Titanosaurus swam, something was wrong in the world. He’d heard the roar, the one that shook him down to his very core.
It was a cry of terror, one of pain. A new Titan had emerged, lost and confused upon their place upon this new world they’d found themselves in. He knew the King had heard it as well, seeing the massive maple leaf style spines jutting up from the waves, cutting through them like a hot knife through butter.
And then he saw the look in his King’s eyes and shuddered. Pure rage. He’d only seen that look once or twice in his life before, and every time Titanosaurus hoped to never see it again. Someone… something was encroaching on his territory. An Alpha to rival his own. Titanosaurus’ yellow eyes widened in terror. No, it couldn’t have been… could it? Had the Golden One finally made his return?
No, it wasn’t the Golden One, Titanosaurus corrected himself. If it was, everyone would have been on edge. Mothra seemed to be less antsy than Titanosaurus would have expected if the False King was out and about. Then there was that roar, that mournful howl. The one of pain and terror. It sounded like a ghostly wail, a spectre of the mighty King of the Monsters’ own.
Titanosaurus would have sighed if he were capable. And just when he thought things had been settling down, it seemed the Kamacuras hoard had been driven off for now.
He frowned at the thought of the battle he’d waged in what the small ones designated as Baltimare. He’d seen the casualties caught up in the crossfire between him and Kamacuras.
During his titanic tussle in the harbor, he’d seen that small pegasus knocked into the churning waves. He’d dived, as best as he could before bringing her up out of the waters. He closed his eyes in remembrance, even still he’d failed to save that little one.
No, there was no time to think over failures, not now. He let out a growl to his King, asking for him to halt.
The King of the Monsters turned to look back at him, eyes narrowed. Many a Kaiju would have backed down from the expression on his face. But as Titanosaurus explained, he began to nod in understanding. He would give him time, the ability to hopefully talk to this Titan. But if that failed, then he would come to call and strike them out of existence.
None must be allowed to remain as a threat to his reign, nor none must be allowed to remain a threat to the ones below.
If Titanosaurus could sigh in relief, he would have. He’d bought himself some precious time. Then, he heard it, twin echoing calls from miles away. He shared a look with his King and knew he heard it as well, these twin calls had been heard several times over the past few nights. Originally, it had been planned for Mothra and Titanosaurus to come and calm these two Titans.
Obviously, with the emergence of this third factor in the scenario, those plans had been… derailed.
So, the obvious question was what to do now? Deal with the newly emerged Titan, or handle these two others?
A loud screech from up above, and a dark shape flying through the otherwise clear blue skies above changed things even further. Godzilla let out a growl of annoyance, the new Battra had always been a bit of a pain in his side.
He was young, foolish and possessed almost none of his mother’s wisdom. Instead, he dealt with threats the old fashioned way. Instead of trying to talk them into heel, he just dealt with them until they stopped moving.
Titanosaurus rolled his eyes as he sank beneath the waves in pursuit, that kind of attitude would get Battra killed one day, he just knew it. It almost had with the MUTOs, had the Queen and Mother of All not arrived to bail him out.
He let out the kaiju equivalent to a groan, he so wished that the Shobijin’s connection with Battra was as strong as it was with Mothra. But Battra was too violent, too battle-hungry to form a proper connection with.
...either that or the Shobijin didn’t particularly care for Battra. Titanosaurus hadn’t really been able to figure out which was which yet. He suspected it was probably a little bit of both, honestly.
In any case, it fell to him to bring Battra back under control before he did something really stupid and got himself close to getting killed. Again. Titanosaurus had to suppress a laugh at the thought of how the original Battra had died. His pride had ended up getting him killed, first his wings were drowned in waters and then he was lured into a canyon where they were just ripped off.
Credit where credit was due, the small ones were a lot smarter than most of the kaiju gave them credit for. Out of all the awakened ones thus far, it seemed only really Manda and Mothra really respected the little ones, being as old as they were. Titanosaurus didn’t know how his King felt, as he was very hard to read at even at the best of times. He was also very old, and very stubborn as just about any Titan could attest to. Did he respect the new rulers of the planet now? Possibly. He couldn’t tell.
Titanosaurus certainly did, given one had probably saved his life from that one Kamacuras. If he ever met up with the rainbow maned one, he would have to thank her somehow.
