A King to a God

by JDPrime22

Chapter 33 – Stowaways

The Radiance, Main Bridge

The reunion was short but definitely sweet, once the two T.I.T.A.N. fleets came into contact just northeast of Rainbow Falls.

It was an almost instantaneous merging of the two fleets, the Radiance and her escort of airships and Solar Bolts coming into contact with the Tigerhawk and Silverbolt, as well as their assortment of defensive aircraft. Once the static left the radios and real, living voices spouted out of the machines, there was no end to the greetings and discussions of their next course of action.

But, of course, the greetings were necessary.

Twilight and the remainder of the Council practically crowded around the communications officer of the Radiance. Once initial contact was confirmed and a direct communication was established, Fluttershy was beckoned forth by Shining Armor and Princess Cadance when the Titan Whisperer’s—and more importantly, the Element of Kindness’—closest friends called for her.

It didn’t take long for everycreature’s ears to be assaulted by Pinkie Pie’s shrill voice screaming, “FLUTTERSHY! We missed you sooo much! Oh, you should’ve seen it; there was this giant cannon that fired an ice ray, and-and-and-and we saw a GIANT robo-Godzilla, and then you missed our even gianter best-friend, Element-of-Harmony hoof bump—!”

Rainbow interjected before anycreature could raise their voices in protest to Pinkie’s voice assaulting their eardrums, flying over and wrapping her hoof tightly around the party pony’s mouth. “Pinkie, breathe!” Rainbow warned with a chuckle.

While the Council cringed and continued to rub their ears to recover from Pinkie Pie’s overtly loud greeting, all they heard was a giggle on the other end of the radio call. Then came the gentle, unmistakable voice of their best friend.

“I missed you all so much, too,” Fluttershy replied, as soft and kind as ever, despite the circumstances. Clear across the sky in the bridge of the Tigerhawk, Fluttershy stood beside Shining Armor, Cadance, and their own communications officer. Looking over to the front of the bridge, Fluttershy spotted Lyra, Bon Bon, and Daring Do smiling her way, glad to hear the voices of the Council as well.

It brought enough peace in such trying times… simply hearing the Elements of Harmony united.

Then came Rainbow’s voice that made everycreature’s heart stand still. “Wait… you guys all knew about the robo-Godzilla, right?”

The Tigerhawk’s bridge was quiet. As if every head and every heart turned and waited to hear what their Titan Whisperer had to say about that. Bon Bon’s face hardened, her eyes rising to the windshield to see the ocean beneath her… and Godzilla’s dorsal plates swimming through the waves. Lyra pursed her lips, turning over to Bon Bon and then Daring Do, none of them even tempting the thought to respond.

As for Fluttershy…

Shining turned to see the look in her eyes, as if the life suddenly drained out of her like an empty lung, practically wilting as well. Her ears fell flat against her head, her heavy eyes drooping low in tandem. She tried to speak, tried to breathe, but only shuddering breaths escaped her as a result of her weakened posture. It almost looked as if she was ill.

With some silent pestering from his wife to respond, Shining cleared his throat and spoke toward the microphone. “Yes, we… we know about Project Mecha. The secret project isn’t so secret within the Canterlot T.I.T.A.N. sector… or its closest allies.”

Cadance added, “While we may have had some conflicting thoughts… and doubts… hearing what became of the Mecha in Fillydelphia was a shock to all of us. And… we’re hoping this coming conflict won’t have to resort to its return. We have the Elements of Harmony with us after all.”

The Princess of Love turned to Fluttershy with a comforting, warming smile, intent on raising the Pegasus’ spirits. To her relief, Fluttershy responded with a smile of her own. A weak one at that, but still there. Still very real and well alive.

Twilight responded in the radio by chuckling.

“Last resorts are just that, Cadance. With Kong and the Elements, we’ll have what we need to end this coming battle before it spirals out of control. And… no, Pinkie, it’s not your fault. Don’t give me those puppy dog eyes; you don’t have to be sorry! They knew about Mechagodzilla; it’s fine! Sorry, Pinkie’s just… being clingy and sorry in her own ‘Pinkie Pie’ way.”

