//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Moving Out // Story: Beasts from Within // by ThatOneOtherGuy //------------------------------// | Present | A streak of light that managed to shine through the crevice of the curtains managed to wake Gojira up. He stumbled out of bed and slowly walked to the door of his room. His dark gray skin made him almost completely black in pure darkness, but shined in the sun’s light. His mane and tail were black with gray highlights and his hoofs were a light gray in comparison to his skin color. On one of his hind legs was an emblem that depicted a circular outline of a creature with a long tail, spikes on his back, and sharp claws on its hand. His most prominent feature was his height as he stood just at six feet tall. He stepped out of his room and into a hallway that connected to the living room and kitchen. The house was mostly empty with only a few bags and a couple boxes with labels. Gojira looked around their house, making sure that they hadn’t left anything. He then went into the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal before eating breakfast. As he ate his meal, he heard hoofsteps coming from the hall and was met by his brother, Rodan. He blinked rapidly to adjust to the bright sunlight. “Morning Gojira, you're up pretty early”, he said as he stretched his wings. Similar to Gojira, Rodan was also pretty tall, though not quite at the same height of his brother who was a few inches taller. But what was bigger was his wings which were colored in a similar maroon color to his mane and tail which was shorter than his brothers. His body was a light red color but his chest had a white crest that went all the way to his underbelly. On one of his hind legs was the circular outline of a bird-like creature with large wings and a prominent beak. “You know why we have to be up this late, Caesar told us to and we know just how strict he can be'', said Gojira. He gestured over to the cereal box on the table. “Do you want some?” “Thanks bro, but I don’t think I’m hungry”, said Rodan. “Suit yourself”, said Gojira as he put another spoonful in his mouth. “Is Anguirus awake?” His question was answered when a third pony walked out from the hallway. He stood at a similar height to Rodan but was only off by a few inches. His body color was of a light brown with a dark brown mane and tail, which wasn’t as long as Gojiras but spikier and bushier. His eyes were similar to Gojira’s with the amber color scheme but different to Rodans which were green. There was a mark on one of his hind legs that was in the outline of a creature that was curled into a ball with spikes all across its back and horn on the end of its snout. “Yep, Anguirus is up, but he wishes he wasn’t”, yawned Anguirus. “You know why we have to be up so early”, said Gojira. “Yeah we do, and boy could I not be anymore excited”, said Rodan. “I’ve heard so many great things about Ponyville. They’ve got all kinds of stuff there plus the Summer Sun celebration is being held there today.” Gojira let out a groan. “That just means there’s gonna be a large crowd for our first day, just what I wanted”, he said. “Oh come on, lighten up a little Goji. We no longer have to live in this crappy shack and finally get to live in a place that has enough room for each of us”, said Rodan trying to cheer his brother up. “I agree with Rodan, though I’m pretty sure he’s just excited cause a certain somepony lives in Ponyville”, said Anguirus as he met his brother with a smug smile. Rodan rolled his eyes as a bead of sweat formed on his head. “Me and Lisa have only been together for a few months now and it seems that it’s the only thing you two will talk about”, said Rodan who was a bit flustered. Gojira merely chuckled. “We’re just teasing you Rodey, you make it way too easy”, he said as he finished his bowl. Rodan had an annoyed look on his face which quickly turned into a cheeky grin. “You know, speaking of, this might finally be my chance to get you two some mares cause boy do you both need some, especially you Goji”, he said. Gojira nearly spat out his cereal after hearing that. “I think a relationship is one of the last things that I need. Though I think you definitely need one Gojira”, said Anguirus as he joined Rodan with his statement. “Well I think you would be wasting your time trying to find a mare for me. I mean, you realize who you’re talking to, right”, said Gojira. Rodan waved his hoof in disagreement. “Eh, that doesn’t mean I won’t try”, he said. Gojira rolled his eyes at his brother’s naivety. Although he didn’t hate the idea of moving, he wasn’t entirely sure about it. They had constantly been moving to small town after small town, living in houses that weren’t well taken care of and far from other residents. Ponyville would be their first time living in a more populated area and he didn’t know how to feel. ‘I believe we have more important things than mares to discuss about.’ Gojira let out a sigh after hearing that. “I know, I know”, he said. His brothers at first looked at him weirdly until they realized what, or rather who he was talking to. “Is your spirit bugging you”, asked Rodan. Gojira simply nodded. “Yeah, so was mine. I almost couldn’t sleep with how much it was nagging at my ear.” ‘I can hear you, ya know.’ Rodan’s wings slightly flared up as he was caught off guard. Almost like magic, the symbol on Rodan’s leg flashed red for a few seconds and a being that was shrouded in mist sprouted out of his back. It was red in color and had the shape of a winged creature with wings and a beak. Despite how unnatural this was, both Gojira and Anguirus didn’t look surprised in the slightest. Its eyes were completely white but it was obvious that it looked annoyed. ‘I swear, it’s been several years since we first met and yet it feels like nothing has changed.’ Rodan had to stifle a laugh. “I’m just yanking your chain. You make it way too fun.” His spirit gave him a glare. ‘I don’t find it funny. Why can’t you be like Anguirus, at least he’s quiet.’ Before Anguirus could retort, another mist covered being sprouted from his mane. This being was shrouded in a light brown mist, had a horn on its snout, a spiked crest on his head, and what looked to be multiple spikes on its back. Similar to Rodan’s spirit, Anguirus’ also had pale eyes but they were more in a deadpan expression. ‘It’s not as relaxing as you may think’, it said. Anguirus rubbed the back of his head. “Hehe, yeah. I’m just not completely used to these powers that you guys gave us”, said Anguirus. ‘Which is part of the reason why we’re moving. This new place should have more space for training each one of you.’ “Great, training, my favorite”, said Rodan with not so subtle hints of sarcasm. “Rodan, you know exactly why we have to”, said Gojira. “I know, I’m just happy that we may finally get a chance to have a normal life, even if we’re gonna have some unexpected roommates”, said Rodan, gesturing towards the spirit right next to him. If his spirit had pupils, they would’ve been able to cut through metal with its hard glare. Although Anguirus seemed to agree with his brother, Gojira didn’t seem as convinced. Before any of them could say anything, there was a knock heard on their door. Immediately, both Rodan and Anguirus’ spirits disappeared, causing their emblems to flash again. Gojira went over to the door and opened it, he was met with a unicorn. The unicorn had a brown skin color apart from beige colored hoofs. He had a light yellow mane and tail as well as patches of hair surrounding his chest and hind legs. His eyes were entirely red with white pupils, his ears resembled that of a dog with how fluffy they were, he had a noticeable beard growing, and his horn was mostly regular apart from the color which went from beige to orange. He was clad in golden armor which covered the upper part of his body, had a blue star on his chest, and the mid section featured the emblem of the burning morning sun. One simple look at him and Gojira immediately knew who it was. “Hello, Caesar”, he said as he greeted him with a bow, which Caesar returned. “Greetings, Gojira. Are the others up”, he asked. “Yeah, they’re up”, said Gojira as he gestured to his brothers. “Good, bring everything to the chariot, we’ll be leaving in a couple of minutes.” “Wait, chariot, I thought we were taking the train. What do you mean by…”, before Anguirus could finish his sentence, he saw what Caesar was talking about. The chariot in question was mostly a silk white with golden trim along the sides. There was a pair of large wheels on the back and a smaller pair at the front. The rear had a spot for luggage which, along with the wheels, made the chariot fairly large with four pegasus being needed to pull it, all clad in armor. The symbol that depicted the sun was depicted on the chariot which confirmed what Anguirus was wondering. “That’s from Canterlot”, he said. “Indeed it is”, said Caesar with a small grin. “So, wait, does that mean we’re going to…”, Rodan couldn’t finish his question before being answered by Caesar with a nod. The three brothers looked at each other with surprised looks. “That’s awesome, I can’t believe we’re going to the home of the princess of