-Zap Apple Orchards-
"Junior?" the behemoth stallion said with a wide-eyed stare, his expression depicting a vast mixture of emotions that ranged from confused, to disgusted, to even infuriated as he eyed down the slightly smaller stallion before him. After a long period of silence between them, Gojira tilted his head and took on a more neutral, if still stern, expression. "So Gamera wasn't just pulling at our tails," he finally sighed, his voice a tired grunt now that he didn't have to wear the facade of a killer.
"Come with me to shore, we have much to discuss, Gojira," the King of the Monsters mused with a slight chuckle, turning and swimming back towards the surface of the water...
A few moments later, Gojira made his way out of the water, the adrenaline from earlier now beginning to die down and showing him just how badly Destroyah and Anguirus had managed to rough him up. The aforementioned kaiju stepped back and took on defensive positions as the behemoth followed Godzilla out of the water.
Fortunately, however, Godzilla lifted a hoof to calm them. "There is no need for that... He's confused," the unicorn explained, looking over his shoulder at the God of Titans and seeing the blood still trickling down his side, mingling with the water and causing it to run quicker than if he was dry.
Despite his words, the other three kaiju, Rodan included, remained tense, staring down The Ancient with angered, fierce expressions. "I'm sorry, Chief, but he isn't just confused! Do you see what he did to Anguirus and Destroyah?!" Rodan quipped finally, pointing to the battered forms of his cohorts with a leer crossing his muzzle that was directed at the green-grey titan.
"If I may be so bold, I acted out in defense," Gojira grunted in reply, his breathing slightly labored as he grimaced through the pain. Destroyah especially had done a number on him, her horn having sliced open his back and her teeth having punctured almost all of his limbs in their fight.
"Defense?!" Anguirus snorted, his fur bristling and the spines in his mane and tail standing on end. "We gave you ample opportunity to stand down!"
"You assaulted and tried to make a mockery of me! Do not think this little act of yours will go unremembered! I was thrown into a building, and when I awoke, I was being attacked! I had no intent to kill, but you and your cohorts saw fit to try and put me down!" the massive stallion snapped back at Anguirus.
Godzilla Junior looked between the two and stomped a hoof, ushering a roar to command their attention. While Anguirus and Rodan's gaze snapped over to their ally, Gojira remained unwavering, lips curled back as he glared at them. "Anguirus, Destroyah, stand down! He doesn't know what's going on and he thought he was being attacked! The same thing happened with Princess Luna when I arrived."
"Godzilla, these two know who I am! They have referred to me by name, but have not made any such attempt to give theirs. Now you want to tell me that these... these equines were once kaiju?! I see no evidence of this!" Gojira snarled, the way he spoke and his mannerisms archaic, ancient. He had a slight accent that bore a sense of power, that which matched the displays of strength he'd shown prior to this debate.
"Gojira, look at them!" Godzilla barked at the far older titan, gesturing towards his allies whilst his eyes blazed.
Finally, the massive stallion paused, nostrils flaring as he arched his head back in a way that had him looking down at the trio, his eyes squinting as he growled. Before long, the similarities they shared with the supposed kaiju that Junior was claiming they were was all too obvious, and his eyes widened. Once again, he looked confused, eyes darting between the equines he was surrounded by as he stepped back. Amber and gold eyes met purple as he looked down upon the Guardian Beast of fire, only now seeming to notice the quills in his mane and tail, alongside the ivory spots on his flank and the spiked greaves that he wore.
"All these years," the massive stallion muttered, his voice low as he shook his head and looked over at Junior. If that one is Anguirus... Then, Rodan... and Destroyah, I presume you two are? he sighed, exhaling a deep breath through his nose as he looked toward the other two. Rodan wasn't as difficult to discern, the largest change being that he was now a quadruped, but Destroyah had been harder to discern. The crimson fur and ivory patches on her legs paired with that bladed horn and those bat wings helped to clue him in in a way that he hadn't been able to in his enraged state of mind.
