-Ponyville-
Titanus Gojira walked alongside Princess Luna, his mannerisms and overall demeanor having since dwindled to something that far contradicted the stallion she'd been faced with mere moments ago. He seemed... tired as if age was now beginning to catch up with him in this diminished Equestrian form. If he was to be believed, and his species truly reached such ages as 250 million years, then an Equestrian body would of course be taxing to live in, she could see that in his expression, the way he walked, his eyes... Luna eyed the stallion briefly, taking a moment to let his scars sink in. She'd seen Godzilla Junior like this a number of times, the most memorable of these being when she allowed him to rest in her chambers and she came in to see how he was holding out. His hide was pitted with old injuries, many of which she was curious to know the origin of.
Shaking away her curiosities and focusing on the road, Princess Luna only just now began to notice that the sun had nearly set, giving her a clear indication that it was time for her to raise the moon. "I will take you to your friends and we will have Junior keep a close eye on you in the meantime. I have more urgent duties to attend to, so I will therefore be unable to send you off to find a place of employment," the alicorn explained.
It was not too far away that an old, kind earth stallion with a grey mustache and a blue bandana overheard this and raised a brow, leaning off of the wood carving he'd just finished up for the bazaar in the hopes of garnering the attention he needed to find a sturdy employee for his shop... The dirty brown pony raised a brow at seeing the diarch walking down the busy street with whom he could say with confidence was the biggest pony he'd ever seen. Even bigger than them kaiju that worked in the area. Maybe he was a kaiju.
Regardless of this, Burnt Oak figured that, between this stallion's large frame and the supposed need to get him a job, now was a golden opportunity for him to gain an employee for his wood business.
With a grunt, Gojira noticed the rest of his allies conversing amongst themselves. Godzilla seemed to relax and was now focused on entertaining the small filly that was his student whilst Anguirus engaged in a conversation with Rodan. Luna noticed them, and almost immediately felt a sense of safety, having been on edge around this massive stallion since he voiced his disdain about her... "affections" toward Godzilla.
Oh, thank Faust, she thought to herself, breathing a sigh of relief as her pace quickened slightly and she approached the group.
Godzilla lifted his head at seeing her approach and gave a soft smile, though it didn't take long for him to sense that she was nervous about something. "Luna?" he urged, furrowing his brows before glancing up at Gojira with a questioning glance.
Casting a gaze over her shoulder at the behemoth, she spoke. "I am alright, Goji... I would like you to... keep an eye on him, I have my lunar duties to now, and then we shall discuss what to do with Gojira, she said, lowering her voice slightly before turning to face The Ancient "We shall make use of you yet," she decreed as an earth pony trotted up to the group before she had the opportunity to fly away.
The pony wore a faded blue bandana and a hat not too unlike Applejack's, his top lip covered by a mustache and his eyes a crystal blue. Applejack would recognize this pony instantly, a wide smile spreading across her muzzle as she trotted towards him. "Well if mah fur ain't orange, is that Burnt Oak?!" she whinnied jovially as the older stallion panted briefly, attempting to catch his breath.
"Miss Jack," the earth stallion exclaimed, lifting his head to look at the Element of Honesty with a grin.
It was here that Luna's attention had shifted away from Gojira to the newcomer, a brow raised as he removed his hat and bowed before her. "There is no need for such formalities, Sir Oak. You may rise," she said, lifting a hoof. As patient as she had grown in recent years, Luna sincerely hoped that whatever it was that Burnt Oak had to say could be said quickly. It wouldn't be long before ponies began to wonder where the moon was, after all. "And for what reason is the urgency that I see upon thy's muzzle?"
"Forgive me for holding up your duties, Madam, but I did overhear what you was talkin' about earlier with the big fella regarding getting him a job and figured I'd throw myself out there as an employer," the woodworker said with haste, quick to catch on to Princess Luna's slight impatience. He was an observant stallion, after all.
