//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 – Archival Research // Story: The One True King // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// Chapter 15 “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” — Marie Curie Canterlot Archives “Well… they certainly look familiar…” Applejack muttered. The farm pony’s drawl was soft enough to join the most cautious of breaths filling the underground quarters, but loud enough to bounce off the walls and hit everypony differently. Applejack brought some clarity to the focus of everypony’s attention, already confirming what they all knew to be true. Because the photographs—and the hardened reality gripping the sisters’ features—all pointed to the photos being real. As a matter of fact, the Titans within them most certainly did look familiar. Godzilla and Ghidorah were captured in that stone, though not in the flesh. Their battle was frozen, for they were painted upon the wall of what appeared to be a dark cavern, illuminated only by the light of the unicorns below and the torches hanging from the walls. What the cave painting displayed, however, was a war for the ages, where Godzilla’s fires and Ghidorah’s lightning clashed and set the entire earth aflame. Beneath their fires, death and destruction and woe reigned above all, even above the feeble pony race that cried and burned from the battle of the gods. Skulls were painted within the flames, laced with the fires and the ponies caught in them. Seeing those bones made Twilight gasp and turn aside. Several others did as well, such as Fluttershy and Rarity. The others stared on, holding that grim and gruesome expression that only grew paler by the second. They turned and stared at the many photographs instead, all of them in black and white and grainy as ever. All of them capturing mere glimpses, fragments of the jagged, towering spikes. Of the colossal, swaying tail. Of the beast slinking into the depths of the ocean. But that wasn’t all. Filling the basement to its brim were artifacts of a bygone era. Several feet wide and high, where the end wall only branched off into several smaller corridors and rooms, the basement was not empty by any means. Data research, scientific instruments, ancient artifacts, and, of course, photographs filled every nook and cranny. So many pictures covered the boards on the walls. Everything that was left behind before the organization was disassembled was there. T.I.T.A.N. paraphernalia overcrowded and overshadowed Star Swirl’s notebooks, journals, and scrolls that the old pony wizard decided to leave behind. It was most certainly Star Swirl’s private quarters, as his old cloak and hat were hanging on a nearby rack, with his cutie mark displayed on the ceiling surrounded by painted constellations and hanging models of planets in the solar system. Twilight was caught on that, because if Star Swirl had taken his most prized possessions back upon his return, then he must have returned to his old quarters. Which meant that Star Swirl knew about T.I.T.A.N. Which meant Star Swirl knew about the monsters just as Celestia and Luna did. With her heart nearly pulsing out of her chest and her throat tightened to a thin strip, Twilight took a moment to drop her gaze and catch her breath. Her mind was running amok. She was nearly at a loss for what she was witnessing, the absolute bombshell hitting her like a train. Feeling lightheaded, Twilight rested a hoof over her forehead while Spike and Rarity came to her side to comfort her. Just by her expression, just as she lifted her wide, awestruck eyes, there was so much more that Twilight needed to know. There was a world so much bigger that she had never known until now. She wanted to know so much. She wanted to know why they were keeping all of these secrets in Star Swirl’s private quarters. Twilight wanted to know what all of it was. So, Celestia finally answered her. The eldest Alicorn took in a sharp breath and let out a slow exhale. She stared to the memorabilia, at the photos, and sighed. “For a time… it seemed better off for the world to live in blissful peace and harmony.” As she spoke, everypony took the time to observe and capture as much history as they could. They felt like they were walking and witnessing the artifacts of a museum, but so much grander than any museum on Equestria could ever unveil. Celestia and Luna gazed to the photographs longingly, each sister remembering the days before the catalyst, before this new dark age afflicted them. Shining Armor and Cadance stood close and stared to the same portraits Twilight and the Council stared at, all members of the Council of Friendship in shell-shocked silence. Bon Bon stood alone, her own hardened expression a far cry from everypony else’s. She gazed to the world she thought