Chapter 18: Enemy
Xenilla
Blade Dancer
Princess Cadance
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Crystal Empire Library
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It was mid-afternoon, with a few hours until closing time in the Imperial Library. Not that its strangest occupant really minded. He just wanted his company to wake up soon, lest he have to carry her out. Xenilla studiously flipped through the pages of some study materials Key Ring had recommended him after they’d finished their short session. The unicorn might still be an option to aid Xenilla from time to time, but these would definitely speed the process up. The more he knew of this Equestrian magic, the more he might know to find a way to use it and get him and the others back home. It was fortunate that he came through the barrier as a spell casting species. From what he could tell, all of the major races, equine or otherwise, had some magical abilities of numeral varieties. Still, having a horn to channel said magic through made matters much easier, even if he couldn’t do some of the skills the other species had.
Then again rapid plant growth and somehow physically pushing clouds weren’t likely to help his cause.
Reading through a tome’s page and memorizing it word for word, Xenilla closed his eyes and concentrated on performing a telekinesis spell. True, he could pull that skill off since the day he was born with his innate psychic abilities, but practicing magic through his horn and not where his shoulder pylons used to be was necessary. After some trial and error, namely grasping the book's pages with magic and NOT hurling it across the library on accident, he finally managed to turn the pages of his book with his horn’s power.
-One spell down, several dozen to go…-
His company however was incredibly dull. Mostly because the guardsmare was still out cold on the cushion he’d set her on after keeling over. Shame, after finding out that she knew of his brother and reeked of him; Xenilla was looking forward to some entertainment with this one.
His wishes were answered when a slow groan called out to his side. Xenilla flicked his ears, turning his head in time to see the red maned guard starting to pick herself from her bedding, still obviously groggy. He closed his book and shifted to face her.
“Wondered when you’d wake up.”
Blade Dancer’s world had been a foggy, spinning mess when she first opened her dazed eyes. Upon hearing a familiar sounding voice, her attention snapped to and her eyes focused. Once she looked over at the being addressing her, she had to keep herself from being startled. Or, least not be startled after she jolted her head back to keep their muzzles from being less than an inch apart. Xenilla had a poor sense of personal space, but that wasn’t her biggest concern. Memories came rushing back to her as her eyes widened. She remembered all she’d seen at Canterlot, a pony who wasn’t a pony. She also recalled the words last heard before blacking out. In the past week she met a titan masquerading as a stallion, and her audience was its sibling.
“Y-ou’re one of those m-m-mo-mon!”
Xenilla had expected an amusing response when she woke up. But this babbling the guardsmare did as she braced up against the bookshelf behind her, it was just confusing. Poor thing couldn’t even get her sentence out. Now he was just getting annoyed. Xenilla rolled his eyes, shrugging.
“One of thooooose? What? Come on now, speak up if you want to be heard.”
Blade Dancer spoke up alright, her eyes narrowed in determination as her pupils and irises were contracted with shock. Her wings shot out beside her, the instinctual response to look bigger towards a possible threat kicking in.
“MONSTERS!”
Blade Dancer stood there, breathing harshly but otherwise motionless. Xenilla had leaned his head back and away at the outburst, cocking an eyebrow. It was less in response to what she was shouting, and more surprise that she had the gall to yell at him and not be a demigod of an alicorn. She had some nerve, he'd give her that. Still, wasn't to say her word wasn't accurate. Darker thoughts and memories he'd much rather deal without swirled in his head, ushering out a momentary trickle of mixed feelings before Xenilla stifled them.
-Monster? ....You have no idea...-
A moment of silence passed between the two. Blade Dancer's heart slowed down gradually and the shock wore off. Now she just realized she had just yelled at a complete stranger, kaiju or not. Mannerisms began to override fear ever so slightly. She tucked her wings back in.
"I-I'm sorry, I-"
She was cut off by a broad hoof being raised. Xenilla just rolled his eyes in mild annoyance.
"Sentimentalism is unnecessary. If you intend to apologize or revoke your words, don't. Tis an accurate description after all. As I am sure you saw with Icka'brod's handiwork."
Didn't stop her from lowering her neck a bit, her hair drooping.
"Still, was...kind of a kn-ee jerk reaction. Did come out a tad, harshly..."
She looked at the floor. Xenilla just smirked.
-Awww, is this regret on my behalf? Cute...-
The kaiju lifted his hoof up and gently put it to the mare's chin, tilting her head back up. Now that botched first reactions were out of the way, he wanted to know what title he needed to remember his audience under.
"Think nothing of it, miiiissss...?"
The pegasus tensed up a bit at the physical contact, taking a bit to relax her muscles some and get used to it. Though their mannerisms were completely different, this newcomer and a certain unicorn back in Canterlot had one thing in common. Not much of a concept of personal space. When she looked forward, the stallion's curious face was only a few inches above and away from her own. Unconsciously her cheeks felt a tad warm, the similarities between the stallions not helping.
"B-Blade Dancer."
Xenilla chuckled, pulling away from her and moving back to his books.
"Charmed. Back home I am called 'Xenilla'. Eldest son of Godzilla Senior and older brother to Godzilla Junior.... Or, I am the 'ambassador' from Terra if you follow the cover story the Empress cooked up to avoid a panic. Wise move in hindsight given what happened at Canterlot."
"Empress?"
Xenilla turned his head back to her with a clear look of annoyance on his face.
"The day I call this empire's leader 'Princess' is the day I personally dye my skin magenta and celebrate the winter solstice in August."
"But.. you can't-"
Xenilla's expression drooped and blanked out.
"Exactly."
The snarking, dry humor, even from the type of source she knew it was, couldn't help but earn a slight snicker from Miss Dancer. She came to the Empire to visit an exotic place and get away from a certain reptilian kaiju. Now she was stuck with another one. The pegasus could think of dozens of ways she had hoped this trip could turn out better. But while she didn't like being around this newcomer, some mental images and memories of Godzilla refusing to leave her head; she could think up hundreds of ways it could be worse. Besides, she had a duty to her princesses to perform. She'd been the bodyguard to a pervert before, this couldn't be as bad.
And who was to say there wasn't an opportunity here? Running away would just be avoiding the issue entirely and hoping it blew over. This kaiju, this Xenilla, he might look a lot like and be family to Junior... But at the end of the hour it wasn't him. Maybe some exposure in a manner like this could help out in some way?
Blade Dancer took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly to banish away some tension.
-If I can stop being so mixed up here, I can do it anywhere...-
"Well then, 'Ambassador', I've been assigned to be your escort and bodyguard."
"So you've been put up by the Royal Consort to be my new babysitter eh? Well then I hope you like libraries guardsmare, I have a lot of research to do."
Xenilla plopped down at his previous spot, levitating up an aged tome before flipping through the pages. He didn't bother to look up before striking up the topic he was really curious about.
"So if you could inform me, how is it you got my brother's scent on you? Don't tell me he's trying to go native now and closely fraternizing with you lot."