Gojira raised a brow as he looked down at the older-looking stallion and glanced back to Godzilla and Luna, his ears flicking subconsciously as a frown touched his lips. He had no desire to work amongst the populace and simply live and act as one of these equines. But as Luna pondered for a moment, the inevitability of such seemed more and more clear.
"I shall take your request into careful consideration Sir Oak," Princess Luna answered Burnt Oak after a moment, giving him a nod and brief bow before she spread her wings.
Just as she prepped herself to take to the sky, Godzilla spoke up; "Before you go about your duties, Luna, I'd like to make a request..." he said.
-------------------------------------
Alpha Titan and King of the Monsters, standing apart from one another in a valley far away from any populated area. At Junior's only request, both had been infused with magic (thanks to Princess Luna and her trust in Godzilla) and elevated back to their true forms, of which towered over the hills and scraped the sky with their brows.
Godzilla, having suffered through Gojira's lecture about neglecting his post and being an unworthy successor, snarled and roared back his response; "250 million years and you wasted almost every single one of them. Ignorance truly has no age limit, does it?"
The ancient paused before registering the words, whipping around and almost lashing out on impulse as a result of the slight against him. He was the Alpha Titan and insubordination was often a harbinger of devastation and chaos. "... Choose your next words wisely, Whelp."
Godzilla only needed the one to catch the titan's attention; "Reiju."
Gojira could admit, even that actually gave him something resembling the feeling of being impressed. To have lived as long as he had, it was inevitable that he would know of one of the few beings who was older than he was. Gojira permitted Junior further word.
"Lea told me of the planet's history a long time ago, when she first charged me with protecting the world on the cusp of the human's new millennia and after. You didn't stop the Great Dying, Reiju did. You didn't stop the end times of the dinosaurs when the Ghidorah arrived, the first mothra, Battra, and Reiju did. You didn't have anything to do with fostering the first humans, the very ones that later looked to you for protection. Reiju. did." Junior continued down the list with his voice increasingly growing into a growl, the temperature his body emanated beginning to increase by the moment. "... And when they started to tear the world of humanity apart as Bagan, you didn't stop them. I don't know if you tried, and I always hope that you had..."
He turned his head aside and leered off into the distant ocean. "So if you want to keep some of the respect I have for you, I recommend you don't tell me you were still asleep under the ocean when that happened like you were for millions of years between events... Because we both know you were when my grandfather turned Tokyo into a fireball, and then life during the reign of my father was an ever-increasing cavalcade of one monster after another."
Gojira knew he could certainly counter by bringing up any myriad of the battles he fought in times bygone. How many ecological disasters he averted maintaining nature's balance, how a modern world would have been impossible without him, and that the god being brought up prior also had many times of dormancy. Life for millions of years had not required much cultivation and stewardship. His reign had been peaceful.
His eye caught the burning gaze of the entity modern times had forged. A completely unrelated dinosaur that miraculously wound up resembling himself. The glaring fact that their species was as related as an elephant was to a frog made the resemblance all the more uncanny. A life from 250 million cycles around the sun, built anew during his dormancy in modern times.
-Modern times...-
That designation caused the alpha Titan to pause. He had been away for a long time. And on some level, he had returned treating the world like it was no different and it was back in the Permian or Triassic. Back when nobody could have looked at the tiny, insignificant feathery forms scampering through the undergrowth and predict one day a descendant of theirs would stand on equal height with himself and sporting an uncanny, eerie resemblance. Fate was one of the few things he had some belief in, it was impossible not to with how long he had lived and seen as many things as he had.
"I never asked to be anybody's successor. Not to my father, not to you, and not to Reiju. I know what it's like to be on the level of a human, sapient and yet powerless. That's the one thing that made me different from all three of you. I have lived my entire short life by your standards, terrified I would forget and go down the same path Reiju did, a path that my father nearly followed." Junior's eye darted over towards his elder and remained steely despite the unmoving mountain before him, "So don't you come charging in here, expecting me to fall in line like one of your Titans. I didn't ask to be your successor, want to be your successor, I didn't even think of myself as your successor."
