//------------------------------// // 5: Destruction's Wake // Story: A King Unmatched // by Mister Friendly //------------------------------// The rain was something else. Even as Rainbow pounded her wings through the sky, urging every last bit of speed out of her burning muscles, she couldn’t help but take notice of the downpour lashing against her face and body. Wind buffeted her to and fro, as if intent on knocking her to the rolling sea below. Her face was numb from the constant bombardment of icy lashes, and exertion was taking its toll. She kept trying to get a feel for the gusts as they came and went. Normally that wasn’t a problem; The wind under a pegasus’ wings was never unfavorable, no matter how cold the air or how turbulent. Twilight would explain it as something fancy and eggheady involving a lot of really big egghead words, but Rainbow knew it in simpler terms; pegasus magic was awesome. But this storm was breaking all the rules. Again she was nearly knocked right out of the sky when a hurricane-force lashing wind smashed into her broadside, taking her completely by surprise. She recovered, but not before losing nearly a hundred feet of altitude. She just didn’t get it, and not getting something – especially something in the sky – frustrated her to no end. She should be able to handle even the most ferocious of windstorms; her body should be reacting to incoming gusts before she consciously could. It was just something pegasi did, not get blindsided by every arrant breeze a storm put out. It just didn’t make sense! The storm wasn’t even that strong! First a storm that refuses to be put out, now winds that don’t play by the rules. It’s the Everfree all over again… Rainbow didn’t have time to distract herself with the petulant storm, however. She had far more pressing things to deal with, and she forced herself to focus. She’d just have to live with being buffeted around a bit. She pushed herself onward, her eyes scouring the curtains of rain and gloomy, towering waves below for any signs of a massive battleship. So far, however, all she’d found was one mountain of water and sea spray after another, creating a vast, ever-shifting range of peaks and valleys far below, complete with white caps. But there was not gigantic ship to be seen. Rainbow knew she was headed in the right direction – at least according to where she’d seen the ship last. The screwy weather couldn’t throw off her internal compass that much. She’d always had a good sense of direction in the air, which was the only reason she wasn’t panicking at the moment. Otherwise, the sight of endlessly rolling waves would have been much more insurmountable in appearance. She strained her eyes, looking this way and that. Her heart thundered in her chest, and for reasons far exceeding simple fatigue. She had to find the others, now. She had to warn them… Something caught her eye far off in the distance, through the sheeting rain and murky gloom of the storm. Just barely visible on the horizon, there was a flash of light. A purple flash of light. Twilight… Rainbow gnashed her teeth in a vicious smile. Atta girl… With that, Rainbow trimmed her wings and dove, building up speed. The wind protested, lashing at her with such ferocity that she almost lost control entirely. She just barely managed to keep steady just before she hit the crest of a monstrous wave and shot off around it. Tsunami-sized breakers rolled all around her, black and glassy, and higher than any building back home. They rose and fell, collapsing only to surge high again. Rainbow had never seen waves like these before, and she couldn’t help but stare in awe every time one pitched upwards in her line of sight. At least down here, the wind wasn’t so terrible. The rain still found her, biting and stinging her face with icy cold drops, but compared to the unpredictable turbulence overhead, she could manage. The wind still found her now and then, whenever the waves broke apart at just the wrong moment, but at least here the most she was dealing with was the predictable motion of titanic ocean currents. She could try to climb, get above the storm. But how much time would that take? Too much, her mind spat out. And she could very easily become even more lost than she already was, or completely overshoot her target. So she doggedly pushed herself on. Thunder boomed overhead, a lance of lightning cracking the heavens in two. And through the darkness, Rainbow made it out once more; a wave that did not collapse into the surf, one that defied all in its straight path across the stormy sea. A wave crested by three rows of serrated spines as tall as a galleon’s masts. It was there only for a moment; a snapshot burnt into Rainbow’s mind before darkness closed in again. But it was all she needed to see. Even flying seriously, it was still in front of her. Just how fast was this thing? Rainbow’s eyes dwelled on the darkness that now hid the thing between her and her friends. Another flash of light far off in the distance caught her attention, and her growled to herself. It was headed straight for them just as certainly as she was. “Okay, big guy,” she snarled through clenched teeth. “You want to do this? Let’s do this!” She reached down deep inside herself, coiling like a spring. She had never, ever lost a race – the Running of the Leaves didn’t count! – and she wasn’t about to now! Rainbow forced herself forward, her wings screaming in protest. She ignored it and just kept going. The air was starting to fight against her, like a rubber band trying to hold her back. She veered in a lazy zigzag – all she could manage at speed without bleeding off too much. But for the first time, the storm was cooperating with her. The waves were predictable, save for the one separating her from her friends. Sound was starting to bleed away. She felt the air around her bending, right on the verge of snapping. She was gaining on it now, surely. Just a little more… Out of nowhere, a wave rose in front of her – one topped with something wide and strangely familiar. Almost like a – Sail! Instinctively Rainbow slammed on the brakes, veering wildly to avoid the obstacle. But it was too late. Another powerful blast of wind slammed into her from above. She yelped, veering wildly in the wrong direction. The barrier of wind and turbulence fighting back against her countered. Like a springboard, it hit her full in the face, rebounding with the force of a body-slamming dragon. Rainbow’s yelp turn to a cry of panic as up became left, right became backwards – every direction skewing wildly as she tailspinned out of control through darkness. Her internal compass spun, gyroscope flipping wildly. All she saw was gloom, rain, another flash of light, rain, sky, water, sky, water, rain, something black spitting foam in every direction… then nothing. ~~***~~ Twilight clung to the railing of the ship, worry eating away at her. She clung on for dear life as the ship pitched