Near Trotsylvania
Serpent’s Creek
Days of the same madness had engulfed a chunk of the world in flame.
Raging fires lit up from cities and civilizations like beacons to light the night, and scorch the day with the remaining plumes of smoke rising into the clouds. Today, however, the fire was given a respite. A soft rainfall came from the thick, gray storm clouds billowing across the eastern territories.
It was a particularly cloudy day near Trotsylvania. The adjacent river south of the city, Stampede Stream, had grown increasingly agitated. A barren land rested south of the river, with only a few cabins and lookout posts, all abandoned. No, it appeared the only major attraction south of Trotsylvania was the T.I.T.A.N. observatory in the heart of the marshlands. It, as well, appeared to be abandoned.
Very recently, curiously enough.
So, when Godzilla broke through the rampaging tides of Stampede Stream—as if he was battling a watery stampede in and of itself—he found it odd to see a complete lack of life upon the land he strode. The smaller rivers surrounding the landscape, all leading into Serpent’s Creek that went even further down south, were silent save for the subtle pitter-patter of rain droplets striking the calm river surfaces.
Every fishing boat was docked. Every cabin was quiet with not a candle to be seen. The lookout posts were dark. With river water still dripping from his scarred and heavily-built hide, Godzilla tightened his expression, narrowed his burning eyes, and turned instead to the observatory.
His next stomps upon the earth were toward it.
He had been drawn by the nuclear activity in the T.I.T.A.N. observatory, which was what it appeared to be on the surface, but deep below it was a laboratory for a massive staging ground. For new technology, weaponry, all beginning the first steps into the nuclear realm with the towering, concrete cooling towers jutting forth on the outskirts of the observatory.
It was strangely curious, that even in the deepest, darkest portions of Godzilla’s fractured mind, he was still calculating. He was still wondering why the equines tampered with nuclear power. Why they so suddenly spiked all their nuclear testing and reactors to just as quickly abandon their sites? If it was to draw him out of the sea, they had succeeded, but to do what exactly?
His head perked up when he caught the familiar and obnoxious sounds of the ORCA.
A frequency he had heard more times than he could count in the past several days, what with the equines and the creatures of his world trying to fend him off and draw him away. In the distance, his thoughts were correct when he spotted yet another aircraft carrying the ORCA frequency. The airship hovered high in the air, emerging from Peryton Peak and flying high over the forest in the East.
Coming right for him.
Followed by another coming from the West, from the Celestial Sea to Stampede Stream.
Godzilla quickly shifted his attention to the second airship flying from the sea. It, too, carried an ORCA and blared its alpha frequency as loudly as it could. A deep, agitated growl grew at the back of the king’s throat, his eyes narrowing to the point of bright slits. Each a bright red and gold. This formation from T.I.T.A.N. had already been done, with multiple different ORCAs going off at once to deter Godzilla from his path. It had failed before, and it would most assuredly…
Then, the ground trembled and the forest erupted. Godzilla spun around, eyes widening to see the emergence of a blackened creature tear its way through the trees and fog. Its black coat soaked by the rain, dagger-like claws pressed firmly into the earth as its towering arms bent forward in a clear sign of aggression, the beast was undeterred and, by the looks of it, was ready for a fight.
Having followed the alpha frequency of the ORCA and now standing face to face with the tyrant king, Baphomet saw no reason to turn away.
The world had been thrown out of balance, and signs in the winds of Godzilla’s heretical acts to the natural order had spread. This was not the same darkness as Ghidorah had brought. This was another heresy, and one Baphomet would not bow to.
Not like he had bowed to Godzilla before. This was not the same King of the Monsters. This was a bloodthirsty tyrant that needed to be brought down. An honor that Baphomet gladly claimed with a terrible cry erupting from his skull-like maw.
The second airship hovered high over Godzilla’s head and stopped there, the very same second Godzilla responded to Baphomet’s challenge with a horrific roar of his own. The very same second Stampede Stream blew open and Scylla pounced on him with his back turned.
The attack was followed by Scylla emitting a series of quick, chittering cries, a clear call signaling a challenge. Godzilla could hardly respond when the tendrils spewing from her mouth wrapped tighter and tighter around the king’s throat. A fog of liquid nitrogen was vomited from her maw and spilled across the back of Godzilla’s neck, freezing quickly. His roars changed suddenly to pained cries as he stomped and spun rapidly to fight the giant cephalopod off.
Leaving him unprepared for Baphomet to attack.