was left behind, to the artifacts she helped find and the pictures she helped take. Few, of course. The many more discoveries were before her time. Her eyes joined the Council’s as they hovered over the large canvas displaying the cave painting of Ghidorah. All three heads were crying out, spewing forth bolts of yellow-painted lightning upon the fleeing, helpless equines running for their lives. There was another portrait, one far larger and so intimidating that it captured an entire piece of the basement wall. It was the Three-Headed Tyrant once more, photographed with wings outstretched and T.I.T.A.N. agents staring up at the massive artwork. One particular pony looked eerily similar to Daring Do standing beneath the mighty, golden painting of the dragon. Bon Bon managed a weak grin at that. Celestia continued to speak as the ponies broke off to discover as much as they desired. “That age has ended. It had ended long, long ago. We were just too blind to see it.” One of those ponies happened to be Fluttershy, the Pegasus steadily approaching a small table to the far left of the room. Resting upon it were several pieces of clay pots and cups acquired from ancient ruins near the Griffon Kingdom, if what the data sheet beside them had anything to say. A particular vase captured Fluttershy’s attention. She furrowed her brow, tilting the vase around to get a better look at the painting. To her surprise, the vase was adorned with demonic paintings of a horned creature surrounded by fire. The creature was black as charcoal, eyes as red as blood, its beak wide open. Fluttershy didn’t know why, but her heart began to thump quicker and quicker just by staring at the painting. As if that alone was enough to provoke fear out of her to properly react. She set the vase aside and lifted her eyes, only to gaze onto several photographs resting on the wall before her. Photographs that showed cave paintings of dragons wailing and roaring beneath the same mighty, flaming bird. “Yet we have always been vigilant. We have always been prepared for this day to come…” Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all stared at the various pictures and paintings of a familiar moth they had seen before. Similar to the carvings in the temple they found in the Forbidden Jungle, but displayed in majestic and gorgeous pieces of art washed across entire caverns. Of all the pictures they saw, the ones of Mothra were the most beautiful. She stood in full display, wings multicolored and shimmering their rays upon all the ponies beneath her. She was being venerated by the ponies painted with her, all of them standing in awe or bowing before the alpha goddess. Celestia caught her breath, her eyes resting on the millennia-old paintings. “For this new age… to rise.” Twilight and Spike were joined by the rest of their family, Shining Armor and Cadance following shortly behind the princess and the young dragon. Together, all four of them observed what Twilight and Spike were witnessing for the first time. Namely, the paintings and artifacts miraculously captured from Black Skull Island. Shining tensed. Cadance held her breath. Their bodies froze and their eyes were glazed to the artifacts shown. Slabs of stone held the image of a giant ape battling large, reptilian beasts. That same ape was shown with its arms held out wide, with ponies bowing before it. Shocked and surprised by such a beast, by such a display, Twilight and Spike held their stares to the images with keen, rising interest. Shining and Cadance turned aside as quick as they could. There was a reason they never went back to Black Skull Island, and they didn’t need to be reminded of it. “It’s about time you learned… what we truly live with. It’s time you understand… what they are.” Bon Bon sat alone, stared alone, and remained alone even as the massive portraits glared down at her. She sat there in darkness, in fear, letting that image hold its terror over her heart. It wasn’t long before she felt the presence of the Council behind her, joined quickly by the Crystal Empire’s royalty. Soon, they all stared to the same image, they all felt the weight and fury it showcased. Caverns held entire stories for them to discover, for T.I.T.A.N. to learn and theorize. To craft legends of their own, to translate as much as they could and dream of the rest. The painting before them told a tale of Godzilla waging war against several multi-legged Titans. Some that stomped upon the earth. Some that flew within the skies. Bon Bon gulped. Twilight was able to breathe again. Celestia stood with them. Finished by saying, “They have been here… forever.” With all them turning to her, all heads accounted for, Celestia and Luna held their hooves out to the cave painting that started it all. After having tasted and seen