Gabe was wondering how much more tunnel he was going to be stuck walking through before the battery to his rig died. “Christ, this is gonna be a pain,” he muttered, turning a corner and spotted a ray of light coming into the tunnel. “Oh thank fuck, finally!” Gabe hustled to the exit, glad to get out. “Maybe I can-!”
The soldier came to a skidding stop as he heard voices from the other side of the hole, the teen holding his laser rifle close to his chest. Struggling to control his breathing, Gabe looked down at his weapon’s ammo counter. Full battery, sixty shots in total, provided he didn’t adjust the settings. Gabe patted the ammo pouches hanging from his belt and chest, checking to see if he had any spare batteries. Luckily for him, the soldier had grabbed far more than he had probably needed back in San Francisco, so the twenty-three extra batteries were more than welcome for him. Slowly, he shuffled closer to the exit, the voices getting clearer as he approached.
“Hear the rumors about the castle?” a rough, female voice asked. Gabe listened intently as he kept his finger off the trigger, his thumb firmly pressed against the edge of the safety.
“Nah, I ain’ heard nothin’,” another said, equally feminine yet rough. “But with considerin’ all the guards are on edge, it don’t take no unicorn to tell that something’s up. I mean, you heard the announcement, same as everypony else. All the borders closed, and the city gates are shut except for official business an’ all them horseapples.”
Fuck! Gabe thought as he bit back a frustrated groan. This is not my day…
“Yeah, well, come on Maple, we still got another couple o’ crates to move down here, and that’s after we get that hole patched up,” the first voice said. “And after that, we can head down to the pub and get drunk real proper. Heard there’s a new brew from that backwater down at the base of the mountain.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Gabe waited as he heard the distinctive sound of hooves clapping on stone before they went up what sounded like a creaky wooden staircase. Gabe peeked over the edge of the exit and caught sight of a pair of ponies, both an earthen, pastel color before they went through a door. “Shit… and I was really praying that it was just coconuts I was hearing,” Gabe complained as he stepped out, looking around the room he found himself in. He was in some kind of storage basement, crate upon crate stacked on the walls and labeled in a script that Gabe could only describe as gibberish written by a drunkard.
“Okay, uh, let’s think this through Gabe,” he muttered to himself, heading to the staircase carefully. “You’re in some kind of hollow ass mountain, and you’re in a basement. The place is infested with talking horses, and I have only one frag, a pair of flash bangs, my laser rifle, a bit of ammo, and a rig with…” Gabe turned the inside of his forearm to read the screen. “About seventy percent charge on it. And I have no food, and very little water. And let’s not forget, my radio reception has been complete shit. So… yeah, I’m fucked. Probably not angry drill sergeant in my face fucked, but definitely fucked.” Gabe went up the stairs and pushed the door open slowly, peeking out and holding back a whistle.
Wherever he was, it was fancy as hell. White marble floor tiles covered the floor, several crimson red tapestries on the walls providing contrast as he stepped out into the hallway and listened for any signs of movement. Okay, hallway, two points of entry, excluding basement behind me. No sound of talking horse things, but… He went right, following the hallway down and pausing by each door he passed. Each room he glanced into simply made his eyes widen at the sheer opulence in each of them, numerous knick knacks and artifacts lining the walls, windows, shelves, and almost every other surface in the house.
“Jesus…” Gabe entered a larger room, a vast study of sorts from the looks of the gigantic wooden desk and multiple sofas. An equally giant fireplace that was thankfully not lit was on his left, flanked by two just as massive bookshelves stuffed with leather bound tomes and scrolls. “...that’s a lot of book.”
Suddenly, voices came from behind him as a door opened, then slammed shut. Gabe spun in place, trying to find a place to hide as hoof steps grew closer and louder. “Shit shit shit, where the fuck can I-! ...oh fuck me.” Gabe dashed to the fireplace, letting his rifle hang on by its sling as he checked the inside of the chimney. “God, your sense of humor is shit,” he complained, climbing up the chimney and just out of sight as the ponies stepped inside.
“Forgive the short notice Duchess Shadow, but I demand to know what in Tartarus is going on up in the castle!” Gabe bit his lip, listening to a haughty woman bitch to whoever was following her.
“High Adjudicator, there was a break in at the castle. A stallion crashed through the ceiling of the Autumn Hall and then proceeded to attack the Empress unprovoked.” Whoever this new speaker was, Gabe was impressed with how commanding it was, as well as how oddly familiar it sounded. “Thankfully, the perpetrator has been apprehended and contained in the dungeons, with both the Grand Magus and the Captain-General ensuring he stays put.”
“And why in the Empress’ holy mane does that trumped up-!” There was a pause as Gabe heard the first speaker, the ‘High Adjudicator,’ take a deep calming breath. “I mean, why has your dear husband gone over my head, and ordered the city gates shut to all traffic? Why the closed borders?”
‘Shadow’ scoffed. “Considering that our beloved Empress was assaulted by a stallion that didn’t immediately turn to ash from being struck by her power, I could only assume that legally speaking, the Captain-General of her Guard and Legions is more than capable of assuming control of the empire in all manners pertaining to its security and defense in times like this. Or has your grasp on the law gotten rusty?”
“Spare me your barbs,” the Adjudicator spat. “Unlike you, I am completely focused on my duties to our Empress. I still remember the fiasco your husband created when reforming the Guard, and I recall the political shitstorm that occurred when you and the rest of those… lovely mares started having foals.” Gabe grimaced as he heard the two trade veiled insults at each other.
Yeesh… these two are a couple of vicious bitches…
Gabe was sure he heard Shadow start to move angrily towards the Adjudicator when bells rang from outside, the horse no doubt stopping. The bells tolled for another thirty seconds before falling silent, and judging from the way his neck hairs were going up, Gabe could almost see the look of rage on Shadow as she spoke. “We will discuss the civil powers of the Captain-General later. I have more pressing matters to attend to. Good day to you, High Adjudicator.”
“And to you, Duchess.” Gabe heard a set of hooves exit the room, Shadow no doubt leaving. Meanwhile, the Adjudicator huffed, stepping towards her desk and pulling a drawer out. Gabe listened as papers were shuffled, a thick book dropped onto the table before the horse huffed angrily. “That bitch… adopted daughter of the Empress or not, she can only hide behind Her Radiance for so long. And I at least know her leverage.” Gabe looked at the fireplace and slowly shook his head.
Oh hell no I ain’t going to Crazy Town. Well… not any further hopefully. He waited for the Adjudicator to make noise before adjusting his grip on the walls of the chimney, and as he heard an ancient, vintage style record player start going, he took his chance. Inch by inch, he shuffled up the chimney, pausing to raise a bandana over his mouth and nose before climbing up through the built up layers of ash. Jesus Christ lady, clean your chimney! he thought, making his way halfway up the chimney before pausing, looking down to make sure he hadn’t been compromised.
The music was still playing, and the horse hadn’t lit a fire under his ass. So, he was probably still good. Gabe kept climbing, eventually seeing sunlight up above him. The soldier frowned as something dawned on him. Wait a sec… I’ve been hauling ass for hours, why isn’t it getting dark out? Gabe finally reached the top of the chimney and poked his head out, sucking in a breath of fresh air as he took in the sight of the city around him. The architecture was vaguely European in nature, with grand arches and gothic spires dotting the landscape until it reached a castle, and Gabe almost swore as he spotted the multiple pegasi flying around the battlements.