Godzilla Junior ushered a sigh of relief as Gojira finally put two and two together. "As I said, Gojira... We have much to discuss..." he grunted, looking over at his cohorts and giving them a nod lowering a hoof to gesture them to stand down from their defensive positions.
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"The last thing I remember was Gamera walking away, and then I was here. This... Applejack character you've mentioned shook me awake, I suppose, and I got startled into a defensive position," Gojira grunted as he limped alongside the other kaiju, his long tail swaying behind him as his hooves dug into the soil beneath them, his nostrils flaring slightly. It was as if just walking had become taxing for the monster stallion, no doubt a culmination of his age and the injuries he'd sustained fighting Destroyah and Anguirus.
Anguirus grimaced as the stallion spoke, his steps also a limp as he began to regret his jumping to conclusions prior. He'd jumped the gun, and as a result, managed to anger and wound one of Terra's oldest defenders before he'd even realized that he was in an equestrian form. Regardless though, he wasn't one to allow pride to overcome a willingness to come forward in his mistakes. "I... find it important to apologize for instigating such a fight earlier, Gojira."
"Yes, well I find that there are more pressing matters at hand than a couple of future scars," Gojira grunted, giving the guardian beast a sideways glance and grimacing slightly. The slice across his back where Destroyah had managed to catch him off guard was really starting to hurt, and though he was able to keep his focus, the stallion was finding doing so rather difficult. His breaths were labored as he slowed to a stop and leaned back on his haunches and looked up at the group. "You... gone... seven years," he breathed, whereupon Godzilla came to his side to help him back to his hooves. "Cease... I'll be fine," the stallion grunted, forcing himself up and taking a shaky step before he growled.
"Gojira..."
"I said cease..." he growled, closing his eyes for a moment as his head swam and his thoughts swarmed around prior events. He remembered when Gamera broke the news after contact with Mothra that the defenders were fortunately still alive, and while he had been grateful at the time, now, he was a resentful and torn kaiju. 250 million years had taught him much patience, but Terra had changed, and to him, the last five thousand years had been the most chaotic, the hardest to deal with. "You and the other defenders have been gone for seven years... Where have you been, why haven't you returned?" Gojira asked incredulously as he picked himself up and continued walking with the group.
Godzilla Junior was silent for a time, as he had been quite unsure how to answer such a complex question. It insinuated so much and almost required a lecture on what had all happened the last few years. Sure, Mothra and Twilight Sparkle were working on getting the kaiju home, but that task had seemed too slow as of late with everything that had gone on... Junior could tell by the resentment in Gojira's tone, that that may not have been the best answer to give him. Oh yeah, sorry. We were working on it and just forgot because we were too busy caring about an alien species. Godzilla grimaced slightly as he subconsciously mocked himself and let his gaze fall to the roadway as he pursed his lips. "I... think that's a question better answered by somebody else," he finally acknowledged, mentally kicking himself for such a response as they made their way back into Ponyville where the bazaar was still raging.
He could hear the edge of condescendence and venom on Gojira's tongue as he sneered. "I'm sure," the stallion snarled, lifting his head as a tall, deep blue mare with wings and a long horn approached the group, her mane flowing in an ethereal manner.
"Hello, Kaiju I see nopony was har--" Princess Luna's words died in her throat upon seeing the behemoth of a stallion next to her bodyguard. She recognized the forms of Destroyah, Anguirus, and Rodan, but was lost as to who this was. The alicorn was quite accustomed to looking down when she was speaking to somepony because of her height, but having to crane her head up towards the sky was all new to her. "--med..."
This stallion, whoever he was, was huge, easily the size of the horses that came from far-off lands. His fur was a dark green-grey in color, mane a near jet black, and running down his chest was a set of dusty brown scales, indicating to Luna that this behemoth must be a kirin, for as strange as this kirin was. Scars were visible scattered across his hide, including a rather fresh-looking cut across his back that she could just barely see finish closing in on itself, much like Godzilla's. However, this scar didn't fade as his usually did, and remained visible. Perhaps his healing was not as attuned as Godzilla's? What drew her attention next, though, was the stallion's face. He was not a gentle soul, as Godzilla had become in the last years. His expression spoke of the trials of a kaiju, and though his lips were largely covered by a beard streaked with grey, she could tell that he was frowning, brows knitted into an almost tired leer. Luna looked into his eyes, burning gold, and amber that pulsed with an ambient power. Below his eyes were either the wrinkles of age or dark circles that depicted exhaustion as he stared her down, a torn ear flicking as he studied her intently.
