//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 – The Dragon God // Story: The One True King // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// Chapter 18 “For the Beast that comes out of the Abyss will make war with them, and overcome them… and kill them.” — Book of Revelation The Dragon’s Lair Illumined under the flaming lights of the volcano’s eruption, the occupants of the Radiance’s bridge paid witness to the beast emerging from the peak. It stirred like a newborn babe, but held no sweetness or innocence to its nature. All there was, all there ever could have been, was an underlying fury that burned just as bright as the embers that coated the creature’s body. Lava dripped from its face, the beak of the Titan slowly opening to take in that first breath of smoke. Its wings unfurled and its talons gripped the edges of the peak. A tower of smoke and fire billowed fast and high from the volcano’s eruption, the agape jaws of the mountain spewing that sickness directly onto and over the awakening monster. It did not mind nor did it seem distressed. It breathed the sulfur and fire and let loose its cry to the world. With a great shriek, the avian terror spread its wings and let all within the Dragon Lands and beyond know of its presence. It made its presence absolutely clear. Without a shadow of a doubt. All within the Radiance had flinched and froze at the sound of the Titan’s cry. Rainbow Dash gulped, her hoof slowly falling from the windshield. She turned to Bon Bon, asking even slower, “Got a fancy name for this one?” Bon Bon practically trembled in her stance. Her eyes tried to focus on the awakening beast, but they kept burning from the fires that rivaled the glare of the sun. Her breath kept rising and falling rapidly at the mere image of the Titan standing tall and fearsome over the armies of the world. So fearless. So full of pain and anger. And ready to unleash it at any given moment. Coming back to reality, Bon Bon took in a deep breath and uttered the damnable name, “Rodan… the Fire Demon.” Rainbow trembled in her exhale, facing the light and the fires that melted from the Titan. “Yeah, I expected as much…” she muttered. “The One Born of Fire…” Ember added from her wavering voice. Everypony faced her, listened intently as the echoes of the bird’s screams washed all throughout the land. “Whatever history the dragons wanted to remember, Rodan was not a proud one. He claimed our land and was worshipped out of fear by ancient dragons. Worshipped as their deity. Not being very proud of that history, the dragons regarded him as a mere myth. A legend that we called… the Dragon God.” Fluttershy whimpered at the name, still having not fully recovered from the explosion of the base and the fate of her friends in the volcano. She wilted and slipped behind Applejack for comfort, the mare bringing the Pegasus close to her side and soothing her silently. In that silence, they all took a moment to observe the Fire Demon, the One Born of Fire. The Dragon God. He fused within the rays of the afternoon sun, plaguing the skies in a horrific mixture of darkness and light. Stirring and writhing in agony both internal and external, Rodan let the smoke wash around him like a comforting coat, the fires warm and soothing against his charred, armor-like skin. He seemed to be covered in bloody accents, the cracked veins across his body and wings melting pure magma. Most unsettling of all were his eyes. Sombra’s magic filled them. “Looks like Sombra’s been busy…” Bon Bon murmured. No one responded. No one could. The dark coils of unholy power radiated from his glare, the Titan shaking his head and screaming again and again. Like he was somehow fighting against it. Like he was trying to break away from the dark forces that tired to claim his mind, and it was that pain that elicited the cries from the Titan. He was still caught in that battle that none of them could understand, lasting for several seconds in that haunting silence within the Radiance. “Twilight…” Spike whispered, his claw pressed weakly to the glass. Reaching out to the blistering, boiling volcano. And just like that, the silence was broken and the horrors of the real world settled in to make its triumphant and damning return. Everypony felt it like a knife stabbed once more into their hearts, twisting cruelly to remind them of what they had lost. Because from Rodan’s eruption, Outpost Cinder was undoubtedly destroyed, and the ponies who embarked into the facility to stop Sombra’s crystals held a fate that was still up in the air. In the smoky, burning air infected with Rodan’s shrieks. Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor… and Twilight. The last they saw of them was when they closed the doors to the volcano facility behind them, and then the entire peak erupted into a blistering inferno of death and destruction. Sombra’s crystals could have been stopped. The brave rulers both old and present had the ability to destroy them, but they were too late. The dark magic had sensed them all the same and erupted to fulfill yet another step in Sombra’s twisted endgame. The near-fact that they had lost not only the former rulers, not only the current rulers of the Crystal Empire, but Princess Twilight Sparkle as well was almost too much for T.I.T.A.N.