“Shitfuck!” he hissed, pulling himself out of the chimney and onto the roof. “Need cover where’s cover fuck fuck fuck!” Gabe looked over the side of the roof and two stories below was a fairly large bush. Looking past that, Gabe plotted a path from his vantage point on the roof to the ground, across the vast, open green lawn that would have made any landscaper weep, and then to the stone wall separating property lines. “Ah fuck, not much of a choice,” he grumbled, slinging his rifle behind him as he climbed onto the side of the roof. Gabe eased his weight down onto the side of the building… until the roof under his fingers cracked.
“Oh no.”
The roof fell apart in his grasp, Gabe plummeting to the ground and landing in the bush back first, his rig taking the brunt of the impact. That, and the soft soil the bush was planted in had apparently been watered recently, making Gabe’s crash a soft landing. The soldier still groaned in pain as his back ached, the suit servos whining as he rolled onto his feet. “Fuck, shit, shit fuck fucking shit!” he hissed, patting his back as he checked his rifle for damage. Luckily, it wasn’t, barring a smidge of dirt in the barrel aperture. Gabe heard movement from inside the building. “Shit!”
He got onto his feet and started running, taking cover behind hedges and flower pots as he raced to the wall. Gabe reached the wall, hugging it as he turned around to see if any of the horses had seen him moving. Seeing not one talking horse chasing him, much less a pegasus dive bombing him, Gabe turned back to the wall and bent his knees… and then jumped. The rig’s tiny jump boosters fired, propelling him several extra feet higher, high enough that Gabe could grab the edge of the other side of the wall and pull himself over. Gabe chuckled as he rolled over the edge of the wall.
“Yes! FreedoooOOOOH FUCK!” Gabe fell off the wall and into a small pond, splashing into it loudly. Gabe quickly got his bearings, getting out of the pond and into cover behind a flowering bush as he tried to keep his panic down, again. “Shit shit shit!” Gabe hissed, shaking his rifle and getting as much water out of it as possible. “How can my luck be this bullshit?!” He looked up into the sky and saw that there was a flying thing heading towards his position. “Fuck!” Gabe looked at the bush and saw that there was a space under the branches just big enough for him to squeeze into, a space that he very quickly occupied as he took cover.
“This is Private Monnot of Vanguard Two-Fife, broadcasting to any receiving GDF unit, please respond, over!” he said into his radio. Gabe groaned as he got nothing but static in reply. “Goddammit, come on!” Gabe looked out of the bush, wondering what to do when he caught sight of the home next to his position. Two stories, and decidedly less old fashioned mansion. And luckily for him… there was an open window on the ground floor.
“...fuck it.”
Gabe crawled out of the bush and headed to the window, taking care to stay low as he approached it. Pressing himself against the wall under it, Gabe gathered his wits and quickly peeked over the edge to see a fairly sparse guest room with a bed in the corner. “Better than nothing,” Gabe muttered as he hauled himself into the room, his boots only making a little extra noise due to his rig. “Soft bed, limited access… finally some luck.”
Shutting the window behind him, Gabe went over to the bedroom door and closed it as quietly as he could before stepping away. Turning off his rig, Gabe got out of it before going around it, checking it for damage. “Oh thank fuck… nothing too banged up. Might need to replace the battery housing though…”
Satisfied that the light exoskeleton wasn’t going to fall apart on him anytime soon, Gabe took the pack he had taken with him from Edwards containing his hydration pack, and more importantly at the moment, his field journal. Pulling it out, Gabe pulled out the pencil from its holder and opened it, taking a deep breath. “Okay, so…,” he said to himself as he started writing. “Today was a giant clusterfuck of a day. I passed AIT a week ago, and was on my way to getting posted on Kwaj when Space Godzilla went and attacked San Francisco. So, guess who got his ass drafted into bunker evac?”
Gabe sighed, writing a bit more in his journal. “Then I grouped up with survivors in Oakland, only to get shot by a black hole gun. Only, instead of getting ripped apart I ended up in a land full of talking technicolor horses with wings. God, I must be going crazy, but… I don’t think I’m imaginative enough to make a delusional shit fest this real.” Gabe looked at the door, and then wordlessly pointing the barrel of his weapon at it.
“My current situation is currently this; I’m alone, with no support or capacity to resupply. Ammunition is good, though again, problematic with the lack of resupply. I have one fragmentation grenade, two flash bangs, and a G-5 rig that will get me yelled at by any supply sergeant that sees it. I also am unable to contact any possible surviving Army and GDF units. So…” Gabe paused as he was forced to contemplate the harsh reality in front of him. “I… may have to consider that I am the only active unit in the area. So, crunch time. I have no idea on the local population or political structure, save that there is an empress of some kind here. So, current priority is for me to gather any and all viable intelligence, and then form a plan after that, as well as ensure that I don’t get captured.”
Gabe shut his notebook with a huff. “Christ, no fucking pressure on going from infantry to fucking Delta Force shit,” he complained to himself. “Well, first thing’s first, I need to find a better place to rest than a damn spare bedroom.” Gabe began to repack his bag when he heard hooves approaching.
Fuck! Gabe rushed through the rest of his packing, sticking the bag back onto his rig before getting it strapped on and powered up. Grabbing his rifle, Gabe looked at the window and then the door. “Crap!” he hissed as he hurried to a corner of the room hidden from the door, holding his breath in dread. Whatever was coming towards him, it was definitely smaller than the other horses he’d run into.
“Think Dad’ll be okay?” a young girl’s voice asked. Gabe gulped as he heard another voice speak up.
“El, Mother and Father have gone through worse,” this one, a decidedly male voice, said. From the tone, Gabe had to guess prepubescent, though he had to push down the urge to suddenly smack a snotty brat in the face as the two voices came closer. “Whatever situation this is, they will deal with it.”
“But… that weirdo hurt Auntie Day,” the first one said.
“Well…” The boy sounded worried as they came to the door. “It is kind of… odd, that she’s recovering. That usually never happens, ever.”
“Yeah, and… wait, why is this door closed?”
Oh fuck.
The door opened, and two small horses trotted in, both of whom were vastly different in color. One was white, with bands of barely visible gold in their mane and sides, and the other was a bright, electric purple, with teal green eyes looking around the room. Gabe simply didn’t wait for them to see him, rushing forward and moving past them out the door. “Sorry!” Gabe called to them, pushing them aside and running down the hallways in a blind panic.
“What the-?! AUNT RAI! HELP!!” the young boy shouted out.
“Christ, how many aunts these kids have?!” Gabe blurted out, turning a corner and skidding to a halt in fright. “Oh shit!”
The horse in front of him was big. Easily a head and half taller than he was, the horse had a spiraling blue horn that had arcs of electricity dancing along its length. Ruby red eyes stared him down, and Gabe more than felt the static building from where he was scrambling back onto his feet. “Oh crap oh crap oh crap, uh, shit, uh-!” Gabe stammered, the horse taking a step forward towards him, even more electricity dancing on its fur.
“Aunt Rai!” The purple horse raced to the giant equine’s side, looking at Gabe angrily as its sibling followed. “It was in the spare bedroom, is it a monster, a real one?”