Godzilla tensed his muscles and made ready, his roar rattling the air as he let all be known, "For all your talk of not caring about titles, I know how jealously you guarded that esteemed position as Alpha Titan and Apex Predator. And how you treated it with some big deal offloading your responsibilities onto me. But I don't recall you naming me the new alpha. Nor did I care!"
Gojira felt his body tense up in ways it hadn't in a long time to anything short of a Titan. He couldn't stop remembering those insignificant little early theropods, those tiny fuzzy forms running away from terrestrial crocodile relatives or juvenile MUTO. How sometimes a few of them would even hide themselves in the shadows cast by his own body as if they were begging for protection if they realized he was a living thing and not just a mountain to shelter at.
That fate that conspired and engineered one of those tiny forms to actually make him feel physically threatened was equal parts unnerving and enlightening.
"So that's it then..." Gojira's eyes narrowed and glimmered with blue as he came to an unpleasant conclusion. "You'll not be returning to Terra." The words were phrased more as a statement than a question...
"I will return... when I can. Because I have a duty owed to Terra," Godzilla's own brow remained static but his eyes started to shift from blue to blazing red at a high intensity. He was not being cowed, "I don't care about you being the alpha of a bygone time. I only care about modern times. And I don't owe you anything."
Gojira weighed his options. This was definitely insubordination by his metrics. Usually, that was dealt with by beating the upstart into submission, killing them if he had to and intimidation displays didn't work.
-You can't.-
A part of his mind noted, conflicted with his own assertions as he quarreled with his thoughts.
Could he defeat, let alone kill Godzilla? 250 million ago when Godzilla's ancestors were but ants to him, the answer was a firm yes. 100 million years ago it was yes. A million years ago it was yes. 60,000 years ago it was a yes. 30 years ago it was probably, also a yes. A year ago, let alone right now in these passing seconds... It was an absolutely minuscule time by his lifespan standards for things to have changed so much. But arguably more had changed in 30 years, most of which he had been asleep for, than the last hundreds of millions. Even with his old power largely restored, he had his private doubts.
-You can't.-
That part of his mind protested once again. It was almost like the question wasn't if he could kill Godzilla or not. Some rebellious parts of his mind were telling him the answer wasn't yes. So if not a question of could, it was a question of "should".
Terra had gotten more chaotic and unruly than it had ever been before since the Permian. And that was despite his rule, with one of the missing factors that separated Terra ten years ago from Terra now standing right in front of him.
He continued to compare and contrast himself and Godzilla. Alpha Titan to King of the Monsters. Godzilla was younger, he hadn't been through as many things, he hadn't seen as many things, and he had power thrust upon him instead of growing up into it. He was a runaway whelp who Gojira intended to drag back to Terra... and fix it.
Gojira's features stilled and a frigid cold settled in his ancient mind.
For his Dominion to be as long as it had been over the other titans and the world, what had it really gotten him? Most of the Titans turned on him the moment that echo of Ghidorah announced their reign. The humans did not revere him like they used to. For now, they stung at him like wasps whenever a fight of his got dragged into one of their nests. Some of the Defenders would follow his command, and that was about it. They would follow but they would not linger around.
The lineage of the one that had once been his Queen had also shifted. Mosura's direct descendant instead stood shoulder to shoulder with another, not an Alpha but a King. Not as a consort or bonded, but as a comrade.
His Dominion of Titans did not have the loyalty the Defenders had. The latter had followed Godzilla into war time after time, only growing in number. His Titans had bowed out of obligation and fear and had turned on him more than once. His stewardship of mankind did not have the appreciation and admiration they had for one prior either. For 250 million years, might had made right for most of the natural world.