Blade Dancer's head was filled with awkward embarrassment and mental swearing. She shifted a bit in her seat.
"Um.... reeeverse that... He got put in the guard program back in Canterlot aaand... I, might have tried to get a bit friendly with him..."
Xenilla glanced up from his book. His grasp of romantic metaphor was better than his sibling's, but it still wasn't quite grasped.
"Come again?"
The pegasus mare felt a lump swallow itself down her throat. She tried to hold firm, and failed. Bladey was many things. She was a talented dancer, an experienced martial artist, heart throb of numerous stallions and mares; and BSBFF to both of her siblings. She was not however one who could hold her secrets well when put under some pressure. Soon she was doing something between babbling and trying to mumble.
"Tried to be friendly to him! Y'know, t-talking and stuff. Being nice. Not treating him like a prisoner when he technically was one at the time. He was tall, dark, and handsome; he seemed nice! That's all..."
She crossed her forelimbs and looked away, trying to shut her jaw. Xenilla was going over her words in his head, slowly figuring out what on earth the pegasus was talking about.
-'Handsome'?...Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaait a minute, she wasn't trying to...-
He looked at her with a tilted head and cocked eyebrow. Even with her trying to hide it, it was easy to see that Miss Dancer's face and snout was now roughly the same color as her mane. Curiously though, right when she spilled her words and began blushing, the pegasus' wings shot back out. But not in the threatening gesture like before, this time they were just literally sticking straight up out of her back. It all was enough to draw a conclusion.
-GOOD TANAKA ALMIGHTY SHE WAS! AHAHAHAHAHAHHA-
Holding in his internal uproar of laughter, Xenilla kept his voice calm and mellow.
"Your cheeks and snout are flushing... and your wings are sticking straight up. You were trying to court him weren't you?"
Blade Dancer let out an exasperated sigh, relenting.
-God damn body reactions-
"Fiiiine...Yes, I was attracted to him....at least back when he was some nice looking and kindly stranger and not....that..."
Xenilla shrugged, averting his eyes back to his book.
"Well after seeing his true self, it must have been jarring."
Blade Dancer sighed, her wings drooping back into place as she laid down. Her expression was mellowing and saddening slightly.
"Guess I was chasing something I didn't know about... Not like he was exactly the receptive type. Kinda like flirting with a brick wall actually, but I just assumed he was shy."
"Wouldn't cast any blame upon yourself. I've watched him for years, truth be told you're probably the first one to ever attempt to court him. Chances stand that he probably had no idea what you were doing.”
Xenilla turned his page, still not looking up or altering his analytical, flat tone. He didn't need to look her over much to read the mare's body language. Subtlety told him enough.
"And allow me to guess. You saw his true form, probably up close and half covered in gyaos guts; and now you are terrified of him?"
Blade Dancer bit her lip, slowly molding her response after much thought. She could think back to that night, to the walking thunder. She also thought back to the sleeping, hurt form she found in Princess Luna's bed. Her mind was mixed.
"Not really, terrified.. well, maybe a bit but, I guess mostly just confused. I wasn't sure what to think. Not like we exactly had a precedent for cases like that before..."
"So you travel abroad to try and get away from him, if only to clear your head. And yet the empress sends you to keep an eye on me?"
Blade Dancer giggled nervously, rubbing the back of her head.
"Weeeelll, not like I really said anything to her, she didn't know why I came here. Can't say I was really... expecting this."
Xenilla glanced up from his reading, his facial expression blank and unreadable.
"And does my presence cause you distress?"
Blade Dancer wasn't quite sure how to answer him at first. True, part of her mind was still screaming to get away from the kaiju, and fast. However, that part was ebbing away bit by bit like the tide. Exposure calms fears, and she had resigned herself to stay. She'd just have to get used to this 'Not-Junior' overtime. The pegasus managed to crack a small smile.
"No, I'll be fine. Don't worry with me."
She got up and stretched out her legs as Xenilla went back to his reading. She attempted to go about what she presumed she was assigned to do. Getting out of her seat she strode up and down the immediate surrounding aisle Xenilla had parked himself between, patrolling the perimeter. She managed to walk a few laps before she felt an invisible force coil itself gently around her. Before she could react, she was picked up and levitated over towards the massive stallion; who was still half buried in a book.
"Miss Dancer."
Xenilla released his psychic hold, easing her down onto the floor across from him.
"What are you doing?"
The pegasus was never going to get used to being carried around like that, shivering.
"Guarding. I'm supposed to patrol the immediate area to make sure there is no danger."
"A nice thought, but distracting and a waste of time. Do me a favor and be productive."
Before she could retort about her duty, Xenilla turned his page and pointed a hoof to a nearby shelf. Blade Dancer took a moment to try and theorize what he was implying.
"Um.. What are you trying to say?"
"I want you to read something."
Blade Dancer eyed the book shelf, looking over some of the archaic titles.
"Are you wanting me to help in your research?"
"No need, I have photographic memory. I'd like you to read something to distract your mind and calm down. Drop the guard act for a while and relax."
His tone shifted to one of sarcasm as he smirked, pride evident in his voice.
"You worrying for my safety, as adorable as it is, is unnecessary and distracting. As it stands I'm probably one of the single most powerful beings in this entire empire, there is no common threat that could possibly hurt me."
The kaiju's thoughts briefly shifted back to the night of his arrival. He'd seen and sensed a great many things in the empire. However, it was what he sensed but didn't understand that had his concern. Something was roaming the city, something of malefic power. He sensed it then, and he sensed it several times since then. It, whatever it was, could be a threat to him.
Blade Dancer, oblivious to the kaiju's inner thoughts, took the suggestion. After combing through the titles briefly, she recognized one with a smile and started reading.
Some hours passed between the two. Outside of an occasional banter, the time spent was in near silence. It was the arrival of Librarian Amethyst Maresbury that brought about the change. Adjusting her glasses, the kindly old mare tapped her hoof on the ground to get their attention.
“Closing time kids, you’re the last ones still roaming about.”
It was only now both Xenilla and Blade Dancer noticed the massive library was now completely barren aside from themselves. A quick glance at a nearby clock confirmed how much time had flown. Xenilla picked himself up before his horn and shoulder patch glimmered, a mix of magical and psychic telekinesis levitating his piles of books back onto the shelves before dropping a good half dozen into his saddlebags. Blade Dancer followed suit, slipping back on her helmet before packing away a novel into her pouch. The duo silently proceeded out of the library and down a long stretch of back roads to start a lengthy walk back to the castle.
They’d been walking for about a minute when Xenilla, noticing the top of the book poking out of Blade Dancer’s bag; broke the silence.
“Fiction or nonfiction?”
“Hm? Fiction.”
“About?”
A small smile crossed the mare’s face, fond memories of nostalgia for this tale coming forth. Was always a favorite of hers during her youth, and little had changed even if she’d found an older version.
“A bewitched couple with a curse. At day the stallion turns into an owl, and at night the mare turns into a wolf. So they can only see each other at dusk and dawn.”
