> The Pale Horsemen
>  by C0yot3721
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The One Where The Story Starts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Long ago, in the magical land of Equestria, there lived the Three Tribes.  The Pegasi, who held dominion of the Sky, the Earth Ponies, tied to the land itself, and the Unicorns, who alone could unravel the deeper mysteries of Magic and the Aether.  But, as eons passed, the Three Tribes quarrelled, and brought upon themselves a terrible foe, unbeatable and unyielding from beyond the Frozen North.  These Three Tribes quarreled and bickered, and the Frozen Darkness almost consumed them, had not the Sun and the Moon intervened.  

The Sun in Her Divine Radiance, cast fire and light onto the frozen shadows, as the Moon lit the way for the Three Tribes, and her own servants, to fight back the darkness.  Peace reigned in Equestria, with the Sun and Moon in Harmony, until the inevitable happened.  

The Moon, envious of the Sun, attempted to overthrow Her and claim the throne for herself, and after a battle that lasted a fortnight and a day, the Sun cast the Moon away into the Aether, never to be seen again.  

Twilight huffed, snapped the book shut between her hooves. “Darn it, still nothing, nothing at all Spike!” she griped, stepping over the perforated body of a drab unicorn assassin that had long since expired.  The little dragon groaned, stretching his limbs out as he laid on his book fort.  

“Twi, the Empress said that it’s nothing to worry about!” he chided her, jumping to the floor. “And come, you can’t exactly argue with Her!”  Twilight sighed, rubbing her horn.  

“I know, but the fact remains Spike!” she said, heading to where a veritable mountain of scrolls, books, inkwells and pens were packed into several bags.  “Legends don’t come out of nowhere!  And if the tale of the Mare in the Moon is right, then that means that the Empress is in danger!” 

“Riiight, the Empress that singlehooved crippled Neighpon to its knees,” Spike deadpanned. “Oh, and let’s not forget how she forced the Minotaurs underground, oh, and the gryphons are now little more than the occasional auxiliary for pegasus legions, or bandits.  Twilight, the Empress can handle Herself!  You can’t!” Twilight groaned.  

“Spike, it’s a trip to some backwater town that happens to be within spitting distance of Canterlot!” she pointed out, slinging a saddlebag onto her rump with a burst of magic.  “It’s not like we’re going to be in any danger whatsoever!” 

[][][]

San Francisco Bay
September, 2013

“Five minutes to contact!” shouted the crew chief of the hovercraft, the thump and crash over ocean waves on air cushion and hull making the statement almost inaudible.   

Major Gabriel Hopkins flipped the last of the switches inside the cockpit to his Armored Support Platform, the six and a half meter tall combat mech ready for battle.  He and the rest of his current assignment (out of many; he was flexible like that) were all encased in the multiton ASPs, each of them armed with the best that could be supplied to combat mechs their size, which considering the situation at their destination, wasn’t saying a whole lot.  

For whatever damned reason, Xenilla and whatever collection of dredged up mutated monstrosities had decided to attack and destroy San Francisco.  That had, in turn, simply invited Godzilla himself and the Terran Defenders to come in and start a massive all out brawl from hell.  Where Hopkins, and the Second ASP Division, 3rd Regiment came in, was to evacuate as many civilians and stranded military personnel as they could before Marshall Pentecost went and fired the Dimension Tide on the Mutations.  

[Systems look good Meatbag,] Hopkins heard in his helmet’s integrated headset. [Just to let you know, you got a rookie behind you, two down on left, vitals are firmly in the predictably panicked state.]  

Hopkins turned to look, his ASP mimicking his movements as he spotted the soldier in question.  Hopkins’ HUD quickly brought up the pilot’s vitals to confirm what Julian had said.  Stomping over, Hopkins paused by the terrified soldier and caught a bit of what he was blabbering about.  “I don’ wanna be fiver, I don’ wanna be a fiver, I can’t fu-!”  

A giant metal hand clanged down on the relatively smaller shoulder of the scared pilot’s M12 chassis.  “Private Key, what was the score from the game last night?  The one between Manchester United and Liverpool? Who won?”

“W-Wha-?”

“The game last night?  Who won trooper?” Hopkins asked again calmly as gentle violet lines glowed on his armor.  The Private’s ASP slumped as its pilot did the same.  

“It was… it was Manchester sir, by one.”  Key slowed his breathing down as he recalled the game.  “Was a tie game until they forced it into overtime.”  Hopkins nodded, his customized ASP’s head mimicking him as he stepped back.  

“Well, you’re gonna see the next game, don’t you worry,” he said, stepping back to the front of the hovercraft.  “Listen up, all of you!  You know the mission, you know the stakes!  Keep your buddy’s ass covered, remember your training, and don’t do anything stupid.  That’s an order by the way.”  The other pilots chuckled over the radio, even as the San Francisco skyline finally appeared through the fog.  “Now ready up troopers!  We got civvies and ground friendlies to evac, and a whole lot of kaiju ass to shoot up!  Lock and load!”  The cacophony of various chainguns, energy weapons, and other weapons systems let Hopkins know that the squad of ASPs were ready for combat.  

“Sixty seconds!”  Hopkins gripped his chaingun tighter.  

“Troopers, who are you?” he shouted, starting his unit’s call and respond.  

“THE PALE HORSEMEN!”  

“What do you do!”

“KILL!”

“Why do you kill!” 

“FOR WE ARE DEATH, AND WHERE WE RIDE, HELL FLEES BEFORE US!”  

“Damn right!” Hopkins exclaimed as the hovercraft finally hit the edge of a dock, the ramp falling down and clamping itself down onto the asphalt. “Now move out!”  Hopkins charged forward, the ASP’s footsteps cracking the pavement as the squad followed, dozens of other hovercraft hitting the shore and discharging their own cargo of ASPs.  Up above in the sky, a Super Gyaos took notice of them and let out a blood chilling cry, banking over to attack.  

By the time the ASPs had secured their landing zone and were charging through the streets, the Super Gyaos was on the ground, surrounded by numerous more of its lesser brethren, charred and bullet ridden.  

[][][]

L.A. Shatterdome  

Marshall Stacker Pentecost watched stoically as the GDF forces worked to evacuate San Francisco, even as multiple kaiju continued to converge on the city.  The former RAF pilot noted the multiple guided missile destroyers in and out of the San Francisco Bay provided supporting fire where they could for the various ASP platoons going into the city to rescue civilians and American National Guard forces.  

“All ASP force elements have landed Marshall, operation is at full swing,” Tendo Choi reported.  Pentecost nodded.  

“Thank you Mr. Choi, keep me posted,” he answered calmly, clasping his hands behind his back.  To his direct staff, up to and included General Gordon who was beside him, katana resting on his shoulder, glowering at the holographic projection on the wall.  

“Whole thing looks like a piece of crap mess Pentecost,” Gordon grumbled.  “Only good thing is that we didn’t have to deal with this back in the Final Wars.”  Pentecost nodded silently in agreement.  

The Final Wars… now that had been a hell of a spectacle.  An entire alien coalition spearheaded by the Xilians that had tried to take over Terra, and perhaps had events played out differently, they could have.  Hundreds of millions dead, and that was a conservative estimate.  Had humanity not had the technologies they did when the invasion happened, the body count likely would have reached the billions.  And that wasn’t even remotely taking into consideration all of the kaiju the aliens either brought with them, or mind controlled into serving them.  Still, Pentecost reminisced, it was easily one of the very few times in recent memory that humanity itself hadn’t needed to solely rely on the Defenders for protection.  

He looked over to one of the many stations inside the control room of the Shatterdome, watching the camera feed from one of the ASPs in the city as it moved to the first of six civilian anti-kaiju bunkers.  The Armored Support Platforms hadn’t been around nearly as long as say, the venerated MASER cannon, but the small bipedal mecha had proven themselves near indispensable to the GDF and Terra as a whole since their introduction in 2002, intercepting the Gyaos in Osaka.  

When the aliens invaded, they clearly weren’t expecting the platoons of autocannon wielding combat mechs, to say nothing of-

“Marshall, Dimension Tide is approaching orbital attack window,” Tendo reported, breaking Pentecost out of his reverie.  

“Understood Mister Choi,” he answered, slipping back into the role of ‘impassive leader.’  “Continue monitoring our progress, alert me when anything changes.”  

“What, you expect something to happen?” Gordon quipped.  Pentecost’s face remain a study of stonework, and Gordon realized the severity of the situation.  “Marshall?”  

“Nothing to concern yourself with General,” Pentecost remarked, stepping back to his original spot in the midst of the controlled chaos.  “Remain focused on the task at hand.”  Gordon looked like he was about to complain, but held back his tongue, if only for now.  Because now, there was nothing now but the plan.  

[][][]

A man entered a darkened room, a seemingly empty desk table and a simple chair the only furnishings visible.  The man sat down, setting the briefcase he had been carrying on the table before adjusting his tie.  He still had time before the meeting; might as well take some time to refresh on the high points of the discussion to be had.  

He popped the briefcase open, and pulled out several red trimmed manilla folders, each of them given simple titles with little to no indication of where they had come from.  He opened one, and skimmed the mostly redacted documents inside.  Project Voynich was showing good progress in the study of psionics and its applications, as well as its projected capabilities with old G-Force and MONARCH projects.  In particular, the man mused, the document continued to be elusive as to what this ‘VX-1’ was.  

But no matter, the man thought as he closed the folder, sliding it back into the briefcase before opening a new one.  This one was far less redacted, in that the ASP detailed inside was based off the culmination of the past eleven years of research, development, and active combat service.  Only slightly larger than the newest model of ASP entering service,this one was shaping to feature-

A small green light flashed on the wall in front of him, and the man stopped reading, closing the folder.  He had read enough to be able to at least cover most of the meeting.  Setting the briefcase off to the side, but well within reach for him to grab the pulsed laser handgun inside, he readjusted his tie, and tapped an innocuous spot on the desk.  

The wall flashed, an inverted pentagon projected onto the wall, it’s center holding a globe crossed with an ‘X’ as a series of lock images secured the channel.  The man cleared his throat moments before the screen changed.  

“Hello, Commander.”

> Contact
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hopkins kept his ASP’s ocular sensors on the sky, autocannon ready to fire as he and his squad advanced towards the first civilian bunker they could reach. “Sanders, range!” Hopkins said, snapping his gun up and letting loose a burst of fire. A moment later, a basic Gyaos tumbled out of the sky into a broken heap, the kaiju screeching in anger for only a moment more before another ASP came up to it and impaled its head with an underslung bayonet. 

