> Shadows of Giants
>  by kaiju and pony fan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Girl with the Pink Hair
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaiju (pronounced: Kye-Joo): Japanese translation: "strange creature"; universal translation: "giant monster".  







Bored. That's what he was. Bored out of his mind. Eighteen-year-old Kenji Akamoto just stared dull-eyed while absentmindedly playing with his pencil as his teacher, Mr. Tsubayara, rambled on and on about the same lesson as he always did, in this case talking about the Kaiju. Just the same song and dance. he thought. G-Dawn. Blah blah blah. The Kaiju that followed. Blah blah blah. How we have to deal with the friggin' things. Blah. Blah. Blah. BLAH! 

"Mr. Akamoto." Tsubayara's voice cut his thoughts, snapping Kenji into a dazed, confused state. 

"Since your grade also counts participation in this class, how about you give an example of a Kaiju from each of the four classes." 

Kenji, fully awake listed off four Kaiju, one from its respective class. 

"Delta; Meganulon. Gamma; Kumonga. Beta; Baragon. Alpha; Destoroyah." 

Tsubayara nodded in satisfaction. "Good to know you at least pay attention a quarter of the time. Now if only we could get you to pay attention the whole time." 

"Yeah, same here." Kenji replied sheepishly. 

As his teacher turned around to continue his lecture on Megaguirus, Kenji just slumped back into his chair and waited for the bell to ring. 

"Attention. Attention. Kaiju alert level at Code Green. No Kaiju activity detected." 

Kenji's ears were greeted with the synthetic female voice of the Kaiju Alert System hallway speakers as he was about to walk out the doors of his school. He ran his hand through his short brown hair as he strode down the Shibuya suburb sidewalk towards his house. His mother, Aki Akamoto, picked the suburbs to live in because she didn't like the hustle and bustle of the more crowded urban streets. He couldn't blame her. Suburban homes just sat more comfortably with him and staying home was exactly what he was going to be doing for a while until the Sakura petals bloomed in April.  

"Mom! I'm home!" Kenji announced upon entering his house. However, just as he sat down to take off his shoes, he was welcomed by Amaterasu, the snow-white family Akita-Inu who greeted him in her own loving and caring way; slobbery, wet kisses. Just as soon as he managed (and by manage trying in vain) to push her away, he was greeted with yet another sight; his 20-year-old sister Kimiko who looked at him and the dog with a mock approving look. She had her long black hair flowing down as opposed to her usual ponytail and she was wearing her more casual style of clothing (khaki shorts and an Avengers T-shirt), her arms crossed in front of her. "Awww, don't push her away, you know she likes you the best." she remarked in a playful tone. 

"Sis, quit standing around and call off the dog." Kenji growled. If there was one thing he was not in the mood for, it was his sister's sarcasm. 

Kimiko rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue while speaking in a tone as if she were talking to a newborn. "Ami, Ami! Here, baby." 

Amaterasu, distracted by Kimiko, bounded to her and jumped on her like the puppy she thought she was, giving her the same love and compassion as she gave Kenji. 

Kenji sighed as his sister and dog shared some puppy love before walking into the living room, just barely missing his father's butsudan. Kenji, recollecting himself, stood in front of the shrine and bowed. Afterwards, he looked at the pictures in the shrine. The first was a portrait of a man in his thirties with shoulder-cut hair and a short-bearded face which demanded respect as well as giving respect to others at the same time. Kenji then looked at another picture beside that one which depicted the same man carrying an eight-year-old boy with a wooden toy plane who was laughing and having the time of his life on his shoulders while looking up at him with pride and love.

Hard to believe I haven't moved on. Kenji thought in melancholy. It had been nine years since Tatsuo Akamoto died and he was still mourning him. 

"Ken, welcome home." 

Kenji, reacting to his pet name, was greeted with the sight of his mother, her shoulder-length hair wrapped in a red and green scarf and wearing an apron while she wore blue slippers. In many ways, Aki looked more like his sisters than him. She was beautiful but in a humble and respectful way. Her hazel eyes shined with wisdom and compassion while her body wasn't too thin or too round, it was a good balance. 

"Konichiwa, haha." Kenkji greeted his mother respectively with a bow. 

"How was school?" she asked with a smile. 

"Meh. So-so." Kenji shrugged. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Oh! About that, your aunt Akane just brought us some pork and chicken so I decided, why not chicken and tonkatsu?" 

Kenji's metaphorical mouth watered at the sound of that. Aunt Akane Yashiro always knew what to buy to satisfy not just his appetite, but those of his three siblings. Speaking of which where are the other- 

"MOOOOOM!"

A shrill voice cut through his ears. There they are. he thought as his other sisters, Asuka, the middle daughter of the Akamoto clan and Haruko, the youngest, entered the living room. Asuka looked just like Kenji if he were born a girl. She had long, wild black hair that looked almost like pitch-colored fire due to its many frayed edges. She was wearing a Metallica T-shirt and camo shorts. On her left bare ankle, she wore a silver Egyptian-styled anklet.  Haruko looked as if Kimiko were to be reverted back to a ten-year-old only, instead of wearing a ponytail every now and then, she wore them in braids. She was currently wearing a Doraemon shirt and her cute face was scrunched up into an angry pout with her balled fists dangling from both her sides while Asuka had a very peeved look to her complimented by crossed arms and rolled eyes. 

"Mom! Asuka touched my Hello Kitty car!"

"I did not, you little cry-baby!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Oh, you did don't lie!"

"Me? Lying? You're just overreacting because I brushed that stupid toy with my hand!" 

"That still counts as touching and you know it!"

"No. Touching would mean I would have to have my whole hand on the darn thing. You're just freaking out."

"Mom!"

Aki rubbed her temples. As much as she loved her children, she had limits as to how much she could stand her daughters' squabbling and it was time for her to put an end to this. She put both her thumb and pointer finger into her mouth and gave a shrill whistle which caught her daughters' attention while they were in mid-argument. 

"Now that I have your attention, I'd like the two of you to get settled. We'll be having dinner in a while." she told them before adding sternly, "I'd also like you to be civil to each other during this summer vacation."

Asuka and Haruko then looked at each other for a second before turning their backs on the other while giving each other a glare from the edge of their eyes. Aki sighed. This was going to be a long summer vacation for her. Kenji, not wanting to get caught up in the drama, cleared his throat. 

"I'm gonna take a little walk outside." he announced. 

Aki smiled, "Okay, sweetie, just make sure you don't take too long, I'll be starting dinner in fifteen minutes."

Kenji returned the smile before whistling for Ami who was just in the process of giving Kimiko love and attention. Ami, stopped in her affectionate licking, her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth and padded towards the only male master she had ever since the older one passed away. After giving his dog a scratch behind the ears and getting his shoes on, the two walked outside. The backyard was more of a forest with rows upon rows of trees extending beyond the pebbled porch. After walking for a bit, Kenji took a seat on the bottom of a large tree and rested his head on his arms with Ami curled up next to him and looked towards the night sky. Stargazing was something he and his father did non-stop until his death. Here's to you, Dad. Kenji thought. 

Right at that moment, the wind seemed to pick up speed and blow inwards, almost like a vortex. This was immediately followed by a sound like thunder and something flashing within the center of the forest, sending Ami into a barking frenzy as she bolted in the direction of the noise with Kenji running behind her. Occasionally, Ami would stop and bark at him before going on her way. Eventually, after what seemed like two minutes of running and almost tripping over exposed tree roots, Kenji finally caught up to his wayward dog when his jaw almost dropped.

Trees were swept back as if a cartoon grenade went off in the very center of the forest. There were even some trees that looked like a bomb went off inside them and blew the upper half into pieces. However, it was at the very center of the blast zone that caught his eye. 

It was a girl just about his age curled up in a fetal position. She had slightly tanned skin and a very willowy body. Her left shoulder bore a birthmark that almost looked like three butterflies in a roughly triangular position. She also happened to be naked, but the most striking feature about her was her hair. The hair itself was long and flowing, almost like a river. A river that just so happened to be pink. Ami was standing next to the girl, whimpering, pawing and sniffing her unmoving body. Kenji just nudged her aside and noticed the girl's eyes were closed. He then touched the side of her exposed neck and was greeted by its pulse. 

Kenji then looked around to make sure no one else had spotted them. After noticing nobody was around, he lifted the girl into a bridal carry and walked off with her, Ami following. The girl seemed to be very light, almost like he was holding a four month old puppy. He didn't want to go to a hospital and tell anyone who worked there he found an unconscious naked girl with pink hair in the middle of his backyard after possibly appearing in a flash of light. There was so much humanity could accept. The Kaiju were one thing. This was another. 

However, as soon as he reached the back door, Kenji paused. He was not just going to walk in his house carrying a naked girl he had found in the forest next to the house after its center had been outright demolished. That was when he remembered his "secret entrance". With the girl in his arms and Ami not close behind, Kenji walked around the side of the house and opened the side door quietly. Kicking off his shoes and walking up the stairs to his room, Kenji looked to see what  his family was doing. His mother was just in the process of finishing the last broccoli tempura and was just about to get started on adding the panko to either the chicken or pork. Asuka and Haruko were watching arguing whether to watch Inuyasha or Sailor Moon while Kimiko just stayed in the sidelines reading a Superman comic. Kenji continued up the stairs and into his room.

Kenji set the girl down on his futon and set off to find some clothes for her, but, seeing as he didn't have any girl's clothes in his room, that was going to be a challenge. Well, Kimiko has some clothes she stopped wearing when she was eighteen that she just keeps leaving around the floor, but that would involve me going... into... Kenji groaned. There was no way, not even in a situation like this, he was just going to set foot in his sister's room. I could just ask her. he thought. 

After wrapping the girl in a rudimentary gown, in this case his futon's blanket, Kenji poked his head out of his doorway. 

"Hey, Kimiko?" 

"Yeah?" Kimiko answered 

"Could I borrow the clothes you no longer care about?"

There was a slight pause downstairs until she spoke again.

"Um, any particular reason?" 

"Look, it's hard for me to explain."

"Uhhhhhh...O-kaay, sure."

"Thanks!"

"Oh, by the way, did you hear something loud outside? I know we're supposed to be getting some rain tonight but I didn't think it'd be this early."

Kenji paused and thought about the destroyed center of the back forest. "Can't say I have."

"Huh. Must've been just me. Anyway, carry on with... whatever you're doing."

"Was that your brother? Kenji, dinner will be ready in three minutes!" Aki called out from the kitchen.

"Got it, Mom!" Kenji responded.

With that, Kenji walked towards Kimiko's room, which was three feet away from his own, entered and turned on the light. His sister's room looked just like a melting pot of all thing girls loved and what boys loved. In addition to make-up and J-Pop CD's, there were also comic books, mainly those consisting of Big Hero 6, Superman and Avengers. He then found something that would do the trick; a bright yellow sundress with a pink trim. He also picked up a bra and a pair of underwear which he was quick to put them inside the sundress which he folded up with them before walking back to his room.

When he entered the room, Ami was sniffing the girl before she started licking her. Kenji rolled his eyes and walked to pull his dog away from his guest when he heard what sounded like a small groan. He thought he was just hearing things when he noticed the girl was starting to stir. At that moment, her eyelids began to recede, slowly revealing striking turquoise eyes. The girl groaned again and reached her left hand to her head. Suddenly, she stopped her hand when it was merely inches in front of her and stared at it in what could only be described as curiosity before her eyes widened in shock. With a yelp, the girl jumped back looking at both hands in terror before looking around at her surroundings, her breathing very shallow. 

Kenji then approached the panicking girl very slowly, his hands extended in front of him. When she noticed him, she began to push herself back. 

"It's okay. You don't have to worry about me hurting you." he told her in a very slow fashion, as if he were approaching a hurt, frightened animal. 

"Whe-Where am I? Who are you? Why am I like this?" the girl asked, her voice very quiet but at the same time able to be heard, almost like a moderate breeze blowing in a window. 

Kenji, somewhat caught off guard, replied, "My name's Kenji Akamoto. Where you are? My room. My house. Shibuya. Tokyo. Japan. Asia. Earth. Milky Way. As for why you're like this? I kinda sorta found you naked in my backyard and brought you here. What about you? What's your name?" 

The girl covered half of her face in a very shy fashion. "I'm-" she started before mumbling something. 

Kenji raised his eyebrow at that. Her name was what?

"Um, sorry, could you say that again?" he asked. 

"I'm Flutt-" she said before mumbling again.

Her name's Flutt? Kenji asked himself.

"Didn't quite catch that."

"My name is... Flutt-er-shy." the girl replied, apparently gathering up the courage. 

"Okay... Fluttershy, where do you come from?"

Fluttershy seemed to think about her answer.

"I'm from Ponyville. It's in Equestria."

Where the heck is Equestria? What the heck is Equestria? he thought.

"Where is-"

Suddenly, Kenji was interrupted by Asuka entering his room. 

"Hey, Mom says that you should get ready for din-" she stopped mid-sentence when she saw Fluttershy. The whole room was filled with awkward silence for what seemed like an hour before Asuka broke the silence.

"Wow! Kenji, you sly dog you. I didn't know you had a girlfriend." she said in a snarky tone while leaning on the doorway, her arms crossed and her face bearing a very mischievous look.

"She's not my- You think that-!?" Kenji stammered before recollecting himself. 

"Just tell Mom I'll be down in a minute."

"With your...friend who just so happens to be a girl? Just hope you can explain it to Mom." 

"Yes, with my friend and yes, I'll explain it." Kenji replied rolling his eyes.

"Whatever." Asuka shrugged while walking off. 

"Sisters." Kenji muttered under his breath before turning to Fluttershy who had her eyes open wide and her head slightly tilted in an oddly cute fashion.

"Was that your sister?" she asked.

"Yeah, well, one of them anyway, but hey you can't live with them, can't live without 'em," Kenji said with a shrug before uttering under his breath, "Although I really wish that last part didn't apply."

He then turned to his attention to his blanket-covered guest before handing her the clothes he got for her. 

"Anyway, how about you get dressed." 

"Um, get dressed?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, you can't go downstairs wearing a blanket or naked for that matter."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because, people kinda look down at people who go around in the nude. Sorry, but it's the law."

Fluttershy seemed to hesitate for a minute before reaching for the clothes. Kenji turned around respectively as she dressed herself. When he turned around, his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Fluttershy looked positively beautiful in her new sundress, the yellow and pink dress seemingly complimenting her almost as if it seemed natural. She was sitting in a crossed-leg position, her hands in her lap. 

"Okay, now how about you stand up?" Kenji asked. 

Fluttershy's eyes widened at that before she looked at the floor almost in hesitation. 

"What's wrong?"  

"Oh, nothing. It's just that I've, um... never walked in this kind of dress before." she answered, almost sounding embarrassed. 

Kenji smiled sympathetically. "Well, there's always an option to give it a try." 

Fluttershy, taking a deep breath, unfurled her legs and placed her hands on the floor. She then put her left leg forward then her right and began to stand up in a very wobbly fashion, using her hands to balance herself. She put her right foot forward before her legs buckled and she collapsed with a yelp on both her knees and hands. Kenji was about to rush to her side until she began to attempt it once more. This time she got up much slower, her bare toes digging into the carpet, while she once again used her hands to balance herself. She took one step forward, clutching the carpet with her toes as if she was getting a hang of them before taking another step. It was when she took her third step she tripped again. However, Kenji rushed up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. After a minute of trying to walk, Fluttershy finally got the hang of it. 

"So, um, why don't you get washed up for dinner?" Kenji asked.  Fluttershy nodded but just stood there fidgeting. "Could you tell me where the bathroom is?" she asked sheepishly.

Kenji sighed. "Down that hallway, take a left and you're there. I'll meet you downstairs." 

Just as Fluttershy went on her way to the upstairs bathroom, Kenji went to the downstairs bathroom right next to the stairs. As soon as he was done drying his hands he began to take a deep breath. Okay, Kenji, on the slight chance Asuka might have told Mom about Fluttershy just tell her she's an exchange student who's going to be staying for a while.

With that, Kenji walked out, mentally reciting what he was about to tell his mother only to see her standing in front of him, arms crossed with a somewhat sly look on her face. 

"So," she said, "what's this I hear about you having a 'girlfriend'"? 

Ah, boy. 

"Technically, Mom she's just a friend who happens to be a girl. Also, it's kinda sorta complicated." Kenji replied in a very nervous tone. 

Aki gave him a warm smile. 

"Honey, I'm just playing with you. I'd like to meet her." she told him.

As if on cue, Fluttershy came walking down the stairs, only to stop midway and stare at the gathered Akamoto clan in surprise. Kenji then ran up to her and helped her down the stairs before clearing his throat.

"Mom, Kimiko, Asuka, Haruka, I'd like to introduce you to-" Kenji paused. Think of a name, stupid. It's doubtful they'll take her name seriously, if that is her name, or the fact she says comes from a place called 'Ponyville'.  he pressured himself.

"Did you forget her name or something, little bro?" Kimiko asked in a somewhat snarky voice, a smirk on her face.

"FUKA!" Kenji shouted, startling everyone in the room even Fluttershy. 

After gathering himself back up, Kenji replied, "Fuka. Her name is Fuka Shiori."

"Fuka?" Fluttershy whispered.

"Just play along for a little bit." Kenji told her quietly.

"Nice to meet you, Fuka." Aki greeted her warmly adding a bow. 

Fluttershy mimicked her and returned her bow. 

"So, where would you like to sit?" Aki asked.

"I'd like to sit with Kenji, if that's okay with you." Fluttershy answered meekly. 

Asuka smirked, "Wow, Kenji, for someone you said is not your girlfriend, she's certainly acting like one."

"Asuka, if our guest wants to sit with Kenji, she can sit with Kenji, don't be rude." Aki told her second youngest daughter sternly.

As the Akamoto siblings and their new guest sat around the chabudai, Aki started placing the food around the table before sitting down herself while Haruka played with Ami who was eagerly waiting for the ten-year-old to hand her some unwanted table scraps only to have Kimiko shoo her off. Fluttershy looked at some of the dishes in front of her as if for the first time. 

"Just help yourself, Fuka. There's plenty of katsu to go around." Aki told her, "We have tonkatsu and chicken katsu."

Almost as soon as she said 'chicken', Fluttershy looked at her in an almost shocked expression which Aki caught on. 

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were a vegetarian. My mistake. I think these will be better suited for you." she told her, passing the platter with the tempura in front of her. Fluttershy eyed the plate curiously before putting her hands on the table, leaning forward and sniffing a piece of broccoli tempura. 

"It's just broccoli." Kenji told her putting down a strip of tonkatsu after taking a bite out of it, "It's covered in batter that's all." 

Fluttershy, happy to know this, picked up the broccoli... with her mouth and began to chew on it, only to stop when she saw her hosts gawking at her. Feeling sheepish, she put the broccoli onto her own smaller plate. She then turned her attention to the bowl of rice in front of her... and dug her face into it.   

Kenji then cleared his throat and said, "Um, Fuka?"

This caught Fluttershy's attention as she lifted her head and looked at him cutely, small grains of rice on her cheeks. Kenji then passed her a napkin and a pair of chopsticks. "You might want to use these." he told her.

With a slight blush, Fluttershy wiped her face clean of rice grains before taking the chop-sticks from him. She then looked at the chop-sticks with curiosity and fascination. After thirty seconds of Kenji explaining to her how they worked, Aki decided to break the ice.

"So, Fuka, where do you live?" she asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you around here."

Fluttershy looked up from her meal and fidgeted.

"I, um...I-" she stammered uncomfortably. It was right there Kenji jumped in.

"She's visiting from... Okinawa." he replied.

Fluttershy gave him a very puzzled expression until she caught on to what he was doing.

