Canterlot, Equestria
Commander Shatter Heart of the Neighponese T.I.T.A.N. sector never could have suspected he and his team would be called in so early by the Princess of Equestria, but he didn’t complain. He complied. If anything, he was growing more and more excited as the day got closer and closer. Anxious as well, of course, but it was stemmed accordingly by the rising determination in his heart.
He had beaten down such anxieties and fears before. He was leading the future, and the future needed strength, valor, and courage unlike any other. So, they strode down the halls as a team, as one living, breathing body of courageous Neighponese warriors.
To his far right, there was Lieutenant Peaky Blossom of the Neighponese Solar Bolt squadron. Top of her class, she was hoofpicked by Shatter with some personal recommendation. The unicorn mare strode forth with a bright smile on her lips, an astonished gaze in her sparkling pink eyes as she gazed to the mighty pillars and stained glass windows they passed. Her bright yellow coat shone in the sunlight burning through the glass, her purple and red-striped mane amplified by that same warmth.
On his far left, trotting far more casually than the rest of them, Lieutenant Rotor Wrench stood taller just as well. He seemed to mumble a song under his breath, a tune that left a seemingly permanent smirk on his lips. The burly, pale blue unicorn stallion was Neighpon’s top engineer of their largest naval fleet, and he wasn’t too bad behind the stick, either. His green eyes were shielded by the heavy sunglasses he wore, his brown mane dangling in front of his glasses. A short beard graced his face, just as freely as the Haywaiian shirt with bright, colorful flowers graced his body.
Walking between Shatter and Rotor, Lieutenant Moonshadow did not carry the same love for life like Wrench did. However, like Rotor, she also wore sunglasses that hid her dark hazel eyes, but the unicorn mare did not wear any colorful fatigues. Her dark blue coat suited her name, with a short white mane barely even reaching her glasses. A high-ranking member of Neighpon’s robotics division, Moonshadow was chosen for her experience in such a field, not so much her piloting skills, which weren’t half bad, either. A toothpick sat between her lips, and she jostled it with her tongue in silence, staring dead ahead and not even considering to take in the sights.
And on his direct right, Captain Cross Heart walked tall and proud alongside Shatter. He always seemed to hold a smile of some sort. Always happy. Always extravagantly excited. Peaky seemed to notice and appreciate his grin more and more. His green coat was almost a stark contract to Shatter’s, but the unicorn’s black mane mirrored his perfectly. Not so much his blue eyes. He was the one who recommended to Shatter to enlist Peaky into their team. He trusted her enough, and why shouldn’t he? Cross only trusted two ponies with his life; his younger brother Shatter Heart, and Peaky Blossom. His marefriend.
In their center, leading them always was Commander Shatter Heart, the red unicorn stallion with crimson eyes focused only on his goals, and very little else at the moment. He did not smile as his older brother did. He rarely smiled anymore, only for grand occasions. Only for the coming days. Only when he needed to. And he needed to when called personally by the ruler of Equestria, and their closest ally since the Mass Awakening.
So, he put on a small, courteous smile when the throne room doors were opened to him and his team by a pair of Royal Guards.
He was given plenty of mental images of what it was like, but he never imagined how beautiful Princess Twilight’s throne room truly was. A gorgeous red carpet led to the mighty center throne, soft blue and violet marble decorating the walls and pillars. Stained glass windows decorated with Twilight’s cutie mark lined the walls going forth, and that was when it happened. His smile almost broke.
Shatter was just surprised to see the directors of T.I.T.A.N. present as well in Princess Twilight’s throne room. He wasn’t informed. None of them were.
But they were more than prepared for their arrival. Twilight, of course, but with Spike sitting beside her and Directors Celestia and Luna standing at the base of her throne. They all turned accordingly as the doors were opened and the Royal Guard announced loudly of their Neighponese guests. As they walked, as they trotted, as they grew all the closer to the throne, Twilight observed them at face value.