—and the world—to take in all at once. Rodan’s emerging presence did not help in that regard. And despite the time of confusion, the time of mourning, and the time of terror wishing to lay dominion upon their wounded spirits, it all had to be put on hold. From the arising light of the communication officer’s horn, the T.I.T.A.N. unicorn casted a receiving spell that bloomed a magical letter into being. Quickly unfurling and reading the notice, the unicorn turned to his superiors and announced, “Rainbow Dash, message for you!” Still quite shaken and stirred by the influx of emotional distress, Rainbow Dash nonetheless answered the call and steadily approached the communications console. She received the letter and read it quietly to herself first and foremost, her friends approaching her rear and peeking over her to read for themselves. But Rainbow Dash did not keep them in the dark. Lowering the letter, she faced them, and although she was still slightly anxious to speak of it, managed to say, “It’s from Spitfire. The Wonderbolts’ airship is just outside the storm’s reach and…” Everypony stood in that unsettling silence. Rainbow checked the letter once more, confirming her fears and bringing them fully to the forefront. “And she said the storm just took a wild turn east… and it’s heading this way.” That statement shot out like a lightning bolt, striking each individual differently. Though the same sudden jolt of unease caught them all at once. Rarity found the strength and the curiosity to ask, “But… why?” It was a shocking turn of events from an already shocking situation, but everypony could assume it had something to do with the flaming war bird screeching from the peak of the erupted volcano. Bon Bon especially knew that, her expertise on monsters making the answer clearer than anypony else could see. She made that abundantly clear when the realization struck her, Bon Bon answering, “Because he’s reacting to Rodan’s calls.” Ember, her dragon guards, and Spike all faced the pony immediately. Everypony else followed suit. They watched as she turned to the communications officer, Bon Bon telling him, “Send a letter back, tell Spitfire that we need as much backup as we can. We’re gonna need some speed and a lot of it.” He nodded back with a fierce salute, already getting to work on the letter. “What are you saying?” Ember asked. Clarifying her stance, Bon Bon faced the Dragon Lord and explained, “The storm’s heading this way, which means Ghidorah is on the move and he’s coming in fast. If that storm reaches the land with all of us still on it, it’s gonna be disastrous. We need to get Rodan away from the mainland, and drive him directly into the storm.” “Or we silence him…” Rainbow suggested, earning the eyes of the bridge. “Knock him out and then get the heck out of here before that alien shows up.” Bon Bon breathed in that suggestion for deeper thought, eyes falling to the floor. “Yeah, that could work, too…” “What’s our play here, Special Agent?” one of the T.I.T.A.N. pilots asked. Soon enough, all the unease and tension in the bridge had taken a stark shift and settled on the lone Earth pony among the masses. All the anxious glances, all the worried stares, all of them focused and given to her. The one who was given control from those of higher authority, the ones who could have very well lost their lives in the eruption. Whether or not that last part was true, the fact was that Bon Bon was in charge. And she finally came to realize that. She was in command now. Everypony looked to her for an answer, for guidance, for their next course of action. The soft, delicate whimper from Fluttershy made Bon Bon’s heart ache. “What about Twilight…?” Fluttershy asked, the meager Pegasus quivering in her cautious approach. And to the pony she tried to reach, to the pony she asked, Bon Bon slowly turned her way. Faced her with all the strength she wanted to have but could offer little. It pained her to meet Fluttershy in the eyes, especially when the Pegasus was so close to tears. The quiver in her limbs made it look as if she could hardly even stand, the prospects of the fate of her friend Twilight taking a heavy toll not only on her, but all of her friends. Bon Bon would be a liar if she didn’t feel the exact same way. But she needed to be strong. She needed to be a leader for them in that hour that so desperately called for one. Even if it hurt, Bon Bon said, “They’d want us to finish it…” And it did hurt. It hurt for everyone. It hurt for Fluttershy, for Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Bon Bon, and especially Spike. But now was not the time to be hurt. Now was the time for action, for the fate of their armies and the fate of the Dragon Lands itself. Now, the time for war had finally come. And Bon Bon declared, “Send a call out to all the other airships and our ground forces: Open fire with everything you got.” Clawing and ripping himself out of the hold of the volcano’s depravity, Rodan howled as the darkness took hold of his mind and vision. His instincts became something of a blur, as if his actions were not entirely his own. Like there was a power so overwhelming that it cloaked his will like a shadow, enveloping him in a tangled hold of control. He was still very much aware of his surroundings, his emotions and torments fully awakened and out in the fresh, burning air. It was there, permeating