Xenilla could only roll his eyes in mild annoyance. He only heard two lines and even he could tell where this was going. His tone was as snide as it was rude.
"Another love centric story… pfft…”
Blade Dancer caught the offense, shooting the kaiju a firm glare without even thinking about what was walking next to her.
“Well excuse you! You were the one who asked me the question, I was just giving an answer. It’s a good story.”
Xenilla’s response was, less than she expected to be honest.
“Oh I’m sure it is. The author is probably quite competent and the plot decent enough for it to be of such importance to you. Not the story or genre that I find ill.”
The pegasus mare was about to retort, but was too busy lifting an eyebrow. She couldn’t quite tell if he was insulting or complimenting the story.
“Um… what?”
“I just find some folks’ obsessions with love disturbing.”
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The marketplace, the main hub of commerce for the imperial capital; was filled to the brim with attendees. Many were mingling and shopping, exchanging conversation as much as they were material goods. It was a pleasant afternoon in the empire, one that grew brighter when a small trumpeting sounded off.
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza strode through the market alongside her husband Prince Shining Armor, with Flash Sentry leading a small group of guards behind them. Aside from her small crown, barely larger than a tiara, she had none of her regalia on. The crystal princess's look was passive with her mane in its casual, draping look as opposed to anything near extravagant.
Casual look for a casual appearance. Cadance enjoyed getting out of the palace frequently to mingle with the citizens. Life in a crystal tower was hardly anything an orphan raised in a small forest town was used to. And going out, seeing and talking with the city goers actually helped teach her how to rule. A useful learning tool given she originally went to the Crystal Empire to help protect it, not be made its leader. Talking with the citizens taught her their issues, what could be done to help; and reinforced that she was a personable ruler. That she was, above all else, one of them.
Her surprise visits always brought joy to the empire, something the young alicorn was very much trying to achieve. Word had spread fast from Canterlot. Within the arrival of the first train from her aunts' city, all of the empire knew of ravenous hordes and walking thunder. Whilst they would most certainly not be ignorant to the danger, the masses needed some good things to enjoy to avoid any panic. Needless to say however, the knowledge of how a kaiju transformed was the only reason Cadance herself didn't have a panic attack upon seeing the photos from Canterlot. She disliked Xenilla enough before she began to grasp that he was probably taller than the imperial stadium.
-Focus Cadance, he can't change unless someone intentionally revs him up and hasn't acted out yet. Just keep your attention on the populace, and everything will be fine... There is nothing here that will want to hurt you-
A good distance away however, one would find the princess's thoughts were very untrue. Cloaking in the shadow of an alleyway that oversaw the clearing below, red and green eyes glared at the alicorn with sinister intentions.
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“Any sentient being with the power of reason will inevitably commit both good and evil deeds. However at their core, all decisions are based on two conflicting forces, love and hatred. The latter is the malefic flame, consuming all in its path. If you commit your decisions due to a hatred of something, you’ll soon find yourself hating everything around it.”
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King Sombra snarled like an enraged beast, watching the alicorn from afar. The ancient tyrant couldn't even begin to list all of the factors leading to his growing malice. The fact the pink ascendant looked so much like her predecessor, the fact she was daring to touch HIS slaves, or the fact said slaves were lollygagging with a sickening amount of glee and not doing anything he deemed productive. A work force who did not work to his ideal was useless. Hatred spread from alicorn to pony as Cadance picked up a happily squealing colt out of a wheelchair, laughing as she gave him a nuzzle. King Sombra felt disgusted. Once he reclaimed his prize, the useless would have no place in his empire.
=======================
“But, if you think of love and hatred as the causes of actions; they can’t be equal. Call me sentimental but love always can overpower hatred.”
Xenilla was not phased in the slightest. Why should he be? He agreed after all.
“Very true, in fact I’d say love itself is easily one of the most powerful forces in the world. A fighter whom hates everything in front of them is no match for an equally equipped foe who loves everything behind them.”
Blade Dancer raised an eyebrow, clearly confused as to what in Equestria the kaiju was getting at. His words seemed to agree with her, but his tone was argumentative and snide as ever. He clearly showed distain for the subject matter, but why then was he speaking so highly of it? His next sentence was the beginning to the answer.
“That is exactly why love is so incredibly dangerous. It forces away all else to make room for itself and only lives to control actions in order to multiply itself.”
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In the shadows of the alleyway, his curved horn flicked with a green and purple glimmer. An invisible cloud of malefic energy flowed out of King Sombra and into the crystalline ground. It slithered through the smooth surfaces, trickling down into the crowd below like a waterfall.
Just as it was about to reach the crowd however, the hateful tide was halted in its tracks. Something was blocking it. His fear inducing wave was being repulsed by something, and King Sombra quickly figured out what. It was Cadance and the entire crowd. The aura of benign magic surrounding them like a shield was keeping his influence at bay, even if they weren't aware of their own defense. The only thing that could defeat a negative emotion was a positive one, and this group had no shortage of it.
King Sombra glared at the alicorn as he called off his attempted attack. In his state and in the open like this, he couldn't risk a full on attack as much as he wished it. His assassination plot would have to proceed. He'd just wait until the alicorn was alone without any bystanders to aid her.
King Sombra slipped back into the shadows, leaving only a patch of black crystal in his wake. He'd fall back to the catacombs, his realm, and formulate his plan. A shame that the mare would have to go, she'd probably give him a decent heir as a concubine.
=================
“You and everyone else I know talk and think of love as this pleasant little warmth, bringing joy when it is fostered by those around you. I on the other hand, can scarcely think of any other force that has driven so many to die, act, or kill for it than love. I spent many years watching Terra. Love exerts far more control and has achieved far larger ramifications than hatred or fear could ever hope to achieve.”
Xenilla ignored Blade Dancer’s growing frown and continued his filibuster.
“This is why I respect the Empress' power. From what I can tell she's something akin to love's avatar in this world of your's. And if one loves something enough, they will bend over backwards and beyond to do its will. And because all actions are born by love, hatred, or some combination of the two; it controls everything and is in everyone. So for instance, say I killed Empress Cadenza."
Blade Dancer’s wings shot out at the words, almost thinking about going for her holstered wing blades before Xenilla quickly corrected himself.
“Relax! Relax, only hypothetically. I would never do that in the state I'm in, and I’ll tell you why. It is because I'm not stupid and understand the choke hold love can have. She is loved by the multitudes. She is loved, and thus that love exerts control over all those who adore her. Doesn't matter if the control is something she herself wills or not mind you. It's a contract that love itself holds. If she was removed from the action, if she died; that control is driven to the forefront. All those who loved her, be it her consort, the citizenry, her family, etc; would be controlled by their love to seek revenge. And revenge, the act of avenging something of value that was lost; is an act driven chiefly by love itself. Because you had to have given love to something to be angered at its loss.”
The pegasus moved away from her wing blades, but the grim turn the conversation was taking was quickly causing her mood to droop.
“You make it sound like love is some sentient force.”