He engaged with his own stampede, tearing across the marshlands with his head down and antlers protruded. The impact he delivered to Godzilla’s open thigh earned a sickening stab, the bones tearing through Godzilla’s hide and earning fresh blood. The king howled.
Baphomet howled in return, ripping his antlers free and filling the air with a spray of red, a mist that coated the light fog. Maintaining his footing while Godzilla stumbled, Baphomet reared back and pounced forward, swiping harshly across Godzilla’s face.
The strike was deafening, Godzilla’s head tilting awkwardly as his mind momentarily went dark. He fell in a colossal heap that thundered the world, but not before Scylla could safely relinquish him and skid across the ground. Her legs were nimble and caught the earth quite well, allowing her to create as much distance as she pleased between her and the tyrant.
Already, Godzilla was showing signs of movement despite the devastating blow Baphomet had delivered. It was as if his body moved despite what his pain expressed, his mind fighting a battle his body struggled to keep up with. To stop him once and for all, Scylla intended to encase him entirely in ice if need be. So, she proceeded in spewing more liquid nitrogen across his face, then to his body.
The ice around his jaws exploded when Godzilla fired an atomic beam directly into her face, warding her off, earning a shrill and agonizing cry from the cephalopod before Godzilla finally rose up. Spinning around, low to the ground in a defensive, almost primal state of being, Godzilla glared first to Baphomet and then slowly back to Scylla. Growling down the two Titans in a short but unsettling standoff.
They growled in return. Baphomet paid little heed to Scylla, as she did for him. Both of their focus had shifted to the tyrant who claimed to once be their king. Now, he stood defiantly before them with blood on his claws and not a soul on this world that had the power to match him. Not until now.
His crimes against the natural order would finally be answered.
With Godzilla’s back facing him, Baphomet screamed and dug fiercely into the earth, tearing the distance between him and Godzilla in half. The other half was unreached when Godzilla suddenly swiped his tail wickedly across the air and struck Baphomet across his entire body. The Titan went flying, crashing and rolling several hundred feet away near the observatory.
Beating back Baphomet, the Alpha Predator shrieked when Scylla’s sharpened swords for legs stabbed and sliced at his back and side. She was relentless, pursuing him with rageful chitters and cries as two of her six legs stabbed at him repeatedly. The blood she earned was a sweet fragrance to her, painting the rivers beneath them red.
Unfortunately, she grew too sporadic, seeing too much red that her vision had been narrowed. She failed to see the bigger picture, and then failed to see that Godzilla had been leading her. Letting her strike him. Letting her grow more confident, less strategic, and therefore left her open.
He caught one leg, breaking it with a solid snap! Her cries were ear-piercing. He caught her other leg swung for him, slamming it down and stomping on it, snapping it just as well.
The sudden act had flung her downward, and having lost her footing, Scylla collapsed on the softened earth. She began to sink slightly into the mud and water, and whatever struggles she managed in those few, short moments she had left, they all faded when her eyes were lifted up. Up to stare into the burning and demented stare of the mad king as he gave her one last, soulless glare.
Before he raised his foot and crushed her scorched head.
Another ear-piercing scream came, but not from her. Her corpse was already growing cold, and Godzilla spun around just in time to catch Baphomet’s pounce.
The two grappled, vying one another for supremacy. He snapped at him with his beak-like jaws, teeth nearing Godzilla’s neck closer with each bite. The king cut off his feeble attempts before he could even get another bite in, flinging Baphomet into the nearest cooling tower. The impact shattered the tower, the structure crumbling down as a massive plume of white dust rose around them.
Their battle was driven through the T.I.T.A.N. observatory, but by that point, it wasn’t really a battle any longer. Hardly even a fight. It seemed to be more like torment. For as Baphomet cried weakly, struggling to even raise his trembling arms to push himself up, Godzilla’s shadow was already hovering over him. His claws were already on him.
His wrath was already dealt, and there was nothing more Baphomet could give.
Grabbing the beast by the antlers, the madness-induced state of Godzilla’s mind encouraged him to proceed, and he did so with rageful, almost sadistic intent. He drove Baphomet’s head into another cooling tower, splintering the concrete and cracking Baphomet’s skull. Trying to pull him back for another strike, Godzilla realized he couldn’t. Not at first. One antler was stuck in the structure.
And Godzilla ripped him off anyway. Earning a sickening crunch of bones splitting, a shriek of unadulterated agony, and leaving the antler protruding from the tower, still barely standing from their conflict.