and heaved wildly in the raging sea, but her eyes stayed up, keen for any trace of a rainbow streak through the rain. Nothing. Again she lifted her head, pointing straight up. She ignited her horn, and with a grunt of effort, fired off a purple bolt of light. It flew fifty feet over the highest sail, then exploded with a deafening bang, filling the sky with blinding light. Again, she waited, eyes scanning the heavens through the twinkling lights popping in front of her eyes. “Come on, Rainbow… Where are you?” “Twilight!” She snapped her head around – not to the sky, but towards the deck behind her. Rarity was carefully working her way across the deck, shielding herself from the rain as best she could with a flower-print umbrella that looked in danger of snapping. At least it kept the worse of the storm off of her, and that was all she could hope for at the moment. Her legs were splayed unusually wide in an effort to keep her balance on the rolling floor. Even so, she appeared to be trying to tiptoe as best she could to avoid the greasy dock sloshing with ocean water and one or two panic-stricken fish. “You really should be resting, darling,” she said, shouting a little over the drawl of the rain. “I will,” Twilight promised, then glanced back up. “Once Rainbow gets back.” Rarity gave her worried friend a look, then turned to survey the stormy sky above. “Twilight, darling, she’s a grown mare. She can look after herself. If she was here right now, what do you suppose she would say?” Twilight shook her head. “It’s been too long, Rarity. This storm should have been broken up by now. Something’s happened, and… and… and I’m afraid of what that may be.” Rarity returned her gaze to Twilight, sympathetic. It wasn’t like she was alone in her concern. The pegasus should have been back half an hour ago; this, everypony knew. The last she’d seen of Applejack, she’d been pacing their room, muttering to herself. Fluttershy had done her best to offer her positive outlook, but admittedly, a scenario involving Rainbow stopping to help a floundering family of ducks was pushing into delusion territory. Pinkie was, of course, striving to keep spirits up, but Rarity was keeping an eye on the state of her mane, just in case. “Twilight, you’re exhausted,” Rarity pointed out. “You need to rest before you overwork yourself!” Twilight hardly gave off the air of being cooperative, until Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder. When Twilight turned searchingly, Rarity gave her a kind smile – the best she could muster. “I will handle Rainbow,” she stated. Her voice was full of finality – it was not up for discussion. “You’ll do nopony any favors in your current state.” Twilight gave her a nervous look. “Are… are you sure?” “Positive, darling,” Rarity beamed. “Now shoo. I’ll be just fine. But I will be expecting a warm bath afterwards. All this sea salt is simply murder on my coat and mane.” Twilight smiled, though her heart was only partially in it. “Alright…” Rarity’s expression softened. She patted Twilight’s shoulder, earning her an appreciative… grimace, at least. “She’s fine, Twilight. You’ll see.” It took only a little further convincing for the exhausted alicorn princess to finally relent. She was feeling practically dead on her hooves. Even though Rainbow was still lost, she couldn’t deny that she was practically running on fumes. At last, Rarity watched as Twilight turned and slowly shambled her way back to the lower decks, wobbling and weaving as the boat pitched wildly in the surf. Rarity made sure her friend had properly disappeared below deck before she turned her own sights up towards pouring heavens before firing off her own beacon while multitasking her grip on her umbrella. “Where are you, Rainbow?” she muttered to herself. “You’re starting to really push being fashionably late…” Rarity kept her eyes turned up to the sky. It was the only reason she caught sight of a strange, sputtering blue light out of her peripheral vision. Her confusion only grew stronger when she realized the light was coming from, of all things, her own horn. For some reason, the aura surrounding it was flickering, wavering like a guttering candle. She frowned at her horn, rather at a loss for why it was doing that. Rarity would never see the titanic shadow overtaking them from below; a shadow that, by comparison, made the warship look like a dingy. Over the pounding of rain and wind, it didn’t make a single sound. The enormous volume of water it displaced wasn’t even felt as being out of the ordinary. All Rarity noticed was when the flickering stopped, passing as quickly as it had come. When she looked down again, all she saw was black waters and sea spray stretching off into infinite. ~~***~~ Rainbow awoke to a salty mouth, soaked fur and an excruciating body that ached in all the familiar ways. Do enough headers into the ground from a couple hundred feet up and you grow accustomed to the aftereffects. That still didn’t stop her from whining out a pained, “Ooooow…” Two things clicked for Rainbow in belated but sequential order. Firstly, the ocean was a lot harder than she remembered it being. Secondly, she wasn’t floundering in said ocean. Curious, she cracked open an eye, squinting slightly. Wooden boards met her eyes first, confirming her earlier conclusion; she was not, in fact, in the water. Rain lashed the floor in great sheets. Rainbow could feel herself rolling this way and that as waves moved by underneath. Thunder boomed overhead. Yes, these were all familiar. The solid deck beneath her? That wasn’t expected. Rubbing her aching head, she finally managed to right herself and push up onto her flanks. Looking around for clues, however, only made things more confusing. She’d landed, it seemed, on a small boat that was currently being tossed about in the churning sea like a foal’s plaything. Every wave to come and go was like a roller coaster, taking it up and down at least fifty feet every time. Off the nose of the boat, Rainbow would see nothing but sky, and then nothing but ocean. But as she sat there, rubbing her head and trying to make sense of her surroundings, a shadow moved beneath a small shelter in front of her. Rainbow tensed, alarm bells fighting through dizzy disorientation to rouse her to alert status. All she needed to see were the twin sets of glints set into a shadowy face to realize she wasn’t alone. If it had gasped, the sound was lost in the howling wind and drawling rain. The form did jump, though. “T-Teacher!” it squealed, its tone of alarm oddly dull and unauthentic. Until Rainbow remembered; Twilight’s spell. A second figure stirred, its head turning first to the one beside it, then to the intruder currently sitting, half-dazed, behind them. Bleary-eyed and blinking copious amounts of rain water out of her eyes, Rainbow struggled to focus. A bright orange light made her wince as the boat was illuminated by a small, flickering flame – revealing