//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Quite the First Day // Story: Beasts from Within // by ThatOneOtherGuy //------------------------------// The sun had slowly begun to set when the three brothers had left Canterlot. Rodan flapped his wings as he flew through the air, making large sweeping movements as he flew high into the clouds before plummeting back down. His wide array of movement helped convey his excitement. The chariot that his brothers and Caesar were in managed to keep pace with him, but wasn’t nearly as sporadic. “YAA-WHOO”, he yelled as raced across the sky. At one point he managed to do a full loop in the air and flew to the back of the chariot. His speed was so extreme that it created a large gust of wind when he flew by the chariot, which caused the armored pegasuses to stumble in the air causing the chariot to shake violently. Gojira, Anguirus, and Caesar had to hold on to the sides to keep themselves and the chariot level. “Stop flying so fast! You’ll cause the chariot to tip”, yelled Gojira. Rodan flew back around and right over top of the chariot before stopping. “Oh come on, I’m just having some fun”, exclaimed Rodan as he flew upside down in front of his brother’s face. “I know that might be hard for you to understand.” Rodan laughed at his joke, but Gojira didn’t reciprocate the same feeling. He gave him a glare and let out a growl before waving his hoof in his face which Rodan avoided. He then flipped over and flew back into the air, leaving a very annoyed Gojira behind. “Sweet Celestia, he can be such a pain at times”, he groaned which caused his brother to laugh. “He’s just excited, so am I”, said Anguirus as he imagined the house they would be living in. “I know, but if he keeps flying like that then this thing is going to tip and no one is going to Ponyville”, said Gojira. Anguirus waved his hoof in disagreement. “Ehh, I don’t think that’ll happen”, he said. As he said that, however, Rodan flew overhead once more, flying sideways right in between the two’s conversation, nearly hitting them. Gojira gave Anguirus a deadpan look. “Ok, maybe he should be a bit more careful.” “That’s true”, said Caesar. He then looked at the pegasuses pulling the chariot to make sure they weren’t looking at them. He then signaled for the two brothers to come closer. “Although, don’t be surprised if he does more of that. He needs to adjust his body to handle his kaiju spirit, something you two should also do when we get to Ponyville. That’s why your residence is near the outskirts of the town and close to the forest, it should give you plenty of space to improve your bodies.” Both Gojira and Anguirus understood, though Anguirus was more anxious than his brother. Rodan soon flew back towards and landed on the chariot a bit roughly causing it to shake. “Sorry, perhaps I need more work on my landing skills”, said Rodan with a cheeky smile. “That’s one thing”, joked Anguirus. “Are you trying to make us crash, cause you’re doing one hay of a job”, said Gojira with annoyance. Rodan rubbed the back of his head as a bead of sweat fell from the side of his face. “Sorry bro, but when you’re made to fly, you kind of do it by instinct”, said Rodan. Gojira let out a sigh. “That’s fine, just wait until we get to Ponyville to start doing a happy dance”, said Gojira. “Funny you should say that”, said Caesar as he stood at the front of the chariot. He gestured to where he was looking, causing the three brothers to look too. The clouds that they flew through started to become thinner allowing them to see better and soon a town came into view being surrounded by a large forest and mountains. Its circumference was fairly large with several wooden buildings and huts making up most of the space with a tower at the center representing the town hall. Consisting of a school, a library in the shape of a tree, several cozy-looking cottages, a windmill, and near the outskirts was a red barn that connected to a large acre of trees and farmland. Along with the setting sun, the town seemed so inviting to anyone that wanted to visit or even live there. There was no doubt in any of their minds, they had finally arrived at Ponyville. “I believe we’ve arrived at our destination”, said Caesar. The three brothers all wore expressions of awe and wonder. They had heard of Ponyville a couple of times, but similar to Canterlot, had never seen it in the flash. And also similar to Canterlot, it did not disappoint. “It looks fantastic!”, exclaimed Rodan as his wings shot upwards. “It beats that old, run-down, crap house that we used to live in by a thousand.” “Yeah, it’s a lot bigger than I anticipated”, said Gojira with some apprehension. “You can say that again”, said Anguirus as the chariot flew overhead of the town. He took notice of the number of ponies, pegasus, and unicorns that made up Ponyville. “It also has quite a large population.” Caesar nodded. “Well of course, it is a very famous tourist destination after all. Especially for today”, he said. Both Gojira and Anguirus shared similar looks. They both knew Ponyville was going to be large but they severely underestimated how large. As a result, they were feeling fairly overwhelmed, especially Gojira. He knew how important it was that they keep the spirits hidden from the public, but it was easier when they lived in small villages, rather than large communities like Ponyville. Many pegasus were flying in the air and noticed the chariot, they each gave surprised looks and moved out of the path of the chariot. They were both stunned at the chariot and what it was carrying. Rodan didn’t mind the attention, Anguirus more than noticed, and Gojira just tried to not look at them. Soon the chariot landed at the entrance of Ponyville and came to a stop, allowing the three brothers and Caesar to step off. They grabbed their satchels from the luggage compartment at the back, Rodan put on a pair of sunglasses, and when they had everything the chariot took off back to Canterlot. When it was several hundreds of feet in the air, the group looked toward the small bridge that separated them from their new home. “Well, this is it”, said Gojira as he forced a smile. “Yep, a brand new town, brand new neighbors, brand new community, and brand new life”, said Anguirus. He could see several other ponies going about their lives with not a care in the world, it made it seem so great. He then looked at Caesar. “Why did you stay?” “Well to stay for the celebration of course”, said Caesar. “That and to also escort you three to your house, just to make sure you three don’t get into any trouble.” Gojira rolled his eyes. “I don't think that'll be necessary. We’re grown stallions now, I believe we can do something as simple as walk”, he said. “That won’t be smart, the streets of Ponyville are going to be packed because of the celebration, so I’ll tag along with you three just to be safe. Also, I know where your residence is so I’ll show you where to go”, said Caesar. It seemed like a logical reason, but it felt more like an excuse to Gojira. ‘More like you don’t trust us enough’, he thought to himself. “Ok, sure, you can join us and show where we live, but can we talk more until after we're actually in Ponyville? I don't know about any of you, but that bridge seems mighty tempting”, said Rodan as he motioned for his brothers to follow him over the bridge. “Come on bros.” He trotted over the bridge along with Anguirus as he followed closely behind. Caesar smiled as he too walked over the bridge. Gojira looked at the bridge and slowly walked up to it until he was a single hoof step away from it. He looked at the town that it connected to. The several buildings and ponies that inhabited them, the lushest scenery that looked out of a painting, and the sheer amount of positivity he felt would uplift anyone. And yet, he was more nervous than ever before, even more so than when they were at Canterlot. Meeting Celestia was a major high point in their lives, but this would be the start of their lives. One where if they, or even he, were to make a single mistake, the loop they had been trapped in for several years would start again. He hated that thought and wished he could wipe it from his memory. And soon, it did. His emblem flashed bright blue and his mind slowly started to calm itself down as it had some assistance. ‘Whenever you feel the slightest bit anxious, you immediately think of the worst possible outcome, why is that?’ Gojira let out a deep sigh. “I don’t think of this stuff on my own”, said Gojira quietly. “I still haven’t forgotten what you told me before we left for Canterlot.” His spirit was silent for a moment until. ‘I wasn’t wrong, but that doesn’t apply to only you. Your brothers still haven’t fully adapted to their spirits and they’re dealing with a similar fear that you are.’ “No they aren’t, Rodan was literally flying circles because of his excitement”, retorted Gojira. ‘You hide your fears, who’s saying they aren’t.’ Gojira stayed silent as his face dropped. If there was one thing his spirit was, it was honest. “Gojira?” He looked back up to see Anguirus standing on the bridge in front of him. “Are you alright, you’ve been standing there for a while”, said Anguirus. ‘Show them they have nothing to fear. Your father would’ve done the same.’ Gojira was silent until he took in a deep breath and let it out. He took one step forward, then another, and another. He walked across the bridge and approached Anguirus with a smile. “Never better, now come on before Rodan’s head explodes or something like that”, he joked as he gave his brother a playful bump on the shoulder, causing him to smile. They both crossed the bridge and entered Ponyville, a new life awaited them. The group walked through the bustling streets of Ponyville. With the sun slowly disappearing behind the mountains, several ponies, pegasus, and unicorns were out getting ready for the special event by setting up decorations or cleaning their homes and shops for the princess’s arrival. It was a busy community to say the least. Caesar led them through the crowd with not much effort as many ponies moved out of their way when they saw his golden armor and who was behind him. Rodan was constantly looking throughout the town not just at all the different shops and restaurants, but also hoping to see a certain someone. Despite him wearing sunglasses and the sky becoming darker, he could see almost perfectly. Anguirus and Gojira couldn’t help but snicker as they saw him. “Are you looking for somepony, Rodey”, teased Gojira. Rodan rolled his eyes in a playful way. “What do you think”, he said. “We know, we know”, said Anguirus. “You’re obviously looking for Li-…” Rodan quickly covered his mouth and made a shushing sound. He looked towards Caesar, he didn’t seem to notice. “Don’t say her name when he’s around”, whispered Rodan as he pointed at Caesar with his wing. Anguirus pushed his hoof away from his face. “You could’ve just told me”, he said. “Rodan, you still haven’t told him”, asked Gojira, Rodan let out a sigh and shook his head. “No, I haven’t, but I promise I will”, he reassured, only to be met with a deadpan look from Gojira. “You mean like how you did the last time you told us that”, said Gojira. Rodan’s wings slightly lowered. “I know, the problem is that there’s never been a good time with us moving and everything”, he said. “Also, if I were to tell him about Lisa, she may find out about the whole…you know.” He gestured to the emblem on his hind leg. Gojira and Anguirus both looked at each other and then back at Rodan. “You don’t want to lose her, right”, asked Anguirus, receiving a nod from his brother. “I would hate for that to happen”, replied Rodan with his head facing down. Gojira looked at his brother. Although Rodan’s sunglasses covered his eyes, they were obviously downcasted. He remembered what his spirit had said and slowly approached him. “I suppose you should probably wait to tell Caesar until he’s more comfortable with us living with our spirits, or at least until you’ve learned to control yours”, he said. “And how long will that take”, asked Rodan. Gojira thought about it. “I don’t know, but that time will come someday in the future. And why look towards there when we’re still living in the present”, he said. Rodan thought about what his brother said. He lifted his head and was met with a smile from Gojira. He responded by putting his hoof around his brother, before pulling his head down and giving him a nuggy by rubbing his hoof roughly against Gojira’s scalp. “I have no idea what that means”, he said before letting go of his brother’s head. “But I still appreciate it.” Gojira rubbed his head while Anguirus was laughing his behind off, receiving a glare from Gojira causing him to look away. “Heh, sorry bro, you know I can’t miss an opportunity to tease you”, joked Rodan. Gojira rolled his eyes. They then heard someone clear their throat, catching their attention. “I believe we should continue walking before the streets get anymore packed”, said Caesar with a stern expression. “Sure thing, Caesar. Just having a good chat, that’s all”, said Rodan as put both of his hooves around his brother's heads. “You can save good chats for later, or at least until you get to your new home”, said Caesar as he started walking. The brothers started to follow him, but only managed to take a few steps until a streak of pink went racing in front of them, causing them to stop in their tracks. “What the hay was that!”, exclaimed Anguirus. As soon as he said that, the same streak of pink seemingly played in reverse as the one who caused it stood in front of them. She was a bright pink pony with a very fluffy, hot pink mane. Her cutie mark depicted three party balloons of different colors. But easily the most glaring aspect about her was her large blue eyes that accommodated her wide agape jaw that appeared to be dumbfounded. The three brothers looked at each other with confusion and even concern. “Umm…hello”, asked Gojira. As soon as he said that, the pink pony started laughing and grabbed Gojira by the neck, bringing him in for a hug. Even despite his large build, Gojira was caught off guard by the surprising strength of this mare. Both Rodan and Anguirus were even taken aback by this. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!”, she exclaimed before letting go of Gojira, allowing him to breathe. With the same speed she showed before, she raced over to Anguirus and wrapped him in a hug. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!”, she exclaimed again. Her voice was so incredibly high-pitched, fast-paced, and hyper-positive that Anguirus wondered if he was being hugged by a mare or a young filly that had just devoured the world’s largest candy store. She then zoomed at Rodan and he too was wrapped into a tight embrace. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!” Her voice didn’t falter for a second. The amount of energy and happiness that radiated from her was almost unbelievable. Rodan felt that if she were to hug him for any longer, his teeth would’ve rotten from the large amount of sweetness he felt. She soon let go of him and zoomed back to the front of the group. “I’ve never seen you three around here in Ponyville”, said Pinkie before letting out a gasp. “You must be new. Which means you three are all welcomed to my ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party! There’s gonna be balloons, cake, sweets, streamers, music, dancing…”, Pinkie continued to name a bunch of stuff that would be at her party. All the while the three brothers looked completely dumbfounded and didn’t know how to react. Finally, Gojira spoke up. “L-listen, Pinkie, right”, asked Gojira. She replied by nodding her head cartoonishly. “Look, we’re a bit busy right now, we just got here, so I don’t think any of us are ready for a party right now.” “Don’t worry, it’s later tonight at the Golden Oaks Library, it says it on your invitations”, she said. The three brothers looked confused. “What invitations”, asked Anguirus. “The ones I gave you, silly”, said Pinkie. Almost like magic, Rodan felt something on the back of his neck and found a bright blue envelope with a pink balloon sticker holding it close. He was absolutely astonished. So was Anguirus, who reached behind him and found one as well. Gojira did the same and found the same cotton candy blue envelope. “H-how did you…?” “Hope you can make it! We’ll be playing all kinds of games like pin the tail on the donkey, oh and also charades, and we’re gonna eat all kinds of sweets and…”, Pinkie then started to stamp her hooves into the ground before throwing them in the air. “It’s gonna be the best welcome party ever! I’m making it extra special with that one unicorn that just moved here.”All three of the brothers didn’t give much attention to what Pinkie was saying as they were still hung up on how they even received these gifts invites. ‘And I thought you could be pretty hyper.’ Rodan merely nodded. “Anyways, I’ll see you three later tonight, I’ve got a lot of fun party planning to do, see ya”, said Pinkie before racing away in the same pink streak that she appeared in, leaving the three brothers dumbfounded with incredulous looks. “Does anybody know what just happened”, asked Anguirus. His brothers shook their heads. Soon Caesar approached them. “Having a talk with some of the locals?”, he asked. He then noticed the confounded looks in each of the brothers. “What happened?” Gojira didn’t say anything while Rodan could only shrug. Anguirus then piped in. “I think we just got invited to a party”, he said as he showed Caesar his invitation. “Who gave you that?”, he asked. Anguirus didn’t really know. Gojira finally broke from his daze. “That’s not important, let’s just get to the house, and settle down before the celebration begins”, said Gojira. “Agreed, now come on, before anything else distracts you”, said Caesar before stepping to the side. “And just to make sure of it, you three will be in front of me.” With that, the three brothers walked ahead of Caesar who trailed behind them. ‘If that was how one pony acts in this town, then I would be more cautious of some of the other ponies. Who knows what other kinds of characters live here in Ponyville.’ Anguirus couldn’t help but agree. Caesar looked around, he saw a few ponies giving them curious, to surprised, to even concerned looks that he had hoped he wouldn’t see. He could only wish that they wouldn’t be common. As Caesar followed them, he felt something against the back of his neck. He reached his hoof back there and pulled out the same blue envelope Anguirus showed him. He looked around in confusion, doing a few full circles only to find nothing. He then looked at the envelope. “Welcome party, huh”, he said to himself. “Just what they needed.” With that, he trotted after the three brothers to show them where their new residence was. The sun had now fully set as the group walked through the streets. It slowly started to get less crowded as they were nearing the outskirts of the town. This made it easier to see where they were going, but it also made them stick out even more. They were receiving even more stares from other ponies, pegasus, and unicorns, Although Gojira and Rodan managed to ignore them, Anguirus couldn’t help but stare back at a few, which caused them to immediately look away and pretend they didn’t see them. At one point, he could’ve sworn that someone had glared at them. But this slowly fizzled out as they finally reached their destination. A two story wooden, concrete house with a hay roof, large glass windows, and large amounts of flora that was on the outskirts of town near the large forest. The three brothers looked at it with satisfaction. “You gotta admit, it does look nice”, said Gojira. “It looks awesome!”, exclaimed Rodan. “It’s ten thousand times better than the last few places we stayed at.” Anguirus nodded in agreement. “Yeah, though I wish it wasn’t so far out”, he said. “I know you do”, replied Caesar as he walked to the front door. “This place is closer to the wilderness so that way you can have a large amount of space to learn how to use your spirits.” Turning the handle, he opened the door to reveal the house’s interior. On the inside, the bottom story looked fairly nice, though it was a bit bare with a couch, some potted flowers, a fireplace, a bookshelf, a clock on the wall, and a staircase that led to the upper story. The walls and ceiling looked nice with noticeable wooden framing, ceiling lights, a nice bright red rug, and lemon painted walls. Caesar moved to the side, allowing the three brothers to be the first to walk and take in the inside of their new home. “It looks even better from the inside”, said Rodan. “Yeah, this room alone has more space than our last house”, said Anguirus. Gojira, meanwhile, went on to look at one of the other rooms in the house which depicted a kitchen and a table. The kitchen had what you would expect with a refrigerator, stove, sink, and plenty of counter space. To him, the most interesting part about the room was the wooden door that led to the backside of the house and presumably out to the forest that the house stood next to. Soon his brothers met up with him. “Look at this, an actual place where we can actually eat and cook”, Rodan said with enthusiasm. “Thank Celestia for that”, exclaimed Anguirus. “I don’t think I could’ve gone another day without substantial food.” He then turned to his brother. “What do you think l, Goji?” “It is very nice, though I’m more interested in the sleeping quarters upstairs”, he said. Rodan then stopped dead in his tracks before turning around. “I call dibs on the best one!”, he yelled out before trying to run upstairs. “What, no way”, exclaimed Anguirus as he pushed Rodan out of the path of the stairs. His push was a bit harder than he expected as it sent Rodan tumbling to the ground. Rodan was a bit stunned while Gojira was trying not to laugh. “Oh, you're gonna get it now”, said Rodan as he stood up and ran towards Anguirus, but was intercepted by Gojira. “Fellas, fellas, we’re adults now, we should be more reasonable than this”, said Gojira. “And besides”, he put both his front hooves around his brothers and leaned into their ears. “I’m closer to the stairs.” With that he pushed both of them out of the way and ran up, leaving both Rodan and Anguirus absolutely stunned. “You jerk! Get back here”, exclaimed Rodan as he chased his brother up the stairs, followed by Anguirus. Caesar watched as the three brothers messed around while also checking out the upstairs. It reminded him of when he first met them. Young colts with soft voices, messy manes and large amounts of stamina to where they could play for hours. And yet, despite them growing older, that stamina and love for each other never went away. They had lived with each other for several years and he had been there to look after them ever since…unfortunate events. Soon the three brothers came running down the stairs. “We each get our own rooms and beds”, said Rodan. “Thank Celestia cause I don’t think I could stand sharing another room with Anguirus”, he looked at his younger brother, “No offense.” “None taken”, he said. “I’m glad you three like it”, said Caesar. “From what I’ve been told, it’s one of the older buildings here in Ponyville.” “Well, that explains all the flora and plants”, said Anguirus as he looked at the surprising amounts of potted flowers. Some of them appeared to be wilting. “Though I wished we had some fresh ones.” ‘Say no more.’ Anguirus’ emblem flashed and his spirit, in a light brown mist, formed out of his mane and flowed to the wilting flowers. Its hands hovered over the flowers where it closed its eyes. A scaly pattern then started to form across its arm with a reminiscent light. Anguirus slightly tensed up and almost like magic, the flowers slowly started to regrow with their colors returning and the stem regaining its strength. The three brothers and Caesar didn’t seem shocked or surprised with what Anguirus’ spirit was doing, they seemed more impressed than anything else. “It still never gets old”, said Rodan. The spirit then retracted back into Anguirus’ mane before disappearing. His emblem flashed and he let out a sigh. “Whew, I know they do most of the work, but I’m the one that pays for it”, said Anguirus as he wiped some sweat from his forehead. “Which makes it important that you three train to not only control your spirits, but to also handle them”, said Caesar. “Abilities like those can drain your energy faster than you may think. Which is why you’re closer to the forest. The extra space should allow you to train with each other easier.” The three brothers looked at each other as if they had heard this same thing before. “We know Caesar, it was part of the reason we even came here”, said Rodan. “I’m aware of that, I just want to emphasize the importance of learning to live with your spirits”, said Caesar with a fairly strict tone. “They’ll be much more vital than you’ll realize.” The brothers looked at each other. They had been told about this supposed future for Equestria and the kaiju spirits would be needed to prevent it. They weren’t given much else information about it since either they weren’t aware or even Caesar didn’t know. But this future hadn’t affected their brotherhood, if anything it strengthened it. “Don’t worry, as long as we stay together, then we can take on a