There was very little resilience left in Baphomet’s bleeding form, his claws weakly slashing and grasping Godzilla’s face and claws. Trying to break his hold on him. Trying now just to get away, just to survive. But not even the King of the Monsters, in his new order dealt to all the inhabited earth, would allow such freedom.
To those who stood against him, there would always be a definitive and assured end.
His goat-like, amber eyes trembled as they gazed up to the dark figure of his former king, now just a soulless monster who had taken the form of the one he once bowed to. Monstrous and vile, heartless and cruel. Seeking wanton destruction and death and all to kneel or die. The more he stared in his final moments, the more Baphomet peered into his fiery glare. He saw no life. No peace.
There was only madness in his eyes. The image of his former king appeared only as the shadow of King Ghidorah.
And so, Godzilla acted upon his enlightened and twisted will, grabbing Baphomet’s remaining antler and bending his head back. Exposing the black fur on his neck. Easing his path to entry and execution. Godzilla reared down and dug his teeth into Baphomet’s jugular.
Twisting and tearing and ripping his head back with Baphomet’s throat between his jaws.
A crack of thunder and a screaming bolt of lightning rippled the storm clouds as a fresh downpour of rain fell upon the cursed world. For it was a curse when any creature lost their life unjustly, without mercy, with no rightful answer given to the evil that afflicted the world. Across Serpent’s Creek and the adjoining lands, the remnants of the beasts’ battle remained. Haunting reminders that Godzilla left behind for all to know of his wrath.
He stood there, his left claw gripping the last antler that held Baphomet’s limp corpse. The jaws hung open lifelessly, eyes dark, skull fractured with a gaping wound where his throat used to be. Bent low, snorting out steam from his nostrils, he stared onward to see Scylla’s broken body sunk slightly into the mud pools. Her legs jutted up from the ground, bent awkwardly, broken and bleeding.
Godzilla labored in his breathing, sharpened teeth baring and bleeding profusely. Blood dribbled down his jaws and soaked his neck, staining his chest in rivers of red. He sprayed the air the same color when he breathed in and unleashed a threatening cry to the earth, to the fleeing airships, that his was not a crown to be claimed. His throne was not to be taken. His kingdom was not to be overcome.
It was a roar that was directed at Trotsylvania, where his blood-red eyes glared. A city, a people, undefended and without hope.
Mount Metazoa
The Hall of Unity
Days more of the same madness, and the world finally responded as one.
They came from every corner of the globe; from lush palaces, lavish kingdoms, and bunkers hidden on the outskirts of what were once monumental civilizations, now just mounds of smoldering rubble from Godzilla’s rampage. They came from the frontlines of every defense utilized to stop the King of the Monsters. They came as one to the Hall of Unity if it meant having a cemented plan to end this madness.
Once more, outside of the jurisdiction of the Convocation of Creatures, all world leaders were highly requested to attend. For a declaration of emergency—and an emergency they all fully understood—not one world leader was absent. Not one wanted to miss this.
The press were finally allowed within the doors of the great Hall. Cameras flashed and questions filled with the air with rapid precision and severity. As more and more kings, queens, emperors, and bureaucrats stormed inside the mountainous amphitheater, it took the strength of their individual royal guards to keep the press at bay, to keep their pestering questions as far from the leadership as possible.
The press soon found themselves drawn to another figurehead, one like the brightest lamp to their moth-like behavior. They washed into the center aisle, more cameras flashing, more reporters demanding a response of some kind to this chaos, and a response that would hopefully be more effective than the last. Every flash, every question, every concern, all directed to one.
All of them directed at the leader, the ruler, of both the nation of Equestria and of T.I.T.A.N. as a whole.
Princess Twilight Sparkle strode down the center aisle of the Hall as if time itself seemed to slow down. Every camera flash, every screaming question, everything had grown numb to her. Her eyes were wide and hardened, focused only on the red carpet leading to the grandest stage in the world. The stage where every eye would be staring.
Directors Celestia and Luna were also with her, which spawned even more press from the corners of the room to turn their attention to the center vein of the Hall of Unity. If anything, the rulers and the kings and queens found some solace in the lack of press pouncing on them like lurking predators. They questioned many a time why it is they allowed press to be within the Hall in the first place, and then they remembered who was responsible and turned their eyes to her.
“Transparency was key to a free and thriving society”, as Princess Twilight proclaimed mere months ago within these very walls. They had nothing more to hide from the creatures of Equus, as the secret organization of T.I.T.A.N. was unveiled last year, and all the knowledge and events they knew of shared just as well. But then again, they were always discovering something new with the Titans, and sometimes these discoveries took time to fully understand before they could be shared with the world.