and real, subtly influencing his actions and motives with a power that Rodan was not familiar with. It gave him what he wanted, the lusts for rage and destruction far too great for the beast to ignore. He blinked, and blinked again, but nothing could wave off the dark magic consuming his eyes. His rest was torn from him and now he was forced into action, sensing the greater disturbance in the winds and facing them head-on. The beast stared at the distant storm clouds growing all the closer. Rodan, be it his will or the will of another, glared to the storm. Making several low, guttural clicks and growls, Rodan was so focused on the yellow lightning and the swirling storm clouds on the horizon that he almost failed to react appropriately to the disturbances all around him. Almost. The generals and T.I.T.A.N. agents on the earth received the updates via radio. The updates that came from their airships in the skies, their leaders in the clouds, and was followed through with fierce and deliberate precision. A T.I.T.A.N. commander nodded to the nearest Hippogriff general. That stare was shared from the Hippogriff to the military leaders of the dragons, griffons, ponies, and so forth. Reaching the end of the commanding line, the T.I.T.A.N. commander unsheathed his blade and jutted it forth to the vast display of military power resting before them. “Orders received! Fire at will!” Clusters of blasts large and small echoed throughout the Dragon Lands, converging first within the valleys that surrounded the base of the volcano. The armies of the world and of T.I.T.A.N. unleashed everything they had, firing every ounce of their non-lethal armament first. The cannons fired off cannon balls that exploded upon impact, dousing Rodan in a mist of sedative potions. The beast cried. Next, they pulled the levers and launched the containment devices from the trebuchets. Each stone launched in the air exploded, creating various nets that swarmed, connected, and created a large canvas capable of capturing much larger beasts. The nets fell and tangled all over Rodan’s wings. The Titan screeched. When those failed, the final lines were crossed. The ballistae fired their arrows. Each massive arrow pierced the hide of the creature and locked in place, the steel fiber cables attached to each end snapping straight once they reached their limit. Large clamps from the ballistae fell and connected to the earth, keeping them positioned and keeping the beast in check while the cannons unloaded their sedative potions on him. Rodan roared. The roar washed across the landscapes like a tidal wave, echoing again and again until even the rocks trembled to his cry. The rocks would not stop trembling, even as his shrieks ceased. On the outskirts of the unfolding battle, those rocks bounced and rolled and shot out as a flash of light encompassed the surface of the earth. From that burst of magic, five ponies appeared out of thin air and landed with hard thuds against the gravel, cinder, and ash. Breathing in that ash, Twilight Sparkle coughed hard as she pressed her hooves to the ground in an effort to lift herself up. “Is everypony all right?!” Princess Cadance called out in distress, her mane burnt slightly and her coat a mess of cuts and bruises. Shining Armor quickly came to her side, the unicorn practically covered in soot as he coughed his lungs out, his wife doing her best to wipe his eyes clean of the filth. Twilight couldn’t answer for the fact that she was suffering the same fate as her brother. As for Celestia and the Luna, the two sisters shakily rose to their hooves and offered heaving responses through hoarse tones. “We’re all right!” Luna called back, devolving into a flurry of coughs and wheezes. “Twilight!” Celestia shouted, looking about wildly. She was just as filthy as her sister, the elder wiping at her eyes to shake away the blinding soot that had managed to seep inside of her vision. It burned and made her teary, but it was a miniscule pain, nothing compared to the thought of having lost the Princess of Equestria, and her friend. “I’m… ack… pht… I’m over here!” The familiar voice was the first breath of fresh air Celestia inhaled, the Alicorn rushing over with eyes wide open as she lifted Twilight to her hooves. In part, she comforted and thanked Twilight for her actions in Outpost Cinder. Had she not enforced the magical bubble that Celestia and Luna created, they could have escaped… but with much graver wounds. Acknowledging Celestia and Luna’s teleportation spell that got them out of the second explosion, Twilight offered them a slight bow of her head and a gentle thank you. Shining Armor and Cadance arrived shortly to embrace their family with warm and precious hugs, thankful to see that they had all safely made it out alive. With Luna by her side, Celestia opened her mouth to speak, to acknowledge what had happened. Instead, they all spun around to face the aggravating cries of Titanus Rodan. They witnessed the assault of T.I.T.A.N. and the world’s armies with awestruck expressions, the streams of light and power fired onto the volcano and the thrashing, titanic phoenix. None of them had the will or strength to speak; they merely watched in shell-shocked silence. Until their attention was stolen once more, directly behind them and onto the storm approaching the coastline of