"Okinawa, that's right! I'm from Okinawa." 

Aki raised an eyebrow. 

"Visiting?" 

"Yeah, it's a summer program I signed up for, we have someone visit from a different prefecture and they stay for the whole summer." Kenji answered. 

"And you didn't tell me this because?" Aki asked very suspiciously.

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise." he replied with a nervous grin.

"Why did she need my clothes? Didn't she bring her own?" Kimiko asked.

"Well, she kinda, sorta, lost them and the rest of her luggage at the bus stop." 

"You mean she actually walked here... in the buff?" she asked, slightly disgusted.

"No!" Kenji shouted indignantly. 

Right there, Asuka turned her attention to Fluttershy.

"Really, Fuka? You're from Okinawa? What's it like living in King Seesar's home turf?"

Fluttershy tilted her head.  "Who's King Seesar?"

Asuka looked at her as if she were out of her mind. If this girl was from Okinawa, how could she have not heard of its local Kaiju let alone a powerful Alpha-Class like King Seesar? Something wasn't right. At all. 

"So, let me get this straight, Fuka," she said, laying her chopsticks on her napkin as her face turned into a sly smirk, "You come from Okinawa, but you have never heard of King Seesar? Either you live in a prefecture of Okinawa that has never once been attacked by any Kaiju or you're not really from around there or, for that matter, any part of Japan."

Fluttershy stammered before hiding her face behind her long pink hair from Asuka's tirade.

"On top of all that, you act as if you have never seen chopsticks in your entire life. Forget Okinawa or Japan for that matter, I don't think you're even from Earth!"

With that, Fluttershy shuffled behind Kenji and poked out from behind his shoulder. 

Alright that does it. Kenji thought grinding his teeth. 

"Hey, Asuka, why don't you just back off!?" he yelled. 

Asuka stared at him with a wide-eyed expression like a deer in the headlights.

"Yeah, she hasn't heard of King Seesar, yeah, she doesn't know how to use chopsticks, so what? I don't think that warrants an interrogation." he told her. Before he could, finish, he heard Fluttershy yawn. He then turned to notice her eyes were drooping. 

"Hey, Mom, do we have any spare futons or sleeping bags around? I think Fuka's getting tired." Kenji asked.

"Well, there is your old sleeping bag when you were ten." Aki replied. 

"Thanks." As soon as he said that, he began to yawn too. "Yeah, I think it's time I hit the hay too. Hey, do you think Fuka would like to sleep in my room tonight?"

Aki gave her son a surprised look that flat-out said "I was only kidding about her being your girlfriend!" 

Kenji groaned. "Not like that, Mom!"

"Well, you might want to ask her first before-"

"Um, actually," Fluttershy spoke up, her voice groggy, "I don't mind."	

After thanking his mother for the meal, Kenji and Fluttershy, followed by Ami, went upstairs to the former's room. Fluttershy, upon entering Kenji's room noticed him pulling out a sleeping bag that looked like a giant gray raccoon, rabbit, whatever with a white belly and six boomerang-shaped marks just below its neck. 

"Why don't you go get washed up first? I'll get this ol' moth appetizer sorted out for you." Kenji asked her as he straightened out the old, beaten up sleeping bag. Fluttershy nodded and walked out. "There's a toothbrush I got from the dentist, you can use that."  he called out from behind her.

As Fluttershy entered the bathroom, she was greeted with her reflection. She paid it no mind as she washed her hands and picked up a red toothbrush in a clear red cup next to five other brushes covered in hardened toothpaste with a half-empty tube of mint toothpaste tipped on its cap.  After giving her teeth a modest brushing, her mind was set back on her reflection. 

She looked at her new face long and good in the mirror. Her face looked much different than it had before but some things were still left intact such as her long pink hair and her teal eyes. Everything else, suffice to say, was another story altogether. 

I guess it's not too bad. she thought. I mean, I may not be a pony anymore, but at least I still feel like me. I still have my voice. I just have a new body that's all. Suddenly, it dawned on her.

What if my friends don't know where I am? What about my animals? The princesses? What about Angel or Discord? What if they're worried sick about me? What if I can't go home? As soon as that thought crept into her mind, Fluttershy began to feel like a lump was building in her throat and her eyes started to burn and feel wet at the same time before she buried her face into her hands and started to sob. 

Kenji then poked his head into the bathroom. "Just checking to see how you're-" he cut himself off once he saw Fluttershy with her back turned on him, crying into her hands.

"Um, are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice. He was answered with more sobbing.

"Look," Kenji said, "if it's about what Asuka said at dinner, it's nothing too much, she just goes overboard sometimes, it's no biggie. Well it's certainly annoying and I really wish she wouldn't do it but it's nothing too bad."

Fluttershy shook her head and continued to cry. Kenji then began to feel really bad about himself until it hit him like a pair of Beta-Class Kaiju smacking into each other.

"You're homesick, aren't you?" 

As soon as he said that, Fluttershy slowly turned around to look at him, her eyes red and puffy from all of her crying. In sympathy, Kenji spread his arms out in front of him in a beckoning pose to which Fluttershy responded with a confused look. 

"You look like you need a hug. Trust me, it'll make you feel a lot better." he told her.

Fluttershy seemed to hesitate for a minute before she gave out a sniff and ran into his open arms. Once his arms were tightly around her, she began to bawl her eyes out while Kenji, caught off guard by how sudden it was for a second, stroked her hair comfortingly until her crying died down into sniffles and they separated. 

"There. Feel better?" Kenji asked, brushing a strand of hair from in front of her eyes. Fluttershy responded with a nod and a sad smile. 

Afterwards, Fluttershy wriggled into her new sleeping bag. As soon as she was comfortable, Ami and Kenji, wearing nothing but a white nightshirt and a pair of purple and blue-striped pajama pants, walked in. Kenji jumped into his bed while Ami curled up on the floor between the two. 

"All tucked in?" Kenji asked. Fluttershy nodded with a small smile to which Kenji replied with his own before turning off his lamp, the room's only light source.

"Kenji? Kenji? Are you awake?" 

Kenji groaned as he woke up after having someone shake him repeatedly, his eyes locking with Fluttershy's which were as wide as plates. 

"Flutter, I've only been asleep for three hours." he told her, his voice groggy with sleep. He was just about to ask why she woke him up when a flash of light appeared outside his window, followed by a loud booming noise. Well, Kimiko did mention something about thunderstorms tonight.

"It's just the rain. Go back to sleep." he told her, closing his eyes for a minute before opening them again to see her still standing by his bedside. Kenji, with a sliver of sympathy, scooted over to the left side of the futon. "Go ahead and make yourself-" Before he could finish, Fluttershy was already beside him, the top of her head and fingers poking underneath from the blanket. "Comfortable. Let's just get some shut-eye." Kenji told her before drifting off to sleep. 

Fluttershy was about to follow suit until another flash of lightning startled her, followed by a sharper clap of thunder which caused her to dig her face into the pillow. She then felt Kenji turn and stroke her hair comfortingly. 

"It's okay, it's just a storm," Kenji told her, "it'll pass eventually."

As soon as he could confirm she fell asleep, he looked towards the window.

"Besides," he said, "there are far worse things to be afraid of."

The sea is, in lack of a better term, the most unexplored region of the planet. It holds countless secrets, treasures and dangers. The sea is also the perfect place to hide. For deep within the Marianas Trench, resting in its recesses, was a leviathan. The beast was a mystery in and of itself, created by nature and reborn on accident as a result of human technology. For an unknown period of time, the creature had slept, remembering days long past, before humanity proclaimed its challenge to nature only for their call to be answered in full force. However, that all changed. Something had disturbed its primal dreams. As it stirred, energy seemed to build on the serrated spikes upon its back, sending multiple fish into a panic. Suddenly, its eyes, which seemed to glow with an inner fire in the watery depths, opened. The leviathan was awake. 

To be continued in chapter 2... 
> Meanwhile...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight began to eye the strange, spherical, rune-covered stone resting on the grass in front of her, levitating some measuring tape around it. She then reached forward with her left front hoof and poked it only to jump back, her wings spread out. When nothing happened, she circled around, and tapped it again, prompting the young alicorn to take another jump back.

"How long has she been at this? I'm kinda getting tired and stuffing myself with gems certainly isn't helpin'." Spike asked Applejack, taking yet another bite out of an emerald he brought with him on the trip, along with several other gems that were gathered in a popcorn bag. Applejack shrugged, "Ah kinda lost track at thirty secon's," she then raised an eyebrow as the purple and green drakeling finished off his emerald in one bite. "Why don't ya stop eatin' those there gems o' yer's if they ain't helpin'?" 

The baby dragon paused for a second with a lapis-lazuli just inches from his mouth and looked at the orange cowpony with a very deadpan expression.

"Maybe because these gems 'o' mine' were given to me by... Rarity." he replied, emphasizing the ivory unicorn's name while turning a dreamy look to her. Rarity blushed at this and smiled before turning her attention to Twilight.

"Spike does make a good point, Twilight, we've been here for a long period of time. Princess Luna must already be preparing to raise the moon by now. I think we-"

"GOT IT!" Twilight's excited screech interrupted her, waking up both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie who had taken the time for a nap.

"Got what?" Rainbow asked, her voice laden with sleep. 

"I'm glad you asked, Rainbow Dash. You see I think I've worked out this particular stone out. As it just so happens, it's not that complicated as you might believe." the purple alicorn proudly announced.

"Okay, Princess Egghead, I'll bite. Please enlighten us." the blue pegasus said.

"Gladly, remember how that portal opened and drew in Fluttershy?" she asked the rest of her gathered friends.

"Oh! Oh! I know! I know!" Pinkie Pie spoke up, waving her right front hoof in the air excitedly. 

Twilight chuckled at her friend's energy. "Yes, Pinkie?"

"She poked it." the pink earth pony replied. 

"Exactly. So you know what that means, right, girls?" the lavender alicorn asked. 

"We havta poke it?" Applejack asked in a deadpan voice. 

"Another correct answer!"

However, Rainbow Dash jumped in. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out!" she proclaimed before gliding over to Twilight and the stone. 

"Twilight, I know you're smart and all, but, right now, I don't think you're really putting that brain of your's into full gear. I mean, you saw what happened to Fluttershy, right? Besides, who's to say if that was even a portal at all? For all we know, she could either be trapped inside this thing or worse, and your most logical decision is to poke it? Pardon me for asking, but ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BUCKING MIND!?" 

Twilight sighed, "Yes, Rainbow Dash, I am fully aware of the other possibilities and the dangers. That being said however, our best hope is that it's a portal and Fluttershy is on the other side. If it's the other two possibilities, well, it's been an honor to call you my friends. All of you. So are we gonna sit around her doing nothing, or are we gonna save our friend?" 

For a moment, the four ponies and one dragon stood around almost in hesitation until Rainbow Dash stepped up a few inches towards Twilight.

"I didn't represent the Element of Loyalty for nothing. There's no way, not even in Tartarus, I'm gonna leave one of my friends behind. Count me in." At that moment, the three remaining ponies as well as Spike jumped in.

"I'd rather be hogtied by a rabid Diamond Dog than let mah friends go alone."

"If there's a possibility of getting Fluttershy back, well, Darling, I'll be more than happy to take the risk."

"Whoo-hoo! New world! New world!" 

"I'm gonna stick with ya through and through, Twilight." 

Twilight smiled with pride as the ponies and drakeling all stood in a circle around the stone sphere.  

"Alright, Fluttershy," Twilight said, raising her right front hoof while the others raised their hooves (claws for Spike), "We're coming." 

At that moment ponies and dragon placed their hand/hooves on the sphere... and nothing happened. For a second, the six friends stood confused. 

"Maybe it's the left hoof." Pinkie suggested. 

"That or somepony's hoof slipped." Rainbow Dash said, turning a gaze at Rarity. 

"Why are you looking at me?" the ivory unicorn asked.

"No need to worry, we might have just woke it up," Twilight announced,  "on the count of three. One...Two... THREE!"

Again, they placed their hooves and claws on the sphere... and they were still in the Everfree Forest. Twilight then started to panic.

"M-maybe we have to apply a good amount of force onto it. Yeah. Tha-that's right." Twilight said before she started to firmly stomp her hoof on the sphere.

"Just. A. Good. Amount. To. Open. This. Stupid. Celestia-forsaken. Portal!" she snarled	 in anger, putting emphasis on her words every time her hoof met the stone. After a tenth stomp, Twilight screamed in rage and reared up, her front legs bashing against the sphere until Rarity stepped in and pushed her back. 

"Twilight, control yourself! Why don't we take this stone to Canterlot and we can have Princess Celestia look at it. Okay? Just calm down first and we can leave with our quiet dignity and grace intact." she told her.  Upon that, Twilight sighed in defeat and gave a sad smile.

"Right, hehe." Twilight chuckled sheepishly, "Quiet dignity... and grace." 

Rarity smiled and led her away from the sphere, only to have the lavender alicorn break off and dash straight for it. 

"SON OF A DIAMOND DOG PIECE OF GRANITE, I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS! WHAT DID YOU DO TO FLUTTERSHY? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?" Twilight shouted angrily at the stone.

"Twilight, stop it! That's not going to do any good!" Rainbow cried out trying to pry her friend away from the sphere with Spike at her side. At that moment, Twilight started to pound at the object furiously with both hooves until Rainbow Dash and Spike finally wrestled her away from the sphere. "I DON'T WANNA LIVE! I DO NOT WANT TO LIVE!" the newest princess of Equestria shouted, adding a small sob. 

Applejack and Rarity then looked at each other from the corners of their eyes. "Quiet dignity an' grace." the orange earth pony said to her friend in a deadpan voice just as Twilight cried, "MAMA!" 

After a few moments of Twilight crying into Rainbow Dash's shoulder, much to the cyan pegasus' embarrassment, she finally gathered herself back up while Spike picked up the stone and placed it in one of the young princess's saddlebags.  

"Okay, now that my, uh-" Twilight struggled to find the word. 

"Outburst?" Applejack suggested.

"Twilight Snapple moment?" came Spike.

"Temper tantrum?" Rarity asked.

"Trip to Crazy Town?" Pinkie Pie chirped up.

"All of those out of the way" Twilight finished, "Let's see if Celestia can figure this stone out. Everypony, hold onto me." 

There was a slight pause as the remaining former Element Bearers and Spike looked at her with confusion or hesitation, ushering a groan from the purple alicorn. 

"I'm just gonna teleport us to Canterlot and for all of us to go, I need you in close proximity." she announced in a deadpan voice.

"We know, Twi, but... er... How do Ah put this?" Applejack muttered.

"How do we know it's safe?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Guys, I've teleported myself and Spike multiple times before and he's been fine. Besides, after reading about a more advanced, long-range teleportation spell, we'll be in Canterlot in the blink of an eye." 

"Er, I dunno..." Rainbow Dash said, hesitation in her voice.

Twilight groaned. There was really no time for this. "Just huddle up." she said.

Seeing as there was no way out of this situation, the ponies and dragon all gathered up around her. Once everyone was accounted for, Twilight closed her eyes and began to concentrate as her horn began to glow. The light from the horn then began to spread downwards, flowing like water until it blanketed them all. Suddenly, with a loud pop, the friends disappeared from the Everfree in a flash of light before reappearing in Celestia's throne room with another. While Spike and Twilight seemed fine, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie stumbled around, two of them looking as if they were about to throw up.

"Just walk it off, girls. You'll get used to it." Twilight assured them with a smile.

"Or you could take some ginger." 

The ponies and Spike then looked up to notice, not only Princess Celestia, but Princess Luna, Cadence and Shining Armor, apparently in the middle of something.

"Twilight!" Cadence spoke up as she dashed towards her in a hug before both foal-hood friends engaged in their secret hoof-shake. 

Celestia then cleared her throat, bringing all the attention to her. "So, Twilight, what brings you all the way from Ponyville to here? It can't be for a surprise visit."

At that moment, Twilight's expression turned somber as she levitated the sphere out of her saddlebag and placed it on the floor in front of her teacher and her younger sister.

"Sadly, it isn't, Princess." she replied.

Luna then noted something about Twilight and her friends; one was missing. 

"Where is Fluttershy?" the dark blue alicorn asked.

"That's what I was going to get to, Princess Luna. She's missing because of this sphere." 

Celestia raised an eyebrow. "What happened, Twilight?" 

Twilight took a deep breath and began her story. 

"I had gathered my friends after I sensed a strange magical disturbance somewhere in the Everfree Forest, near the very same ruins where Nightmare Moon was defeated. Upon arrival, we came across the source: this very stone sphere, resting on a dais." she began, gesturing at the object, "For some reason, the ball rolled off its support. Fluttershy stopped it by poking it. A surge of energy shot out of the thing and knocked her out. Before we could react, a ball of energy seemed to... rise from the stone and shot a beam of light at her. As it went back in, it looked as if it was pulling her towards it and then, she was just gone. Which brings us to our unexpected arrival."

Celestia nodded with her eyes closed in thought before opening them again. "Very well, Luna and I will look into this." she said, turning to her younger sister who wasted no time in trotting up to her side.  Both alicorns circled the sphere, their horns glowing as they examined it. Soon after, both princesses turned to face Twilight and her friends, their faces very serious. 

Twilight was the first to speak up. "Well? Is she okay?" Celestia and Luna exchanged glances at each other before Luna spoke up.

"After examination, my sister and I have good news, and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" 

"Why not good news first?" Spike asked. 

"This stone does have the ability to open a portal, albeit a one-way trip," the dark blue alicorn responded, "rest assured, your friend is alive and well,  but in a different world."

"And the bad news?" Twilight asked nervously. 

Both alicorns exchanged glances before Celestia spoke up. 

"The world she is in happens to be a world my sister and I are forbidden from entering."

Twilight's eyes widened at this realization. The princesses forbidden from entering another world? she thought. "Forbidden? Who would say that?" She asked out loud.

Luna was the first to reply. "Our mother." Celestia stepped forward, her horn glowing as images materialized in mid-air depicting three alicorns. The tallest of them bore an ivory coat, a long, reddish-brown mane and tail, striking blue eyes, and an inkwell and pen for a cutie mark. The second on her left, whom Twilight recognized as Celestia, was also tall but only came up to the first's shoulder. She also bore a white coat with a slight hint of lavender mixed in and a flowing pink mane and tail with her sun cutie mark prominent. Finally, standing to the alicorn's right, was a smaller one with a navy coat, a short silver blue mane and tail and a crescent moon cutie mark; Luna. 

"A long time ago," Celestia narrated, "our mother, Empress Scribe, would occasionally visit other worlds, sometimes bringing us along on 'field trips'. Some of these worlds were ruled by creatures called 'humans.'" 

As she said this, the images shifted to reveal a the silhouette of a tall creature that looked almost like an ape, only lankier. "However," Celestia spoke up, her voice growing ever more serious than usual, "There was one world we visited, and were told never to venture there again." As soon as she said that, the images shifted again to a burning landscape with buildings and structures that looked like they were made of metal and glass. Twilight and the others gazed at this sight with shock and awe, wondering what could have caused this. Suddenly, something large appeared to move from behind the smoke, until it got closer and closer. By the time the smoke parted, the ponies and dragon got a clear look at the creature. 