Yet she still read all of their files Celestia and Luna provided. She knew they backgrounds, their histories, what brought them forth to her now. Her immediate impressions were by their attire. Shatter Heart and Moonshadow both wore leather jackets. Peaky Blossom wore a standard uniform for the Neighponese T.I.T.A.N. sector, simple green camo fatigues. Cross Heart wore something similar, instead being blue naval fatigues. Rotor appeared to be the most casual, the bright Haywaiian shirt with colorful flowers decorating it instantly catching Twilight’s attention. His deathless smirk as well almost prompted a smile from her in return.
Once they stopped in front of the throne, saluting appropriately to the directors, they bowed their heads respectfully to the princess.
Twilight smiled warmly, and bowed her head in return. She began with a raised hoof. “Thank you, esteemed pilots and warriors of Neighpon, for answering my letter. Your presence is an honor to us all. Your service to our world, even more.”
They rose with Shatter leading them. “The honor is our own, Your Majesty. Just as it is to be in the presence of our T.I.T.A.N. directors,” Shatter began with that same smile that was barely alive, his eastern accent just as cool and calculated. He chuckled to Celestia and Luna’s direction. “A welcome surprise, but if I am not to sound rude, what would be the meaning of this reunion?”
With a flash of her horn, a folder appeared out of thin air, and Celestia levitated the file to Twilight, saying, “Commander—”
“No formalities,” he interrupted. “We are all allies here. Friends.”
She turned back and stared at him. Barely a second passed before she sighed out a smile. “Of course,” Celestia recovered, beginning again, “Shatter Heart, we have been reading and rereading your file for quite some time now. All of yours, to be exact. And we invited you all here today so we can come to a formal agreement.”
“A means of which we all understand each other,” Luna added. All the pilots stared at the younger sister, noting the clothing she and Celestia wore. Jumpsuits that accompanied their natural coat colors, neither sister wearing any form of royal regalia, and understandably so.
Princess Twilight was the sole bearer of the crown now, and that weight was transmitted through her voice when she declared, “Nothing hidden. Nothing more that can potentially create a split between us. We’re allies now, closer than ever. Division in this day and age will not lead to a prosperous and peaceful society.” Twilight smiled as their eyes fell on her, opening the file with her magic.
She hesitated a moment. Lifting her eyes from the folder, she gazed to the base of her throne, passed Celestia and Luna and landing on the red unicorn. “Shatter Heart… born to Lily and Valiant Heart in the city of Izunokuneigh, Neighpon… orphaned twenty-one years ago after…” She looked up from her file, seeing the smile instantly vanish from Shatter’s lips. “I’m very sorry.”
He just nodded. He never took his eyes off of her.
“Following the disaster, you and your brother joined the T.I.T.A.N. sector of Neighpon when you were of age. From there, you’ve been training. In all forms of the nation’s defense; military, biological sciences, robotics, but piloting… most of all. Rising in the ranks, you eventually acquired the status as commander of all military operations for your nation’s T.I.T.A.N., until the organization was shut down by Celestia. Now that we’re back up and running, you have assumed all formal relations between Neighpon and Equestria. We… assume the blessings of the emperor were taken into account when you were granted this position?”
“Of course,” his voice fell an octave, and he stated rather harshly, “Was there anything else you wanted to remind me of?”
“Brother,” Cross said, leaning over in a heavier accented whisper. “Easy. Apologies, Your Majesty. We have had a difficult upbringing.”
Twilight pursed her lips, nodding in solidarity. “No, it’s I who should be sorry. The past is difficult, for many of us here. And you… Cross Heart,” she addressed, flipping to the next page in the folder, reading away. “A decorated soldier in the Neighponese naval forces, just as many years of piloting experience as your younger brother, yet refused every promotion after ‘captain’… now why would that be?”
“I’m comfortable where I am,” he answered, which earned a warm smile from Peaky.
“And your brother?”
Cross turned to meet Shatter’s eyes. He smiled warmly. “He goes above and beyond. Hardest fighter I know.”
“It would seem…” Celestia mused aloud. Slowly, one by one, each of the pilots found their heads slowly shifting attention away from Twilight and onto the director. Shatter was the last, having lost his smile quite some time ago.
