A King to a God

by JDPrime22

Chapter 23 – Home

Celestial Sea

T.I.T.A.N. Naval Ship Axalon

In the low, morning skies above the Celestia Sea, the lead T.I.T.A.N. airship Tigerhawk was patrolling ahead, more so leading the fleet in their journey. Beside it, another gargantuan airship dubbed the “Silverbolt” flew a hundred or so feet to the far right. Less than a dozen airships joined them, with seven battalions of Solar Bolt aircraft flying in formation all around. Keeping the skies safe.

As for the sea, the fleet of ships numbered five carriers and seven naval craft. Most of the carriers offered a stationary resting point for the aircraft to land and refuel, or to carry minimal tanks and armaments left over from Operation Skull. The Hippogriff naval ships were armed to the teeth with heavy-ordnance cannons, with equine and Seapony scouts constantly scanning the waves and radars for any disturbance that threatened their mission. They had the firepower to scare off any marine Titan with a few well-placed shots, but it was essential to be alert no matter what.

The second largest carrier in the fleet was the Axalon, and it was the ship that carried the now-awake King of Black Skull Island.

Kong sat in his chains, looking over his wrist again and again and scratching the lock around his neck. The magical sedatives were still active in his systems, so he was much calmer now than he was when initially put on the ship. But much of the magic had worn off, and now he was mostly fully conscious of his surroundings. Grunting and growling softly as his eyes turned to the endless ocean to his left, and then to his right.

Much of deck was filled with supplies, but also some brave T.I.T.A.N. agents and scientists. Most of the scientists performed constant health status checks on Kong while the agents went about their daily duties, either guarding the scientists or performing maintenance with the engineers to keep the carrier ship running. They had grown accustomed to the giant ape’s presence, trusting the princess’ magic to keep him docile, but not comatose.

Even then, a pair of heavily-armored and armed T.I.T.A.N. guards stood patiently and alert beside Prince Shining Armor and his wife Princess Cadance. They each wielded heavy sniper rifles attached to the strap on their backs, their black armor, metal faceplates, and clear visors focused fully on the lumbering Titan.

Shining and Cadance were less prepared, approaching their Titan Whisperer just as they were. No armor. No weapons. They were already on Fluttershy’s bad side, and they didn’t need weapons close to Kong. They didn’t wish to upset Fluttershy any more than she already was.

Assuring their guards they were fine and to keep their distance, Cadance approached Fluttershy and met her on her side. Shining shuffled up on the Pegasus’ opposite side. All three of them stared only at Kong and said not a word for the longest time. Together, they watched him pull lightly at his chains, slowly start to realize what they were for, and then shortly lose interest to stare at the ponies moving all around him. His soft grunts and curious mumbles rumbled the ship.

Finally, Shining mustered up the courage to ask, “How is he?”

Fluttershy barely even acknowledged their existence beside her. Her eyes were never torn away from her friend, in chains. “He’s starting to realize where he is… and that there’s nowhere else to go,” she finally muttered in a broken manner. With an even more broken posture, Fluttershy relinquished a quiet sigh that was billowing within her for quite some time.

Cadance pursed her lips, giving her own sigh. “I wish things could be different, Fluttershy, I really do… but we’ve been overruled this time. This is bigger than all of us, and all we can really do is the best we can given the circumstances.”

Finally, Fluttershy turned to the princess, and with heavy, solemn eyes, she whispered, “Is this really the best we can do?”

Before either of them could answer—even if they really didn’t have a satisfying answer—they were interrupted by the thundering cry from the great ape. The ship teetered when he rapidly tugged at the chains attached to his left arm, the monstrous monkey trembling the vessel with his reverberating roar. Instantly, Shining and Cadance took defensive positions in front of Fluttershy, shielding her. Their guards reached for their rifles, but Cadance ordered them back.

And thankfully so. For when Cadance turned her gaze forward, she noticed something. Something she perhaps theorized but never truly expected to happen.