The beast was enormous, large enough to stare down a full grown dragon. Its body build and the way it ran on its knuckles reminded the ponies of a gorilla or diamond dog but that was where the similarities ended. The rest of the beast looked almost reptilian, its upper body covered in bright purple scales with a lighter purple underbelly. It had a short tail shaped vaguely like a rudder. Its front limbs had three fingers, each tipped with a sharp talon and what appeared to be wings furled up on each outer forearm. The creature's face was hideous, looking almost like a mixture of shark and angler fish. However, instead of the lure of an angler, a long, sword-like horn protruded from its forehead. As soon as its face filled the rectangular "screen", the monster opened its fanged jaws and roared, startling everyone. The image changed again, this time to a giant white, black and gold beast with a wolf-like build, long spiked tail, giant protrusions above its shoulders that looked almost like wings and golden tusks sticking out on the sides of its mouth running through a building. As it raised its head into a howling roar, electricity began to develop on the shoulder protrusions. 

"The humans of this world are at war with these very beasts," Celestia continued as a green beast that looked like a cross between a reptile, wasp and dragon sliced through a pair of strange flying machines that, seconds ago, appeared to be shooting glowing yellow pellets with its long claws before that image was replaced by a reptilian monster that looked as if it had a centipede for a tail where tentacles shot out. This was followed by a strange, floating insectoid with a purple and red core, six tiny legs on its back, an sleek head with three red eyes, four legs dangling underneath its body and two spindly lobster-like pincers at both sides that appeared to be calling thunderclouds to itself. This all culminated with a giant, lanky reptilian with a blue carapace, hair-like barbs around its head,and a spike in its forehead slashing at a structure before spraying what looked like acid at another from its mouth, melting the building's side and sending it toppling to the ground.  "To step into this world would be to step into the crossfire." she finished, allowing the image to finally dissolve entirely. 

Twilight and the others still stood in awe at what they had seen before them. If Fluttershy truly was alive, it wouldn't be for long. Not with giant monsters roaming around in that world that would make even the Ursas look tame. Just then, Twilight's eyes narrowed in determination as she stepped forward. 

"I don't care if that world's deemed off-limits or open to the general public, Fluttershy's our friend and there's no way in Tartarus we're gonna leave her behind." she announced, Spike, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash joining her side, nodding in agreement. Celestia widened her eyes at this. "Twilight, I do hope you're aware of the risks. To open the portal needed for this world may be easy, but it will take another six weeks for it to open again, even so, its location may or may not be where you end up. Then there's the beasts to worry about. Are you sure you want to go ahead anyway?" she asked.

"Yes, Princess. I've already made up my mind. We're going." the young alicorn nodded.

"So am I!" Shining Armor spoke up, racing to his sister's side, prompting her to raise an eyebrow.

"Shiny, I appreciate your participation, but I think I can take care of myself." Twilight told him. Shining just shook his head.

"Twily, I'm not addressing you as a princess, I'm addressing you as my younger sister. Wings or not." 

Twilight frowned at this. "So, you're saying my friends and I can't handle ourselves?" she asked. 

Shining gave her a sheepish look. "Actually, think of this as more of making up for that whole wedding fiasco." 

The new princess of Equestria gave him a sly look. "After all the hundreds of apologies?" she asked mischievously.

Shining sighed. "Look, I'm going with you. I don't need to spell it out." Twilight responded by rolling her eyes and shrugged, "Okay."

The white unicorn then turned his attention to a light orange pegasus with a navy tail and golden armor. "Lieutenant Flash Sentry!"

The pegasus jumped at the mention of his name and saluted, "Yes, Prince Armor!" 

"While I am away, I need you to look after my wife for that time. Can I trust you?" 

"Rest assured, Prince Armor, Princess Cadenza is in good hooves!" Flash responded. 

"Settle down, Prince Shining," Luna told him, "We didn't say we're opening the portal right this instant. But, that being said, you should at least prepare for your trip." 

Luna then turned to Twilight and her friends. "Return to Ponyville, get some rest and make sure you have an idea of how you're going to prepare for tomorrow." 

Twilight nodded at this before turning herself to the stone. Hang on, Fluttershy. she said mentally, We're coming.

Captain Emmerich tapped his finger on the railing around his chair. His submarine, the USS Tri-Columbia was in its fourth month of patrol in the Marianas Trench and still he had seen no action. The German-American sighed as he ran his hand through his short white hair. "Captain?" Emmerich turned his attention to Executive Officer Devlin. 

"What is it, Officer?" the captain asked. 

The tanned-skin youth seemed to hesitate before speaking. "We've detected a large object on the radar, 26 degrees south headed at 56 degrees east, current speed fifty knots." 

"Another sub?" 

"Negative, sir, object is too big."

Emmerich pondered for a moment before the one of the crew members spoke up.

"Um, sir, we're picking something up on the hydrophone, I think you might want to hear it." 

"Put it up." Emmerich commanded.

Almost immediately, the bridge was filled with a strange rhythmic noise. A noise that sound suspiciously like... a beating heart. With that, Emmerich's eyes widened.

Devlin stared at his commanding officer with anticipation before both their eyes locked. 

"Alert the crew." Emmerich ordered, walking to his command chair.

"Sir," the Executive Officer asked, "what is it?"

Emmerich turned around and said one word, "Kaiju." 

With that, the captain picked up the comm next to his chair and spoke into it. "Attention, crew, battle-stations immediately, Kaiju sighted. I repeat, Kaiju sighted. This is not a drill."

Devlin spoke up, "Orders, sir?" 

"Fire a few Frontiers at it. Let it know we bite." Emmerich responded

With that, Devlin repeated his captain's orders as two torpedo-class Frontiers shot out towards their intended target. 

"Direct hit, sir, both shots." a crew member spoke up.

Emmerich smirked with pride. We're supposed to be afraid of these things? They're nothing more but oversized pushovers. he thought to himself. However, his thoughts were interrupted.	

"Sir, target is still active and has now changed direction, speed has increased to sixty-five knots. Current location is now 30 nautical miles." a wiry crew-member spoke up.

"What's its current trajectory?" Emmerich asked.

For a while, the man stuttered before facing his captain, fear shining in his eyes. "T-towards us, sir." 

Before Emmerich could give the order, a sudden jolt rocked the submarine, throwing him out of his chair. To make matters worse, the sound of metallic groaning filled his ears. It's going to crush the ship. he realized. "Send an S.O.S, ASAP!" he yelled towards the communications officer.

The communications officer nodded and activated the sub's emergency radio. "May-day, may-day, this is U.S.S. Tri-Columbia, we are facing a Kaiju attack. I repeat, Kaiju attack. Our ship is compromised."

Suddenly, Emmerich's ears were greeted by a new noise that turned his blood cold. It started out as an ungodly screech, rising into a trumpeting echo before fading into a haunting moan. 

"It's Godz-!" Before the captain could finish, water rushed into the bridge. Emmerich had already lost consciousness by the time the ship was utterly destroyed.

The beast let the pieces of the human machine sink to the murky depths. The spikes on its back began to glow an eerie blue as it absorbed the radiation leaking from the machine's fractured core. While the monster normally fed on whales or other giant undersea life, nuclear energy was just a good a food source as any of them. Within the span of four minutes, any trace of radiation was gone. The monster, having finished its atomic meal, reset course for its intended location, a place it had been to before. Something was calling the beast and it would find out what it was. Even if it meant destroying whatever stood in its path. 
> Setting Off
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Kenji groaned as he opened his eyes. He then reached over to where Fluttershy was only to be greeted with more blanket. He then rose out of bed, only to see Ami still curled up next to it. Kenji then noticed his Totoro sleeping bag was gone. Maybe it was a dream he thought. Maybe he just imagined finding a naked girl with long pink hair who had just materialized in the backyard forest. Sure felt real. he told himself. As he climbed out of the futon, his bare foot nudged Ami who looked up at him groggily before yawning and going back to sleep. Kenji yawned and stretched himself out of his own lethargic state before shambling to the stairs. He could hear the sound of the television on in the relaxing room and the sound of Aki preparing breakfast in the kitchen. He could hear his sisters talking among each other. Then he heard a fourth voice. Fluttershy's voice. Nope. Definitely wasn't a dream.

"Well, look who decided to join us." Kimiko commented, folding her arms across the long black shirt she wore as a sleeping shirt, "We were starting to worry whether or not you'd join us in time for breakfast."

Kenji groaned, "Shut up, Kimiko." 

He then noticed Fluttershy looked the same as he saw her last night; yellow and pink sundress, long, pink hair (with a slight case of bed-head) and barefoot. As soon as Kenji sat down, whatever was being shown on the TV was replaced by a black screen along with a neon green outline of a sword with a pair of wings at its side and a 'G' in its center all set to a screeching noise. While this startled Fluttershy, it prompted Asuka to roll her eyes, Kimiko to mutter something under her breath and Haruka to scream, "Oh, come on! And during the best part too!" Then a voice emanated from the T.V. 

"This is a test of the Kaiju Alert System. Do not be alarmed. If a Kaiju is attacking, you would hear this noise followed by news updates and proper safety instructions. Repeating. This is only a test. This concludes the test of the Kaiju Alert System. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming."

This was followed by another screeching noise, much higher pitched this time, before returning to what was originally being shown on TV, in this case an episode of Sailor Moon. Fluttershy then turned to look at Kenji and asked, "What's a 'Kaiju'?" 

Kenji tried to find the best definition for the beasts that might as well have been forces of nature made physical. Beasts that could render entire cities clean of life if they so pleased. Beasts who had taken the lives of countless men, women, elders and children in a devastating war with seemingly no end. " A really big monster." he finally replied. Way to make it an understatement. his mind reprimanded. Fluttershy was about to speak again until Aki called them for breakfast. 

"Thanks for helping keep an eye on the library while I'm gone, Jade." Twilight told the turquoise unicorn in front of her as she adjusted her saddlebags. 

The unicorn, Jade Singer, shrugged at this. "Eh, no problem, Twilark, or should I call ya 'princess'?" 

"Um, it's actually 'Twilight' and I'd really appreciate it if you didn't call me that." Twilight replied sheepishly.  

Jade chuckled. "Well, at least that power hasn't gone straight to your head." 

Twilight smiled at that. "Oh, by the way, here's Owlowiscious." she continued, gesturing to her brown-feathered pet currently observing his master and her guest on his perch. "He needs to be fed three times a day with that." Twilight continued pointing towards a brown bag with the outline of an owl on its front, "Don't worry, I have a year's supply of extras so you don't have to worry about buying more." Jade nodded as she listened. 

"Well, seeing as you know what to do, I'd best be off." the young princess said.

"Wait up!" Spike's voice came from upstairs. Twilight looked up and saw the drakeling dragging what looked like a suitcase down the stairs before coming between both alicorn and unicorn. "Okay, all set and ready to go." he announced.

Twilight bit her lip as she tried to find the right way to put it to the young dragon. "Um, Spike, I know I've left you out before, but this time, I'm going to just say it outright, you're gonna have to sit this one out too."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Why? Fluttershy's my friend too, I'm not just gonna leave her out like that. Besides, last I checked, you seemed okay with me going with you yesterday."

Twilight sighed, "Yes, I did, but you saw what lies on the other side. This might be too dangerous for you."

Spike gave her a deadpan expression, "So?" he asked.

"As in really dangerous." 

"So?"

"As in you-could-get-killed really dangerous."

"So?"

"Spike!" Twilight snapped, starting to have enough.

"What?"

"You're a baby dragon. Let me repeat that, baby. Dragon. What would happen if you got lost? What if I couldn't protect you?" 

Spike closed his eyes and groaned.

"Twilight, I have nearly been eaten by a hydra, ran away from home and was almost killed, went double or nothing to save Rarity from some Diamond Dogs, faced ridicule, hazing and more from teenagers of my own kind even going so far as to risk my life for a phoenix minutes away from hatching, witnessed a full-scale invasion on Canterlot, helped Princess Celestia fight off giant cockatrices, was almost skewered by a crazed former unicorn tyrant just to save the Crystal Empire, went into the Everfree Forest when it was going out of control, went into a supposedly 'haunted' castle and got sucked into a comic book. I'm going." 

Twilight tried to find a good argument but she let out a sigh of defeat. "Okay, you can come, but just stay close to me once we're there."

Spike smiled at this and both dragon and alicorn left the library side-by-side. As soon as they left, Jade turned to Owlowiscious. "Well, my feathered friend, I guess it's a coincidence to be a friend to yet another princess." 

"Who?" the owl asked. Jade chuckled quietly before going to work and rearrange the recently turned in books.

"Applebloom, while Ah'm gone, Ah want ya ta listen to yer brother an' granmother as if Ah were still here, understand? Dat means, get up bright an' early fer school, help yer brother with th' chores, bed by nine. Stop me if Ah missed any certain details." Applejack told her sister, Big Macintosh standing behind her and Granny Smith snoring in her rocking chair. Applebloom didn't answer instead she just stared at her sister with big open eyes. 

"Okay, do what Ah told ya and Ah'll see ya in six weeks." Applejack paused for a second, thinking about what Celestia and Luna had shown her and her friends. "Maybe." 

"Come back safe, sis." Applebloom told her. 

Applejack smiled and rubbed her sister's mane, "Ah'll try ma darndest."   

Suddenly, Winona came running in, barking excitedly as if to send her owner off. 

"Winona, ya'll didn't think Ah'd leave ya out didja?" the orange earth pony asked letting the cattle dog lick her. As soon as the dog settled down, Applejack gave her a nuzzle. 

"Keep an eye on things while Ah'm gone, 'kay?" 

Winona answered with a bark. 

"Atta girl." With that, Applejack walked out of the house, saddlebags tight and secured. As soon as she closed the door, Granny woke with a jump.

"Eh, what was that? Did Applejack leave?" she asked.

Big Mac responded with his usual, "Eeyup." 

"This is Tank's food. Feed him twice a day, although he can have a little snack in between meals, but that is if he's still hungry. Otherwise, twice a day." Rainbow Dash explained to her housekeeper, a pink pegasus with a blue mane and tail and a blue cutie mark that looked like two lightning bolts parallel to each other. "If you're bored, there's some Daring Do books you can read on that shelf behind you, actually you can read all the books except for one." 

"And which one would that be?" the pegasus asked. Rainbow Dash frowned, "The bright blue and rainbow one that reads 'Don't Even Think About It, Firefly'!" 

Firefly rolled her eyes. "Sis, we're not foals anymore. I've grown up. Move on." 

Rainbow Dash calmed down. "Still, stay out of my diary. Got it? Wing-Shake just to make sure." With that, she extended her left wing and pointed it towards her sister.

Firefly sighed, "Dashie, do we really have to do this?"

Rainbow narrowed her eyes, "Just shake the wing."

The pink pegasus rolled her eyes and extended her right wing beneath her sister's. With that, both pegasi raised and lowered their wings in unison, giving off the illusion of a handshake. 

"I, Firefly, daughter of Jetstream and Bifröst, your sister, promise not to read your diary while you are away." Firefly told her in a bored tone. 

Rainbow Dash smiled. "Good. Well, best be off." She turned to Tank who was currently hovering next to her. "Be good for Firefly, 'kay, Buddy?" 

The tortoise just hovered closer to his master and nuzzled her. Rainbow blushed before flying off, leaving a rainbow streak and a very unimpressed Firefly behind her. "Wow," Firefly sarcastically remarked, "even grown up she's still a show-off."

"I can't thank you enough for coming to help keep an eye on the Boutique, Sparkler." Rarity told her cousin, a light blue unicorn with an indigo mane just like her's but with red streaks and a similar cutie mark with six blue diamonds instead of three, "Who else would I turn to?" Sparkler chuckled amusingly at her cousin. Rarity then cleared her throat. "Well, on to business." she announced as she led her cousin to Opalescence who was currently taking a cat nap. "You remember Opal. She needs to be fed three times a day with this." Rarity instructed holding up an elegant-looking can of wet cat-food. "Only the best for my widdle Opal Wopal." she baby spoke rubbing her nuzzle into Opal's furry belly, causing the snow-white cat to look briefly at her owner before falling back to sleep, prompting Sparkler to roll her eyes. "Oh, before I forget." she paused.

"Swee~tie Belle!" Rarity called out to the stairs. Almost immediately, the pearl-white unicorn foal came down from her guest room, having been left in Rarity's care by their parents while on their annual trips. Her eyes, drooping with sleep, widened when she saw the second unicorn. "Cousin Sparkler!" she cried out, giving her cousin a hug. Sparkler smiled at this, "Nice to see you too, Sweetie. How's that cutie mark coming along?" she asked. Sweetie looked away sheepishly before showing her cousin her bare flank. Sparkler smiled sympathetically, "You'll get it soon. Don't you worry." This caused Sweetie to brighten up. Rarity cleared her throat as she addressed her younger sister. "Sweetie, I'm going to be gone for awhile, I need you to listen to your cousin, go to school on time, bed by nine, understood?" 

Sweetie nodded. Rarity smiled in satisfaction. "Good. Take care you two." she told them as she trotted out the door, saddlebags at her side, leaving her sister and cousin in the room.

"So," Sparkler spoke up, "you wanna play War Boat?" 

"And this is Gummy's water bowl. And this is his food bowl. Make sure to feed him lots of semi-solid foods because he has no teeth. Make sure to give him a bath, one for cleaning and the other just so he can swim around." Pinkie Pie instructed her cousin, a white pegasus with a blond mane and tail as well as a cutie mark consisting of three lavender balloons named Surprise. "Did ya get all that?" she asked. Surprise took in a deep breath, "Gummy's water bowl," she started, pointing at a green and pink bowl with the baby alligator's name etched on it with bright pink marker, "Gummy's food bowl," she pointed at a much larger bowl adjacent to the water one with the colors reversed and Gummy's name written in green, "Feed him semi-solid foods, give him a bath for cleaning and another for swimming. Got all that?" 

Pinkie smiled before turning her attention to Gummy. "Gummy, I want you to be good for Surprise, okay? I'm going to be gone for three months and I want you on your best behavior, okay?" she asked, earning Gummy's response in the form of his eyes blinking individually. Suddenly, her bright pink coat dulled and her long, curly pink mane and tail seemed to deflate. Tears also began to well up in her eyes before she wrapped the alligator in a hug, his expression not even changing once. "I'm gonna miss you, Gummy! I'll be back as soon as I can! Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye!" she cried. Surprise, finding this a little awkward was about to speak up until Pinkie's coat brightened  and her mane and tail returned to their usual curly selves. "Well, can't be late, see ya, Surprise! Bye, Gummy." With that, Pinkie Pie put on her saddlebags and bounced out Sugar Cube Corner singing, "La-la-la-la-la" as she went.

Discord stared at the little white rabbit standing beneath him, his front legs crossed and his eyes narrowed as he returned the stare. "Now, Angel, I know we got off on a bad start, what with me playing Fluttershy like a puppet on the strings and what not, not to mention torturing you, insulting you behind her back, but for her sake and as a gesture of my friendship towards her, why don't we let that slide for the time being and get along." the draconequus said. Angel still glared at him. "You're still mad at me about the whole 'playing your owner for a fool carrot' fiasco are you?" he asked. Discord's answer came in the form of a half-eaten carrot bouncing off his forehead. "Of course you are." Discord sighed. Of all the animals he was going to take care of for Fluttershy until she came back, he had to put up with Angel. 

The former Element Bearers then gathered in the center of Ponyville. "Alright, everything taken care of?" Twilight asked. The ponies nodded in response. "In that case-" Twilight started getting ready to teleport herself and her friends to Canterlot until she heard somepony cry out, "Princess Twilight!" The young alicorn turned to see a butter-yellow earth pony that looked almost identical to Fluttershy but with a shorter mane, her tail tied with a green ribbon and five flowers for a cutie mark galloping towards them. "Posey!" Twilight recognized her in surprise just as she stopped in front of her. Posey looked at the young princess with pleading eyes. "Please bring my daughter back safely." she begged. "Don't worry, Posey, we'll have Fluttershy back here before you can say 'lickety-split'." Rainbow Dash told her. Posey gave them a sad yet relieved smile and said, "Thank you." Twilight smiled at this and the rest of the former Element Bearers as well as Spike all gathered around her. Within two seconds, ponies and dragon disappeared from Ponyville center in a flash of light and reappeared in Canterlot Castle's main throne room where Luna, Celestia, Cadence and Shining were waiting for them with a giant horse-shoe shaped mirror standing a few feet from the throne. 