Gabe let out a panicked laugh, the three horses looking at him intently. “Monster? Kid, you don’t have a damn fucking clue about monsters…”
“Language,” the massive horse growled, a low commanding growl as she (cause clearly, if the tiny horses called it ‘aunt’, that certainly limited the gender options) glared down at him. “Not in front of the children.” Gabe gulped, then froze as he thought about the way the horse’s voice sounded.
“You… you sound Japanese,” he said, sliding back to a wall and keeping his rifle pointing to the side, muzzle away from the children. “Why do you sound Japanese, because this is getting to be waaaay above my pay grade…”
The giant… unicorn cocked her head at him, the electricity seeming to step down in intensity. “You seem… familiar to me,” she said, taking several steps closer to him as Gabe felt the batteries on body begin to heat up. “As if from a memory…”
Why are the batteries heating up? They’d only heat up if you try to overcharge th-, Gabe thought before he gasped. “Stop, stop stop stopstopstop!” he pleaded, holding a hand out at the unicorn. “Please, don’t come any closer! You’re making my equipment heat up too fast! If it heats up too much, it’ll-!”
“Explode?”
“Yes, and-!” Gabe paused, shutting his mouth as he looked at her. “Wait… how the fuuuu-dge, did you know that?” he asked, swapping out the word at the last second as he saw the horse’s eyes narrow dangerously. “Actually, no, before that, uh, who the crap are you, and uh…” Gabe pointed at the two children, confused. “Who the crap are they? No offense, but you three look about as related as a hawk does to a pigeon.”
“Huh?” the boy muttered, confused.
“He means we don’t look the least bit alike Stormy,” the white horse told him, nudging him with a shoulder check. “Well, my name is Elinah, I’m twelve summers old, and this is Stormy, my brother!” The purple one groaned in annoyance as Gabe chuckled nervously under the older unicorn’s gaze.
“Okay, yeah, you two, definitely related.”
“How would you know? And for the last time Elinah, my name is Storm Shield!” The purple one glowered at his sibling as he lifted a forelimb and proceeded to break every sane law of biology that Gabe knew by pointing at a… lightning bolt superimposed over an iron cross?
“‘Storm Shield?’ That’s… different. I want to guess that in whatever half baked saccharine coated nightmare fest this place is, that your name is either figurative or literal,” Gabe commented. “Like, what, you make magic shields based off of electrical currents, thus creating a one horse electrostatic field capable of deflecting most forms of electromagnetic radiation?” The room was silent as Storm Shield stared at Gabe in dumbstruck awe as the human added, “Also, I have a sibling who’s thirteen years my junior, I know sibling relationships when I see it.”
“But… but how… how did you guess Stormy’s Cutie Mark so fast?!” Elinah asked, the young girl jumping close to him. On reflex, Gabe’s rifle was trained at her, Elinah freezing in fear as Raishin stamped her hoof on the floor, a thick trail of electricity wrapping around her limb.
“Lower. Your. Weapon,” the unicorn growled darkly. Gabe gulped, slowly setting the rifle down as he looked at Elinah apologetically.
“I’m… I’m sorry, really, I am,” he told her. “Just a little twitchy. I’ve been running for my life this morning, I almost got eaten, I was shot at by a singularity, and then I climbed up this mountain and snuck into your neighbor’s house by accident before I came… here. I’m tired, alone, and I can’t get in contact with anyone else like me.” Elinah nodded slowly, her aunt silently judging Gabe like a hawk before the child spoke.
“Kinda like how Dad acts sometimes when thinks me, Storm, Garnet, Asuka, and all our other friends aren’t looking,” she told Gabe finally. “He thinks we don’t notice when he flinches at fireworks he can’t see, or when he’s being waaaay too careful with the knives…”
“So…,” Gabe paused, looking at the horses in confusion. “Their dad is a soldier? Long time veteran I take it?” Raishin’s grimace finally fell, the unicorn chuckling in amusement.
“One could say that,” she admitted. Then she narrowed her focus on him again, asking, “What manner of being are you, and why are you here?”
“Me? Umm, uh, shiiii-iiitake mushrooms, yeah, that, uhh…” Gabe gulped, suddenly looping from beyond terrified to back to being scared out of his wits. “My name is Private Gabriel Monnot, United States Army, serial number GM-45634-78561, attached to Task Group Vanguard Two-Five,” he told her. “And I’m a human.”
The mother horse’s eyes widened, her jaw going slack in shock, but the kids both seemed confused.
“What’s a human? Never heard of them before.”
“Maybe they’re from some really far away land and Auntie Day started fighting them recently.”
Both children gasped and looked at each other in sync.
“Are we going to get a new mommy?!”
“...I’m sorry what,” Gabe said flatly after a moment of awkward silence. “I really hope that y’all aren’t implying what I think you’re implying, cause uhh… how can I put this gently, umm…” Gabe groaned, finally removing his helmet and running a gloved hand through his hair. “Look, we humans uhh… we don’t have talking equines back home. Nor do they have the same… colors you do. Or horns, or wings.”
“Huh?” Elinah uttered, confused.
Gabe groaned. “...our horses and ponies back home are literal animals,” he told her bluntly.
The kids didn’t seem to get it, but the adult huffed. “A different world indeed. And no, children, I don’t think your father is in the market for any more lovers.”
“...yay?” Gabe slowly stood up, amazed at the height differences between him and the equines. Storm Shield and Elinah both only came up to his hip, if just slightly over judging by the spiraling unicorn horn Gabe was only just now noticing. And their aunt was… well, huge, more akin to a full grown horse proper. Although… “Wait a second, horses don’t have scales on their faces,” he said, pointing at Raishin. “Or… anywhere else really. I mean, I can’t really complain, I’m trapped in crazy talking horse land, but still-!”
The horse leaned down in his face, just far enough away he could spot the smirk on her lips. “I am not most ponies.”
“Ma’am, you’re already six foot ten, easy,” Gabe deadpanned. “Seven foot six with the horn, and I’m pretty sure the average pony still only comes up to maybe about four foot ten.” Gabe then gestured around her, fingers wiggling about. “That and all that lightning stuff. That’s… different.”
“Auntie Rai is an Elder Kirin, she’s super awesome!”
“Yeah, she is… pretty cool,” Storm Shield said sedately compared to his sister. “She’s only tied for second toughest mare I know.”
“Hey, Mama is just as tough too!” Elinah protested, smacking her brother on the shoulder. “Mama Tempest is just really really strong!”
“Uuuh…” Gabe looked confused as the siblings bickered, the two soon devolving into wrestling each other on the floor, Elinah clearly winning as Storm protested loudly. “I am so confused here…”
“We are as well,” Raishin ‘comforted’ with a smirk. “Now… what to do with you…”
“Don’t electrocute me?” Gabe asked, leaning back away from her. “I mean, uhh, look, I really have no idea what’s going on in this country, world, universe thingy, and I just want to get back home, so maybe if I just, uh, slip out the back door and leave, we can forget we ever saw each other… please?” He watched as Raishin scoffed at the suggestion, shaking her head.
“Leaving is not in your interest. Anyone else who saw you would report you straight to Daybreaker, while I… shall not. And neither shall any of my children, isn’t that right?”
“Yes Auntie Rai!/Wait, what?” came the mixed replies from Elinah and Storm respectively, the girl somehow holding her brother down on his side with only one hoof. Gabe blinked, trying not to gawk as Storm protested.
“But, Mother and Father need to know!” he said. “And if he’s polite, and Father talks with her before hoof, maybe Aunt Day will be a little less judgemental?”