But that was for later. Right now, he had a Battle Moth to reign in. Hopefully this wasn’t going to be too much of a challenge.
Oh, who was he kidding? Battra possessed a stubborn streak possibly even worse than that of his King’s. And then there were these two other kaiju to worry about. Who knew what they thought. He hoped they were smart enough not to get into a brawl with Battra, or that Battra didn’t do anything too rash.
That third kaiju would have to wait, Titanosaurus had more immediate problems.
“So then,” the Shobijin said looking up at the massive rose out in front of them, resting in the lake. A low fog had begun to settle in, casting an eerie glow over the lake due to the light of the moon. “You claimed you… saved her?” they asked in their ever eerie and ever-present unison.
Meadowbrook and Soulshine wilted under their stares. “I… I did what I had to do,” Soulshine whispered before he corrected himself. “No, what I… what we wanted to do.”
The Shobijin glowered, the hatred of a thousand suns boring into the souls of Meadowbrook and Soulshine. “No, you've accomplished nothing more than furthering the suffering of an innocent child.”
They pressed their hooves against Soulshine. “You’re a monster. How in the world can you not see that?”
“Calm down.” Pharynx rested a hoof on the Shobijin shoulders. “You shouldn’t speak when in this sort of mindset.”
He chuckled to himself at the irony, he was far from the calmest changeling really. Yet here he was, playing mediator. How times had changed.
He turned his attention back towards Soulshine and Meadowbrook, who’d shrunk back, their gazes focused on the ground. “Do you see why I said this was a bad idea? How can you possibly think that that abomination is really still Scootaloo?” Pharynx asked.
“Well, presumably, if her soul is still-”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Pharynx growled at Soulshine. “You gave up the right to speak about this as soon as you got this genius idea. I was talking to Meadowbrook. I repeat… How can you possibly think that that abomination is really still Scootaloo?”
The rose in the lake continued to move, its massive leaves blowing in the wind. A harrowing wail settled out over the lake, chilling Meadowbrook to the bone. She stifled a sob, and looked away, unable to face her… creation. “...what have we done?” She fell to the ground, burying her face between her hooves. “We’re monsters.”
“Congratulations genius, you’ve finally realized what anyone with a moral compass saw from the get-go!” Pharynx drawled throwing up a hoof in the air in frustration before rubbing his forehead feeling a headache coming on.
“I know I don’t have the right to speak,” Meadowbrook said. “But-”
“Yeah, you really don’t,” the Shobijin on the left said with a disgusted look. “You were playing God and now you’re suffering the consequences of your foolishness. Now gaze upon in it and know that you’ve ripped the soul of a child and made it into a creature that’ll never know peace.”
Her twin gave her a disappointed look. “Calm yourself, sister,” she said. “Pharynx is right. You’re in no state to speak with that mindset.”
“Miana,” the Shobijin on the left said. “She calls herself the best medic in the world, and now look at what she’s done! She’s created an abomination against nature! She deserves to be its first victim!”
“Cease this at once, sister,” Miana said. “You have to understand that Meadowbrook made a mistake. Nobody’s perfect, you do seem to forget that. She had every best intention in mind.”
“You were berating her as well!” Maina snapped. “So don’t go ahead and start painting yourself white!”
Miana gave her a look, taking several deep breaths. “Be that as it may,” she continued in a firmer tone. “You need to remember Meadowbrook is just as much of a victim here of her own stupidity as Scootaloo. And by the way, I’m not quite sure Scootaloo would ever eat her fellow ponies, even as she is now!”
Both twins noticed the group of three staring at them.
“Yes?” both Miana and Maina asked.
“...I’m sorry, it’s just we never knew you both had… names, and didn’t always speak in unison.” Pharynx commented.
“We prefer to be nameless,” Miana said. “We aren’t quite fond of our names. They… don’t come from the best of places in time and history.”
“So I see,” Twilight acknowledged as she strode up onto the small dock, her mane blowing in the wind. “It does explain a bit though. However, this is neither the time nor the place. Is Scootaloo still alive in there?”
“Barely,” Maina replied. “Her soul’s there, but if we don’t act quickly, she’s going to be consumed by the hatred of the monster her soul inhabits now. Or worse, something else will rip her vessel apart and she’ll die once more and bringing her back will make her more of a poltergeist than a pony.”