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Princesses." Twilight apologized, prompting a chuckle from Celestia. "Nonsense, Twilight, we weren't going to open the portal until you arrived." Luna then stepped forward. "I assume you've eaten light for breakfast?" she asked. Twilight nodded, remembering what the Night Princess told them before they left for Ponyville, "Eat a light breakfast before you come to Canterlot in the morning. The trip through the portal will be like that of a roller coaster." Luna then turned to face her sister who had also stepped forward, levitating seven bags of what looked like clothes behind her. "Before we open the portal, you might want to put these on." she said, pulling out unusual looking clothes and shoes from each bag and handing them to Shining Armor, Twilight, her friends, and Spike. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash spoke up, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're not going to get me to play dress up! You can't make me!" Twilight telekinetically grabbed the pegasus's ear and pulled her until their eyes met. 

"Rainbow Dash, we do not have time to argue about dressing up. Just put them on." she growled. Rainbow Dash, gave her a nervous smile and began to put on the clothes in front of her. After a few minutes, the former Element Bearers, Shining Armor and Spike were all dressed in strange clothing. Applejack was dressed in a somewhat country-style look. Her hindlegs bearing what looked like socks and half-length boots that looked as if they were too big for her legs. Her flank was covered in long black pants with her tail bent forward, its tuft sticking out of the rim, no doubt giving her a sense of discomfort. The front half of her body was covered in a strange red and orange shirt with sleeves that stopped near her shoulders and seemed to blend in with her coat. Her stetson was still on her head. 

Rarity wore what looked like high-heeled horseshoes that appeared a little too loose for her hooves However, instead of long pants, or a shirt for that matter, she wore what looked like a white and blue-fringed slit skirt that started at her front body and ended near her flank, her tail sticking out behind it. 

Rainbow Dash was dressed very similarly to Applejack but with much shorter looking socks, blue shoes, baggier looking blue pants, a bright blue t-shirt with her wings tucked under it and strange black and red "mittens" with five holes sticking out. Much like Applejack, her tail was bent forward. 

Twilight wore something much like that of Rainbow Dash and Applejack, but with some differences. She had baggy-looking black pants that looked softer than Applejack or Dash's, a purple shirt with long sleeves and holes as well and black slippers on her hind hooves. Much like Rainbow Dash, she had her wings tucked underneath her shirt. 

Pinkie Pie was perhaps dressed the strangest. Her pants were a darker shade of pink and only ended half-way at her hind limbs. Her hooves were covered by green shoes that appeared to look more like soles with loop-shaped straps on their tops. Her shirt was yellow with blue fringes on the openings for her shoulders, head and bottom, much like the balloons on her cutie mark. Her front hooves also had blue foreleg guards. 

Spike dressed in a much different fashion. He wore what looked like a green long sleeved shirt, purple pants that ended before they even reach his calves, green shoes with purple soles and blue gloves similar to Rainbow Dash with his fingers sticking out of four of the five holes.

Shining Armor wore a bright white sleeveless shirt with long blue pants. His hooves had loose fitting shoes with white socks underneath. 

"When entering the portal, you will not only arrive in the human world, you will become humans yourselves." Celestia explained, "The humans tend to wear these types of clothes as going naked is taboo. That is why, for the duration of your time there, you will have to wear the clothes in these bags." Luna spoke up next and handed the ponies and dragon seven pouches as well as small slips of paper. Spike opened his and looked into it. He raised an eyebrow as he pulled out what looked like a dull gray bit with no other defining features, not even a pony emblem most common on other bits. "Uh, what are these bits used for?" he asked. 

"Those bits," Luna answered, "are called World Bits. They transform into the currency of whatever world they are in. The paper has the ability to transform into bus or train passes." 

Celestia then stepped to her sister's side. "Sister, it is time we opened the portal." she told her. Luna nodded and the two alicorns stepped towards the mirror. As soon as they reached it, both sisters charged their horns with magic and connected them. From their horns, a beam of yellow and blue light spiraled outwards, spread out and struck the rubies on the sides of the mirror. The reflective surface seemed to glow as bright as the sun, causing all gathered around it to cover their eyes and turn away. Almost as sudden as it appeared, the light vanished. Twilight and the others turned towards the mirror and saw the mirror's rubies were now shining like tiny red stars. 

"Did it work?" Applejack asked. "I don't see the harm in finding out." Rainbow Dash replied before trotting up to the mirror. As soon as she was inches away, she slowly reached her left front hoof towards its surface... only for its tip to pass straight through. Startled, Rainbow Dash pulled her hoof back and caused the mirror to ripple like a pond that just had a pebble thrown into it. She then poked the surface again, this time sticking her whole hoof inside for a span of ten seconds before pulling it out with a giggle. "Hey, somepony go around and see if my hoof's sticking out the other side!" she called out. Pinkie was about to join in until Twilight yelled, "Rainbow, forgive me if I sound rude, but, we need to get Fluttershy back and I'd appreciate it if you got your rainbow-colored flank in gear!" Rainbow groaned before turning her attention to the portal. As soon as her muzzle was two inches from the quicksilver, she swallowed. "Okay, new world, here I come."   

With that, she slowly entered the liquid-like surface. First her face, then her front hooves until she disappeared behind the ripples. Next to step forward was Shining, with Spike on his back. "Ready for this, kiddo? he asked. "Ready as I'll ever be." the drakeling replied. Before they could reach it, Cadence galloped over to them and nuzzled Shining. "Make it back safe, okay?" she said. "Hey, this stallion's lived through Buck Withers, the Changelings and King Sombra. This world might as well be a piece of cake." he bragged. Spike rolled his eyes at this. Cadence gave him a smile and kissed him on the cheek. With that, Shining galloped into the portal along with Spike. Next, Pinkie Pie came barreling towards the portal screaming, "HANG ON, FLUTTERSHY! AUNTIE PINKIE'S COMING TO SAVE YOU!" With that, she disappeared into the surface. Applejack and Rarity were up next, although the latter had decided now was the time to start complaining right as they were just a few inches away from the portal. "If this is what the humans wear all the time, it must be an absolute miracle to go from place to place. I mean really!" 

Applejack groaned. There was no time for this at all. "Rarity, what was mah element?" she asked. Rarity gave her friend a confused look. "Huh?" The earth pony asked again, only slower, "What. Was. Mah. Element?" 

"Honesty, last I remembered." 

"Yep, honesty. It wasn't patience."

"Well, I never said it was, Darling." 

Applejack gritted her teeth. "WOULD YA JUST GO THROUGH TH' PORTAL ALREADY!?"

Rarity turned around and looked at her friend straight in the eye, giving her a face whenever somepony or someone was ever rude to her before she slowly walked backwards into the portal, her eyes never once leaving her friend's until her face was swallowed up by the mirror. Applejack shook her head and followed her. Twilight was about to follow until she heard Celestia address her. She turned just in time for the white alicorn to place a strange bracelet with a glowing orange stone on her right front leg. "A good luck charm?" 

Celestia shook her head. "No, that stone will glow when the portal opens and show you which direction it is."

Twilight turned to the mirror, gulped and turned back to face her former teacher with hesitation. Celestia saw this and nuzzled her. "It's alright, Twilight. You've been through so much. I have full confidence in that you'll find your friend and return safely."

The young alicorn gave her a small smile. Celestia returned it before saying, "Good luck, Twilight."

Twilight nodded and walked toward the mirror. Just as she was inches away from its surface, she put her hoof into it. She felt as though she were putting her hoof into a pond exposed to the cold autumn wind. She pulled it back, watching the ripples spread out. For a while she gazed in awe before she snapped back into reality. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and entered the liquid-like surface. 

When Twilight opened her eyes, she saw what looked like a tunnel of light and rainbow colors. However, she soon felt as though something was pulling on her left front hoof. Curious, Twilight rose her hoof only to widen her eyes in horror. Her hoof looked as if it were being stretched out like a rubber band, causing her to scream in shock. Suddenly, she felt her whole body stretch out. Within moments, the former Element Bearer of Magic was sent swirling through the void, screaming as she went. Then everything went black.

"Twilight? Are you okay?"

"Twily, come on, talk to me."

"Is she dead?" 

"Oh wait, wait, she's waking up."

Twilight groaned as she woke up. Now I know how a fish feels when it's flushed down a toilet. she thought to herself. 

She then lifted what she thought was her right foreleg only for her vision to clear and see it was completely different. She now had five appendages that, at a first glance, looked a little bit like claws, however, upon turning them around, she saw semi-transparent plates on the tops. Her purple fur was gone and in its place was a cream-colored skin, some of it was covered by her sleeve. Twilight shook it in horror. "Does anypony have a mirror?" she asked weakly. 

"Here you go, Darling." Rarity told her, presumably levitating a portable mirror to her despite there not being any sound of her magic being used. Twilight grabbed the mirror and brought it close to her face. While some of her features were still present, such as her violet eyes as well as her sapphire and red/purple streaked hair, her muzzle was now more compacted while her ears were on the sides of her head, hidden by the locks of her hair. She then looked up and saw her friends and brother had also changed. 

They now stood on long hind legs with their fore legs turned into arms. Like her, their muzzles had disappeared and were compacted, with only their eyes and hair as proof of what they once were.

She then looked at the rest of her friends and brother.  Rarity had a much paler complexion opposed to her. She was also thin, not stick-like but not looking like somepony (or rather someone) who took the time for exercise. Her indigo hair came down to her neck in a downward version of her mane. Her slit skirt came down to her thighs while her high-heels now looked like they fit her feet. Or maybe it was the other way around. 

Rainbow Dash had to be the shortest, only coming up to Rarity's shoulder. Her mane was now a shoulder-length, ruffled mess of rainbow colored hair. She also had a very athletic look to her and slightly more tanned skin. 

Beside her was Applejack who stood slightly taller, her knotted hair  reaching to her waist. Her skin bore a much deeper tan with a bit of muscles showing, probably due to all those years of apple-bucking. 

Pinkie Pie stood a foot beside them. In place of her hind hooves, her strange shoes revealed she now had what looked like more deformed looking 'hands' for feet, with all five 'fingers' in a row going from biggest to smallest. She still had her curly pink hair. Twilight also noticed she was slightly rounder than all the others, maybe something to do with her sweet tooth. 

Shining Armor was the biggest of them all in both height and build. His tanned body rippled with muscles. His head was somewhat of a mix of round and angled with his tri-blue hair and cerulean eyes from his pony form still present. 

Finally there was Spike. He was now a little boy, probably no more than 10-11 years of age with spiky green hair and vibrant green eyes. His body was very stocky.

All of them were wearing the clothes Celestia gave them. 

Twilight was about to scream but instead began the deep breath practices Cadence had taught her before getting straight to business. 

"Alright, guys, we need to find Fluttershy and the portal again in three months, otherwise we're gonna be stuck here." she told them.

She then turned to see that Pinkie had her hand up. "Yes, Pinkie?"

"Where do we start?" Pinkie asked.

"Well, Pinkie, we, um." Twilight paused for a second while she pondered. Where do we start? she asked herself. 

While at the breakfast table, Kenji stared at Fluttershy as she slowly ate her rice with her chopsticks. She was a little bit awkward at first, her sticks constantly sliding against each other, but after two more tries, she got the hang of it. He began to think of something to say but every time he opened his mouth he closed it. That was until Kimiko bumped him with her elbow. 

"Talk to her." she whispered. 

"And tell her what?" 

"I don't know, ask her if she wants to see the sights or something. For starters, why not get her some new clothes?"

"What?" 

"No offense, bro, but you can't keep borrowing clothes from me while she's here."

"That was just one night."  

"Kenji." 

Kenji sighed and turned to Fluttershy. "Hey, Fuka."

Fluttershy looked up at him.

"I was thinking if you wanted to go out and shop with me for a little bit, seeing as you don't have any... er... clothes of your own." he inquired.

Well that came out stupid.

"Um, actually, I wouldn't mind." Fluttershy replied blushing. 

"Where do you plan on shopping?" Aki asked, her eyes closed after having taken a sip of her tea. 

"Well, I was thinking about Minato." Kenji replied.

Aki opened her eyes and looked at her son, a serious look on her face.

"How much yen do you need?"

"I was thinking maybe ¥5225." 

Aki continued to stare at her son before Kenji sighed. "I'll be fine, Mom." 

"Just making sure you are, sweetie." 

"Oh, before I forget, Kimiko? Do you mind if I borrow a pair of sandals for Fuka?" Kenji asked.

Kimiko looked at him with a face that said, "Did you not hear what I just told you?" 

Kenji rolled his eyes, "Last time while she's here, cross my heart, hope to die." 

Aki cleared her throat. "Aren't you forgetting a couple of things?" she asked.

Kenji gave her a confused look, "I have to take a bath?"

"Before that."

"Fuka has to take a bath?" 

"Before that."

"I have to help do the dishes?"

"Feed the dog." 

Kenji rolled his eyes before whistling for Ami, followed almost immediately by a streak of white fur to come bounding down the stairs before the snow-white Akita stood in front of them, her mouth open and tongue hanging out. Kenji motioned her to sit while he scooped up the remainder of his rice and put it into a bowl filled with dog food. As soon as he placed the bowl in front of his dog, she began to devour what was in front of her. 

After getting dressed and taking a bath, Kenji walked Fluttershy outside and presented her with a pair of brown open-toe sandals at the edge of the house. She looked at them curiously.

"Look, we can't have you walking around like that." Kenji told her while gesturing to her bare feet. Fluttershy seemed to hesitate before kneeling down and put the sandals on each foot. As she stood up, she wobbled at first before gaining her footing. 

Kenji smiled before calling out, "Mom, we're heading out!" 

"Do you have your yen?" his mother asked from inside.

"Yes."

"Do you have your bus pass?"

"Yes."

"Just checking, son." 

Kenji sighed and walked himself and Fluttershy to a bus stop. After waiting a good fifteen minutes, a blue bus arrived in front of them and a man in a white shirt with a black tie opened the doors for them. "Where to?" he asked. "Two for Minato." Kenji replied handing him two bus passes and walking Fluttershy to a seat, with her right next to a window for her to stare out as the bus drove towards Minato.

"We have been at this for hours, Twilight! Fluttershy could be anywhere!" Rainbow told her friend as they wandered through the crowded city streets. "Besides, what would she even look like?"

Twilight pondered for a second before it hit her. "Our mane colors stayed the same after we passed through the portal right?" 

"Um, yes." Rarity replied.

"So if the colors of our manes stayed the same, so would Fluttershy's."

Rainbow Dash's face lit up. "You've got a point there, Twi. I'll just scout ahead." She then turned around and looked towards the sky. After a few seconds, she noticed she was still on the ground. "Maybe a little bouncing oughta do it." Rainbow said hopping a few inches off the ground, only to attract the stares of several confused people around her. "Why. Can't I. Fly?" she asked with each hop. She then reached over to her back and gasped. The former pegasus then touched her back again in disbelief. "No." she whispered sadly. "MY WINGS ARE GONE!" 

Rainbow then fell to her knees and shouted tearfully, "WHY!?" With that, she sobbed into her open hands while other people just walked away. "Don't worry, Dashie," Pinkie told the ex-pegasus while patting her shoulder, "Twilight, doesn't have her wings or horn and she's fine." Rainbow Dash sniffed before hugging her for fifteen seconds before telling her, "Pinkie Swear you will never tell anypony what happened when we get home." 

Pinkie did her trademark swear silently, adding a wink. 

"Right, seeing as we no means of flight, (sorry, Rainbow Dash), we'll just have to ask." Twilight said.

With that, Twilight walked up to a man with a greenish-gray bandana on his head and tapped him on his shoulder, getting his attention. 

"Excuse me, sir, my name is Twilight Sparkle. My friends and I are looking for a girl with long pink hair. Have you seen her?" she asked.

The man gave them a raised eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure she's at whatever convention you're attending." he answered. As he walked off he muttered something that sounded like, "Crazy cos-players." 

Twilight groaned. 

"Well, that got us nowhere!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. 

Shining placed a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. "Don't worry, Twily. We'll find her." 

"Okay, how do these look?" Kenji asked Fluttershy handing her a pair of white, yellow-toed slip-on shoes. Fluttershy pondered at this before shaking her head. "How about these?" he asked, this time holding up a pair of pink high-heels with yet another head shake. "These?" Fluttershy noticed he now had a pair of black boots, each with silver spikes running down their sides and a chrome toe. Fluttershy cowered and shook her head twice as fast before Kenji slowly set them back down with a sigh. He then showed her a pair of yellow flip-flops with a pattern of pink butterflies and a pair of yellow slipper shoes, to which he received a smile and nod. 

After a good fifteen minutes of shopping, Fluttershy now wore a sundress almost identical to Kimiko's but with spiraling pink designs and the yellow slipper shoes. Fluttershy then examined herself from head-to-toe, twirling herself around. Kenji began to stare at her. She looked pretty cute actually; her long pink air fanning out as she spun and the sewn-in butterflies giving off the illusion of movement. 

"Attention. Attention. Kaiju Alert Level at Code Yellow. Anomaly detected. Kaiju activity yet to be confirmed. Stand by for further updates." 

The Kaiju Alert system brought Kenji out of his trance before he told Fluttershy it was time to go.

Mamoru Kennosuke sighed as he stared out towards Minato's shoreline from his hotel window The fifty-something Osakan was currently on a three-day business trip in Minato but even so, homesickness began to settle in. It didn't help much either, seeing as his daughter was about to give birth to his first grandchild, a girl named Miki. Only two more days. he thought to himself. Suddenly, he saw the faint speckle of a bird flying off in the distance. Mamoru shrugged and was about to head back to his hotel and flop back onto his bed when he saw movement under the water. He looked in closer, thinking it was just another wave, only to see a glimpse of what looked like a tail and a spiked back poking out from the surface. As the object got closer and larger, one word escaped the man's lips, "Kaiju." 

Near the docks, several fishing boats were rocked by the passing of the approaching Kaiju, some of them knocked over or sliced in half by its spikes before the beast raised its head out of the water and roared. 

Kenji and Fluttershy strode down the sidewalks of Minato, the latter looking around wide-eyed at the streets as if she had come for the first time. Kenji was about to speak up when he heard something that sent a chill down his spine.

"Warning. Warning. Kaiju Alert Level at Code Red. Kaiju approaching vicinity. Proceed to a safe location immediately." 

All of a sudden, people stopped what they were doing and looked around in fear after the Kaiju Alert System blurted around the street. Kenji could feel Fluttershy's body pressing up against his and her hands tightening around his arm. He could tell she was scared, not that he blamed her. He was just as scared. 

Suddenly, a loud thundering noise echoed throughout the streets. At first they seemed like earthquakes, but not quite. Earthquakes didn't have a pattern of four instantaneous bursts, nor did they send people running like what was happening now. After the tide of human life passed by, Kenji's heart skipped a beat as a giant brownish-gray paw with four triangular claws the size of RV's slammed onto the concrete. This was immediately followed by the paw's owner lumbering into full sight. 

To say the beast was large would be an understatement. Even on all fours, the monster easily dwarfed any living creature on the planet. Its massive body was supported by four trunk-like limbs that it walked on like a cross between a bear and an elephant. The beast itself looked like a cross between a turtle and a rhinoceros, with an elongated, crocodilian head that sported six curving horns on the back of its skull and a smaller horn jutting in between its nostrils as well as two fangs that stuck out from its upper jaw. A giant carapace lay on its back covered with thousands of small (compared to it) spikes. A long tail, also covered in spikes, curled and whipped behind it. 