What was happening now, with Godzilla, was not entirely new, but it was just as shocking to all to know if came from the one they once called their “Titan Savior”.
Allowing the press, and therefore the people, know of their intentions and plans to stop these catastrophes was a necessary step to a unified and peaceful world, and one where they could finally all fully trust one another. But sometimes, the monarchies doubted the decisions of Princess Twilight, and why she above all others seemed to make every damning choice when it came to how and why they ruled.
She was the Princess of Friendship, the Element of Magic, a hero renowned who brought peace and friendship to every nation willing. Her choices before only brought more light into the world than darkness. Even if many did not particularly like the press seeping in to what should have been their private convocations, it was not inherently bad to be more transparent. Even if many within the press twisted the words and intentions of the world’s rulers.
No, they hardly doubted Princess Twilight on the decisions she made before. They were only beginning to question the actions she made now, what with two dead Titans near the devastated ruins of Trotsylvania.
The actions of T.I.T.A.N., of the ORCA, were fully on display for all the world to witness and question, and question they did.
When Twilight took the stand on the grand stage, Celestia and Luna never leaving her sides, she cast her wearied gaze out to the hundreds of faces peering at her. Many faces she came to recognize. Many friendly, many disheartened, and many more on edge. Queen Novo was always a comforting stare away, along with King Thorax and Dragon Lord Ember. Others, like the Griffon Lords, Prince Rutherford, and King Aspen were a little more difficult to please.
But she certainly tried to do more than please, anyway.
Silence began to fill the Hall when Twilight began speaking. The reporters captured her every word, notepads and pens in a flurry.
“The dead don’t suffer,” the Princess of Equestria began. Silence returned to the Hall, even heavier and more unnerving than before. Intentional as it was, Twilight still struggled with the next words, needing them—no, wanting them—to be as abundantly clear as possible. She wanted them all to understand that they were not ignored. They were not forsaken. The rulers saw their people suffering and they would fully acknowledge every ounce of it.
She gulped softly, eyes blinking rapidly. There had been enough tears the past few days; she didn’t need any more right now. She needed to be strong. “Even in our shared losses, we can all come together to find comfort in knowing their pain has passed. To all we have lost… all we never forget. But our focus remains with the living. Our goal, our purpose, to ensure they remain living… long and prosperous lives.”
She spoke into many microphones. The stand was large enough for both Celestia and Luna to speak with her, but she stood on her own for now. Needing to do this alone for now.
“That is why we are here today. Thank you, one and all, for giving us your time and your patience during these tumultuous times. We seek only to end your patience, and bring forth a certified and decisive answer to the…” Twilight struggled to say, but quickly cleared her throat and shakily breathed, “… the horrific tragedies we have faced… and continue to face.”
No cameras flashed. Every reporter hesitated once they had finished writing, hanging on every word. The pestering silence followed and Twilight tried to recollect her thoughts. Staring out to every ruler, and having practiced no grandiose speech beforehoof, Twilight spoke from the heart.
“Our recent campaign to deter Titanus Gojira’s actions was… unsuccessful. We—”
And yet she was still interrupted.
“‘Unsuccessful’… is putting it kindly,” Lord Gestal of the Griffon Lords raised his voice, earning an accusing glare from Director Luna. His talons scraped the handle of his sheathed, ceremonial sword, his eyes running over the intricate designs over and over again. Never once looking at the princess.
Yet, he still said, “What happened with Trotsylvania was a disaster, plain and simple. Certainly, you’ve managed well in evacuating major cities, even aiding those outside of your nation’s borders, but the damage is still done. The city is in ruin along with its nuclear testing facility, joining dozens of other cities, and this unhinged Titan is still left unaccounted for. Not to mention your ORCAs have now wrought only more death… from the beasts your T.I.T.A.N. so proudly tries to protect.”
Luna’s glare turned into a sneer, and she snorted furiously and tried to step forward. She was stopped by Twilight’s hoof raised back to her. Celestia cast her younger sister a worrisome if not unsurprised glance.
Waiting until she could feel the rising temperature of Luna’s aura drop safely, Twilight lowered her hoof, sighing into the microphones. “We were not alone on this decision. This course of action was decided by many military minds within multiple T.I.T.A.N. sectors. The Dragon Lands and Shanghay can both attest to this.”
The mayor of Shanghay and Dragon Lord Ember both nodded in agreement, sounding off their support into their microphones.