the Dragon Lands. They heard the thunder within the familiar storm, sounding horrifyingly close to a cackle. Twilight’s ears fell. Her pupils shrank. She couldn’t make a sound. The thunderous snaps of the steel cables filled all the air. Rising forth from the volcano, Rodan pulled against the forces that held him and screamed. The arrows pierced into Rodan’s hide strained against the opposite pulls. The clamps either gave in to the pressure or the steel cables finally snapped. Either way, the outcome was the same: Rodan was no longer constrained. Seeing that, fearing that, numerous T.I.T.A.N. commanders gave the final order to end it once and for all. Next to the military leaders, their word was final. The nearest T.I.T.A.N. agent slid his hoof across his throat, signaling to the generals to end it. And by their cry, with that order given, the dozens of tanks lifted their barrels and fired away. The lethal rounds shot faster than cannons, impacting the Titan’s hide with earth-shattering force. Blossoming plumes of fire and shrapnel burst forth from Rodan’s body, the beast screeching and roaring with agonized force. But that wasn’t all. The numerous airships both large and small bombarded the volcano with everything they had. Cannons were bright and furious, unloading every shell and every ball onto Rodan with unrelenting power. Solar Bolts in the dozens formed numerous squadrons as they all zeroed in on Rodan, flying by and pelting the bird with fast, albeit weaker rounds from their turrets. And yet all of it was meaningless. All of it was miniscule. All it had done was piss him off. And wrapped in that fury, succumbing to its sinful grasp, Rodan finally arose from his nest. He planted his talons onto the peak of the volcano, lava and fire melting from his body. With a spread of his wings and giving in to the nature of gravity, Rodan howled as he dropped from the mountain and descended down its slope with terrifying speed. That speed only increased as he descended faster and faster, his cry growing louder and more ferocious the closer he got to the front lines of the armies. Once he reached them, the battle on the earth was already over. The second he flew over them, the armies were burned, ripped, and torn to shreds. His shadow was a haunting blackness that corroded the earth and sky. His power was that of a dark angel of fire and death. A demon of destruction that spread woe and chaos wherever it flew. Passing over the front lines and beyond, his influence was felt the first millisecond. Temperatures suddenly skyrocketed from his bio-volcanic skin, dousing the landscapes in a deathly heatwave of up to 1,200 degrees Celsius. And it was felt by all instantaneously. Those who believed they would be safe by merely planting their weapons into the dirt, holding on for dear life, or trying foolishly to escape all faced the same demise. The wave of fire encompassed all the earth with Rodan’s passing, burning ponies, griffons, and all other types of creatures in seconds. Their bodies were set aflame, their armor melting and their screams echoing cries of hellish pain. If the heat didn’t kill them, the wind definitely finished them off. Flaming bodies and melting machines of war were flung from the earth the moment Rodan’s shadow passed over them. With a menacing roar to all the feeble creatures beneath him, Rodan flew on by and created a gust of wind shortly behind him. The cyclonic drift stream tore everything beneath him asunder, be it anything living, anything mechanical, or of a natural creation. Nothing survived. Those that did were luckily far out of the radius of the winds and fire, but they still witnessed it. They still saw the destruction Rodan left behind and carried with him. Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Shining, and Cadance especially saw him. They watched in horror as he flew directly towards them. Though once frozen in that state of shock and awe, the former rulers finally came to. The Alicorn sisters knew of only one other means in order to bring down the beast. If weapons and machines could not do it, then they shall. Despite the warning cries from Twilight, Celestia and Luna spread their wings and kicked off into the sky. Instead of fleeing like Cadance and Shining Armor did when they pulled Twilight with them to safety, the sisters engaged the danger head-on. For a collision neither one of them intended to back down from. Rodan saw them. He tilted his infected gaze lower and saw the approaching dots of two ponies. Celestia and Luna. His beak, his charred skin, curled into what could have been a sadistic smile. With their magic, and with no words needed, the two sisters fired a conjoined beam of pure, raw energy intended for Rodan’s head. It was a sedative spell that Celestia’s power alone could have conquered even the mightiest of Titans. But coupled with Luna’s, and it was far more devastating. Far more effective. They wielded that power with the intent to end the massacre before it continued a second longer. It flew with shocking speeds, reaching its target in the blink of an eye. Rodan was faster. And with a clap of his wings, he tore straight up into the sky, dodging the spell and knocking both Celestia and Luna aside with a sonic thunderclap. The shock wave washed across the earth, Twilight and her family shielding themselves