“Three blocks down Major!” Sanders answered, the pilot’s ASP carrying a back-slung drone control system. Hopkins glanced up, and his HUD picked up the disc shaped drone flying high above the chaos, blissfully ignored by the flocks of ravenous beasts. “We’re almost at the school!” Hopkins nodded, his ASP doing the same with its own sensor housing as he pointed forward. 

“Good! Now let’s get our asses moving people, those kids ain’t got forever!” The squad nodded, hustling as best as they could down the narrow streets, taking down what few Gyaos they could as they appeared. Rounding past a collection of ruined houses, they came across their destination, and thankfully, there were still buses parked in the front. “Oh thank fuck,” Hopkins said. “This is a good sign at least. HEY! If there’s anyone in there, I’m Major Hopkins, US Army! We’re here to get you out!” He pointed for a trio of pilots to go and secure the entrance of the school. At the doors, Hopkins could see movement, and a quick look through his sensors confirmed they were human. 

“Major, incoming!” a pilot shouted just as a Super Gyaos crashed down on top of her, the sound of crunching metal echoing through the air before it shrieked hungrily. Before anyone could react, the monster’s head lunged down and bit down on the ASP’s chest, teeth tearing through the titanium canopy of the mech’s cockpit before throwing it away. The pilot within barely had time to scream in terror before her body was between the Super Gyaos’ serrated fangs, bone and body armor snapping as it devoured her whole. 

“BRING IT DOWN!!” Hopkins ordered, chaingun aimed at the kaiju as he pulled the trigger. He, along with the remaining ASPs opened fire on the Super Gyaos. “MASER, clip the wings!” 

An ASP kneeled on the ground, bringing up a large, boxy cannon to bear on the large kaiju. A sharp whine filled the air, and then a thundercrack of power split the air as a lance of microwave amplified light impacted the Super Gyaos’ hardened scales… and then shifted upwards into the softer, more vulnerable tissues of its wing membranes. The monster roared, a lance of sound flailing in the sky for a moment before the Gyaos brought its head down. The sonic lance snapped down, hitting the ground behind the MASER ASP as someone finally got a lucky shot in and blew the kaiju’s brains out. 

The MASER ASP started to stand up, only for its hull to spark and creak. And then, it fell apart, its left limbs falling to the ground as the main hull pushed itself up and forward with a crash. Hopkins glanced at his screen, and swore as his display showed not one, but two flattened heartbeats. “Fuck, this is not going well,” he commented in frustration. “Sanders, police that cannon! Evers, Freeman, secure that entrance! Johnson, guard those buses, now! You three, help me move the body out of the way before more Gyaos show up!” 

The soldiers got to work, Hopkins and a few others moving the dead Super Gyaos out of the way for the buses to drive past, a single ASP guarding them with its chaingun pointed skyward. Hopkins kept on checking on the civilians piling onto the bus. [Hopkins, stressing over them isn’t going to help them,] Julian said into his ear. [Neither is fucking dwelling on those two.] 

“I’m a commander Jule,” Hopkins retorted as he checked his ammo count. “I have to worry.” 

[Fine,] Julian said with an electric sigh. [But don’t blame me when you have a mental episode again.] 

Hopkins grunted, checking his weapon’s ammunition supply. Seeing that his current magazine was near empty, he reloaded, mechanical wrist flicking the spent drum down to the ground before the next, fresh drum was slapped into the underside of the cannon, a motor driven assembly pulling the rounds into the receiver. He looked around, his ASP’s optics zooming in on some of the chaos further inland from where he could see. Zilla was fighting some mutation or another, and as far as Space Godzilla went, well, he was nowhere to be seen… and thankfully, neither was his attack dog. Long streams of tracer fire and laser bursts lanced through the air, signs of pitched fighting from other survivors letting him know that the city hadn’t been completely totaled yet. 

“Sir, civvies are loaded up, ready to extract!” Johnson reported. 

Hopkins gave the soldier a thumbs up. “Good to hear!” he said loudly. “Now, let’s get them the fuck out of here. Freeman, Johnson, take point! Fast turtle people!” The ASPs moved, getting into a loose circle around the bus as the yellow vehicle sputtered out some thick smoke from its exhaust before starting to move. A casual look at the smoke’s chemical composition let Hopkins know that the engine needed a tune up, badly before he felt waves of unease and fear lightly batter against his mental walls. 

Damn. Poor kids…, Hopkins thought before he took a deep breath. A gentle twitch of his finger, and the children inside the bus were calmed as parents and guardians held them close, words of hope and reassurance calming them as they traveled through the suburban ruins. The convoy rounded a corner, and several of the ASPs looked over to the ruins of downtown San Francisco in the distance. Skyscrapers were already ablaze, kaiju fighting in a manner befitting mythic titans as the humans down below scurried to flee. 

“Jesus Christ…” 

“Keep it together Martin,” Hopkins ordered. “A few more blocks, that’s all-” 

“THE HYPER IS INBOUND!!” Evers shouted, snapping his cannon up and opening fire. Hopkins snapped his gaze up, and swore as the unmistakable form of the Hyper Gyaos flew in, maw open in a furious cry. 

“OFF THE ROAD NOW!” he ordered, sprinting to a side alley as the bus drove faster. “EVERS YOU DUMB BASTARD, MOVE!!” Unfortunately for Hopkins, Evers was seemingly deaf to his order, the pilot continuing to pour fire onto the albino. Accelerated flechettes hit the Gyaos’ hide, only to either get deflected, bounce off uselessly, or explode harmless on the scales. The smaller mechs and their ordinance carriers lacked the size and the strength to punch through the hide of a beast on this scale like the towering machines of MOGUERA and Mechagodzilla, and never was it more apparent than now.

The kaiju in question lacked the facial structure and muscles to pull it off, but even Hopkins knew that the Hyper Gyaos was smirking as Evers’ weapon clicked dry. “Oh for fuck’s sake,” Hopkins growled. “Julian.” 

[Alpha and Beta locks disengaged, thirty percent,] the AI reported, Hopkins feeling that surge of power rushing through his veins. [Good hunting.] 

“Thanks Jule,” Hopkins said, hanging his cannon on a pair of hooks on his back before stepping out of cover. He looked over the situation, his brain processing everything in fractions of a second. Evers in the open, desperately trying to reload. The Hyper Gyaos swooping in, maw open. The back of the Gyaos’ throat glowing as whatever wonky biological bullshit prepared a sonic beam. Hopkins’ mind took the info, processed it, and he decided on a plan. 

A flick of his wrist, and a bright, burning violet wall of psychic energy snapped into existence in front of Evers a scant second before the lethal beam of sound slammed into it. The Hyper Gyaos was bewildered at the sudden development, its gaze shifting over to Hopkins. In his free hand, a roiling mass of energy formed, and both kaiju and human locked eyes with each other. 

“Embrace the Void,” Hopkins intoned, sending the ball of energy flying forward. In a heartbeat, it connected to the Hyper Gyaos. And then, a split second later, Hopkins’ psyche played havoc with the kaiju’s. 

The Hyper Gyaos stumbled, and then fell to the ground, screaming in pain as its mind was assaulted by… something. Up was down, up was not up, up no longer existed, it didn’t exist, yet it did exist, there was something in its head why was it there whatwasitsayinggetitoutgetitoutGetItOutGETOUTGETOUTGET-!

YOU CANNOT ESCAPE THE VOID!!

Suddenly, the Hyper Gyaos saw. It saw itself as a monster, it saw itself as prey, it saw monsters that devoured stars, it saw so much, seeing too much to process, it hurt to see, hurt to see images, words, words on white, a two legger against the white, it hurtithurtithurtmakeitstopmakeitstopMAKEITSTOP!! 

Hopkins severed the connection, shaking his head clear, the depressingly familiar stabbing pain of a mind fray coupled with his own empathic abilities nearly sending him to his knees as the Hyper Gyaos stood up shakily, fleeing as the kaiju bled from the corners of its eyes. 

[Gabriel, I’m going to take over while you recover,] Julian said. Hopkins grunted, shaking his head. 

“No, I got this,” he told him. “It’s just a little pain. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” Almost as an afterthought, he wiped away at his own eyes, rubbing away the blood as he stomped just as shakily, if not more so that the departing kaiju, over to Evers. A metal hand gripped the other soldier’s shoulder as Hopkins growled, keeping the pair on a private channel. “You EVER do something that stupid again, and I will make damn sure that you will wish that kaiju had eaten you!” he hissed. “You will NOT jeopardize the mission, your teammates, or those civilians, am I clear?” 

Evers looked at Hopkins, trembling and nodding. “Y-Y-Yes s-sir,” the soldier answered. “It… it won’t happen again.” 

“Good.” Hopkins cut the link off and looked back at the scattered ASPs. “Come on people, let’s move! That bus still needs escort, and I am NOT leaving them hanging!” 

“SIR YES SIR!” the soldiers shouted, rushing back into position as they continued their evacuation efforts. As they moved, Hopkins kept his eyes on the sky, and his ears on the main GDF command line. And… it sadly wasn’t a pleasant listening experience. 

“Hunter Five Actual to Command, we’re getting overrun here!” 

“-questing Tomahawks on grid fife-six-alpha-!” 

“-Black, Code Black! Bunker Twelve is Code Black, we are pulling out, AO is too-!” 

Hopkins shook his head, the objective in sight. Waiting beside the USS Hornet was the hovercraft that they had arrived on, already somewhat full of evacuees. The squad of ASPs dispersed, spreading out and providing coverage as the bus rolled up to the hovercraft, Hopkins stopping and looking into the bay. Already, several guided missile destroyers were attacked, a depressingly large number of them sunk or in the process of sinking. “Christ, what a mess,” Hopkins muttered as he walked to the hovercraft, a ‘small’ crate sitting on the ground sliding open and revealing a small cache of additional ammo and gear. 

[You said it, not me,] Julian said. [Also, I’d grab some more ammo, and a larger missile pod. Judging by the chatter I’m hearing, well, heavy hitters are coming in.] 

“Thanks Julian.” Hopkins reached out and grabbed a few extra drums of ammunition, checking them just to be sure they were what he needed. M792 HEI-T, 25x137mm. Yup. Sliding the drums into their designated racks, Hopkins turned around and waited only a couple of seconds for the crate to slide on a new missile pod onto the movable armature on the back of his ASP. A quick glance at the screen showed that the ordinance went through the diagnostics and shake down in less time than it took to blink. “We ready?” 