“In a way, because it drives the actions of all sentient beings in some form or another; it is.”
“All actions? How?”
“You put your mane a certain way because you love the way it looks, or love the admiration of someone who loves it that way. You avoid stepping in a puddle because you love feeling warm and not cold-”
The stallion glanced over to her, recalling the information he’d learned in the library.
“You attempted to court my brother because you either loved his characteristics or presence. Your romance novels make this stubborn emotion out to be some beautiful, small catalyst of a bond between two beings. I see only a self serving puppeteer pulling the strings the way he likes it. Far as I see it, love only exists to grow itself by forcing the actions of others. And when the puppeteer doesn’t get what he likes, cue the bloodshed. All of the most horrific bouts of revenge were spurred by love or the craving of it.”
Xenilla chuckled lightly with a small smile, rolling his eyes.
“It’s almost humorous; those novels see a potential firestorm and treat it like a candle. Something that starts wars is hardly anything I'd consider pleasant. Love puts its hold on someone far more than any emotion or chemical drug ever could. Sometimes I wonder what some souls are addicted to more. Each other or the emotional high they get.”
Blade Dancer’s eyes practically ignited at the last suggestion. She didn’t go for her blades, she didn’t take to the air, she didn’t even rush in front of Xenilla to halt him. Instead she cocked a hoof back and punched him square in the face. True, it felt like she just hit a brick wall and the opposite force stung her arm; but it didn’t matter at all. The fact Xenilla actually felt it and stumbled slightly in response is what mattered. He froze in place, half tempted to strike back for the sudden insolence as the left side of his face stung from healing over a bruise.
Before he could entertain much of the thought over, Blade Dancer lurched forward, putting a hoof to his chest as she reared up to glare at him at eye level.
“Listen.Up. I am NO ADDICT. Hell with it all, I might have been with more than my fair share of stallions and mares over the years; but I loved every last one of THEM. The feeling was nice, but the fact it was being shared is what made it beautiful. The love for them never controlled me, it just guided me along! Sure some folks have done horrible things before with revenge, but what about all the good around to balance it? If you say and think love is so powerful, then wouldn’t those who have had it in the way I have only been made stronger by it? So what if someponies would seek revenge if Princess Cadance died? She or some emotion she evoked didn’t force them to feel that way about her. If they loved her so much, then it only proves she did something wonderful for them to earn it. I don't know what rock you crawled out under, because I don't think I've ever heard something so wrong!"
Xenilla stopped, returning the glare. The mare had a lot of nerve, daring to strike and back talk him. She was courageous and bold, he'd give her that much. Flickers of rage built up inside him and threatened to spew forth from his maw as a beam of burning heat. There was easily a thousand different ways he could terminate such insolence right now...
His anger cooled as his face returned to a neutral pose.
-But that's the way of a brute-
"Perhaps, or maybe I'm just ahead of the curve enough to realize it."
Blade Dancer's own glare evaporated, though she still was visibly angered. As much as she hated every last one of the kaiju's words, she had been listening. And from what she remembered, she'd noticed a hole in his 'perfect' logic.
"Or perhaps your orange and blue centered morality is so far behind the curve you don't realize it... Look, you said all sentient beings experience and make decisions based on love right? Is that true to you?"
"Inevitably. I don't lie."
"Then tell me this buster..."
She leaned up, prodding him in the torso with the edge of her hoof. Her facial expression was as determined as it was unafraid.
"How can you act so above it all? If you can think and act, then by your own theory that means YOU have love or loved something."
"...."
There was an eerie silence as the despised thought swirled through Xenilla's mind.
"I am a slave to no emotion... I have never felt a single romantic feeling in my life and never intend to..."
With that he turned his head from her and walked ahead down the empty road. It took a moment for Blade Dancer to process his closing statement. For a split second, something about the kaiju's tone had changed. It didn't grow angered or mellow, but she couldn't quite place exactly what it was she heard in his voice. Still, two realizations dawned on her as she followed along, heading back towards the castle.
For one how lucky she was that her little 'act before thinking' stunt involving a punch to the face hadn't resulted in retaliation. That first bit of information nearly gave her a heart attack, her pulse pounding in her ears. But combat nerves and the second observation slowed the beating. Blade Dancer followed the kaiju she was 'guarding', a small smile crossed her face.
-When I retorted, he never said 'no'...-
She caught up to him. Xenilla ignoring her presence only confirmed the pegasus' suspicion. She'd called him out, and won the argument.
-High and mighty as you act; even if not romantic, you're just as much a slave as all of us-
They'd walked together in silence for some time, slowly pacing towards the distant castle. Nearly half an hour had passed before Xenilla stopped suddenly and put a hoof out to his side to halt Blade Dancer. The latter party could only look around in a confused manner, trailing the kaiju's line of sight to nothing but an empty street ahead.
"... What is it?"
"Something's not right..."
Blade Dancer raised an eyebrow. She looked around but nothing at all seemed out of the ordinary. A small glimmer out of the corner of her eye grabbed her attention. Looking down, she could just barely make out faint, thin lines of red light traveling out of Xenilla's hooves and along the edges of the crystalline street. The straight lines traveled along the gemstone's angles, fanning out to all the nearby buildings in a wave. The pegasus was suspicious, having seen nothing like it before.
"What are you doing?"
"Sensing. Following a hunch."
The tiny streams of energy slithered through the entire crystalline street, crawling over every wall, door, and roof. After some time, the wave of energy dissipated. Or at least, most of it did. Though it was incredibly hard to see, Blade Dancer spotted another stream of tiny lights, this time purple in color. The needles of energy crept back towards Xenilla, disappearing under his hoof. The kaiju's eyes snapped over and he took off in the direction they came, diving into an alleyway.
"?!?"
The guardsmare quickly followed, the massive stallion not being hard to keep track of despite his pace. By the time she caught up to him, Xenilla had stopped at the edge of an isolated alley. The place he stood was elevated, the main market visible down below. But it wasn't the crowds below that had the kaiju's attention. His eyes were trained on the small patch of black gemstone growing out of the ground.
Xenilla didn't turn around, only changing his gaze to the unknowing crowds going about their business down below. He saw a flicker of pink the masses followed before it exited the street. He saw a long horn and wings.
"The empress, she was holding some sort of event here, yes?"
Blade Dancer looked over his shoulder, eyeing the crowds. She dimly remembered some event being listed on the schedule earlier for some of the other guards. Flash Sentry had been called upon for it. And if he, Cadance's personal guard, was going somewhere, she and Prince Shining Armor must have been out as well.
"Indeed, she likes to roam about and help the citizens. Looks like we just missed her."
Xenilla looked out at the crowd, before going back to the black crystals. The kaiju shrugged as his eyes narrowed, sensing the energy given off by the gemstone. Far from the benign radiance he felt coming off the gemstones near the empress or her artifact, this one's aura was pure black. Hatred, anger, loathing, pride, arrogance; he could almost taste them all coming from the dark gems. He'd felt this presence before.
Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Blade Dancer was looking at the dark crystal with her head tilted in confusion. Curious, she reached for it.
"What's with this?"
"!!!"
Xenilla quickly reacted, whipping around and putting his hoof on her chest, gently but firmly pushing her back. The pegasus looked the kaiju in the face as he looked at the crystal. His typical smug, self assured expression was gone. Instead, it was a near unreadable mixture of anger and concern.
"Don't...Touch it... It's not safe."
He moved away from her, strands of telekinesis wrapping around the top of the jagged crystal. The psychic energy yanked at the stone, snapping off a pencil sized tip. The dark fragment hovered over towards Xenilla, as strands of energy flowed into the floor below him. In moments, shards of white crystal grew forth and flew up from the ground at the fragment. Blade Dancer gasped as a cocoon of light crystal formed itself around the dark shard. After completely encasing the black gemstone, the cocoon hovered its way into Xenilla's saddlebags.
"Miss Dancer, give me a second opinion... If Empress Cadenza was in the clearing below, would you say this would be a good vantage point to see her?"
Despite having a lot of trouble brushing aside thoughts about the bizarre magic she'd just seen, Blade Dancer glanced down at the marketplace below. Indeed, if the princess had been in the center of town, this would be a good spot to see the alicorn.
"Yes, I'd say so... Why?"
"Because the tall shadows from the buildings and elevation would make it easy to see, but not be seen..."
"Why would that matter-"
Blade Dancer was cut off by a brief flare of red light. She jumped back, yelping and looked at the source, spotting Xenilla spewing out a ray of twisting energy at the crystal for a split second. He closed his maw, a similar glow dissipating from his mane. Blade Dancer had seen an attack like that before, and the result seemed equally deadly. The blasted crystal had been utterly destroyed, vaporized beyond recognition and leaving behind nothing but scorched earth for several feet.
Xenilla snorted, red smoke briefly trickling out of his maw for a few moments. He turned away from the charred and melted ground, walking past the shocked guardsmare and pausing briefly without looking back. His tone was devoid of anger, but just as commanding as Captain Frost ever could be.
"Under no circumstances are you to speak of what you saw here. You saw nothing..."
Xenilla resumed his march back to the distant castle, his eyes narrowed.
"Let us return to our lodgings... We'll have an early morning trip to the library tomorrow..."
After snapping out of her shock, Blade Dancer turned and ran after the kaiju. She had a thousand questions on her mind, ones she was going to demand answers to. The unicorn was up to something, she knew it. She didn't see the sneer forming on Xenilla's typically calm face.
-Looks like I'm going to kill someone in this world after all...-
Far away from any ponies or kaiju, deep in the caverns below the crystal castle; a loud, angred hiss rang out. King Sombra snarled like a feral beast, smashing a hook down on the cavern's cold ground. He'd seen everything through his dark crystal. He saw the face and sensed the power he felt on the day of his return. He saw a pony with the might of a monster. He saw an obstacle between him and the princess. Hundreds of years ago, he lived by but one rule to maintain his reign.
Obstacles, be it the unicorns, the pegasi, that fool of a princess Amore, this newcomer; they had to be.... removed...
Little did Sombra know, but just as he observed his new rival; he himself was observed. And his watcher was something far darker and infinitely more monstrous than the fel-unicorn even imagine. The master of Zenith was watching the Empire with bemused eyes.
Proof Reading by Skylark and Faith-Wolff
Artwork (coming soon) by Faith-Wolff
Xenilla (Spacegodzilla) owned by Toho Company Ltd.
MLP:FiM owned by Hasbro Studios
Blade Dancer by Fiddlesticks
Next time on The Bridge!:
In a growing conflict with no heroes, between a tyrant king, and a city busting monster; the last place the Crystal Palace might want to be is in the middle...
Please do check out the Reading List by Lance Omikron to navigate the Amalgam Universe most clearly 
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Awwww... I was hoping Jr. and Blade Dancer could meet up again.
Awesome chapter dude, poor Blade Dancer she better makes up her mind fast, if anything she might be usefull against Sombra and his assassins
and this despiction of Xenilla ... i like it very much
also seriosuly dude if you continue messing with us shippers I can see this epilogue more maximun "fun"
Junior finally undestanding that Luna and Blade Dancer are after him can't decide if take Blade Dancer or Luna and is seriosuly considering taking both of them while at this Xenilla can't decide if either help the mares to woo his baby brother or get the two mares off his baby brother while getting Blade Dancer for himself.
In another place Hyper Gyaos and Aria are fighiting to see who gets a kiss from Monster X who is at complete loss and trying to escape ...
Meanwhile using the fact the Godzilla Jr is distracted by two mares Starlight decides to take Mothra to a date
and in Ponyville Anguirus prepares for a date with Ki Seong not paying attention to a scared to death shouting for help Gigan since Mane-iac managed to catch him and while normally Megalon would help him he is distracted by Pipsqueak and his friends
and finally Destroyah adopts Scootaloo as her daughter
so everyone has his happy ending ... did I got all the ships?
Sombra vs. Xenilla...
Place your bets.
Talk about a shifty revelation of Xenilla. I'm looking forward to seeing just what Xen is planning and how Sombra might stand in the way of it. I can tell Xen will slip up sometime soon.
this was a great chapter. I can't wait for the all out brawl between Xen and Sombra. Keep up the great work
OK, in terms of dialogue, this is the best chapter and odds are you just increased Blade Dancer's popularity. The initial interaction between Blade and Xenilla was amusing due to his invasion of her personal space, his deduction of her inner conflict with Junior, and the fact that he made her reveal her crush on Junior. His views on love were pretty interesting and demonstrates that he's quite the philosopher and the intellectual, he possibly represents the superego of the characters that appear. His personality is a direct contrast of Sombra who's brutish, emotional, and, unlike Xenilla, underestimates the power of love in favor of hatred and impulsiveness, thus representing the id. Blade Dancer, however, represents the ego of the characters and she's definitely the best character in this chapter. Her talents (dancing and swordsmanship) and social skills (great relationship with her siblings and having multiple lovers of both genders-nothing wrong with it, by the way, but I didn't see that coming- that had a mutual loving relationship with her) are brought up but her intelligence and ideals are the best part of her dialogue. It's obvious that she disagrees with Xenilla's views about love as it insults the feelings she shared with her lovers and, despite her fear of him, has the guts to punch him and stand up to him in an impulsive way. Nevertheless, she followed up Xenilla's argument and managed to find a flaw in his logic that defended her beliefs about love in an intellectual manner. This is definitely one of your most intelligent chapters and, despite the lack of a Junior to tease, the best chapter for Blade Dancer yet.