Equestria”, said Rodan with excitement. “But why are we going to Canterlot instead of heading to Ponyville? I thought that’s why you wanted us to wake up early since Ponyville would be busy because of the Summer Sun celebration”, said Gojira. “I’ll tell you three when we get there. So quickly gather your things and put it on the chariot, don’t want to keep your majesty waiting”, said Caesar as he walked away, leaving the three looking confused and baffled. “If I had known we were gonna see the princess then I probably would’ve tried looking nice”, said Rodan as he grabbed a satchel and a pair of sunglasses. “Yeah, especially with the Summer Sun Celebration today, we might be able to see her twice”, said Aguirus before looking towards his oldest brother who was looking conflicted. “Aren’t you excited, Goji?” “I am excited, I’m just concerned about the whole, you know”, he said while referring to the symbol on his hind leg. Although Anguirus understood where he was coming from, Rodan rolled his eyes at this. “You worry too much, Gojira. Besides, this could finally be our chance at trying to live normal lives. I mean, yeah we would still have to deal with our mystical friends and all, but if it means spending more time with my bros”, he put his hoof on his brother’s shoulder. “Then I wouldn’t mind. So, why not lighten up a bit?” Although Gojira appreciated Rodan’s attempt at reassurance, that feeling of uneasiness was still prevalent. Though he managed to mask it with a smile. “Okay, you’re right Rodan, this could be quite the experience for us and I don’t want to ruin either of you two’s excitement. Let’s just grab everything and bring it to the chariot, before Caesar gets impatient with us”, said Gojira. “There we go, that’s more like it”, said Rodan as he grabbed his own bag and put his shades over his eyes. “Well, what are we waiting for, our new lives await!” He said with courage as he ran out the door with Anguirus in tow. Before Gojira could join them, he heard something. ‘Why won’t you tell them how you truly feel about this?’ Gojira let out a sigh. “And what good would that do? That would just ruin their hope”, said Gojira. ‘It’s better to ruin their hope, rather than their lives.’ Gojira was left silent after that. Instead, he grabbed his satchel, took one last look at what they used to call home, and walked out. (Canterlot) On the largest mountain with the most beautiful scenery, where the sun is first to cast its everlasting glow, and the waterfalls and landscape are nothing short of magical, Canterlot stands as the gleaming heart of Equestria. A large kingdom built into the mountain allows it to stand high and proud above the rest of the land. Its awe inspiring presence has made it a beholding sight that demands respect from anypony. And respect that it received when it came in sight of Caesar and the three brothers as the chariot flew closer. Caesar was the only one whose jaw wasn’t on the floor. Apart from photos and drawings, none of the three had ever seen Canterlot in the flash. It was quite the sight to say the least. Anguirus was amazed, Rodan was ecstatic, Gojira was astonished, and Caesar was trying his hardest not to laugh at their reactions. “I imagine none of you have seen it up close, huh”, asked Caesar with a grin on his face. He received a nod from each one of them. “Just wait until you see the inside.” “It’s…amazing”, said Anguirus as he couldn’t take his eyes off of the incredible sight. “Never thought I would actually see it.” “See, I told you guys we had nothing to worry about”, said Rodan with his pair of sunglasses covering his eyes as he gave his brother a playful bump. “We’re finally moving up in the world.” He then looked toward Gojira. “Am I right, Goji?” Gojira was mostly quiet throughout the trip as he had been mainly deep in thought. While the others looked at Canterlot with awe and astonishment, he looked at it with anxiousness. There were many things on his mind and as a result he couldn’t fully enjoy this experience that other ponies would kill to have. Whenever he tried to be optimistic, the spirit inside of him would bring him down to reality. He was brought out of his thoughts when Rodan put a hoof on his shoulder. “You good bro”, he asked. Gojira quickly hid his concern with a small, reassuring smile. “Yeah, I’m fine, just a bit nervous, that’s all”, he said, even though it was more than just him being nervous. “I know, it can be very intimidating at first. I had a similar reaction when I first came here”, said Caesar. Not wanting to say anything, Gojira nodded. As the chariot flew closer, they managed to