She and her husband were gazing forth, their eyes meeting Kong’s, and the Titan had stopped. Calming down considerably, ceasing whatever agitation or fury that was beginning to boil, and leaving him curious and collected. Maybe finally finding more mutual ground other than what he had already bound with Fluttershy. Maybe, after seeing them fully, in his docile state, he finally recognized them.

He made more curious sounds, soft huffs and grumbles. Both Shining and Cadance were momentarily stunned from seeing the expression on Kong’s face, but they were left breathless when Fluttershy confirmed their wonders.

“He remembers you.”

Twisting back to face Fluttershy, Shining and Cadance saw the look on her face, void of humor, void of deceit. Void of joy. They weren’t entirely certain if she was mimicking Kong’s emotions or her own. Either way, Shining rested his hoof on her shoulder, whispering, “We should talk in the bridge.”

He flicked his stare back to Kong, noticing the ape having never taking his gaze away from them. It made Shining trot just a little bit faster up the stairs and in the control room with his wife and Titan Whisperer in tow.

The bridge of the Axalon was expansive and well occupied. Numerous computer monitors that helped run and maintain the ship were managed by several T.I.T.A.N. crewman. The captain of the vessel—Captain Thorn, a burly unicorn stallion—stood at the back of the bridge behind the steering wheel, keeping the carrier steady on its long journey ahead. The sun shone brightly through the glass windows rounding out the bridge, illuminating the occupants to Fluttershy.

Three she recognized: Daring Do, Lyra, and Bon Bon. All three of them faced the front window and stared only at Kong. Before the metal doors creaked open and they turned to see Shining, Cadance, and Fluttershy make their entrance. They greeted one another with soft smiles and short nods.

But Fluttershy was far from being in the mood for pleasantries. The others caught the clear hint from her dour expression, settling themselves around the small table in the center of the bridge.

“Seems the big monkey is finally starting to stir,” Daring noted, centering her gaze back on the beast outside. “Might need another sedative spell here soon, Your Highness.”

“He’ll be fine,” Fluttershy answered, her voice deadpan. The others stared at their Pegasus friend, turning to Shining and Cadance. Daring just shrugged with a smile.

“Okay, then! Should be smooth sailing from here on out if everything goes according to plan,” Daring exclaimed, leaning back in her chair with her forelegs resting behind her head. It had been a long couple weeks on the meatgrinder of Black Skull Island. It was going to be paradise to go back home.

“Unless Godzilla decides to pay us a visit,” Lyra noted, instantly bringing down Daring’s mood.

Shining thankfully shook his head, easing their worries momentarily. “Godzilla was gonna come for the big guy eventually. Might as well get him to an even playing field.” Shining rested his hoof specifically on the Forbidden Jungle on the map displayed on the table, directly where their fleet were headed.

“And if Godzilla decides to break through our fleet…?” Bon Bon suggested. Shining was less than audible that time. Turning to the glass windshield, Bon Bon stared at Kong and shakily exhaled. “I’m just afraid with Kong awake now, his roars are gonna attract Godzilla much quicker.”

It had been a year since Bon Bon had conquered her fear of Godzilla. The Battle of the Three Kings had cemented her renewed stance with the King of the Monsters, and a part of her still always believed there was still that guardian within Godzilla. The one that protected the world and every living being essential to the natural balance of the ecosystem.

But recently… that fear was slowly but surely crawling its way out of the recesses of her mind that she had locked away. Just hearing the horrific news across the globe of Godzilla’s rampage, seeing the photographs and the video footage, and calculating the death toll had reignited a terror deep in her mind and heart. Her fear was growing again, as that trust she felt she could have with the Alpha Titan had all but been extinguished.

Fear was growing everywhere from these attacks. And now, T.I.T.A.N. had the means of finally responding properly. With Kong and the Elements, they could finally fight back.

“My magic should keep him calm for the time being. Albeit there may be some… hiccups,” Cadance responded, looking away to the same window Bon Bon stared. “I’m sure you’ve all heard his little uproar.”

The team was silent for a moment. Letting the subtle hustle and bustle of the bridge be the sound that entombed them. “We’ll make it through this,” Shining promised, and they were grateful for his strong, stoic tone in the coming tide of uncertainty.