For one of the first times in recent memory, Luna felt intimidated by an individual as she opened her mouth to speak, though no words came out... "Uh..."
Fortunately, Godzilla spoke up, sensing the tension between the two, and in return, the rest of the group as they tried to discern whether Gojira was sizing her up as a threat, or simply studying her. "Luna... This is Gojira. He's one of our allies from Terra. He was the stallion that Applejack was referring to earlier. There was just some confusion going around and we didn't realize that it was all a big misunderstanding," he said in an attempt to reassure Luna and calm the rest of the group.
Chibi Moon, who had dozed off on Luna's back after her excitement for the bazaar killed itself, woke up, yawning with a soft squeak as her eyelids fluttered. As the tiny filly crawled up Luna's neck and rested herself between her ears, Gojira's head snapped to look at the newcomer, his ears at attention. Chibi's eyes went to the size of dinner plates as her jaw dropped and she looked up at the monster stallion. "U-uh... Sensei? W-who is that?" she squeaked, her voice tiny and meek compared to the usual energetic and childish glee she usually gave off.
"Sensei?" Gojira finally grunted after a long period of not talking from his end of the conversation, his eyes narrowing at the tiny filly. With a soft "eep" sound, she ducked down behind Luna as the dragon-pony looked over at Godzilla in a questioning manner. This was all new to the stallion. He didn't recognize this "Luna" character, didn't know why a tiny pink unicorn was calling Godzilla "sensei", and given that Godzilla now had himself positioned between Luna and his supposed ally, the stallion was beginning to grow irritable.
"The filly is my apprentice for the time being," Godzilla clarified matter-of-factly, his expression stern as he looked up at the larger titan.
"Do you honestly think that is of my concern? I care not about who you elect to take under your wing. I just seek answers," Gojira finally exclaimed, his ears falling back slightly as he reeled his head back with the bringing of Godzilla's defensive tone.
Sensing the steadily rising annoyance of Gojira, Luna stepped up and chose to defend her bodyguard, choosing to risk his anger more willingly than she would have if they'd been alone, for example. The princess knew that she couldn't begin to use the kaiju as a crutch or an excuse to throw power around, but in this scenario, with the hostility of a supposed "ally", she needed to put a hoof down and take control of the situation. "And I shall proceed as the one to provide thy answers that thou dost seek!" she spoke, her Canterlot accent showing through as a show of power as she telekinetically lifted Chibi Moon off of her back and gingerly placed the filly beside Godzilla. "If thoust shall accompany me alone."
As The Ancient paused and raised a brow, Junior snapped his head to look at Luna with a questioning expression. "Luna... You can't be serious...
"Oh, but I am, my beloved Godzilla. Quite, in fact," Luna responded, her gaze on Gojira never wavering as she stared him down. True this was perhaps not the safest of plays, and it most certainly wasn't the brightest, but seeing that Gojira seemed to legitimately consider her proposal and had calmed down (if slightly), did indeed give her hope. Trust me, Goji... I know what I'm doing... she assured Junior telepathically.
Gojira paused and looked down at her, seeing Destroyah, Rodan, and Anguirus ready themselves to spring toward him if he so much as raised a hoof to harm her. After a moment of silence that seemed to last minutes, but was really only seconds, he pulled his head back. The old king was no fool, he respected power, and he respected what she stood for at this point in time. She was putting her neck on the line to prevent his anger, for the sake of her friends, and the stallion found this to be rather admirable, if a tad naive or even ill-conceived. After a long moment, he lifted a hoof and gestured her along. "Lead on..."