“Speakin’ of that giant monkey,” Applejack interjected, trying to bring some focus back to the discussion. “How’s he doin’? From where we’re standin’, he’s kickin’ up enough dust ta rival a buffalo stampede!”

Applejack wasn’t far off in her observation. Beneath the two fleets, the King of Black Skull Island was engaged in what was essentially a singular stampede with him alone in the heart of the dust cloud that trailed him. He had broken through what little forest remained with no hurdles to stop him, rushing out across the empty, lifeless plains along the shoreline. But Kong’s focus wasn’t dead ahead. It was to his right.

And to his right, swimming against the crashing waves trying to reach the shore, Godzilla protruded out of the water. Just barely. Just his spines signaling where he was directed, where his destination was leading him. With the two T.I.T.A.N. crews now united, they could put their minds together to try and figure out just what Godzilla was up to… and where he was going.

Wherever it was, whatever end Godzilla saw that they didn’t, they were at least thankful Kong wasn’t letting Godzilla go so easily. The wounds were still fresh, and the bad blood left from their previous two battles was nowhere near cleansed. Not until one definitively submitted to the other.

Kong would ensure that, and T.I.T.A.N. would be there to end the conflict peacefully. To reach an end where they all won.

Where Godzilla was freed from the dark corruption, Ghidorah was brought to justice, and Kong found a new home.

“He’s doing good,” Cadance finally responded, hardly able to take her eyes off the rushing ape. Almost mystified by the Titan in a way. “We had some close calls in the Celestial Sea… but he handled himself well against Godzilla in the Forbidden Jungle. Given the right opportunity… we think he can do it.”

That earned a collective breath of relief from the Radiance. Admittedly, it earned a few breaths of relief from the Tigerhawk as well. From Lyra in particular, the unicorn leaning back in her chair to gaze to the ceiling. Her first mission as a T.I.T.A.N. agent, and it had gone far beyond any of her expectations.

Landing on Black Skull Island had turned into a race against the clock for the fate of the very world. Not only was Godzilla their target now, but Ghidorah’s return was not just a theory anymore; it was reality. He was out there somewhere, and their greatest hope came from relying on a giant ape… and the Elements of Harmony. At least Lyra was able to find her relief in that, in the heroes of Equestria, and hoped Bon Bon did as well.

But her wife’s thoughts were elsewhere, and the special agent rose up from her chair to approach the communications officer.

Thinking out loud, her eyes darting across the floor as if she was in a trance of deep thought, Bon Bon noted, “Pinkie Pie mentioned a cannon with an ice ray.” Then, she turned around to see where the Radiance emerged out of the thick clouds between the two airships. And the cannon hanging tightly below the underbelly. “Sooo… I’m guessing Project Zero is finally ready for the field? I mean…”

She trotted over to the windshield, spotting the massive weapon resting under the Radiance airship, practically reaching the tip to the opposite end of the craft. “From what I can see… you guys really didn’t want to leave anything to chance,” Special Agent Bon Bon said aloud.

She pressed her hoof gently to the glass, sighing. “Guess you weren’t kidding about last resorts, huh, Twilight?” Bon Bon called.

Back within the bridge of the Radiance, the crew that had gathered around the radio took a moment or two to glance at one another. The Council of Friendship, lost in their silence, and the directors Celestia and Luna almost succumbing to the same fate.

Managing to hear Bon Bon’s voice—albeit, a bit softer—Celestia responded for the princess. “The Absolute Zero Cannon is equipped… testing is complete… and yes… we aren’t taking any chances.”

There was no humor in her tone from what the Tigerhawk could decipher, and they couldn’t blame her. Not after everything that had transpired. Not after Fillydelphia, Manehattan, Abyssinia, and so many others. There was no room left for risks in their arsenal.

Taking clear note of the severity in Celestia’s voice—knowing she had heard it countless times before and understood that weight personally—Twilight gulped softly before taking in a deep breath. One the Tigerhawk heard, and was followed up with, “Are you sure about this, Bon Bon?”

