MLP: Lord of the Skies

by The Bricklayer

8: Sky VS Earth

Author's Note:

So, I think this is acceptable after such a long wait eh?

Cinders continued to fall; the Lord of the Skies had arrived and the pests that glowered back at him attempted to size him up. Rodan, in response, sized up his opposition and gave a dismissive grunt, eyes narrowed. Flaring his wings, the massive pterodactyl let out a screech.

Yes, this was his territory now. It didn’t belong to the small ones, it didn’t belong to the other flyers and it certainly didn’t belong to bugs that barely knew their place. Rodan, while never exactly the brightest bulb on the planet had heard of the kamacuras hoards. They had been a known problem for generations, managing to raze even entire forests to the ground in a matter of hours. And forests razed to the ground meant no wildlife. And no wildlife meant no food for him. I think you can see the problem.

...well, almost no food given now that he thought about it, as roasted mantis sounded tasty enough. Rodan was a simple creature with simple pleasures really. They were alive. They were crunchy. They were on his turf.

And they looked to be challenging his dominance.

Such an act was inexcusable! Nobody—not even that three-headed behemoth who smelt of rotten skunk—could challenge him! He was Rodan! The One Born of Fire! The Fire Demon! He was fire, he was death and more importantly: he was really hungry!

...and he was alone against what was basically an entire hive. Okay then, not exactly a well thought out plan. Wait, there was a plan here? This wasn’t just an all you can eat buffet? Okay, well maybe Rodan did have sort of a soft spot for that one little one his mate seemed to like. Not that he’d suddenly just start helping the small fry. No no, the only reason he was doing this was because of a suddenly very convenient meal. Not because he had soft spots! Titans didn’t get soft spots. They were indomitable, they were eternal and they were everlasting. Agh, no matter! Enough clowning around. Letting out another screech, the kamacuras in front of him was sent flying back by powerful gusts of wind. Rodan reached out and grabbed the massive mantis and- CRUNCH!

Mhmm, very tasty Rodan mused. Indeed, the Lord of the Sky had the table manners of a hoover vacuum. In one swift movement, Rodan consumed the mantis; body and, presumably, soul. Oh, who was he kidding? These creatures didn’t have souls, they weren’t even evolved enough to have them! They were just that, meat!

And meat was what was on Rodan’s menu in the morning, afternoon, evening, and every other conceivable time of the day that had yet to be conceived! As I said, he was a simple creature of simple pleasures. Lifting off into the air, he barrelled towards the other walking meal, flattening whatever was beneath him until he struck the beast beak-first. A high pitched scream cut through the air, and green blood splattered Rodan’s face before it hissed and steamed. Evaporating almost instantly on contact, the blood was barely an annoyance. Rodan was grateful for this, as he was ever so vain. Nothing was allowed to stain his glorious personage!

The only time he’d allow blood, sweat and tears to stain him was if it was his own, or the blood of a truly worthy opponent. And these insects were decidedly not any such thing!They were weak, pitiful, but delicious beyond all comprehension. They were high in Vitamin C, B2, and great at reducing cholesterol.

With a triumphant screech, Rodan took to the air. Off in the distance, he could see ten—nay, at least thirty of the mantises; all welding pitiful weaponry that would matter less than an arrow to his magnificent skin. In a flash, he dove down. his talons grabbing them, eating and throwing them into others as the cinders from his wings fell down, singing their carapaces. That’s how the cycle went: grab, eat and throw. One of the many kamacuras tried to scramble away but Rodan was having none of it. He slammed his talons down into it’s flesh before lunging forwards. With a single chomp, the creature had gone from existing on this earth to being hundreds of small pieces in his stomach.

It tasted just like chicken. Wait, was that an insult to his species? Oh, no matter. What mattered was that it tasted good. It was lunch! Rodan saw several more of the creatures flying towards him, and roasted them to the bone with hot flame. Medium rare mantis, a truly unique delicacy! One mantis tried to sneak up behind him, a scythe-like forelimb raised to strike him in the back. Without even looking Rodan raised his wing and slapped him, sending the insectoid back one hundred feet until it landed with a resounding thud. And they called him dumb! Obviously the other kaiju hadn’t seen dumb until they’d fought with massive mantis! Mantsi? Or was it mantsisis? Agh, no matter. Lunch was lunch!