a brown, weathered face staring critically in her direction. Rainbow lolled from side to side, fighting to stay awake. “Meant to do that,” she warbled, staggering upright… just before keeling over backwards. The last thing she saw; two narrow, blue eyes looking back at her. Everything after that was darkness. ~~***~~ Twilight’s sleep was a troubled one. Her dreams came and went, each one worse than the last. The kaiju soaring up out of the ocean, massive jaws flung open wide… Tezuka’s armored helmet gnashing its teeth savagely at her, puffing smoke… a titanic shape surging towards her, like the shadow of a storm cloud… At least, her subconscious calmed down, as if it’d exhausted itself by then. Instead, a strange scene materialized in front of her. She stood in the middle of a circular room that was lavishly decorated. Columns lined the walls made of pure jade, each entwined by a snarling golden dragon’s head. Around her, on an elevated tier, a dozen screens stood erected at even intervals. Lanterns on the walls revealed shadows behind those screens; equine shapes sitting on plush cushions, all eyes turned towards her. “We did not ask you about your misgivings,” one of them said, his voice weasely and shrewd. “What we must know is whether it can be done or not.” “With all due respect, your excellency,” Twilight heard herself say. Only… it wasn’t her voice. For one thing, she didn’t speak with such a deep masculine tone. “To ignore the risks will only invite disaster.” “It is your job to minimize those risks, is it not?” Another hidden individual inquired. “That is what you were charged with. The emperor himself has laid this task before you, scholar, because he knows you are capable of seeing his vision through to its conclusion. Or would you rather live in shame for failing to answer His Excellence’s call to service?” Twilight turned her head, her eyes sweeping the many mysterious figures looming over her. She could have sworn there were more now; at least eighteen, maybe twenty. Had that second row always been there? “You do not understand,” she heard herself say again in a stallion’s voice. “A spell of this magnitude… Nopony has ever attempted something like this before.” “Which is precisely why the Emperor demands it be done,” another noble interrupted. “It is our duty – our privilege and right – to push the very limits of magic into new territory, is it not?” “At what cost?” the voice speaking from Twilight’s mouth asked. “If even the smallest thing goes wrong, we could be looking at the destruction of the entire kingdom.” “The matter is not open for debate, Serizawa,” one of the figured stated with absolute finality. “It never has been. Either you complete the Golden Age, or we will find somepony else with the ambition to realize His Excellence’s vision.” Twilight looked down, a barely repressed sound cutting through her lips. “You have no idea what forces we are playing with,” she muttered. “Nature will always find a way to balance itself, no matter how tightly we hold onto it. This, I promise you.” ~~***~~ Twilight jolted awake with a gasp, momentarily disoriented. Where had the glittering, beautifully decorated hall gone? It had been there a split second ago, but within a single blink it was gone, replaced instead of dark rafters over her head. She wasn’t even standing anymore; she was lying down… just like she’d been when she’d closed her eyes. Slowly at first, reality started to exert itself again, and she recalled – if only in bits and pieces – where she really was. “R…Rainbow…?” she mumbled. She blinked, then again, trying to clear the sleep from her eyes. somepony was standing over her, and as her eyes began to focus, she realized it was not the rambunctious pegasus. It wasn’t even a pegasus at all, or any of her friends, for that matter. Waking up to find a stranger looming uncomfortably close did wonders for clearing her grogginess at the very least. Twilight yelped and jolted back into a more defensible sitting position while she clutched her blankets to her instinctively. Yet, the unexpected guest hadn’t even react beside to track Twilight’s rapid retreat against the headboard. “My most sincere apologies,” came a smooth, monotone voice. “I did not mean to startle you, my lady.” Her pulse jackhammering, Twilight stared through the dark room at the intruder, only then taking her appearance in. And just as quickly, Twilight couldn’t help but feel some sort of recognition at the sight of her. For one thing, it was a mare. That right there gave away who she might be, considering the distinctly masculine crew. Unlike the last time Twilight had seen anypony like her, however, this mare was not covered from head to hoof in clothing. No, her face was clearly exposed, revealing soft almond-shaped eyes set into a pearly white demure face and a cascade of rosy pink mane. She wore an elegant dress, but nothing similar to the ceremonial attire she’d worn earlier. However, exactly who she might be escaped Twilight. All three mares had been, after all, completely and totally covered up save for horn tips and hooves. The mare moved slowly and gracefully, conveying a sense of serenity Twilight was in no state to match. She politely bowed low, humbly averting her eyes. “Please do not be alarmed. I was tasked by my lady to aid in your recovery. I trust you are feeling well?” To Twilight’s surprise, she was. Magic of the order of magnitude she’d performed earlier should have left her with a crippling hornache from all the residual magic lingering in her horn. She was no stranger to them, having grown accustomed to their persistent pain over the course of her magically intensive life. By rights, expending a good portion of her magic trying to hold open a pocket dimension would have rendered a lesser pony comatose, and should have laid her out for a few days at least. But now there she sat, feeling reasonably – and very unexpectedly – refreshed. No terrific pain between her eyes, no sensation of burning electricity in her horn… nothing. “I… am,” Twilight said back, sounding just as surprised as she felt. She reached up idly and touched her forehead. That was when she realized something was plastered around her horn; something that felt warm and damp, like a wet cloth. She crossed her eyes, trying to get a good look at it, but all she could see was something dark green, like some kind of leaf. She pulled at it, and the thing came unraveled in one long strip. It was a leaf of some kind, she realized; a long, slightly wilted thing steeped in some kind of strong-smelling bitter liquid. “I’m pleased to hear that,” responded the mare, though she sounded too dull for her sentence to hold much weight. “My lady has been eagerly awaiting your recovering so that –” Both mares jumped when the door banged open. “Twilight!” “Spike…?” She said, focusing on the shape standing in the doorway. “Sorry to wake you up, Twilight,” he said. “But something’s going on.” Right