From where Bon Bon was standing, simply seeing the end goal to her recommendations nearly left her breathless, incredulous to actually seeing it. What was once seen as a pet project had grown into a fully funded weapon system that had exceeded all of Bon Bon’s expectations, and pretty much all of the T.I.T.A.N. HQ’s.

If what she heard about its recent test fire was true, then they were dealing with more than a deterrent against the Titans. A simple idea for an ice weapon was dangerously turning toward a do-or-die situation where they could very well end up actually using its incredible power. Against Godzilla, if all else failed…

She spoke her thoughts aloud. “I remember how effective those freezing spells and potions were on the Titans back then… during the Battle of the Three Kings. This cannon is gonna prove useful… and maybe even more effective if it all came down to it.”

Dropping her hoof from the windshield, turning back to Lyra and Fluttershy peering intently at her, Bon Bon managed a smile amid the coming darkness. “But let’s make sure it doesn’t."

---

The Radiance, Armory

Just what he needed: storage duty.

Not only that, but he was alone to tend to the mighty armory of the Radiance, the rest of the airship’s crew rushing and bustling about to keep the aircraft flying and prepped for any and all Titan-related threats that were sure to come. Add that to the newest addition—the secret weapon system he only knew as “Project Zero”—the electrical systems within the Radiance were on thin ice, metaphorically.

Adding the weapon to the underbelly of the ship proved to be a difficult task, and required a vast amount of power, resources, and ponies to tend to the cannon. It was doable, and the Radiance still flew, so that was a positive. They just never managed to test the cannon’s firing capabilities while attached to the airship, and that left a lot of crewponies worried.

But it was handled for the time being, leaving a lone T.I.T.A.N. agent to deal with their supplies for the coming journey ahead. The unicorn stallion walked slowly across the vast armory, a pen and clipboard levitated in his magical purple aura. Wearing the appropriate black jumpsuit as his fellow agents, the stallion lifted his wearied eyes up and down the stacks upon stacks of crates.

Checking their contents, he confirmed they were filled with the appropriate armament for their ship’s cannons. Plenty of reserve ammo. He marked the appropriate box on his sheet with solid check. Speaking of reserves, the towers of fuel strapped down were meant for the Tigerhawk, the Silverbolt, and the rest of the T.I.T.A.N. fleet. Extras were brought aboard and stored per orders from Princess Twilight herself. He marked them down and moved on.

But before he could even pass the last fuel tank, there was a distinct sound and an obscure movement that caught the agent’s attention, and he nearly leaped out of his coat when he turned to face it. Horn ablaze, dropping the clipboard and pen, he shined a bright light in the direction of the disturbance.

The boxes in the far, opposite end of the armory began shuffling on their own, with no help from the still airs the Radiance was flying against. Aside from the occasional grown of the airship and the light whistling of the wind outside, what the agent heard was anything but that. It felt unnatural, and the movement instantly stopped the second his light covered the boxes. If he wasn’t curious before, he most certainly was now.

That, and the fact he heard some obvious shushing and whispers coming from behind the large stacks of supplies. His curiosity sharpened to needle points, and his intentions readied him for a possible fight. With the bladed gauntlets strapped tightly to his forelegs, his rifle strapped slightly less tight on his back, the T.I.T.A.N. agent slowly made his approach.

As quiet as a mouse, and as efficient as an assassin, just as T.I.T.A.N. trained him and his fellow agents. So that when the time came, when the boxes were levitated with lightning-like speed, the Young Six were completely unprepared for the glaring eyes of the T.I.T.A.N. agent that met them in the blinding light of his unicorn horn.

“Ummm… guess you didn’t hear Princess Twilight’s order about bringing the Elements of Harmony, huh?” Silverstream managed to say, that shred of confidence she had instantly doused by the stallion’s intensified glare.