Spinning around, and kicking up a massive cloud of dust in the process, Rodan rushed towards the Mantis and devoured it. Ahead of him, three more mantis insectoids drew closer. In the blink of an eye, all three had vanished; Rodan having swung his right wing and sent them careening west like three bipedal bowling balls before lunging towards them and devouring each one.

Oh, okay even this was starting to get boring now. These creatures all tasted the same, and honestly there was no real challenge to just devouring them all. It was kill, eat, rinse and repeat. He liked his meals to put up more of a fight really. Made it all the more satisfying to tear into them when all was said and done. He was Rodan, Lord of the Skies! Yeah, sure he was bathing in the blood of his enemies but he wasn’t really enjoying doing it. Just killing by the mass was rapidly losing its appeal even with an all you can eat buffet. With a grunt, he turned his attention to the remaining insectoids and growled.

---

Meanwhile, far away, Meadowbrook and Big Mac stood in front of a gargantuan bulb.

Thud.

A bulb that had begun to shake.

The two ponies took a step back, a rhythmic thud emanating every few seconds. Soon, the skin of the bulb was noticeably disturbed, petals from surrounding plants being knocked off by the force of the ever-intensifying thudding until the ground itself shook with the force of an earthquake.

Then, just as quickly as it’d begun, it stopped; the grove becoming deafeningly quiet.

Meadowbrook let out a heavy sigh. “Sweet Celestia, what the—”

“Ooooo...”

Her voice was drowned out by an ear-piercingly high-pitched squeal, eerily reminiscent of a whale’s song. It repeated—over and over. Endlessly. Maddeningly. The sound drowned out everything; thoughts anyone and anything had were replaced by the sound.

The grove then sprang to life. The bulb tore itself apart from the inside. Its skin peeled. Petals were shredded. Roots rose from the ground, taking entire trees with it. Spores were scattered in every direction.

The earth itself had come to life. And it erupted, massive vines snaking out from the very veins of the ground itself, dripping with acidic sap. “Hold on!” Big Mac shouted as he grabbed Meadowbrook by the scruff of her neck with his teeth.

One vine tried to wrap itself around Big Mac, but with a powerful buck of his hind legs, there was a snapping sound. Like bark ripped off from a tree as a comparison. The vine smashed to the ground, half ripped apart as a bleeding stump frailed about. Another sound, horrific in nature. A creature crying out in pain. Big Mac shuddered as he slowly began to break into a sprint. It was then he noticed the problem. He may not have been moving but the ground certainly was. Twisting and turning, it was all Big Mac and Meadowbrook could do to keep their footing as another vine toiled beneath. Far larger than the last, Big Mac didn’t dare look down to see its owner. But look down he did, and he let out a sharp gasp. Rows upon rows of teeth in a truly gigantic crocodilian maw, each razor sharp and erupting from plant fiber.

Another howl as the creature’s massive head slowly raised itself up from the soil. Twin yellow eyes scanned the horizon as the creature drew back its head and roared to the heavens.

Vines whipped and frailed around as Big Mac and Meadowbrook made a run for it, scaling the vines and trying very hard not to meet the creature’s eyes. A tree in all the chaos had been pulled right from the ground and was sent directly their way. Big Mac, at the very last moment whirled around and it with one powerful kick reduced it to splinters. A low rumble sounded off in the distance and already gray storm clouds were beginning to gather. The calm before the storm was over, and already droplets of rain were beginning to splatter and spatter.

“By Celestia…” Meadowbrook repeated as she gazed at the monstrosity of nature. It was like Gaia herself had decided to take up arms against the creature, forgoing the very laws of Creation. Or maybe… just maybe this was Creation’s doing, just a sharp but altogether simple reminder there were greater things than ponykind.

The creature snarled and snapped at the air, vines still frailing. It was only just about then that both ponies noticed the vines had heads. Or buds or fly traps or whatever but whatever the case each vine bore teeth of their own. Like the world’s most demented venus flytrap the creature knew exactly when prey had landed upon it. One vine rocketed towards the two ponies, dripping more toxic sap and ready to snatch them up.