"Anguirus." Kenji whispered in awe. Fluttershy briefly glanced at him upon the mention of the behemoth's name before turning back to the beast. 'Anguirus' paused for a second before turning its massive head to the sky and letting out a trumpeting roar. Just like that, people ran into a panic. 

"All units, report to battle stations. Kaiju. Beta-class. Subject confirmation: Anguirus."

Following the synthetic female voice, G-Force soldiers began to scramble to their positions as they were trained to do in situations like this. 

Akane Yashiro ran straight through the doors of G-Force control and peered over Kenichi Yamane's shoulder and at his monitor. "How far inland is he?" she asked. 

"About thirteen miles, ma'am. M-Type 66 divisions have been deployed." the bespectacled youth responded, not looking at her.

"MechaG ready to deploy as well?" she asked.

Kenichi looked at the brown-haired, thirty-year-old beauty.

"MechaG's still in the repair bay after that little beatdown from the Big Guy." 

"Double all Maser divisions just to be safe." Akane told him before walking off.

Kenichi rolled his eyes and went back to his work. "It's just Anguirus."

"FLUTTERSHY!" Pinkie yelled out, her hands cupped around her mouth.

"YO, FLUTTERSHY, WHERE ARE YA?" Rainbow joined in, both former ponies ignoring their friends.

"Darlings, I don't think calling her name is really going to help." Rarity told them. Suddenly, a man rushed past her, nearly knocking her off her feet. With a 'hmph', Rarity dusted herself. "How very rude." she grumbled until she noticed several people running the same direction with the man. Twilight stopped one of them, another man. 

"What's with all the running?" she asked.

The man pointed behind him, "K-k-KAIJU!"  With that he continued running, leaving the former ponies in confusion.

"Cashew?" Pinkie blurted out confused.

"No, he said 'Kaiju'." Applejack told her.

"Oh." Pinkie nodded.

"What's a Kaiju?" she asked.

"Can't say Ah know." the blonde shrugged.

Spike heard a strange barking honk far off in the distance behind him. Upon turning around, his eyes widened with shock. "Uh, guys. I think I just figured what a 'Kaiju' is." 

Shining followed his gaze and paled, this was followed by the rest of the pony-turned-humans turning and staring in awe. Not too far, they saw a gigantic beast that looked like a three-way cross between an armadillo, a porcupine and rhinoceros lumbering in between a pair of steel and glass buildings. Even from this distance, the monster was enormous, about equal to, if not bigger than, an Ursa Minor. That must have been one of the beasts Celestia and Luna warned them about. Twilight raised an eyebrow. That's what the princesses were afraid of? Sure that thing's big but it's nothing like those monsters they showed us. she thought. Just then, a pair of strange metal 'birds' entered her sight. The beast turned its gargantuan head towards them and let out another honk. The bird-like objects responded by each shooting a flaming projectile at it. As soon as they made their mark, two explosions appeared on the monster's side, causing it to roar in either pain or anger. Its tail whipped around and slammed into a building, the faint sound of glass shattering filled the air. Oh. Twilight paled, That's why.

Kenji held Fluttershy's hand tightly as he ran from the enraged Anguirus. The irritated Kaiju didn't help matters as he stomped around in aggravation, occasionally raising up his hind legs in an attempt to catch a passing jet in his jaws only for them to stay far out of reach. Every time he replanted his front limbs, the entire street shuddered and windows exploded into shards from the impact waves. Suddenly, he saw a row of tanks roll onto the street, as SDF soldiers waved and called out to panicking civilians to seek shelter. Wasting no time, Kenji pulled Fluttershy along with him as the tanks fired their explosive shells at the rampaging monster. 

Amidst the chaos, Kenji could also see a row of ten to twelve vehicles that, at a first glance, looked just like artillery platforms. However, instead of howitzers, the vehicles carried what looked like giant satellite dishes attached to a pulsating, rectangular stalk. Upon reaching the Kaiju, the stalks rose to a diagonal postion while the dishes lowered slightly, staying forward and aimed at the armored monster. Almost immediately, the dishes let out a stream of electricity at Anguirus, striking his chest dead-on. Anguirus recoiled, letting out a higher pitched howl of pain or annoyance. The electricity-shooting tanks began to advance and continue their fire on the armored monster as he began to fall back. 

Akane watched as the large green dot representing Anguirus was being pushed back into the harbor by the smaller blue dots representing the Maser cannons. The woman then let out a sigh of content. Kaiju themselves were hard or nearly impossible to kill anyway, the most they could do was at least make them leave the same way they entered. Though something began to bother her. Anguirus was not a pushover. He was known for his tenacity and, even under suppressing fire from some Masers, would still make some sort of attempt to continue his advance. "We got another signature." Kenichi announced. Akane walked over and peered at his monitor to see a green dot headed towards Anguirus' location, its size indicating it as a much larger and more powerful Alpha-class. Just what we need. Akane sarcastically thought. "What's the subject's designation?" she asked. Kenichi began to type in order to identify the new Kaiju only to stop and slowly turn to face his superior as if he had seen a ghost. "It's him." he told her. Akane's eyes widened. Not good. she thought. Really not good.

Fluttershy couldn't help but shed some tears for the giant beast. Sure it caused destruction but it didn't deserve something like  getting shot at with bolts of energy. It was still just a mere animal. A big one, yes, but still an animal nonetheless. She wanted to cover her ears just so she could block out its howling roars. Kenji looked at her and didn't know what to think. Right now, it was best that the two of them find shelter until the Kaiju passed. However, before he could speak, a new roar, one much louder split across the sky from the west. Upon hearing it, everyone, even Anguirus who now decided to ignore the Maser blasts, turned towards the source. This was also followed by much louder sounding footsteps. Kenji narrowed his eyes as he thought he saw the outline of something gigantic moving within the cloud of debris kicked up by the battle. Suddenly, his heart stopped as a giant, four-clawed, gray hand reached out of the cloud and gripped the side of a building. Then a pair of glowing, orange and red eyes glared out of the smoke towards the humans and Kaiju before it. 

"What is that?" Fluttershy whispered. Kenji gulped as the beast began to emerge from the smoke and spoke its name. A name of a monster that everyone feared. The very first one ever recorded in modern day as well as the worst ever encountered. The Butcher of Tokyo. The God of Destruction. The King of the Monsters. 

"Godzilla." 


To be continued...
> Battle in Minato
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Godzilla was gigantic, dwarfing Anguirus in size. His body resembled that of an upright Tyrannosaurus Rex but with grooved, charcoal-gray skin as opposed to scales and a very muscular and bulky build. On his back, three rows of bone-white spikes that resembled flames sprouted out of his flesh as if his vertebrae had grown exponentially into twisted shapes. The monster's long, segmented tail whipped behind him. His head looked like a giant wolf or cat mixed with a reptile and sharp, sword-like fangs poked out his upper jaw. However, the most defining feature about him were his eyes which glowed like smoldering embers and narrowed into a seemingly permanent glare. He was armed with eight claws, four on each hand. Unlike Anguirus' claws, his looked like they were designed to shred flesh. The newly arrived Kaiju opened his jaws and let out a roar that started with a screeching sound like scraping metal, continuing into an echoing reverberation and ending in a mournful-sounding moan. 

Fluttershy stood aghast at the sheer size of this monster, this 'Godzilla.' Not even the largest dragon in Equestria would come close to how massive he truly was. She then glimpsed movement from the corner of her eye and turned to face Kenji who had turned his attention to Anguirus with anxiety. She followed his gaze and noticed the other Kaiju was glaring at the newcomer. She turned to see Godzilla had taken full notice of Anguirus and replied with a rumbling growl that even she could hear despite him being a few miles away. 

Kenji then took notice of Anguirus lowering his head so that his horn was now pointed at the larger Kaiju and scraping the asphalt with his left front paw. Uh-oh. Kenji thought. Not good. With that he grabbed Fluttershy's arm and tried to pull her with him, knowing very well what would happen if two Kaiju were in the same area. "We gotta go. Now!" he told her. 

"Why?" Fluttershy asked confused. 

"Because they're gonna tear each other apart!" 

Almost immediately as he said that, Anguirus let out a roar and charged at Godzilla with a speed that belied his otherwise stocky build. Godzilla tilted his head slightly, as though asking, "You're kidding right?" before responding with a roar of his own and running at the ankylosaur-like Kaiju, his giant feet leaving prints large enough to be Olympic swimming pools. Within seconds, both Kaiju collided with the force of a thousand trains slamming into each other and began to grapple.

The mammoth bodies of the Kaiju wrestled like twenty-story-tall sumo wrestlers in an attempt to gain the upper hand over their respective opponent.  For Anguirus, this would be very difficult due to him being smaller than the much more devastating Alpha. Even standing on his hind legs, he just barely came up to Godzilla's chest. However, he was no stranger to battle as he bore the scars and chipped spikes to prove it. Sadly, that didn't account a hill of beans right now as Godzilla managed to reach through their locked position, grab Anguirus by the left side of his head and slam it into the ground. Anguirus then shook himself free from the much larger Kaiju's grip and, in one fluid movement, spun around and hit Godzilla with his tail, leaving gashes in the giant dinosaur's grooved hide. 

Angered, Godzilla grabbed one of Anguirus's head spikes and pulled his head towards him. He then proceeded to punch the other Kaiju in the face. Before the armored monster could recover, Godzilla raised both his arms upwards and brought them down on his opponent's head. He then bent down and clamped his jaws on the Kaiju's neck, causing Anguirus to let out a howl of pain. In his thrashing, Anguirus managed to scratch Godzilla's leg with his horn, causing the Kaiju King to let go. This gave Anguirus a clear shot as he charged at Godzilla and drove him into a building, demolishing it on contact. 

Godzilla's tail whipped out and struck Anguirus straight in the face as he stood up. The impact sent Anguirus flying into another office building, a building that was reduced to rubble, shattered glass and bent steel. Godzilla lumbered out of his own pile of wreckage with a roar and stopped where Anguirus had crashed. Suddenly, his spikes began to flash with a sharp electric krsh noise. His mouth opened slightly as blue light began to build up within. Almost immediately, Godzilla opened his jaws wide and a stream of silver blue energy shot out from his throat and struck Anguirus head-on, plowing him through several structures miles away before erupting into an explosion, kicking up more debris in the process. Godzilla still stayed put, as though waiting to see if his opponent still lived. He got his answer as the silhouette of Anguirus began to charge at him before launching out of the debris in a rolled up state like a giant, spiky soccer ball which slammed into Godzilla's chest and knocked him on his back, the impact wave causing multiple car alarms to go off and windows to shatter. 

Anguirus unfurled from his ball and hit the ground with the same amount of force as a train crash. Godzilla got back onto his feet, his spikes lighting up again. This time, the smaller Kaiju curled up into a ball and let the blue fire lick around his armored carapace. Godzilla seemed to decide now was the time for a change in strategy, because he barreled toward the Kaiju and grabbed him by the neck. He then pulled back his muscle-bound arm and threw the Kaiju a few miles away from where Kenji and Fluttershy were. Upon crashing, Anguirus crushed several cars, one of which had a civilian in it who little to no time to react. Kenji and Fluttershy quickly bolted as Godzilla stomped down the street towards Anguirus, just barely avoiding his tail as it whipped behind him. 

Anguirus lifted himself to his feet and shook the debris off him like a dog. He then stopped as he heard a low growl behind him. Upon turning around, he was face-to-face with an angry Godzilla. Before he could react, Godzilla grabbed his neck and slammed him into a building and then threw him into another. Anguirus leapt out of the building and collided with the King of the Monsters. 

It was at this point the clash of the titans had now devolved into the Kaiju equivalent of a bar-fight with both monsters punching, clawing and biting at each other. During their fight, Godzilla hit Anguirus with his long tail and sent him into a pagoda, reducing it to rubble only for the Kaiju to leap out at the King. 

As Kenji and Fluttershy watched the battle ensue before them,  a squadron of jets passed over, their sonic booms causing Fluttershy to yelp, cover her ears and drop to her knees. "FLUTTERSHY!" Kenji called out to her as he rushed to her side.

One of the pilots, a man named Oiru Banana spotted the two dueling Kaiju in front of him. "Targets sighted. Engaging now." he   announced as all six of his fellow jets launched their payload of Full-Metal and Frontier missiles at their targets. The missiles made their mark, causing both Kaiju to break away from each other and roar in surprise as the jets pulled up away from them only for another squadron take a shot at them. Eventually, the Maser division added their fire upon the Kaiju, kicking up smoke and dust clouds as they did. 

After what seemed like hours of suppressing fire, the barrage ceased as the soldiers moved in while the jets circled around like vultures. Suddenly, a giant clawed foot emerged from the smoke, followed by Godzilla and Anguirus, both of whom had now turned their attention on both SDF and G-Force soldiers alike. Godzilla seemed to briefly exchange glances with Anguirus, who was now covered in bloody scratches and had a few burn marks received from the Alpha Kaiju's fire (or Atomic Ray as G-Force labeled it) before turning his fiery-eyed glare at the gathered humans. his spikes beginning to flash again. Before anyone could react, Godzilla let loose his fire upon the assembled army, reducing the tanks into smelted metal alloy and leaving a molten gash in the street. In one fluid motion, Godzilla swung himself around, knocking whatever vehicle, or human, in its path aside as well as smashing what ever building it came in contact with. He then turned his head towards a jet that was currently firing its mini-gun at him. He responded by unleashing his Atomic Ray at it, causing the jet to explode into a fireball. 

While Godzilla was doing this, Anguirus lunged and rolled himself into a ball in mid-air, crushing anything or anyone that couldn't get out of the way like a giant bowling ball. He then unfurled and slammed his tail down on some Maser tanks, crushing some while sending two flying into the air. One of the tanks smashed into an apartment complex while the other slammed front-first just a few feet away from Kenji and Fluttershy.

For Kenji, everything seemed to slow-down and his ears began to ring as he and Fluttershy ran through the ensuing chaos. He could barely hear the sounds, of tank shells flying through the sky and exploding as they made their mark, the roars of both Kaiju as they turned their fury towards the soldiers who tried in vain to stop them. In a matter of what seemed to him like two hours of running, him and Fluttershy made it out safely, both gasping for breath as they turned to watch Godzilla roaring and tearing apart Minato like a three-year-old throwing a tantrum, his tail smashing buildings like a whip crossed with a battering ram, his claws tearing through steel like a knife through butter and his fire consuming all that got in its path. He couldn't see Anguirus anywhere. Either he went off to lick his wounds and Godzilla let him, or he snuck away when the Monster King's back was turned. Kenji turned his head to see Fluttershy looking at him with a horrified face, the noon sun glinting off freshly shed tears. He just rubbed away her tears and gave her a small smile. "How about we go home?" he asked. Fluttershy nodded and they walked off, unaware they were being followed. 

Twilight began to reconsider coming here in the first place. It wasn't enough for two of those monsters (or as she came to call them 'Kaiju' after what that man told her) but then there was nearly getting killed in their skirmish. However, during the battle of the giant beasts (one of which would make an Ursa Major look like a teddy bear), she had spotted what looked like Fluttershy with a human boy. After nearly getting killed by the monsters' rampage, they were now recovering from an adrenaline hangover. While they were still alive, they were covered in dirt and some scrapes. Rarity slipped off her shoes and rubbed her feet after hours of running in heels. "Well," she spoke up, "I think it's easy to consider why Empress Scribe declared this place forbidden." Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who were standing beside her, nodded in agreement. 

Pinkie Pie looked as though she were on the edge of collapse, ironic considering her usually energetic nature. Her curly hair clung to her sweaty neck. She then turned her head and spotted 'Fluttershy' and the boy again walking into the forest.

"Guys, I think I saw Fluttershy, come on!" she called out, seemingly regaining her energy while the other former ponies and dragon tried to catch up with her. Rarity was furthest behind as she carried her heels in her left hand and ran barefoot on the grassy hill. As they followed them, they saw the two step onto a bus. The ponies and dragon-turned-human stepped up but were stopped by a man. 

"Passes or 100 yen." he told them. Twilight gave him a "one-minute gesture" as she reached into her bag and pulled out her slip of paper that had now transformed into a bus-pass and handed it to the man. The others did the same. "Where to?" the driver asked.

Twilight paused. "Where does this bus usually stop?" she asked.

"Shibuya." 

"Then seven for Shibuya."  

Kenji and Fluttershy took their seat in the back next to each other, Fluttershy once again sitting closer to the window on her left.  After a twenty minutes, Kenji heard Fluttershy whisper, "Why?" 

He turned to face her.

"Why what?" 

"Why did they have to do that? What reason did they have?" she asked, her voice sounding as if she were about to burst into tears. 

Kenji began to think about how to answer that until he recalled a similar question he asked his grandfather during a visit to his grandparents when he was nine-years-old.

Kenji leaned in as he watched a news report of Godzilla rampaging through a small village in Kanto. "Kenji, don't lean in so close, unless ya want to be nearsighted like me." his grandfather, an old man with a long white goatee and glasses told him. Kenji sighed and leaned back. He then turned to face his grandpa. "Hey, Grampa?" he asked. His grandfather rose an eyebrow. "Yes?" 

"Why is Godzilla destroying that city?" Kenji asked curiously. The old man sighed and shook his head, as if he was hesitant to reply to his grandson. 

"Long before you were born, Kenji," he started, "Man did some terrible things to the world. They made Godzilla angry." 

Kenji tilted his head. "What kind of things?" he asked.

His grandfather chuckled. "Ah, you're too young to understand." 

He then began to continue solemnly.

"They made a huge fire and burned down everything in their path. Because of this, Godzilla can never forgive Mankind."

Fluttershy's eyes widened as soon as she heard Kenji tell his grandfather's answer before looking out the window and watched the world pass by. Kenji then rested his head into his seat, letting sleep take over him on the long way home.
> When Worlds Collide
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Kenji stretched as he and Fluttershy stepped off the bus to Shibuya. After being caught up in a war between two Kaiju, he wanted nothing more but to get some food in his stomach and lay down. "Good to be home in one piece." he muttered before slipping off his shoes with Fluttershy following suit behind him. Kenji slid open the door and called out, "Mom, we're home!" 

"Kenji!" Aki ran towards him and wrapped him in a tight embrace before he could even figure out what was going on. He could hear his mother sobbing. He looked over his shoulder and saw his three sisters who appeared to be relieved about something. 

"You're okay. Oh, thank God you're okay." Aki whispered. 

Kenji smiled and returned his mother's hug. "Of course I'm okay, Mom. Why wouldn't I be?"

His mother broke her embrace and looked at him eye-to-eye. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her eyes were bloodshot. However, she was smiling. 

"So, what was with the sudden hug?" he asked. Asuka answered him.

"We thought you were dead."

"Why would I be dea-" Kenji was distracted by what was being shown on the television. It was footage of Godzilla attacking Minato. While the TV itself was mute, what unfurled was certainly chilling nonetheless. He watched as Godzilla was beginning to walk past the Tokyo Tower before pausing and turning his colossal head towards it. The dinosaur beast curled up his lip while his back spikes flashed. In a millisecond, an Atomic Ray struck the left side of the building. As he lumbered off, the Tokyo Tower, after having one of its sides turned into molten steel fell like a downed tree on some apartment complexes, leveling them. 

Kenji heard someone gasp behind him. He turned around to see Fluttershy holding her hand over her mouth and eyes wide as plates. He then turned around and switched the TV off. "Well, we're alive right now, aren't we? he asked Asuka. Aki smiled and gave him a more gentle hug. "Oh, by the way, me and the girls are going to the grocery store you want to come?" she asked.