“Then we talk to her,” Meadowbrook said regaining her composure. “First things first, we need to know her mental state, how far along she is, and how long we have before her Titan side consumes her.”
“Well, you’d better hurry up then,” Maina said in an icy cold tone. “If you don’t act really quick, you’ll lose your friend—again.”
Twilight’s horn glowed and then so did both of the Twins. “There, you should be able to speak to her now, as you do with your Goddess. At… at least that’s the theory anyway.” the Princess said, as the two twins climbed inside her mane. Twilight extended her wings and flew as close to the giant plant as she dared.
“Scootaloo,” Miana asked with no small amount of trepidation. “Are you in there? Please, speak to me. Princess Twilight’s here too. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
The rose turned its head, the petals opening and closing a bit too frighteningly like a mouth for Twilight’s tastes. She swallowed, so it… no, Scootaloo she corrected herself, still reacted to her presence. Okay, this was good. This was very good. “Scootaloo?” Twilight asked. “It’s me, Twilight. Y-you remember me, right?”
The rose’s petals all shut, save for two of them at the top that gave the appearance of eyes. It tilted its head, a bottom petal beckoning to Twilight. A vine extended out towards Twilight like a hand, and Twilight took it.
She hesitantly landed on the vine and trotted forward, her legs shaking. “I’m your friend, Scootaloo. I want to help you.”
“She’s right,” Miana said gently while Maina trembled. “You know her, even now she’s working away in her head on how to get you back to your original body.”
“He-eeeelp meeee?” a garbled voice, stuck somewhere between the innocence of a filly and the vehement disdain of a wrath-filled beast, asked. “Y-yes! Help me, Twilight!”
Suddenly, a roar filled the air; vines lashing out in every which direction. Poor Miana and Maina were nearly thrown off and eventually were before Twilight grabbed them in her hooves and pulled them close to her chest. “You cannot h-help her, no, us! She’s mine—MINE!”
Miana reached out with her mind, in the same way she’d reached out to her Goddess so many times before. She reeled and had Twilight not been holding her she’d had plummeted into the water like a stone. She felt rage, unbridled rage like she’d never felt before. And a desire to burn the whole world to a lifeless husk. She knew where the rage came from, it came from the creature’s other half. In all essence, she was speaking to a newly born Godzilla in some ways.
“...By the Heavens…” Maina whispered before letting out a shout of “MIANA!”
“I’m… I’m alright,” Miana whispered. “But… but there’s something else inside that mind. Rage, pure unadulterated rage. Like that of… him.”
“H-Him?” Maina whispered. “You don’t mean…?”
“Yes,” Miana replied. “The one they call Godzilla.”
“I’m not letting you have her,” Twilight said narrowing her eyes, not even sure how to address this thing’s other half. “She’s one of us. You’ll give Scootaloo back to us. I speak to you now as the Princess of the Sun, Moon, Tides, and Friendship. You will release Scootaloo to us, or I will be forced to take drastic measures.”
Pharynx, from his point on the docks, watched. “...Come on Twilight, get out of there,” he muttered. “Just do your thing, and get out of there!”
He hated feeling so useless. Then again, what could you do when you were staring at a giant kaiju with the rage of Godzilla directly in the face?
“...How long do you estimate we have before her Titan side takes over, completely?” Pharynx questioned, directing this question towards Meadowbrook.
“About five minutes, give or take,” the mare replied. “If Twilight’s going to do something, she’d better do it now!”
Twilight’s horn glowed with a sharp light, visibly strained as she began pulling a ghostly white substance out of the massive rose creature. “...I… I can’t…” she whispered. “That thing, the other personality, it’s too strong!”
“You’ve got to try!” Meadowbrook shouted as she watched the impromptu game of tug of war. “If that creature gets it back, Scootaloo’s lost to us!”
“I know that!” Twilight shouted. Suddenly, she looked at the docks seeing a small figure running up. Her eyes widened. “...Sweetie Belle?”
“S-Scootaloo?” Sweetie asked. Gallus, having trailed up behind her panting and sweating before finally falling faint, his golden helm falling right to the ground as he did so. “It’s me, I’m here. I… I heard about what happened. Professor Starlight told me. I tried not to overhear her, but I just couldn’t help myself! Cutie Mark Crusaders forever, right? Isn’t that what we promised?”