---

The Radiance, Main Bridge

The frozen mountaintops of Yaket Range were coming into view. Yet there would be no deterrence for Kong as he continued to pursue Godzilla, the lands ahead looking to be quite manageable for a beast of his stature. Oncoming hills, maybe some sharp drops, but deep on the horizon they could see flat land for miles. Then, the Frozen North.

What that meant, nocreature could really know just yet. Godzilla’s destination was leading them to a familiar landscape, one with bad memories that many of them shared. Or, he could be leading them somewhere completely different. There was no telling. They simply had to follow and wait and see.

What little peace there was just had to be interrupted, bringing in an all new taste of chaos. The steel doors to the bridge of the Radiance swung wide open and slammed against the walls, ensuring every head had spun around to face the disturbance. And when they did, it was the directors and the Council of Friendship who faced it fully, rising up with shock, confusion, and horror gripping their features when reality finally set in.

“Your Highness! Directors! I found something you might find interesting!”

The voice came from the T.I.T.A.N. agent barging through the main doors, his unicorn magic gripping the ears, horns, and feathers belonging to a pony, yak, griffon, changeling, dragon, and Hippogriff. Unmistakable ones, at that. Shoving them forward none too gently, the stallion watched as the six rubbed where his magic had roughly gripped them, sending their own glares his way.

His response was a fierce snort, and a fiercer declaration. “Stowaways.”

Having marched them to the bridge, bringing them out of the shadows and under the spotlight, the sudden realization made the Young Six come to terms with what they now faced. The sudden shame washed over them like the multitude of expressions turned their way. Especially from their old professors, all the shock and heartbreak colliding to make the Young Six visibly cringe back against the onslaught they received.

Every action had a consequence, and they were about to face the coming fury from the Princess of Friendship, and a fury they were familiar with from their former professor and headmare.

“What… how… I…?” Princess Twilight mumbled aloud, and then her confusion morphed into a searing anger, and she began to approach them with heated breaths escaping her gritted teeth. “I can’t believe you six would do this! Going behind our backs, my back, and for what?! I told you the Elements of Harmony had this under control! All you’re doing is risking your lives for a fight you’re wholly unprepared for!”

While Ocellus and Silverstream cowered back as a genuine reaction to facing Twilight’s anger, others stood their ground. Sandbar was one of them when he retorted, “You gotta understand, Twilight, you need more than just your closest friends! You need the future Elements of Harmony! I-It’s the only way we’re gonna win this!”

“Don’t act like you didn’t need us to take down Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy!” Smolder argued as well, stepping forward and joining Sandbar. She jammed her claw accordingly, to Twilight and the rest of the Council. “This is no different!”

“She’s got a point there, Twilight,” Gallus added, stepping up with his friends. “I mean, you gotta admit, the more rainbow firepower you have, the more likely you’re gonna win, right?”

“We help Goji, too!” Yona declared, hopping and then landing fiercely on the floor, almost shuddering the bridge.

But Twilight was done hearing about it. She had already made up her mind.

Shaking her head, taking the first steps back to the radio, Twilight sternly made her stand and didn’t back down from it. “No, you know what, I don’t even wanna hear it. We’re turning around right now and taking you back to Canterlot.”

“What?! You can’t be serious!” Smolder shouted, flapping her wings and rising above the floor in clear agitation, an action that spurred a few T.I.T.A.N. agents to rise out of their seats as well. Just in case it escalated further.

“But, Twilight, we have to be here for this! Harmony said so!” Silverstream suddenly argued, having gained the courage to admit what was on all of her friends’ hearts.

And just as she thought her mind was made… something managed to halt it.

Turning back slowly, eyeing them curiously, Twilight narrowed her eyes and asked, “Wait… ‘Harmony’? What are you—?”

“As much as we would like to delve into this ‘Harmony’ matter, I think it’s important to mention that it’s not feasible to turn the Radiance around now,” Celestia interjected, stepping forward to join Twilight, even if she didn’t join Twilight’s reasoning. “Time is of the essence, and we shouldn’t waste it by turning back. We have already burned too much fuel to return to Canterlot anyway, and our reserves are meant for the remainder of this mission, as well as Shining Armor’s fleet.”