get a closer look at the kingdom and the several different buildings and shops that lay. They saw several ponies, pegasus, and unicorns going about their day. They saw the large majestic waterfall that formed from the mountain side feed the river that surrounded the entrance to the kingdom before forming into another waterfall. Not to mention the castle itself with its several towers that looked to almost touch the sky. The chariot soon landed in front of the entrance where other guards greeted them, including a unicorn with a dark brown body color and horn, a straightened light gray mane, and blue eyes. His cutie mark resembled two arrows crossing each other in an x shape. “Hello Caesar, and I’m guessing these are your friends that I hear much about”, he said. His sentence caused the three brothers to look puzzled. “That’s right, Sharp Shot”, said Caesar as he exited the chariot with the others behind him. “You’ve told others about us”, asked Angurius. “Well yes, at times you three pop up in conversation”, said Caesar before turning back towards Sharp Shot. “Sharp Shot, these are Gojira, Rodan, and Anguirus Zawa, the three that I’ve told you and the others about.” “Others?”, Gojira said to himself. “Greetings you three, my name’s Sharp Shot”, he said. Although he was Anguirus’ height, he had to crane his neck back to look at Rodan and especially Gojira. “Dang, he wasn’t kidding when he mentioned you were tall fellas.” “You know what they say about late growth spurts’, joked Caesar, who received a playful eye roll from his friend. “From what I’ve heard, you three and Caesar have been friends for quite some time”, said Sharp Shot. “Well, that’s mainly because he was friends with our father”, said Rodan. “Really, must be one hay of a stallion”, said Sharp Shot. Rodan and Angurius laughed it off, Gojira however remained respectfully silent. “Anyways, I believe it’s now the moment you three have been waiting for”, said Caesar as he led the three brothers and Sharp Shot inside the castle. He wasn’t kidding when he said that it looked better on the inside. The inside of the castle had a color palette which contained several different shades of purple, gold, white, and blue. There was a double decker staircase with golden handrails on the side. They led to two separate hallways with a red carpet that traveled across the floor and up the stairs. The walls were draped with long, purple banners. The floor had a checkerboard pattern to it and in the center was the same burning symbol seen on the chariot and armor. The most striking feature however was the large stained glass window that depicted the two different times of day. It was the icing on top of this grand and royal cake that the three brothers couldn’t help but gawk at. “Gentlemares, welcome to Canterlot”, said Sharp Shot. The three’s eyes wandered all along the walls, floor, and ceiling. “It’s better than I thought it would be”, said Anguirus. Rodan put a hoof on his and Gojira’s shoulders. “Bros, you do realize that we are currently standing in the middle of the center of Equestria”, he said. “It’s more than just amazing it’s…it’s…” “Pretty neat”, said Gojira. “Yeah exac-… What?!”, exclaimed Rodan as he turned to face his brother with a dumbfounded expression while his wings flared up. “This is the home of the princess of Equestria and all you have to say about it is that it's pretty neat?” “I’m still wondering why we’re even here in the first place when we were supposed to be heading to Ponyville since the Summer Sun Celebration is today which means the whole town will be busy”, said Gojira. Caesar overheard and turned to face them. “Well you see, that was the original plan, but then somepony wanted to see you three”, said Caesar. Sharp Shot gave him a look as he knew what he was talking about while the three brothers looked confused. “Who would want to see-…wait, you don’t mean”, Caesar nodded at Gojira, although it wasn’t a real answer, that mere motion of the head spoke volumes louder than any voice. Their jaws dropped so fast and so hard that it sounded more like an anvil. “T-The p-p-princess…wants…to see…us”, stuttered Anguirus while Rodan looked elated and Gojira looked in disbelief. “Through her own request, yes. She wanted to meet you three”, said Caesar. “B-but, why”, asked Gojira. Caesar could only shrug. “Perhaps she overheard me talking about you three, I’m not sure. But how could I say no to the princess herself”, he said. “You three should be excited, it’s not everyday you get to meet somepony of royalty”, said Sharp Shot. The three brothers were all thinking differently during that