Kenji gave a slight chuckle. "Nah, I think Fuka and I are gonna spend some time vegetating at home." 

Akio smiled as she and the girls walked out, leaving Fluttershy and Kenji alone. 

"I'll go get us a snack, how does kataage sound?" Kenji asked her.

"Fine, I guess," Fluttershy answered, "What's that?"

Twilight watched behind the bush as four female humans exited the house and entered a strange, mechanical carriage that seemed to be pulled by invisible steeds before giving the "all-clear" signal to the others. "Okay, what's the plan?" Rainbow Dash whispered.

Twilight shrugged, "I... have no idea." 

Rainbow Dash groaned and facepalmed.

"I've got one!" Pinkie piped up.

Her friends turned their eyes towards the pink-haired girl. 

"Why don't we just go up and say 'hello'?"  

Kenji and Fluttershy were currently sharing a bowl of kataage potato chips while watching an episode of Powerpuff Girls, particularly the one where Bubbles kindly asked a rampaging monster to leave after it had shrugged off the efforts of Blossom and Buttercup to defeat it. Suddenly, Ami came bursting in, licking her master's cheeks, apparently happy to see him. She then noticed the bowl of chips between him and the strange girl and tried to reach towards them. Kenji held her back but his efforts were in vain. That was until the Akita and Fluttershy locked eyes. For a while, the two stood there, eye-to-eye until Ami, not breaking eye contact, lay down in an almost defeated kind of way. 

Kenji was almost impressed. Even his mother at her strictest couldn't get the dog to back down that easily. "So, how did you do that?" he asked. 

"Do what?" 

"What you just did to get the dog to back off."

"It's what I call the Stare." Fluttershy answered. 

Kenji was about to ask what that was until his thoughts drifted to where she came from. However, before he could say anything, he heard the musical sound of doorbell. Mom must be here early. he thought. He then walked up to the door just as the bell sounded again. Just as he opened the door, he was greeted by another sight. 

Standing before him were six girls and two boys. One girl was dressed with a sort of goth vibe. Her black hair was streaked with pink, blue and purple almost like a setting sun. There was a girl that looked almost like a model with spiraling indigo hair, a shorter, athletic looking girl with a mess of shoulder-length hair that looked like rainbow-colored fire and cerise eyes, a girl with poofy pink hair, big blue eyes and a bit of a belly, a muscular looking girl who looked like she came from a country-themed cosplay convention with blond hair and green eyes, a large, muscular boy with multi-hued blue hair and a ten-year-old boy with a purple hoodie and green eyes. 

"Can I help you?" he asked. 

"Yes," the goth girl started, "We are looking for a friend of our's."

Kenji was about to say something until Fluttershy poked her head out to see what was going on. The pink-haired girl pushed Kenji to the side and peered at her in curiosity as well. For a while the two stared at each other until the other girl's mouth transformed into quite possibly the biggest smile Kenji had ever seen. Before he could do anything, the girl ran out shouting Fluttershy's name and wrapping her in a tight embrace.

"Fluttershy! You're okay! We thought you were dead because that sphere thing sucked you into that portal kinda like I slurp up noodles, y'know like this," the girl told her before letting out a slurping noise to prove her point, "So we went through this mirror portal and it was really fun although Rainbow Dash threw up after it was done (by the way don't tell her I said that),  then there were these two gigantomongous monsters that fought each other but you're okay right now and that's all that matters!" 

Fluttershy gently pushed the other girl away and took the chance to look at the others before her. Just then, the girl's eyes misted over with tears as a smile appeared on her face. It was almost like she recognized these people. After a split second, Fluttershy screamed with what sounded like joy and hugged the group. Kenji stared confused at this. He put his fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle, catching their attention.

"Okay, time out! What's going on here!?" he asked. 

Fluttershy composed herself before explaining.

"So," Kenji said, after twelve minutes of hearing Fluttershy's explanation, "Let me get this straight. You are really horses-"

"Ponies!" the rainbow haired girl snapped.

"...Right. Ponies," Kenji corrected himself, "who come from a world called 'Equestria' where unicorns, pegasi and winged unicorns live along side creatures that should probably exist in mythology."

"Correct." the goth girl nodded before introducing herself and her friends. "Perhaps it's best we get to know each other. This is my brother Shining Armor," she gestured to the large boy sitting next to her, who gave a slight wave and a "Hey." 

She turned to the fashionista-looking girl next to her, "This is Rarity."

"A pleasure to meet you, Darling." the girl told him with a very sophisticated accent.

"Applejack." 

The country-styled girl tipped her Stetson.

"Howdy." she said with a very Osakan-esque accent.

"Rainbow Dash."

The rainbow-haired girl smirked, "The one and only."

"Pinkie Pie."

The curly-haired girl waved at him energetically, "Hiyah!"

"Spike."

The green-haired boy waved, "Nice to see ya."

"And I am Twilight Sparkle." the girl finished gesturing to herself.

Kenji snickered before bursting into laughter. "'Twilight Sparkle'? What? No. No. Seriously what's your real name?"

Twilight gave him a confused and offended look. "That is my name. Twilight Luminosa Sparkle. Princess Twilight Luminosa Sparkle if you want to be formal."

"Yeah, like that makes it any better!" 

Twilight sighed and placed her palm to her head. "Look, Kenji, was it?" she started, "That's the name that was given to me by my parents and has stuck with me ever since. Got it?"

Kenji shrugged, "Okay." 

Kenji looked at Spike in confusion as to why ponies who were now humans in their teens-to-early adulthood would bring a ten-year-old with them.

"So, what kind of hor-"

"Ahem." Rainbow Dash grunted, causing Ken to roll his eyes.

"Pony are you?" Kenji asked Spike. 

"Pony? Nah, I'm a dragon!"

Kenji raised an eyebrow at this statement before getting to business. "Okay, so you came through some kind of portal? When do you think you can go home?"

Twilight gave an embarrassed laugh as if she were hesitating about something. "Well, about that. The portal doesn't really open up until another six weeks. So... we're kinda stuck... here. Eheheh."

For a few seconds, the room stayed completely silent. Kenji blinked before asking in an emotionless tone, "What?"

Just before he could say anything else, Kenji heard the door open and the rustling of plastic bags. He slowly turned around only to be greeted with the sight of his sisters and mother standing in the doorway, their eyes wide and confusion evident on their faces. Asuka was the first to speak up. "Let me guess; more Okinawa exchange students?"

Kenji groaned. Well, look on the bright side, he thought, At least it can't possibly get any worse.
> A Frightful Alliance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The chameleon slowly prowled towards its prey, a grasshopper. The lizard's elongated telescope-like eyes were currently locked on its food while its hand-like feet gripped the sides of the branches. The chameleon opened its mouth, and in the blink of an eye, snagged the grasshopper in its sticky long tongue. After reeling in its prize, the lizard's left eye looked upwards to see a giant black shape plummeting out of the setting sun. However, just like the prey it feasted on, the chameleon was too slow to act as a mountain of spikes and chiton slammed into the jungles of Solgell, flinging the lizard far into the air.

The beast rose to its full height while furling its four, blood-red, bat-like wings and examining its surroundings. The Kaiju itself looked like something out of a nightmare. Its body was covered in a red-violet carapace with some bone-white spikes sticking out of its legs and two thick red ones on its shoulders. Its segmented, scorpion-like tail ended in a sharp, earwig-like pincer. Its chest was decorated with a bony floral pattern that gave off the appearance of a secondary, circular mouth. The beast had three sharp talons for fingers. Its head was by far the most frightening thing about it. Two winglike crests as red as blood rested on each side of its dragon-like face with three tusks on each side of its mouth. A yellow sword-like horn protruded from its forehead and glowing, yellow, pupil-less eyes scanned the horizon. The monster had a name too: Destoroyah.

Destoroyah sniffed the air and hissed as though it were searching for something and yet had no idea what he was searching for. The Micro-Oxygen based Precambrian hissed again as he began to lumber across the jungle that used to be the old hunting grounds of the spider Kaiju Kumonga and the mantis Kaiju Kamacuras. Suddenly, Destoroyah caught something off the corner of his compound eye and was greeted with a sight that both angered and surprised him. 

A second Kaiju descended from the sky almost like a feather. This Kaiju was slightly taller than Destoroyah. In many ways it looked almost exactly like Godzilla. However, there were... several differences. For starters, while Godzilla was a dark, charcoal gray, this look-alike was a deep purple with a red underbelly. Its head was tipped with an orange, three-pointed crown and four tusks on each side of its mouth. The most defining feature about it was the fact it was covered with crystals. Two giant crystals protruded from its shoulders, an entire cluster of crystals rested on the tip of its tail and its dorsal spikes were merely serrated crystalline protrusions. The creature was named SpaceGodzilla; a name which started out as a joke among the people of G-Force due to his origins which somehow stuck with the space-born Kaiju. 

The crystalline twin of the King of the Monsters appeared to ignore the demonic Oxygen Destroyer after-product and looked around at his surroundings, scanning the environment with blood red eyes. Destoroyah hissed at the very sight of this newcomer, both determined to protect the territory he called his own and because of how much this new Kaiju looked like the same monster his catalyst was supposed to have destroyed in 1954. 

Destoroyah stomped forward and let out a barking shriek at the newcomer. SpaceGodzilla briefly looked over his shoulder at the demonic Kaiju in an almost uninterested fashion, seemingly judging him with red eyes before turning his back on him as if not even thinking the winged Alpha was worth any of his time. 

Big mistake, at least, that's what it seemed for Destoroyah. The bony frill of the mutated Precambrian organism began to spark for a moment before the beast opened his jaws and let loose a purple stream of Micro-Oxygen, striking the crystalline Godzilla lookalike in the back. SpaceGodzilla stumbled for a moment, letting out a shrieking roar. Once he recovered, SpaceGodzilla turned to face Destoroyah, his eyes narrowed into blood-red slits and his lips pulled back into a snarl. Destoroyah spread out his wings and a wild yowl erupted from his throat as if satisfied that he had gotten the space Kaiju's attention. Well, he did... and he was about to regret it. 

SpaceGodzilla curled his left paw's talons into a fist, red energy sparking around his fingers and roared his own challenge. Destoroyah charged forward with another yowling roar. With a hiss, SpaceGodzilla slammed his fist into the ground... and a row of crystalline spikes erupted from the ground, slamming into the Alpha. Before Destoroyah could even recover, he felt himself being lifted from the ground. This was very confusing. He wasn't using his wings. Why was he suddenly being lifted off the ground? He got his answer as he spotted SpaceGodzilla slowly lifting his right hand upwards, green energy coming out of his shoulder crystals.  All of a sudden, the clone of Godzilla turned his hand down and swiped in one quick motion, slamming Destoroyah into the ground. 

Hissing, Destoroyah got back on his feet and fired another Micro-Oxygen Beam at his enemy's red chest. However, unlike last time, what looked like a sheet of crystals shaped like a mirror appeared in front of SpaceGodzilla and caused it to bounce off and slice the ground, destroying layers of soil and uprooting trees. SpaceGodzilla countered by releasing a stream of energy from his mouth that seemed to be alive at Destoroyah, erupting in sparks and burned chiton. 

Angered, the demonic Kaiju charged once again, his horn glowing a bright yellow and crackling with energy. He swung his head down, his horn like a sword. Unfortunately for him, SpaceGodzilla had brought back the shield, causing the Laser Horn to strike at nothing but psionically hardened air. In his rage, the winged Kaiju swung his horn on the shield again and again, hoping to shatter it. SpaceGodzilla then raised his hand again and ensnared his opponent in the Gravity Tornado which he once again used to slam him to the ground. However, at the same time, he had dropped his guard allowing Destoroyah to whip out his pincered tail and grab the Godzilla clone by the neck. The tail then arched backwards, vaulting the crystalline Kaiju into the edge of the jungle before he crashed with the force of three M.O.A.B.s. 

With another wild yowl, Destoroyah stood up and charged at SpaceGodzilla, his claws extended and horn crackling with energy. SpaceGodzilla stood up and prepared his Corona Beam... until four yellow beams struck the ground in between both Kaiju, stopping Destoroyah in his tracks and causing SpaceGodzilla to look around. Both Kaiju looked upwards and saw a third Kaiju slowly descending from the skies. The Kaiju was vaguely humanoid, with black skin and bony white armor covering its body. A long, whiplike tail ending in a double fork curled around its legs. It had skull-like armor on its shoulders and four red eyes, one on each shoulder pad as if they were heads of its own. Its name was Monster X. 

Destoroyah and SpaceGodzilla eyed the skeletal Alpha as if they were waiting for him to make his move only to be greeted with the sight of another Kaiju flying towards them. The Kaiju had a very biomechanical look to it. Its body was as dark as the night sky with three red fins protruding from its back. The avian head of the Kaiju had a single, red eye with a lighter red dot that seemed to act as a pupil. Two metallic mandibles rested on each side of its toothed beak. Instead of hands, the Kaiju had two scythes, each with a pair of grappling hooks resting below the curved blades. The same could also be said about its feet which ended in a single claw for a toe. A long tail tipped with a multi-pronged claw whipped out behind it. Its most defining feature was the buzzsaw in its abdomen. The monster was once a biomechanical weapon used by the humans that went rogue. Its name was Gigan.

Following Gigan in his flying form was Hedorah, the Smog Monster. The saucer shaped creature went into a dive before splattering into a puddle, covering the area of jungle he landed in with acidic ooze that dissolved and ate away at the trees. The puddle of poisonous muck stretched and contorted into a humanoid creature with red eyes that let out a gurgling roar. 

All five Alpha class Kaiju turned their heads at the sound of a piercing shriek that sounded almost like cruel laughter. Just then a golden creature shot from out of the sky and hit the ground feet first, sending up trees and other debris into the sky. The monster before the five Kaiju rose to its full height, dwarfing them all in size. The monster was covered in glittering scales. It had sail-like wings each tipped sharp, dagger-like claws. The creature didn't have arms, instead it had two extra heads, each on long snake-like necks. The heads on the beast looked like classic European dragons crossed with Chinese dragons due to the antlers on the middle head. Twin tails whipped behind it. 

The monster was in many ways evil in its purest form. While its scales were as golden as the high noon sun, its heart was as black as pitch. The death of the dinosaurs and the fall of civilizations such as Nilal Kunai, Lemuria, Seatopia and Mu were all of its doing. It was an unwanted by-product of the Earth as it formed, only briefly stopped by one Kaiju and imprisoned until human interference unleashed it into the world once more. It was the King of Terror. Ghidrah. The Destroyer. King Ghidorah. 

Ghidorah's three heads observed the gathered Kaiju before him before his middle head curled its lips into a grin. Monster X and Gigan took their places to the King of Terror's side as if they were a pair of royal guards. Right there, Ghidorah's snake-like eyes glowed and images began to fill the minds (and whatever passed for a mind for Hedorah). Images of the gathered Kaiju fighting Godzilla... only to lose.

For Hedorah, being thrown into an electrical plant that dried his gelatinous physiology while Godzilla's volcanic blue flame boiled what passed for flesh. Gigan being grabbed by the tail and thrown into a building. SpaceGodzilla's vision consisted of him being slammed into a crystal spire he had created. Destoroyah was greeted with a vision of him being overcome by a snowy avalanche, brought upon him by Godzilla's Atomic Ray. Monster X saw himself having his face being planted into the side of a building while the King of the Monsters repeatedly punched him. Finally there was King Ghidorah. For him, it was the vision of being grabbed by his twin tails by Godzilla and slammed into the ground while his fire scorched his golden scales. 

It was there the six gathered Kaiju came across a surprising revelation as their visions faded away: They all had a score to settle with the King of the Monsters. Ghidorah's message was also very clear: Destroy Godzilla together. Ghidorah's three heads flashed savage looking grins before he let out a roar to SpaceGodzilla, Hedorah and Destoroyah in hopes of receiving his alliance, to which they responded in kind. However, Ghidorah also felt something else. Something strange. Something that felt as if it should not have been allowed in this world. It was weak yes, but he could feel it... and he wanted to find out what or who it was, even if he had to burn the whole of human civilization to the ground. He would have it and nothing, not even Godzilla would get in his way. Nothing.
> Spending Time with Ponies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Kenji could not believe this was happening. He had just found out a few minutes Fluttershy was really a pony from an alternate dimension where unicorns, alicorns (or alcorns, alicons whatever Twilight called them), pegasi, talking horses (which Rainbow Dash kept referring to as earth ponies) and all sorts of "mythical" creatures such as dragons replaced humans as the dominant species . Although he really couldn't rule out dragons.  King Ghidorah and Manda were dragons in and of themselves and there were some Kaiju that could be deemed "mystical" like Mothra, Battra and King Seesar but giant bears made of stars? Shapeshifting bug ponies? "Breezies"? Those he had a hard time getting his head wrapped around. Right now, he was sitting in the dining room with Fluttershy next to him as well as Spike (whom he named Shinji), Twilight (Tatsuki), Shining (Satsuko), Rarity (Rara), Rainbow (Rei), Pinkie (Pinku) and Applejack (Apapa). It was very awkward getting to this point. 

For starters, Kenji had to tell Twilight, Shining, Spike, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow and Pinkie to take their shoes off before they entered the house. Well, except for Rarity because she already had her heels in her hand and didn't need to take them off. Then he had to teach them on the spot about assuming the seiza position at the dinner table and after that he had to teach them how to eat with chopsticks. Now, he was listening to his mother conversing with Twilight.

"So, Tatsuki," Aki said, "how long do you intend to stay?"  

"Six weeks, give or take." Twilight answered.

"Where do you intend to stay for the time being?"

"That depends, got any guestrooms?" 

"Not really, but, I could have my kids make room."

Aki gave her Kenji, Asuka and Kimiko a sly glance off the corner of her eye.

Asuka and Kimiko's eyes popped open.

Asuka went first, "Yeah, about that, Mom, my room's kinda small and it really, really wouldn't help if it was more cramped than it already is."

Kimiko spoke up next, "And my room's a pigsty. I mean, have you seen it recently? There's so much stuff on the floor I can barely see the carpet! Kenji on the other hand..."

Kimiko and Asuka turned their attention to their brother. 

"Really? You're actually doing this to me?"

Kimiko shrugged, "Why not, your room has plenty of space for you and your new girlfriend, I'm sure it can accommodate a few more." 

Kenji groaned, "Is this just long-planned payback for something I did in the past?"

"No, we're being serious here, our rooms suck." Asuka answered.

Kenji groaned at this before recomposing himself.

Well, it's only going to be six weeks, it can't be that bad. he thought

Kenji was laying on the floor, his bed taken over by Twilight and Spike. Kenji was in his Totoro sleeping bag with Fluttershy tucked in next to him and Ami curled up on top of it, his eyes were wide open. Shining Armor lay on Fluttershy's upper right side, wearing a simple white shirt that exposed his refined, muscular arms and a pair of dark blue sweatpants, his legs just barely covered by a thin blanket. It was his snoring that kept him up. In front of him, wrapped up in a blanket, was Rarity who wore a rather glamorous white and purple nightgown decorated with intricate swirling and diamond-shaped patterns. She wore an indigo sleeping mask while she murmured in her sleep. Applejack slept just next to her wearing an orange tank top and red shorts, her hair was undone and her stetson tipped over her head. She was reclining next to his closet door with her hands tucked behind her head and her legs crossed over each other. Rainbow Dash did something similar, leaning against the side of his futon. She wore a blue t-shirt with a cloud shooting out a red, blue and yellow colored lightning bolt and a pair of rainbow-colored capri-pants. Finally, there was Pinkie Pie who was sleeping just to his left. The girl was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt decorated with blue and pink balloons and pink pajama pants, her blanket covering her right leg while her left was exposed. Like Rarity, Pinkie was saying something in her sleep.