“Oh for God’s sake, who the hell is this Aunt Day you keep mentioning?” Gabe asked, slightly annoyed. “This someone else in this crazy extended family I just dove into from a side window?”
“She is our ruler, and if she knew of your presence after what has happened recently she will either kill you out of hoof, or torture you for information.” The kids frowned, but both nodded together in confirmation.
Gabe grimaced, and then he recalled what he’d overheard not even half an hour ago at this point. “Wait… is she an Empress?” he asked them. “Recovering after some intruder crashed through her ceiling and, I quote, ‘attacked her unprovoked’? That… is your other aunt?!” Gabe took a step back, his vision swimming as his head suddenly felt light and dizzy. “Oh sweet merciful God, I’m…” The trio watched as Gabe’s body wobbled, then dropped to the floor in a dead faint with a heavy thud.
“Bound to happen eventually,” Raishin said with a sigh. “Children, help me carry him to the spare room. And remember, tell no one outside the house he is here.”
“What about Mother and Father?” Storm asked, going over to collect Gabe’s weapon with a telekinetic spell while Elinah grabbed Gabe’s legs. “Or Gale? Should Galahad and Yuki know too?”
“Only if they promise not to say anything.”
And for their sake, I hope they never find out. Where humans appear, change ALWAYS comes, and oftentimes, for the worst, Raishin thought to herself as she lifted Gabe’s upper half with her magic, her niece helping her drag the human into the spare bedroom closest to them. I can only pray to Harmony that this human won’t destroy this family, through his action or Hers…
[][][]
Shining was back in the dungeons, walking resolutely to the most recently occupied cell. Beside him, a griffin hen kept pace, a saddle bag full of quills, scrolls, and inkwells on her back. “So, you plan to chat with him for how long?” she asked, looking at the unicorn’s stern expression. “Cause the scuttlebutt among the staff is that the Adjudicator is pissed.”
“Well, that’s the High Adjudicator’s problem,” Shining commented dryly. “Neighsay’s already on my shit list, I don’t have the time nor luxury of indulging in courtly red tape, not when I have an entire empire’s worth of military assets, nobleponies, and assorted scribes demanding to be told why I’ve sent everyone into lockdown.” The griffin let out a melodic chirp as they turned a corner.
“And ponies wonder why I fell for you.” The pair soon came to a heavily secured door, a pair of Ella armored Solar Guard standing silently beside it.
“Captain-General Shining Armor, with personal aide,” Shining told the two. “Here to interrogate the prisoner.”
The guards both nodded and stepped to the side, one pushing the door open for them after a long process of unlocking it. Together, Shining and Gale stepped inside, and both of them had to shudder. The prisoner may have been the sole occupant of the room, but the number of chains, stocks, and binding devices strapped onto him was enough to secure an entire wing on its own. And Shining had to deal with the dull throbbing of his horn as his connection to magic flickered.
“Gryphus be damned… isn’t all of this overkill Shining?” Gale asked, pointing at the various chains. “You have chains on him meant to restrain minotaurs, at the least, and some of those are magic draining locks. The fuck did he do to deserve all this? I mean, he can’t have punched our Empress that hard, could he?”
“He nearly knocked her unconscious,” he said simply, which drew an aghast expression from Gale. “You know how tough she is, so anyone who is able to do that with pure physical strength is NOT to be underestimated.”
“Oh shit…” The griffiness looked at the restrained stallion in dread. “This guy kicked her ass? Alone? Did he have any relics on him or whatever it is that our Empress freaks out over?”
“He had nothing. Only the fur on his back as he crashed into the throne room and assaulted the Empress soon after. And nearly won.” Shining’s eyes roved over the still unconscious stallion, trying to guess what it was about this being, aside from his unusual size and remarkable strength that made him special. And a threat.
“Damn… built like a brick shit house from the looks of him.” Gale circled around him, a scroll in her talons as she took down notes. “Cutie Mark is… well, who knows what that thing is,” she said, pointing at the odd three flanged symbol on the stallion’s flanks. The griffin reached the front and checked the horn, humming in thought. “Horn’s bent like a Neighponese Kirin, but the direction’s all wrong. And…” She pulled back his upper lips and whistled. “Sweet Harmony Shining, check out the teeth on this bastard!”
Shining approached, crouching next to Gale and seeing what she was talking about. “What the-? Who in Tartarus has pointed teeth?” he asked, staring at the stallion’s canines in shock. “I mean, kirin have weird teeth, sure, but not like this!” He paused, sharing a look with Gale. “Please, do not tell Raishi I said that.”
“Consider that done, and be as it may, this guy does have a very pointy set of chompers. Now I want to wake him up!” Gale exclaimed. “I wanna know what the hay he’s expecting to eat with teeth like that!”
“That can be arranged,” Shining pointed out. Stepping back, Shining summoned what water he could out of the air, condensing it into a freezing cold ball before tossing it into the stallion’s face. He expected it to wake him, but the stallion stayed resolutely asleep.
“Uh… maybe something… harder?”
“Like what, a hoof to the face?” Shining quipped, looking at her. “I’m no earth pony, and I’m not bringing in another soul in here that doesn’t need to know about this.” Gale huffed, rolling her eyes as she started to walk over to him… only for the prisoner to groan, the charcoal grey pony trying to stand up on all limbs. Shining and Gale watched as only the sheer weight of the restraints kept the stallion pinned, Gale excitedly scribbling notes as Shining got in front of the stallion. The pair waited and watched as the prisoner’s eyes blinked open, the stallion’s burning orange eyes looking around the cell before settling on Shining in front of him.
“...who are you?”
Shining felt himself tremble at the stallion’s voice, the stranger’s deep rumbles making him shake in his armor. Taking a mental breath, Shining cleared his throat. “I am Captain-General Shining Armor, of Her Radiance’s Guard. With whom am I speaking with?”
The larger stallion snorted, testing his bonds with a shake of his body. “Godzilla,” he answered bluntly, catching sight of Gale. “...what’s a cat bird doing here?” Shining took a step back in shock as Gale took a moment to process the insult and then proceeded to laugh her tail off.
“Oh Gryphus’ tail, I like this guy Shining!” Gale wheezed out after a moment, clutching her sides in laughter. “He’s so damn clueless it’s hilarious!” Godzilla looked at Gale, mildly confused as Shining recomposed himself.
“As I was saying, I am Captain-General Shining Armor,” Shining repeated, stepping into Godzilla’s line of sight. “You are currently imprisoned, by order of her Glorious Radiance, the Eternal Empress Daybreaker of the Equestrian Empire.” Godzilla looked up at Shining, rolling his shoulders and making the chains and locks on his restraints rattle. “...I have questions for you.”
“I’m sure you do,” Godzilla answered, sass and annoyance dripping from his voice as Gale giggled off to the side. “And I can suppose the first question, or something close to it, is ‘why did I come crashing through the ceiling of your castle, and then attack everyone in sight?’” Shining and Gale looked at each warily as Godzilla huffed. “It’s an obvious question.”
“Right… so then, why did you crash through our Empress’ ceiling, start fighting with the guards, and then end up fighting our Empress herself?” Shining asked.
“Would it surprise you to know that it was completely unintentional?” Godzilla drawled. “I had been fighting someone else when I was… delivered here, for lack of a better term here. One moment, I’m fighting. The next, I feel a great void around me, followed by falling through the sky again to crash through your ceiling.”