as the screaming wind and dust pushed ferociously against them. Holding their positions until the wind died, Twilight finally lifted her teary, mortified eyes and searched the flaming ruins for her mentors. She couldn’t see them, couldn’t find them, and screamed, “Celestia! Luna!” She galloped directly into the hellish landscapes left behind from Rodan’s desolation. Cadance and Shining galloped right behind her, calling Twilight’s name and urging her to follow them to safety. But she would not listen. They knew and understood that. They followed her, searched with her, and protected her with every ounce of their being. All while the world fell apart around them. His cries echoed across the heavens. His shriek was a petrifying howl that dominated the skies and warned every beating heart of who truly ruled them. The dragons both young and old scoured the clouds, darting their heads, their eyes, their towering necks back and forth, up and down, in search for the loose Titan. A swarm of Solar Bolts filled what was left, the griffons and ponies piloting inside them all scanning the winds. They heard him, they felt him, but they couldn’t see him. Like a prowling beast on the hunt, Rodan finally lunged for the kill and broke out from the cloud of dark smoke. He rammed himself against the nearest adult dragon, disorganizing the fleet of creatures into a chaotic mess of falling bodies and golden planes that broke off at the last second. Rodan and the dragon clashed in mid-air, the Titan easily gaining the size and strength advantage. With a forceful bite of his beak, Rodan shrieked and ripped the dragon free from his talons. The dragon with a torn neck fell to the earth, practically thrown to it as Rodan dropped and quickly flapped his wings back into the air. The corpse rolled and crashed with a thunderous death, crushing any machine or living being unfortunately caught beneath its shadow. He was quickly trailed in his ascent, dragons of all sizes and shapes keeping close with the monster while the fleet of Solar Bolts were quick to join them. The dragons breathed in, hurling fireballs that merely brightened an already scorched layer of skin on Rodan’s hide. The Solar Bolts unloaded their ammunition onto every exposed piece of the Titan. Nothing was affected. Nothing was effective. Rodan roared and turned his attention onto the armored fleet of airships. They continued to fire at him, launch cannon balls that were either too slow or too weak to even reach Rodan. Airship and aircraft alike hovered in mid-air as they bombarded nothing. The rulers of the nations watched as the Titan neared their fleets, quickly falling back with the lead airships they were in while the others met an unfortunate end. Rodan collided with the nearest one, decimating the T.I.T.A.N. airship with vigorous force. Streams of fire coiled his body and wings, the remains of the ship collapsing to the earth as Rodan rose above and took off once more. He did so again and again, launching himself, his talons, and his wings to plow, tear, and eviscerate entire legions of the invasive armies. For the Titan was already lost in the bloodlust. The destruction he sought was something that could not be satiated. There was no rhyme or reason as to why he continued to act in ways that went against the natural law and order of life. He was not defending his territory any longer. He openly sought out targets and victims with fiendish delight and found pleasure in the destruction. What he acted on, what consumed him, was nothing but rage. Pure, unadulterated, unfathomable rage. Rodan ducked beneath the oncoming airship and sliced it cleanly with his wings, severing the entire aircraft in two burning halves. Dipping low to the earth then rising back up with a thundering roar to accompany him, Rodan returned to the skies with Solar Bolts and dragons trailing him, firing at him. Sooner rather than later, they would be next. Ember took that as an absolute certainty and faced the occupants of the Radiance with that same certainty burning in her eyes. She shouted, “Get this ship turned around and get out of here!” Though still momentarily shaken by the death and destruction she had just witnessed, Bon Bon nonetheless responded, “We can’t just leave them!” Ember was tired of waiting. She slammed her claws on the center table, pointing a claw dangerously at Bon Bon as she ordered, “We’ll buy you enough time to get to a safe distance off shore! After that, we’re bringing him to you and that storm to finish this!” And that was that. The ponies could say nothing more as Ember stormed out of the bridge with only one destination in mind… In the windshield, unaltered and uncensored from the rays of the afternoon soon, they could see Rodan fighting off and murdering the masses that dared to wage war against him. Flaming husks of airship debris were hurled to the earth, exploding in decimating blasts that nowhere near rivaled Rodan’s power. He slaughtered dragons, tore through entire fleets of Solar Bolts, and flew over the remaining armies below with a gust of wind and fire following him. Everypony soon turned back to Bon Bon. And as the highest command on deck, Bon Bon knew that time was short. Ember was giving them an opportunity to still turn the tide. She would be foolish to ignore it. Rushing over to the communications