Five Months Earlier
Ponyville, Equestria
Life changed for everypony. For Ponyville, for the Crystal Empire, and for every life in-between.
Once a quaint and somewhat isolated town near the heart of Equestria, Ponyville had transformed into a stunning metropolis as the days grew into weeks, and the weeks into months. At least, the beginnings of a metropolis. Ponyville now seemed to be in a constant state of steady growth, expanding further, growing taller with its infrastructure, and strengthening its populace every single day.
All of this was due to the relocation of the Crystal Empire’s refugees.
With the destruction of the Crystal Empire following the Battle of the Three Kings months ago, the thousands of innocent lives were left without a home to return to. Discord was the first to bring them into a safe haven after he successfully evacuated the Empire, but it was Princess Twilight who decreed where their new home would be.
And as such, she gave her brother, her sister-in-law, and her niece a new place to call home. Her old castle became the beacon of light for the Crystal Heart to dwell, and the ruling thrones of the Crystal Empire’s royalty.
The effects of this relocation were immediate. Ponyville was empowered by the Crystal Heart, its magic and unity with the Crystal Ponies giving a beautiful, crystalline flair to the town. The magic flowed from Twilight’s old castle, now deemed as the Castle of the Heart. Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and Princess Flurry Heart ruled righteously and peacefully from within. The hierarchy of Ponyville did not change much. Mayor Mare still had her say, still spoke for the ponies of Ponyville, and nopony was neglected.
In fact, the introduction of the Crystal Ponies brought a new age of prosperity to the quaint, little village. Being the first of many advancements, the village grew exponentially. Humble brick and wooden houses stood alongside rising crystal towers and mansions. Infrastructure, notable statues and artwork, along with new festivities and entertainment skyrocketed Ponyville’s stance on the world market. Construction jobs were aplenty. Work was everywhere to be found. The economy swelled and only continued to grow.
It seemed Ponyville had become a smaller version of the Crystal Empire, but still retained its identity, never truly losing it, but merging it logically and naturally with the Empire’s.
The introduction of the Crystal Heart was not the only change to Ponyville, nor to the rest of Equestria or the world. Life itself had changed by the introduction of the Titans.
And with that, the leadership in Ponyville was constantly shifting. Shining Armor and Princess Cadance had duties to attend to, loyalties to uphold with T.I.T.A.N., and whenever they were gone, they ensured Ponyville was left in safe hooves. Usually, it was Mayor Mare who was in control in their absence. Other times, Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst would ensure Ponyville remained stable, caring for the castle they still called their home as well as Flurry Heart. It felt natural, at least to Sunburst, to watch over the infant as he had before during his days as the Crystaller.
With the populace under their care, there were very little altercations. Ponyville’s people were fairly well-adjusted to the Crystal Ponies, just as they had become accustomed to the emergence of griffons, dragons, Kirin, Hippogriffs, and changelings. Plus so many more that relished under the peace that Princess Twilight brought. That wasn’t the issue that started to slowly plague them.
It moved like a worm. Like an infectious, cancerous blight that only grew more tenacious as it fed on the discord and anxiety of the people. The Titans were real. The legends, the myths, they were all true. And with that truth came danger, came fear. Among the older generation, some saw these creatures as just that: creatures like any other living being on Equus. Others saw them for the destruction they caused in the Mass Awakening. They saw the death tolls. They saw the blood and fire and nothing else.
Among the youth, it was a much different story.
Already, captivating stories of giant monsters battling to the death enthralled so many young hearts. And the fact that they themselves could witness these monsters just by exploring the wilderness birthed a new generation. A generation of exploration and adventurers. The Titans became every starting conversation, every opening question, and soon almost every game the young played.
Even in schools—from the School of Friendship to Cheerilee’s Ponyville Schoolhouse—it was inevitable that the Titans were brought up. And so, the schools utilized it. Academics were expanded to include Titan history, artifacts, current events, science, and biology. Everything T.I.T.A.N. knew and could release to the public was shared. A whole new ecosystem had been awakened alongside the beasts, and with it an expansion on knowledge and discovery. The retention rate among the youth had boomed with the introduction of Titan studies. It became the talk of the people, of the education system, and without a doubt the world as a whole.