Celestia stepped forth, sharing the stand with Twilight and speaking to all. As if she needed some feeble technology that could barely rival her Royal Canterlot Voice. But, if to save the eardrums of those closest to the stage, she spoke calmly enough.
“If you all are so willing to end the incredible progress of diplomatic relations if but to shift the blame, then blame my sister and I. The fault is ours. We are the directors of the Equestrian sector, and we were spearheading this operation. Princess Twilight merely signed off and let us do our job… which we have failed. If there is any blame to be had, shift it to us, and not to her,” Celestia explained. Luna stepped forth and nodded fiercely, refusing to back down or cower to the face of adversary she had known almost all her life.
And not a single one of them rose up to do so. Even Lord Gestal read the room and kept silent, though he could bet everycreature there was shifting the blame in their thoughts.
Neither Celestia nor Luna doubted they all thought it. “Now then… let us explain our actions,” Celestia began, waiting for her sister to step forth. Luna did so with her horn burning, bringing the projector on the ceiling to life. The screen behind the stage began to unfurl to a blank, white canvas, allowing the projections to appear.
A single image of the ORCA device popped up, the blueprints beside it.
Director Celestia waited until every eye was raised, and then she said, “Utilizing the ORCA has proven to be unsuccessful. We had hoped Titanus Baphomet and Titanus Scylla would have succeeded in either calming Godzilla or fending him off. The ORCA, in and of itself, excels in mimicking alpha frequencies and drawing certain Titans away from what their desired target would have been. This has not worked the same with Godzilla… for reasons we still can’t quite seem to understand. And two Titans… two creatures… paid the ultimate price for our failure.”
Her explanation only cemented many worries, many fears within the congregation. T.I.T.A.N. was not so morally superior as they appeared to be under Princess Twilight’s leadership. Working freely under the governments and monarchies of the world, the veil was slowly being pulled away, and nothing could prove they were clean. They were just as guilty to every action they took as they were innocent to every action the Titans took, all out of T.I.T.A.N.’s control.
If anything, they tried to be better, but ended up acting both morally superior and morally bankrupt. Both black and white. Perhaps even showcasing the gray in their actions.
“Thousands more have already paid the price,” the feline king of Abyssinia uttered softly into his microphone. The room audibly shifted in his direction, multiple cameras flashing. The monarch flinched to the bright lights, but nonetheless kept what composure he could.
His breath trembled with every word said. “Your people… my people… all of us betrayed by the same Titan we thought could be the great equalizer… or even the peacekeeper to these beasts. The time for understanding his actions has passed. Thousands, maybe millions, are in danger while we continuously fail them! We cannot… allow this to continue!”
He was growing emotional and sporadic—something he did not want. The comforting embrace from his wife and queen was a minimal warmth. But suddenly, he felt a greater fire burn in his chest when the resounding cheers, whoops, hollers, claps, and various other diverse sounds of approval sounded off.
“What more would you have us do, Your Majesty?” the minotaur king genuinely asked, prompting the cat’s attention. “We have already entrusted our T.I.T.A.N. forces to contain this threat, which they couldn’t even be trusted to accomplish.” He scoffed, crossing his burly arms with a shake of his head. He, like many others, was just tired. “Would you have us commit instead to a military effort?”
“It would certainly be more beneficial to utilize armies we can control rather than an independent organization to ‘keep us safe’,” King Aspen noted, scoffing when he emphasized “keep us safe”, as did many others scoff. Then, he just as quickly sighed in defeat. “Then again… it would be as if shooting arrows into a tidal wave. Stamping spears into an earthquake. Battling the very winds of a superstorm… without the aid of Pegasi, mind you. This Godzilla is a force of nature… and nature… cannot be controlled.”
As the ruler of Thicket within the Everfree Forest, perhaps Aspen held more knowledge of the uncontrollable power of nature than anycreature present. His comments left a grave silence in the air.
“Much like it cannot be fought against with swords and bullets,” Queen Novo of the Hippogriffs stated. As the room shifted to her, Novo brought her eyes to the stage, meeting the wearied and burdened eyes of Princess Twilight and Celestia. Luna looked as if she wanted to be anywhere else, perhaps even Tartarus. “I understand the choices you made with the ORCA… with the two Titans… but dealing with this Alpha Predator cannot mean sacrificing innocent life in the process. There must be another way!”