A quarter billion years since his first reign, and he was just now learning the modern day had changed more than it had any time prior. Might made right when the strongest sought only stability. It did not inspire loyalty. Only might for right did that. And no alpha Titan had ever fought for that, only a King had.
The reason he had insisted Godzilla and company return to Terra hadn't been because Godzilla had been a bad successor to him...
Gojira's lips curled down and he knew in his wisdom, a genuine trait he could always rely on, was true. The glow in his eyes and threat display stopped. It didn't even matter which one of them was actually stronger, finding the answer to that question would be pointless and counterproductive anyways. Even if Gojira won, he knew the other three Defenders would not just fall in line like the Titans when Ghidorah was killed. That wasn't even counting the other two powerhouses in the area beyond just the radiating energy he had detected from Luna earlier. This was not something that could be cowed into submission nor and domination wouldn't work even if he could win.
Fate had decided to engender Godzilla's existence because the world had changed and his old way of doing things wouldn't work anymore, not the way it had.
-You're not the poor successor. I wanted you lot back because the world has changed, and I've been a bad predecessor to you...
"The world has been hurt... and so have I," Gojira whispered with his frown growing and his gaze turning away to the horizon, unsure how many Terra had left, "And I was looking for someone to blame. I found what I was looking for."
Godzilla knew the old warrior wasn't talking about Junior himself. Gojira had been beyond abrasive initially, and if he were a lesser kaiju he would definitely hold a grudge. If Gojira had proven a dire threat and continued his attacks, he would be answered. But Junior had never wanted that, beyond just concerns of collateral damage.
"Terra needs help. We made some good allies here to help us do that," Godzilla stepped towards the horizon before looking over his shoulder, "And I would never turn down experienced help either."
Gojira was the last of his kind. And it had been a very long time since he felt actual company. Maybe the barrier between species hadn't been stopping him from feeling connections to others so much as his own reserved nature had...
He could at least, try.
The King of the Monsters walked away from the isolated region he had insisted they speak in, fearing it could have turned into a battle if what he predicted for true. His prediction had fortunately proven to be the contrary, and now he was feeling perfectly safe and confident turning his back on his company. The Alpha Titan finally let himself appreciate some of the natural beauty on Equestria's horizon before pacing after the young King to walk alongside.
Both of them have been proven wrong today, and neither of them could be less content with that fact.
-Canterlot-
Godzilla Junior sighed as he walked alongside Princess Luna, who had at this point completed her task of bringing the moon to the sky and now pondered alongside her friend. Her expression depicted that of frustrated confusion as her gaze fell to the floor and Gojira's words played in her mind over and over, back and forward again. He'll listen to you... You have to tell him the truth.
After a long silence between the duo, Luna finally lifted her head to look over at Godzilla. "Junior... Who is Gojira? Weird thing to ask, but he's a puzzle to me. He says he's 250 million years old, but that doesn't sound possible. Even Anguirus was only ten thousand or so, right?" Luna inquired, voicing her confusion. There was disbelief in her tone as she repeated the number that Gojira had given her for his age.
"Oh, but it is possible... And even with those millions of years, he's still oblivious to the modern era," Godzilla replied, having expected such a question at some point. He knew they'd had a conversation, but for what purpose did he need to be excluded? The unicorn surmised that it was simply the growing sense of unease and the need to prevent a fight between them that had elicited such a decision and dismissed that mental inquiry before he continued. "His species as a whole, at least from what I've been told by Lea, tend to live for a very long time. Gojira himself existed before my most distant of ancestors."
Luna pursed her lips as she contemplated what to say next. There were so many questions that just one kaiju was eliciting in her mind and the alicorn, for as coordinated as she usually was, had no good place to start when it came to her questions. She thought she was accustomed to confusing individuals by now... "Okay... and you asked me to revert you two to your kaiju forms for a while... I hope you don't mind my prying, Goji, but why?"