Good
5490376 Xenilla, ALL THE WAY. It's going to be a brutal battle, but, Space-Godzilla/ Xenilla may have been beaten by Godzilla the 2nd (Or Senior, I called senior the 2nd Godzilla, because I know about his older possible father who was alive until he had a piss poor run in with the brutal Oxygen Destroyer Bomb in 1954.), as for Sombra, last time I checked, wasn't an overly brutal opponent to beat when he was fought by Spike, Cadence, and the Crystal Heart with both Spike and Cadence (Yes
, I SAID IT ^^.), and now another possible upcoming bashing from the "good ol'" ponified Xenilla. YEEEEEEEEEAH. Xenilla's going to win 
, or if you think it's going to be that scum suckin' Heartless twit Sombra 
, then lets see what happens in the 19th chapter of this epic story. Inb4OtherPeople: If Xenilla Wins, I called it, just a forewarning (XD, 
, 
). No hate plz, I'm just here to have and bring fun.
5490191 So was I.
5490231
REMAKE OF doorcf's COMMENT: With some personal input and (Giganton/ Gigaton, YESH I WENT THERE INTENTIONALLY!) of mending put in. ^^
Awesome chapter dude, poor Blade Dancer she better make up her mind fast, if anything she might be useful against Sombra and his assassins,
and this depiction of Xenilla... I like it a lot.
Also seriously dude if you continue messing with us shippers I can see this epilogue more maximum "fun".
) can't decide who to take Blade Dancer or Luna and is seriously considering taking both of them, while at this Xenilla can't decide if either help the mares to woo his baby brother, or get the two mares off his baby brother while getting Blade Dancer for himself <(CHAOS AND CONFUSION!).
Junior finally understanding that Luna and Blade Dancer are after him, poor saurian SOAB (Son of a bitch. Sorry. DONT TAKE OFFENCE!
In another place Hyper Gyaos and Aria are fighting to see who gets a kiss from Monster X who is at a complete loss and trying to escape...
Meanwhile using the fact the Godzilla the 3rd/ Jr/ Junior is distracted by two mares, Starlight <(WHO is Starlight? Please reply to this doorcf. I'm confused off my ass, LITERALLY.
) decides to take Mothra to a date,
<(That would be cute as f**K to see. Whoa, both Destroyah and Scootaloo have 9 letters in their names, daw... 
Ooh, Dashie loves the cuteness between Destroyah and Scootaloo...).
and in Ponyville Anguirus prepares for a date with Ki Seong not paying attention to a scared to death shouting for help Gigan since Mane-iac managed to catch him, and while normally Megalon would help him he is distracted by Pipsqueak and his friends,
and finally Destroyah adopts Scootaloo as her daughter, (Leovanious's Input.)> I'm sure that somewhere in the canon, Destroyah is keeping herself hidden and because she got some magic tutoring from Xenilla, she enjoyed spending time with Scootaloo she wanted to see Scootaloo again at hidden moments, she gets her alerts via Pinkie Pie so she can stay hidden, OH. FUCK!! I REVEALED SOMETHING I SHOULDN'T HAVE! IF I GO OFFLINE, DESTROYAH MUST HAVE WENT AXE MURDERER ON MY ASS IF SHE/ SHE'S SEES/ SEEN THIS!
So every protag has a happy ending... (Did I/ doorcf get/ got all the ships/ shippings listed?) BYE. e.e'
AMAZING chapter as always
well worth the wait.
..will you ever have aquatic battles?
or what about something similar to THAT scene from Godzilla vs Hedorah?
keep up the good work as always
5490688
in this comic in the 7th the dude far right behind the angry mare in the group that is with celestia
fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/295/b/d/a_king_awakened_by_faith_wolff-d83tg0j.png
here original ship image
fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2015/008/9/5/_commission__starlight_and_mothra_by_ponybytes-d8d5dkg.png
So sombra is going with the assassination plan , just put a hood on than boom there's an assassin creed reference
Also it looks like the next transformation is go to be Xenilla can't wait for that
But the one i'm looking forward to is the cmc reaction to destroyah . I have a feeling it going to be priceless
But until than great chapter can't wait till the next one
Sombra is gonna get WRECKED, isn't he?
Ah good update on this story with B. D. Like I said earlier I'm curious as to how Blade Dancer will make up her mind as to how she feels about big G. It seems here she has gained some insight on Godzilla but is still on the fence as to how she feels about him. I patiently wait for when she finally decides to make a move on big G. or she lets this crush she has on him go away. If anything B.D. learns not to judge a book by its cover. Godzilla might be a big, destructive, radioactive lizard, but deep down inside he means well. Anytime big G. is on the rampage is only to fight a monster that is destroying what he swore to protect.
Wow...I have some new found respect for SpaceGodzilla. I didn't really find SG very cool cause I thought he was just a copy cat of Godzilla, but no instead I'm reading dialogue from a monster who to me, is a super genius who talks like the worlds best debater. He smarter then he looks that's for sure! Go SpaceGodzilla!
Honestly, Godzilla reminds me Dante and Xenilla reminds me Vergil of Pony May Cry.
Some will surely know what I mean.
Xen is going to rofflestomp Sombra so hard. I think Sombra will be begging for Icy imprisonment when Xen is through with him. While I do think Love is mainly a force for good... I've just got to look at Helen of Troy and how love for her started the Trojan War to know Xen is right. Still, Blade Dancer and Xen make a good team.
I just realized something: Cadence is the one most likely to power up Xen against Sombra, and it was Spike and Cadence who powered up the Crystal Heart... so Sombra is going up against an even bigger reptile and Cadence.... yeah, no chance of him winning now!
5490231 Scootaloo getting adopted by Destroyah would be awesome. And I can totally see all those scenarios playing out, though I think I'd rather see an amused Xen watching his little brother deal with Luna and Blade Dancer.
5490376 Xen. When one side can grow big enough to stomp the other into paste and is tough enough tank rounds are like mosquito bites.... yeah, the dark unicorn is going down hard.
5491538 Yep.
5491725
Well the godness of love cheated causing the entire war to be fair as Helena was happy with her husband until said godness screwed with her head.
also
The only thing I want is Blade Dancer actually being useful. Also remember Sombra likes to play with your fears if Xenilla doesn't notice he might fall into a mental trap and if it is the case we might see the biggest fear the unnatural mutant space-lizard has.
5491725
Don't count the crystal tyrant out just yet. Xen is the type not to work well with others and prideful enough take on King Sombra in the state he's in now. Tiny spoilers but yes, the fight will be equine vs. equine and be pretty even.
That saaaaaaaaaid Xen WILL transform in-story and when it happens... oh hell its gonna be big
5491831 I think Xen probably has two fears: someone else killing Junior, because dammit, Junior is his little brother and nobody gets to kill him besides Xen, and being so weak Junior has to protect HIM.
5491840 Meh, even better, Zen can brag he won without transforming.
5490536
Very information and well thought out comment this one. I was wondering if people would notice the multiple dynamics one could draw between Xenilla, Sombra, Cadance, and Blade Dancer. The ego, id, and superego trio were something I was hoping someone would pick up on and I am very proud of you for noticing it.