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Gojira lifted his head and let the sounds and smells of the bazaar sink in, his brows furrowed in confusion as he looked around. This, all of this, from the confections stands to the ponies eagerly talking amongst themselves, it was foreign to him. In a prior form, he was a mountain-sized juggernaut who rarely ventured from the ocean depths that he called home, and now his senses were being flooded by lights and sounds, colors and smells. Sure, he'd seen some of the rituals ancient civilizations performed on his behalf hundreds, if not thousands of years ago, but those tended to be violent, and the only instrument was often war drums as somebody was prepared for sacrifice. And after their long overdue downfall, the following generations of humans feared and hated Gojira... Needless to say, he had no words for what was going on around him as he followed the tall alicorn in front of him.
Before long, however, he spoke, his voice a deep, rumbling growl. He didn't shout, and in fact, his voice sounded to be rather lax, but there was definitely an edge that Luna hadn't noticed until now. "You said you would answer my inquiries... Luna, was it?" he grunted as they made their way towards the outskirts of the bazaar, where Ponyville became more of a residential area.
"Princess..." she corrected as her pace slowed to a stop and she turned to look up at the kirin. "Princess Luna or Your Majesty."
Gojira's expression remained unwavering as he looked down at her. "Do not correct me on something so trivial as a title," the stallion snorted, visibly unamused with her stern expression as he sighed. He had to give the mare this much, she was certainly tenacious. "Your Majesty," he started, his tone lacking any sense of genuine respect for her request. He used the words almost mockingly... "Do you think that when your body becomes a part of the soil you walk on, your name will truly matter? In the grand scheme of it all, of course not. Everybody is given a title, and that's all it is... a title. Your underlings, which I presume you have, given your title, have chosen to give you this title for one reason or another. But when all is said and done, it is nothing more than a word that people use to garner the attention of the desired individual," he explained rather plainly, his voice calm. He had a slight accent that, combined with the grit of his voice, made for something interesting that managed to display power, but wisdom. He was old, Luna could tell, but how old was this stallion for names to simply be of such little importance to him?
"And what about your titles, Mister Gojira? Surely you must have a name, something that your allies refer to you as?
"Surely indeed, but as I stated, these names don't matter... The only time I find that titles are of any significance is when they are used with the intent to intimidate. Referring to myself as "Gojira the Treacherous", for example, or in the case of the skirmish with Anguirus, "The God of Destruction", for example."
"And are you? A God of Destruction? Luna asked him, finding this conversation thus far to be unproductive if slightly inciteful as to the inner machinations of Gojira's mind and how he functioned.
"Irrelevant... What I seem to notice is just how calm you are in my presence. Any particular reason for this to be the case? After all, I'd expect a level of worry or fear, and yet I sense neither from you," he asked in rebuttal, raising a brow. Thus far, Luna had remained largely calm. Though he could sense that she was a touch on edge, and understandably so, the stallion remarked that all of her questions and words carried with her an air of confidence. Gojira found this to be rather intriguing and wondered if she'd give him the answer he expected, or perhaps something a bit more elaborate.
"The answer is quite simple, Gojira... I've been around you kaiju for about seven years now, and the one thing I've observed above all else with the six that have made their homes here is that, even from the start, they never attacked anypony unprovoked. And from what I understand about what happened on the farm, is that you were provoked into attacking," Luna exclaimed, her expression reading as an air of stern confidence. "I know how you Terran defenders operate..."
The stallion raised a brow at her words. It was sound logic, for sure, though it did carry with it a couple of flaws. Gojira had hoped that she would be quick to realize that he was not like the other Earth Defenders, but this didn't seem to be the case... "I am 250 million years old, Princess... You haven't the slightest clue how I operate. And on a more important note, you mention that the others are... living... here? That was how you worded it if I'm not mistaken... I would very much appreciate if you were to clarify."