the rest of T.I.T.A.N.’s discoveries, retreading and returning to the first piece of art seemed much more eye opening. It was still the cave painting of the two alpha Titans fighting over a ruined earth, with ponykind suffering in it all. “It was them…” Fluttershy declared, her voice a deathly whisper. The realization struck her as it did everypony else. “All this time…” Celestia nodded to the mare, turning with her sister to stare longingly onto the portrait. “It was their battle that was the Great Cataclysm you told us of. Their battle devastated the world, forced the Titans into hibernation, and allowed the surviving inhabitants to claim what was left. To rebuild, reshape the world into their own. The world as we know it today.” Luna took over and said, “We have always considered their battle to be what caused the Titans to vanish for so many years. A legendary rivalry unlike any other… having thought to have ended when he bested Ghidorah in the Frozen North.” “The One Who is Many,” Celestia said with a sickened snarl, like it was a poisonous venom on her tongue. Twilight turned to her curiously. “Ancient tribes did not leave much for us to learn. The pictures you see are all that we have been able to record through the years of vast searching and unearthing. From what we could translate into a language we could understand, it seemed as if the ancients feared even speaking of the Hydra.” Luna shivered slightly, though her flowing mane hid it well. She said, “His legend even spread to many different cultures, his name translating many times over. The Golden Demise, Death Song of Three Storms, Monster Zero…” “Ghidorah,” Celestia consummated, letting her eyelids tremble to a close. “Legend… legend spoke of this dragon falling from the heavens. The earliest translations reveal his name to be ‘The Demon of the Stars’, or ‘God of the Void’. There are manuscripts that tell of the first Titans, all of them dated much earlier than Ghidorah’s sightings. Which means that Ghidorah is not natural to our world.” “Wait, wait, wait…” Rainbow Dash interjected, shooting out her hooves and earning the eyes of the room. She held her hoof to the painting, to the three-headed dragon specifically. “Are you telling me this… thing is an alien?” “From outer space?!” Pinkie gasped, appearing behind the Pegasus and latching onto her. To their shock, Celestia and Luna both nodded. Sitting back down with Pinkie Pie flopping to the dirty floor beside her, Rainbow groaned and rubbed her temples. “Secret organizations, giant monsters, and now aliens. Yup, we’ve officially crossed that line into sic-fi crazyville. Twi, your egghead should love this kind of stuff.” Twilight frowned, blinking with a deadpan expression at the Pegasus. With their squabble ending quicker than anticipated, Celestia continued. “Many Titans rose up against this alpha Titan, this false king. Many fell to the dragon. Except for one. One ruler above all other monsters. Their war was waged and the world felt every strike and blow. Until our world persevered and defeated this invasive species. Imprisoned in the Frozen North, Ghidorah was lost to time… while the other was lost until most recently…” It didn’t take long for the Council to realize the former princess was talking about the other Titan in the painting. “Who is he?” Twilight found the courage to ask. Celestia seemingly tensed at that, with Luna taking in a deep breath. Bon Bon took it the worst, refusing to even meet their expressions, let alone the painting. Celestia answered, “He goes by many names, much like Ghidorah. After the Great Cataclysm, his first recorded sighting was several thousand years ago, just off the coast of Neighpon.” Turning to the crowd of ponies and one invested dragon, Luna met their curious and astonished faces. She met them with enough strength to tell them his name. “The legends call him… Gojira.” The basement settled in that silenced stillness, and the former rulers let it be. More than enough time was given for everypony to embrace the name and let it course through their veins. The name that shook continents and stirred the seas. The name above all the other monsters of Equus. Princess Cadance cleared her throat, bringing clarity and focus back to the conversation. She said, “As many of the Titans’ names are derived from the cultures that discovered them, so was the first recorded Titan officially named. Titanus Gojira, or ‘Godzilla’ in Ponish.” “Godzilla…” Fluttershy breathed, her voice a weak, apprehensive whisper. Bon Bon closed her eyes, trembling breaths entering and exiting her nostrils. “Wait…” Twilight stated, “I thought Titanus Typhon was the first Titan to be discovered?” “The first to awaken to Ghidorah’s calls, to step upon land, to threaten our very way of existence had we not