Meadowbrook reached into her pouch and tossed… something, well Big Mac wasn’t sure what. Some sort of dust and the vine seemed to actually lurch in pain, the creature letting out some terrible howl. Its gaze turned back to them, and angry eyes followed the movements of those trodding upon their owner. It daren’t snatch the two small ones up with its jaws, not unless it wanted to bite off one of its many limbs. However, it did not need to use its main set of jaws.

Twisting and twirling like a den of snakes, the vines came again. Big Mac saw the first one coming, and grabbed it in his jaws. Pulling hard, plant matter and fiber was no match for him. Another vine collapsed to the ground below, with the farm pony running and then leaping to another of the many limbs. Meadowbrook was shortly behind, and just barely made the next jump. With a bit of effort, the mage pulled herself up and then tossed more of that dust into the air.

“Some sort of hoodoo dust?” Big Mac asked as the creature roared in pain once more.

“Even better! Great grandmama’s special spices!” Meadowbrook smiled. “Ole family recipe! Never doubt the power of cajun cookin!”

“Well now I do hope you’ll share that recipe with the family!” Big Mac drawled. “Anything that can do… well, that ought to put hairs on your chest!”

“Oh, even better!” Meadowbrook said. “It puts them hairs on your eyeballs!”

“...well now, Applejack was never one to turn down a challenge…” Big Mac admitted as the two continued running. He blinked, swearing the creature bore pinkish purple moss down the back of its head. But that was impossible, no moss he knew of came in that color. But then again, he admitted, no known plant that he knew of was this big or this intelligent. And make no mistake, this creature was intelligent -to some extent anyways- given it seemed to recognize threats to itself when it saw them. A little voice at the back of his mind nagged at him, swearing he’d seen or at least heard of something like this somewhere before.

Was that… Scootaloo?

No no, that was physically impossible. It had been months since… that incident. Yet, all the same, that voice nagged at him. Something inside of him screamed at him. This was Scootaloo. It echoed in his mind. It lingered in his heart. It was slowly driving him mad.

He didn’t get time to think on it much longer, as a rainbow blur rocketed past, kicking the creature in the head. It howled in pain, it. It. It. It. No. Not her, not Scootaloo. This creature could not be her.

---

Rodan looked up, his beak still stained with blood. He heard it, he heard the call. Another Titan. One daring to encroach on his territory! His territory! His! Such an act of aggression is inexcusable and irredeemable!

Then he listened to the call. It sounded vaguely like… Oh no. It sounded like him. The King. And yet all the same it didn’t. It sounded different in some manner.

And if it was different… well it wasn’t the King was it? Taking to the skies once more, Rodan let out a roar. So let it come!

---

Rodan observed his foe as he soared over the destroyed orchards. Yeah, it had some of the King’s DNA in it all right, there was no mistaking that set of teeth. Those teeth and teeth and oh yes plenty of teeth. Had to be what they called an orthodontist's worst nightmare. Oh yeah, he would not want to be near those teeth.

Rodan let out a harsh roar as he swooped in wings pressed against his side like some massive falcon. Biollante roared and vines shot out from her body and grabbed Rodan by the legs. Even as he tried to claw the kaiju’s eyes out with his talons, Rodan was tossed into a nearby mountainside, a gargantuan portion of it being decimated by the impact. Thousands of rocks flooded down, destroying anything and everything in their path.

Oh well, he thought to himself. At least it was largely immobile. So all he had to do was get close enough to… oh. Oh by Mothra’s divine wings. It was moving. Slowly but surely, and picking up speed on tiny little legs the massive plant moved forwards. Another roar, and if Rodan didn’t know any better it sounded like the creature was almost in pain. Well, it would be in pain by the time he got through with it!

Before the Lord of the Skies could take back to his unrivaled domain, a massive wing shot out from the side of the creature. Then a second. They weren’t as big (or as graceful) as his own, but they were still imposing—and horribly ugly. Wait… what? What!? WHAT!?! This creature dared? It dared to imitate him, and it dared to take the sky as its domain? Okay, that did it, this creature really needed to be taught its place.

Rodan picked himself up off the ground and flared his wings; the magma in his veins glowed a bright orange in the stormy weather. Some of it seeped out from open wounds and burnt the land beneath him, some of the shrubbery that wasn’t scorched catching fire. Lightning flashed even as Rodan let out a shrill cackle. One last warning had been given. Now it was only a matter of seeing if this creature headed it.