“Then suppose you Hippogriffs contribute to this fight!” the chief of the ape tribes accusingly proclaimed, rising from his chair and practically quaking the winding table. His black fists were pressed firmly to the table as he snorted. “The power of your precious Pearl of Transformation has been shared among your people, yes? Transform yourselves into titanic beasts and take the fight to this monster!”
“The Pearl’s power is not so simple as you think it is. What you desire from us is impossible,” Novo retorted with a talon covering her necklace, narrowing her eyes fiercely to the ape’s glare. “And I will not sacrifice my Hippogriffs to be pawns for some ‘global army’.”
A different uproar was birthed upon that accusation, and an uproar where nearly every figurehead had something to argue. They were a united species, that they could all agree on. But when it came to military efforts, to war—a grueling concept they have not come to face yet in this new age of peace—many were hesitant and many supported the idea of a shared military. It was a concept that had been brought up in the last Convocation of Creatures, and was left up for discussion later on.
Twilight supposed it was bound to happen sooner or later. She made no attempt to hide the frustration in her sigh.
“Everycreature, please, let’s calm down and think this through!” Twilight tried to intervene, falling on many deaf ears. “King Aspen is right! We can’t fight nature. Contributing to a military effort would only cost us more lives and resources.”
“Speaking so highly of resources…”
The interruption came from the first floor, from the Duke and Duchess of Hailberg. It was the duchess herself who interrupted Twilight’s soon-to-be rallying speech. Her antlers rose up when she took her stand, pressing her hooves onto the table firmly but not so aggressively. Making her aggravation subtle without a verbal statement.
The moose cast her eyes across all within the Hall of Unity. Cameras flashed every two or so seconds, but she ignored them, focusing only on her fellow rulers. “We have heard… whispers and rumors of several monetary donations… as well as resources being funneled into the Equestrian sector.” The Duchess of Hailberg slowly turned her snout back to the stage, the mighty moose raising her eyebrows curiously. “Now, where have all those grateful donations gone towards, princess?”
There was hesitation from the stage, and everycreature caught that. Voices began rising, daring accusations and strong criticisms for not only Twilight’s silence, but the lack of her denial for such claims. Discord was growing, tensions between nations burning at an all-time high. It had not grown this fiery since before Twilight rose to power. She, as well as Celestia, shared uncertain looks. Turning to Luna, the former Princess of the Night furrowed her brow, nodding them on.
Silently telling them both via magical contact, “The time is not yet. They are not ready for the Mecha.”
“Or perhaps the Emperor of Neighpon would be so kind as to explain,” the Duke of Hailberg added, rising up with his beloved. Together, they both turned to the far left of the first floor, where the emperor just so happened to be situated. “Seeing as Neighpon has grown quite comfortable with Equestria this past year. Any resources or projects you would like to share?”
His chair had grown unusually uncomfortable, what with suddenly being placed in the hot seat. His luscious, red sokutai flowed down to the floor, his armored guards gripping their sheathed katana handles tighter. Amidst the flashing cameras and oncoming silence, the Neighponese Emperor was quiet. He flicked his eyes to the stage, but said nothing.
“What was shared with Equestria is not the same as a shared military, duchess,” Celestia interjected. “Everything we have done was all meant for the betterment and security of our way of life. Would you kindly like to remind us who is leading the evacuation and rescue efforts around the world?”
For that, neither the Duke nor Duchess of Hailberg had anything to say that was already known. There was no denying Equestria’s efforts around the globe, both in recent memory and as they continued to do now. The royal moose couple slowly took their seats in silence.
The Griffon Lords were not so easily pleased. Lord Gestal spoke for them, as if their thoughts were all shared, and declared, “If you are so eager to lead T.I.T.A.N. as well as the future towards ‘friendship’ and ‘prosperity’, then lead us out of this storm! Deal with this threat… or we will.”
“And just what is that supposed to mean?” Luna said, finally allowing her voice to be heard, though not through the microphones. Her Royal Canterlot Voice was beginning to show, but she clearly held back. Only barely, if the growing fire in her eyes meant anything.
Gestal refused to back down to the former princess. His glare was joined by all the Griffon Lords. His voice emphasized with the full weight and intent of the Griffon Kingdom.
“As he has clearly brought war to us… we bring war… to Godzilla.”
“War” just so happened to be the word that set everycreature off, as they all proceeded to express strong support and strong opposition to such a claim. The Hall of Unity appeared to be anything but, creatures big and small already at each other’s throats. Trying to maintain the chaos outside the walls as well as within proved to be more of a challenge than Twilight had expected. She was thankful Celestia and Luna were by her sides.