Princess Luna subconsciously flinched at the question, wondering where the stallion was going with this and wondering even more so why he couldn't just be direct with her. Gojira was putting her on edge... Regardless, however, she gave him the answer. "When the kaiju first came here about seven years ago, we knew that they were going to be stuck in Equestria for a while... She pursed her lips and tried to think of a way to further explain. "So we tried to have them live and work as one of us, employing them in various locations. Junior became a guard for the capital, Anguirus and Destroyah work on that farm, and so on and so forth. We called it a naturalization process... And it worked.
"A little too well, I presume. There is something in Godzilla's eye, the way his gaze touches your figure... He has begun to fall for you. And tell me, Your Majesty, have you too fallen for the King of the Monsters? Have you been courting with a titan, knowing full well that inevitably he would have to return to his place of origin? Or is there more to this you've not yet shared?" Gojira accused, beginning to grow audibly angered at the prospect as his mane and eyes began to flicker ever so slightly.
Luna took a step back as the stallion growled, her own horn beginning to flash as she prepared herself for the attack she knew was coming. This monster, whoever he was... The aura sloughing off of him, it was resentment, anger, hatred... This was a hardened, grizzled beast who had relied on the kaiju now here to help protect his home...
"Gojira, please, I urge you... Listen to me," Luna called up to the increasingly angry stallion, forcing herself to calm down. She did not want to see this end in bloodshed. Her end goal was to have this hurt kaiju understand the situation and what was really going on...
It was here that the flicker of his mane and tail died down a bit and he chuffed, a growl slithering out from between his fangs as he leered down at her. "What could you say to me that will make any of this okay, Princess?" he scoffed, a line of smoke rising from his nostrils. His tone... it carried a sense of pained confusion.
"I understand, Gojira... I get that they are needed on Terra and please, have faith that we're doing everything we can to help bring that end goal to fruition, but there is more to this whole situation than I can explain with ease. It is all so much more complicated than any of us could have anticipated," she explained, practically pleading with the stallion at this point and trying to weave around the fact that, in seven years, no method had been found to return them home, and in seven years, at least one of, if not multiple kaiju had chosen to stay here in Equestria.
There was a long silence between the two as Gojira looked down at Luna, his teeth clenched before he squeezed his eyes shut and growled. If he had hands still, they'd be balled tightly into fists. With a sigh, the stallion let go of his current anger toward Luna and spoke. "Did he ever tell you what Terra looked like?"
Luna nodded her head, unsure of where he was going with the question as she answered. "He said there were many trees and vast oceans... It was all green."
"Yes, and do you know what he'd find if he were to return right now, this very moment, years after his absence?"
She slowly shook her head no this time.
"A world in flames... Before he disappeared, Terra never had the problems it does now. With him and his cohorts gone, very few have been able to hold off all the destruction that has been wrought upon the land, his home." The behemoth stallion sighed and leaned back on his haunches, looking down at the mare to see what kind of reaction his words had elicited.
Princess Luna had no reason not to believe that those words were the truth. While she questioned the validity of his age, Gojira having just come from Terra was a large enough reason for him to be believed. He didn't... look deceitful, as menacing as his overall appearance was. Then again, he could just be exaggerating to convince her to take his side on the matter. Regardless, this was a kaiju who was very clearly resentful of his cohorts, for one reason or another. She'd find out why, but first, he had more to say.
"I saw clearly how he threw himself in front of you when I started to become aggressive... He'll listen to you... You have to tell him the truth. Now... how close are you and whoever else to getting us back home?" the stallion inquired as he stood upright.
The alicorn was without words for a moment, her gaze unfocused as her heart pounded before she came to, shaking her head with a long breath as she adopted a more regal stance. "We're... not sure yet. Mothra, whom I'd assume you know, and one of my ponies are on their way to tend to other matters elsewhere."
Gojira grumbled at her words, which provided little comfort against the fact that he was probably going to be stuck here for a while. "So what would you suggest? Are you going to try to percolate me into your society like you have the others? "Naturalization", was it?"
"This is a matter I will have to take to my sister and your cohorts..." Luna replied, beginning to make her way back towards the bazaar.
The Ancient growled and stood up from his haunches with a groan, following close behind and making his way back to the rest of the group.