intervened?” Bon Bon spouted off, earning everypony’s attention. Opening her eyes, she turned to the mare who asked and pursed her lips. “Yes… Typhon was the first. Godzilla was just a myth before that. Godzilla never threatened us until after T.I.T.A.N. was founded.” “How did he threaten you?” Rarity questioned, almost not wishing to know. Shining Armor answered that. “Godzilla… could have very well been active far longer than we’ve ever known. But after Luna’s banishment, he was silent. He’s the only alpha Titan that was roaming the ocean before T.I.T.A.N., creating myths and legends of ships lost at sea, a terror of the deep unlike any other. A monster. Something worth hunting… worth killing… if it meant ponykind could survive. Though there was never any real proof until after Typhon awakened… until the other Titans started to stir from their hibernation. By then… Godzilla really started to be more active.” “What was mere legend had become real,” Bon Bon said. Nopony said a word after that. The Earth pony sighed and knew what that meant. She continued for Shining, Bon Bon recalling the history to the best of her knowledge. “He was never caught… probably because the ocean is a big place, right? He was always so elusive that way. Sometimes T.I.T.A.N. would get lucky, snap a few photos here and there, launch a spell or fire a cannon at the beast to ward him away from any civilizations, but he would always escape… right back into the sea. We never caught him. “Something was causing Godzilla to become more active over the decades, bringing him out of the ocean and onto dry land. Where he… threatened locales… searched near different settlements… and caused untold pandemonium. His paths were always heading north… where I eventually crossed paths with him seven years ago.” The memory was an unwelcome spike into her soul, chilling it to the point of near-death. Bon Bon shivered, but nonetheless proceeded. “That was why he was going to the Frozen North in the first place, to cast his radiated breath over Ghidorah’s tomb. After that… we hadn’t heard from him. No tremors, no sightings, nothing. Until last night. Where Ghidorah’s cries brought him back.” Having it all come together and rush forth to their present hour was enough to knock the wind out of several ponies, Twilight and Rarity in particular. History was written and was currently being written, the days of old aligning with the present to create their current crisis. Celestia and Luna both sighed, sharing one another’s thoughts. Perhaps this was the day the ancients warned them of. Perhaps it had finally come. “He was trying to keep us out of the Frozen North,” Bon Bon said, bringing their focus back to her. “The radiation he created was a barrier that we were never meant to cross, never meant to enter in order to discover Ghidorah. And now his old rival is back… thanks to Sombra and to us. Guess there’s another reason for Godzilla to hate us.” Spike raised a brow, crossing his arms. “Another reason?” he asked. Bon Bon didn’t answer. Simultaneously, everypony turned to the two sisters. Celestia bit her tongue, Luna dropping her eyes. The elder responded, “Godzilla… was always searching for the source of the alpha Titan’s cries… which turned out to be Ghidorah. His quest led him through various settlements across coastlines upon Equestria and beyond, in turn creating and enforcing the terrorizing legend. Several generations of ponies and other species did everything in their power to hunt, capture, or destroy Godzilla. By sea or by land. From the ponies thousands of years ago traversing the uncharted oceans… and to our modern era where T.I.T.A.N. enacted war against the King of the Monsters.” Just for a moment—Celestia taking in that second to breathe—that name hovered in the air and filled everypony’s lungs. Everypony’s hearts. Their minds. The King of the Monsters. The eldest sister continued, saying, “We didn’t know what he was searching for until it was too late. We merely did our best to protect our people… from a beast we thought wanted nothing but for us to be destroyed. From our actions of the past… and to our actions now…” Her thoughts betrayed her, beating her down and forcing her to see the crisis for what it truly was. By Sombra’s final vengeance… which would have never been achieved had they not intervened… Ghidorah was released. That was the truth. That was the reality she, and everypony who stood with her still, had to face. She sighed, Celestia shutting her eyes and muttering, “It would not be unbelievable if Godzilla hated us for it.” While her sister mourned in a depressive and silent state, Luna took charge and stated fiercely, “We are dealing with a grave threat greater than anything we have ever faced before, and could possibly ever face again. Ghidorah’s