[Absolutely meat bag,] Julian replied. [Next stop, Bunker Two in Coast Guard Station Alameda!] Hopkins nodded. Hopefully, all the other groups in the city were having better luck than he in their evacuations. 

[][][]

Oakland Civic Center 

“TAKE COVER!” 

Private Gabriel Monnot ducked behind what was left of a wall as a Gyaos crashed to the ground, its jaws snapping and snarling as an ASP opened fire on its belly and killed it. The nineteen year old, barely trained soldier peeked around the debris and saw the ASP moving about, its attention directed to the rest of his platoon on the other side of the road. “Gyaos down, let’s move it people!” The platoon hustled over to where Gabe was, the private looking over the twenty or so fellow soldiers. 

Gabe clutched his laser rifle tighter in his hands as the platoon sergeant, covered in dirt and a bit of blood slid into cover beside him. “Command, this is Vanguard Five-Bravo, we’re en route to Bunker Five at the Oakland Civic Center, how copy, over?” Staff Sergeant Nerosa shouted into her radio. 

Gabe could hear Command’s reply over the din of the chaos. “Ten-Three Five-Bravo. What is your status, over?” 

Nerosa barked out a disbelieving laugh. “Status? For fuck’s sake, we’ve got Gyaos flying up our asses, our El-Tee is KIA, and we’re down to half strength! We need reinforcements, over!” 

“Copy that Five-Bravo, but unfortunately, your AO is too hot for immediate support,” Command said over the radio, just as the ASP took a thundering step back, cannon raised. 

“SUPER INCOMING!!” the pilot shouted. The soldiers looked up in panic as the kaiju in question swooped in, maw open wide as it landed. Gabe poked his head over the other side of the rubble he was beside and took aim. 

“Private, the fuck you doing?!” Nerosa yelled. 

Gabe pointed at the Gyaos’ eyes. “Giving that pilot a good shot Sarge!” he shouted back before opening fire, the rifle kicking back into his shoulder as flashes of red light lanced out and struck the Super Gyaos in the eye. The kaiju barely even blinked, shaking its head as it seemed to leer at the ASP about to open fire on it. 

“...ah fuck, ALL UNITS, FOCUS FIRE! AIM FOR THE EYES!” Nerosa shouted, raising her own rifle and adding her own firepower to it. In seconds, well over a dozen laser beams flashed through the air, striking the Super Gyaos, this time making it reel back in annoyance before a sharp whirr filled the air, a thunderclap snapping the air before the Super Gyaos’ head was sent snapping to the side, a massive burn on its left eye. Screeching in anger now, the monster sent a sonic beam in the direction of the soldier with the Maser rifle before the ASP finally opened fire, autocannon rounds pelting it in the side. 

“Shit, we need a fucking bigger gun man!” shouted out a soldier from Gabe’s left. He glanced over and saw Peters, a guy he had gone through Basic with, fumbling for a new battery for his laser rifle. Gabe looked back over and saw that the Super Gyaos was glaring at the ASP, bullets still ricocheting off its hardened hide. Then he saw that the monster’s remaining eye was narrowed, focused on the small mech unit. 

Gabe shook his head as he slung his rifle back and pulled a pair of simple, almost seemingly useless flash bangs off his chest, and off the chest of the platoon’s radioman. “This is gonna suck,” he muttered before breaking cover, racing towards the Super Gyaos. Servos attached to his joints let the exoskeleton clad soldier zoom in close, even as the ASP stopped firing. 

“Get back into cover, now!” 

Gabe ignored the pilot, jumping on top of a car before taking a leap of faith… and landing on the Super Gyaos’ head. The kaiju shrieked, shaking its head wildly as Gabe hung on stubbornly. “Fuckfuckfuckfuck, what the FUCK WAS I THINKING?!?” Gabe shouted to himself as he stuck the flash bang’s arming pin onto a scale and pulled. The ring slid out, the spoon flying off as Gabe looked over to the kaiju’s ear. “Oh fuck me this is gonna hurt like a biiiiiii-!” 

The Super Gyaos whipped its head to the side, flinging Gabe off… but not before he tossed the grenades into the monster’s ear. It was by sheer luck that Gabe didn’t land on any hard debris, merely landing on top of an already ruined car, his exoskeleton taking most of the impact for him. The Super Gyaos took one step towards Gabe, and then it’s ear seemingly exploded, a near deafening BANG coming from within its ear as the grenades finally went off. The kaiju screamed in agony as its eardrum was likely completely ruptured, the ASP stomping in close. Gabe looked at the ASP deployed an underbarrel bayonet, stabbing the monster where the Maser rifle had hit before opening fire. 

The Super Gyaos’ head was seemingly split open as the rail accelerated 25mm rounds exploded, the kaiju letting off a death rattle. And yet… it still seemingly wasn’t enough, as the Super’s wing snapped out, slamming into the ASP’s chest and sending it flying backwards to skid on the ruined asphalt. “Maser, finish it off!” Nerosa yelled, and on cue, the rifleman holding up the bulky, almost brick shaped energy rifle and pulling the trigger. One thundercrack later, and the Super Gyaos was finally, definitively, and most certainly dead. The entire platoon, or what was left of it, looked up at the sky warily for any intruding Gyaos. 

Gabe groaned as he sat up, a medic rushing over to his side. “Okay kid, how many fingers am I holding up?” he asked, holding up three fingers as he shone a light in Gabe’s eyes. 

“Three fingers, and please get that light out of my fucking face!” Gabe retorted. The medic nodded, looking to Nerosa as she walked over. 

“Kid’s fine Staff Sergeant,” he said. The sergeant grunted, glaring at Gabe. Her arms were crossed, and Gabe had to wonder just why in the hell she was pissed off at him. 

“That was a fucking retarded thing you just did Private.” Gabe gulped, nodding slowly. 

“Yes Staff Sergeant.” 

“Any bullshit reason why you thought that was a good idea?” She pointed over her shoulder at the downed ASP. 

Gabe glanced at the ASP, it’s hatch open up as another medic pulled the pilot out. “We needed the ASP intact Staff Sergeant,” he said, looking the Staff Sergeant in the eye. “I figured, any amount of time with it distracted and unable to attack was worth the pilot getting a kill shot in.” 

“Yeah, and now, we have an injured pilot who can’t cover our asses, thanks to your fuck up!” Nerosa suddenly shouted in his face. Gabe flinched, even as the platoon radioman came running to them. “What the fuck is it Wolfe?” 

“Sarge, Command’s asking us to hurry the fuck up, we got heavy hitters coming in, this whole place is gonna be ground zero in a few minutes!” The platoon sergeant pointed to the pilot. 

“Yeah, well, we ain’t got enough fucking support now that our pilot is down!” Gabe looked at the ASP, standing up and walking towards it as Nerosa and radioman bickered. The ASP was, despite the massive dent in it’s chest armor, still reasonably intact, the joints clear of debris and the ocular systems were still clearly functioning from what Gabe could see. Plus, it still had enough ammo to get through at least a couple more Gyaos. 

“Heh, like the bucket of bolts kid?” Gabe looked over and saw the pilot looking at him from where the medic was treating them, an amused smile on her face. Gabe pointed at the ASP. 

“That’s an M12, right?” he asked. “The hull’s a lot more curved than the M9.” The pilot chuckled. 

“You know your ASPs.” 

Gabe looked at the mech longingly. “Spent some time in simulators, got a Class One rating in high school,” he admitted. The pilot whistled, then hissed as the medic dabbed at her face with a cloth. 

“Impressive kid. What’s your rating now?” 

“...Class Two. Three, but only from simulation work.” 

“How many hours?” 

Gabe grimaced. “...a few.” The pilot gave him a dry look. “...okay, a few hundred, but come on, they didn’t exactly have an actual M9 to practice with and actually get certified on where I graduated high school!” 

The pilot held up her hand, even as Nerosa started to head towards them. “Wait a sec, you… how in the fuck are you not a pilot now?!” she asked. “If you’re a borderline Three right outta high school, then why the hell aren’t you going through ASP training now?” She shook her head, hissing in pain. “You know what, fuck it. You know the basic controls to an M9?” Gabe nodded. “Good. Get in.” 

“Wait, what?” Nerosa asked as she came up. “What the hell is going on?” 

“You got a new pilot,” the pilot said, pointing at Gabe. “Kid’s got a Class Three rating, which is close enough at the moment.” 

“He’s an infantryman, he can’t drive a fucking mech!” the Staff Sergeant protested. 

“Too bad, you need an ASP, and the Private’s the closest you’ve got to a healthy pilot,” the pilot shot back. Gabe glanced at her helmet, finally catching the pilot’s last name. Gonzalez. “Now, let’s stop bitching about it, alright? We got a dead Super, but we both know those things are gonna swarm that body soon enough.” Nerosa pursed her lips, and then pointed to the ASP. 

“Private, get your ass in the mech, start it up.” 

“Yes Staff Sergeant!” Gabe called out, rushing to the cockpit of the mech and getting in. He set his laser rifle into a slot by the seat, obviously for the pilot’s firearm of choice as he fully sat in the seat and closed the hatch. “Okay, let’s see here,” he muttered, looking over the controls. “Aux, power breakers, aaand… aha, hatch control!” He flipped the switch, and the mech shuddered, as the hatch slid shut as Gabe went through a combat readiness check. 

“Okay, computer on,” he said, flipping another switch, streams of data rapidly scrolling across the screen in front of him as he continued. “Okay, uh, let’s see here, uh, main power on, Waldo online…” He slid his hands into the motion control armature of the ASP, the thin metal limbs locking onto the exterior of his own exoskeleton. “Oxygen supply is green, power flow rate is… steady, comms online…” Gabe paused in the midst of flipping switches, making sure his feet were in place before continuing. “Okay, now, motion control is…” He thumbed a button on the console in front of him, and suddenly, Gabe grunted as the ASP shifted control to him. 

“Fuckfuckfuckfuck!” he swore, feeling like he was suddenly wearing a bomb disposal suit as he slowly moved, the ASP doing the same. The ASP soon began to stand, finally doing so with only a slight wobble. “Okay, okay Gabe, you got this, you got this. ASP motion response is… good for now. Okay, now, tracking is good, targeting is…” Gabe looked around the screen, data and targeting information bombarding his eyes. “Green. Armor integrity is holding, thrusters are hot, weapons are live, ammunition is good… okay Staff Sergeant, I think I got this.” 