moment. Anguirus was completely stunned. He was excited to move to Ponyville, but he had no idea that he would also be able to go to Canterlot, let alone meet the princess. It was all so overwhelming for him. On the other hand, Rodan was completely ecstatic. He was the most excited about them moving, finally being able to not have to deal with houses of poor infrastructure or having to avoid other ponies. And meeting the princess reinforced that feeling of ecstasy. Gojira meanwhile didn’t know how to feel. His brothers seemed incredibly happy and he couldn’t lie he was happy too, but that happiness was underneath several layers of anxiousness. He was also a bit upset at Caesar for telling other ponies about them. He thought the whole point of constantly moving was to make sure no one would find out about their secret. So why was he now fine with letting other ponies know about them, let alone the princess herself. “Well, what are we waiting for, don’t want to keep her majesty waiting”, said Sharp Shot as he led the three brothers towards her throne room. Before Caesar could join them, he was stopped by Gojira. “Why did you tell other ponies about us, I thought you wanted to keep us a secret”, he asked. “I wanted to keep the spirits a secret and I haven’t told anypony about them. To the outside world, you three are just abnormally tall stallions”, replied Caesar. Gojira still wasn’t happy. “It would’ve been fine if you told a few, but the princess”, he exclaimed while growing agitated. “I didn’t tell her anything. I don’t know why she wants to see you three, but I do believe that this could lead to something good”, replied Caesar as he put a hoof on Gojira’s shoulder. “Celestia is one of the kindest, most selfless mares I have ever had the fortune to meet. She loves and appreciates every pony she meets and as long as you keep a mental state, she’ll treat you no differently.” Gojira let his words sink in as he let out an exasperated sigh, what seemed to be a small puff of smoke came out of his mouth. Caesar gave him a comforting smile before removing his hoof from his shoulder. “Now come on, her majesty awaits”, he said as he walked after the others. Before Gojira could join him however. ‘Be careful, I can tell you’re still tense and so can others.’ Gojira breathed in and out to try and calm himself down. He lifted his front leg and noticed the imperfection. A small patch of his skin had been replaced with what appeared to be rough, dark gray scales that were embedded into his skin. He looked around to make sure no one was watching him before taking a small breath. The scales retracted back into his leg with no sound, leaving no imprint or anything to signify they were even there in the first place. ‘Calm yourself, although Caesar didn’t tell anyone about us, we don’t want you to show anyone.’ Gojira understood what he meant and when he found that mental state Caesar wanted him to find, he ran after the others. As Caesar put it, her majesty was waiting. (Meanwhile) Twilight grumbled throughout her quarters as she kept rereading a certain part of a book over and over again. She was a light purple unicorn with a dark purple mane that had a streak of pink going along it and her ponytail. Her cutie mark looked similar to that of a four edged, pink star with several small, white stars surrounding it. Her purple eyes were deep in analyzing the text that she had worked so hard to understand. It was the story of the mare in the moon and how after the day that marked the end of a thousand years, she would return to Equestria. Although others had put it off as legends, she saw it as a prophecy. She had recently been obsessed with this so-called legend after finding out that today marked the end of the thousand year wait. She felt that now was the time to finally inform her teacher and mentor, Celestia. She had known Celestia for many years and was hoping that she would understand this serious event, but after sending a letter, she was given a disappointing response. Not even she believed her, however that wasn’t the worst part. As she continued analyzing her book, she heard a knock at her door. “Come in”, she answered. The door opened to reveal what looked to be a small light purple dragon. He had a short tail with a sharp tip at the end. His underbelly consisted of faded green scales while he had a short crest of dull spikes going across the top of his head and a smaller row traveling along his tail. He had small puffs of green hair on each side of his head and he had large green eyes with thin slits for pupils. He had a very innocent look to him as he walked