away Twilight picked up on the urgency in Spike’s voice. Spike focused on her intently, until he suddenly became aware of the other pony sharing the room with her. “Uh… Am I… interrupting anything?” he asked. Twilight glanced towards the mare, and to her surprise she found her looking the other way, hiding her face from Spike. Her horn came to life with a pale white light, and out of thin air a thin white veil appeared. It settled upon her head, obscuring her face and features from sight. Only then did she turn even slightly in Spike’s direction. “I shall take my leave,” she said calmly, and stood up. “My lady will be most eager to hear of your recovery. Please, when you get the time, she would very much like you to visit.” And without further ado, she turned around and glided across the room, neatly sidestepped around Spike, and swept out of side. Spike watched her go, confusion and surprise still warring on his face. “Uh… who was that?” Twilight glanced after the retreating mare. “If I had to guess, one of the sorceress’ maids-in-waiting.” Spike processed that for a moment, then asked the more important question. “And… why was she here?” “Frankly, I have no idea,” Twilight admitted. But she kept rubbing her ache-free horn absently, lost in thought. “Um… maybe she was trying to repay me for helping her? I don’t know.” Spike watched her, gauging her behavior carefully. He knew what he should expect to see in Twilight after she overexerted herself magically… but now the signs just weren’t there. No softly spoken words, no squinted eyes, and definitely no short temper or dull moaning. Spike watched her carefully, swaying slightly with the pitching of the ship. “Um… are you okay? Did you sleep okay?” Twilight shook her head. Right… she been dreaming about something… something about… golden dragons around pillars and… screens? She tried in vain to get her head to work, but it was like trying to grasp at running water. “I… had a really strange dream. Something about a spell…” Spike rolled his eyes. “Why does that not surprise me?” Twilight rolled her eyes. She only held it for a moment before relaxing with a sigh. “It… probably wasn’t important.” As she looked around, Twilight couldn’t help but notice how empty the cabin was. Now that the maiden was gone, she could actually appreciate it; only Spike and herself remained in the slightly disorganized space lit only by a small lamp clutched in Spike’s claws. “Where is everypony?” she asked curiously. “No idea,” Spike said, trotting further into the room. “They ran out after they heard the crew running outside the door. It sounded like something was going on, but they haven’t been back yet.” Twilight frowned, glancing towards the shut door. Beyond, only silence reached her ears. Then, she looked towards the porthole window, and jolted with surprise. Instead of dull, stormy grey gloom, she was confronted with a pitch black, glassy window that gave away only the reflection from Spike’s lamp. Just how long had she been asleep? She could still hear the waves slapping harshly against the hull, corresponding with the rhythmic rocking of the ship itself. How she had managed to sleep at all was beyond her, not with that much noise. “Any sign of Rainbow yet?” she asked. “Afraid not,” Spike said back, his voice low. Twilight bit her lip. Worry plagued her, worse than before. It must have been hours by now… where was she? Spike’s face was a mirror of her apprehension. “Maybe she’s just waiting out the storm somewhere. I bet she’s getting pretty grumpy right about now.” Twilight couldn’t help but crack a weak smile. It wasn’t much… but it was a possibility, one she clung to. As long as she kept thinking that Rainbow was alright, she could turn her attention to other things. “Maybe they’re close to getting the flight engines fixed,” Twilight offered hopefully. “Maybe that’s what all the commotion is about.” “I hope so,” Spike muttered. He was watching the window as well, all the while ringing his claws. “The sooner we get out of this weird storm, the better.” Right on cue, a crack of thunder boomed overhead. The window turned brightest white, causing both of them to flinch back a step. For a moment, Twilight saw an endless plane of wave crests stretching into the horizon, each wave a mountain in its own right. Then, faster than a blink, it was gone again as the darkness closed in again. Twilight was just turning to address Spike again when suddenly her ears picked up the sound of thumping hooves on the floorboards outside. Both turned in unison as another pony came skidding into view, and in came an utterly drenched orange earth pony. She was sopping wet, as if she’d been standing in a shower for hours on end. And yet, in classic form, Applejack couldn’t have paid any less attention if she tried. “Spike, maybe we shouldn’t bother Twi’ –” Applejack started to say, but immediately cut herself off when she noticed Twilight sitting up in bed. “Oh, uh, howdy, sugarcube. Sorry ta disturb ya.” “Is everything alright?” Twilight asked, frowning. Why was Applejack soaked? Applejack tilted her head to one side, looking back the way she’d come without turning around. “Well, besides Rainbow still bein’ lost and Tezuka havin’ a cow… yep, everythin’s hunky-dory.” Twilight blinked at her, slowly. “Uh… Tezuka’s upset? About what?” “Everythin’ under the sun, Ah’d wager,” Applejack grunted sourly while ringing out her Stetson right there on the floor. “But right now? Ain’t got a clue. He just started orderin’ all hooves on deck a little while ago. Rarity said y’all needed yer rest, but it didn’t feel right just leavin’ ya out while somethin’ was goin’ on.” Now Twilight was frowning. That was not the sort of news she wanted to hear. They needed to find Rainbow, not get saddled with some other calamity… “If Ah had ta guess,” Applejack went on, “we’re gettin’ close ta that Odo Island place Tezuka mentioned earlier. But… Ah don’t know, somethin’s got them all riled up.” Twilight glanced up, seemingly not hearing Applejack speak. Instead, she turned her attention towards the window. She still couldn’t see anything, but the storm’s ferocity was hardly mute. “Well,” she said, turning around to look at Applejack while simultaneously swinging her legs over the side of the bed, “we better go find out what’s going on.” ~~***~~ It didn’t take Twilight long to find out that something was indeed wrong. The waves, while slightly diminished, still played with the impressive battleship like a bathtub toy. The storm was losing strength, but it clearly still had some fury pent up in it. At the very least, the rain had subsided, but there was so much sea spray in the air that it hardly seemed to make an impact. The only real difference now was the utter darkness that now blanketed the world. It wasn’t just the gloom of the storm anymore; only night could bring a darkness so complete. It raised a brief question in Twilight’s mind about how long she’d been