The opportunities were there. Change had come, and with it, the entertainment and marketing industry ran wild. Companies that would have given Flim and Flam a run for their money saw an opportunity and jabbed their knives into it. It wasn’t long before movies, clothing, traveling gear, trading cards, and even toys were crafted to capitalize on the rapidly growing popularity of the Titans. Soon, it became almost a competition to see who had the best Titan paraphernalia, as well as who could witness and follow the beasts for themselves.
Brand new protective groups and ecological organizations were founded as a result of the emergence of the Titans. Many of which were centered around following the creatures and studying them. Pictures of sighted Titans were numerous, by many groups who called themselves “Titanwatchers” scouting the creatures in their natural habitat. It was a task that was not without its danger. T.I.T.A.N., at times, would limit these Titanwatchers so as not to disturb the beasts. But disturbances were a constant pain to deal with, and even though T.I.T.A.N. was engaged a few times, it was mainly the King of the Monsters himself who kept the Titans in check.
Even in Ponyville, marketing had reached the youth. Fillies and colts, along with young dragons, griffons, and so forth engaged in games where they playfully fought each other, taking on the role as their favorite monster. Toys of Mothra, of Rodan, of King Ghidorah, and many more were the highlights of the young in their expansive imaginations.
And Godzilla, the Titan Savior of Ponykind, was clearly the most popular among the youth.
But with popularity came the unforgiving public opinion.
The title of “Titan Savior” was put into question countless times. Newspapers shared both sides of the argument, silencing no one, allowing these discussions to take place so they could further understand each side of where people were coming from. As if Godzilla would have ever cared for their word either way.
Still, those who supported and those who stood against the creatures were always at odds. It was in every newspaper, on every radio show, every broadcasted network, and not without reasonable intent. The Titans, even in their age of stabilized peace, were still undeniably powerful. The Mass Awakening, the deaths of over seven million people, could never really be forgotten or tucked under the rug. These concerns needed to be addressed. Concerns over their future, their children’s future, their survival all came into the forefront of debate.
These were legitimate concerns, and concerns the governments of the world constantly reassured. As long as T.I.T.A.N. was the first line of defense, they had the means to defend their way of life if the Titans, if Godzilla, ever turned on them. Doubts were shared, anxieties only grew as the months were elongated. Fear was growing as a darkness that pierced the hearts of all.
But T.I.T.A.N. was ready. Since the fall of the Crystal Empire, they had been secretly preparing themselves for the absolute worst possible outcome. Building and strengthening their defenses, studying the creatures further, and understanding just what kind of threat they were dealing with. From this, expeditions were reinstated within T.I.T.A.N.’s control, with the sole intent of knowing the truth behind their new neighbors.
With this as their goal, it inevitably led T.I.T.A.N. to the discovery of something that would change their world forever.
It all started when Maud Pie was employed by the organization.
Though her work was mostly constrained to Ponyville’s caverns in search for new and fascinating rocks, when T.I.T.A.N. came to her with a stunning proposal, she hardly could contain her excitement. The recruiters couldn’t tell either way if she was excited or eternally monotonous to the world. Her word of agreement gave them the answer they sought.
Essentially, her work would encompass a few key aspects: First, there was the recent studies of Titans reportedly burrowing back and forth below and above ground. Second, one of these burrowing sites was discovered just outside of Ponyville’s expanded borders, beyond the Everfree Forest, and near Ghastly Gorge. Third, and most important, they would need her expertise to lead a team of scientists and T.I.T.A.N. personnel into the depths of the earth to discover the reasoning for the Titans’ behavior.
The day had finally come, and Maud Pie stood in her hardhat, flashlight bright on her forehead, while surrounded by scientists as she gazed onto the mighty, earthen wall.