“And just as well…” Luna added, earning the attention of the bridge, “… we should not turn away from this path Godzilla and Kong are leading us toward. I feel… we are nearing a terrible disturbance. But an important one. One I recognize… and one I had hoped Godzilla nor Kong would have brought us. Yet we must face this.”

There was more Twilight wanted to argue, but she couldn’t find the right words to her reasoning. Teleportation was out of the question, as they were too high up and in uncharted wilds for Twilight to properly place a location. And they were too far from Canterlot, or any civilization for her to teleport or drop the students off to. Her friends seemed to share her thoughts, none of them really coming up with a safe and effective solution to go against Celestia and Luna’s reasoning.

The solution was right in front of her, no matter how much it hurt Twilight to admit it.

Groaning, rubbing her hooves tightly against her temples and then eventually giving in, Twilight shot her hoof above her head and exclaimed, “Okay! The students can stay.”

Their celebration was cut short by Twilight’s razor-sharp glare. “But you have to stay out of trouble. That means staying behind us and doing exactly what we say. No matter what. Got it?”

With some hesitation and reluctance—and a few sighs and groans to go alongside it—the Young Six eventually agreed, giving their word individually to Twilight. With a sigh of her own, Twilight held out her hoof to them, urging them to take a seat around the table with the other members of the Council of Friendship, as well as the other Elements of Harmony.

They did so cautiously, still uneased by every eye in the bridge watching every step they took, as if they were ticking time bombs just ready to go off at any second. Sure, they weren’t professionals when it came to harnessing their harmony magic, but they were far from destructive. They just needed to convince the remainder of T.I.T.A.N. that.

As they surrounded the table, Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared behind them, wrapping her forelegs around each of the Young Six in a tight hug. “Don’t you guys worry! I’ll protect you with my life if I have to!” she whispered sharply to them, a confident—albeit, slightly chaotic—smile gripping her lips. Perhaps the thought of more Elements joining the fight made her mind run wild with the possibilities, and she couldn’t wait to try them all out.

“Uh… appreciate it, Pinkie,” Ocellus managed to mumble, forcing a smile to Pinkie’s crazed one.

“Little rebels…” Rainbow snickered, holding out her hoof to Sandbar. “All right, kiddos… welcome aboard to the real fight. Just… try not to get in the way too much.”

She finished it off with a wink. He eventually succumbed to the temptation and smiled weakly in return, smacking his hoof against Dash’s. Applejack chuckled lightly, tipping her hat to the Young Six and leaning back in her chair to catch some shut eye. If it was going to be a long trip, she was looking to get some rest out of it before the scat hit the fan.

Despite the acceptance they received from their fellow Elements of Harmony, the Young Six just didn’t seem to quite fit in, nor did they feel entirely welcome. Seeing their downtrodden expressions, Rarity’s heart ached for them, and got an idea. A nice distraction from the wearied spirits that took over the bridge.

“Ehem!” Rarity cleared her throat, earning the table’s eyes. “Well… if you’re going to be involved in whatever ghastly business is undoubtedly waiting for us… might as well get a glimpse to ready yourselves. Have you all seen Kong or Godzilla yet?”

Seeing the Young Six shake their heads, Rarity grew a knowing grin. “Would you like to?”

Just like that, the childlike wonder suddenly filled their eyes once again, the spirit of youth and discovery still fresh in their veins and not forgotten. Rarity had hoped for that, and gladly led the Young Six over to the windshield, pointing down to the ape currently stampeding across the tundra. Then, to the mighty and fearsome Godzilla swimming in the ocean below them.

The awe and spectacle of the beasts earned several sounds of wonderment from the kids, and Twilight turned to thank Rarity with a soft smile and a nod, to which she returned with a fabulous smile as always.

Turning back to the radio and the microphone, Twilight sighed and recollected her thoughts. “Uh, Shining Armor… little update over here. Turns out my old students decided to hop aboard unaccounted for. They’re staying with us. We’re not gonna turn around because we all need this fuel now.”