console, grabbing onto the nearest microphone and establishing contact with her fleet and the many other fleets surrounding the Dragon Lands, she made her announcement loud and clear. “Attention! This is Special Agent Bon Bon of T.I.T.A.N. to any remaining royal fleets still active! All leading airships are to fall back immediately! The Radiance is retreating! All T.I.T.A.N. aircraft on us! I repeat, this is an official retreat! Fall back! Fall back!” The message was received and acknowledged across every spectrum. Within the leading airships of every nation, of every form of royalty, and throughout the mass coalitions of T.I.T.A.N. The remains of the armies below retreated to what they hoped would be safe distances away from the carnage. Every nation in the sky backed away while the T.I.T.A.N. aircraft turned appropriately to the leading Radiance. Smaller forces dealt with Rodan in that distraction, giving each ship enough time to join and support the Radiance in its retreat. And with a slow, laboring turn, the Radiance faced completely away from the volcano, from Rodan’s destruction, and fled to the sea. Fled to the approaching storm. Just as Ember and her dragons leaped off the ship’s outer catwalk and joined the assault in the skies. With their Dragon Lord returned to them, the remaining dragons followed behind her to bring down the false god. She led with her Bloodstone Scepter, roaring and firing off a blast of superheated red magic onto the flaming bird. The blast impacted Rodan and the Titan screamed. Turning to face the assault, Rodan’s eyes narrowed to the feeble assault wave nearing him. His eyes focused beyond the dragons and centered instead on the fleeing Radiance airship. His eyes narrowed even further, the dark magic curling into wisps of tight, purple tendrils. The red pupils shimmered a bright and haunting rage that was not Rodan’s. And just before Ember and her legion of dragons could engage with the beast, Rodan took a sudden turn and blasted right through them. He knocked them all aside and jetted directly into the smoke and clouds. Maintaining her flight and catching her breath, Ember acknowledged the many around her to see if they were still able to engage the demon and fight for their land. Then, her eyes followed the trail Rodan had taken, seeing it vanish into the smoke and headed directly for the shoreline. Exactly where the Radiance was intended to go. She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to. Horrified, Ember shook her head with rapid intensity, her wings beating harder by the second as she muttered, “No, no, no, no, NO!” And she took off to give chase, very few dragons able to keep up with their ruler. Lost in the ocean mist, finally breaking through the clouds and seeing the approaching shoreline of the Dragon Lands, Captain Spitfire and her Wonderbolts gave off celebratory cheers and whistles. Spitfire’s cheers ended sooner than expected, and her smile quickly faded once she saw the pluming smoke and fires ravaging the lands ahead. Most shocking of all, she witnessed the Radiance itself and a fleet of ships fleeing whatever chaos had ensued. Waiting until the Radiance had broken through the smoke and clouds to make contact, Spitfire reached for the new-fangled communication bud in her ear. T.I.T.A.N. called it a “comms link”, a way of contacting others via radio without having to lug around heavier pieces of communications equipment. It was easier, quick and clean once she established contact. “Spitfire to Radiance! Radiance, come in! Our airship is safe from the range of the storm and we are en route to your location for assistance! I repeat, Wonderbolts are flying in hot—!” Rodan burst forth from the clouds, flying high with a terrifying roar wailing from his beak. With a flap of his wings, he swooped down and gave chase to the Radiance. “Whoa!” Soarin shouted, lifting up his goggles mid-flight. “You guys seein’ what I’m seein’?!” Spitfire’s jaw fell, as did every Wonderbolt around her react in tandem. But in order to keep her troop in order, she needed to establish that order within herself and display it for all to see. She ignored whatever shocking revelation was displayed before her and tapped her comms link once more. “Radiance! You got a bogey on your six! A really big one, too!” Releasing her hoof, she could hear Rainbow Dash’s voice respond, “Oh, great! Thanks for the heads up, Spitfire! Keep him off the ship; I’ll join you soon!” That response from the Radiance was shared into all of their earbuds, earning looks of surprise and shock from everypony equally. Sky Stinger especially, the Pegasus crying, “How are we supposed to fight that thing?!” Many others felt the same, gazing to the creature with disbelief. Vapor Trail’s lips quivered just at the mere sight of the shrieking, burning demon. A demon they flew dangerously closer to with every passing second. While others were caught in that uncertain and horrified state, Spitfire was not one of them. Her eyes brightened beneath her goggles, her smirk glowing when she saw their golden glimmer. “Not alone!” Spitfire replied, reaching for her earbud and shouting, “Solar Bolt squadron, you got a team of Wonderbolts on your twelve! Ready to assist!” Among the dozens of Solar Bolts surrounding the Radiance and the fleet of T.I.T.A.N. airships, the leading squadron