“We would like to understand just what exactly it is you fight for, Shatter Heart,” Luna added, earning the attention of the esteemed pilots. “This creation from the minds of your T.I.T.A.N. sector was startling, to say the least… especially when the knowledge of its design came to be.”
Director Celestia breathed in deeply. “We expected a mechanized Titan, certainly, as our deal suggested. You were given the tools, the resources, the facility, the time and trust needed to construct such a machine. We never expected the design to be what it was. By the time we learned what Neighpon had developed, it was already too far into production. Too far to turn back.”
Luna’s face was ashen. “Too far before we realized what we were funding… what the minds of the Neighponese T.I.T.A.N. sector had concocted.”
“This is such a condescending tone I am hearing. What seems to be the problem?” Shatter asked, almost sounding oblivious to their suspicions, but deep down he knew what they meant. He knew, one way or another, this conversation would be brought to the light of day.
“We know what this is about, Shatter… what this means to you,” Twilight said, bringing it fully into the light and out of the dark. “It’s Godzilla.”
As such, he wanted to be prepared for it, but even now Shatter Heart found himself flinching accordingly to the damned name spoken aloud. His eyelids trembled as he attempted to shut his eyes, regulate his breathing—as he practiced for years—but even now it was difficult. Just as much then as it was now. Taking in sharp, deep breaths, Shatter opened his eyes and met the stare of the princess.
“Is it ever anything else?” he scoffed, shaking his head. “Doesn’t our entire world revolve around him now?” He almost tried to laugh, bury the burden beneath some sick sense of a coping mechanism.
“It is more than that, Shatter, and you lie to us now if you continue to deny it,” Luna addressed, speaking the silent part out loud that Twilight did not have the courage to say at first, nor Celestia to a degree. Luna did not avoid the reality. She said what needed to be said as quickly as possible, what was on their minds, and held nothing back. “The disaster was unavoidable. Godzilla followed his natural instincts and a travesty occurred because of it, but it was not out of his own will to destroy. You and your people suffered greatly… but the more we read, the more we understood. You seem to be making this some kind of personal vendetta.”
“Your Majesty, if I may interrupt,” Rotor Wrench said, stepping in front of his commander just as Shatter’s expression began to twitch. He levitated his sunglasses off his snout, breathing on them and rubbing the shades against his shirt. “Shatter Heart is the strongest warrior we have in our forces. He was not granted commander on a whim, he earned it through many physical, mental, and emotional trials. The pony is unbreakable… unbeatable. But most of all he is loyal.”
He slapped his hoof against Shatter’s shoulder, and the unicorn responded with a thankful nod in return. Rotor smirked, levitating his sunglasses back onto his snout.
He was not the only one to stand up for the pony he trusted most. Moonshadow remained frozen where she stood, but her voice was no longer silent. “We trust our commander with our lives.” It was all she said, and she said it so, so coldly.
Peaky nodded in agreement, the unicorn mare stepping up to support the pony who supported her uprising. “We were personally chosen by him to lead this project. Greatest warriors in Neighpon, he called us… Strongest minds, strongest wills… exactly what he needed. The thought of this becoming personal is beneath us. The mission comes first, above all. Protecting ponykind, every creature from these beasts that seek to destroy us—”
“The Titans are not here to destroy us, Ms. Blossom. They just want to live, same as us,” Twilight corrected.
She just shrugged. “All a matter of perspective.”
Though grateful for their support, Shatter stood his ground all the same. Rising for his beliefs, refusing to back down from where his spirit was leading him. Where he knew he wanted to be. “I believe you were all singing a different tune not too long ago, if I’m not mistaken?” Shatter said, addressing the unspoken reality that even Luna hesitated to bring forth.
And perhaps Twilight, Celestia, and Luna were all guilty in not addressing it so.
It all happened a year ago, but it felt like yesterday. When their world was on the brink of destruction. Ghidorah, Sombra, the hundreds of Titans they awakened in their warpath. Witnessing them rampage, slaughter, kill to no desired end left a weight in their souls that no night’s rest could ever truly ease. It scarred them, in more ways than one. Both the Mass Awakening and the Battle of the Three Kings. The Titans, and Godzilla, displayed with no constraints the power they wielded.