Taking to the skies, Rodan shrieked once more. Biollante took no heed to this though. Instead, she reacted with aggression. Vines shot out from the creature’s body and wrapped around Rodan, constricting him like a snake around its prey. It was a sea of biting and chewing as the massive bird was treated like a bouncy ball with wings of fire. He was slammed into the ground—repeatedly. Each strike tore up the earth; grass and dirt flying up into the domain that Rodan had called home.

Now, it was looking like the 50-foot-deep hole that Biollante had made from Rodan was his new home.

At least the worms were medium-rare. Biollante’s form continued its shifting, branches snapping and entire limbs retracting and appearing in another location like an ever changing gelatinous abomination to the concept of life and the universe as a whole. Within seconds, the monster had assumed a vaguely draconic form and she took to the skies, the ground below being flattened in the process.

Rodan let out a low growl and tended to his wounds. He briefly glanced up and watched as the monster flew off, before his eyes narrowed. No, this injustice would not stand. This domain was his and his alone! Nobody else could have it—even if they pried it from his cold, dead wings. Even in death, the skies belonged to him and him alone!

With a roar and a reinvigorated sense of pride, he took to the air once more. Using the clouds as cover, he stayed well out of Biollante’s line of sight. Then, as lightning erupted through the clouds, he struck with his talons at the ready. He lunged at Biollante, tackling her through a mountain, destroying an entire chunk of it in the process. The two barreled through the earth, creating entire cavern networks that held untold secrets of the world; biting and snapping at each other. Finally, they erupted from another mountain side. Rodan pushed himself off Biollante and noted the glowing core on her belly. Hmm, that was interesting. Was probably important in some way.

His throat glowed with an eerie orange light before he spat out a stream of fire. Biollante let out a horrible howl before vines erupted from her body and pulled Rodan close. Spinning like a drill, Biollante had successfully managed to disorient the Titan. Up was down, and down was up and left was right and right was left.

Practically seeing stars, Rodan slowly strode forwards in a daze when he was finally released. Feeling as if he was about to be sick, he could do nothing even as Biollante assumed her original form. He roared in pain, vines going right through his wings and dragging him ever nearer to those dangerously sharp teeth. They glistened and they glimmered with drool. Rodan was drawn nearer, even as he tried to rip himself away.

But then he saw it, a light in the storm. A thundering crack as the clouds exploded in a shower of light…

---

This is what it’s like to be Rainbow Dash right about now. Your little sister has been the light of your life for years. She’s made you a better mare.

Then she dies, if not temporarily and gets turned into a giant rose monster.

You’re angry at the world, and you’re angry at the mare who turned her into such a thing. But you manage to keep your cool.

The rose monster version of your sister is soon taken away from you in a mercy killing.

But then she returns as a true kaiju. You know it’s her, because what else could it be? Nothing makes sense in your world anymore.

So what do you do? Lash out? No no, you do what you do best as the Element of Loyalty and try to protect your home. It’s what your sister would want.

So you observe, and to your surprise you realize Rodan himself is at your side. However, what you also notice is despite his immense power, even he needs a little help. So you do what you do best.

That was what it was like to be in the mind of Rainbow Dash. Surging forwards with a powerful thunderclap, she struck. The sound barrier had been broken in her grief and her confusion all turned asunder. Once again, she had to see this. Once again, just barely hanging onto a mockery of life was Scootaloo. Now all she could do was help Rodan put her sister out of her misery for good.

A flash of recognition came into Biollante’s eyes. Biollante’s. Not Scootaloo’s. Biollante. It was better to call this creature by another name, distance herself from it all. It was easier for Rainbow that way. She didn't dare hope her sister was still in there. Not after last time.

All the same, Biollante seemed to be actively hesitating in eating Rodan. Maybe, just maybe… No. No. No. Rainbow had to force that thought down. This wasn’t her sister, not anymore.

Rodan had the power to stop this creature, that much she knew. But Rodan needed help. So Rainbow would gladly provide it. She didn’t hate the Titans, not all of them anyways. Hell, she couldn’t even hate Rodan even after all he had done. He wasn’t evil, not like Chrysalis or Cozy Glow or any of them. He was an animal, one struggling to find his own way in a changed world. Rainbow had been given a lot of time to think really. A few months ago, yeah she would have told you she hated Rodan. But now? She respected him even, he was here before her and probably would be here long after. He was one of the first to take to the skies, claim it as his own. As a fellow filer, it was Rainbow’s… honor(?) to help him. No, it was more than that. It was her duty!