Kenji silently groaned to himself before urging his body to fall asleep. He knew it was going to be a long six weeks ahead but he was going to make it through. However, just as he closed his eyes, he heard Pinkie mutter something about cupcakes before she turned over and placed her hand over his face. 

Day 1

Kenji groaned as he walked towards the bathroom, his brown and green bathrobe covering his body, towel draped over his back and back scrubber in hand. However, the very moment he opened the door...

"Can't a lady get some privacy around here!?" Rarity shouted, lowering herself deeper into the tub that was now full of lavender scented soap-laden hot water. Kenji quickly shut the door behind him and blushed.

He then noticed Twilight walk by, still wearing her blue, constellation-decorated pajamas.  "Hey, Twilight?"

"Hmm?"

"How long does Rarity usually take a bath?"

"Oh, I'd say, an hour. She wants to make sure she's as clean as she can be."

"Thanks, just wanted to know."

As soon as Twilight was out of sight, Kenji planted his open palm to his forehead. 

Day 3

Kenji, Asuka, Kimiko, Haruko, Shining Armor, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Twilight all sat around the living room, the room dark with the TV being the only source of light. They were currently sharing a bowl of popcorn while a giant monster movie unfolded in front of them. Just then Twilight spoke up for what had to be the twentieth time.

"So, all of this is supposed to be men in rubber suits smashing up cardboard cities?"

Kenji groaned as he responded, "Yes."

"Huh, that's some strange entertainment."

Kenji facepalmed.

Day 6

"What's this?" Pinkie Pie blurted out, pointing at one of Kenji's models on his shelf.

"That's a model of the Type-66 Maser cannon."

Pinkie pointed at a model vehicle that looked like a tadpole missing a tail. "This?"

"A model of the Super X."

The bouncy girl's finger hovered to the a sleeker looking model vehicle that had its front open to reveal what looked like a polygonal mirror.

"That thing?"

"Model of the Super X 2."

"This?" Pinkie asked about the large plane model.

"The Super X 3."

After telling her about his model vehicles, including the '74 model MechaGodzilla, the '93 model MechaGodzilla, the shuttle-like Garuda and the Osprey-like Raptor One, they finally came across something that truly caught Pinkie's eye.

"What's this thing?" she asked, picking it up to examine it.

"That," Kenji told her, taking it out of her hands, "Happens to be the Gotengo, first and only flying submarine built by Jacob Atragon."

"If it's a submarine, why does it have a drill?"

"So it could go underground."

"If that's the case, why would it need to fly?"

Kenji sighed and facepalmed.

Day 10

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as she tried to open an apple-flavored ramune (and by that she was attempting to twist off the cap). Even though Kenji told her she had to press down on the marble to open it, she stubbornly refused to listen to him until she finally got it right and congratulated herself.  Facepalm.

Day 12

Rarity kept Kenji out of the bathroom while she applied her makeup, despite his desperate need to relieve himself until he asked her if she could make an exception due to potty emergency to which she just replied, "Well, why didn't you just say so, Darling?" Facepalm.

Day 13

Kenji sat at the dinner table where his mother took note of the red mark on his forehead. "Honey? Are you coming down with something?"

"No, Mom. I'm not."

Just then Pinkie Pie poked her head next to Kenji. "Hey, Kenji, could you show me how to use these chopsticks?"

"I showed you how to use them three times, Pinku." 

Pinkie blushed, "Yeah, I kinda spaced out those three times. Sorry."

Kenji groaned and facepalmed.  

That night, Kenji found himself sleeping once again with Fluttershy in his Totoro bag and Ami curled up on top while Twilight and Spike curled up on his futon and Fluttershy's friends all scattered around his room. Only this time, Pinkie slept in a downward position and therefore had her bare foot pressed against his cheek. Well, at least it doesn't smell bad, it actually smells like cotton candy, he thought. Still didn't help the fact he had a cold foot against his skin. Fluttershy seemed to notice his discomfort and rolled over.

"I know they seem like a handful, but that's what friends are at first. Sometimes, they get on each others' nerves and sometimes they connect almost immediately. Give them time." she told him.

Kenji smiled before rolling over, Pinkie's foot now touching his hair. His eyes closed and his mind settled into the world of dreams. He had a big day tomorrow and he wasn't about to let this new series of events get the better of him. 

A solitary giant squid patrolled the Marianas Trench. It was a female, seventy-five feet in length from mantle to her whip-like tentacles. Her large eyes, each roughly the size of dinner plates scanned the dark ocean depths for food as well as keeping a lookout for potential predators. Suddenly, the squid spotted movement from a crevasse to her side. She jetted away, letting loose a cloud of ink just before a tentacle three times her size could catch her. The tentacle's owner slithered out of the crevasse. It was a gigantic octopus covered in bioluminescent stripes. This creature, which was referred to by humans as an Oodako, was much larger than any recorded cephalopod on Earth, even able to climb onto dry land to hunt. However, this Oodako was unaware it was being hunted. It didn't notice the unusual rock pattern move behind it, nor did it notice the pair of glowing, fiery eyes. Suddenly, in a flash, the octopus's mantle was caught in a pair of jaws twice its size. The Oodako was thrashed around as the teeth sank deeper into its spongy flesh until the hunter's sword-like teeth pierced its heart, ending its life, ink spilled from its punctured sac and mixed with its blood.

Godzilla began to feast on his freshly caught prey. His body was covered in burns from fuel air bombs that only now were half-healed, despite his cellular regeneration. As he ate, Godzilla began to think about what attracted him and that spiny Kaiju. Whatever it was, its presence felt weak, almost non-existent. Before it felt nagging, almost calling to him in a way he couldn't resist. Right now, he needed time for his regenerative abilities to fully close up the burn wounds and wait for the calling again. And this time, absolutely nothing would stand in his way.
> Bonding
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fluttershy stood at the edge of a two story building, her feet bare and exposed to cold concrete while a wild wind stirred her pink hair and yellow nightgown. In front of her was a city, burning and crumbling. While it was nighttime, the fast climbing flames made it seem almost like sunrise. Despite the heat from the flames, she felt a chill running down her spine as the choking smell of smoke filled her nostrils. Suddenly, she heard the sound of booming footsteps behind her. Her heart began to pound and sweat began to bead upon her brows. She could even feel tears welling up in her eyes. 

Just then, a shadow loomed over her. She could hear the sound of a large animal breathing in and out. She willed herself to turn and found herself face-to-face with Godzilla, looking as though he had strode through the darkest, deepest pits of Tartarus. The monster leered down on Fluttershy, his eyes burning bright as fire and his mouth twisted into a demonic smile. Fluttershy could see his back spikes beginning to flash and whisps of blue vapor curling between his fangs. Fluttershy tried to will herself to run but she couldn't. It as if her feet were glued to the spot. The last thing she saw was Godzilla opening his jaws and letting his azure inferno spill onto the former pegasus.

Fluttershy jolted upwards and let out a shrill yelp. She then looked around to see her friends now awake and looking at her in concern. 

"You alright, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked.

The former pegasus let out a sigh of relief. "It was just a dream." she whispered to herself.

Fluttershy then noticed Kenji was missing, his side replaced by a curled up Ami. 

"Where did Kenji go?"

Pinkie answered, "I saw him walk out a few minutes ago while I was getting a glass of water, said he was going somewhere important."

Fluttershy thought about it and erupted out of bed. She then ran downstairs only to be greeted by Aki in her own nightgown, sipping some coffee. 

"Good morning, Fuka." she greeted.

"Hey, Mrs. Akamoto, do you know where Kenji went?"

"Oh, he went to the cemetery across the street. And you can just call me Aki." 

Fluttershy nodded before running off, forgetting to put on her slipper shoes in the process. The sun was just peeking over the corner, so not many people were out, but the ones who had taken the time for an early morning jog were greeted by the sight of a pink-haired girl running barefoot in a yellow nightgown. 

Fluttershy spotted Kenji walking along the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets. 

"Hey, Kenji!" 

The boy turned to see Fluttershy, still in her nightgown and feet bare running towards him. 

"Hey there, Fluttershy, you sleep well? And why are you still in your nightgown?"

Fluttershy blinked before realizing what she was wearing and blushed. "Um, mind if I come with you?"

Kenji shrugged. "Why not?"

After a few minutes, the pair finally arrived at the cemetery. Fluttershy followed Kenji to a grave marker that read in kanji.

Here lies Tatsuo Akamoto
Born:December 9th, 1995, Died: May 16th, 2026
Trusted member of Monarch Shipping, Beloved Husband, Loving Father


Kenji dropped down to his knee and touched the ground where his father's coffin was buried underneath and sighed. Fluttershy watched as he did this. How did his father die? she thought. As if he read her thoughts, Kenji began to speak.

"I was only eleven-years-old when he went. He told my mom the company he worked for had called him for a meeting. Late that night, some men visited our house and talked to my mom. I overheard them say something about my dad and a car crash. They told her he was so bent up, he was gone before the ambulances could even get there in time. The last thing I told him before he left was 'goodbye'." 

Kenji's voice began to waver as he continued, "I-I never thought that would b-be the last thing I e-ever told him the night he... he..."

Kenji couldn't continue as he broke down sobbing. He remembered his mother spotting him at the stairwell, still in his pajamas, knowing he had heard every word those men told her and wrapping him in her arms, both of them crying at their loss. For Aki, it was losing the man she loved. For Kenji, it was losing a proud, loving father.  

Suddenly, Kenji felt a pair of firm, yet gentle hands grip his shoulders and slowly pull him up to a standing position. The hands then turned him around until he was eye-to-eye with Fluttershy, sympathy etching across her face. For a while they stood like that before she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Kenji was shocked at first before returning the hug. 

Afterwards, Kenji and Fluttershy walked side-by-side to the house. However, upon reaching it, they saw Kimiko, still wearing her fleece pants and t-shirt, her arms across her chest, the expression on her face looked as if it were saying something along the lines of "What have we discussed about keeping secrets?"

"You could have told us three of your friends were psychics." she told Fluttershy.

Fluttershy and Kenji exchanged glances before heading inside where they were greeted with a... rather unusual sight.

Twilight sat in the living room in a meditative state, her eyes tightly clenched as three balls rotated around her, all of them illuminated by a magenta aura. The balls circled her like the planets circling the sun. Rarity was currently levitating a pair of soaps and contemplating which one to use while Shining was just testing his levitating powers on a small box. 

The first of the former Equestrians to notice the pair come in was Pinkie Pie, her face curled up into the biggest smile, followed by everyone else. Twilight, after letting her floating balls drift gently to the ground, drew in a deep breath and exhaled. 

"Yeah, I take it we have some explaining to do don't we?" 

Kenji gave out a small smile. "Don't we all?"
> The Festival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"So, how does this look, Mom?" Haruka asked, showing Aki her purple and pink flower-decorated yukata. The ten-year old was just so excited for the Ifukube Festival tomorrow she would even settle for a dress that no longer fit her. Aki looked at her daughter and scrutinized it. 

"I don't know, sweetheart, that looks a little small for you. I could make a new one for you." 

Haruka's excitement instantly died as her gleaming smile faded into a pout. "But I wanna wear this one!"

Aki sighed, "Okay, how about this? Try it on and I'll decide whether or not I need to make you a new one."

The youngest Akamoto smiled at that offer as she put on her yukata. Sadly for her, she got as far as the first step before she started struggling with holding together the two sides of fabric. Her mother instantly saw this.

"Looks like you need a new one." she told her in a deadpan voice.

Haruka groaned at her mother's words as Aki walked past her, carrying a roll of blue and gold-flower decorated fabric under her arm.

Upstairs, the Equestrians-turned-humans were also preparing for the festival by trying on their own yukatas made by Rarity and trying out new hairstyles for the occasion. 

"Our first festival in another dimension! Can you believe it?" Twilight said excitedly. Twilight was trying on a dark purple yukata  with the constellations decorated onto it such as the human versions of Andromeda, Orion, Gemini, Cassiopeia, Auriga, Virgo, Sagittaurus, Boötes and Perseus, somewhat like her intended Gala dress that got rejected. Her hair was bunched up into a bun held together by a silver pin. 

"How is this any different than the summer festivals in Neighpon?" Rainbow Dash, currently wearing a light blue  yukata decorated in storm clouds, each shooting out a lightning bolt of every different color of the rainbow. Like Twilight, her hair was also  tied up but more into a messy pony-tail held in place by a scrunchy. 

"How 'bout because it's in a human dimension?" Applejack rhetorically asked. Applejack wore a yukata composed of golden brown silk with shining red apples decorated onto it. Her trademark ponytail had been turned into a long braid that dangled down to her back.

Rainbow just scoffed, "Whatever."

Spike and Shining Armor wore their own respective uniforms. They had asked Rarity for something simple and so Shining Armor's yukata was just a tri-blue color with a silver-white sash while Spike wore a dark purple yukata with a vibrant neon green sash. However, Rarity did sneak in some extra details such as Shining Armor's shield cutie mark on the shoulder which was orange as opposed to the usual dark blue to pop out among the other colors and multi-colored gem decorations on Spike's sleeves.

Pinkie Pie admired herself in the mirror. Her yukata was hot pink with neon blue and yellow balloons. Her hair was tied into a messy bun of curly pink strands also held together by a pin. 

Rarity, however, was stricken with a predicament. She had made two yukatas. One was what she called the "Diamond Dozen" which was a purple robe decorated in silver-white diamonds and blue highlights and another she called the "Nightmare" which was dark purple, almost black with light blue, cat-like eye patterns, gold decorations on the arms and blue, plus-shaped stars decorated all over it. 

"On the one hand, the Diamond Dozen is sophisticated and familiar, on the other hand, the Nightmare has a mysterious beauty to it. But of course the Diamond Dozen feels more like me but then again, there's no harm in mixing things up a bit." Rarity pondered to herself. "Hmm, Nightmare, Diamond Dozen, Nightmare, Diamond Dozen-"

Applejack saw this and rolled her eyes, "Rarity, we ain't goin' to a fashion show, we're goin' to a festival. Just pick one."

Rarity's eyes shifted from the Nightmare to the Diamond Dozen until she finally went with the Nightmare. 

Meanwhile, Kenji was waiting for Fluttershy to finish up in the bathroom putting on her yukata. He wore his own blue and gray one that was stitched together by his grandmother. He was rather surprised to find out it could still fit him even after all those years. "You done in there, Fluttershy?" 

As if in answer, the bathroom door opened and Kenji's eyes widened at the sight in front of him. When Rarity told him she was one of the most skilled seamstresses in their world of Equestria, she definitely wasn't lying. Fluttershy looked absolutely beautiful. Her long hair was collected into a loose pony-tail/braid that hung over her back, revealing both of her turquoise eyes. She was dressed in a long yukata made from shining yellow threads that seemed to catch the light and give off a radiant glow while the stitched in butterfly decorations, each a different color of the rainbow, followed in suit as she twirled herself around on her bare toes. 

"How do I look?" she asked.

Kenji was so awestruck that he couldn't answer, causing Fluttershy to frown. "It's too much isn't it. I could ask Rarity to water it down a little bit if that's okay with you. Maybe ask her to get rid of the butterflies or just stick to one color or maybe-" 

Kenji stopped her by placing his finger on her lips and smiled at her. "I think you're going to wow everyone at the festival tomorrow."

Fluttershy immediately brightened up and hugged him. When they pulled apart, both human and former-pegasus locked eyes both feeling rather faint before leaning in to each other, their lips extending. However, just as they were about to meet...

"Hey, is Fluttershy done getting her yukata on?" Pinkie Pie popped her head into the bathroom only to be greeted with the sight of Fluttershy and Kenji embracing each other. "Did I interrupt anything?" she asked.

Both Fluttershy and Kenji exchanged glances before coming to grips of their current situation and let each other go stammering denials. "I think it's time to go to bed, I mean look at the time!" Kenji stammered pointing to his invisible watch. "Um, yeah. Bedtime!" Fluttershy joined in rather clumsily, both flashing strained, full-toothed smiles.

Pinkie Pie eyed them as if there was something suspicious going on before brightening up. "Okie-Dokie-Lokie. Night night!" 

Both Kenji and Fluttershy sighed in relief before looking at each other. "Um, good night I guess." Kenji started.

"Y-yeah, um, good night to you too." 

With that, both Fluttershy and Kenji changed out of their respective yukatas and into their nightclothes; a pair of gray sweat pants and a white tank-top for Kenji and a yellow nightgown for Fluttershy. 

Later that night, Fluttershy couldn't sleep. She looked over to Kenji who was sound asleep. Were we about to kiss? she thought to herself. She decided she needed something to calm her nerves as she wriggled out of the sleeping bag, her movements briefly stirring Ami who looked at her for a second before going back to sleep, and tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen. Upon arriving, she poured herself a glass of water and drank it slowly. However, she was not alone.

"Having trouble sleeping, darling?" 

Fluttershy, startled, whipped around to see Rarity, dressed in her nightgown and her hair bundled up into a knot leaning against the kitchen doorway. 

"Um, Rarity! I was just, um- you see- um, I-"

Rarity chuckled and shook her head, "Relax, Fluttershy, you and I can talk. Besides, you're not the only one who can't get any sleep right now," she added under her breath. "What with Rainbow Dash snoring up a storm in there, I'm surprised anyone can get any sleep." 

Fluttershy twiddled her fingers as if she were thinking about something to say. "Um, Rarity? Have you ever met someone whom you regarded as a friend but as time went on you saw them as someone else?"

Rarity thought for a moment, "Well there was Blueblood who I thought was going to be my Prince Charming only to be nothing more than a spoiled royal brat." 

Suddenly her eyes widened. "Is that what's happening between you and Kenji?" 

Fluttershy hesitated and twirled her hair as if afraid to answer. Rarity, upon seeing this, asked, "You love him. Don't you?"

Fluttershy paused for a moment before answering, "I guess I do."

Rarity sighed as her voice turned serious, "Then you do understand that we'll have to be leaving when these weeks are over, right? That means  you'll have to say goodbye."

Fluttershy nodded sadly. "I understand, Rarity."

Rarity gave her friend a sympathetic smile and placed her hand on her shoulder, "But that doesn't mean you can't make the most of it. Now, how about you and I try to get some sleep."

Fluttershy smiled and gave the former unicorn a big hug and she followed her upstairs, determined to make the best of her short time in this dimension.

The next evening, the Akamotos and the former Equestrians all waited at the bus stop all of them dressed in their yukatas Aki was dressed in a lavender one decorated with white cranes. Asuka wore a red yukata decorated in silk flames while her hair was tied into a braid. Kimiko wore a striking green yukata with her hair string into a ponytail near the end. All the while, little Haruka pouted in her new yukata that looked similar to the one she used to have only larger. It may have looked the same but it didn't feel the same to her.

"Okay, do we know the rules?" Aki asked her children. 

"No wandering off with strangers?" Asuka asked before adding snidely to Kimiko, "Even if they're cute studs?"

Kimiko growled, "That happened one time and one time only!" 

Asuka smirked, "Riiiiight." 

"Exactly." their mother nodded, "Also, be on your best behavior, as in don't fight. That means you Haruka and Asuka." 

Asuka's face flushed, "Wait, I'm gonna have to get along with the brat!?"

The Akamoto matriarch's stern face answered her question.

Asuka groaned before answering, "Fine."

Haruka took note of her older sister's distress and smirked. "That means you're gonna have to hold my hand~!" she told her in a mocking sing-song voice.

"Don't get too comfortable, Half-pint." 