“You think?” 

“It’s an M12 Sarge, they don’t exactly cover these in Class Three certification,” Gabe commented, walking over to the dead Super and picking up the fallen chaingun. The moment the ASP’s hand closed around the handle, Gabe saw an ammo count flicker into existence in the corner of his HUD. Gabe gulped at the sight of only twenty-three rounds out of roughly fifty in the drum remaining. Suddenly, a warning flashed across his screen, making Gabe look up in alarm. “Shit! Gyaos!” 

The cannon snapped up into place as the platoon ran for cover, a trio of lesser, basic Gyaos swooping in, having finally caught wind of their fallen brethren’s blood. Gabe took aim at the lead kaiju, and pulled the trigger. It was… odd, feeling the rail augmented autocannon kick in the mech’s hands and then feel it rattling his body at the same time. But after long hours of practice, Gabe shook it off and focused, sending a long burst into the Gyaos and perforating it with hypersonic cannon shells. The monster dropped out of the sky, blood trailing from its wounds for only a few short seconds before it’s twin brethren decided that attacking the tiny humans wasn’t worth it, not when there was an already weakened, and bleeding meal right in front of them. 

The ASP looked at the platoon as the three Gyaos began to fight amongst each other. “Come on, let’s go, now!” Gabe shouted, waving them forward. “I’ve got you covered!” 

Nerosa shook her head as the soldiers moved forward, Gabe reloading his chaingun as the giant robot stomped alongside them. “Christ, let’s hope this kid doesn’t get us killed!” she muttered. The group raced up the street, Gabe’s cannon keeping them covered as they reached the bunker they needed to evacuate. “Alright, Monnot, eyes up, we’re getting these people the hell out of here!” 

“Yes Staff Sergeant!” Gabe shouted back, hoisting his cannon up and checking his sensors. So far, nothing was swooping down to attack them, which was good, because he still wasn’t sure what all the controls in the M12 actually did. He only had an at best passable knowledge of the M9, of which the M12 was derived from. Gabe glanced down, looking at the civilians piling out of the underground BART station that served as an emergency kaiju bunker. 

An alarm suddenly went off in the cockpit, and Gabe immediately snapped his gaze upwards and swore. “SHIT! Everyone, move, we’ve got multiple bandits inbound!” he shouted, aiming his cannon and opening fire. His HUD was oh so helpfully keeping track of the number of Gyaos swarming down towards him, and Gabe was forced to stay his ground as the kaiju kept coming closer and closer with each wingbeat and bullet. 

Fifty coming down. A burst of fire reducing his ammo from fifty to thirty-six. The number of Gyaos dropped to forty-eight, now forty-one as several became distracted in eating their fallen in midair. Another burst. Thirty-six to twenty even. The computer was urging him to reload as the swarm’s numbers continued to dwindle. Forty-one to thirty-three, no, thirty-two, Christ, they were tearing into each other as Gabe finally took a step back. One final burst before he turned and ran, his gun clicking dry as the ammo counter read 00. 

The empty ammo drum hit the ground with a hollow clank as Gabe reached to his shoulder to grab a fresh drum, the swarm hitting the ground as they simply broke into a vicious, cannibalistic melee with teeth and claws tearing into each other’s flesh. Almost as an afterthought, Gabe thumbed a switch on the edge of the barrel to the autocannon, an infrared targeting laser alighting one of the Gyaos. A light red circle hovered over one, shifting to orange, then yellow, and then white as a sharp continuous tone rang in his ears. 

Gabe pulled the trigger. 

From over his shoulder, a missile pod poked up from behind him and a single missile flew out, engine roaring as it zoomed into the swarm. While the missile itself was, comparatively speaking, tiny against a Gyaos, the fact was that the munition was also stuffed with enough advanced explosives to send even a Xilian fighter craft reeling was more than a tad more impressive. So, it came as little surprise that when the missile flew into the swarm, and then exploded, everything within a few dozen yards became covered with a thick coat of blood and gore, and stunning the remaining Gyaos from the point blank concussive blast. 

“ShitshitshitshitSHIT!” Gabe swore, runnin after the platoon. The Gyaos were dead, sure, but close to fifty dead Gyaos was still a near literal siren call for the blood drinking monsters, and he, and the rest of the platoon, had been lucky in taking out that Super. He was decidedly NOT looking forward to trying his luck with a second. Ahead of him, the platoon ran, every single one of them stopping at least once to let the civilians, and their fellow soldiers, pass by before resuming their rush to their designated extraction point. Gabe blinked, his eyes moving to an on screen tab that pulled up more tags on screen. 

There! Three blocks away was the Oakland Police Department, where with luck a few transports could get the civilians out, and maybe, just maybe, he and his platoon too. It must have been on Nerosa’s mind too as she pointed to it. “Come on everyone, three more blocks, let’s move it!” The gaggle of civilians started to run faster, men and women almost trampling over each other to reach safety, parents trying to run with children in their arms. Gabe turned to look back at the remnants of the swarm he had shot, seeing them still feasting on each other down by the station. 

A shadow darkened his view. Gabe turned, looking, and froze as a giant white… thing came swooping down angrily, landing on top of Interstate 880 and screeching to the sky. “Oh, you have got to be kidding,” Gabe muttered in terror as the Hyper Gyaos looked down, the platoon shouting in terror as they opened fire on the monster. The various laser blasts did absolutely nothing but annoy the kaiju, the albino shrieking as it started to climb down to the ground itself. “Oh no, oh FUCK NO!!” Gabe cried out, aiming his cannon at the massive Gyaos and opening fire. 

Much like the lasers, his autocannon’s rounds didn’t do anything to it, exploding uselessly or getting deflected from it’s heavily armored front. Yet, somehow, THAT was enough for the Hyper Gyaos to snap its head towards him. Gabe saw the monster’s eyes briefly widen, and then narrow in what was unmistakably pure hatred as it ignored the soldiers at the police station, stomping towards him instead. “Oh shit… oh SHIT!” Gabe started back pedaling, letting loose only a few more shells before simply turning tail and running, the Hyper Gyaos roaring as it gave chase. 

Gabe fled up the road for two blocks before jinking to the right, dashing down 9th Street just in time for the Hyper Gyaos to catch up… and then completely overshoot him as it tried to bite down. “JESUS CHRIST!” Gabe heard the Hyper stumble into a building, concrete crumbling to dust as the kaiju righted itself. He chuckled, almost relieved that he had lost it, if only briefly before something HUGE crashed into the ground in front of him. The impact tremor sent the ASP to its knees, Gabe struggling to get the machine under control as he looked up at what the hell had just crashed in front of him. 

“...there’s no fucking way my luck is this bad.” 

Growling, the satanic looking kaiju better known to the public as Destroyah stood back up, roaring a challenge at whatever kaiju had knocked it to the ground, ignoring the frozen stiff mech barely meters away from it. Watching it get up and leave, Gabe let out a sigh of relief. At least, until he heard a bone chilling series of chirps behind him. “...you’re right behind me, aren’t you?” 

He spun around, cannon going up just as the Hyper Gyaos slammed its head into his side, lifting the ASP off the ground and flying into the air. Gabe grunted painfully from the sudden acceleration, vision spinning as the ASP itself spun in the air. “Thrus...ters…!” he gasped out, flexing his shoulder blades. On the back of the ASP, a series of nozzles flared to life, massive gouts of flame halting the sudden spinning as it began to simply fall to the ground. “SHIT! OKAY OKAY, UH, RIGHT UP, AND THEN BURN OFF SPEED…!” Gabe yelled in a panic, working the controls as best as he could. 

The Hyper Gyaos would have smirked had it been able to when it flung the annoying machine into the air. After all, most things the humans made weren’t made to fly. Then it snarled, enraged as the machine arrested its spin, righting itself as flames erupted from its backside. The Hyper Gyaos made its decision. This machine… this thing had to die now. 

Gabe on the other hand had to listen to the ASP’s computer constantly whining about the ‘altitude warning’ as the ASP’s thrusters went full burn, a gauge on the side showing that they were almost overheating. “Come on, COME ON!” Gabe begged, hoping that the ASP’s computer wouldn’t automatically cut the thrusters off. He was still going far too fast, and if he hit the ground with the mech’s legs, well, he’d be fu- 

Aha! Dash forward! 

Moments before impact, Gabe hit the thrusters once more, sending the ASP into a roll… but unlike when it got flung up into the air by the Hyper Gyaos, this time, the roll was controlled. And because of that, when Gabe finally did hit the ground, the ASP’s chassis was only slightly more dented than before as it literally rolled on the ground before standing back up, intact, and with its pilot alive. Gabe was ecstatic. “HOLY SHIT, THAT WAS AWESOME! DID ANYBODY SEE THAT?!” 

A giant shadow overtook him, robbing Gabe of his cheer. He groaned, turning around to see the Hyper Gyaos glaring at him. “...anyone BESIDES you?” 

The Hyper Gyaos roared, making Gabe flinch as it lunged forward, snapping the ASP up in its jaws, massive, person sized fangs tearing through the hull as sparks and alarms went off in the cockpit. Gabe looked frantically around, even as his screen flickered dangerously, trying to find a way to survive. He looked between his legs at the ejection handle. Then he looked to where the engine controls were. 

In moments, Gabe was rocketing out of the top of the ASP, it’s topside access hatch blow open as the Hyper Gyaos continued to crunch down on the ruined mech. The soldier clutched his harness as the Gyaos finally took note of him flying off, and spread its wings to give chase. And then the ASP exploded, sending the monster stepping back, more in surprise than any actual pain. Still, it gave Gabe precious seconds to get away… mostly by crashing through a building’s skylight and into a bookshelf. 

Gabe laid there for several moments, glass falling from the ceiling as his exoskeleton whirred in protest with every movement. 

“....ow….” 

[][][]

Two hours. It had taken two, damn hours for most of the San Francisco Bay area to be turned to rubble, and Hopkins was in a foul mood as he took point himself, the remnants of Bravo-Three-One close behind him. Behind them, a small group of civilians tried to keep pace on foot, frantically looking up to the sky as more and more kaiju seemed to pile into the bay area. A Gyaos swooped down, hoping to grab a civilian and fly off, but a withering hail of gunfire tore it, rather than the civilians, to shreds. 