Though, Gestal’s suggestion was not entirely without strong foundations. With Godzilla’s targets having primarily been factories and construction sites for T.I.T.A.N.’s arsenal, they were fearing Godzilla would come next for their munitions factories in the Griffon Kingdom. Their main export going up in flames would be monumentally devastating, not only for their growing economy, but for every allied nation they supplied firearms and ammunition to.
Thankfully, the king of the changelings was able to bring another option to the table, and one that avoided war.
“What about Discord?” Thorax suggested, and almost instantaneously the room began to quiet down. “The Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony? We’ve worked together before to stop Queen Chrysalis, a-and he helped in the Battle of the Three Kings. Can’t we just ask him to stop Godzilla?”
Seeing the desperation in Thorax’s eyes, it pained Twilight to shake her head.
“Unfortunately… no. I haven’t seen Discord since the Crystal Empire. He hasn’t left his home in the chaos dimension… or ‘Chaosville’ as he likes to call it,” Twilight responded, clearing her throat awkwardly. “He hasn’t left if for months… with not even his closest friends able to reach him.”
Her thoughts drifted to Fluttershy, and Twilight’s heart ached. “We were lucky before. Luck, and the Magic of Friendship, saved us in the Battle of the Three Kings. With Discord involved back then… if Ghidorah had managed to devour his chaos magic fully…” she shuddered at the thought.
A being with no morality, no mercy, no love, just death and madness wielding the multiversal power of the Spirit of Chaos? Not only that, but Discord was of external nature, not natural to their world. There was natural chaos, and then there was Discord. Bringing him in before was a gamble they miraculously made it out of. Bringing him in again, meet chaos with chaos…
“We can’t risk it again,” Twilight said, and Thorax lowered his head dejectedly.
“Well, what do we have left?” Ember asked aloud. “Novo has a point: there has to be another way!”
She may not have practiced a speech, but Twilight definitely remembered what she had to say to that. Her most important talking point since she took the stand. “Our options may be few… and risky… but we have been left with very little choice.” She nodded over to Luna, who only sighed and brightened her horn. Being delegated to a glorified projector operator wasn’t her favorite option, but it was still better than being verbally involved with this den of fiends Luna knew as “politicians”.
The screen flicked over to a new set of pictures, all in black and white, and all of them showcasing the hidden island of Black Skull Island. And the king that resided there.
“That is why I’m proposing the possibility of another alpha Titan,” Princess Twilight began to explain, holding her hoof high to the screen behind her. “One that has overcome and emerged victorious from the invasive Titan attack on his home of Black Skull Island. His kingdom. His throne, if you will. Little is known of Titanus Kong, but we already have a team on the island committing to the necessary research. What we do know… is his status as an established alpha predator. Though it appears he tends to act out as more of a ‘protector’ of his island.”
The Hall of Unity was captivated by the photos, by the island, of which many rulers had never even heard of it. The apes seemed to find a particular interest in the photos displaying a massive creature of their species. Perhaps an ancient ancestor, or a separate superspecies, maybe. Legends and stories within the tribes told of giants that once roamed among their people. Apes larger and much more powerful than they could ever imagine. Could this Kong be the one they had heard of? Could it be the missing link to their history?
Their questions were never answered, because they were never asked, because Princess Twilight did not stop.
“He acts to protect the creatures that cannot fend for themselves against more malicious predators, if what our researchers tell us is true. He keeps to his own, remaining hidden for the most part… and it won’t be long before this attack on Black Skull Island draws Godzilla’s attention.”
Dropping her hoof, Twilight faced the hundreds looking to her for clarity and guidance. An answer to their pleas. An option—and maybe their only option—to end this madness. She said, “So… following these failures to fend off Godzilla… we propose a campaign to defeat him.”
“You would have us utilize an alpha Titan to fight Godzilla?” the Saddle Arabian king questioned. “This… ‘Kong’ from the uncharted Black Skull Island?”
“How will this end any different than last time, pony?” Prince Rutherford demanded to know.
There concerns were not unfounded, as it already sparked some more debate within the Hall. Many were concerned about falling down the same path again—pursuing an effort that already didn’t work at a potentially greater cost now: losing the only other alpha Titan they knew of. Then, there were those who pushed for it, who saw it as the only way to try and solve this threat with Godzilla. The world had already suffered too much, too long, and pitting an alpha against an alpha could give them the edge they needed.
Especially when Twilight answered, “Because with Kong, he won’t just have the full front of T.I.T.A.N. backing him… he’ll have the Elements of Harmony as well.”