As for Miss Dancer's sexuality, I did ask her creator Fiddlesticks about this and they did confirm to me she is indeed bisexual and has had just as many marefriends as she has had coltfriends. She has had quite a few past relationships before she tried her luck with Junior, but not really going from suitor to suitor in a selfish way. She did genuinely care for her past significants, even if they split up. That said, despite this and some other more wild parts of her personality (according to Fiddle she also can really hold her drink); I really felt I wanted to show she wasn't some dumb stereotypical, flirty with a cute face. She knows a lot and what she knows and cares for, by golly she WILL stick up for it.
I wanted to make a smart chapter that had some nice character building and clever conversation, and still be interesting without a big action sequence. Seems I have succeeded, and I am glad to have entertained you all
Two words: SO AWESOME!
i can take a wild guess on whats gonna happen
5492686
Shoot
5492720 it was meant in a rhetorical way its pretty obvious xen and som are gonna duke it out
5491725
Well, one thing's for sure, having Destroyah for a "friend" means that Diamond Twit and Silver Snob will probably keep their noses clean around Scoots and the other CMC's.
If not, well, nice knowing them I guess.
mrwgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Joey-Shrugs-Reaction-Gif-On-Friends.gif
So, after getting some really heavy and philosophical shit on the nature of love slammed into our faces, we now have a giant fight just waiting to happen between Xenilla, Sombra, and Cadence. Fuck yeah.
I'd first like to say back in the holiday specials, Irys from the back looks like a nun, given what she is, all kind of strange and funny in a way. No importance, just wanted to say that.
Now to this chapter, I like how Xen hesitated for a second before answering that he's not a slave to emotions and no romantic feeling for him. That sure seems to say a lot to him, to me anyway. When he says emotions he's probably referring to the positive emotions, happiness, love, ect. cause he sure seemed a slave to emotions when Junior mentioned Senior and he got pissed. The fact that Dancer mentioned he may have loved puts things in consideration. Had to look back at the timeline and profile (which by the way had no idea it updated. With the pictures, which I hope more spring up, and the addition of Junior protecting his mother which I thought was awesome), he knew where he came from and spent two years making his way back just to fight Senior. And what he said to Junior when he first fought him when they transported him. I get the feeling that maybe he had some kind of love for his father but during the two years of traveling, it got twisted to something else like blaming him for his creation or something. Like he thinks Senior had any control over that which he didn't. I had an idea of what I wanted to say but I lost it.
Also that Xen did something nice and told Blade to never mentioned it. Somethings there but I can't think of it.
Honestly, I'd like to see what he was thinking of for his two years of traveling or heck, when he and Senior actually fought. Words must have been said between them that could have escalated his need to kill him. Regardless, can't wait to see how the battle with Sombra goes because if Sombra does what I hope he does, Xen may have someone he truly hates in a new world.
So, let me see if I've got this right... Since all sapient beings are driven/motivated by either love or hate, then the reason Xenilla saved Junior... was out of brotherly love, and the reason he tries to kill his brother when they fight is because that love was scorned by Junior, who simply hates Xenilla due to his attack on their father and feels no brotherly love in return.
Furthermore, the one who made this clear will deny any influence love has over his actions.
I suspect a bit of family councilling may be in order; provided of course a way of keeping them from trying to kill each other could be found.
I'm loving the direction with Xen's character. Reminds me of some of my favorite old-time villains, like Sindri Myr.
"Lights! Camera! Action!", shouts the announcer.
The lights turn on, revealing a desk with two chairs and a screen in back, similar to that of a sports television commentators setup. Suddenly music begins to play.
As the music plays two figures enter the studio from either side of the room. On the left in a smartly dressed, fashionable, black suit; is a well groomed brown furred Diamond Dog. He looks at you, giving you a charismatic smile, like a sports commentator would to the camera, before taking his seat and adjusting his mike. To the right also dressed in a smartly dressed, fashionable, black suit; is a grey feathered and black furred gryphon with red highlights in his crest. The gryphon smile's cheekily at you giving you a "thumbs up" before sitting down next to the Diamond Dog and adjusting his mike.
"AAAaaannnndddddd, we're back!" Shouts the Diamond Dog into the mike, flexing his arms and putting his paws in the air. "I'm your Host Paw De Cuffs."
"And I'm your Co-Host Gemrick!" Exclaims the gryphon on the right.
They both shout at you together into their mikes,"And THIS IS, BATTLE GROUND EQUSS!....KAIJU CATALYST!!!!!"
"It's Great to be back Paws", says Gemrick to Paw De Cuffs, while minding to make sure he speaks into his mike.
"Right back at ya Gems"replies Paws, "Now lets get this segment underway with a review of last week's episode." Paws motion's to Gems.
Gems happily rubs his beak before speaking into his mike,"Last week, we had X-mas Mayhem! The lord of Zenith had sent X and Hyp....I mean Isys to Equss-Earth in order to retrieve magical artifacts to fuel his campaign." Gems motions to the screen behind them as it replays the events "Now while Isys was on holiday with Sunset Shimmer, X was going all Soul Caliber on the two Sirens Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze. Chasing after them in a deadly version of tag."
"Pup what a merry chase that was!" Paws stated calmly.
Gems gives Paws a slightly irritated look for interrupting him before continueing, "Hoo, Hoo, Hoo, it sure was Paws. After escaping X in the mall after he dealt with the mall cop pileup, they led him on a dangerous car battle scene through the town. Leading them to a one on one with X V.S. Aria Blaze!" Gem's puts his claws behind his head as he leans into the chair, "You'd think it be a one-sided match with Aria's amateurish karate skills against X's decades of professional combat experience".
"Yeah you'd think!" replies Paws to Gems. "But Aria got in a lucky shot to.....you know where."
Gems laughs,"She gave him the old NUT CRACKER special. I'm sure he'll still be feeling that tomorrow."
"I still clench my legs just thinking about it", shudders Paws. "On Today's segment we'll be discussing the catastrophe going on in the capital of the CRYSTAL EMPIRE!!!" Paws howls into the mike excitedly.
"Umm.....what's the name of the Empire's capital Paws?" Gem asks Paws after drinking a cup of water.
"I have no idea Gems", Paws replies to Gems looking a bit confused and scratching his head. "Well I'm sure its not important", Paws says. Grabbing his mike he points at the screen and says loudly, "IN THIS CORNER, WE HAVE THE UNLIKELY CHAMPION OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, THAT NEFARIOUS SPACE-FARING SAUROPOD TURNED UNICORN!!! THAT CRYSTAL USING THINKER WHOSE BIG ENOUGH TO PASS FOR A HORSE, WHOSE NAME SOUNDS SIMILAR TO THAT WHITE COLORED ICE-CREAM FLAVOR!!! XENILLA!!!!"
"AND ON THIS CORNER, HIS OPPONENT, THAT LOVE HATING ASSASSIN, THAT DARK CRYSTAL MAKING TYRANT WHO HISSESS ALOT, WHO CAUSED THE EMPIRE TO DISAPPEAR FOR OVER 1,000 YEARS!! WHOSE NAME SOUNDS LIKE SOMBRERO! KING SOMBRA THE DARK TYRANT!!!!", exclaims Gems loudly.