“Kuso, they are getting more daring sir!” shouted Sergeant Hatake, ushering the civilians into a mostly intact building. “I do not know how long we can hold out!” 

Hopkins nodded, eyes flicking over to his HUD’s map. “Not much longer,” he commented, even as Julian highlighted their extraction zone. “But we only need to get them to the beach. We’re at… Grand and Clinton. We take Grand straight down, hang a right on Shoreline. Boats can pick them up from there.” Hatake nodded as he reloaded his autocannon. 

“Understood,” the Sergeant said. The ground shook, and the pair looked over to see Zilla stand back up, shaking his head clear as he roared at a Mutation they couldn’t see from where they stood. “I believe now would be a good time to move.” 

“Agreed. Alright everyone, let’s haul ass, now!” Hopkins shouted, waving the group forward. The mixed group of civilians and mechs headed down the street, blasts of energy flying over their heads as kaiju fought. A glance up showed Mothra and Rodan engaging in a dogfight with what looked like Hokmuto, as whatever Gyaos were previously in the air, their numbers had been seriously depleted over the course of the battle. A few minutes of frantic running later, and they were finally able to see the bay… which was half on fire as multiple ships were ablaze, heavily armored hulls no match against the kaiju in the city. And even from where Hopkins stood, it was clear that the city of San Francisco itself was damn near completely totalled. “Well fuck…” 

Suddenly, Hopkins’ radio hissed, laced heavily with static. “Old Dog, this is Sergeant Barnes of Three-Six, over!” 

“Sergeant, report, over!” 

“Major, Three-Six is stuck at the bunker at Fruitvale, we can’t exfil!” the sergeant on the other side of the radio called out. “Civvies are dead, and I’m down to Smith, Hargrove, and- CHRIST, NO! CASPER, GET DOWN!!” Hopkins heard cannon fire through the radio, and he glanced at the map. 

“Julian!” 

[We can’t!] the AI told him. [They’re too far, and we wouldn’t have enough ordinance anyway!] Hopkins swore, furious before Barnes’ shout came to a complete halt. 

“Oh no… oh fuck no…” Hopkins looked behind them, seeing several gigantic forms all over Oakland, but the one that grabbed his attention was the blood red form of Destroyah. Suddenly, Hopkins wasn’t in Alameda. Suddenly, it was night time, he was grieving anew, the roars of a father literally burning in rage, and that thing was opening its mouth-

“SERGEANT BARNES, HAUL ASS, NOW!” Hopkins shouted, starting to run towards Destroyah before it’s mouth opened fully. And then, a torrent of Micro-Oxygen billowed out, Barnes’ screams of terror quickly cut off as her radio was destroyed. “NO! FUCK!” 

Hatake swore beside him. “Major, we will grieve them later!” he said, grabbing the shoulder of Hopkins’ ASP. “But these civilians come first!” Hopkins paused, taking several breaths to calm himself as Julian kept the ASP steady. 

“...you’re right. Alright, Sergeant, let’s get these people out of here, now!” 

“Hai!” Hatake quickly waved the ASPs forward, the civilians following close behind as Hopkins held the rear. The group raced up the street, and a glance over his shoulder let Hopkins see the burning blue flares signaling an evacuation zone. In the middle of the park, a hovercraft waited, a fireteam of GDF Marines guarding the ramp as the group approached it. One of them, presumably the team leader, approached Hopkins, hand tapping their throat mic. 

“Sir, we just got orders from up top, all GDF units are to pull out as best they can!” Hopkins went over to a resupply crate, grabbing more ammo as he looked down at the Marine. 

“On whose orders Corporal?” 

“Marshal Pentecost sir!” 

...well shit, that did change things. “Julian?” 

[Connecting you to the chief meat bag in charge,] Julian commented dryly. [Here’s hoping he has SOME sense… for a lowly meat bag.] It took only a moment for Julian to connect the ASP’s communication systems to the GDF BattleNet, and from there, piggyback to the Shatterdome all the way down in Los Angeles. In the corner of his HUD, Hopkins saw a window pop up, the lean figure of Pentecost standing serene in the middle of the chaos of the Shatterdome’s control room. 

“Major Hopkins,” Pentecost addressed him, clasping his hands behind his back as he looked at the pilot. “I would ask how you got through, but…” 

“Not the time and place, yeah,” Hopkins said, nodding. “The hell is this order to pull out Marshal, we still got people in the AO to grab!” 

Pentecost shook his head. “Not anymore Major. The Council has authorized the use of… they will use the Dimension Tide Orbital System.” Pentecost at least looked ashamed as Hopkins froze in place, with even Julian unable to bring up a smartass remark. “The Council… believes that with Space Godzilla and Destroyah in the area, that we can eliminate the Mutation leadership in one fell blow.” 

“I’m sorry, WHAT?!?” 

Everyone froze in momentary terror as a wave of pure rage washed over them as Hopkins continued. “Marshal, you can NOT fire that system! The situation down here is too hot, we have friendlies down here, danger close wouldn’t even BEGIN to cover this shit!” 

“I have my orders Major,” Pentecost shot back coolly. Hopkins held himself back as the other man continued. “The attack will happen, and I unfortunately do not have the clearance to call it off.” 

“With all due respect Marshal,” Hopkins said, looking back to where Oakland roughly was, “That’s bullshit, and you know it. How many are left?” 

Pentecost paused, his eyes looking at something off screen. “...all assets in San Francisco proper have been pulled out,” he said finally. “Northern forces have pulled out, and you’re among the last in the Oakland-Alameda area to be pulled out. The only location in dire straits is… Bunker Eight, MacArthur Station. There are still civilians trapped there, with multiple mobile infantry and armor elements.” 

Julian pulled up the map for Hopkins, who quickly gave it a glance. “That’s a shithole,” he muttered, seeing the tags for the kaiju near the area; Godzilla was closer to Berkeley, Mothra and Rodan still airborne, Zilla tussling with Destoryah… and Space Godzilla advancing to Godzilla’s position. “...It’ll be close.” 

“Hopkins?” 

“Give me ten minutes Marshal, ten damn minutes,” Hopkins said, watching as his troops walked into the transport. “Give me ten minutes to try and clear a path for them.” 

Pentecost looked at him sternly. “Major, I am NOT throwing away a vital, strategic asset, just because you think you can sneak them out.” 

“Sir… please. You saw what I could… what I CAN do back in the Coalition Conflict.” A heavy silence hung between the two men as Pentecost briefly considered the request. 

“...do not make me regret this… Major. You have twenty minutes to get to the station and assist however you can.” 

“Understood sir,” Hopkins said, nodding. “Consider it done.” 

Pentecost nodded, cutting the feed as Julian finally spoke up. [You realize that’s a one way trip, right?] 

“And the last twenty years hasn’t?” Hopkins reloaded his rifle, even as Hatake’s ASP walked over to him. 

“Major, what is it?” Hatake asked. 

“We’ve got stranded at MacArthur Station,” Hopkins told him. “Pentecost has given me twenty minutes to punch a hole for them to get out.” Hatake looked in the direction of the fighting kaiju. 

“...Major, with respect, it will take more than you to assist any survivors,” the Japanese pilot commented, hefting his autocannon. “You will need help.” Hopkins looked over Hatake’s shoulder, and saw the remaining members stepping off, all of them grabbing additional ammunition. 

“You know, chances are you are all gonna die a very horrible, painful death, right?” Hopkins pointed out. 

To the side, Private Bailey gave his superior officer a ‘polite’ gesture with a solitary finger. “With respect sir, we’re the fucking Pale Horsemen!” he declared proudly. “And where we ride, Hell fucking runs in fear from us!” Hopkins smirked in amusement. Each of his soldiers was just radiating confidence, conviction… hope. 

“...Whatever else happens tonight, know that I’m proud of you rebellious little fuckheads,” Hopkins told them. “But we are going at one speed, and that’s my speed. If you can’t keep up, then head back for extraction. I want you alive more than I need another gun. Clear?” 

“CLEAR!” 

“Good! Now fall in!” Hopkins started running, dashing down the streets as the rest of the squad followed him. “Okay Julian, best route?” Without verbally answering, the AI highlighted a route for them to follow. “Thank you much, you jumped up chess program.” 

[Yeeeeah, fuck you too.] 

The ASPs rushed through the streets, taking potshots at Gyaos when they could, the injured kaiju swiftly set upon by their uninjured brethren. And thankfully, due to the lack of traffic, it didn’t take long for them to come across their destination. Mostly due to the large number of Stryker IFVs, Humvees, and a few light MASER tanks firing away at any kaiju that came close. Plus, much to Hopkins’ astonishment, there were still a few ASPs firing away as well, most of them close to running out of ammo… though, that wasn’t much of an issue from the sight of a resupply crate close by. A glance at the IFFs on his HUD let Hopkins know who was in charge. 

“First Sergeant Clarke!” Hopkins shouted, firing a burst into a diving Gyaos, bringing it crashing down into a building. In front of him, an ASP yanked its rifle out of a small Gyaos, shaking the blood off the bayonet before looking at him. 

“Who the fu- what the hell, sir, what the shit are you doing here?!” the senior Sergeant shouted, waving her forces back. 

“Trying to get you out of here!” Hopkins looked at the bunker’s entrance, frowning at the comically small number of transport trucks. “How many do you have left Sergeant?” 

Clarke huffed. “Practically jackshit sir!” she reported. “Got a few Humvees, about ten Strykers, and what you see in terms of ASPs and MASERs! We had a Heavy MASER, but it got taken out by the Hyper about half an hour ago!” 

“Survivors?” Hopkins took aim, firing a burst and forcing a Super Gyaos away… where a blazing Uranium Ray from Rodan intercepted and bisected it, neatly slicing the monster in half and sealing it’s fatal injury. 

“Just the driver!” Clarke continued. “But we did yank the main gun out, got the thing over there with the generator attached, barely!” Hopkins nodded. 

“Copy. Number of survivors?” 

“In bunker… about fifty, along with about a whole company and a half of infantry, and half of them are wounded.” Hopkins nodded, looking at the current assets. 

“Julian, we don’t have enough to evac everyone, do we?” 

[...you REALLY want me to answer that?] Julian sighed. [Fine, look. We got ten Strykers, passenger space nine. We have roughly twelve Humvees, and from the look of them, they can each hold maybe… seven, eight people.] 