Before the silence could return, Bon Bon leaned forward and smiled warmly. “How are you doing, Fluttershy?” she asked.

“I’m fine…”

“You sure about, Whisperer?” Daring pressed.

Finally lifting her eyes from the floor, Fluttershy could see that not only Agent Do was pressing her, but everypony seemed to be. They weren’t mean or pushy or anything like that, but they were clearly concerned. Despite all the political and global turmoil that had ultimately affected their operations within T.I.T.A.N., deep down they were all still friends. No matter what, that was something the Hall of Unity couldn’t change.

So, she sighed and began.

“No, I’m… I’m not,” Fluttershy said, her voice aching with pent-up frustration coiled with sadness. “When we came to the island, I’ve heard countless stories of how this horrific beast killed so many ponies just for coming on his territory. But the more I heard, the more I read, and what I saw… none of it seemed like the truth. The Kong I met and the friend I’ve made is so much more than a horror story. He was so afraid… so angry… so alone for so long…”

None of them dared to interrupt her. Every eye around the table focused solely on Fluttershy. Even some crewmembers around the bridge tilted their gazes to the Titan Whisperer, hearing the rumors made truth spoken from their very own Titan source of truth.

“I would have wanted any other option... but the world’s already made up its mind...” Fluttershy said. “And in some way… they’re right… just as they’re wrong. Godzilla needs to be stopped. We need to help with whatever’s hurting him. If Kong is the only way to do that… with me and my friends, too… then we’ll do it. I don’t disagree with any of you on that. We need Kong… the world needs him.”

Eventually, her eyes settled on the front windshield. They settled on Kong and rarely wanted to turn elsewhere. But she needed to for this, slowly facing her friends and allies and asking them sincerely, “But what about what Kong needs?”

She left after that, not even offering another word. Not even waiting for them to answer. It probably wasn’t the answer she needed anyway.

---

Night came over the Celestia Sea, and so too did a distant storm.

In the storm’s wake, with heavy thunder and dousing rain forcing everypony off the deck, they took refuge below deck or in the bridge. Left out in the cold, with the roar of the storm shuddering his bones and the freezing rain and chilling ocean winds piercing his hide, Kong didn’t even attempt to hide his discomfort.

He tugged and pulled at his chains time and again, becoming more fervent as the darkness grew heavier. Despite the magic numbing his mind and his senses, his movements were still sporadic. Every weak attempt to break free was met with no release, and each time Kong instead released a bellowing cry high into the air. The thunder cried back and the lightning chased away the shadows, but only for a moment.

As the Axalon teetered and tipped, the crew finally responded and gathered at once to the bridge. Bon Bon and Daring instantly suggested more magical sedatives be applied immediately from Cadance, and now the princess seemed as if she wasn’t in the right to disagree. Not only was Kong threatening himself by marking his position as a target to any and all creatures who could hear, not only was he threatening to snap his chains and fall off into the ocean which was an environment he was definitely not accustomed to, but he was threatening everycreature on the ship.

All of which Cadance, nor T.I.T.A.N., could allow to persist.

However, they realized soon enough that there was already action taking place before them. Under the storm, with the blazing lightning lighting up the night, they could see a lone figure approaching Kong in his disgruntled state. Every tremoring roar, every attempt to yank at his chains, and the lone figure only grew closer to him. Quickly, Shining and Cadance, Lyra and Bon Bon, and Daring Do all rushed out on the deck to stop the figure.

Only, they didn’t have to.

Rushing out into the rain, the small team took cover behind the supply crates as another of Kong’s roars filled the night. He held up his fist high into the sky, the chains snapping and refusing to give him another inch. Peeking out, all five ponies hesitated when they finally realized who it was under the shimmering spotlights surrounding the Titan.

Kong realized who it was, too.

Soaking wet, her long, pink mane shrouding her face but not her eyes, Fluttershy remained unshaken and unmoved, unlike every other creature aboard. Her eyes were never torn away. Her focus was never turned to anyone else. She was not afraid of the storm. She was not afraid of the dark. She sensed his distress and heard his cries, and she made herself abundantly clear that she was there for him.