immediately received the call. The griffon squad leader saw the Wonderbolts rapidly approaching. He nodded, replying over the comms, “Copy, we see you, Wonderbolts. Let’s take back our skies.” Spitfire’s smirk only glowed brighter. If that wasn’t enough to invigorate them, Fleetfoot tightened her goggles and roared, “Let’s take it to ‘em!” Those cheers and hollers and whistles from the Wonderbolts returned in full force. They had their inspiration, they had their captain leading them, and now they had the support of an entire other squadron backing them. Facing the approaching fires and tides of warfare, they engaged it with hardened determination, with hearts of fury, and with screams that rivaled the Titan’s own. Then, to their shock, they watched as the Solar Bolt squadron was joined by several others, dozens and dozens of aircraft flying in unity and coming together. In that unity, they pulled off an arc in the sky, flying back from where they came once Spitfire and her Wonderbolts reached them. And now, flying side by side, they all engaged Rodan in a singular wave. Rainbow Dash leaped off of the Radiance’s catwalk and joined them, reaching Spitfire’s side and catching the captain’s attention. With that subtle glance each sent and received, they focused ahead and prepared themselves for the fight of their lives. The Wonderbolts, the Solar Bolts, and Rainbow Dash all flew together with speed and fury trailing them. Rodan responded in kind, only worse. Much, much worse. His ways were not to be understood or countered, or met with an equal force that those so feeble and weak believed they could create. His winds were fire and death. His talons were the sharpest blades. His cry was the power of the heavens and the earth. His wings were a tornado of unmatched dominance. He did not respond with just speed and fury. He gave them more than that. He gave them a reason why they should fear the King of the Skies. In a move that shocked the masses, Rodan spun in mid-air and only continued to spin. By the time they reached him, it was already too late. They couldn’t brake. They couldn’t evade. Numerous Solar Bolts were eviscerated immediately when they made contact with Rodan’s propelling wings. “Look out!” Rainbow Dash screamed. “Break off!” Spitfire added. Every last Wonderbolt broke formation, the dozen or so ponies weaving outwards to avoid the spinning wings of pure rock and magma. Many Solar Bolts managed to evade just as well, but a strong cluster of them were taken out by the Titan. Their flaming carcasses spun out of control once they made impact with the beast, descending to a long and deadly drop below to the awaiting earth. Straightening his flight pattern, Rodan gave a tremendous flap of his wings and screeched, already back on the hunt and catching up fast to the Radiance. Recovered and returning to the fight, Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts trailed the mighty, flaming bird from above. Numerous Solar Bolts flew beside them, their propellers like blades that sliced the smoke and air. Zooming by the Pegasi, the planes dipped down and performed a swooping dive-bomb. They pelted Rodan’s back and head with meager bullets. Tilting his head back, Rodan snarled and broke off to the far left. He was almost too fast, far too fast than Rainbow could have ever anticipated. She knew dragons could be quick in the air, but nowhere as fast as a Pegasus. That was why it absolutely boggled her mind to see a creature of such size traveling at such high speeds. Because in less than a few seconds, Rodan was hovering to their left and then suddenly dive-bombed them in return. His cry grew louder and closer. The Solar Bolts had nothing to respond with, and they suffered for it. Ramming into the side of the nearest T.I.T.A.N. airship, Rodan rolled over the burning remains and snagged the unfortunate Solar Bolts beneath him. Catching two aircraft within his talons, Rodan crushed the planes and let their husks fall to the world below. He snapped at the many Solar Bolts and Pegasi that surrounded his beak, catching a wing or two and sending a few planes hurtling down with a trail of fire consuming them. As he passed one airship after another, Rodan would deliberately ram his beak into their balloons and slice their engines with his talons. More and more airships tilted and fell, burning in their descent to the earth. Flying just above the creature’s horns, Spitfire ordered, “Rolling thunder formation!” The Wonderbolts got into position. Two Pegasi snagged a hoofful of clouds, tightening them to create small, gray storm clouds. They were followed by two more who did the same thing, adding to the cluster and waiting for the next addition. Once a sizable cloud was formed, Rainbow Dash did the honors and pushed the cloud further ahead of Rodan’s path. She let it settle in mid-air, signaling to Spitfire with a shrill whistle. The captain of the Wonderbolts performed a nosedive, rearing back with her hoof and slamming it against the dark gray storm cloud. She blew right through it, the impact she made creating a ferocious display of thunder and lightning. The bright white bolt shot out and struck the nearest object, namely the tip of Rodan’s beak. Thrusting his head back from the blast, Rodan released a painful wail. The Wonderbolts were just in the midst of congratulating