up to his closest friend. “Hey, Twilight”, he said in a childish voice. “Hi Spike”, replied Twilight with a nonchalant tone. It gave Spike a somewhat downbeat feel. “I’m guessing you aren’t very happy about the letter, huh”, he asked. “Of course I’m not happy”, retorted Twilight. “We are on the verge of what could be the beginning of an endless darkness and no pony seems to care. Not even Celestia, who seems more concerned with me having to go to Ponyville, for some reason.” Spike couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “I think she gave a good reason actually”, he said as he pulled out a letter and started reading it. “My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony's life other than studying. So I am sending you to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year’s location: Ponyville. I also have an even more essential task for you to complete”, he then made the letter face her while pointing at a specific line of text and speaking a bit louder, “make some friends.” Twilight let out a groan before dropping her head into her book. Everything about that letter was everything that she didn’t want to hear. “There’s a million things that are more important than making friends”, she said. “Why would I waste my time with that when I could be putting all my attention towards other more important things.” She motioned her hoof towards the book she was reading which depicted the outline of a dark colored alicorn with the moon in the background. “Come on Twilight, she is right after all. You’ve been spending so much of your time reading books and learning spells that you don’t leave any spare time to do fun stuff”, said Spike. “Perhaps treat this visit as less like a punishment and more like a vacation, and besides.” Spike pointed at another part of the letter. “We’ll be staying in a library, doesn’t that make you happy?” Twilight appreciated Spike trying to make her feel better, but it still didn’t change her mind on how she felt and it especially didn’t do much to calm her growing anxiety. However, if there was one upside, a library did sound nice and perhaps it had some kind of information on this “legend”. “Yes, yes it does”, she said as her head shot out of her book. “And you know why, because I’m right. I’ll supervise the preparations as fast as I can, then get to the library to find proof of Nightmare Moon's return”, she said with a confident look on her face. “And then you’ll make friends like Celestia said, right”, asked Spike with a confused expression. “She said to check on preparations. I am her student and I'll do my royal duty. But the fate of Equestria doesn’t rely on me making friends”, replied Twilight with an upfront tone. Spike sighed in disappointment at her response. He could see where the princess was coming from, why couldn’t she? Just then, they heard a knock on their door and Spike went to answer it. When he opened the door, he was met with a blue stallion clad in golden armor. “Is Ms. Sparkle here”, he asked. Twilight walked over to the door. “Yes I am”, she said. “I’m here to ask if you’re ready for your departure, your chariot awaits”, he said. Twilight let out a sigh. “Yes, we’re ready, just making some…last minute checkups.” “Good, then come along, I’ll escort you”, he said as he motioned for the two to follow. The two followed him, however Twilight was slightly trailing behind. Her mind was on other things. She was thinking about Ponyville and the Summer Sun celebration. She thought about why Celestia wanted her to make friends so badly, Spike was already enough. She thought about all the things she could be doing instead. But above all else, she was thinking about Nightmare Moon. She was brought out of her thought bubble when they passed some other ponies. “Hey Sharp Shot. Hey Caesar”, said their guard. “Hi Vincent”, said Sharp Shot as they passed. What managed both Twilights and especially Spike’s eyes was who were following them. Three stallions trailed behind them, two were normal ponies while the other was a pegasus. They seemed to be a bit bulkier than some of the guards at Canterlot with dark skin and mane colors and, what Twilight thought to be weird looking cutie marks on their hind legs. But that wasn’t what caught their attention. It was their height because they were tall. The shortest one was still a few inches taller than Twilight while the tallest one at the rear of the group stood more than a foot taller than her. Although she managed to only give brief side glances, Spike on the other hand couldn’t help but gawk at them, especially the tallest one. And unfortunately for him, he