“Y-Yeah, we did!” Scootaloo’s voice echoed out of the misty white substance.
“Come on, you can fight this, can’t you?” Sweetie asked. “Please… for me? I… I understand what you were trying to tell me back then. Back in Baltimare! You… you love me right?”
“Y-Yeah,” Scootaloo replied as Twilight began to pull her out of the massive plant which comprised her form. “Yeah, I do. I… I didn’t know how to tell you, I didn’t know what to say or how to express myself. I… I just didn’t want to come across as all mushy, you understand?”
“Y-Yeah, I do!” Sweetie Belle answered. “Please, you can fight this. You can fight that… thing, can’t you? For me, and for Rainbow Dash!”
“Yeah, I can…” Scootaloo said before a terrifying roar cut through the night.
“You can’t have her!” the creature’s other side roared. “She’s a part of me now! You and all your ponies will let me have her, she gave me life! I protect her!”
“You call this life? You call this protecting her?” Twilight snarled. “If you really cared about Scootaloo, you would be able to see she was in pain, and in misery!”
Finally, she was sent flying backward by a powerful swing from one of the many frailing vines as Scootaloo screamed. The creature looked upwards visibly straining itself, and golden spores were released covering the hills.
Then Twilight looked out towards the river, Meadowbrook following her gaze. A sharp orange sail was erupting from the water, a massive draconic creature muddled with small spots over his deep brown scales rising up out of the water.
“...Titanosaurus…” Soulshine said finally finding his voice. He watched as Titanosaurus slowly strode forwards, water cascading off his massive form. The spores from earlier, they’d covered the hillsides and the entire valley was now awash with color as flowers bloomed.
“One… One last gift…” Meadowbrook whispered turning her head away.
“What… what are you talking about?” Twilight asked. “Scootaloo’s still in there! SCOOTALOO!”
Titanosaurus looked at the rose creature directly in the eyes. So this was the third kaiju they’d all been hearing. It wasn’t one ancient titan emerging from his slumber only to find the whole world changed as he’d previously thought. No, Titanosaurus corrected himself as he gazed upon the creature and caught a familiar scent. This was one made by pony hooves.
He looked at the creature, and he nodded in understanding. He then raised a claw, and Sweetie Belle’s screams cut through the night…
Azteca:
The train trundled along the tracks, columns of thick smoke filling the air, choking it as a sharp whistle cut through the night, one bright lamp on the front of the train scything through the dark.
“Well, I’d say we made it,” Star Hunter said slumping to the floor of the train in obvious relief, ash and soot masking his midnight blue features. He’d been hard at work tending to the fire, shoveling coal to keep it alight as the train thundered down the tracks, now passing a massive lake. “...we made it.”
In the sole passenger car, Ocellus’ wings buzzed in agitation, as she looked out the window to the lake beyond, the moon reflected on its surface. She knew she should be sleeping, it was still a long way till the next station. And yet… she couldn’t find herself sleeping. They’d just barely escaped that city.
“You alright?” Fluttershy asked in a soft tone as she walked up to her, the trundling of the wheels below and the rattling of the rails having lulled everyone into a gentle sleep. “Can’t sleep? It’s alright, I can’t either.”
“It’s about the Rodans isn’t it?” Ocellus asked, looking back to where she could see embers rising into the night sky from what remained of the town. “....we barely escaped them, and yet…”
“You want to go back to them, don’t you?” Fluttershy answered. “...so do I. I don’t know how to explain it, but I saw a look in at least one of their eyes. They looked…”
“So alone?” Ocellus asked. “I’d like to believe you, I really would, but they tried to eat me. So excuse me if I’m not going to extend the hoof of friendship to giant pterosaurs any time soon.”
“Then what was that I saw you doing back there?” Fluttershy asked with a small smirk. She’d seen it, clear as day, the female Rodan actually allowing Ocellus to touch her beak. She had to smile at this. If anything it was clear the Rodans were actually intelligent and could probably be reasoned with. She hadn’t missed the male of the duo actually recoiling from the power behind The Stare. The gaze of an unthinking, perpetually angry beast that was not. They were just as alive as any other creature, and Fluttershy knew it. She’d swear by it.
