//------------------------------// // Chapter 42 – Deathless Goddess // Story: The One True King // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// Chapter 42 “Alas! that my body, clean and whole, never been corrupted, today must be consumed and burnt to ashes!” — Joan of Arc Crystal Empire The Radiance descended the same moment King Ghidorah was viciously thrown across the Empire. Many of the occupants couldn’t help but turn and gaze in shock to the sheer size and power of the creatures, especially at how easily Ghidorah skidded and crashed against various buildings. But nonetheless still standing. Nonetheless alive and screeching at his shimmering foe. Shimmering in the darkness, Godzilla expressed an intimidation display for all of history to pay heed. His dorsal plates glowed so violently white that the blackness of the storm behind him was caught in an alluring aurora of colors. From every shade of the rainbow and the pure whiteness in the heart of it all. Snow flowed with unrelenting fury around his body, a burst of golden lightning severing the storm and creating a haunting silhouette of Godzilla’s form upon the earth. He had thrown Ghidorah several hundred yards across the empire. Across the Crystal Stadium and narrowly avoiding it. Thankfully, as well, for the Radiance descended directly into the structure’s hold. The mighty airship, with dozens of others trailing it from above, extended its landing gear and softly planted itself on the frost-covered grass in the open field. As the remaining fleet hovered above, the ramp of the Radiance unfurled and the occupants piled out to meet the armies of T.I.T.A.N. and of the world. The team were all accounted for. Special Agent Bon Bon led her group of T.I.T.A.N. special forces, joined closely with Lyra Heartstrings, Daring Do, and Spike. Together, they all escaped the ramp and practically galloped and flew their way over to coalesce with the others. With Bon Bon and her team uniting with the ground forces, the Radiance found no other reason to stay. The airship took off with the fleet, Godzilla howling through the dark storm as he neared Ghidorah. Squadrons of Solar Bolts flew by, bombarding Ghidorah with thousands of bullets that did nothing. Their engines cried and the aircraft screamed overhead the stadium again and again, melding with the madness unfolding everywhere. Bon Bon searched and searched. Her head swiveled back and forth while her body moved on autopilot, slinking past or bumping into numerous ponies, griffons, yaks, and so forth. Until she could find some kind of head of authority, she didn’t stop. The others saw as much as she did. The armies of the world were quickly preparing themselves for the fight of their lives. Greatly outmatched and outgunned, that didn’t stop them from defending their way of life. Tanks and ballistae rolled across the stadium grounds. Trebuchets and cannons were moved as well, with numerous ground forces consisting of soldiers from various nations handling them. In the midst of them all, T.I.T.A.N. was the one leading them, a commander of sorts ordering about several necromancers, unicorns, and magic users of many other cultures. They would need every last edge for the battle ahead. Seeing the commanding figure, Bon Bon galloped to him and shouted, “I hope you’re evacuating these people, commander! Alphas are zeroing in on our immediate location!” Addressed as such, Commander Stardust turned fully to face the familiar voice. He was met with the familiar face as well, Special Agent Sweetie Drops leading an army of her own it would seem directly his way. Stardust nodded to her appropriately, his dark uniform pelted in the blizzard. His long, black cloak flowed against the winds, his peaked cap barely able to hide his long mane. “We’re way ahead of you, special agent!” Stardust responded. “Just getting each squad prepped to bug out! They’ll be led by a select group of T.I.T.A.N. agents each! We’re planning to move to the edges of the Empire to set up some traps! Figured our air forces would keep the beasts distracted long enough for us to trip ‘em up!” “Well hurry!” Bon Bon screamed. “We don’t have much time before—!” A piercing cry broke through the madness and made its dominance known to every beating heart. Every head in the Crystal Stadium twisted to face it, every eye bulging open, every voice dying instantly, and every breath caught at a standstill. All of their eyes, their silenced voices, and their breaths were focused on the image of the beast, of Godzilla steadily approaching their position. And he roared. He roared so loud that not even Ghidorah’s thunder could drown him. The lightning clashed around him, illuminating his figure for all to witness. Daring Do tightened her hat, never taking her eyes off of the radioactive lizard steadily approaching their position. Lyra shivered under the relentless blizzard, exhaling gusts of frozen breath. Bon Bon almost mirrored her wife’s actions, but a shiver did not come. She did not fear the Titan any longer, nor did the cold get to her. Her adrenaline was pumping so fast and so hot that she was practically breathing like a furnace. There may have even been sweat on her brow. As for Spike, his initial reaction to… everything was almost expected. His shock could not be calculated, the young dragon’s expression frozen in a state of bewilderment. It was not long since the very ground he walked upon was the same ground he had saved so many innocent lives from a crushing fate. It was quite some time, however, since he had returned to the Crystal Empire as a hero. And now, the hero of the Crystal Empire, the savior of the Equestria Games, stood frozen as monsters raged all around him. As Godzilla tore apart the heavens with his voice alone. And all he could do was stand