noticed. “Ahem”, coughed Gojira. Spike broke into a sweat when he realized he’d been staring. “O-oh…s-sorry, I-I didn’t mean to be rude. I-It’s just that…” He couldn’t finish his sentence when Twilight came over and scooted him away. She then faced Gojira with at first a slightly fearful expression before switching to a nervous smile. “Sorry, hehe. It’s just he can get really curious at times. He just hasn’t seen a pony like you before…I-I mean, a pony of your size…ahem, height, I meant height. And not in a disrespectful way, I-I’m sorry if I offended you, but…umm.” She stopped talking when she saw Gojira giving her a nonchalant look. The two stood there awkwardly, or at least one of them did, until somepony called out to them. “Hey Goji, what are you waiting for? We don’t want the princess to wait”, said Rodan. He then noticed Twilight and Spike and stopped with confusion on his face. “Are you busy with something?” Before Twilight could say anything, Gojira spoke up. “No, I’m not”, he said in a monotone voice. He then turned to face the two. “Have a nice day”, he said before walking over to his own group, leaving a very confused Twilight. She had met several different ponies in her life, but she never acted this strangely to any of them. Also, did one of them mention how the princess wanted to see them? She turned to walk away, her mind now had even more questions and thoughts traveling through it. As they did so, Spike turned and waved at the one they talked to. “Bye”, he said nervously before catching up with Twilight. Meanwhile, Rodan was giving Gojira a cocky grin. “Seems like somepony is already attracting some attention with the mares”, he said while giving Gojira a playful nudge. “Lucky me”, replied Gojira sarcastically. The group walked throughout the halls of the castle, taking in the scenery until they made it to large golden doors with two guards on each side with spears on each side of them. The group stopped right in front of the door as Caesar and Sharp Shot approached the guards. “We’ve come here on the princess’s request. She would like to speak with these three”, said Sharp Shot as he gestured to the three brothers behind. One of the guards nodded before entering the door and a few seconds later walked back out. “She’s ready to see you now”, he said. Caesar turned to face the three and their different expressions. “Remember, she loves all her ponies, and you three are no different. Just stay calm and speak when necessary”, he said and received a nod from each of them. With that, there was no going back. The doors slowly opened to reveal a large room. The room was fairly bare with a few pillars on the side of the light pink walls holding up a checkered style ceiling while the floor seemed to be mostly made of a reflective crystal apart from certain parts which retained that checkered pattern. Large stained glass windows were on each side of the room depicting moments throughout the history of Canterlot and Equestria as a whole. But the centerpiece of the room was the long red carpet that went from the doors all the way to a golden arched throne which was where the reason why they came here stood. “Greetings, my little ponies”, she said. The mare in question was an alicorn, a rare species in Equestria, that stood at around seven feet in height from her hooves to her long horn. It well accommodated her large wings which helped in signifying her status of royalty. Her body and wings were a vanilla white color with her hoofs having a golden pattern that made it look like she was wearing high heels. However the most awestrucking part of her was her beautiful mane and tail which flowed and glistened due to her magic. They consisted of light colors of blue, pink, purple, and green. She wore a golden necklace with a purple jewel in the center around her neck, a golden crown with the same jewel, and her hind leg housed her cutie mark which was that of a burning sun, a similar symbol to the ones on the guard’s armor and the chariots. Her calm, welcoming demeanor was attributed to her violet eyes which seemed so bright and peaceful. Indeed, this was none other than the ruler of Equestria herself… “Princess Celestia”, said Anguirus. “Or, perhaps that phrase doesn’t really apply to you three”, said Celestia with a small giggle. Immediately Anguirus bowed in front of her, which caught both Gojira and Rodan off guard. They both looked at each other and then faced Caesar. He was giving them both a stern look and motioned his head to do the same thing Anguirus was doing. With a sigh from Gojira, he and Rodan both bowed in front of Celestia. “Your