asleep. It really had felt like mere moments. Lanterns lined the rigging around the deck, giving light to the sailors working at a feverish pace, heads bowed against the ferocious sea gushing over the sides and pounding their shoulders. “Get those ropes tied down!” Twilight jumped and turned around towards the rear of the ship. Above her on the aft deck, Tezuka was gesturing around the ship, belting out orders at maximum volume. Twilight couldn’t help but note the oddity of his position, considering up until then he’d walked amongst his crew while dishing out orders. From the aftcastle, he had a commanding view of every square inch of the Amaterasu, and he was currently making the most of it. “Bring us back up to high alert, NOW!” he bellowed, then turned to issue orders to somepony standing behind him, swiftly disappearing from sight. “Wonder what’s going on?” Twilight wondered aloud. “No idea,” Applejack said back, casting her eyes around. The rocking of the ship hardly seemed to faze her, far less than it did Twilight. It was all the studious mare could do to keep from toppling over with each wave. “He’s been like this fer a couple minutes now. But whatever’s happened, if it’s got Tezuka worked up like this, odds are it ain’t anythin’ good.” Twilight couldn’t help but agree. Just one look at the pace of the sailors going about their duties, and she could have come to that conclusion herself. Certainly, the uproar wasn’t over the engines, that was for sure. As she scanned around the deck, her eyes fell on a familiar splash of yellow, pink and white at the far end of the ship, right in the shadow of the golden figurehead. Rarity must have spotted her at the same time, because all of a sudden she was rushing over with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie right behind her – as quickly as she could, anyway, considering the rolling, slick deck she had to contend with. “Twilight, whatever are you doing out here?” She asked, sounding concerned. “You really should be resting still.” “I’m fine, Rarity,” Twilight dismissed. Sleep was the furthest thing from her mind right now. “Do you know what’s going on?” As Rarity approached, Twilight couldn’t help but be impressed by her appearance. Even with hundreds of gallons of ocean gushing over the sides of the ship, Rarity’s mane remained perfectly coifed and maintained, even if it was rather damp. It was all thanks to her strategic utilization of a remarkably sturdy umbrella and yellow poncho. When she’d acquired the latter, Twilight would never know. “I can’t say that I do,” Rarity admitted. Her eyes flicked up towards the last place Twilight had seen Tezuka before she returned her attention to her friend. “I was out here when all of a sudden the crew came storming out onto the deck. Somepony mentioned something about a message, but frankly I’m just as lost as you are. They certainly didn’t stop to answer any of my questions,” she added with an indignant huff. Seated on Twilight’s back, Spike turned around to look upwards, squinting through the rain. As he did so, Tezuka reappeared at the railing. “Is the main gun primed yet?” the Imperial officer shouted over the storm. “Not yet,” somepony called back from the other side of the ship. “But it won’t be long.” “Do it fast,” Tezuka ordered. “We may need it.” Something caught his eye then and he looked down towards a lantern that hadn’t been there before – straight towards Twilight, Applejack, Spike and Rarity. He paused, gave them all a look, then he swept away, vanishing from sight. “What was all that about?” Spike asked. “If Ah had ta guess,” Applejack said, her eyes narrowing, “it ain’t the storm we gotta worry about right now.” Twilight was just opening her mouth to speak as well when she heard hooves stomping on the wood behind her. She turned, just as Tezuka descended the final few steps onto the same level as the rest of them. “What’s going on?” Twilight asked without waiting for Tezuka to say anything. Tezuka paused, as if weighing whether he wanted to answer or not. He glanced around, his snarling helmet crying fat droplets of seawater. With the lantern so close to his face, Twilight could clearly make out his thin grey eyes sweeping the deck, going from crewpony to crewpony, before snapping around towards her. “Her Excellence the sorceress picked up a distress signal from our outpost on Odo Island,” he said, his voice low so that only those immediately around him were present. “The island is under attack.” All three mares gasped in shock. Twilight’s heart thudded painfully in her chest if she’d just been punched in the ribs. “I-is it…?” Twilight tried to ask, but she trailed off before she could finish. Tezuka just looked at her, a grim set to his eyes. “We will be reaching Odo soon. Then we will know for sure. But… if I were you, I would prepare yourselves all the same.” As Tezuka turned to leave, Twilight directed her gaze towards the front of the ship, apprehension crashing over her like a tremendous wave as the ship pitched in the turbulent sea. “Well, guess this is it,” Applejack said somberly, squaring her hat on her head. “Guess so,” said Twilight, not looking back. Rarity huffed indignantly. “Well, at the very least we won’t be getting down to business in the rain.” Applejack cast an untrusting glare up at the black storm clouds overhead. “We’ll see how long that lasts.” Rarity gave her an admonishing look. “Try to appreciate the silver linings, darling.” “Well pardon me if Ah’m a tad cynical right now,” Applejack countered heatedly, “but until this weird storm goes away and Rainbow turns up again, Ah ain’t gonna be in the mood for much hopeful wishin’.” As if right on cue and much to everypony’s surprise, something happened that none of them were expecting. All at once, without any warning whatsoever, A shaft of moonlight sliced through the dense blanket overhead, creating a slanted pillar of ghostly pale light right across the ship’s bow. The wind went from a terrific gale to a petulant, blustery breeze. The waves remained gigantic, but almost right away everypony on board could feel them diminishing. “Uh…,” Applejack muttered, blinking in pure surprise as another shaft of moonlight pierced through the heavens above. “Well… how do ya like that…” Of course, she in no way got anywhere near meeting the look she knew she was getting from Rarity. “See, darling? Positive thinking.” While Applejack grumbled petulantly to herself, Twilight stared up in wonder and confusion as holes began opening up in the sky above, letting gentle rays of a full moon light the darkness. Then, she turned her attention downward – towards the ponies who lived here. They were muttering to one another, exchanging superstitious and anxious looks with one another. Mutters went every which way; murmurs of ill omens and bad luck abounded, passed along like the fearful whispering of frightened foals. They knew what this was… and they did not like it one bit. But why? Twilight frowned, then turned her eyes back up towards the disintegrating thunderstorm giving way to a clear, star-filled sky. What, exactly, was going on? “Maybe Rainbow finally managed to break up the storm?” she offered. ‘After hours of trying?’ shot a voice in the back of her mind. But what else could it have been? Tezuka’s voice was like a thunderclap through the suddenly still air. “Back to work, all of you! We have a monster to face!” Immediately the activity on deck restarted, picking up even faster than before due to the surer footing of a stable deck. Twilight’s eyes descended from the sky overhead, directing instead out over the golden bow of the ship. There, under a pool of light cast by the full moon, she thought she could just make out a pair of tall spires jutting up out of the ocean on the horizon, one larger than the other. But of much greater concern, she soon realized, was the ominous low-hanging column of blackness that rose off of it, somehow darker than the remaining clouds in the sky. Odo Island was burning. ~~***~~ Twilight watched by the railing as the ship chugged laboriously closer and closer to the island. She was unable to tear herself away from the sight of distant fires in a bowl between two mountain peaks, sending a trail of smoke and ash miles into the air. In the dark of the night, the plume was only a black shadow clashing against the full moon’s silvery light, but Twilight never would have missed it. Applejack and Pinkie Pie had quickly descended into the lower decks of the ship to fetch their things. Rarity and Fluttershy remained by Twilight’s side, unable to look away any more than she was as the ship bore them towards the frightful scene. As they crossed into the shadow of the smoke trail, the smell of char and ash filled the air, burning in their nostrils and eliciting a few restrained coughs. Twilight noticed the crew falling quiet all around them. She turned to find dozens of sailors peering up, unable to contain their own senses of dread, their tasks forgotten. Something banged up against the side of the Amaterasu, making Twilight jump. Quickly she wheeled around and gazed intently over the side of the boat. The roof of a house bobbed past, bumping and clattering against the side of the boat as it forced its way through murky waters. It was almost entirely intact, like someone had merely picked it up and deposited it into the surf. A screen door followed soon after, waterlogged and covered in palm tree fronds. Right behind it, a silken dress covered in mud and torn to tatters moved like a ghost across the rippling surface of the black ocean. But there was more. Much more. Twilight realized this as her leaned back, her eyes taking in the many, many shadows bobbing in the bay. Chunks of wood littered the sea, as varied as they were unidentifiable. Some were large enough to be some kind of structural component. Others, as thin as strips of paper. All of it was inexorably being drawn out to sea; a procession of grim fragments marching into the great dark beyond. The entire sight made Twilight sick to her stomach. By just a rough estimate, she could tell that there was enough timber and building material floating around her to refurbish half of Ponyville and still have a nice bonfire afterwards. Worse, she fully expected this to only be a prelude to what they would soon be facing, but it still struck her hard as she watched, helpless to act. Sailors were whispering all around them; anxious whispers filled with fear and apprehension. “Didn’t we receive the alert only a few minutes ago? How could it be over already?” “There were at least two hundred soldiers waiting for us here… How could they let something like this happen?” “What are we supposed to do against something that can do this? What can six little fillies do against such power?” Twilight started to look over her shoulder, but she caught herself. Somehow, she knew she didn’t have the heart to look these despairing ponies in the eye right now. Instead, she met Rarity’s gaze; one filled with deep, almost agonizing worry, undoubtedly just like her own. Her pearly white features were momentarily thrown into clearer relief as the burning hulk of a smashed ship drifted by – A ship currently lying twenty feet above the sea on a windswept outcropping of rocks. “This is so… horrible…,” Fluttershy whispered, quieter than even her usual mumble, her eyes on the raging flames gushing from the broken ship. “What could have done this…?” Twilight breathed, eyes similarly transfixed. They watched it go, flames roaring and crackling hungrily across the burning vessel, when a new sound caught their attention. Off in the distance, almost too far to be clearly heard, was a distinct clanging sound; a bell. Twilight leaned out over the side of the ship, far enough to see around the reinforced bow. Far ahead, through a wall of fire and smoky pillars of ash and cinders, there was a structure still standing amid a flattened valley of jutting timber and pulverized masonry. Well, it was mostly still standing; judging by the unnatural jut of its ragged top level, part of it had been lopped clean off. And yet, that was where the sound was coming from. Somepony was still alive in that hellish ruin, and when Twilight listened hard, she just thought she could make out a voice in the still air. ~~***~~ Ogata had seen the ship approaching. There was no way he could have missed the glitter of moonlight across it’s striking prow; a hunter ship. But why wasn’t it airborne? He’d set such questions aside quickly, however. Even covered in bandages and struggling through the agony of a few cracked ribs, he’d hauled himself up the broken watchtower by the shore. By the time he’d made it, the ship had crossed into the debris field clogging the bay; the remains of a village, now little more than flotsam in the currents. He’d scaled up as high as he dared, braving twisted lumber and crumbling stairs until he raised his head into open air once more. What had once been the midway point in the watch tower was now its new roof. Pillars still stood, shattered and splintered, as the only evidence that there had been anything above where he now stood. The rest of the tower now lay on its side some fifty feet below, half submerged in a pile of broken timber in the general area of where the pier had once stood. Somepony had recovered the warning gong sometime the previous day. Once upon a time it had stood at the pinnacle of that very tower, ready to guide in ships lost in the dense fog that often blanketed the bay towards the safety of the docks. Now, the golden disk had been split roughly, a crack nearly bifurcating it right down the middle. It was horribly bent, one corner arching in the wrong direction, and the once magnificent etchings across its front were now almost indistinguishable underneath the myriad scratches and lacerations covering it. But it would serve its purpose. Ogata took hold of the