With that the bus arrived and the passengers boarded and took their seats; Haruka and Aki, Shining Armor and Spike, Twilight and Rarity and Kimiko and Applejack to the left side and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy and Kenji to the right.  As soon as everyone got on board, the bus began its destination. 

After an hour, the family and former ponies (plus former dragon) arrived to their destination as the sounds of taiko drums, laughing children and more filled their ears. All around them were booths of either carnival games, food and more.  Giggling children ran around in their own yukatas, chasing each other while their parents had a hard time catching up to them. 

"Okay, remember the rules and also remember we're leaving around nine." Aki told her children. 

"Got it, Mom!" her children responded. While, Haruka dragged Asuka along with her after spotting a fish bowl game with Kumiko sticking right by her mother, Kenji and Fluttershy went off exploring the expansive festival. As they explored, Kenji bought Fluttershy an odango as well as one for himself. As the two snacked on their skewered treats, the sounds of J-Pop began to fill the night sky. Just then, Kenji had an idea.

"Hey, Fluttershy?" he asked, his voice barely heard over the cheers and blaring music. Fluttershy turned to him with a confused look on her face. "You wanna dance?" 

Fluttershy blushed. "I-I'm not all that good at dancing actually." 

Kenji smiled and held out his hand. "Then think of this as a learning experience." 

Fluttershy held out her hand. With that, Kenji got her started with a simple waltz. Then he started to get more intricate as he applied spinning her around. At that time, Fluttershy took the lead and returned to the waltz from before, this time much faster paced than Kenji's. Just like that, the world around them dissolved as though they were the only ones separated from time and space with only the music from the J-Pop band as company. Suddenly, as the two spun together, time seemed to slow down as Kenji gazed upon Fluttershy herself. How her long, sakura-colored hair flowed like a river and her teal eyes looked like rare jewels. Like that, the two stopped dancing and stared into each other's eyes, even the music stopped as their heartbeats replaced it. Kenji and Fluttershy began to lean into each other, closing their eyes as their lips inched closer and closer to each other just like yesterday. Then... 

"Um, I'm not interrupting am I?"

Fluttershy and Kenji's eyes snapped open as they noticed Rarity standing next to them. They then looked down to see their lips were touching against each other. They slowly pulled away with Kenji flashing a strained smile. "I-I think I'm gonna go get some more odango. You girls want me to bring you anything?" 

Rarity gave him a coy smile. "No, I think we're good. Thanks for the offer though." 

As soon as Kenji went off, Fluttershy was left alone with her friend as she touched her lips. 

"How was your kiss, Fluttershy?" the former unicorn asked. 

Fluttershy blushed but gave a small little smile. "It- it was... great actually."

Rarity put her hand to her hip, keeping her smile, "You really do love him, don't you?"

Fluttershy hesitated then with a fuller smile she replied. 

"Yes." 

Marianas Trench

Godzilla slept deep in his undersea ravine, his belly since filled with the Oodakos he hunted. His wounds were now fully healed, even the wounds inflicted upon him by the Fuel Air bombs had nearly faded entirely. His head was filled with the dreams of his past life; his days as his past self, being left for dead by the humans, his transformation into who he was, the pain they inflicted upon him and how he would make them all pay, his battles with the other giants brought upon this world, all of it. 

Just then, something familiar tickled at his mind, disrupting his dreams. At first it didn't seem too bad, then it became so grating it forced him to awaken. As his burning eyes filled the darkest depths of the Marianas Trench with light, Godzilla began to recall why this felt so familiar. It was the call. The same call that brought him and the spiky monster together. It was the same call that tickled his mind days ago. With a roar, muffled barely by the water, Godzilla began to swim to the surface.

The call had been answered... And this time NOTHING would stand in his way. 

To Be Continued.
> Wrath of the King
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Warning! Warning! Kaiju detected. Class Alpha. Subject confirmation: Godzilla!"

Akane rushed out as G-Force base was alive with activity, people on monitors overlooking projected imagery of Godzilla's approach. 

"What's Big G's current trajectory?" Akane demanded.

"Currently, Godzilla is headed 35.3 degrees latitude and 139.7 degrees longitude. That puts his landfall directly in Yokosuka." one woman in charge of monitors replied. 

"Put Yokosuka on red alert and have the civilians in shelters. I want the Anno and Higuchi naval fleets on intercept. Also, have Mecha-G on ready." Akane ordered as she headed down to the machine's storage bay, zipping on a control suit as she went. Upon arriving at the hangar bay, the commander of the Japanese G-Force installment rose via an elevator into the machine and stepped into its cockpit where a computerized voice greeted her. 

"Authorization code needed."

"Authorization code: Kiryu." Akane replied. 

"Code accepted. Activating MechaGodzilla." 

With that, the cockpit of the machine came alive as Akane's control suit's wiring began to glow with a fluorescent blue light. Above her, the hangar bay doors opened as AC-3 White Herons attached their cables onto MechaGodzilla, causing it to ascend. "MechaGodzilla, you are clear for take off." With that, the Godzilla-like robot was heading for Yokosuka.

Deep beneath the depths, Godzilla's blazing red eyes burned through the darkness as his enormous body cut through the water like a knife through softened butter. He could feel the call again. That strange presence reaching out and tickling his soul. With a roar just barely muffled by the depths, the King of the Monsters continued on his way. However, just as he was getting closer and the call stronger than ever, he noticed several large shapes floating on the water's surface. Recognizing them for what they were, Godzilla considered ignoring them. That is... until an explosion struck him in the sides, causing him to roar, not in pain, but in surprise. The colossal dinosaur turned his head around to see a cylindrical human vessel, the one responsible for the shot. Curling his lips into a feral sneer, the Alpha Kaiju took that as a challenge. Not willing to give the humans a second shot, Godzilla lunged at the vessel, his claws digging into its metal sides as easily as digging them into flesh. Instead of destroying it right there, he started to surface, vessel in his clutches.

The destroyers of the Anno and Higuchi fleet were on standby as the crews anxiously awaited Godzilla to surface, the captains of each ship having ordered their guns in firing position. The sight of churning water and a large, dark shape was a clear sign they didn't need to wait much longer. With an echoing roar, Godzilla erupted from beneath the surface, the submarine Kamata held in his gargantuan talons. In a single fluid movement, the King of the Monsters tossed the submarine at one of the destroyers in the Anno fleet, the Yashiori. The underwater vessel slammed into the ship's hull and ruptured it. Soon, both ships began to sink beneath the waters like a conjoined stone, taking both crews with them to Davy Jones' locker. Godzilla then turned his attention to the rest of the fleet. With the destruction of two of their ships, a simple order rang out: 

"OPEN FIRE!" 

Almost immediately, all ships in both fleets unloaded everything in their arsenal, all making their mark and detonating on the King's hide. D-3 missiles were launched from the destroyers which drilled into Godzilla's skin and exploded. Godzilla roared and thrashed in anger or confusion. While his regeneration kept him from bleeding out, it didn't change the fact the humans' weapons were irritating him. In the midst of the bombardment, Godzilla snarled and spun around, using his tail as a weapon. His tail collided with one of the human ships' starboard which sent it slamming into another. He rose his tail and smacked it onto the top of a much larger ship, this one carrying several metal birds. The impact broke the ship in half and sent it to the bottom of the brine, along with the rest of the vessels. The moment he did that, the humans increased their fire, further angering the nuclear saurian. Narrowing his eyes even further, Godzilla stood perfectly still as his spikes began to flash. He took a deep inhale which caused his chest to puff out and leaned forward.

"Forty percent destroyed!" Akane overheard on her radio, "No, fifty percent destroyed!" On MechaGodzilla's video monitors, she watched drone-fed footage of Godzilla loosing his Atomic Ray upon both naval fleets, his most powerful attack making short work of the ships and reducing their crews to ashes. On her radio, she could also hear the desperate screams and prayers of the men and women on those ships who knew they were next to die. 

"Where's our backup!?"

"Oh, Kami in Heaven, please be merciful." 

"We're dropping like flies out here!"

Then she heard the screams of the dying. Oh, Kami, the screams. Gritting her teeth in anger, Akane flipped the switch next to her, the sharp hiss, sudden jolt, and feeling of falling confirmation she had just detached MechaGodzilla from the cables before she switched on the Anti-Kaiju mech's boosters. With a battle cry, the young woman pulled back her fist as she came closer and closer to Godzilla who looked up to her direction just in time before she swung her fist down into a haymaker. 

Godzilla let out a screech of pain as the metal fist of his mechanical doppelganger connected with the left side of his face and was sent toppling into the brine. Shaking his head and fixing his jaw back into place, the King of the Monsters rose back on his feet and was greeted by the sight of the silvery imposter which let out a garbled version of his roar which he answered with a growl. The imposter got the first drop on him before he could make his move, firing a beam of iridescent energy from its mouth which burned his flesh. Godzilla snarled in anger before charging forward, waves being created in his wake. 

"That's it," Akane purred as she got herself into a fighting pose, "come to Mommy." Once Godzilla was close enough, she swung a left hook at the Alpha. This was almost immediately followed up by a punch to the gut, then a right hook. She then spun around and smacked Godzilla with MechaGodzilla's tail. This didn't knock the Kaiju over, but it did make him stumble a bit, just enough for her to start unloading the mech's laser gauntlets and missiles. She then swung another right hook at the King of the Monsters, only for the titan to grab her fist mid-swing. She tried it again with another punch but Godzilla caught it like the other. This up close to the King of the Monsters, Akane was given a good look at the saurian's blazing, fire-colored eyes. 

Godzilla began to squeeze his enemy's claws, each ounce of pressure he applied, the more they began to give. However, he noticed his copy begin to lean back. He didn't have enough time before the machine's head made contact with his forehead. 

Inside, Akane felt rather woozy, almost as if she stepped off the world's fastest rollercoaster. Note to self, she thought, never do that again. At least she was free from Godzilla's grip and, to make things a bit better, he seemed just as shaken as she was. However, the moment Godzilla shook his head, his spikes flashed, and a stream of blue fire erupted from his jaws, washing over MechaGodzilla's body. Luckily, the Synthetic Diamond coating kept the mech from melting under the heat and the energy of the attack was being directed into the plasma core that powered MechaGodzilla. It also gave her enough extra power for what she was about to do. 

"This is MechaGodzilla to all remaining forces," Akane spoke on all radio frequencies, "I am about to use the Ab-Zero, I need you to keep him busy while it's charging up." 

"Copy that, MechaGodzilla, we'll buy you some time." 

As the remnants of the Higuchi and Anno fleets began concentrating their firepower on Godzilla, Akane took the time to activate the Absolute Zero Cannon, a cryogenic-based weapon used to immobilize Kaiju in a frozen state or outright damage Kaiju like Destoroyah who was susceptible to extremely cold temperatures, in MechaGodzilla's chest. The problem was this weapon took a lot of power and time to fire. The holographic readout and the hissing of the hydraulics were tell-tale signs the weapon was primed and charging, its timer set for two minutes, which may not have been that much time for her, it was too much time for her troops who could only last against Godzilla for one minute at best. 

"Alright, boys and girls, let's buy the boss lady some time." one of the pilots, a man named Haruo Yakubi declared as he flew his squadron of Griffons into formation. The VTOLs fired their payload of photon bursts which exploded on Godzilla's grooved hide. The King of the Monsters roared in frustration as he turned his gaze toward them as expected. 

"Come on, ya Big Gray Gecko, let's see what ya got!" Haruo heard one of his fellow pilots taunt the Kaiju on his comm-link. With that, Haruo sent his VTOL into a dive and fired at the King of the Monsters from the side and flew underneath Godzilla's tail as it rose above into the air, water dripping onto his windshield. He proceeded to fly up the side of the saurian, making sure to avoid getting cut in half by the monster's jagged spikes. Godzilla, having noticed him, curled his lip into a snarl and lunged forward with a roar, baring his fangs as he did. Haruo made a sharp barrel roll out of the way just in time for the Kaiju's jaws to close on empty air with a loud snap. Unfortunately, one of his fellow pilots was not as lucky as he was. From the corner of his eye, Haruo could see one of the Griffons fail to make a quick enough turn and Godzilla slapped him out of the sky for his troubles. 

"We just lost Fukuo!" 

"Did anyone see a chute!?"

"Negative!"

"Lizard-Slayer One to Mecha-G," Haruo spoke through his comm, "what's the status on the Absolute Zero?" 

"Just a few more seconds," Akane replied, "you can hold out for just a little bit longer." 

Yeah, Haruo thought sarcastically, easy for you to say.

"All remaining Griffons, MechaGodzilla still needs more time to charge. Try to buy a bit more time!" 

As the VTOLs continued their onslaught on the Monster King, Akane watched as the energy gauge on the Ab-Zero edged closer and closer to full power. Even if this didn't work, she still had extra power in the plasma core to keep fighting him. Or at least, that's what she hoped. Just then, the gauge beeped, signalling the Absolute Zero Cannon was ready to fire. Just in time too. Akane thought. 

"Griffon squadron, the Ab-Zero has finished charging," she announced, "pull back immediately!" 

"Copy that." 

As the Griffons dispersed, Godzilla let out a roar of satisfaction before returning his attention towards his silver doppelganger. With a growl, he began to advance, creating tidal waves in his wake as he picked up speed. Akane narrowed her eyes as Godzilla broke into a speed walk belying his bulky composure. "That's it, just a little closer, your Highness." she muttered to herself. She wanted Godzilla at a close enough range but not so close it was point blank. Once he was at least three meters away from her, Akane smirked.

"Firing Absolute Zero Cannon... NOW!" 

With that, a ball of silver-white energy shot out of the mechanized Kaiju's chest and sped towards Godzilla. The moment it made contact with the saurian, ice began to build all over him. Godzilla let out a roar of surprise which was cut short as ice enveloped his upper body going all the way down to his out-reaching claws. Within a matter of seconds, Godzilla was frozen in place. Akane let out a sigh of relief as the chest panels on MechaGodzilla folded back into place.

"Yashiro to G-Force HQ," she reported, "G has been neutralized. I repeat, G has been neutralized. Requesting transport to return him to Challenger Deep before he thaws out. Over." 

However, just before she could hear the response, a sharp, cracking noise filled the air. She noticed that Godzilla's ice-covered claws were beginning to move ever so slightly. As they did, the ice them cracked away, falling into the sea. At first, they were minuscule splinters, then they became shards, then chunks. Before she could even register what was happening, Godzilla's claws curled into a four-fingered fist as the ice fell away, revealing that his dorsal plates were glowing a bright blue color as his icy prison melted away. She was then greeted by the sight of Godzilla's furious gaze as his eyes had become a pupiless, neon-blue color. She had no time to react as Godzilla swung around in such fluidity belying his bulky physique. 

The impact of his tail slamming into MechaGodzilla shook the cockpit and elicited a distressed cry from Akane as the saurian mecha hit the water. She noticed the segments of his tail were also glowing and she had no time to react as Godzilla made a complete circle. As he did, a crescent shaped wave of Cherenkov Radiation shot out toward the remaining ships. In the blink of an eye, both armadas disappeared into a wall of fire. 

Godzilla glanced upon his mechanical doppelganger, noticing it hadn't moved. As much as he wanted to finish it off, he had other things to attend to. The call had intensified to the point it could not be ignored and he had to answer it. With content snort, he dropped beneath the waves and continued on his way.

Akane watched as Godzilla's dorsal fins vanished beneath the water in horror and confusion. Why didn't he finish her off when he had the chance? It didn't matter, millions of people were in his path. She then accessed the radio. 

"This is Akane Yashiro to G-Force," she declared to whomever would be listening, "Godzilla has broken through the blockade and is continuing his path to Yokosuka. I need an immediate Heron pickup and repair as well as a red alert for anyone in his path. I repeat, this is a code-red emergency, please respond! Godzilla is headed towards Yokosuka, this is not a drill! Is anyone there!? Please! Can anyone hear me!?"
> Interlude: The Tale of Empress Scribe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once upon a time, on a lifeless world circling a sun, there was an alicorn. She had a bright, white coat of fur with a flowing red mane and tail. She was the only living thing on a barren world. She hadn't been born, she just simply came into existence and fully grown. For a time, she lived on this lifeless world, uncertain as to what to do with it. She was very special however, for she had been gifted with the power of Creation; something she had discovered at the same time she discovered the existence of hunger or thirst. She did this by writing words on the dirt. 

The very first things she created were grass to graze and a stream of water of which to drink. With her hunger satiated and her thirst quenched, the alicorn created more and more things such as the sky, trees, rivers, oceans, continents, the Moon; any word that sprung into her mind, she brought it to life with just words. 

One day, she decided to give her newly fertile world something to inhabit it. She decided the world needed life. And so, she got to work, by creating paper, a pen, and ink, the alicorn got to work filling her world. 

Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns,	Dragons, Changelings, Hippogriffs, Manticores, Sirens, Mermares, Yetis, Yaks, Griffons, Deer, Centaurs, Minotaurs, Ursas, and so many more sprang forth from the ether and began to inhabit her world. All of them, created with just words on a page. She also gave the ponies markings that would appear once they had found their calling in life, something to make them unique. "Cutie Marks" she called them. One such Cutie Mark appeared on her flank, that of a pen dipped in ink. And thus, she had given a name for herself: Scribe. Empress Scribe. Eventually, the Empress, while watching her creations live and thrive, felt a strong desire to become something else. She did not know what it was at first for she lacked the word for it. Even as Scribe continued to create homes for her people to live in, she couldn't place her hoof on it. So, she continued to create and build her world. 

However, while watching her people raising younger versions of themselves, Scribe realized what it was she wanted: a family. Taking her pen, Scribe wrote down the name of her first child, envisioning the look in her mind. And thus, her first daughter, Celestia, came into existence. She gifted her daughter with the ability to control the rise and fall of the Sun. She loved her new daughter, loved her with all her heart; the same love she showed to all her creations. However, one day, whilst Celestia played in the courtyard of her castle, Scribe noticed how her daughter seemed to be alone. So, she created another daughter, Luna, whom she raised to be the scion of the Moon. She then created her only son, Cosmos, to be the scion of the stars in the sky. She loved her children just as much as she loved her creations and knew they would be tasked in keeping the world of Equis safe when she ascended into the ether. 

Now the mother of three, Scribe discovered she could create portals capable of breaching the barriers between her world and many other worlds, being able to assume the forms of the residential races of those dimensions. One day, at the behest of her daughters, Scribe even brought Luna and Celestia along with her trips to the unknown. Among the most fascinating of these worlds were the ones that harbored the race of beings known as Humans.

Then on one, fateful day, Scribe and her children came upon a world far more terrifying than any of them. A world where humans were perpetually terrorized by monsters. In the process of escaping, Prince Cosmos was left behind. Whether or not he died on that world remains a mystery. Either way, it scarred Empress Scribe, filling her with shame and sadness that she was unable to rescue her only son in time. A mother's grief forced the Empress to forbid anymore trips to it in fear that, should she or her children not find a way back, they would be forced to live in the perpetual war between human and leviathan. She had already lost one child, she was determined to keep that from happening to her daughters. And who were her daughters to argue with a mournful mother?  

As to what happened next, nobody truly knows. Many believe she left her dimension to patch up a failing barrier between worlds and never returned, thus giving rule of the land to her daughters once they had come of age. Others say she faded away, becoming one with Equis itself, having merged with its very essence. Others believe she returned to the forbidden world in order to bring her only son home and never came back. Nobody, Pony or otherwise, can really say for certain what happened to their creator, not even Celestia or Luna know the fate of the alicorn who created and mothered them. All they know is that they have her power to thank for their existence. For without her, they would be lifeless traces of ether waiting to be sculpted.