“Still leaves us with well over thirty unable to get out in time.” Hopkins took a deep breath. “Dammit…” He looked to Clarke. “Sergeant, I want you to get the wounded into the Strykers, put an ASP on a pair leaving! Let’s pack the civvies into the Humvees, and we’ll see about just making a run for it!” Clarke looked at the escalating kaiju fighting and nodded. 

“Copy that sir, we-,” she started to say before an ASP pointed down the road. 

“We got a foot mobile!” they shouted, firing their weapon down the street, plasma bursts flying down and likely hitting a Gyaos. Hopkins and Clarke headed to the entrance of the street, adding their firepower as a single infantryman came sprinting down the road, jumping and sliding over ruined cars as they ran for the bunker. 

The infantryman passed by, and Hopkins felt something… familiar from the soldier. Shaking it off, Hopkins shot the Gyaos in the head and pointed to Clarke. “Sergeant, now!” 

“Copy! DeWitt, Byers, get those civilians into the fucking Humvees, now!” 

Down below, and having just stopped by the entrance of the bunker, Private Gabriel Monnot was panting, sucking down deep breaths as people swarmed out from underground, a few of them soldiers. One such soldier in uniform almost passed him, stopped, and then had to do a double take out of sheer bewilderment. “Private Monnot?” Nerosa asked, grabbing Gabe by the shoulder. “What are you, no, why, no… HOW?!” 

Gabe shrugged, looking up to her. “No idea Sergeant,” he answered. “Got lucky I guess.” 

“Fucker, you got a motherfucking guardian angel watching over you!” Nerosa told him. “You got five minutes to rest your ass and resupply, and then you’re staying here!” Gabe blinked. 

“Wait, what?!” 

“Gotta give the flying bastards something to focus on instead of the convoy!” Nerosa shouted before turning to direct the flood of evacuees out of the bunker. Gabe simply stood there, gaping at the Staff Sergeant in horror as the ground shook violently, a kaiju of some sort crashing to the ground nearby. 

“There is no fucking way my luck is this bad,” he muttered to himself, heading over to a supply crate guarded by a few other soldiers. “No fucking way…” 

“You too huh kid?” one of the guards asked, a Corporal judging by the additional stripe. Gabe nodded nervously. 

“Yeah. You?” 

The Corporal shrugged. “Could be worse,” he commented. “Anyway, grab a few batteries kid. Won’t do much, but, hey, better than nothing.” Gabe nodded, reaching into the crate and grabbing a few extra batteries to his rifle before the civilians began to shout in panic. Spinning in place, Gabe paled as he saw a swarm of Gyaos approaching… with a single, white shape in their midst. 

“Fuck! It’s the Hyper!” 

Every single available soldier acted, weapons rising up and opening fire into the oncoming horde as cannon shells and lasers flew through the air. Gabe himself ran into cover, firing his rifle blindly to the sky as the Gyaos swiftly approached. “Shit shit Shit Shit SHIT!” he swore frantically, the rifle suddenly beeping as it’s battery went dry. “OH SONUVA-!” Gabe quickly reloaded, tossing the spent battery away as he slammed the fresh one into the receiver, looking up and seeing the Gyaos, and more terrifyingly, the Hyper Gyaos, nearly upon the station. 

He looked to the side, seeing a pack of explosives up on a support strut for the overpass. Shoot it, a voice in his head said. Slow it… 

“Everyone, away from the pillar!” Gabe shouted, pointing to it before aiming. The Corporal followed his line of sight and swore. 

“OUTTA THE WAY ASSHOLES!” he barked, aiming as well before the pair opened fire. The laser blasts connected to the explosives, detonating them with a deafening boom. Most of the flock recoiled in pain from the concussive blast, the Hyper ignoring it as it proceeded to try and dive under the overpass… only for hundreds of tons of rubble and abandoned vehicle to land directly on top of her head. The massive albino Gyaos screeched in alarm, its upper body momentarily pinned. 

Hopkins looked at the spectacle and whistled. “Holy fuck, that actually worked?” he asked himself, looking to where Gabe was hiding, the younger soldier seeming to be equally surprised. “Christ, kid’s got better eyes than I do.” 

[Oi, meatbag, FOCUS!] Julian nearly shouted in his ear. [Vehicles are almost full!] Hopkins looked over and saw that the AI was on the money with his assessment. All but three of the Humvees were piled high with civilians, while only three Strykers remained that didn’t carry any wounded. 

“Right, got it.” Hopkins shifted his attention to Clarke, the Sergeant bringing a Gyaos down in a stream of fire. “Sergeant! Get your ASPs together, get these people out of here, now!” 

“Yes sir!” Clarke pointed to several of her pilots, each of them running to the convoy to provide cover fire for them. “And I suppose we hole up here like the Alamo?” 

“First Sergeant, Davy Crockett didn’t have any Goddamn autocannons, and he wasn’t fighting fucking kaiju!” Hopkins shot back as he took a step back. “ALRIGHT YOU ASSHOLES! BACKS TO THE WALL, EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT!” ASP, armored vehicles, and infantry alike opened fire, drawing the ire of even more Gyaos as the convoy took off. Hopkins reloaded his cannon, a light MASER tank firing charged blasts out of its barrel and taking down a Super in short order. 

The Hyper Gyaos got up from the rubble, shaking its head in sheer irritation, just in time for Raiga to slam into its side and send the two of them catapulting to the ground blocks away. “Holy fuck!” Gabe swore, reloading his rifle again as he backed away from the jaws of a quickly dying Gyaos, the barely three meter high monstrosity getting riddled with laser fire. 

“It’s just a fucking Gyaos Private!” Nerosa shouted to him, reloading her rifle. “We got-!” 

A gust of wind pushed Gabe to the ground as one moment, Nerosa was there, and the next, the bloody stump of her arm fell to the ground, rifle clattering on the asphalt as a Gyaos flew back into the sky, biting down and swallowing its prize. 

“Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!” Gabe was panicking, scurrying backwards in terror until his back hit a wall. He clutched his rifle tight, hyperventilating as an ASP back stepped closer to him. He closed his eyes, begging for the madness to end when a sudden wave of calm entered him. “What the-?” he mumbled, looking up and seeing the ASP look down at him. 

“You alright there kid?” the pilot inside asked. Gabe shook his head. 

“Not really!” 

The pilot chuckled, pointing their cannon behind them one handed and fired. A second later, a Gyaos crashed down to the ground, impaling itself on exposed rebar. “Don’t worry kid, been there myself. But you can do this, you ain’t survived this shithole this long to die now.” 

“You… you think so?” 

“Son, consider this a standing order. I am ordering you to not fucking die without my express permission, or God’s, whoever gets off their lazy ass first,” the pilot said. “Now… on your feet soldier!” 

Gabe nodded, and slowly rose to his feet. He was still fucking terrified, but somehow… hearing the pilot tell him that he was going to survive this, it… it felt like it was an undeniable truth. The ASP’s optics housing nodded, and then turned away, only to get hit with a full body tackle by a four meter high Gyaos. “FUCK!” Gabe swore, pulling his rifle up, only to watch in fascination as the ASP pulled the Gyaos off, throw it to the ground, and literally curb stomp its arrow shaped head into a fine paste. “...holy shit that’s metal….” 

“Focus kid!” the pilot told him. “Now, get your ass over to that firing line, now!” 

“Yes sir!” Gabe shouted, sprinting to where a few more infantrymen were holed up, taking potshots at the monsters. Hopkins watched the soldier leave before shaking his head. 

“Christ, that was… different,” he muttered, ignoring Julian’s cynical scoff. “Julian, status?” 

[Currently, we got about a hundred and thirty-] Julian paused as a Super Gyaos passed by, firing off it’s sonic laser before continuing, [Well, a hundred and sixteen people left, yourself included. Three MBT-98’s are left, as well as a trio of both Strykers and Humvees. All told, any stragglers we may have IF we survive this can hitch a ride on the tanks.] Another earth-trembling stomp shook the ground, and Julian sighed. [Of course, I should mention that we’re right between Godzilla and Space Godzilla… as well as Mothra, Anguirus, Destroyah, Zilla, and apparently Raiga. Plus at least a hundred still remaining Gyaos.] 

“Great,” Hopkins said dryly as the two Godzilla’s roared at each other. “Welp, looks like Pipsqueak’s in a bit of a bind.” Hopkins aimed his cannon at Space Godzilla’s face, a quick tap at his controls adjusting the power on the cannon’s shots. “All units, fire on Space Godzilla, on my mark.” Every remaining soldier aimed their weapons at the kaiju in question, and Hopkins was about to give the order when his cockpit alarms went off screaming. 

‘WARNING! WARNING! DIMENSION TIDE IS NOW ACTIVE! EVACUATE THE AREA OF OPERATIONS IMMEDIATELY!’ 

This time, Julian needed no prompting as Pentecost’s visage popped up in Hopkins’ HUD. “MARSHAL! DO NOT FIRE, REPEAT, DO NOT FIRE THE SYSTEM AT THIS TIME!” Hopkins yelled, just as he pulled the trigger. Magnetically accelerated rounds, along with lasers and missiles, flew out to intercept the now charging kaiju. “WE ARE WITHIN THE BLAST RADIUS, DANGER CLOSE, I SAY AGAIN, DANGER CLOSE, OVER!” 

“Ma-r, y- are not co- -ough, say again, ov-!” Pentecost said, his screen dissolving to static as the cockpit warnings continued. 

‘DIMENSION TIDE ORBITAL SYSTEM ONLINE! TRACKING TARGET… TARGET IS LOCKED! FIRING MAIN CANNON IN TEN, NINE, EIGHT-!’ 

“ALL UNITS, BRACE YOURSELVES!” Hopkins yelled, slinging his rifle onto his back and flexing his hands, psionic energy flowing through him as the countdown continued in his ear. 

‘-FOUR, THREE, TWO-!’ 

The two Godzillas were now charging at each other, now barely even body lengths apart from each other. Hopkins pushed his hands out, a massive bubble of psychic energy forming around the survivors with a blazing purple-white glow. 

‘-ONE. FIRING MAIN CANNON.’ 

For a moment, it seemed as though nothing had happened. And yet, as the humans quickly realized, despite the roars of the brawling kaiju, the sounds that should have been there… weren’t. No sound, and then, suddenly, from the sky...

BLACKNESS. 