majesty”, said Anguirus, “it’s an honor to meet you.” Celestia smiled. “Oh please, the pleasure is all mine”, she said. “I hope your trip wasn’t too much of a burden.” “Oh no, not at all your highness. We were already heading to Ponyville, so this wasn’t any trouble”, said Rodan. Even with sunglasses on, his eyes were absolutely beaming. He couldn’t believe who he was talking to. “Well that’s nice to hear. I hope you enjoy your time in Ponyville, especially with the Summer Sun celebration being today. We may even meet again during the celebration”, said Celestia. Gojira let out a slight cough which caught everyone’s attention. “Your majesty, I do speak for my brothers when I say that we are very grateful for meeting you. However, I must ask for what reason did you want to see us particularly”, asked Gojira. Caesar breathed heavily, he knew Gojira was going to ask that question. However, Celestia’s smile didn’t fade. “No important reason, other than that it was Caesar who asked if you three could visit me. And for his years of service, it was the least I could do”, said Celestia. The three brother’s eyes widened and they turned to face Caesar. “You wanted us to come here”, asked Rodan. Caesar nodded. “I thought you said you didn’t know why the princess wanted to see us”, asked Anguirus. Caesar rubbed the back of his head with his hoof as he looked at both Sharp Shot and Celestia, who gave him a nod. “Well, that would ruin the whole point of a surprise”, he said. “Also, I thought it would lighten your moods since I know how much you three weren’t completely on board with the idea of moving, especially you Gojira.” Rodan and Anguirus both looked at Gojira who stood puzzled. “I suppose that makes sense”, he said. Everyone seemed to understand, except for one. ‘I can tell you don’t mean that.’ Gojira pretended to not hear his spirit and kept on his smile. He didn’t think Caesar was lying, but some part of him felt he wasn’t being truthful either. He choked it up to Caesar wanting to keep the spirits a secret, but still felt it was for something else. “I hoped that cleared any confusion you three may have had”, said Celestia. “And I must say it was very nice meeting you three, I hope someday our paths may cross again.” The three brothers bowed their heads. “We hope so too, your majesty”, said Anguirus. “Please, call me Celestia”, said Celestia. “I’ll see to it that a chariot takes you three to Ponyville so you may become well acquainted for the Summer Sun celebration.” She then turned to face Sharp Shot. “Will you please escort them back to their chariot”, she asked. Sharp Shot nodded. “Of course, your highness”, he said and motioned for the three to follow him. As the three walked out, Gojira gave one last glance back at Caesar who stared back. Caesar gave him a reassuring smile before the doors to the throne room closed, leaving Celestia and Caesar. “I can’t thank you enough, your majesty”, said Caesar. “I’ve been working so hard to find them somewhere to live and having to deal with the royal guard at the same time can be so time consuming that I…” He stopped talking when Celestia leaned down to his eye level. “Don’t worry Caesar, it was truly the least that I could’ve done. If there’s anything that you may need my assistance with, I’ll gladly oblige”, she said in her motherly tone of voice. Caesar couldn’t help but smile. He felt blessed for befriending one of the most kind and selfless mares he’d ever seen. From the day he first met her, she always treated him with kindness. From joining the royal guard, to helping him find a home for the three brothers, she never faltered and was always willing to provide assistance. And yet, she never asked for anything in return. He didn’t know what to say or do to repay her other than bowing his head in respect. To him, a bow seemed so small and meaningless when compared to everything she had done for him, but it was all he could give. “Thank you, Celestia”, said Caesar. And yet, she still smiled. “Anything for a friend”, said Celestia. Caesar rose up and walked towards the doors of the throne room. Looking back at Celestia before leaving, her smile didn’t seem to leave her, but when the doors closed, it slightly faded. She looked at one of the stained glass windows of the throne room depicting an alicorn like her flying through the night sky, but with a dark blue skin tone and mane with the moon rising in the background. A moment in history that others thought they knew the story of, but Celestia knew it all too well. She sighed before turning away and leaving the throne room, after all, it would be dark soon.