“You were already figh- how does…?” Shining stopped, taking a deep breath as Gale stepped forward.
“What I’m sure the Captain-General means to ask is, where are you from?” Gale inquired, letting her chest feathers puff up in excitement. “If we know where you came from, then we could try and open a diplomatic channel where we can-!”
“No.” Both Shining and Gale flinched as Godzilla interrupted them, his expression flat as he looked at Gale sternly. “There will be no ‘opening of diplomatic channels’ with your Empress,” he added. “I’ve fought too many like her. Overblown ego, delusions of godhood, and a tyrant. I will not allow her to find where me and my family come from.”
“There’s more of you?”
Godzilla’s eyes widened at the question, and Shining knew that, however unintentionally, the enemy pony had just given him more than critical intelligence. “There are, aren’t there? Those falling streaks, those were more of you coming into our world, which means…” Shining looked at Gale, the normally cool stallion replaced by the Empress’ Captain-General. “How many of those were spotted?”
“From last count? Well over a hundred, and if we include him…” Gale’s thought trailed off as she hummed in thought. “I’d estimate a hundred and twenty or so.”
“That means that there are at least a hundred and nineteen others just like him roaming the Empire,” Shining said, turning to the door. “Guards!” The door burst open, the guardsponies coming in with lances lowered. “Guards, run a message to the Mages College and the governors of all provinces to be on heightened alert status! Gale, where did most of them fall?”
“South of us, towards Everfree,” Gale answered, Godzilla behind them keeping pace with the discussion with his eyes moving between the two. “Closest settlement is Ponyville.”
“Still, that’s a majority of a hostile force that is far too close to Canterlot to be considered safe,” Shining commented. “And you, find Captain Frost, tell her to ready the Phoenix Company for immediate deployment! Go!”
“As you order Captain-General,” the guards responded, turning tail and leaving the room. The moment the door shut, Shining turned back to look at Godzilla.
“How many of them are like you?”
“...,” Godzilla remained quiet, blowing out a puff of glowing blue mist from his nostrils.
“At least a name then,” Shining offered. “A name for who else could be leading them.”
Godzilla grunted, shaking his head dismissively. “Don’t need to.”
“Don’t? Or won’t?”
“You’ll find out soon enough Captain-General. I guarantee it.” Godzilla chuckled, smiling in amusement. “If who I think it is is by this… ‘Ponyville’ of yours? You’re going to need more soldiers.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s a fact.”
“Captain-General Armor is a brilliant tactician, I’m sure whatever your friend can think of, the Captain-General can counter,” Gale cut in, standing beside Shining proudly. Godzilla leaned his head out as far as it could go before sniffing the air and grunting.
“You’re still going to need more soldiers, no matter what your mate’s skills are,” Godzilla deadpanned.
Shining huffed, shaking his head as irritation rose in his chest. “If this is how this is going to go, then we are done here. I’ve done my part in being civil. If and when we next meet, I assure you Godzilla, your interrogation will not be nearly as civil.”
“Uh huh,” the bound stallion grunted, almost boredly as he watched Gale and Shining head for the door. “And Captain-General? I wish you luck.”
Shining paused in the doorway, looking over his shoulder even as Gale tugged at his armor to no success. “Excuse me?”
“Luck. For when you meet him.”
Shining’s eyes narrowed as he stepped out of the cell, Gale exiting behind him just as the stallion shut the door. “Shining, don’t let him get to you, you know that’s what he wants,” the griffon hen told him, watching as Shining took a deep breath to calm himself.
“I know, but Gale, come on, he took on the Empress and survived everything she threw at him!” he pointed out. “If there are others out there, others like him, we HAVE to take action, and take action now! That the bulk of them landed near the Everfree is a miracle, means that the forest itself can deal with them before we even get there.” Shining motioned for a guard to come closer. “Get Archmage Neighsay to send in the best mind mages he has, tell them to get ready to interrogate our latest guest.”
“Shining!” Gale snapped as the guard nodded, galloping off to the Mage’s College. “Are you seriously going to just-?!”
“Just what?” Gale came to an almost skidding halt as Shining whirled on her, now firmly in ‘Captain-General Mode’. “Lady Gale Everwing, I am not going to let my personal feelings get involved in this situation! There are over a hundred unknown threats to our people, and I cannot afford to be polite and civil with all of them!” And in a split second, Gale saw the pony she fell in love with shine through. “I just… I just can’t. Not when I have so many to protect.”
Gale sighed, wrapping a wing around his barrel as they started down the hall. “Captain-General… Shining, you know you have us, right?” She gave him a small smile, trying to lift his spirits. “You know we don’t take shit, and you’ve got the rest of the Phoenix Company too besides.”
Shining took a deep breath, letting it out with a smile to her just as a messenger ran down the halls towards them. “Dammit, now what?” Gale hissed, annoyed as Shining straightened up, his face shifting into Captain-General mode.
“Report,” Shining commanded.
“Captain-General, Governor Comet Shine of Ponyville just arrived in the main hall, demanding to speak with the Empress,” the messenger reported, looking at Shining and outright ignoring Gale. “We attempted to inform him that the Empress was not available, but he insisted. Kept saying that metal minotaurs were attacking the village, and that the Magus Sparkle was in danger.”
Gale sucked in a terrified breath as she could feel Shining freeze up. There was a moment of silence before Shining looked sternly at the messenger.
“Where is he?”
“Still in the main hall Captain-General.”
“Good. Take me to him. Gale.” Gale looked at Shining, and this time, the only stallion she saw was Captain-General Shining Armor, Commander of the Phoenix Company, and consort to the Empress herself. “Tell Frost to mobilize the Phoenix Company, prepare for immediate deployment. We’re heading for Ponyville.”
[][][]
Gabe came to with a groan, his vision blurry as he came to his senses. The last thing he recalled was talking to some giant white horse, and for some reason, it had sounded Japanese of all things. Gabe yawned, trying to get up from his resting position only to feel his arms and legs bound to a chair. Gabe’s eyes snapped open, suddenly more than wide awake enough to look around. Looking around, Gabe saw that he was in a small room, walls bare of anything that would indicate just what the room was actually used for.
A door opened behind him, and Gabe could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise from static. His eyes watched as the odd unicorn from before stepped into view, her expression blank and imperious as she trotted in front of him before pulling up a seat of her own. Gabe gulped, shifting nervously in his bonds. For several long, awkward, and drawn out seconds, silence hung between the two of them. Finally, the unicorn spoke.
“Who are you?”
Oh. This, Gabe could do, the training still relatively fresh in his mind. “Private Gabriel Monnot, United States Army, like I told you earlier,” Gabe answered after taking a breath. He looked the unicorn in the eyes next, trying to keep a straight face as an ear twitched.
“Why are you here?”
“For the purposes of reconnaissance.”
“So you’re a scout for an advance force?”
Gabe was only just able to stop himself from raising an eyebrow in confusion. She doesn’t remember that I said I was alone? Or that if there are any survivors, we sure as fuck aren’t in a position to attack? Interesting…, he thought. “No,” he answered instead.
The unicorn - Elder Kirin, if Gabe recalled correctly, now that he thought about it - clearly didn’t believe him as she scoffed. “Then you have no idea as to why the borders to the Empire are shut then?”
“No.”