“...okay, you got me there,” Ocellus admitted. “I… I just saw that look in their eyes. They need a friend, and the way I see it, friendship should start with just one small thing.”
“...You’ve been paying attention to Pinkie, I see,” Fluttershy said with a small approving smile. “I knew her bringing in Princess Skystar that one day was a good idea.”
“...You really think Rodan can be befriended,” Ocellus asked nervously. “Both of them, I mean?”
“I’m sure of it,” Fluttershy answered with complete and utter certainty. “I am sure of it. Both of them, they can be befriended.”
Then, an almost familiar screech filled the air.
“CHEEEEERRRRRRRNNNNTTTTTT!!!!!”
For a moment, Fluttershy thought it Mothra. She then realized this squeak was much lower in tone, and far more frightening. A dark shape, bright orange and yellow wings temporarily blotted out the moon, twin dark red eyes narrowed in what could only be described as fury.
“Is… is that Battra?” Ocellus asked watching the Battle Moth settle itself atop a hill, and let out a screech in challenge to Rodan. “What’s he doing here?”
“I think I can wager a guess…” Fluttershy whispered as Rodan’s familiar squawking roar cut through the air. “He’s still a Guardian of the Planet, after all…”
Battra knew one or if it came to it, both Rodans had to be brought to heel and stopped. They were a pair of cataclysmic, uncontrollable forces of nature. One of his past lives had met with Rodan before, possibly one of the parents of the two living now. The best way he could describe that one was like a living A-Bomb, able to flatten entire cities with just a single flap of his wings. These Rodans hadn’t quite reached maturity, and it would take a very long while for that to happen, admittedly, but they had to be stopped here and now before they even had a chance to grow.
His King was a fool to even think about having a Rodan as one of his chief allies because as loyal as they may have been, they were still often ill-tempered and quite destructive.
This, of course, was Battra ignoring the fact that you could really say the same things about Godzilla. The Battle Moth wasn’t exactly what you’d call smart like that. No, Battra was the equivalent to a meathead in the Kaiju kingdom!
Or, well, that's what the Golden One would've said before cackling like a hyena. Rodan was probably second in line for the meathead spot, honestly.
Battra launched himself at the massive pterodactyl, letting out a screech as he flew forwards, before he spat his silk at Rodan, stringing him to the side of a mountain. The massive creature barely had time to react as a 30,000 metric ton bullet train barreled right at him smashing through the mountainside. Rubble flew everywhere, massive boulders littering the sides of the train tracks below.
Star Hunter cursed and swore as he desperately kept the train moving as what remained of the mountain fell all around him. He looked up, and saw Battra and the male Rodan -at least he hoped it was the male- striking at each other, Battra trying to impale Rodan with his horns. Rodan meanwhile just bit and snapped at Battra, or used his talons to try and rip him open.
From her spot in the passenger car, peering precariously out the window Ocellus could see the world become repeatedly become enveloped in the shadows- brief moments of light appearing for the blink of an eye- before the wings of the two titanic avians above blotted out the Sun. Battra struck, lashing out with his stinger, Rodan screeching out in pain before Battra grabbed him and tossed him through the trees, sending them flying like toothpicks.
Battra then let out a screech of pain as he was attacked from behind, pure hot magma scalding his very carapace. The female Rodan perched herself on the remains of the mountain her mate had been tossed through and let out a squawk of rage.
Battra would have sighed if he had the ability, of course, he’d forgotten about the female in his battle frenzy. The other half of the meathead whose mind was dedicated to being the sensible one. At least, that’s what his mother told him. Battra rarely listened. He probably should have, now that he thought of it.
The male lunged, grabbing Battra by the stinger, before slamming him into the ground, dirt flying like batter from a blender. Flapping his wings, he let out a distinctive powder that had the female gasping for air, before Battra used the distraction to rocket upwards and escape into the cloud cover above.
The male, of course, was having none of it and his eyes narrowed before he followed after his foe, leaving a trail of embers in his wake. No one, especially not some lousy and good for nothing armored moth, stabbed him and got away with it!
It was, after all, common decency to lay down and accept defeat like a man. Rodan let out an enraged squawk as he chased after his foe, talons extended.