heavy rod, miraculously untouched by the tower’s decimation, and wheeled back with all the strength he possessed. The note produced by the gong was pitiful, more thud than clang. But he kept at it. Ringing the gong had been a sacred duty, entitled only to a select few. A part of his brain registered that, and knew that if Nakajima-sensei knew what he was doing, he’d be lucky to get off with a lashing. But, at the moment, tradition was the furthest thing from his mind. Survival, on the other hoof, was center stage, and unless somepony else wanted to point him to the nearest, loudest signal that wasn’t tangled in sacred taboos, he would just have to make do with what he had. After the night he’d had, tradition could shove off. ~~***~~ Twilight watched in anticipation as the boat drew closer and closer to land. Without a dock, the best that could be done was to edge up as close to shore as possible without running aground, which took at least a dozen sailors watching over the sides of the boat, dropping weighted lengths of rope into the shallow surf to gauge the depth, and a whole lot of nerve. Every bump and scrape on the boat’s belly was met with a wince from Tezuka and the navigator – a weathered and seasoned stallion who was putting every second of his many years behind the helm to use in that one moment to ensure they all weren’t dashed against the rocks. It was slow, methodical work, and at the moment, Twilight couldn’t stand slow. She very much wanted to just take off and survey the situation herself, but she couldn’t just leave her friends. She’d already lost one too many that night… So she stayed glued to the railing, keenly watching for any movement on the nearby, debris-strewn shore. It really was a mess, like an entire lumberyard’s worth of construction material had been upended and strewn across the wide, gently sloping beach. And, for good measure, somepony had lit parts of it on fire. Only a few fragments of structures remained upright, but Twilight would never be able to tell what they’d ever been while they were in one piece – an absolute travesty that made the scholar in her faint. But it was because she was watching so forlornly that she spotted the stallion stumbling his way down the hill beyond the beach, fell once, but picked himself back up and forced himself onwards. He was shouting, occasionally waving a hoof to get their attention. Twilight couldn’t make out much of him, but what she could see… in short, he looked like he’d been through a very, very long night. “Somepony’s down there,” she called out over her shoulder. “There’s somepony alive down there!” Half of the sailors completely abandoned their posts, much to Tezuka’s consternation, and rushed towards Twilight’s position by the corner of the reinforced bow plating. “She’s right!” a grimy sailor shouted. “It looks like an Imperial sentry! By the sun, there might be survivors down there!” A single spark of hope; that’s all it took for the sailors to pick themselves up by the bootstraps and throw themselves into their work. They weren’t headed for a place of ash and bones; hidden amongst the rubble, there were lives in need of saving. All of a sudden, the boat jolted to an abrupt halt with a shriek of metal-on-stone. The impressive beak nose on the Amaterasu’s bow had just hit something solid that didn’t yield, nearly throwing them all over. “Crewponies, get below deck and assess the damage,” Tezuka barked without missing a stride. “Keep this ship on high alert. I want to depart at a moment’s notice! You and you! Prepare a landing ship. We’re going ashore.” Twilight tore her eyes off the sight of the approaching stallion so she could turn around, just as Tezuka began to cross the deck towards where she, Rarity and Fluttershy were standing. “You and your friends,” Tezuka snapped, “you’re all coming with me. This is something you all need to see.” ~~***~~ All five mares, one baby dragon, two pilots and a surly officer crammed onto the sturdy dingy as soon as it was produced. Then they had to endure the long, arduous wait as the boat was slowly lowered over the side and into the treacherous waters beneath. The oars were used less to propel the boat forward and more to push away obstacles jutting up like bones from the shallow surf. At one point a wave nearly threw them all on top of a wooden beam, but a last-second adjustment by one of the seasoned navigators tossed the nose of the dingy to the side just in time. When they steadied next, all nine of them felt sand scraping across the belly of the boat as they came to a sudden halt. Twilight was the first out of the boat, and she was nearly tossed over as a wave rolled onto the beach. But she kept her footing in the icy surf and quickly clambered towards drier territory. Even with a hill between her and the village, Twilight could still smell the smoke. She could feel the heat from charred boards still glowing with embers scattered about the beach. Sparks flittered through the smoke-choked air, blowing out over the ocean and out of sight. As she looked around, waiting for the rest of her friends to disembark – Rarity was putting up a bit of a fuss over the soot-covered sand – Twilight spotted that same stallion hobbling towards them doggedly. He wore a scale-mail set of armor that caught the light of the fires he passed. One look, and Twilight could tell it had taken a savage beating; most of the scales around his chest, particularly the skirts around his sides, had fallen out, and the plates on one of his shoulders had been ripped off completely. His half-helmet was dented and cracked and covered in black ash. More telling, however, were the thick coils of gauze wound around his middle and hind legs, as well as a portion of his head. He looked like he’d taken a truly brutal beating, and yet he was still persistently carrying out his duties even if he had to limp. He just kept his eyes locked on the strange purple mare with the big, wide eyes standing in front of him. He stayed bullheadedly focused on her, up until he noticed the glint of armor striding up behind her. “Sentry!” barked Tezuka, “who are you? Where is the rest of your division?” The stallion stalled, very nearly falling face first into the ashy sand. “O-Ogata, sir,” he responded. “The name’s Ogata.” Ogata turned back towards Twilight. He looked slightly dazed and disoriented, blinking slowly. “Is… is this her?” he asked nervously. “She’s… smaller than the stories say.” Twilight had to fight to keep her indignation at bay. This would have been about the point where Rainbow started snickering… if she had been present. The silence, as it were, was much more disconcerting than it ever should have been. Tezuka glanced towards Twilight, saying nothing, then turned back towards Ogata. “Where is your commanding officer?” He asked. His voice had lost some of its usual authoritative bite, Twilight noticed. Even her translation spell could pick up on it. “Is there anypony