Another seeming flash of recognition. Was she deluding herself? Did she really think that underneath all of that, there was still a small trace of Scootaloo in there? Rainbow honestly didn’t know. What she did know was in the here and now, Ponyville was under attack. Her sister’s soul or not, she had to protect it.

So once again, she came around for another pass and coated herself in lightning…

Ocellus meanwhile was in a state of utter confusion. Genetics, kaiju, giant plant monsters and ancient fliers. When did her life become so… well, just so weird? Then again, she supposed it had always been weird. It had just gotten weirder. Ask her a few months back, she would never have thought she’d be this close to kaiju. She would have snorted at the thought and called it a nice dream but just that, a dream. And yet here she was.

Rodan had saved her, that much she knew. Strange as it was, there was no mistaking it. Fluttershy had been right, a little kindness went a long way. Rodan had needed a friend after his awakening, and yeah maybe he hadn’t realized it at the time but he had one in Ocellus. Maybe she hadn’t even realized it at the time. Ocellus admitted to herself maybe she only saw an arrogant monster at the time. Well, what else could she have seen with a giant beak ready to snatch her up?

In any event, she… well, she honestly didn’t know what she was going to do. How could she help? Could she really interfere in a clash of the Titans? Maybe not, but she could help evacuate Ponyville.

Lightning flashed in the skies above, fitting she mused. Everything just seemed to be boiling over and here came the storm. There was an old Changeling myth, one that Ocellus had never put much stock into. Myths were myths after all, hardly factual. But the myth went of a rain god who drowned whole cities, only for the cities to undergo some sort of rebirth. And Ocellus felt like she was drowning. Maybe not literally or metaphorically but she was drenched and oh, there went the wings.

Out of the corner of her eye, Biollante spied the changeling beginning to fall. It didn’t quite know why, but it gently extended a vine and allowed the young nymph to land softly on pedals and flowers. A distant memory, a happy one of things past. Rainbow, of course, had seen this. She didn’t know what to make of it. Was it possible that…? Again, she really had to wonder. Was Scootaloo alive inside that collection of ferns?

Rainbow didn’t honestly know how accurate her hopes were. Scootaloo was alive inside that mess of plant matter. Buried deep inside, fighting back against her Titan instincts. Fighting back against the raw anger and rage and power that came with the King’s DNA.

Inspiration had meant well, however there were laws of magic even she had to follow. To resurrect someone, she had to do a perfect resurrection. As in completely perfect meaning whatever DNA was inside Scootaloo at the time of her death had to be resurrected as well. And that meant the Titan DNA had to follow Scootaloo’s spirit with her.

So Titanus Biollante was born...

A shriek pierced the rainy night and far and away in Ponyville both Soulshine and Twilight heard it. Twilight went for the door, only to be stopped by a faint glow. Her eyes widened as little by little an unknown alicorn stepped into the room. “I apologize Princess Twilight, but I cannot hold myself here that long,” Inspiration said. “Creating a physical form for myself is not easy. My plain of existence and yours are very different things. Holding a link between them is not that easy, even for one such as myself. But please, you must listen to what I have to say.”

Soulshine meanwhile bore witness to Rodan prying himself free of Biollante’s vines, the massive pterodactyl biting and snapping at the many limbs. Sparks and embers flew from his wings only to be quickly snuffed out by the pounding rains. Lightning flashed, illuminating his form as he climbed higher into the skies going around for another pass.

Biollante turned her head only at the very last second, Rodan’s massive talons ripping through plant matter like a knife through butter. More vines snaked out to capture Rodan, twisting through the air and entangling his wings. For all of about five seconds anyway, as the massive Titan managed to pull himself free. With a roar, vines were ripped from Biollante’s body with Rodan flapping his wings and sparks managing to catch. Biollante snapped at him, grabbing the large Titan in her jaws.

Rodan was dragged along the ground, his body ripping up the earth. Another searing blast of fire coated Biollante’s body but the pounding hail and rain was ensuing each blast was less and less effective. Rodan snarled in anger. This was ridiculous, and more so quite demeaning!