Letting out another squawk, Rodan flapped his wings, the trees below being flattened like an insect beneath the hoof of a minotaur. He extended his talons and clawed at Battra's carapace, only to slash the air as his target zipped to the side and slammed into his wings.
Battra’s eyes narrowed before he released more of that same orange-gold powder from his wings. Rodan was left coughing and gasping for air, eyes stinging with the fury of a hundred thousand wrathful hornets. He darted away as if almost daring for his enemy to follow.
Battra opened his eyes, only to narrow them once more. This meathead masquerading as the so-called Lord of the Skies was more arrogant than…
Well, he was arrogant. It was unbelievable!
Screeching, he darted after the male, his eyes no longer narrowed, lest he not see from his peripheral vision. Of course, this was his second mistake, the first obviously forgetting about the female. Battra had gotten so cocky, he’d forgotten dueling with Rodan at such close range was a really grievous error in tactical judgment. As he quickly found out when he was slammed into a mountainside. He found himself moving his head just so, as Rodan snapped at him with his massive beak, with Battra just narrowly avoiding it being bitten clean off.
Battra then spat out more of his silk, webbing up Rodan’s head, and the massive pterosaur fell backward onto the ground, calling out for his mate in anger and in outright fury. Battra’s eyes glowed, ready to deliver the final blow with his Prism Beams. He was then grabbed by the female of the duo and thrown into what remained of the town, rubble flying everywhere creating a thick, caustic cloud of smoke and embers. Lava ate away at Battra’s wings, the fibers flickering with flames licking away at them.
The female stood over him, seemingly judging the Battle Moth for what he was, an arrogant young Titan in way over his head. She shook her head, and walked off, leaving Battra to lick his wounds with hopefully a lesson learned. This was her nest, and Battra would do well to leave it alone.
Battra struggled to pick himself up off the ground, pained squeaks filling the air. This was absolutely humiliating. Not to mention unfathomably agonizing. Mostly humiliating though.
In the nearby river, Titanosaurus swam. He’d heard the sounds of battle and had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. Of course, that idiot Battra would have charged into battle without trying to reason with the pair of Titans. That was his way, and yes, he had the best of intentions of keeping the planet safe but there was more than one way of doing that aside from just killing all threats. Diplomacy is what helped the Kaiju world get through the harshest of times!
Manda had said so after all and who was he to question the wisest Titan he knew? Generally, the massive dragon had his head on straight compared to someone like say… Godzilla. He loved his King, that he did, but even Titanosaurus had to admit the King of the Monsters had his temper issues.
Thank the Maker for Mothra really.
Now, if only half of Mothra’s wisdom ever got passed to her counterpart. And he wasn’t thinking of Godzilla. Titanosaurus grumbled something under his breath, Battra could be such a handful really. He was like an angry teenager who never really grew up.
Rising up out of the river and letting out an annoyed snort, smoke blowing from his nostrils, Titanosaurus strode forwards towards the two Rodans. He shook his head at the sight of Battra. Of course, the idiot would have gotten himself so badly damaged even his wings were on fire. Did he have no sense?
Titanosaurus gave him a sharp glare that most other kaiju would have wilted under. Tuning out Battra’s complaining and general bitching, he turned back to the Rodans and let out a roar. Hopefully, they at least would listen to reason and he’d be able to salvage the mess Battra had made. He so looked forward to the berating Mothra would soon be giving her son. It would almost be worth having to deal with this.
Briefly, he thought back to the new kaiju he’d put out of her misery. He hated killing young kaiju, but even he could tell that one was in so much suffering and in so much pain that death was nothing more than mercy. He still didn’t have to like it though, and Titanosaurus wondered what could have been. He recognized his King’s genes when he saw them. If allowed to grow to full maturity, that plant-based clone could have been possible family to his King, something he knew that the Titan wanted so dearly after the massacre of his kind by the Golden One and his followers.
So caught up in his thoughts, Titanosaurus missed the Rodan male lunging at him and somehow managing to tackle the massive dinosaur to the ground beneath. The very earth trembled from the power and force behind the Titan hitting it.
From their spot on the train as it rounded a corner, Fluttershy and Ocellus were forced to watch. The thunderous quake of the gargantuan beast striking the ground caused the train to shake; small hairline cracks opening up in the very earth itself. A shriek filled the air as the male raised his head up and bite down, the dinosaur moving its head out of the way just in time to dodge a maw of certain death.