else still alive?” Ogata turned towards him, then nodded. “Yes, sir. Most of the villagers fled to the monastery after… after…” some of his composure slipped, his eyes turning down. “He… He came out of nowhere. Just walked through us like we were –” “Take it easy, soldier,” Tezuka placated. Actually placated, much to five mares’ amazement. “You kept the villagers safe. You and your comrades performed honorably. Now… Where is your commanding officer?” Ogata gulped, took a deep breath, and steadied himself. He looked so young, Twilight realized; underneath the soot and mud, armor and bandages, he could have been only a few years older than herself. There was no way he was a soldier, not at his age… “At the monastery as well,” he reported. “I volunteered to stay behind and keep an eye out.” Tezuka had been tilting his head up, eyeing higher up along one of the towering mountains flanking the village. When Ogata said that last line, he snapped his attention back down. “In your state? You shouldn’t be anywhere but in the infirmary, soldier.” Ogata winced in response. “I know, sir, but… well, somepony had to.” That was not a very promising statement at all. Whatever face Tezuka made in response was hidden inside his helmet. He tilted his head to one side, held still for a moment, then turned back. “We need to speak to the one in charge,” he said. “My men will cover the beach. Take us to your commanding officer, then get some rest. Am I clear, soldier?” Ogata hesitated, trying to process what he was being told with the severe tone he was being told it with. Then, he gave a hesitant solute. “Y… Y-yes, sir.” “Good,” Tezuka said tersely. “Let’s go.” As Ogata turned around and Tezuka fell into step behind him, Twilight and her friends couldn’t help but stare at the back of the armored stallion’s head. “Correct me if Ah’m wrong,” Applejack muttered, “But just now… did it sound like he was bein’… normal… ta anypony else?” “That’s what I heard,” Pinkie chirped, managing a small smile. “Maybe he’s not such a grouchy meanie-pants after all. Once you get past all that grouchy meanie-pantsness.” “One can hope,” Rarity said, moving to catch up with the pair of stallions. Everypony fell into step behind her soon enough – except for Twilight. She stood in place, watching Tezuka go with a thoughtful look in her eyes. …I love my homeland, Princess Sparkle. It has been my honor to serve her. And I will do what needs to be done to preserve her and her honor… “Twilight?” She jumped slightly and looked down. There stood Spike, who was giving her a careful look. “You feeling okay?” She blinked, then nodded. “Yes. Just… thinking.” With that, and a reflexive flick of her horn, she placed the baby dragon on her back and started off after the rest of the group as they headed into the path of destruction. ~~***~~ It wasn’t the level of destruction that stunned Twilight as they moved through the destroyed village. It wasn’t even the scope of it. It was the sheer totality of it. The group passed foundations without a single scrap of a structure still standing atop it. Entire rows of houses, huts, retaining walls – everything and anything had been utterly flattened, as if decimated by a tornado. As they proceeded uphill, following the barren trail up into the foothills, Ogata finally found his voice again. “The villagers were lucky,” he said. “The creature appeared on the northeast side of the island. Came right to us first. They heard the sounds of the battle and fled for higher ground.” He shook his head. “We threw everything we had at it. Demolition spells, pain hexes, cannon shells… Nothing slowed it down. Then it just… left. By the time we’d regrouped and gave chase, it’d already reach the ocean.” Twilight turned around, looking back down the hillside at the ruined village. Now that she had something of an elevated viewpoint, she thought she could see something about the devastation that unnerved her. The houses and huts that were up on the hillsides flanking the bay were almost entirely intact. They were the source of the fires, which were spreading uncontrollably from one wooden structure to the next, throwing up billowing clouds of acrid black smoke. But most importantly, Twilight realized, they had not been flattened, or smashed in any way. The same could not be said for the houses and buildings that had once stood in the bowl between the mountains, going all the way down to the bay. It was as if, Twilight realized with a jolt, something had plowed its way through the relatively flat valley basin with utter disregard for everything underfoot, dragging with it the bulk of an entire village back out to sea. But it would take something of incomprehensible size… No, such a thing could not be done by a creature. Nothing could be that massive… “Watch your step,” Ogata suddenly warned from up ahead. Automatically Twilight turned around to spot the danger… and came to a complete standstill. Something had been punched into the earth, cratering it as deep as she was tall. Trees, bushes, everything had been pancaked against the ground, right down to the slivers of wood from collapsed tree trunks. It was huge, wider across than any depression she had ever seen before; wider than the foundation for a house. And on one end, gouged deep into the earth, were four protruding craters; the impressions of four gigantic clawed toes, all pointing downhill towards the ocean. It was huge… too huge. Twilight simply couldn’t wrap her head around it. She numbly searching for the footprint’s counterpart. For that’s what it was; it was the only thing it could be. But in the dark, she never found it. Only the one sitting right under her nose, partially filled as it was by rain water. And right about then, Twilight started to understand just why the Neighponese were so afraid of this Gojira. ~~***~~ A sailor aboard the Amaterasu yawned, watching lazily as the procession of lanterns started up the far side of the village and out of sight. It had been a long night. A very long night, in fact, what with repairs to the flight engine still being underway. And now this… Neighponese were tough ponies. It was something they prided themselves on. But even a tough old goat like himself would start to wear down eventually. He yawned again, not even bothering to stifle it. He put his head down on the side railing of the ship, eyes turned towards the village. What was the harm of a little shut-eye? All of the excitement was already over, by the looks of it. It wasn’t like he’d miss anything… His eyes were just starting to drift closed… when a strange sound caught his attention. Somewhere to his right and behind, there was a strange burbling, frothing sound. And also a very peculiar hissing sound, like pressurized steam. Confused, he lifted his head and shambled over to the other railing and leaned over. Just as the burning hulk of a ship sank beneath the waves, along with the disturbed thing it had been resting upon.