“Well then, if you are not a member of a vanguard, then how and why are you here then?”
At this, Gabe couldn’t resist shrugging. “Like I told you before I passed out, I was sucked into a black hole and shat out here,” he quipped. “No my fault your memory is bad.” A sudden spark connected between him and the Kirin, making him yelp in pain as the mare’s eyes narrowed.
“If you do not tell me the truth, I will-,” she started to say before Gabe cut her off.
“Torture me until I spill my guts? Yeah no, we both know that’s not going to work,” Gabe snapped. “Besides, if you were serious about this interrogation, wouldn’t you bring in your uh, husband into this? You know, the ranking military officer?” The Kirin blinked, suddenly finding herself on the backfoot.
“I’m sorry, what?”
Gabe saw his opening, and he took it. “The kids, foals, whatever, they mentioned their father was a ranking officer in your empire’s military. If that was really the case, then why am I not in a dungeon right now getting my brain magically picked over? Or, hell, why isn’t this ‘Daybreaker’ here herself to ask me this shit?” he asked. “I’m no expert on technicolor horse prisoner of war etiquette, but even I know that this?” He gestured with his head between the two of them. “This is about as normal as a vegetarian Gyaos.”
The mare paused, seemingly contemplating electrocuting him again for the hell of it before she sighed. “You are… more aware of the situation than you seem. I can respect that.”
“Thank you. And I likewise respect you for not electrocuting me again.” Gabe took a breath and cleared his throat. “And look, I know this kinda dumb, but uh… may I ask what your name is? You know mine, which leaves me at a very distinct disadvantage.”
The mare chuckled. “O yurushi kudasai,” she said, bowing her head to him. “I am Raishin. And you have already met one of my nieces and nephews.”
Gabe chuckled. “Yeah, I… wait, what? You mean there’s more of them?!” The soldier could only groan. “Christ, how many kids does this guy have? I mean, for fuck’s sake, where the fuck am I, crazy pony Mormon land?”
“What is a ‘Mormon’?” Raishin asked, momentarily taken aback.
“Crazy door to door Bible pushers who went west on the orders of a guy on drugs,” Gabe said, rolling his eyes. “Utter fruitcakes really. Most of them are apparently nice though.”
Raishin could only nod along as she narrowed her eyes. “Earlier, you aimed your weapon at the children. Would you have used it against them?” Immediately, Gabe looked at her with a look of utter horror and revulsion.
“Wha-?! Would I-? Are… are you fucking-?! Are you out of your Goddamn mind?!?” Gabe hissed. “Absolutely the fuck not lady! One, that’s illegal, two, why the fuck would I do that, and three, I have a fucking kid brother, you honestly think I’d have the fucking depravity to just shoot a kid in cold fucking blood just to get away?! No, fuck that shit!”
“And what if you had no choice?” Raishin asked coldly. “If you had no other options to you? If it were between you, and say, your brother, would you-?”
“Finish that question, I fucking dare you.” Raishin was taken aback at the fire in Gabe’s voice as he leaned over to her, glaring at her furiously. “I fucking DARE you to ask me who I would chose between me, and my little brother.”
“...who?”
Gabe’s glare hardened. “My life for my brother’s. I’d kill fucking Ghidorah himself if that bastard ever looked at him wrong. I’d beat the shit out of any bastard that hurts a kid. Doesn’t matter who or what the fuck they are. How’s that for an answer?” Gabe continued to glare at her, studying her scaled face for a reaction before, shockingly enough, the mare let out a sigh of relief. “...are...are you okay?”
“Hai,” Raishin answered, standing up, horn glowing. Gabe tensed up in fear, only to relax, confused as his bindings went slack. “I am placing much faith in you, Private. Betray that trust, and you will not live to see the dawn,” she told him. Gabe could only give her a flat look in response.
“Ma’am, I haven’t seen the sun budge so much a damn inch the entire time I’ve been here,” he complained. “If there’s a dawn, then I ain’t seen it.”
Raishin chuckled humorlessly. “No one since the time of even my own mother has seen a proper dawn, much less a true night. Not since Daybreaker ascended and cast the Mare in the Moon to her banishment.” Gabe could only tilt his head in confusion as he stood up, rubbing his wrists as she reopened the door. “Now, come. I shall find you a room to hide in while my mate and sisters remain here in the city.”
Gabe nodded, following after her as they navigated through the hall of the house. “So… out of curiosity, how many uh, well… how many partners is he with? Including yourself?” Raishin could only laugh aloud at the question as they reached a flight of stairs.
“Officially? Only one, and that is to Duchess Tempest Shadow,” she told him, completely missing the look of shock on Gabe’s face. “Unofficially, and because everyone else who has argued the point with the Empress has met a very quick retirement, there is also myself, Mahiri, Gale, and Shining is, one supposes, the consort to the Empress herself.” Raishin looked over her shoulder and saw Gabe’s mouth hanging open in stunned silence. “I know, it is a lot for most ponies to comprehend as well, but, well, he is quite the dashing stallion when he wants to be,” she added, blushing under her fur as they reached the bottom of the stairs where a ball of blue-white fluff was looking up at Raisin.
The ball of fluff immediately started to babble in Japanese, it and Raishin conversing far too fast for Gabe to have a hope of understanding as he stood there on the stairs. However, as he looked at the foal in front of him, Gabe could only help but feel the strange desire to rush forward and hug the ball of fluff and gush over it like an idiot. Oh God, this place is going to drive me batshit faster than I thought, he mentally noted. Slowly, he raised his hand to his mouth and cleared his throat, catching both Raishin and the Fluffball’s attention. “Miss Raishin, err… Raishin-san, who is this?” he asked, pointing to the Fluffball.
“This is my daughter, Asuka,” Raishin introduced, beaming proudly as she showed off her foal to Gabe. Now that the foal was still, Gabe could see that Asuka was almost a near carbon copy of her mother, save for the brilliant red mane running down her neck. “Asuka-chan, say hello.” The child babbled cutely in Japanese, even as Gabe stood there, waving weakly to her.
Oh God, she bears the name of the redhead from that one giant robot show… wait a sec, isn’t white the color of death in Japan? ...oh fuck me sideways. “Well, hello there Asuka-chan, I umm… my name’s Gabe,” he told her, just as the foal dashed forward and wrapped her forelimbs around his leg. “What the-?!”
“She’s a hugger,” Raishin explained, turning to continue down the hall. “Follow me please.” Without much of a choice, Gabe went after the much larger equine, his gait slowed by the happy kirin foal clinging to his leg. Dragging the unnaturally adorable ball of fluff along, Gabe followed Raishin into what looked like a common room, a long table close to one wall where the zebra filly and purple colt sat at, sheets of paper in front of them. Surprisingly enough though, there was also a vaguely equine avian… thing, sitting right next to them, as well as a light pink filly with the most anime of twin ponytails on their head that Gabe had ever seen. “Children, this is Private Monnot,” Raishin greeted, two of the four reacting in surprise at seeing him. “He is a guest here. And for the love of Harmony, do not tell your father or Tempest about him.”
“And we aren’t telling Dad about this… why Aunt Raishin?” Storm Shield asked, narrowing his eyes at Gabe.
“Hey, I don’t want to be here either Sparkplug, but I’m in no position to argue the fact,” Gabe sniped. At the table, the children all giggled as Storm Shield’s cheeks grew red.
