Thorax found himself thrown backward as a massive forelimb touched the ground. Then a bright light as the creature burst out of the mountainside and began striding across the desert sands. Las Pegasus remained unaware of what was to come. Inside the casinos, ponies just played and played to lose whatever bits they had left. At a roulette wheel, a white unicorn mare shouted her numbers before swearing and taking a swig of wild pegasus whiskey as more bits were lost.  Then the lights went off and a collective groan rose up from all over the casino. Some screams were heard from outside but most paid them no mind. They, of course, were more concerned about their lost money than whatever weirdness was happening out on the strip. This was per usual for Las Pegasus of course. Nobody cared about very little other than the party that seemingly never ended. This was proven by what happened next.  When firefighters and EMTs finally arrived at the scene they were treated to quite the sight. A massive multi-limbed creature carving her way right through the heart of Sin City and heading right in the direction of Manehatten. As for the ponies they’d found in need of medical attention? They were just grumbling about what a wild party it had been.