return was just the first step into this… twisted, hellish world we never wanted to come to light. More chaos is going to come from it, that much we are certain of.” The royalties of the Crystal Empire were fully invested, fully willing to give what was necessary in order to shift the tide back into their favor. The Council of Friendship was slowly getting onboard, knowing just how serious the threat really was. Ghidorah was not like the other villains they had faced before. There was no reasoning with the beast like there could have been with Chrysalis, Tirek, or Cozy Glow. While they wanted to rule Equestria, Ghidorah sought to want nothing more than to burn the world to its core. That was enough for them. That was all that was needed to stop the oncoming chaos. Rainbow paused on that thought. “Wait!” she suddenly interrupted. Luna, Bon Bon, Shining, Celestia, and all the rest turned the Pegasus’ way. She held a triumphant and valiant smirk, slamming her outstretched hoof into her opposite one. “If we’re gonna be fighting chaos, then how ‘bout we level the playing field? Fight fire with fire?” “What are you saying, Rainbow?” Bon Bon asked. “How ‘bout we call in Discord to fix this whole mess?” Rainbow said, voice rising higher by the second. Nearly everypony flinched at such a suggestion. “I mean, come on, the guy treated Sombra like a colt in comparison! If we show him how serious this is, convince him to actually help us this time, then I guarantee he can fix all of this with just a snap of his claws!” She held out her hoof, slowly stared at it and the lack of fingers. She frowned, giving up and sighing, “You get what I mean.” Her friends were beginning to object to her suggestion, but soon lost their voices once they actually began to think about it. Twilight tapped her chin, the Alicorn deep in thought. Shining and Cadance stared to the floor, slowly starting to nod. Even Celestia and Luna turned to one another, their brows raised curiously as if deep down they were debating whether or not Rainbow’s suggestion could have been feasible, or even the right course of action. “So… what do you all say?” Rainbow asked. It was Fluttershy who objected. “We… can’t.” The room turned to her. She practically wilted like a dying flower. “What?” Rainbow questioned, frowning. “Why not?” “Mothra wouldn’t want us to.” She was quick to respond and even quicker to shut herself up. Even then, Fluttershy did not want to be silent forever. She needed them to understand where she was coming from, and why they desperately needed to heed Mothra’s warning. She didn’t want to beat Discord down, either. And she really hoped he wasn’t listening to their conversation. Clearing her throat, she began again. “Not trying to sound rude, but… Discord… is of external nature. Beyond reality. If he fights Ghidorah, that much chaos is going to severely damage an already fractured balance. Our world may never be the same. The natural world… could very well forever remain imbalanced.” “I think Discord learned his lesson, Fluttershy,” Rainbow replied in a deadpan tone. “And I have no doubt that he did,” Fluttershy retorted. “All I’m saying is that we can’t continue down this path of control. We, as a species, have always tried to control our world, and with Discord in the mix… there’s no telling what could come from it. If we lose… or even if we win.” It hurt to say it. It hurt so much but Fluttershy had to tell them. “Our world is damaged… it’s hurting… crying out, and now it finally has an answer. For millions of years, and now it has its answer! Mothra is part of that answer!” She shot out her hooves to the photos, the artifacts, and everything around them. “And from what we’ve seen, what we’ve heard, Godzilla is another part of that answer! Mothra isn’t returning to harm us! Godzilla isn’t back to destroy us!” She brought her hooves together, connecting them softly and breathing even softer. “Nature… by their hands… is going to balance out.” Approaching the former rulers, Fluttershy offered her plead one more time. The Alicorn sisters gazed to the Pegasus, uncertainty clashing with the belief that Fluttershy had for the Titans. “We tried to act before and look where that got us,” she told them. “Please… Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor… Twilight… we just need to trust Mothra.” Before they had the chance to respond, Shining Armor did so first and asked, “You just want us to sit back… and do nothing?” Fluttershy darted her head towards him, eyes widening. “Um… t-that’s not—” The battle of ideologies raged on, in the physical realm as well as the inner realm. Celestia and Luna contemplated such dueling qualms, by telepathic communication and within their own minds. Fluttershy’s belief was just. A belief that, perhaps, they all should have