"Who will win?" Asks Paws.
"Who will lose?" Asks Gems.
"FIND OUT AFTER THE BREAK!", they both exclaim into their mikes.
This show is brought to you by Firescale Enterprises for all your news needs
5493102
Thanks! I was channeling various character whilst coming up with his character. Most of which I can't say I can consciously recall, but I know I did put in some of Alucard from Hellsing in there
I'm pretty sure I'd get flamed for this, but Xenilla does have a point about love being a dangerous force. After all, the more we love something, the stronger our hatred and despair when the things we love is unrequited, threatened, lost or, worst of all, corrupted or false.
On the other hand, Blade Dancer is not wrong either, as love can become a guide to live a happier life instead of a force of control. Therefore, it is a matter of not losing control over our emotions, which would lead to being controlled by them, by tempering them with rational thinking and discipline.
Almost forgot, since Xenilla is going on about how love is a dangerous force (which is true in a way) and he claims he will never ever fall in love romantically, I say that a mare, possibly one of the maids in the castle, or maybe that mare that Sombra plans to kill, should fall in love with him and will not take no for an answer! It be funny I think, I kinda imagine him running/galloping away in fear trying to get away from her as she slowly works her way into his heart.
fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2015/010/9/c/of_love_and_hate_by_faith_wolff-d8dfovc.png
Awesome pictures as usual from your artist Faith-Wolff. Also one word for you.
Relevant dialogue for addressing the consequences of love later in the chapter, while simultaneously taking pot shots at the hordes of ravenous shippers within the community.
Well played Tarbtano....well played
i.imgur.com/pyIfvTd.gif
5490376 It's more a quesion of how big a brick Sombra will crap when Xen gets zapped by Cadence.
5492861 I honestly hadn't considered that side of things... YAY! But I can totally see Destroyah getting a kick out of making the bullies wet themselves.
While I'm still getting used to SpaceGodzilla being so anthropomorphically articulate and shrewd, I'm coming around to your interpretation of his personality. In the past I had explained to my friends that I likened SpaceGodzilla to Lex Luthor, so I think this is very accurate, close to what I would portray myself. Admittedly, I imagine him to be much crueler, though here, he is wary of provoking the ire of much more powerful beings.
Also, I'm still sticking to the theory that entering the equestrian worlds (EG too), is having an effect on the Kaiju. Now they are rendered susceptible to the more virtuous emotions, their minds transformed much like their bodies. I think that in this form, SpaceGodzilla could eventually feel love, consciously, for another, rather than instinctual fondness.
I was a little struck by Blade Dancer's admission of her sexuality, not surprised, but her revealing it raised my eyebrow. I have no objection to it, she is a fan creation and makes no incursions on the cannon. I do find it intriguing that we are getting much more in-depth with her character, I didn't anticipate that we'd spend so much time with her. I like her a lot, the fact that she even exhibits her sexual nature is refreshing. I mean, after four seasons, to me it kinda strains credulity that none of the Mane 6, who are ostensibly available, attractive, famous mares, have even come close to any romance. I know Rarity tried, and that travel reporter fell for Applejack, but would it really be that rare? Especially in a world so chest deep in innocent emotions?
I suspected that the Sombra-SpaceGodzilla fight would be on Pony level. Sombra has not amassed the power to take on a Kaiju, at least not yet if he's hiding in the shadows. I expect this will be a back and forth battle, but I do think that Xenilla has the upper-hand when it comes to utilizing the crystals. I also wonder, if Sombra could be freed from the evil that grips him, like Luna was freed from being Nightmare Moon.
5495099 The "evil" that grips Sombra is probably one of choice, rather than Luna, who if we take the comic into account was taken over by a foreign entity while at a low point emotionally at the time. No one views themselves as evil, Sombra believes it is his right to rule and gathered power by any means necessary. There's also the fact that he has been consumed by his hatred and the belief of his right to rule. No matter what the circumstance you get to a point where there's no turning back, where you have no option of any form of redemption, Sombra is at that point.
Through Xenilla's speech, we are given some actual insight into his character. He feels admits that Love is far more powerful than Hate, despite his feelings for Junior stating the contrary. Thus, from his own interpretation of Love, it can be said that Xenilla's animostity towards Junior is not actual hate towards the latter........but from his own craving for the Love he, at least subconsciously, feels he was cheated out of. Puts further meaning into why he almost immediately drops the articulate evil mastermind vibe whenever the opportunity to kill off Junior presents itself, and why he's so insistent that he's the only one allowed the murder his "brother."
5496510
I see your point. I am unaware of the nature of exactly how Sombra became evil, (I'm speaking here of the "Mane" universe, not the Mirror) and you may in fact be privy to information I'm not. While I'm not disputing your thesis, I'm unaware of any canon justification for it. But I agree Sombra could be "beyond hope", an irredeemable wraith of hatred and greed. All he needs is the one horseshoe to RULE THEM ALL!
5496401
Eliphas! You treasonous dog! NO!
I liked the conversation Xen and Blade Dancer had concerning love and Xen's answer when he was asked if he's ever felt love. Can't wait to see the fight between Xen and Sombra kick off, especially if we get to see what Xen's worst fear is.
Just out of curiosity, are the Kaiju capable of speaking/understanding Japanese, Korean, or any language form the areas they were exposed to? It would be amazing to see Junior or Zenilla speaking/understanding MLP Japanese due to their exposure to Terra's Japan. Also, what kind of voices do Junior and Zenilla have?
5497405
It's based on exposure and their abilities. Artificial kaiju like Anguirus and Rodan were purposely built to safeguard humanity in the future. They may not understand modern wordplay quite so much, but the enchantment their creators gave them would allow them to understand (though no necessarily speak) most human or human similar languages. Mothra and Xenilla are able to understand most any sentient being because both of them have well developed telepathy and psychic abilities. Since the 'mind's language' is universal, they can communicate quite well that way and figure out what to say.
As for Junior, he probably can understand some Japanese given his habits and time at the institute, as well as some psychic traits. I would imagine that, given how accent is often based around where you grew up; he might have a slight Nipponese accent if you heard him speaking English. Similarly, Zilla would probably have a decent grasp of American English. If you wanna play around, sure. Zilla has a Brooklyn accent
5497500 You think that either Xenilla or Godzilla would, at some point, talk in the MLP version of Japanese? Also, thanks for the answer. It's quite interesting to see that the non-psychic Kaiju have enough salience to understand any language that they're exposed to. BTW, I went to TV Tropes and discovered something about Xenilla and Junior being called Damien and Dario, respectively. What does that mean?
5497548
I'll definitely consider it.
As for the names, it's from the old Q&A. Since a lot of Equestrian characters seem to have human sounding/longer names (Pinkie Pie being Pinkamina Diane Pie), someone asked me to give the Kaiju roster normal names. Darius was for Junior and Damien was for Xenilla
5497552 Can you send me a link for that Q&A? It sound interesting.