"Gojira and I needed to talk, and I didn't want a sense of unfamiliarity to be what he was contending with for the topics that we touched upon, Lulu. Reverting us to our original form was honestly more for his sake than mine, though I suppose it was nice to see what he looked like again after all these years." Junior paused as a frown tugged at the corners of his maw and his brows furrowed. "I don't remember him having quite that many scars though..." Despite the heated nature of that conversation, Godzilla did, at least on some level, still respect the Alpha Titan and all that he stood for, as stubborn and ignorant as he really was. Perhaps it was a blessing that Gojira had wound up here. It would potentially force him to look on the other side of life...
"Junior... Did he tell you-?"
As Luna's words tore Godzilla away from his thoughts, his ears swiveled back slightly and he grimaced. "Yes, he did... He told me what had become of Terra. I got quite the earful on that topic, actually," Godzilla muttered through a grumble.
"What should we do with him? At first, I thought it would be a good idea to try what we did with you and your friends with the naturalization process... But he... Junior, he's dangerous. And not in the same way that Xenilla and Destroyah were. I saw the wounds Destroyah and Anguirus had sustained. I'll talk to my sister about this, of course, but where he's amidst your ranks, I thought it best to ask you about him," Princess Luna exclaimed, a worried expression on her face as she looked across at Godzilla. This was a far cry from when the six had initially landed in Equestria, where Luna suggested petrifying them at first. It just went to show that individuals could change, a sentiment she wanted to hold out for Godzilla's apparent ally.
Godzilla flicked an ear and entertained the thought for a moment before his red and gold gaze met her aquamarine. "What about the earth pony that approached you before you went out to raise the moon? Seemed amiable enough and I'm sure he could keep the old brute busy. I know that Gojira was always fond of his personal space and I don't think having ponies breathing down his neck here in Canterlot would be very good for his already high blood pressure," he stated, only half joking. Despite his seemingly nonchalant words, Godzilla was equally concerned about what they would do with The Ancient, and the aforementioned earth pony from earlier was simply the most immediate option right now.
"Burnt Oak is a kind soul from what I understand. He inadvertently helped bring together two feuding families once, I know that much," she explained to her friend.
"Then I see no harm in giving him a chance. Is there anybody that Oak frequents that we can trust would be able to keep a cautious eye on Gojira, should he act out?"
"From what I understand, he has dealings with the Apple family from time to time, and I know that Anguirus and Destroyah are working in the orchards, so they could make sure that Gojira doesn't lash out at anypony," Luna said with a nod before a specific recollection tugged at her mind. "Or would that be a good idea given... recent events?"
Godzilla chuckled and gave a long sigh as he shook his head. "Anguirus is one of the few who Gojira seemed to have any sort of bond with. The two seemed to be friendly enough with each other when they crossed paths, comparably to the rest of the kaiju, of course. He and Rodan never seemed to get on well," the King of the Monsters explained.
"So it's settled then. We shall pay Burnt Oak a visit tomorrow and see if he still wishes to take Gojira under his jurisdiction..."
-Oak Woodworking, Ponyville-
Burnt Oak hummed softly to himself as a kindly smile crossed his muzzle, a carving tool in his hoof as he chipped away at the small block of wood that he held in the other. Business had slowed for the weekend, and this was only logical, given that it was a Sunday, so the earth pony had managed to find time to work on a small carving. Lifting the carving with a satisfied smile, Oak turned it in his hoof and gave a soft sigh. Sure, life had been chaotic in recent years and his materials were needed now more than ever, but that also meant he needed additional hooves to help around the shop and transport supplies. Alas though, nopony was applying for his small wood shop, which meant he was having to fill orders and transport things himself, or look to the goodwill of other ponies for the same goal.