there, in the snow, watching it all crash and burn. Not feeling at all like a hero or a savior at the moment. None of them did. Gulping softly, Commander Stardust muttered, “You ever remember the field being this chaotic before retirement?” Bon Bon tilted her stare to meet his, but she stopped halfway. Stopped when she heard the responding cry and spun around to face it. As every head within the stadium turned to face it. His shadow passed through the storm, through the volley of lightning bursts that illuminated his figure every other second. And when he broke the storm, his wings unfurled and the red dragon tore across the skies. The serpents upon the creature’s neck cried out. The head of the dragon roared so ferociously that it even earned Godzilla’s attention. Before they even knew it, Typhon was charging Godzilla. And before they could even react to that, a burst of light appeared in front of the multi-headed Titan and Discord popped back into their reality. Practically several dozen times his own size. Bon Bon’s mind clicked back to his own words. When Discord meant some “good ol’ fashion kaiju fisticuffs”, he wasn’t messing with them that time. Now large enough to rival both Godzilla and Ghidorah, Discord wrapped his serpentine body several times around Typhon’s own. The Titan screeched in surprise, roaring and trying desperately to break free. The Spirit of Chaos would not allow it, detaining the Titan as much as was needed, battling for dominance with him in mid-air. But not once using any other chaotic magic. Discord would handle this apocalypse the old-fashioned way. It was more fun that way, too. Unraveling his body, Discord flung Typhon several hundred yards away from the stadium, effectively keeping the outlying force from interfering with either Godzilla or his T.I.T.A.N. allies. With his wings keeping him afloat, Discord cracked his neck and offered a valiant smirk to the remaining outliers in the Crystal Empire. The remaining Titans still warring, still fighting to the death. Still needing to be taught a lesson. He swam through the air to meet them, leaving behind a star-struck army in the middle of the Crystal Stadium. Bon Bon finally responded, “This is a first for all of us. Least we got a little chaos of our own.” Commander Stardust turned to meet her expression, but she was focused up above, to the Lord of Chaos’ last seen position. He couldn’t blame her, turning to face it himself. Their eyes were unfortunately drawn to the emergence of the Golden King of Terror. He arose from the destruction outside the stadium, turning all three heads to meet Godzilla head-on. Godzilla narrowed his eyes, stomping closer and closer to their position. To where the stadium was smack dab in the middle of their inevitable clash. Bon Bon recognized that. “We need to move everyone out! Now!” she ordered. “You heard her!” Stardust bellowed, echoing her order and turning to every last soldier within the vicinity. “Full evacuation! Double time! Let’s go, let’s—!” “Look out!” The scream came from behind. From Lyra. Feeling her heart leap into her throat, Bon Bon spun around, only to pay witness to the flaming carcass barreling their way. Everypony ducked. Bon Bon tackled her wife to the ground. They all felt the heat from the flames soar over their heads. A burning Solar Bolt crashed across the stadium grounds, ripping apart mounds of earth and flipping a collection of ballistae. Ponies dove out of the way to avoid the plane, prompting everyone’s attention back to the skies. Back to the terror. To the war. And witnessing that war firsthoof, Bon Bon wished Discord could have stayed a moment longer, but knew deep down it was fruitless. Discord could have protected them from any other beast. He couldn’t stop the alphas, though. Especially when the distance between them was finally severed. They broke through the walls. They pierced the stadium. Their feet thundered the grounds and their roars reverberated throughout the entire empire. Godzilla met Ghidorah and the two Titans clashed. It was a mad rush to evacuate. There was no order or control that could have been maintained. All that mattered was survival. Tanks steamrolled through stacks of supplies and ammunition. Ponies either galloped for their lives and abandoned their arsenal, or stood slack-jawed and frozen to the titanic forces of nature ripping each other asunder several hundred feet above their heads. Ghidorah cared not for the insignificant lives he trampled beneath his feet. He crushed tanks, stationed Solar Bolts, and silenced numerous voices that were not quick enough to escape Monster Zero’s falling shadow. Godzilla retorted by spinning fully, slamming his tail across Ghidorah’s abdomen. Doing so knocked the Golden Demise further off from the stadium grounds, thus granting the fleeing lives several more seconds of survival. To escape. Even if Godzilla never intended it so. And T.I.T.A.N. tried to escape. They tried to evacuate, and many managed to do so. Many managed to escape the hold of the stadium and take off into the practically endless crystal streets coated in fog and raining snow. Yet there were many others who stayed behind, who ensured other lives before their own were spared. They waited until every last pony, griffon, dragon, yak, Hippogriff, and so forth either galloped safely to the exits or flew away into the blizzard. Out of harm’s way. Out of the reach of the two Titans and their uncontrollable rampage. Waving several agents to safety, Bon Bon couldn’t help but turn her head back to the battle. She watched Godzilla slash down at San, at Ni, screaming as he did so. Roaring in agitation as he missed, and the heads retaliated by snapping at his claws. With his hands immobilized, the two heads separated them until Godzilla was practically