That was an edge they had known, and one that led to victory every single time. An edge that every species on Equus could believe in. Now, she and the directors had the full, undivided attention of the Hall.
Giving Director Celestia enough time to prepare, and Director Luna enough time to update the projector. “A superstorm is growing over Black Skull Island, and that’s an environment we can’t control. So, we can transport Kong over to the mainland of Equestria, here,” Celestia pointed to the screen behind her. The screen shifted to a map of Equestria, an arrow leading from the island to the Forbidden Jungle on the eastern coast of Equestria. “An environment that suits Kong’s favorable ecosystem. Godzilla will be drawn to him the second Kong comes off that island and out of that storm, so we must travel swiftly.”
Princess Twilight nodded in agreement, declaring, “We need an alpha to hold his own against Godzilla long enough to weaken him, to consume his focus, and if possible, defeat him. If not… then he could weaken Godzilla enough for the Elements of Harmony to defeat him. For my friends and I… to do what’s necessary.”
Very rarely had Twilight felt any apprehension to utilizing the Elements of Harmony. Since she and her closest friends had first discovered them that fateful night in the Everfree Forest, in the Castle of the Two Sisters, they had been used time and time again to ward off the evil that infected their enemies-turned-allies, or vanquished the evil altogether.
But using them against Godzilla was another gamble. The last time they had done so, the power of the Elements was too much for Godzilla’s nuclear core to maintain, and he lost his life for it. Had it not been for Mothra’s sacrifice, the King of the Monsters would not be alive. The way Godzilla was behaving now went against everything they thought they knew of him. Everything Fluttershy thought she knew and could share with them.
Deep down, Twilight didn’t believe this was Godzilla’s true nature. He had proven before to be a defender of the natural order, and left them in peace. Nothing Equestria or the world had done could prove that Godzilla viewed them as a threat; they certainly couldn’t fight against him, that much was true. No, Twilight believed there was something deeper going on. Something far more sinister. A curse of the mind or the soul that had driven Godzilla to lash out, perhaps. If that was the case, then all they needed was the Elements to cleanse the evil from him.
But first… they needed him in a weakened state for the Elements to properly heal him.
Getting Godzilla to that weakened state, however, meant risking another in the process. It was either that… or sitting back and letting this carnage continue. Twilight made her decision. She needed to know if the rest of them could, too. “I know what you’re all thinking, and I understand the risk is great. Putting another Titan’s life on the line is even greater. We are fully open to hearing your thoughts, and hopefully… another option—” she tried to say, but was interrupted by the sound of a chair pushed out.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty,” the ruler of the parrots announced, “… I have already lost my brother and his children to Godzilla. My people… in Ornithia… all the same, in losses I cannot even fathom. You have our full support for this campaign.”
Momentarily taken aback by such a bold statement made so soon, Twilight nonetheless found herself thankful for his contribution. It shortly spread.
“Princess Twilight… if this is the only way… then you have our T.I.T.A.N.,” Queen Novo proudly stated, stamping her talon on the table for emphasis. She stared at the photographs of Kong, a small smile tugging at the end of her beak. “As it would appear… we have our Titan.”
The Dragon Lord stamped her Bloodstone Scepter onto the ground, rising up. “You have our T.I.T.A.N., Your Highness.”
Thorax stood up. “You have our T.I.T.A.N.”
One by one, many slowly rose in support, giving what T.I.T.A.N. force they could manage for Equestria’s daring campaign to Black Skull Island. The press was already running wild with this proclamation, and there was no hope in stopping them now. Though, Twilight did not feel compelled to keep this plan hidden from the world. The world needed to hear it, to know that the ones who led them had a plan to protect them.
For the first time in what felt like a long time, the Hall of Unity came to an agreement, and the campaign was approved with resounding applause.
Twilight was thankful for the support, but couldn’t help the gnawing feeling eating away at her soul. With every clap and cheer she received, they only added to that dreaded feeling. As if desperately pleading to her that there had to be some other way. A tiny voice that sounded painfully like Fluttershy’s begging not to put another life at risk. And Twilight argued back, that when it came to thousands, potentially millions, of others already lost and at stake… then she would do what was necessary.
Did that still make it right?
She couldn’t tell if it was that gnawing, pleading, begging voice she heard… or herself.
Twilight stared back at the photographs on screen for all the Hall of Unity to witness. The images of Kong staring back at the brave photographer, at her, with that calm, restful stare.