She was there for her friend. A friend who was scared. A friend that needed… her.

All within the bridge and all atop the deck were absolutely astonished with what came next. Instead of roaring at her, instead of attacking her for betraying his trust, instead of doing what any one of them would have thought he would do, he changed all of their hearts when he raised his finger toward Fluttershy.

Simply held it toward her.

Under the rain, under the chaos of the storm, surrounded by darkness, he stared only at her. And Fluttershy raised her hoof and graced his finger. Even in the vast cold of the seemingly unending ocean, feeling the touch of her hoof was the warmest Kong had felt since he was taken. She held her touch for as long as she could, and then Kong relented and sat back down.

As the ship finally settled, Shining and Cadance slowly exited from behind the crates to meet Fluttershy. Daring, Lyra, and Bon Bon remained hesitant, but they stepped out eventually, never taking their eyes off the giant ape. Still struggling to believe that what they saw actually happened.

Cadance laid her wing over Fluttershy’s head to block the rain, acting as a sort of pseudo umbrella, while she asked, “Fluttershy, what are you… how did you… that was incredible; how did you do that?”

Fluttershy did not share her shock or her enthusiasm. She merely glanced the princess’ way, stared in silence, and then slowly turned back to her giant friend. “He’s afraid…” Fluttershy whispered. Kong’s expression tightened, the Titan shutting his eyes as his face was drenched in rainwater. “I promised him that he would be safe if he came with us… but I don’t… he doesn’t…”

“He doesn’t believe us,” Shining said, finishing her thoughts.

Fluttershy nearly broke down right then and there. Maybe she was grateful for the rain in some way. Easier to hide the tears if they dared to arise. “He wants to go home,” Fluttershy said in a broken tone. Kong huffed and sighed, dropping his head.

The small team appeared shaken by that news, many downtrodden expressions plaguing their faces. Lyra shuffled anxiously while Bon Bon stared up sullenly to Kong. Daring’s wide-brimmed hat was dripping wet, but she didn’t hide the hurt clearly evident in her eyes.

As for Cadance, thought affected by that heart-wrenching truth, she had to shake her head. “That’s impossible right now. Black Skull Island is uninhabitable as long as that storm stays. It isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”

As for Fluttershy, she once more turned to Cadance, and she was the one to shake her head this time. “That’s what I told him.”

“And what did he say?” Daring asked.

The chains rattled to life, and everypony—minus Fluttershy—flinched back in surprise. Bringing their conjoined attention back to Kong, they watched in stunted shock as the monstrous ape raised his right hand. He brought his fingers and thumb together and pressed the tips of his fingers to the side of his cheek. Then, he moved his hand closer toward his ear, and touched his cheek again. Doing so spelled out a silent word, a hand sign that the deaf and the mute commonly used to communicate.

Kong gave them a word. Just one word.

“Home.”

Now, neither Shining nor Cadance knew what he had said, but the movement was exact. The intention was there. The constant contact proved that he was trying to communicate. Lyra didn’t know what he said, and neither did Bon Bon. But Daring Do spoke her fair share of languages in her travels. One of them was sign language, and seeing it displayed from a Titan of all creatures left her jaw dangling over the deck.

“I taught him sign language,” Fluttershy explained, which ultimately explained it all. Even though Kong continued to make the same hand sign, even though it hurt her every time she saw it, Fluttershy remained strong. “Not very many words, but enough. Now, there’s a way for you all to understand Kong like I can. To further peace not only with me… but with all of you.”

That explained where she had been all those previous days. Out in the wilderness with Kong as her only company. She wasn’t just furthering peace and trust between herself and Kong, she was teaching him a way to speak with all of them. A way they could all unite on common ground.

Fluttershy shook her head. “And now we took him from his home.”