vulnerable. Leaving Ichi alone to glare down Godzilla face to face. Growling, baring his razor-sharp teeth, Ichi unleashed a petrifying and rage-filled cackle into Godzilla’s face. Mere seconds before he couldn’t hold back and drove his fangs around his enemy’s throat. Demanding the blood. Lusting for it. Intent on seeing his wretched foe fall again, and fall harder than ever before. Fall so hard that he never rose again. Driving Godzilla down, Ghidorah crushed him into the earth, shattering the entire eastern portion of the stadium and dragging him even further across the earth. Deeper and heavier across every building and crystal they came across. The dragon kept up the attack, remaining merciless. Fueled with murderous intent. The pained roars he earned were music to Ghidorah’s ears. Just as the low, pulsating hums were music to Godzilla’s ears. Only amplifying in pitch. In every octave. Until the power from Godzilla’s dorsal plates glowed so bright that his chest, his veins, and practically every portion of his body radiated that same blinding whiteness. It was enough to disorient Ghidorah. It gave Godzilla his opening and he took it, grabbing Ichi by the throat, prying his jaws off of him, and opening his own. Unleashing the power billowing deep within him. It still shocked Bon Bon to her core to see it again. To see it so very close now. Godzilla’s unleashed his atomic breath, but it was not as it was before. It was not a radioactive blue. It was a pure white firestorm. It was an explosive force of harmonic energy that was surrounded by numerous rings. Rings the color of every shade of the rainbow. The rings trembled and grew larger to compensate for how massive Godzilla’s harmonic breath was becoming. It struck Ghidorah over his heart, pushing the mighty King of Terror further and further backward as Godzilla rose again. So was Ghidorah pushed back, right into the stadium and where Bon Bon and her team were still trying to evacuate. That time, they were all caught under the shimmering lights. They were all captured by the spectacle of destruction unfolding before them. The stream of white fire striking Ghidorah in the chest. The shadow of the towering Demon of the Stars growing heavier. Threatening to fall right over them. Neither Spike nor Lyra nor Daring Do could have done anything to break out of their shock and awe. But Bon Bon was torn away. She heard a different melody singing within the clouds. She turned her head higher and saw the pulsating, vibrant colors glistening in the storm. The fiery oranges. The bioluminescent greens and blues. She watched as the storm could not contain it and she was unleashed. Mothra roared in her descent, crying so very loudly that Ghidorah couldn’t ignore her. He barely even turned to face the Queen of the Monsters when she sprayed a helping of webbing across his heads, planting him against the face of the nearest tower of dark crystal. With Ichi and San trapped, Ni managed to rip himself free and tilt his glare skyward. There was Mothra, her wings expanded as she soared across the heavens and shrieked once more. Leaving Ghidorah disgruntled and shaken, leaving him at the mercy of her king. Not only were her cries a warning to her enemies, but her presence assured all who stood against the balance of nature that its defender had arrived. To the false king, the arisen tyrant, her cries sounded off louder, giving him the only declaration he so deserved… She made a bold declaration to the one who sowed the wind… that she was the whirlwind. Arrived at last to restore balance. Seeing the odds stacked against him, Ghidorah acted quickly through Ni. The second head reared forward and tore at the webs, intent on freeing his brothers in order to properly reengage. But turning his attention to the crystal, seeing the glowing reflection within it, Ni felt his blood curl at the image of Godzilla’s glowing white eyes appearing in the darkness. Ni spun his neck around and screeched. Cackled and roared and did nothing more because he couldn’t. Godzilla took full advantage and slammed into the false king, directly through the dark crystal tower and shattering it instantly upon impact. The two alphas nearly fell together, but Godzilla maintained his footing and glared down to Ghidorah sprawled across the devastation. He snorted, growling softly, watching as the serpent writhed. Laying wounded in the dust and crystals, Ghidorah nonetheless was alive. All three heads were shaken, their sights distorted and senses dulled. Even so, Ichi lifted his gaze and cried. Turned his eyes to his storm and watched as the flurry of colors once more descended to him. The living whirlwind flapped her wings triumphantly, expanding them to their ends and letting every color pulsate with a fiery intensity never before seen. Mothra unfurled her raptorial front legs, showcased her blade-like limbs ready for combat, and descended onto the enemy of their world. But just before she could reach him, the living whirlwind was met with the living fire… And Rodan collided with Mothra in mid-air. His shrieking howls meshed with her piercing cries, the two airborne Titans rolling and crashing into a crystal tower before they were able to separate. Rodan was practically melting with fire, his talons slashing at the great moth while his beak sounded off another unsettling roar. Mothra flapped her wings to create some distance between them, but she slashed at him with her forelimbs nonetheless. To that, Rodan gave chase. Mothra broke off. Godzilla lunged for the kill but was blown back by a golden trifecta of gravity beams. Ghidorah rose once more and cackled with furious bloodlust. Godzilla roared back with the same intensity. All four Titans clashed in unison, Bon Bon caught under their war and witnessing every last second of it.