And that… that terrified the sisters.
Power that was out of their control. The power to annihilate, to wield an unstoppable army against a wounded world unable to fight back against their strength. But also the power to heal. To stabilize. To keep balance. That was the power of the Titans under Godzilla’s rule. For a time, it had been peaceful. They were given the days to rebuild, and the Titans left them in peace. Godzilla left them in peace. But the future wasn’t written. Every single day, neither Celestia, Luna, or Twilight could rest easy, wondering and doubting if that peace was absolute.
It was a darkness in their hearts, in the furthest, deepest portions of their minds. Feeding their anxieties, enflaming their paranoia to act before Godzilla or any of the Titans did. One last layer of defense, that was all they needed. That was all they needed, and then no more. It was so overwhelming it was like they were drowning, and they finally had a way out. Even now they regretted ever giving that single inch to the darkness and letting the fear rule over them. Because it then took another inch. And then another. Until it took 400 vertical feet of pure, mechanized steel.
All in the image of Godzilla.
To most, it would be understandable to make the decisions they did. To a niche some—those who had personal contact at one point with the Titans, with Mothra, and even Godzilla—it was wrongful thinking to begin, and even now, at its end it was the wrong path to take. They knew it was, and Celestia and Luna came to that conclusion. Twilight did.
They were wrong. A mechanized Godzilla was not the answer to their hearts’ pleas. A protector was, as Mothra was, but they went too far. They allowed too much. It was still too late. They admitted it. But now was the not the time to hesitate and let the buried rage grow. They were on the road to recovery and there was no room on that road to make unnecessary enemies.
All three ponies seemed to imagine it all the same. Twilight shut her eyes, dropped her head, as Spike turned her way concerningly. Luna pursed her lips, looking away to the stained glass windows and saying not a word.
Celestia slowly gulped. She alone had the strength to say what was on their hearts.
“For a time… we came to almost share the same mindset as you. The Battle of the Three Kings… we saw things differently. The power of the Titans, of Godzilla, it was… devastating. Perhaps losing Mothra, nearly losing everything by the awakening of the Titans was an awakening in and of itself. We allowed Neighpon an almost unlimited amount of power if it meant our way of life was protected. Fear clouded our judgement… fear of losing any more innocent lives… but no more. We invited you all here today, the pilots for our Mecha, so we could all come to the same mindset.”
“And that same mindset is this,” Twilight declared, finding some semblance of strength thanks to Celestia’s courage to speak. With that strength, she turned solely to Shatter Heart when she said it. “Mechagodzilla is not Godzilla’s superior. Our Mecha will be used to protect life, to aid Godzilla just as Mothra aided him. We will aid him in his fight for balance; we will not try and control it. Not anymore. This is our creation’s true purpose. This is what we believe it was created for.”
“Godzilla is not our enemy,” Luna affirmed. Made her—their—stance very, very clear.
He understood. Shatter understood perfectly well. At least, as Twilight saw him at first, just the face value. Just as Twilight, he saw deeper. And just as Twilight could not understand that plight of which tormented him, so he did not understand the stance of which they now took. They thought they could understand, oh they really did, but Shatter knew it to be far more than their generous lives could have ever fathomed.
They lived in luxury. They lived in love, surrounded by walls that stood, by friends and family that lived, and it was impossible for them to know him by simply what was written. They experienced one disaster at the hands of the Titans, and sought peace only after a year of it permeating. It permeated much, much longer than that for Shatter. He fought so much longer than any of them ever could, and only he knew what was right. He believed that.
They didn’t.
He stared at them, never breaking his eyes away from Celestia until he turned them to Luna. And then to Twilight. Slowly letting the piercing ring grow louder and louder and louder in his head, in his ears, until he couldn’t even hear his own thoughts and then—
“You are protecting him?” he suddenly asked. The throne fell silent. Spike stopped writing on his parchment, lifting his gaze. Celestia and Luna looked at one another, and then slowly back to Shatter. The pilots did the same. Cross bit his inner cheek, harder and harder and hard enough to draw blood.