A gargantuan orb of pure black descended, ringed with light as it descended upon the chaos. The kaiju were the first to go, their forms swallowed up by the darkness due to either sheer size, or altitude in the case of the flyers. Then it came upon them, and Hopkins felt as though his brain was being torn asunder again as he was aware of Julian yelling in panic, the AI trying to tell him something… 

But the psychic quickly lost consciousness, the shield dropping barely a second later, but by then, they had already past the event horizon, they were already deep inside the lightless depths. And for a brief second, mass didn’t exist, only energy. In the next, energy didn’t exist, only mass. 

And in the next second, they were out. 

[][][]

Twilight Sparkle, faithful student of Her Most Holy and Benevolent Radiance, Empress Daybreaker, sighed as she stepped off the train. On the one hoof, today was when the preparations for the Tenth Centennial Summer Sun Celebration was supposed to start, and that she should be relaxing… but the scrolls from the Restricted section of the Empress’ library did say that the Mare in the Moon was supposed to return soon if not stopped. “Twi, do you really need this much ink and parchment?” Spike asked, the young dragon clearly struggling to hold up the sheer mountain of office supplies in his claws. “It’s only a few days, you DON’T need to take THAT many notes!” 

“Spike, you know how important this is!” Twilight reprimanded. “After all, if the Mare in the Moon does appear, then we need to document it for Empress Daybreaker!” A rumble of thunder echoed in the sky above them, and the pair looked up to see dozens of lines fly out a tear in the sky, most of them falling to the Everfree Forest, though one of them flew straight to Canterlot, landing somewhere in the vicinity of the castle. “...and that.” 

“Oh Faust, not MORE notes!” 

“Spike! Language!” 

Spike glowered at her. “Twi, there’s nopony who’s going to care, except maybe her,” he said, pointing behind Twilight. The lavender unicorn turned around and spotted the pony in question, a buttercream colored earth pony who yelped upon being spotted. Twilight gulped, several levels of anxiety rising to the surface as she approached. 

“Hi, umm, sorry to bother you, but, do you know where I can find Gov-”

“Shh!” the other mare hissed, rushing over and planting a hoof over Twilight’s mouth. “We can’t speak here! Come with me if you don’t want the Legionnaires to beat you!” Without being given much choice, Twilight was dragged into a nearby building, Spike dashing after her after simply dropping her note taking supplies. 

In light of this, the Canterlot born and bred pony only had one thing to say. 

“W’ah?” 

[][][]

Once upon a time, in the land of Equestria, two sisters ruled the land; the eldest raised the sun at dawn, and the younger the moon at dusk. All was good in Equestria, until one day, the younger sister, jealous of her elder’s power, sought to overthrow her, and plunge the lands of Equestria into an eternal night. One that day, the Holy Empress Daybreaker cast the traitor into the moon, sealing her away. To ensure that the moon had no power, she created a second sun, the land blessed by constant light. To this day, rebels and cultists fight against the Empress, seeking to bring the cast out sister back from her prison. 

What neither counted on were the kaiju. 

Or the Pale Horsemen who followed.
> Bang Said The Lady
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight gawked at the ragged collection of ponies she was seeing, Spike huddling close to her side for safety. The young Magus was wondering just what she had gotten herself into as she looked around the room, mentally tallying up the population makeup of the village in her head. Most of them were earth ponies, which suggested that the town was primarily agricultural in nature when taken in with the rolling hills around the settlement. There were some pegasi, likely members of the local weather teams to assist in the growing of crops, and unicorns for logistical, government, and whatever specialized tasks the pegasi and earth ponies couldn’t do. 

Unfortunately, all of that was a footnote to the fact that most, if not all the ponies in front of her were armed with some kind of weapon. Axes, clubs, a couple of short lances, if it could be used to cause some degree of physical injury, these ponies had it in hoof or mouth. 

“Uh, Twi, are you sure we’re in the right town?” Spike asked nervously as a mare stepped forward, a pale tan coat with a rolled up scroll as her cutie mark. 

“It’s going to be fine Spike,” Twilight whispered before straightening up. “Umm, hi, umm, I’m Twilight Sparkle, I was -”

“Why are you here Mystic?” the mare asked sternly. Twilight gulped, glancing to the collection of armed ponies behind her. 

“I-I-I-I’m just here to look into something for the Empress, really!” Twilight stammered, slowly backing up to the door, keeping Spike at her side. “Please, I don’t want any trouble, really, you have to believe me!” Behind the mare, a cyan pegasus grinned psychotically, a prismatic mane draped over one ear as a miniature thundercloud formed between her hooves. “Please, I just want to make sure that the Mare in the Moon is just a myth, and then I’ll be gone, I swear!” Suddenly, the entire mob just stopped, looking at Twilight with shock and horror. 

“...Dash, Mac, get rid of her and the dragon,” the old mare ordered, sighing in defeat. “Take them to the Everfree for all I know, just-,” she added, just as Spike cut her off. 

“Y-You can’t kill her!” the young dragon blurted out, hugging his older sister/mother figure. “She’s the personal student to the Empress! I-If you hurt a hair on her… w-w-well, who knows what the Empress will do to you!” 

The room by and large all recoiled away from Twilight as if she were a concentrated mass of poison joke extract. Still, a massive red stallion looked to the old mare. “He’s got a point,” he drawled bluntly. “All of us, against one Empress. Just don’t add up.” 

“Oh come on, we all know the stories!” the prismatic maned pegasus snapped, zooming into Twilight’s face, a modified griffin gauntlet on her hoof, the blade just under Twilight’s jaw. “The Empress won’t notice or care if one member of her court goes missing! It’s a super crazy blood bath from what I’ve heard, isn’t that right, Mystic?” 

Twilight was shivering, mostly out of barely restrained panic as she belatedly realized that she had failed (for once) to raise any of her normal wards before coming to this town. “P-Please, I don’t want to hurt anypony, I swear!” 

“Well hey, tell ya what!” the pegasus said dryly, her grin widening uncomfortably far for Twilight’s tastes, “You just answer a couple of questions, and we won’t hurt ya! How’s that sound?” 

Twilight opened her mouth, about to answer before she stopped herself in her tracks. She didn’t need to understand Doctor Hoovian Slip’s psychology theories to know that this mare was a little… unhinged. Still, the unicorn nodded, seeing no other choice in the matter. “Rainbow Dash, how about you… step away from the Mystic before you do something stupid again,” the older mare said dryly, stepping forward and moving the pegasus out of the way. 

“Wha?! Aw, but come ooooon!” Rainbow Dash pleaded. “I wanna scare the crap out of her!” 

“Well, any more scaring, and she won’t talk,” the other mare said back, pushing Rainbow out of the way. “Now go outside and patrol the perimeter or something.” Twilight watched as the pegasus was about to argue, but then hung her head low, grumbling to herself as the cyan mare departed. “As for the rest of you, head out and go back to work before the garrison finds out where you’ve gone, we can’t afford any slip ups now.” She looked pointedly at Twilight as the ponies began to file out, soon leaving only the three of them alone. 

“Alright, listen, I’ve bought you a bit of time, but you better be giving me something to pay me back in turn. Now spill it.” 

“Look, really, I am only here to investigate the Mare in the Moon myth!” Twilight told the older mare. “I-I’m not here to enforce some new law or anything! I just want to go to your library, meet your governor, and then be on my way!” The mare looked at her quizzically. 

“You… aren’t going to have us summarily executed?” 

Twilight recoiled at the sound of that. “What?! No! No no no, umm, it’s just, I mean, I’m not hurt, and I can gather that you’re all tense and, umm, living so close to the Everfree, I mean, I’m sure the Empress can understand and forgive if-!” 

“Young lady, let me stop you there,” the mare told her. “I’ve been around longer than you, and likely your own mother have been alive. Let me tell ya… the Empress isn’t the forgiving type to anypony save those she happens to fancy. You yourself being in that ‘fancy’ department.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Now look. I will be more than happy to let you go out on your way, but please, please… don’t involve yourself any further with this myth. Multitudes before you have died trying to look into it, and I’d rather not see a promising pony like yourself join them.” 

“Look, I know about the Lunar Rebellions of 122 CE,” Twilight said, eyes furrowing. “I know that every few years, some cult says they found some way to bring back the Mare in the Moon, and then they fail. Every single time, what they say amounts to superstition and folklore, and yet, the same basic story beats are present. Such as how when the time is right, the stars will aid in her escape, or how some artifact or another is supposed to power her up. All of this is telling me that somehow, someway, there is a logical, factual kernel of truth to these stories that can be found, recorded, cross checked, and analyzed. That’s all I want to know miss. The truth.” 

The mare laughed, a hollow sound. “Truth? Child… if there’s anything I’ve learned as mayor of this town… it’s that the truth often hurts. And is horribly overrated.”

Twilight frowned. “Mayor, I’d rather the facts, and the evidence they provide, be the judge of the truth,” she said. “So… are we…?” 

“Done?” Twilight nodded. The mayor sighed. “Yes, we are. I can’t stop you from doing what you want, Mystic, even I know the consequences of that. I only wish you safe travels and… good luck. I hope you find what you’re looking for.” 

“Thank you. Come on Spike, let’s go,” Twilight said, pulling him along with her magic as the pair left the mayor inside, stepping outside into the bright afternoon sun. She waited until they were a good couple of blocks away before huffing. “Dear Faust, this day just keeps getting worse and worse by the second Spike.” 

“I know!” Spike exclaimed. “First we wake up way too early, then we tore up half the Royal Archives for clues, and then, and THEN, you skipped lunch on the train, and now we’re still outside, walking, and on empty stomachs!” 

“Spike!” Twilight reprimanded. “We just ran into a lunar cult, don’t you get that?” Spike’s mouth dropped, shocked as Twilight continued. “Or at least, their behavior suggests that they’re affiliated with a lunar cult at the least. Without access to the latest security briefing reports, it’s hard to tell, but we’re definitely in some degree of trouble!” 

“Okay, aaaand what are you going to do about it?” 

“First, we’re going to the governor to get off the street,” Twilight answered. “After that? We’re getting some information about the Mare in the Moon myth, and then, we’re on our way to continue investigating!” Beside her, Spike groaned, facepalming in frustration. 

“Twi, seriously, I love ya, but come on! The Empress is the Empress! You seriously think that she wouldn’t take this myth seriously? For all we know, she might have Shining look into it himself right now with Duchess Shadow or something!” 

“Yes, but last I checked, he, Tempest, and everyone else are set to enjoy some time off together, so no Spike, I don’t think he’s looking into it for the Empress right now!” Twilight complained. “It’s up to us to figure this out!” Spike frowned, crossing his arms as they rounded a corner. 