Far off inside the bridge of the Tigerhawk, Twilight’s update certainly turned a few heads. Fluttershy in particular gasped aloud, hoof raised to her lips, shocked to hear what the Young Six had done. Certainly they understood the severity of the situation, and what was at stake? Twilight had to have made that clear to them. If anything, Fluttershy couldn’t fathom the thought of any of them getting hurt. Cadance and Shining felt the same way.

But they all understood why they couldn’t stop.

Sighing in response, Shining rubbed a hoof across his face to mend the growing migraine. Now there were kids involved, kids under their care, and kids whose lives they needed to protect. Kids who could wield the power of the Elements, but still... “Appreciate the update… We’ll continue on course. And thanks again for bringing those fuel reserves, Twily. We’ll fill up the fleet next time we stop,” Shining responded.

“Which will be…” Daring Do said and pointed to the windshield, to the two Titans heading to an uncertain location, “… whenever these guys decide to stop and duke it out.”

With that thought to add to his migraine, Shining shook his head and acknowledged it regardless. “Let’s just see where the big guys are leading us…”

So, they pressed on. Both fleets of the Radiance and the Tigerhawk and Silverbolt. They pressed on through the thick clouds, the coming storms, and every uncertainty on the board. An impressive fleet filled with some of the greatest heroes Equestria had ever known, onward to the journey and war that would undoubtedly determine the fate of their world, and every life within it.

There were certainly some remaining questions Shining Armor had about the Young Six joining. Would they be called to fight, to utilize their harmonic bond to help Godzilla or stop Ghidorah? Would he even be able to manage the possibility of any of them becoming seriously injured or, heaven forbid, lose their lives? He didn’t know if he could trust himself to keep the kids safe, let alone the army of T.I.T.A.N. he was helping to lead.

But he trusted his sister, and the more Elements of Harmony, the better, he came to conclude to himself.

Besides, Twilight needed to understand just what Silverstream meant when she brought up Harmony.

Author's Note:

Artwork by Shrekzilla

Comments

[kahnac]

Annoyed that everyone continues to underestimate the Young Six like this. But it's out of their hands, or hooves, anyway. As SIlverstream said: Harmony itself chose them for this mission, and like it or not, it concerns the six of them, too. The sooner the ponies come to figure this out and accept this, the better.

Though right now, i'm more concerned about how much further Ghidorah's evolution has gone. He must have grown stronger by now after consuming all that Quintessence (my name for the Hollow Earth Energy). He's probably not done yet, but it would be interesting to see his progress thus far.

[Boltstrike58]

Oh, Student Six. At least they won't get stepped on or something...right?

[8888Godzilla8888]

Although this was a very well written chapter... it was also my least favorite chapter so far. I just can't stand scenes like the one the Young Six were in now. I know that's my own personal taste, and it was probably necessary for the story to continue, but as I had said before, I hoped that the Young Six could remain hidden until they were needed.

Other than that, I don't really have anything to say because not much else happened here, but as always, I'm looking forward to the next update.

[sonicandmario826]

Oh yeah, I guess the mane six never have met Harmony in the show itself. Would be interested in seeing how Twilight reacts to harmony looking like herself.

[JDPrime22]

11883743 I think Twilight and company are just scared for the Young Six's safety. Now they have kids to look after and protect. Just the thought of losing any of them, on top of what kind of damage that would do to the families and the relations between the countries to know one of the creatures died under Twilight's care, it wouldn't be good.

11884052 Riiiiight....

11884198 I see where you're coming from. I personally think revealing them now helps the narrative later on, but to each their own.

11884244 If Harmony decides to look like Twilight. That would be pretty awkward. I think she'd choose a different form haha

[kahnac]

11884336
I understand that. But you'd think the elders would have more faith in these kids than this, is all i'm saying.

[THE_NERD]

Quick question; will you incorporate elements from The New Empire into this story, or in the sequel?
An Easter Egg/teaser of Shimo or the Skar King would be awesome!

[JDPrime22]

11884840 I’ll have some Easter eggs in this story, and I’ll incorporate some elements of GXK in the third story