His eyes grew shockingly pale. Like the life had drained from them, the crimson becoming drained of all blood. Soulless. His lips twitched in what could have been a smile, but froze halfway.
His jaw quivered, and he scoffed lightly. “Does he protect us… or are we insignificant in his path of destruction, hm? Does he know the families he crushes beneath his feet? Could he ever understand the grieving father losing his child in a collapsing building… the mother holding a lifeless son or daughter, body charred beyond recognition… skin sometimes so heavy it looks like an extra coat of drooping, melted flesh?”
Cross tasted blood, and he stopped. He had the words he wanted to say, but they were trapped in his throat. Which left Shatter uncontrolled, almost unhinged. With no anchor. “Do you think he imagines that every time he rampages through one of our own cities?”
“Shatter Heart—” Celestia attempted to say, but was shockingly silenced.
“How… is this monster… any different than the devils that slaughtered seven million innocent lives?” Veins grew rampant up his neck, across his forehead. His chest heaved in and out and he growled, “Everything I’ve done has been to prevent this from ever happening again. For the preservation of our way of life, that is what you told me. And you are taking my creation… my T.I.T.A.N.’s genius… and you are bastardizing it to fulfil your own self-righteous goals!”
“Shatter!” Cross stated, stepped in and rested his hoof heavily on Shatter’s shoulder. Just as quickly as he intervened, he watched as Shatter’s ferocity was cooled. The life came back to his eyes. The soul he nearly lost was breathed back into him as he expanded his lungs and took a breath.
Cross stared up to the throne, to Princess Twilight Sparkle, and said with burning eyes that were pure and so full of life. “There is no bastardization. We are not at war anymore… they are right. Godzilla is not our enemy, brother.” He turned back and met his sibling’s eyes.
His hearing was back and the dark fog faded from his mind. The ring had settled and there was no noise any longer. He was back. An anchor kept him still, and Shatter was thankful that. Shatter closed each eye, Cross patting his cheek gently, forehead pressed to his own. His breathing was regulated once more, but his eyes were burning. Both brothers’ were.
Cross stared back at the throne, at the directors, at the princess. “There is no war.”
“There is no war,” Shatter reaffirmed, finally finding the gentleness of his tone once again. “Our achievement will thrive in the defense of life. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we were also planning on visiting the HQ while we are in Canterlot. Your Majesty. Directors.”
He bowed quickly and spun around to make his exit. His pilots hesitated, before they, too, spun to join him.
“Do not leave on misgivings. Understand that we all thrive in the defense of life. We are united now, and cannot afford division as the old world once was. Despite all of this, our loyalties still remain, not just for the preservation of life… but upholding the Magic of Friendship to every creature on this world. Those are our loyalties…” Celestia called out, and caused Shatter to halt. All five pilots did.
Her eyes were soft, and her voice was softer. Calling, reaching out, but even then she needed to know the truth. They all did. “Tell us, Shatter Heart… where does your loyalty truly lie?”
The unicorn made no attempt to respond. Not until he could keep his seething breaths regulated and not until the red had left his vision. Once the unbalanced peace he knew too well had settled within him, he turned his head back. He met her eyes.
“… With the crown… With our world… With ponykind… always.”
And then he was gone. He and his chosen four. The throne doors were opened for them and they made their exit to Canterlot’s T.I.T.A.N. Headquarters.
But not before Spike could mutter under his breath, “Jeezo… guy’s got one too many screws loose, am I right?”
Twilight cuffed the back of his head with her hoof. “What? I stayed quiet for the meeting, just like you asked! Got everything written down, too!” he whispered sharply while waving his parchment. The princess just rolled her eyes with a shake of her head.
The former princesses did not hear the young dragon. They prayed Shatter Heart did not hear him. The former princesses merely stared, never taking their eyes off of Commander Shatter Heart of the Neighponese T.I.T.A.N. sector. Not until the throne room doors slammed shut behind him and his pilots.