mountain”, said Rodan with confidence as he put his hoofs around his brother's necks. Caesar nodded in agreement. “That’s all that I want to hear”, he said. “Great, now wasn’t there a certain celebration that’s happening today”, asked Anguirus. Caesar’s red eyes widened in realization. “Sweet Celestia I almost forgot, the celebration is gonna start soon”, he said as he looked at the clock on the wall. “Leave your stuff in each of your rooms, don’t want to keep her majesty waiting.” The three brothers nodded as they each went up the stairs to each of their rooms. The rooms themselves were fairly sizable with a full sized bed, a closet, a desk with a light, and a window in one of the walls. The rooms weren’t massive, but for the brothers they were the perfect size for each of them. They put each of their satchels in their rooms and they, along with Caesar, left their new home. The group walked through town, heading to the town hall where the celebration was being held. There were also several other ponies that had formed into a large crowd that stood in front of a wooden stage which was built in front of the town hall. Once again, they received a few stares from ponies, but they either didn’t pay them any mind, or in the case of Anguirus, stared back only for them to look away. “Quite the crowd”, said Anguirus. “I know, it’s just the thing I wanted”, said Gojira with hints of sarcasm. “Remember you three, remain in a calm mental state. We don’t want anyone knowing about the spirits”, said Caesar. “Don’t worry, Caesar, we’ve dealt with stuff like this before”, said Rodan. “There’s just a few more ponies than normal, nothing that we can’t-” “Rodan?” He immediately froze when he heard a certain voice. Even Gojira and Anguirus’ eyes widened when they realized who had spoken up. He turned around and was met with a Pegasus with white skin color that had a light orange tint that also spread to her wings. Her mane and tail were orange in color and her eyes were bright blue with long eyelashes. She had a natural beauty to her that made her quite attractive. She and Rodan looked each other in the eyes, which for others was for a few seconds, but for them was several hours that passed as soon as they blinked. And when they did, Rodan ran up to her and embraced her in a hug, which she returned. “I can’t believe it’s you, Lisa”, said Rodan with exhilaration and glee as he hugged her. “I know, it’s felt like forever, Rodey”, said Lisa as she reciprocated his feelings. “I didn’t even know you were gonna be here.” “What do you think the whole point of a surprise is”, said Rodan as he ended their embrace. Lisa then looked over towards his brothers. “Hey Gojira, hey Anguirus”, she said as she approached them. “Looks like you guys haven’t changed a bit.” “Hehe, it’s nice to see you again, Lisa”, said Anguirus. “Though one of us missed you more than the others.” Lisa let out a small laugh. “Oh, is that so”, she said as she turned to face Rodan. Rodan’s wings flared up and a small blush appeared on his face. “W-Well, I mean, of course, a-after all, wouldn’t anypony miss a great friend like you”, he said as he gave his brother a glare. Lisa let out a laugh. “Don’t worry, I missed you three too”, said Lisa. The three brothers couldn’t help but smile, they were glad to be reunited with their friend. “Excuse me”, said Caesar as he approached Lisa. It was then when Rodan realized that he hadn’t told Caesar about a certain thing he’d been keeping from him. “Miss Lisa, is that correct?” “Yes, though my full name is Lisa Tulip”, said Lisa. Caesar stayed silent for a bit before looking toward Rodan who stood beside her. He gave Caesar a half baked smile. Gojira and Anguirus waited in anticipation to see what he would do. Caesar looked back at Lisa and gave her a smile. “I assume you’ve met these three before they came here, correct”, he asked. “Yes, we actually met a few months ago before I moved here to Ponyville”, said Lisa who was a bit confused as to why Rodan and his brothers were acting as they were. “And how have you been, living here in Ponyville”, asked Caesar as his smile remained constant. “Oh it’s been really nice”, replied Lisa. “Everypony here is very kind and supportive of each other. I even managed to obtain a job at Sugarcube Corner.” “How’s that”, asked Caesar. “It’s nice, the owners are very friendly, though one of their workers can be a bit of a hoof full”, said Lisa. “But she’s very nice and she can be a joy to work with for the most part, so I don’t mind.” The brothers looked at each other with puzzled looks. They didn’t know what to say in fear that Caesar would find out about Rodan’s secret. Caesar then looked at the three brothers. First Gojira and Anguirus, then at Rodan before looking back at Lisa. “I must say Miss Tulip, I believe I speak for us all when I say”, Caesar then bowed his head and moved his hoof over his chest. “It’s a pleasure seeing you again.” Lisa smiled and returned the courtesy. The three brothers, especially Rodan, let out a sigh of relief. Caesar had met Lisa before, around the same time the brothers had met her. However, he would never, or at least very rarely, have full conversations with her since she didn’t stay in their old village for very long before moving to Ponyville. What especially made this strange were what they were talking about. But seeing how Caesar didn’t seem to think of anything suspicious, their fears weren’t dashed but definitely weakened. “Thank you, Caesar”, said Lisa. Caesar stood back up and turned to the stage. When he did, Lisa turned to face Rodan. “I'm guessing you missed me the most”, she asked. Rodan formed a small blush on his face. He could barely look her in the eyes as he slightly nodded his head. His flustered state ended when he heard Lisa let out a soft giggle which was followed with a smile and a hint of a blush of her own. “I thought so because”, she said as she lifted Rodan’s head to face her. “I missed you too.” Rodan’s smile finally returned. Just then, trumpets started to blare as the sun began to set in the background. The crowd of ponies, pegasus, and unicorns all began to stomp their hooves in the ground to stimulate clapping. A few birds were perched atop a wooden stand where they began to tweet and whistle to a beat that was being conducted by a yellow pegasus. She had a butter yellow skin color that spread to her wings. She had a long smooth mane that was a bright pink color which was the same on her tail. She had a cutie mark on her hind leg that depicted a few butterflies of different colors. Her cyan eyes managed to stay composed as she conducted the birds to stay in rhythm with the trumpets. When the birds and trumpets finished playing, a dark beige colored mare walked on to the stage and approached a stand that was built into it. Her mane and tail were light gray while her eyes were dark blue. She wore a white color around her neck with a teal bushy feather sticking out from it. She adjusted her glasses as she cleared her throat, catching the attention of everyone. “Fillies and gentle colts”, she said loudly. “As mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun celebration!” Several ponies cheered and clapped as the mayor continued her speech. “In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise and celebrate the longest day of the year.” Several ponies waited in anticipation as they knew what was soon to come next. Little did they know, what they had been waiting for was not something they would expect. For at least everypony, except one. ‘Gojira…Gojira!’ Gojira sighed as the mayor continued to speak. “And now, it is my great honor-” ‘Gojira!’ He let out a groan. “What! What is so important? Celestia is soon gonna be here”, Gojira whispered. “-to introduce the ruler of our land-” ‘Something isn’t right. I can sense it.’ Gojira then looked both confused and concerned. “Wait, what? What do you mean, what’s wrong?” “-the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day-” ‘Someone is here.’ “Who is”, asked Gojira, catching the attention of Caesar. “-the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria-” “Gojira, is there something wrong”, asked Caesar before the mayor finished her speech. “-Princess Celestia!” The trumpets blared, the birds began to sing, and the curtains were pulled wide open by a white unicorn with an indigo mane. The crowd watched in excitement and awe when they were met with…nothing. Everyone gasped and shared looks of shock, confusion, and even fear. The three brothers, Caesar, and Lisa shared similar expressions, though Caesar seemed to be the most concerned out of them all. So was Gojira as he tried to get back into contact with his spirit. “Alpha, what the hay happened”, he said a bit louder than normal. “She’s gone”, said the mare on the stage as she looked behind the curtain. The crowd started to become more and more anxious when they heard that. “Please, everypony, remain calm”, said the mayor as she tried to defuse the situation. As the commotion continued, a large amount of wind slowly began to flow through the air before it started to increase in strength and speed. Now several members of the crowd started to scream and freak out as the wind picked up. Several pegasus that had been flying were forced to land on the ground in fear that they would be blown away along with the several leaves, sticks, and even trees. Lisa held on to Rodan, Anguirus and Caesar were trying their hardest to combat the wind, and Gojira was given an unnerving answer to his question. ‘The legend was true.’ Just then, Gojira saw a purple, sparkling mist flow through the wind. More mist started to appear as now several ponies noticed and started to run away. The mist flowed toward the stage, forcing the mayor and the white unicorn to jump off as soon the whole stage was enveloped in the mist. The mist then formed into a miniature twister as it picked up in speed. Several ponies who were close to the stage started to back away as the mist began to disappear, slowly revealing what looked to be a unicorn. However, when the mist had fully diminished, it revealed that this wasn’t a unicorn, the large pair of wings confirmed it. The alicorn stood at a similar height to Celestia, though she was closer to Gojira’s height. Her skin and wings were almost completely black, causing her to almost blend perfectly in with shadows or even the night sky. The purple mist they saw earlier had formed into her mane and tail which was flowing in a similar pattern to when they first saw it. She wore purple armor on her chest and hooves and a helmet on her head with an opening for her ears and her black horn which was more than a foot in length. Her eyes were a saturated teal color with thin black irises that seemed to be filled with malicious joy. Her maw revealed a pair of fangs that appeared to be in a toothy grin as she let out a laugh. Gojira along with his brothers, Caesar, and Lisa starred in awe and shock, and in the case of Caesar, fear. “Oh, it has been so long since I’ve seen your precious, little, sun loving faces, my beloved subjects”, exclaimed the alicorn as she continued to laugh. “Who is that?”, whispered Anguirus. “What did you do to our princess?”, cried out one of the pegasus. She had a rainbow mane and tail with a cyan body color. She tried flying at her but an orange pony with a blonde mane and farmers hat managed to hold her back. The alicorn merely chuckled. “What? Am I not royal for you? Don’t you know who I am”, she asked the crowd, but no one wanted to give her an answer. She then turned towards the yellow pegasus that conducted the birds from earlier. “Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years”, she demanded as she moved closer to the pegasus who shrank back out of fear. The closer Caesar looked at the alicorn, the more he wanted to look away. She mentioned how she had been imprisoned for a thousand years, her appearance, her voice, the fact she was royalty, the fact she was an alicorn. Caesar realized who she was. “T-The mare…in the moon”, he whispered. The alicorn’s ear twitched as she looked toward the crowd, laying eyes on Caesar. She then smiled. “That’s right”, she said before vanishing into her purple mist. She reappeared in front of Caesar. “At least you’ve heard of the legend.” Her reappearance caused the crowd to back away as none of them wanted to be close to her. “Now, does anypony else know the legend? Have none of you seen the signs”, she demanded as she called out to the crowd. No one spoke up, more so out of fear. That is, apart from one. “I did”, shouted someone from the crowd. “And I know who you are, mare in the moon. Or should I say, Nightmare Moon.” Everyone, even Nightmare Moon, turned their attention to who had spoken up. For most they didn’t recognize the purple unicorn with a violet mane, for others, they were astounded that Twilight decided to step forward with an answer, including Gojira. ‘What is she doing, she’ll get herself killed’, he thought. “Well, well, well, looks like somepony truly knows who I am”, said Nightmare Moon as she disappeared again and reappeared in front of Twilight with a cocky grin. “Then you also must know why I’m here”, she said as she leaned into her face. “You’re here to…to”, Twilight couldn’t finish her sentence. It was as if all of Ponyville was staring at her with fear and concern in their eyes. Her confidence dwindled the closer Nightmare Moon came. She knew what Nightmare Moon had planned and it wasn’t a future that many ponies would want to hear. Before she could finish her sentence, a streak of light magic was aimed at the back of Nightmare Moon’s head, but her helmet managed to deflect it leaving nothing but a small trail of smoke. Her pupils went even thinner as she turned to face who had attempted to shoot her. It was there she laid eyes on Caesar whose horn was ignited in a yellow glow. The three brothers looked at him as if he had shot at the devil itself. “What did you do to Celestia!? As part of the royal guard, I demand you answer me!”, he yelled out. Nightmare Moon barely seemed fazed as she slowly approached Caesar. “Ohh, looks like the knight in shining armor has lost his princess”, she said as she continued to approach Caesar. “I’ll give you a hint, member of the royal guard”, she leaned into Caesar’s ear, “we all get a little homesick.” Caesar looked at her with confusion but refused to let his glare falter. Nightmare Moon pulled back in an instant and started to laugh before filling the air with her voice. “Remember this day, my little ponies. From this moment forth, the night will last…FOREVER!” She started to laugh maniacally as the wind picked up once again. Her mane started to form a twister around her, blocking her out from the public eye. The mist then started to flow away in the wind, revealing Nightmare Moon to have disappeared. It flowed into a ball shape before glowing a bright dark purple and rocketing in the direction of the forest, completely out of sight of anyone, leaving little to nothing other than her laughter which slowly faded until it was a mere echo. As the wind died down, several ponies from the crowd were terrified from what they had just witnessed. Caesar looked in the direction of where Nightmare Moon was last seen. He cursed himself for not being there with Celestia when Nightmare Moon had attacked. He heard stomping as Gojira approached him. “What the hay were you thinking!”, yelled Gojira, receiving no answer from Caesar. “Do you have any idea what she could’ve done to you?!” He still got no answer as Caesar continued to stare at the forest. Gojira became more agitated the more he stared at him. He turned back toward his brothers who were looking around the crowd. “Night, forever?”, asked Anguirus. “I always thought that Celestia was the only Alicorn in Equestria”, said Rodan. “And if that bitch is on a similar scale to her, then who the hay knows what she’s capable of.” “There’s gotta be something that can be done”, said Lisa as she turned to face Gojira. “What did she say to Caesar, that has to be something important.” Gojira, though still a bit steamed from Caesar, took in a breather before turning to face him. “Let’s just hope whatever she said can be use-”, his sentence was cut short when he turned to see that there was no Caesar to talk to. “What the!?” His brothers and Lisa looked at him as they were also confused and surprised at Caesar’s disappearance. “Where did he go”, asked Rodan. “Weren’t you just talking with him”, he asked his older brother. “I-I did, I asked him why he tried to shoot Nightmare Moon, but he seemed more focused with-”, Gojira’s sentence trailed off as he turned to where Caesar had last been looking, the forest that Nightmare Moon had flown towards. His brothers followed his gaze, looking just as befuddled as he was. “He didn’t”, denied Rodan, but a trail of hoof prints proved him otherwise. “He did.” “What does he think he’s gonna do”, asked Anguirus. “His magic couldn’t even scratch Nightmare Moon, why did he go after her by himself?” ‘He’s part of the royal guard, and as a member, it’s his duty to protect the princess and Equestria as a whole.’ Anguirus still looked confused. “But we don’t even know what she’s capable of”, he said to his spirit, catching the attention of Lisa who looked at him with confusion. ‘He probably knows that, but wherever Nightmare Moon goes, Celestia is probably there with her.’ “I’m going after him”, said Gojira as he started to walk forward, only to be stopped by his winged brother. “Whoa, whoa, whoa”, said Rodan. “What, you think going by yourself to fight a goddess is a good idea? Because if that’s the case, then count us in.” He struck a confident pose with his wings flared up. “No way, I’m not putting you two in danger because of Caesar’s dumb actions”, said Gojira as he tried walking past his brother, but was blocked by him. “Goji, we’re not your average pegasus or stallion, we can handle ourselves”, said Rodan. “No, you two aren’t ready”, replied Gojira, trying to get past Rodan. He then felt a hoof on his shoulder, causing him to pause. “Gojira”, he turned his attention towards his youngest brother. “This is our first day moving to a brand town and it might just be our last day. But, we’ve been through so much together, even when we were mere colts, and yet we’ve always managed to come out on top. And if there’s a chance to end this and take down Nightmare Moon. Then,as the old saying goes, three heads are better than one.” Gojira looked at both his younger brothers. He hated the idea of putting them in danger. If they did find Nightmare Moon, the number of things she could possibly do to them was frightening. But even he knew that they had a point. He let out a heavy sigh before looking at both of them. “Alright fine, you got me”, he said, admitting defeat. “Now let’s quickly get going. The longer we wait out here, the longer the night goes on.” With confident eyes and nods, the three brothers ran toward the forest, not before Rodan quickly ran back to Lisa. “Stay here, we’ll be back before you know it”, said Rodan as he gave her a quick hug before running back towards his brother. “I will”, said Lisa, though her next line went completely unheard by anyone. “Please be careful.” The forest was dense as the three brothers trotted through it. Gojira and Anguirus looked around, sniffing the air, hoping to get some kind of scent of Caesar. Gojira looked around, all he saw were trees, shrubbery, vines, plants, and above all else, darkness. Similar to Ponyville, he had severely underestimated the size of the forest. The variety of smells he sensed from flowers to tree sap was conflicting with his enhanced sense of smell, making it almost impossible to get some kind of trace of Caesar. He looked toward his brother. “I’m not getting anything, how about you?”, asked Gojira. Anguirus turned to him and shook his head. “Nothing, I’m still not used to my enhanced senses, so I can’t get a clear track of where Caesar is”, said Anguirus. “It’s not that, this forest is…weird”, said Gojira as struggled to find a better word. “It’s much bigger than I thought it would be. Let’s hope Rodan managed to find something at least.” “He did”, yelled Rodan as he flew down to his brother. “But it’s not what I expected.” “What do you mean”, asked Anguirus. Rodan gestured for them to follow him. He pushed past some bushes before pointing at what he found. What he saw was a large winged beast that the others couldn’t believe what they were looking at. The creature resembled a lion with dark red hair. It had bat-like wings and its tail was that of a scorpion. The creature hadn’t noticed them as it was drinking out of a small pond, but it was clear as day to the three brothers what they were looking at. “Is that a manticore”, whispered Anguirus. “I thought they lived in the mountains or something like that, not large forests like this”, replied Rodan. “Whatever it’s doing out here, it hasn’t noticed us, and I would like to keep it that way”, whispered Gojira as he signaled for his siblings to follow him. They only took a few steps when they heard something. The noise sounded like someone was talking, in fact it sounded like several voices talking at once. They looked at each other with confusion and disbelief, but they weren’t the only ones that heard it. The manticore’s ear twitched as it looked in the direction of where the noise was coming from. The brothers walked back to where they saw the manticore, and it was gone. “Rodan, fly up to see who the hay is attracting it”, whispered Gojira to his brother. Rodan flapped his wings and flew into the air. When he was just above some of the trees, his emblem flashed red and his eyesight nearly tripled in strength. This allowed him to see what pony was making the sound, or rather ponies. What he saw made him dumbfounded. “You have got to be kidding me”, he said to himself. He flew back down to his brothers. “What did you see?”, asked Anguirus. Rodan turned to face Gojira. “So, remember that purple unicorn you talked to at Canterlot and spoke at Nightmare Moon”, asked Rodan. Gojira looked confused. “Yes, but why does that-”, his voice trailed off and he turned toward the direction the manticore was walking in. “Oh hay.” He slowly walked from behind the shrub, followed by his brothers. They crept behind the manticore, but kept a safe distance from it. They looked at where it was facing and saw a group of six ponies including Twilight and a few other mares that they saw earlier such as the yellow pegasus with a light pink mane, the white unicorn with the purple mane, and the incredibly hyper-positive, pink pony that they ran into. None of the three brothers were expecting them to be here, let alone anypony out in the middle of this forest. But that shock turned into stress as the manticore raised its hind legs and its tail started to wag. It was a sign that Gojira and his brothers knew. “Shit, it’s gonna pounce”, whispered Anguirus. “Not if we pounce first”, replied Gojira. “Rodan, you distract it from the sky while I’ll keep it busy on the ground.” Rodan nodded his head as he flared his wings. “Anguirus, keep those mares away from this thing, a creature of this size is not meant to be taken lightly.” Anguirus also nodded before copying his brother’s position. The three slowly approached the beast from behind. When they were a few feet away from it, Gojira motioned for them to stop. He then kicked a nearby stone which caught the attention of the manticore. This brief moment of vulnerability was a moment plenty. “Now!”, cried Gojira. Rodan took to the air while Gojira and Anguirus charged forward. Gojira’s emblem flashed before certain parts of his body, his head and forelimbs, formed several scales and caused his pupils to turn into thin slits. The manticore turned when it heard the yell, only to be met with a hard ram in the side by Gojira, causing it to stumble and nearly collapse. He jumped onto the creature and managed to keep a steady grip even as it started to thrash and roar. The jerky movement caused the manticore to crash through the trees that it stalked behind, revealing itself to the mares that just a few seconds earlier were in its parenthinal vision. Some of them screamed as they moved clear of it. “What in tarnation!”, yelled an orange pony with a blond mane and tail, a farmer’s hat, and freckles cheeks. “It’s a manticore”, cried Twilight. “We have to get past it.” The beast continued to thrash as it roared and flapped its wings. In doing so, it showed Gojira to the mares, causing them to gasp. “There’s a stallion on that thing”, exclaimed the white unicorn. “He’ll get himself killed.” “Not on my watch”, said a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane as she flapped her wings and was about to fly toward Gojira before being stopped by Anguirus. “No, stand back, no one else is getting involved”, he said as he stood in front of the pegasus. “Are you crazy?”, she replied. “Somepony is fighting that thing alone and you want us to stay behind and watch him struggle.” Anguirus shook his head. “He’s not alone.” With that said, Rodan came swooping down from the sky toward the manticore. He grabbed hold of the creature’s tail when it tried to stab Gojira with it. This ended badly for him however, when the manticore flung its tail toward and as a result, it did the same to Rodan who crashed into his brother’s back, making him lose his grip and the two