“Heh, ‘Sparkplug,’ Elinah commented, drawing an annoyed look from her brother.
“Not a word!” he snapped, even as Raishin sighed.
“Children.” Immediately the table went quiet. “Right now, Private Monnot has been separated from his people, and has no place to go.”
“So, he’s a prisoner?” Storm Shield asked.
“I have your sister latched onto my leg, trust me, it’s effective enough,” Gabe commented as he slowly made his way over to the table. “Though I think what your aunt… or mother, or… oh f-,” he glanced over to Raishin who gave him a disapproving look, “-ffudge this, this is gonna be a pain in the bullocks. Look, think of this as an unwilling and surprise cultural exchange program. Deal?”
“Fine.” Storm Shield looked down at his paper, scribbling away at it as the pink and double pigtailed filly scooted closer to him. “Careful Mariner, he might be contagious.” Gabe opened his mouth to protest, only for him to think about it and then nod.
“...okay, yeah, I’ll give him that, but then again, considering what crap I’ve been through today, I’m pretty sure getting an infectious disease would be the least of my problems.”
“And what did you go through today?” This time, it was Elinah asking him, her gaze fixed on him as ‘Mariner’ bounced up and down in her seat. Gabe leaned away from the pink filly as he took a deep breath.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Mister, my aunt is an Elder Kirin, and the Empress is one of my other aunts,” Elinah stated. “Reason doesn’t really exist in my family anymore.” Off to the side, Raishin had to suppress a snort of laughter as Gabe nodded.
“Point. Okay then, well, woke up this morning expecting to be deployed to a tropical garrison in the middle of the ocean, only to be redirected to civilian evacuation efforts in a major city due to an attack by giant monsters. I have been almost crushed by debris, stepped on, eaten, sliced in half by sonic blasts, and blown up more times than I can count in the span of three hours, only to then be hit by a black hole and dropped off right at the base of this mountain here,” Gabe said, lifting his fingers at each point. “I then proceeded to climb up the side of the mountain, trying to get a signal from any other survivors, and have thus far failed to do so. And on top of that, I snuck into the home of someone called the Adjudicator through their basement, snuck out through their chimney, and then snuck into your house. And I think that about covers it really.”
The table had fallen silent, everyone looking at Gabe with various expressions of awe and disbelief. “You were fighting kaiju? Like… REAL DAIKAIJU?” Mariner asked, leaning close with a wide smile on her face. “HOW BIG WERE THEY? WERE THEY SUPER SCARY? HOW MANY OF THEM DID YOU ACTUALLY BEAT UP AND-!”
“Chibi, come on, there’s no way some dweeb like him fights giant monsters!” Storm Shield protested. “He’s too… well…” The colt gestured to Gabe in confusion as the human narrowed his eyes at him. “Just there’s no way he could beat up a giant monster from whatever dumb stories you have in Neighpon!”
“Hey, the tale of Gojira isn’t stupid baka!” Chibi protested, and that one familiar word Gabe grabbed onto like a lifeline.
“Wait, you have a Godzilla too?”
At that, Raishin could not have been more surprised than if Gabe had proclaimed himself to be the next incarnation of Harmony herself. “You… know of Gojira?” she asked. Gabe snorted.
“Who doesn’t?” he retorted, leaning back in his seat. “There was the 1954 Tokyo Attack, then the 1984 attack, then, well… let’s just say the late Eighties and early Nineties were very busy. And then there was the whole Final War mess, and nothing but random kaiju attacks since about six years ago. My personal favorite out of the whole group is Zilla, mostly ‘cause he’s US born and raised.” Gabe smiled proudly as Chibi squeed in delight while Raishin looked at him in horror.
“You… you have managed to repel Gojira, yes?” Raishin asked hesitantly. Gabe waved a flat hand in a ‘so-so’ motion.
“Depends on which one you’re referring to.”
“Gojira ga fukusu arimasu!?” Chibi squealed, making Gabe wince on reflex as he tried to duck under the table. “Um, sorry?”
“No no, my bad, reflex,” Gabe assured her as he sat back up. “But uh, what did you say? I um… I can’t speak Japanese.”
“What’s Japanese?” Chibi asked. Gabe opened his mouth to answer, only for, of all ponies, Asuka to answer.
“Nay-pon!” the foal squeaked, looking up at him through the massive amounts of fluff surrounding her face. The human blinked.
“Oh. Umm… I don’t speak Neighponese either.”
“What the young one was asking is… is that do you truly have multiple Gojira?” Raishin was dreading the answer, only for her blood to run cold as the human nodded.
“Mhmm. Got the one from ‘54, then there was Godzilla Senior, then Junior, Zilla from ‘98 and Zilla Junior, and I guess technically Biollante? I’ve heard rumors of another one kinda lurking near Bikini Atoll, but no one’s caught sight of it yet,” Gabe said, pointedly looking away from Chibi’s look of pure delight. “Out of all them, ‘54, Senior and the first Zilla are dead, and from what I’ve read, Junior was dead.”
“Really? What happened?” the avian looking one asked.
“Oh, he got better.” Gabe’s amused smile faded as his expression grew grim. “Wait a minute… he was… he was right on top of us when it came down. Him and Spacey, Mothra too. Oh shit…”
“What?” Raishin really wanted his next answer to be positive, her hopes quickly dashed as Gabe stood up, pacing the room as Asuka continued to cling to his leg.
“If I was able to get here, after getting sucked up by that black hole, then… oh. Oh shittake mushrooms, then the disturbance at the palace would be…!” Gabe came to a halt as he swore. “Shit! Godzilla’s in the damn palace! Shit, I’ve got to go and find him, I-!”
“Are you fucking stupid?” Storm Shield remarked, causing both Raishin and Gabe to whirl about to look at him.
“LANGUAGE!” the pair shouted in sync, making the other child laugh as Storm Shield winced.
“Okay okay! But come on, you said it yourself, you’re alone in the middle of Canterlot!” the colt pointed out. “Just getting here was a fluke!”
“Yeah, and Dad has guards all over the place right now. Unicorn mages, pegasi skirmishers, everypony really,” the avian added. “I don’t think you’d even make it to the market district without getting spotted, let alone close to the castle.”
“Yeah, and even if you get in the castle, well, that’s the domain of the Phoenix and Solar companies, and they’re the best of the best!” Elinah remarked. “Dad leads the Phoenix, but the Solar ponies are hoofpicked by Aunt Day herself. And the chances of you reaching the dungeons are… well…”
“Crap.” Gabe groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in growing irritation. “So what, I just wait in your house, and twiddle my thumbs up my… crap.” He sighed, sitting back at the table next to Storm Shield as the smaller colt shifted away from him. “Well, I’m screwed.”
“Kinda,” the kids all said in unison. “Besides, hard to invade a castle with a crossbow with no bow, and no bolts,” Storm Shield said with a smirk. “Or magic.”
“Humans can’t use magic,” Gabe said tiredly. “At least, most can’t as far as I know. Only one who regularly uses magic is Mothra, and she got sucked into the black hole too.”
“No complaint about your broken crossbow?” the avian said. Gabe gave him a flat look. “Sorry, my name’s Garnet, I’m a natural hippogriff.”
“Ah. That explains the beak.” Gabe huffed. “And no, it’s not a crossbow, it’s an E-40 Individual Combat Laser System.” He was met with black stares from around the table. “...it shoots extremely high powered pulses of light to make miniature explosions.”