There it was. The weight that had been crushing Fluttershy was now fully shared by the rest of her friends. For a while, they wanted to believe they shared her same feelings of doubt and regret over taking Kong from his devastated home. Maybe Kong could have survived the storm on his island. Maybe all of their theories and scientific instruments were wrong, and they had taken him away when there was no need. But now, they saw that the betrayal went much, much deeper. So many efforts were made to unite their kind, and so many steps were instead taken backwards. If there was any way of mending it, it wasn’t out in the middle of the ocean trapped on this boat.

Yet, despite it all, Shining did acknowledge one other result from all of this madness. Despite having been taken from his island, despite having shown signs of aggression, Kong still didn’t fight them. Perhaps it was Fluttershy’s presence that protected them, but there was also that curious, little comment Fluttershy had made, how Kong seemed to remember him and Cadance.

His wife appeared to share the same thoughts. The thought that, through it all, maybe Kong did change. Even after the last horrific time T.I.T.A.N. had been to Black Skull Island, maybe there was something more to this giant ape than they realized. That, maybe, he was truly capable of peace.

That, maybe… they had made a terrible mistake taking him from his home.

Author's Note:

Artwork by Shrekzilla

Comments

[Lucasnike123]

He's coming...

[Rorya96]

Yep good Godzilla is coming for Kong
Hard I didn’t see the movie, but I did see the clip of Kong getting his ass kicked the first time by Godzilla
Do you know what the creator of the movie said Godzilla was just toying with Kong for his twisted amusement and entertainment, Godzilla has a sick sick sick mind Even by Our and pony standards that’s twisted

[Bluebottle27]

“I would have wanted any other option... but the world’s already made up its mind...” Fluttershy said. “And in some way… they’re right… just as they’re wrong. Godzilla needs to be stopped. We need to help with whatever’s hurting him. If Kong is the only way to do that… with me and my friends, too… then we’ll do it. I don’t disagree with any of you on that. We need Kong… the world needs him.”

Well...that's just Prime.

[Scarlet Scribe]

And now the God knows where the King is...

[kahnac]

Way to make the audience sympathize with Kong, who is as much a victim here as any other creature.

[8888Godzilla8888]

Good to see your back with another good chapter.

A nice adaptation of a scene in the movie with your own twist on it.
So I have the impression that Fluttershy is going to be our Jia for this story. To be honest, when I first read the ending of 'The One True King' I thought Lyra and Bon Bon were going to adopt someone from the island and that was going to be our Jia stand in. But I think the way you did it is better because there are so many characters in this story already.
Another thing that caught my attention was the last part where they wondered if it was a good idea to take Kong off his island. Maybe something will happen on the island now that Kong isn't there to protect it. Perhaps a certain three-headed dragon will invade the island through the hollow earth now that it is defenseless.

Can't wait for the next chapter.

[JDPrime22]

11670357 And he ain't holding back an inch.

11670476 In a way, I can see Godzilla having toyed with Kong, especially in the Hong Kong battle. But when it came time to get serious Godzilla whooped him. You should definitely watch the movie; it's epic

11670507 I had to throw it in there.

11670745 Bro gets taken from his home to fight a war that isn't his.

11670924 Yeah, I never intended to introduce a new character for Jia. Would have already added to the bloated cast as it is, plus I think Fluttershy is a perfect fill-in. Glad you enjoyed this chapter

[sonicandmario826]

I am wondering if this’ll go int the big war between Godzilla and Kong’s people had where the move just kind of teased us with it.

Neat chapter seeing among starting to communicate to the ponies.

[JDPrime22]

11671461 I may talk about the old war between their species, but maybe I’ll delve into it deeper in a later story!

[kahnac]

11671176
I'm sure that won't come back to bite these ponies later on, i say sarcastically.

[SuperSaiyanGodzilla]

Ladies and Gentlemen/colts Kong has spoken!

“Seems the big monkey is finally starting to stir,” Daring noted, centering her gaze back on the beast outside. “Might need another sedative spell here soon, Your Highness.”

He's an Ape ya Racist!

[JDPrime22]

11675894 They're all racist lol

[SuperSaiyanGodzilla]

11676491
Meh most of them are more Xenophobic