Titanosaurus struggled to push Rodan off him, having no real desire to fight unless forced. Picking himself up off the ground, he used a powerful swipe of his tail to force the Rodan Male back onto his wings. With him went anything and everything that had once been rooted or nailed into the ground.
Titanosaurus glared at the creature, maybe now he’d have learned his lesson about picking fights with those who had no real desire to battle. Hopefully, now he could…
Titanosaurus let out a sharp roar of pain as the Rodan’s mate jumped to his defense, having bitten into his leg with her massive beak. Eventually, Titanosaurus managed to force her off but blood was oozing out of the wound in his leg. He let out a low growl and finally went on the offensive as his massive tail was used to generate hurricane-force winds forcing the pair back.
He let out another roar, assuring them of his intentions and that he had no real desire to fight.
The male roared back, Titanosaurus was encroaching on his territory just like Battra had been a few minutes before! It was his right to defend both his nest and his mate!
Titanosaurus roared back, trying to tell him different. He would let Rodan keep his mate, and his territory as long as he stopped bothering the small ones below.
Rodan went silent. Could this sea-brained behemoth have a point? Was he in the wrong this entire time? Perhaps… perhaps he was-
No, he couldn’t be wrong. He just couldn’t be! He was the Lord of the Skies, everything he saw was in his domain! He lunged and bit down on Titanosaurus’ shoulder as the dinosaur roared out in pain. But Titanosaurus grabbed ahold of Rodan and tossed him into his volcanic lair.
The battle was over, and his mate was bowing down.
Then came another shriek. A shrill agonized one.
Blood oozed from the female Rodan’s chest, only to gush out like an overflowing river as Battra withdrew his stinger, now caked in it. She slumped forward, the light in her eyes dimming before finally going out.
The real tragedy of all this, well it was simple. The female Rodan would have been perfectly happy to just leave the ponies alone or simply relocate to somewhere more convenient for all. But Battra in his arrogance and stupidity still saw being humiliated by the pair as a slight against him.
Fluttershy gasped in shock at the sight, while Ocellus had to bury her head in Fluttershy’s fur as the male Rodan nudged and gently tried to coax his mate back to life.
No, she… she simply couldn’t have been. They’d been together for millennia, and had just woken up from a long hibernation. His eyes were alight with rage but he took to the skies, knowing he was outmatched by both Battra and Titanosaurus. The battle of Azteca was over, but at a grave cost.
Far and away, Maina and Miana had felt the Battle Moth’s actions through their psychic link. Miana reeled, falling up against a tree whispering: “No… No… No…” to herself.
Maina gasped. What had Battra done? He’d attacked an innocent, one who was submitting! That insufferable buffoon had taken away the one thing that kept Rodan restrained. Worse yet: now the Lord of the Skies no longer had a Queen by his side.
“...what is he going to do next?” Maina had to wonder. “Rage against us? Denounce his loyalty to the King of the Monsters, and pursue Battra to the ends of the earth?”
She’d really rather not think of the consequences.
With a heavy sigh, Maina wiped away a tear that ran down her cheek. Suddenly, she felt a twinge of sorrow. Not the sorrow of one who’d lost a lover, no. Something… innocent. Something pure.
Something that she knew shouldn’t be. Something she knew that still shouldn’t even exist in this world. And yet, there it was. It couldn’t have been… could it?
She’d seen, just like everyone else watching, Titanosaurus end Scootaloo’s misery. But why did she still feel the faintest twinge of her consciousness? Was it the link Twilight had established between the Shobijin and the filly turned plant still persisting on? It defied logical explanation.
Clearly, the gods were laughing at her, if they still wanted to have the two of them feel this.
“Maina…?” Miana asked nervously. “You feel that as well? Don’t you?”
“Yeah, sis, “ Maina answered in reply. “Yeah, I do… I’m not sure why I feel it but-”
A flash of images, a massive crocodilian mouth opening wide as massive vines frailed about in every direction possible. Something so gigantic, it just barely made itself larger than the King of the Monsters himself. An impossible roar, and the sound of buzzing wings. Massive praying mantises. No, not praying mantises. Kamacuras.
“...It seems things have only just begun…” Maina whispered.