“Sugoi…,” Chibi uttered, stars almost shining in her eyes as Gabe tried not to think about how that was possible. “Could it beat Godzilla?”
The question made Gabe blink for a moment before the question finally processed in his head. And then he bowled over, laughing. “HAHAHAhaeheheha… Hoooo God no!” he exclaimed, wiping a tear from his eye. “Shoot, I don’t think there’s anything in the entirety of the GDF arsenal that can actually cripple Junior, not that we want to mind you! The last and only time conventional weapons actually killed a Gojiran entity was with Zilla back in 1998, and even then, that took the poor gal being caught up in the support cables to the Brooklyn Bridge to get a clear shot in!”
“Wait, conventional weapons? You mean like, trebuchets and ballista, right?” Storm Shield asked.
“Umm… no? We haven’t used those in a serious conflict since… crap, I don’t know, the 1400s? 1500s at the latest,” Gabe answered. “Started using cannons by then.”
“Cannons? Really? Those things? Those things take forever to load, and we’ve seen Dad drill an entire artillery legion on those,” Elinah commented. “Spells and weather control were so much faster.” Gabe snorted in amusement, holding up a hand to collect himself before talking.
“Oh, we haven’t used those types of cannons since about the late 1800s,” he said.
“Wait, what year is it for you?” Chibi asked, confused. “Because you keep saying these dates like they’re all history for you.”
“That’s because they are. The year for me is 2013.”
“But then, that means you first fought Gojia… umm…” Chibi struggled to do the math in her head before Gabe softly chuckled.
“About sixty years ago for us, yeah,” he confirmed. “I was actually four years old when Zilla was killed.”
“Okay, but, if you don’t use black powder cannons, then, what do you use? You can’t have a period where you DIDN’T have cannons!” Storm Shield protested.
“Oh, we still had, and do have, cannons,” Gabe explained. “They’ve just changed over the years. We just keep them on destroyers and battleships in the navy, or we got maser cannons that we use for when we gotta get a kaiju’s attention.”
“What’s a maser cannon?” Garnet asked.
Gabe paused to think about it. “Think giant cannon that shoots lightning.” The foals all let out sounds of awe at the mental image of a lightning cannon. “I know, pretty nice to think about, right?”
“Yeah! Hey, you see any of those in action?” Chibi asked. Gabe gave her a flat look, gesturing to his still filthy uniform. “Oh, heh, right, umm…”
“Hey, it’s fine. Still, I have seen a few of those cannons in action. Used a couple myself in training,” Gabe explained gently. “Heh, actually, before I got here, I uh, I was volunteered to pilot an ASP with a pretty decent chaingun to help with evac ops, and I got to take out plenty of kaiju with that.”
“You piloted a snake?”
“No, an… crap do I explain this, umm…” Gabe patted himself down, letting out a ‘aha’ as he pulled out a notebook. “This is an armored support platform,” he explained, pulling a photo out and passing it over to Chibi. “We call them ASPs for short. We have those to help contain outbreaks of smaller kaiju in cities, or when we can’t exactly get things like Jaegers or Kiryu out in time.” The foals all crowded around Chibi, Raishin even leaning in to look at the photo of the bipedal war machine. “Don’t ask me how it works, I don’t know, and I wouldn’t be at liberty to say anyway if I did know,” he added. “But yeah, I was briefly in the chair of one.”
“What happened to get you out?” Storm Shield asked.
“Well, as is the norm in giant monster attacks, there was a big one,” Gabe said. Sensing a story, the foals went silent, huddling close together as Gabe continued. “I was in the ASP, providing covering fire for my platoon and evacuating civilians when we ran into… the Hyper Gyaos. One hundred meters of flying fury, and she was looking for people to snack on! So, in a moment of bravery, and sheer stupidity, I shot her in the face!”
“And she noticed that?” Storm Shield asked, almost in disbelief.
Gabe nodded. “Oh yeah, she noticed. She took one look at me, and decided that I was going to have to go. I made a strategic advance away from my platoon, leading the Hyper Gyaos away so they could complete the mission, when I almost get stepped on by an even bigger kaiju!” He smacked a palm against the table, briefly startling them with the story before Gabe chuckled. “Well, the other monster briefly sent me flying, but I managed to land without totally destroying the ASP. And then… well…”
“Well what?”
“And then, with a terrible roar, the Hyper Gyaos LUNGED at me, snatching me and the ASP into her jaws!” Gabe declared with a wide grin. “I saw my life flash before my eyes, and I knew the end was upon me!”
“Asp die?” Asuka asked, the much younger kirin foal looking up at Gabe with wide, awestruck eyes.
“Yes, the ASP died… but I lived! Mostly by pulling the ejection handle and letting the ASP explode in the Hyper Gyaos’ mouth,” Gabe told them. “Fell a few stories, landed in a shopping mall. My rig took the brunt of that fall. From there, I walked my happy butt back to where a few other soldiers were holding out, and then… then I arrived here,” he finished with an annoyed huff.
“How?” Elinah asked. “It couldn’t be easy, right?”
Gabe sighed. “We had ten seconds of warning. Then they deployed the Dimension Tide right on top of us.” Gabe looked around and saw looks of confusion staring back at him. “The bigwigs in the fancy chairs that send people like me onto the field decided to drop a dead star on our heads.”
“A dead star!?” Chibi gasped, “Wha-how!?”
“I’m a soldier, not a doctor of theoretical and or applied quantum physics,” Gabe deadpanned. “All I know is, they dropped a singularity on us that by all rights, should have killed us. The only thing I can imagine stopping it is a magical or maybe psychokinetic barrier of immense magnitude, but the only things capable of that kind of crap are kaiju, and even then, those are only the category fives that can do it.”
“Wazzat mean?”
“It means that mere mages alone could not have cast that barrier spell,” Raishin cut in. “Only an entity such as Gojira could have, but not a single tale has mention of Gojira being magically inclined.”
“So, you have no way of getting home then?” Garnet asked, bewildered. Gabe shrugged.
“Unless you know where I can find a spare black hole, a field of four leaf clovers, and the mother of all barrier spells, then no.”
“So, what about the one you called ‘Junior’?” another child asked, “The one you said was in the palace?”
“Oh, that would be Godzilla Junior,” Gabe said, making Raishin’s eyes widen in shock. “Yeah, I can tell you right now, he’s got not a single magical bone in his body. Great monster though. Tries to keep damage to a minimum, and definitely doesn’t attack people. Then there’s Mothra, and she definitely IS magical. I mean, come on, how the hell do you survive dozens of giant monster fights looking like a giant fuzzy pillow with rainbow wings?!” Gabe rolled his eyes as he continued. “Who else probably came through, umm… Anguirus for sure. He looks like someone took an armadillo and covered it in spikes, you can’t miss him. Spacey got hit, and so did that… thing…”
“What...thing?” Chibi asked, keenly aware of the fear in Gabe’s voice.
“It… it was first encountered in 1995, about a year after I was born,” Gabe said slowly. “It quickly racked up a kill count, and when it attacked a major city, Godzilla Junior went to intercept it. He… died. Then his old man showed up, and in conjunction with the JSDF, killed it. Or at least, we assumed it was dead, because it was back up and raising all kinds of Cain when Space Gozilla came back around 2002. We call it… Destroyah.”