had. But were they truly at fault for Ghidorah’s release? Would that alone be enough to justify that they do nothing while the Titans warred upon their world, within their cities, with innocent lives on the line? No matter what, the safety of their little ponies always came first. What had happened was not their fault. What they chose to do next, however, would ensure that they acted with the best possible means to defend their very way of life. And that meant bringing T.I.T.A.N. back. That meant rallying their armies. That meant to come together to face this threat once and for all. “Sombra was a factor none of us could have anticipated,” Celestia finally answered, having reached her conclusion with Luna. “His defeat marked his end, but discovering his ancient message and its true intent was beyond our knowledge. There was nothing we could have done. Ghidorah would have been released either way, by time or by our intervention.” Fluttershy appeared to deflate at that consummation. Cadance appeared by the Pegasus’ side, resting her hoof comfortingly on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “But now we’re getting T.I.T.A.N. back together, Fluttershy. Now that we’re getting the resources, numbers, and strategies laid out, we can face this problem with a stronger force and a clearer goal.” Twilight joined the Alicorns and nodded along, enforcing their decision by stating, “We will do everything in our power to ensure that Ghidorah is defeated, and properly contained, if we can. If Mothra and Godzilla are going to help us… then we’ll see to it that nature is brought to a proper balance. We’ll hold off on Discord… for now.” Twilight eyed Rainbow upon saying that. The Pegasus snorted and stared to the floor, lips pursed and stance stationary. “T.I.T.A.N. will do everything in its power to contain this rising threat… to ensure that our little ponies… and our world are safe from harm forevermore,” Twilight Sparkle declared in a finalized, unifying tone. One that everypony rallied behind. They nodded to the Princess of Friendship. The Princess of Equestria. That was what they told her last time, Fluttershy thought. But she didn’t say it out loud. She didn’t tell them what they refused to listen to. The Radiance With their next destination set, the sisters led the Council, the rulers of the Crystal Empire, and the remaining T.I.T.A.N. operatives in Canterlot onto the lead airship of the fleet. The Radiance picked up shortly and took off into the bright, burning skies. And while the leaders jostled and toiled within the main bridge, Bon Bon returned to her personal quarters, where she felt she would be safest in opening the magical letter sent to her. The letter was given to Bon Bon the second she stepped hoof upon the Radiance, the T.I.T.A.N. messenger informing her it was an urgent scroll directly from Ponyville. That only meant one thing to Bon Bon. It gave her the urgency to read it in full, in private, in the safety of her own small room within the airship. T.I.T.A.N. gear and memorabilia covered the dark green walls of her quarters, the bed simple and empty. It creaked suddenly when the Earth pony hopped on top of it, the mare staring at the scroll with shaking, unnerving eyes. Sighing, she tore the seal with the tips of her hooves and unfurled it. Dear Bon Bon, I hope you’re as bored as I am! Absolutely nothing has happened since you’ve left! Well, for the first couple days, that is. Now there’s a ton of news flooding Ponyville. Lotta gossip and rumors, but everypony can kinda agree on the same thing. What the heck is going on, Bon Bon? Storms filling Equestria? Word on earthquakes in the Frozen North? Knowing you and the princesses, I’m sure your super-secret monster-hunting agency had something to do with it. You remember our promise, right? If anything goes wrong, if you need my help for anything, you write me back telling me so. Don’t leave me in the dark, Bon Bon! We face these things together, as a team! Wishing the best, and hoping you’re safe! Love, Lyra Lowering the letter from her face, Bon Bon’s expression was nearly devoid of all blood. Or life. Or any indicator that she was well or confident in her stance. What her heart wanted to say was not what her mind believed. What she wanted to tell Lyra was not for the best. Just as she had before, just as she swore to T.I.T.A.N., she would ensure that ponies slept well at night without the fear of a beast rising up to reclaim their world. Because of T.I.T.A.N., ponies back home would be safe, and have that assurance that no monster would threaten them… And take from them everything they loved. No matter how much it hurt to lie… Bon Bon wrote out a letter in response, a simple letter that told Lyra to stay home and stay safe. They had everything under control.