Today though, that would all change, and just as he leaned over to pick up a guitar, a tall figure paused at the open entrance to his shop, tailed by an even taller, albeit more robust form. It was early in the morning, so it made sense, to a degree, that Princess Luna had not yet taken to her bedding as she walked into the open shop. Standing in the background was a behemoth of a Lunar Guard. "Sir Oak," Princess Luna greeted, stepping into the shop.
On cue, the earth pony coughed and reeled his hoof away from the guitar, eyes snapping wide as he stumbled forward. In his haste to not keep Luna waiting, the stallion nearly tripped over a pile of old, sawdust-covered chopped ends of wood from other projects. "Oh, good grief, for the love of Faust!" he exclaimed upon clipping his hoof off of the metal stand of a piece of woodworking machinery with a clang, causing him much strife as he cursed to himself and gritted his teeth. Finally, and after much commotion, the earth pony approached Luna and bowed before her, removing his cowpony hat as he paid his respects.
"Sir Oak," Luna started, a brief chuckle touching her lips at the display. "I would like to speak with you regarding last night. I had neglected my duties and your time was not taken into account as a result of this. You have my apologies," she stated as Burnt Oak rose back to his hooves and returned his hat to its place on his head.
"Yer Majesty, you have nothing to apologize for. We all find ourselves in a bit of trouble here and there," the stallion replied with a kind smile before his gaze trailed over her shoulder to the stallion who stood beside a tall lunar guard. He recognized the behemoth from the night prior and was glad that his request had been taken into account. "Now what's this, Ma'am?" he chuckled.
"Sir Oak, this is Gojira of Terra and his cohort, the King of the Monsters. I presume you've heard about the latter, but the former only just arrived here in our land and is in need of work... If I'm not mistaken, you stated last night that you needed a strong set of hooves to aid you, and so I have granted thee a strong set of hooves," she exclaimed as the elderly-looking stallion stepped up beside her, towering over Burnt Oak.
Burnt Oak whistled and gave a chuckle as he took a step back.
Godzilla, who had been hanging back just outside the shop, heard this whistle and gave a small laugh whilst shaking his head. Even after seven years, the locals never ceased to be amazed by the stature of the kaiju.
"Well howdy there, Mister Gojira. Welcome to Oak Woodworking, it's a pleasure to meet ya!" Burnt Oak greeted with a "You , tipping his hat to the Alpha Titan.
Gojira looked down at the stallion and raised a brow by a hair, the change in his expression subtle, but noticeable. He was... surprised... by the lack of fear on Oak's part. Giving Oak a nod, he finally spoke, electing to respond in a manner that did not make apparent his disdain for whatever situation this was. "Likewise..." he grunted, not oblivious to the quiet sigh of relief that came from Luna's end as Burnt Oak smiled.
Alright, ya big lumbering fool, let's not cause any more trouble, Godzilla Junior thought to himself. If not for the circumstances that had resulted in this, the stallion may have found himself chuckling at the idea of a juggernaut of a titan like Gojira winding up in Equestria... Clearing his throat, Godzilla called out to The Ancient. "Hey, Gojira... Learn to live a little. Relax and take it all in. We're here now, whether you like it or not."
The massive stallion looked over at Godzilla and grunted, his expression all but impossible to read. The age in his eyes spoke volumes though as he turned back to Burnt Oak, who was holding out a bandana to the stallion. "Welcome to Oak Woodworking, Big Guy."
"I will send somepony to see what kind of progress you have made by the end of the week, Gojira. You are being graced with this opportunity, so I urge you, don't waste it. Equestria is a place of second chances, so whatever quarrel you may have with your cohorts... It dies here," Princess Luna spoke up, her expression firm.
As she spoke, Burnt Oak stood up on his hind hooves to help tie the bandana around Gojira's neck. At first, the stallion was apprehensive, pulling his head back and resisting the urge to growl at the earth pony in retaliation. Biting his tongue, though, the kirin looked down as Burnt Oak stepped back with a satisfied smile. "Don't worry, Princess. I'll keep him busy," he smiled, casting Luna a nod.