themselves when the Titan spread his wings to the peak of his ability. And then he brought them together and created yet another devastating sonic thunderclap. Piercing the ears of every Pegasus within a mile’s radius, the shock wave knocked several Wonderbolts out of the air. It destroyed any nearby Solar Bolt aircraft and what remained of the airship fleet. He was like a speeding bullet with the force of a hurricane, the whirlwinds tearing whatever aircraft or pony that wasn’t strong enough right out of the sky. The push he gave himself allowed Rodan to come into near-contact with the Radiance’s back engines. He unfurled his wings and flapped them harder, the Titan roaring with unsatiated rage. While Spitfire, Soarin, and all the other Wonderbolts fell and tried to recover slowly before they hit the ground, Rainbow Dash was far quicker to recover. The painful ring in her ears pestered on, but her vision was clear. Slightly blurred, but clear enough to see that there was no more defense protecting the Radiance. Rodan was given an open window to attack her friends. The horror in that thought sparked a newfound adrenaline in the Pegasus’ heart and soul. Her expression tightened, burning with a reinvigorated rush and strength she so desperately needed. She wouldn’t give up. As the last one standing—the last one flying—she chased the bird with speeds that surprised even herself. In that final, climactic chase, only three were left: Rainbow Dash, Rodan, and the Radiance. The thundering engines of the Radiance pushed the airship to its limits, pushing it directly over the approaching coastline. Rodan flapped his wings and glided, trails of fire and ember burning the air in his wake. Rainbow Dash soared right on through the embers, her multicolored trail only growing longer and brighter. The winds screamed past her ears, pulling harshly on her mane, on her coat, but she didn’t care. Her eyes bled tears and she narrowed both to thin strips, focusing solely on the bird. She felt a sudden coldness wash over the embers, a cold that had turned shockingly freezing. The sun had vanished, consumed by the dark and unholy storm clouds. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and was met with a pelting wall of rain. Darkness enveloped the skies, rain and lightning and thunder rupturing the world around them. Inside the bridge of the Radiance, everypony felt the rupture and nearly fell because of it. Ponies held onto whatever they could find. Applejack and Rarity grasped onto the center table. Pinkie Pie was choking the life out of Spike, the young dragon shaking and gripping the nearest console. Fluttershy shut her eyes and shielded herself with her wings, not having the courage to face whatever would come next. Bon Bon’s iron grip on the control console never relented. Her eyes were never torn away from the windshield and the darkening, dampening atmosphere. The following clash of golden lightning and roaring thunder shook the entire airship to its core, and everypony within it felt the shuddering display of power. And they froze to it. Because they heard the thunder and recognized it. Recognized the dreaded, wailing cackles filling the storm. The Radiance never made it to the ocean. They barely even reached shoreline. When the lightning ceased and darkness washed over the world, all there was for a moment was stillness. Nothing but an unnerving silence. They had reached the eye of the storm. Rodan shrieked and broke away from the Radiance, just mere meters from slicing it with his talons. He shot out his wings and slowed his approach, his infected eyes seeing the same thing the equines saw. The same darkness. The same flash of lightning. The same terror within it. Within the bridge, everypony saw it. The shadow emerged first and foremost, with the curling, slithering, snarling heads coming into view with every burst of lightning illuminating the dark. The blood drained from Bon Bon’s face. The Council of Friendship froze in awestruck horror. Fluttershy lifted her shielding wings from her eyes and screamed. Lurking above, in the shadows, Ghidorah hovered before the meager Radiance and spread his wings in a haunting display of intimidation. Of the true power and king of the skies. All six eyes glowed a cruel and unforgiving yellow, the Titan’s wails washing across the air and ready to consume all who stood before him. Bon Bon shouted, “Now!” Twisting the steering wheel to a hard right, the pilot ensured that the airship barely even scraped Ghidorah’s scales. The Radiance ducked and managed to avoid the creature’s flapping, bat-like wings. With the Radiance out of the way, nothing stood between Ghidorah and the opposing Titan whose calls he answered with devilish intent. Nothing except one last Pegasus pony. Rainbow Dash saw it all. She was caught in the eye of the storm and could do nothing to fight it. Her adrenaline was lost, the fire in her spirit frozen by the chilling rains. The strength in her heart crushed by the overwhelming darkness, power, and unrelenting ferocity of the three-headed dragon. She was trapped, caught in its hurricane with her eyes widening, jaw falling, and heart stopping when she saw it… The terror met the fury. The fire met the storm. Rodan screeched and Ghidorah cackled. Their collision thundered the skies and trembled the shoreline.