landed in some shrubbery. With the pair off it, the manticore turned its attention back toward Anguirus and the mares before letting out a roar. “Gain way”, yelled Anguirus as he and the mares ran out of the path of the manticore. He turned his head to see the beast approaching the yellow pegasus who looked to be absolutely horrified. “Look out”, he cried as he ran toward her and shoved the yellow pegasus out of the path of the manticore, just in time. The beast stopped in its tracks and was about to turn to face the two, but a vine in the shape of a lasso wrapped around its tail causing it to get distracted. The vine came from the orange mare as she pulled with all her might. The manticore slightly stumbled at first before it flicked its tail forward, pulling the vine and the mare onto its back. Instead of falling off, however, the mare managed to stay on the creature as she started to ride it like some kind of rodeo. “Yee-haw”, she cried as the creature threw its body around. However, her grip wasn’t as strong as Gojiras, and so after a few seconds, was thrown off the beast, but was caught by the cyan pegasus. “All yours partner” she said to the pegasus. “I’m on it”, said the pegasus confidently as she set the mare down and flew toward the manticore. Before she could get close to the manticore, Rodan came flying in at a similar speed. His emblem flashed a bright red as his hoof formed brick red scales. He managed to reach the creature first as he delivered a sucker punch to the beast’s jaw, causing it to stumble and fall to the ground. “What the hay”, was all the pegasus could before she was met with the tail of the manticore which smacked into her, sending her to the ground. “Rainbow”, cried Twilight. Before she could hit the ground however, she was caught by Gojira as he stood on his hind legs. He set her down and got back on all fours. “You alright”, he asked. “Oh yeah, absolutely dandy”, she said with obvious hints of sarcasm. Gojira didn’t pay it any mind as the manticore slowly stood up, showing pain from the previous attack. Gojira walked forward and was met with both Rodan and Anguirus. “Nice move you pulled there”, Gojira said to Rodan who gave him a cocky smirk. “Trust me, that was nothing”, he said. “That thing’s just lucky I didn’t put my back into it.” “So what’s the plan now”, asked Anguirus as the manticore faced towards them with anger in its eyes. “Well, it looks to be hurt, so it won’t be as aggressive as it originally was”, said Gojira. “So we might be able to-” “Wait”, yelled one of the mares. The three brothers turned to see the yellow pegasus looking slowly walking forward. The other mares looked to be just as confused and shocked as they were. She walked past the three with caution and slowly walked toward manticore. The creature growled at her as it showed its sharp teeth and waved its scorpion tail. “It’s ok”, she said in a small, calm voice as she approached the beast, as its anger slowly declined as it felt less threatened by the small, gentle pegasus that approached it. When she was only a few feet from it, the manticore showed the pegasus its paw, revealing a sharp thorn sticking out of it. “Oh you poor little thing”, said the pegasus in a motherly tone. “Little?”, questioned the cyan pegasus. The three brothers didn’t know what was happening, but they decided to not engage in concern that the beast would become aggressive again and attack the yellow pegasus. “Now this might hurt for just a second”, she said as she grabbed the tip of the thorn and pulled it out. The manticore roared and grabbed the pegasus with its paw. “Fluttershy!”, cried the other mares in horror. The three brothers were just about to charge in, when they heard laughter coming from the pegasus, apparently named Fluttershy. The manticore had Fluttershy in a tight hug as it licked her mane, causing her to giggle. This relieved the group as the three brothers became less tense and finally relaxed. “Well, that’s a relief”, said Rodan. “You can say that again”, added on Anguirus. “Umm, excuse me”, said someone behind them. The three brothers turned to see the five other mares looking at them with confused, curious, and even suspicious faces. The three brothers looked at them with stoic expressions, apart from Gojira who put on a relatively flat look. “I believe there are some things that you each are wondering about”, said Gojira. “You got that right”, said the orange mare with a western accent. She was then talked over by the pink mare who let out a gasp. “Holy moly, it’s you three”, said Pinkie with a big smile. The three brothers, remembering their previous encounter with her, put on small smiles. “Wait a minute, Pinkie, you know these three”, asked the white unicorn. “Well of course, Rarity. These three were new to town, and I give every newcomer to Ponyville the same treatment”, said Pinkie proudly. “Though, you three didn’t show up to the welcome party I had planned for you.” “Oh, uhh, we were busy moving all our stuff into our new place. So we kinda forgot”, said Anguirus. Though the real reason why they didn’t go was mostly because they didn’t want to. Pinkie seemed to understand before her face immediately lit up. “Then let’s have one right now”, she exclaimed. Almost like magic, she managed to pull a party cart with balloons, streamers, confetti, several gifts, and even an entire cake out from behind a rock. The three brothers stared in disbelief at what they witnessed. “H-How…what is…where did”, Rodan could barely come up with a cohesive sentence. “Perhaps save the celebration for later, Pinkie”, said the orange mare. “Okey dokey”, replied Pinkie as she pushed the cart back behind the rock where it vanished. The mares seemed almost used to it, while the three brothers couldn’t say the same. “How does she even do that?”, asked Anguirus. “That’s not important right now, what’s important is…”, Twilight’s voice trailed off the closer she looked at the three. With their large build, dark colors, and strange looking cutie marks, she recognized them almost instantly. “Wait a minute, didn’t I see you three at Canterlot”, she asked with a curious expression. “Yes we are, and I remember the nice chat we had”, replied Gojira with hints of him teasing. Twilight got flustered from embarrassment as she remembered when they first interacted. “And what exactly are ponies that apparently are from Canterlot doing this far out in the Everfree forest”, asked the cyan pegasus, who they remembered was named Rainbow, as she had a suspicious look. “We’re looking for a friend of ours who ran into this forest”, replied Rodan. Rainbow didn’t seem to believe it. “A likely story, especially when you consider that you sent a manticore to attack us”, she said as she pointed to the manticore that was now flying away with Fluttershy waving goodbye to it. “We didn’t even know there were manticores in this forest”, said Rodan as he started to raise his voice. “Plus, if it wasn’t for us then you would’ve been that thing’s prey.” “We could’ve handled ourselves”, retorted Rainbow. “Plus, it’s a bit too convenient that the day when Nightmare Moon returns is the day that three rugged looking ponies move to Ponyville, the exact location Nightmare Moon was first seen.” Rainbow’s wings started to flare up, as did Rodan’s. “Yes it is quite the coincidence, but that doesn’t prove that we’re working for Nightmare Moon. Hay, we’ve never even heard of this so-called legend until after she mentioned it”, said Rodan. It was taking a lot of effort to not let his spirit lose. ‘Rodan, control yourself.’ “Ok, break it up you two”, said the orange mare as she got in between the two of them. “The last thing we need is for you both to start fighting after the previous incident.” “If it helps anything”, said Fluttershy as she slowly walked beside the three brothers. “He saved my life.” She pointed at Anguirus. The other mares looked shocked after hearing that while Gojira and Rodan were fairly surprised. “Is that true”, asked Rarity. Everyone’s eyes were on Anguirus as he scratched the back of his head. “Well, yes. The manticore was charging at her and I pushed her out of the way”, he said as turned towards Fluttershy. “I’m sorry if I hurt you from doing that.” “O-Oh, not at all, I’m fine”, said Fluttershy in a small, timid voice. “And by the way”, continued Gojira as he turned to face Rainbow. “Didn’t I catch you when you were about to hit the ground. I’d imagine that would’ve hurt.” “W-Well, I mean yeah it probably would’ve, but-”, Rainbow was cut off by Gojira. “Now would helpers of Nightmare Moon be willing to not only fight a manticore for you six, but also put their own wellbeing at risk in order to assure your safety”, asked Gojira with an eyebrow raised. Rainbow looked puzzled as she looked back at Rodan, trying to come up with a response. He only gave her a deadpanned look. She then let out a sigh. “No”, she said. “No they probably wouldn’t.” Gojira let out a smile. “Good, now that we have that cleared out”, he turned to face the other mares before putting a hoof to his chest. “My name is Gojira Zawa, and these are my brothers Rodan Zawa and Anguirus Zawa”, he said as he motioned towards each of his brothers respectively. “And you all are?” “My name is Twilight Sparkle”, said Twilight. “Rarity, darlings”, said Rarity as she fixed her mane. “The names Applejack, partner”, said the orange mare as she tipped her hat. “Rainbow Dash”, said the cyan pegasus as her eyebrows slightly lowered. “Hello, my name’s Pinkie Diane Pie, though you can call me Pinkie Pie”, said Pinkie Pie. “We already met” said Rodan. Pinkie simply giggled. “I know, I just wanted to be included.” “M-My name’s Fluttershy”, said Fluttershy in her small tone of voice which Anguirus couldn’t help but smile at. “Well it’s nice to meet all of you”, said Anguirus before he bore a puzzled look. “Though I still have to ask, why are you six in the middle of the forest?” “We’re looking for the elements of harmony”, replied Twilight. Now all three brothers looked confused. “The what of what?”, asked Rodan. “The elements of harmony”, answered Twilight. “It’s stated that they were used to banish Nightmare Moon for a thousand years. It’s also stated that they’re out here in these woods in some kind of ruined temple. They could be our only hope in defeating Nightmare Moon and ending the eternal darkness.” “And do you know where this ruined temple is”, asked Gojira. “Of course”, replied Twilight with confidence. That was until she thought about it more. “Well, kinda.” Gojira nodded, he found her optimism to be almost cute. “Well, we wish you luck on your journey, we’ll be off finding our friend”, said Gojira as he began to walk past them. His brothers looked surprised to see him leave. “See ya later”, muttered Rainbow Dash. Applejack sent her a glare. Hold on a second”, said Rarity. “Do you have any idea where you're going? You said you and your brothers are new to Ponyville, so I imagine that you don’t have as great a sense of direction as we do.” Gojira turned around with a nonchalant expression. “I at least trust my sense of direction”, he said. “Also if these woods are big enough to house a manticore in them, then who knows what other kinds of creatures are roaming around.” “So, wouldn’t you want to stay in a large group to avoid those monsters”, asked Applejack. “No, what I mean is that our friend could run into those creatures and could possibly be injured or even killed”, said Gojira. “Who is your friend, by the way”, asked Twilight. “He’s a member of the royal guard”, answered Rodan. “He came with us to show where we would be living and when Nightmare Moon flew into this forest, he followed her.” “Which was a foolish thing to do”, muttered Gojira under his breath, though Rodan heard it. “Perhaps we could help, darling”, said Rarity. “We could help you search for your friend while we’re looking for the elements.” “Yeah, we could have a search party”, added Pinkie as she was about to pull the cart from behind the rock again, but was stopped when Gojira spoke up. “No! No more party talk”, he exclaimed. Pinkie stared at him with widened eyes before pushing the cart back behind the rock. All the mares seemed taken aback by his loud voice. Rodan and Anguirus looked at each other. “Hey bro, can we talk in private”, said Rodan as he and Anguirus walked over to him and faced away from the mane six. “They’re just trying to help us.” “We don’t need it”, said Gojira. “We can move faster by ourselves and we can handle any problems that we may encounter.” “That’s true, but can they”, said Anguirus. “If it wasn’t for Fluttershy calming it down, I don’t think that manticore would’ve been kind to them.” “Also they could help us search for Caesar by covering more ground and air”, added Rodan, though Gojira still didn’t seem convinced. “We shouldn’t get involved with whatever they’re doing, we’ll slow them down as much as they’ll slow us”, retorted Gojira. Rodan let out a sigh. “Sweet Celestia you are thick headed”, said Rodan with annoyance in his voice. Gojira gave him a deadpanned look. “You have no idea.” “Look, Goji, we should at the very least ensure their safety”, said Anguirus. “That Twilight mare seems to know a lot about Nightmare Moon and her legend, so maybe that can be used to help us find Caesar. After all, wherever she is, Celestia is probably with her, and what’s the main purpose of the royal guard?” Gojira let out a sigh. “To protect the princess”, he said with small trails of smoke coming out of his maw. “Goji, I know you want to find Caesar as fast as possible, but I genuinely have no idea where we even are in these woods. Hay, I found that manticore by accident”, said Rodan. “So, if we help them find these elements or whatever they are, they could also help us find Caesar. He seemed to know something about Nightmare Moon, so he probably also knows something about these elements.” He and Anguirus put their hooves on their older brother’s shoulders. “At the very least, let us protect them, wouldn’t father do something like that?” Gojira was taken aback when Rodan mentioned their father. He looked back at the mane six and their curious eyes waiting in anticipation. They were willing to help them when they found out that Caesar was missing, while he wanted nothing to do with their journey for these elements. And in woods that had dangerous creatures in it, splitting up seemed like a terrible choice. Also, he hated to admit it, but they were lost. Their senses hadn’t been as effective as he hoped and they also hadn’t expected there to be creatures such as manticores roaming in this forest. These mares seemed to be more experienced with this forest, so despite what he had said earlier, they had a better understanding of where they were. And above all else, Rodan was right. It wouldn’t be smart to abandon other ponies in the middle of these dangerous woods. After their previous skirmish, they proved they could hold their own against some of the large creatures in this forest, providing that same sense of security for these mares wouldn’t be too difficult. After all, their father would’ve. He let out a heavy sigh before turning back to his brothers with a small smile. “Boy, I’ve been on a losing streak”, he joked, his brothers smiled. They turned around to face the mane six who all had curious looks on their faces. Gojira breathed in. “If you are willing to help us”, he then breathed out. “Then we are willing to help you.” The mane six all looked pleased, apart from Rainbow Dash who still seemed to be apprehensive. “That’s great to hear”, said Twilight as she then put on a determined look. “Now then, let’s continue our journey as she motioned for everyone to follow her. As she walked up front, Gojira walked alongside her, which caught her by surprise as he stood a bit closer than she would’ve liked. “Umm, excuse me, ever heard of personal space”, she said as she scooted to the left a bit. “With what we just went through, somepony has to keep an eye out for whatever kind of dangers may be lurking around”, said Gojira as he looked around their area as they walked. “I’m up front, Anguirus is in the middle, and Rodan’s at the back.” “Ok, just”, Twilight had to crane her head up just to look him in the eyes. She had to admit, similar to when they first met, she was a little apprehensive too. Especially when he abruptly looked down at her which caused her heart to jump. “J-Just, keep doing what you’re doing”, she said as she looked away. Gojira did so, but not after suppressing a giggle from her reaction. “You got it, ma’am.” With the three brothers now with a new objective, they continued looking around the forest as they followed the mane six for any large beasts, but more importantly, Caesar. As they did so however, no one seemed to notice the pair of glowing orange eyes that watched them continue their journey until they were out of sight. These eyes were accompanied with a feminine chuckle and a small smile.