Then Rainbow Dash charged in encoated in lightning. Biollante howled in pain throwing her head back to roar at the heavens. Rodan pulled himself away and went down for another pass. Once again, vines sprang up to meet him and he pulled upwards at the last moment to avoid being entangled and grounded.

The Titan rocketed upwards punching a hole in the clouds, Luna’s moon at his back with a triumphant cry. Biollante scanned the skies, and saw a shadow over the moon. Then the shadow was right on top of her, as Rodan had looped de looped and charged downwards like a bullet from a gun. Talons extended, finally Rodan drew blood.

With a cackle of triumph Rodan swooped around using the mountains as cover. Landing himself atop a high peak, he flapped his wings creating powerful winds. Hurricane force in fact, ripping up trees like toothpicks and sending the very earth flying. Pelting Biollante with ruins and rubble, Rodan laughed mockingly. He was winning! Giving an appreciative glance to the pegasi defending their home the Titan took to the skies once more. This time, he tore no pegasi from the skies. He minded them with a sort of curiosity before settling to his usual indifference. Tucking his wings in tight, he went down for another pass.

However, like Icarus before him he had flown too close to the sun and gotten burned in his pride. Vines once more enlarged and dragged him along the ground, wooden spikes springing up to impale him. Suddenly, several purple magic blasts destroyed these spikes and Twilight threw up a shield to defend herself against tossed blobs of acidic sap.

Rodan growled, this was supposed to be his victory. His victory! He appreciated the help of the Small Ones but he could handle his fellow Titan and bring her to heel.

Twilight meanwhile paid the proud pterosoarer no mind. She went over Inspiration’s words to her. “The one you call Scootaloo still exists in that mess of rage and confusion. You just need to find a way to bring her out.”

The question was, how could she even do that…?

Little did Twilight know an opportunity was beginning to present itself. Soulshine knew, he at once knew who had returned to haunt him. “I never should have interfered,” the stallion said as he looked Biollante directly in the eye from atop a hill. “My company caused this genetic nightmare, grabbing ahold of Titan DNA. We should have very well just left it alone.”

Biollante looked at the small one, the pony postulating himself before her. Another personality fought for control, but she pushed it down. She would not be slave to her weak half’s demands!

Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw Soulshine, shouting: “Get out of there!”

“No, I’m sorry Princess. I caused this nightmare, time to hold myself accountable,” Soulshine said. “It’s the least I can do.”

“I order you to-”

“This is one order I’m afraid I can’t follow,” Soulshine said running a hoof across Biollante’s jaw. The Titan looked at him in confusion, no surely not. And Soulshine seemingly nodded in response. “No, it’s okay…”

He saw the speared vine coming and knew no more. Twilight fought back tears, it wasn’t Scootaloo’s fault. Not entirely. It was another personality, fighting for dominance. And now she knew how to reach the Crusader. Flying forwards, she ignored the vines sent to spear her and simply hugged the Titan. No actual violence and no magical maneuvers on her part, just one simple act of kindness. And a soft little whisper of: “I’m here… Scootaloo. I’m here.”

Comments

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Holy Emperor...

[The Bricklayer]

10120589
Yeah, I was wondering if Biollante's Shin type adaptability would be going a little too far on the ludicrousness scale, but then I remembered the setting and what Biollante is. We're already in the realm of ridiculous if you think about it.

[badninja]

Now the question becomes can Rainbow be stopped before it is too late or will she and Rodan just make everything much worse?

[The Bricklayer]

10121245
Well, she does have an inkling that something is going on. Rodan... um, probably not. He's not that bright.

[Wysteria]

How does this version of Biollante differ from Toho's in appearance?

[The Bricklayer]

10122897
Not that much in a lot of regards, it's only where it takes to the skies do things start to become different. Imagine a gargoylish dragon made of plant matter for that form and you're good.

[Scholarly-Cimmerian]

*whistles* Rodan bit off a lot more than he could chew in this fight. But then again, that kinda is his way of doing things...

Caught a few typos. kamacuras "hoards" should be "hordes". And Harmony's "plain" should be "plane".

[The Bricklayer]

10154773
Yeah, Rodan's a bit of a prideful dingus, but we love him for it. And to be fair, if Biollante hadn't gone full Shin with her evolution well... he probably would have won.