The site was actually inside Ghastly Gorge despite prior recordings. An entire side of the canyon wall was caved inward, with insurmountable mounds of rock and debris blocking the path the Titan had taken. Normally, the T.I.T.A.N. mining crew would have blasted their way through with plenty of dynamite. But with Maud Pie leading them, they realized they didn’t have to. She showed them weak points, destabilizations among the rock clusters, that with a simple crack of her hoof against them, the foundations came crumbling down.
And a path was made.
She led the T.I.T.A.N. expedition team deeper into the depths of the unnaturally formed cavern, where signs of a struggle were clearly shown by the jagged scrapes across the vast ceiling. Whatever the Titan had wanted, it ensured nothing would hold it back. Their journey came to an abrupt stop when the path ahead was blocked by the collapsed ceiling.
With Maud only giving them one objective: “We need to get through that rock.”
In the several minutes that followed, Maud Pie studied the earthen wall, thus allowing T.I.T.A.N. to begin gathering evidence. The mining crews got to work on breaking down the obstruction, but their tools did little to visually affect it. Scientists gathered torn scales of whatever beast had burrowed through the earth, collecting them for biological research later in Canterlot. When minutes turned into an hour, many of the scientists returned to Maud’s side, all of them asking the same questions.
And having studied the obstruction long enough, Maud gave them the same answer.
“You might want to stand back.”
With orders followed, the mining crew retreated to stand with the scientists. A large group of dirt-covered equines surrounded the precariously pampered scientists. Though they wore the appropriate gear for such an expedition, many of them would have rather spent their time analyzing their acquired specimens in the safety of Canterlot’s labs. Orders were orders, however, and they watched as Maud Pie approached the towering rock obstruction alone.
Gazing at it with a half-lidded expression, the light from her hardhat washed across the surface, and soon her hoof did the same. She explained in that same emotionless voice, “A vast majority of this rock is dolomite. With enough sheer force in one precise location, the rock will fall apart.”
She began tapping against the wall’s surface, listening intently for any potential hollow points deep within the rock. Soon enough, the curiosity of T.I.T.A.N. got the better of them, and they made attempts to listen closer as well. But she hesitated. Maud froze her hoof hovering over a particular center point in the wall.
“You might want to stand further back.”
Realizing their error, the expedition team quickly backpedaled. Mere seconds later, Maud planted her hoof firmly and flatly against the rock with a solid smack that echoed across the cavern.
It wasn’t all that echoed.
The world began to tremble. Small cracks twisted and turned and grew into monumental veins that separated the wall from one end of the cavern to the next. From the floor to the ceiling. A tremendous roar only grew louder as the foundations of the obstruction quickly fell apart, and the expedition team realized they weren’t far enough. And so, they ran back, clearing a big enough distance from them and the crumbling wall.
In the dust and rubble that followed, flashlights burned to life and scoured the fog. Voices cried and called out for Maud, who they had just witnessed be consumed under the falling wave. To their shock, she remained standing in the midst of crumbled absolution. Not a scratch on her. Her flashlight was the blinding torch they followed in the darkness.
And to their continued shock, they witnessed the softest signs of lights glowing in the distance.
Not just Maud’s flashlight, but something more. Flashing every color of the rainbow, swirling against the ceiling and cascading further across the walls the deeper they traversed. It left everypony speechless, silent in their journey until they all came to sudden halt by Maud’s extended hoof.
They joined her and stared where the light of her flashlight fell.
Far below, farther than they ever could have imagined, the light of a thousand rainbows came clear to their eyes. Reflecting from their gazes, washing over their agape expressions, the light encompassed them in a glow that was hauntingly beautiful. At the bottom of the great abyss, spanning a burrowed hole that was several hundred feet around and possibly hundreds deeper, a vortex swirled and glowed violently.
The closest scientist on Maud’s right whispered with fear drenching her tongue, “We must contact the directors at once.”
Maud said nothing, even as their voices around her questioned with unfathomable curiosity at what they were witnessing at the bottom of the abyss. She simply stared to it, the mildest rise of her brows following, as they all stared down at the wormhole.