“Well, I still have to tell you, as your number one assistant, and as your ward, that this? This is a very, very, very bad idea,” he said, even as Twilight let out a sigh of relief as she caught sight of what could only by the Governor’s mansion. 

“Well, no idea is ever truly bad Spike!” she said, lifting him onto her back and setting off on a fast trot to the mansion’s doors. “Poorly executed, sure, but no idea is ever bad!” 

“The ‘Want-It Need-It’ Spell Disaster,” Spike deadpanned. 

“...Grogar’s chin, dammit!” Twilight snapped, annoyed. “You have to bring that up?” 

“When you’re planning something stupid? Yes.” Twilight sighed, slowing down as she approached the pair of legionnaires guarding the doors to the mansion, both armored mares looking at her sternly. 

“Halt!” one of them ordered, lowering her spear at her. “What’s your business?” 

“Oh, umm, I’m Mystic Twilight Sparkle, from Canterlot,” Twilight began, noting how neither legionnaire seemed to budge at the mention of her name. 

“We’ve no notice of anypony from the College requesting business with the Governor,” the other guardsmare said. “Now, if you would kindly fuck off, we-” 

“Excuse me?!” Twilight cried out, the day’s frustrations boiling over as she stood up tall and stared the guardsmare in the eye. “I don’t think I was quite finished, Corporal! As I said, I am Mystic Twilight Sparkle, and yes, I am affiliated with the College, but I am also the personal student of Her Radiance, Empress Daybreaker!” Without looking, she withdrew a sigil from her saddlebag and showed it to both of the guards, their faces falling and paling in horror as she continued. “Now, you can either let me in to see the Governor, and let me go about my business, or we can go ahead and play this game where I get in touch with our Empress, who yes, I have a direct magical line to, and tell her about a pair of guardsponies who clearly can’t be bothered to know who is who, and see how THAT goes!” 

Twilight took a deep breath, trying to calm her frayed nerves as she cleared her throat. “So please, let’s just do the sensible thing, and let me see the Governor. Please?” 

The guards shared a look with one another and nodded frantically to each other. “Of course, Mystic Sparkle,” the first guard answered shakily. “And please, f-forgive us for our conduct, we, umm, we don’t get many visitors of your, umm, well, stature here.” Twilight gave the guard a nervous chuckle as she was led in by the guard. 

“It’s okay, and I’m sorry for snapping at you,” she apologized, drawing a surprised look from her escort. “It’s just been a long morning, and you just happened to be the poor mare who was in the wrong place and the wrong time.” 

“Well, I… thank you, Mystic,” the guard said as they entered the mansion, and at once, Twilight was stuck with reminders of the Canterlot high society and its whim, the walls decorated opulently despite the rest of the town’s relatively drab appearance. Moving down a carpeted hallway, they stopped by what Twilight assumed were the office doors of the Governor. 

“Governor Shine,” the mare called out into the office, knocking on the door, “You have a visitor from the capitol. Mystic Twilight Sparkle.” The trio heard a startled yelp, and then what sounded like a pair of bodies hitting the floor. The guardmare looked utterly embarrassed as the ponies inside the office moved around frantically before another mare dashed out, Twilight assuming that she was a maid based on what clothes were just barely on her. 

“My apologies Mystic Sparkle,” the other occupant stated, clearing his throat as a breeze entered the office. “Please, come in.” Twilight did so, Spike hopping off her back as they looked over the Governor in full. He was lean, almost a fence post with muddy red fur and an off white mane due to age. Still, Comet Shine smiled, bowing respectfully to Twilight. “Had I known that you were coming, I would have made sure to be more presentable.” 

“Yes, well, this was admittedly a bit of a spur of the moment venture for myself and my assistant as well,” Twilight admitted, pointedly ignoring the musty smell of the Governor’s indiscretions in the room. Comet Shine nodded. 

“I understand,” he said. Twilight mentally groaned. What an ass, kissing up to her. “So, what can I do our Empress’ dear Mystic?” 

Twilight took a deep breath and looked at Comet Shine. 

[][][]

One moment, Godzilla Junior, commonly referred to as ‘Goji’ by his closest companions, was in the human city fighting Xenilla. The next, he was falling through the air, and he was about to slam into something white, shiny, and made out of some kind of rock. Oh Tanaka, this is gonna hurt, he thought to himself just before he impacted the side of the rocks and crashed through to the other side. Slabs and chunks of formerly pristine marble and wood tumbled in with Godzilla as his bulk slammed into the floor, leaving a massive crater in his wake as his fall was suddenly arrested. 

Groaning, Godzilla shook his head clear, rock dust filling his vision momentarily before he attempted to stand… and promptly fell onto his front, his arms stopping his fall. Godzilla blinked, absolutely flabbergasted at the sight of two decidedly furred legs connecting him to the floor. Admittedly, the fur was the same color as his scales, but still. 

“Oh Daiei, I think I’m starting to get why Oji-san was so cranky back in Kyoto,” he muttered, just as he heard a collection of footfalls approaching him. Godzilla looked over his shoulder, past an off-grey spiky mane at a collection… horses. In armor. Why were the horses in armor, and why in Tanaka was he the same size as them? “Who are-?” Godzilla started to saw, just as several of the horses charged at him with long, thin lances lowered. In his daze, Godzilla couldn’t avoid them in time. 

But it was still a sight to see a trio of hardened steel lances slide right off his fur and send his assailants stumbling, off balance. Godzilla narrowed his eyes. He raised his arm - leg? - up and sent it barreling into the chest of one of the armored horses. The blow sent the soldier flying down the hall, a massive hoof print embedded in their chest plate. The other two soldiers gawked in stunned horror as they watched their compatriot said through the air, not noticing Godzilla cock his leg back again. 

In moments, Godzilla was facing a mass rush of horses charging him, a few of them hanging back to presumably watch. It didn’t matter much, as he was busy laying them out on the floor. Bodies went flying in the air, falling back onto the floor or into the walls as the transformed kaiju fought. “Will you stop-?!” Godzilla growled, avoiding a lance thrust towards his head before he bit down and it, yanking the weapon out of its owner’s grasp before throwing both them and the ruined lance off to the side. “LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS FOR FIVE TANAKA DAMNED SECONDS!!” 

The guards all looked at each other, uncertain. “Don’t just stand there, it’s… it’s just trying to distract you!” One of the horses in the back of the pack yelled, soft tones showing that it was a panicked female. “Keep attacking!” 

“Are you fucking crazy?” one of them shouted back. Godzilla snorted. Finally, someone with sense. “Can’t you just shoot fireballs at him?!” 

Godzilla retracted his earlier statement. These horses were clearly stupid. 

The one who had shouted for her compatriots to continue attacking looked at Godzilla, a glow of what what he could assume to be magic forming over her head. Rolling his head, Godzilla pulled up his internal energy reserves, his mane flashing a brilliant white-blue as blow smoke poured from his mouth. 

“Oh Faust, incoming!” 

The horses ducked and dove out of the way of Godzilla’s Atomic Breath, the lance of superheated matter slicing into the marble behind the group with ease before Godzilla cut the flow. Godzilla’s eyes remained narrow, the kaiju’s new hooves sinking into the floor from the heat he was giving off. He turned to leave, only for the hairs on the back of his neck to rise up in a near instant. Godzilla spun around in place, his eyes quickly locking onto the new threat approaching him. 

“So...,” the new arrival said with a sarcastic drawl. Godzilla’s eyes looked over the horse that was nearly the same size, if not slightly taller than her, the horse’s own flaming eyes boring into him. She was clad in a plethora of golden armor segments, her imposing form seemingly regal and defined… like Ghidorah. “How does such a… distinctive stallion such as yourself wind up in my castle?” 

Godzilla huffed. “I fell through your roof,” he deadpanned. “After that, your minions decided to attack me without bothering to ask how and why I got here.” 

“And where are you from, hmm?” 

Godzilla’s gut clenched. The sneer this horse was giving him was almost a dead ringer for Ghidorah’s, even down to the forced dimple at the corner of her smile. Godzilla huffed. “...a land far from here,” he said simply. His opposition faltered for only a split second before narrowing her eyes at him. 

“I’m sorry, but do you know who I am, peasant?” she asked haughtily. Godzilla chuffed. 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you in regards to memory loss,” he shot back. “Because no, I don’t know, nor do I care about who you are.” The resplendent horse’s eye twitched as the air around her began to shimmer. 

“...excuse me?” she growled. “I am the Empress Daybreaker, Holy and most Benevolent Radiance of the Equestrian Empire, and I-!” 

“Don’t care,” Godzilla interrupted, taking a step forward, blue smoke trailing from his open jaws. “I am not here to quarrel with you, but if you get in my way, I will go through you.” Daybreaker’s body shook in rage as Godzilla continued to walk towards her. He had barely managed to get halfway down the hallway when she finally acted. 

Her horn lit up, and a torrent of fire, nearly the width of the hall, barrelled down the marble corridor and engulfing Godzilla’s body in a blaze of fierce orange. A few of her guards let out startled yells of panic and fear before the fireball consumed them as well, and yet Daybreaker barely gave even a faint thought to them. Her focus was on the ash pile she would soon see in the hall. 

The smoke cleared, and Daybreaker gasped in shock. 

Smoking, but otherwise completely unharmed, Godzilla stood there, glaring furiously at her. “That… was a mistake,” he growled. Daybreaker watched as the tip of his tail flashed blue, the light travelling up his back, up his mane even as he inhaled, a bright light gathering in the back of his throat as he reared back. 

“Oh F-!” 

Godzilla let loose a blast of radioactive fire, the stream of energy slamming into Daybreaker’s chest and sending her flying backwards through the wall behind her. Marble shattered from having an alicorn go flying through the material at literally back breaking speeds, the Empress getting flung into a minor hall before coming to a stop inside of a support column. Growling, Godzilla looked over his shoulder at the surviving guards. 

“Leave.” 

The guards didn’t hesitate, all of them fleeing the scene before Godzilla looked forward, just in time to see Daybreaker pull herself out of the column and snarl at him. “How… are you not DEAD?!” Daybreaker snarled, her mane going alight with flame as Godzilla snarled back. 

“Stubborn family!” he exclaimed, just as Daybreaker charged forward at him, her wings flapping and propelling her across the distance. Training with Rodan proved to be time well spent as Godzilla reared up and slammed a forehoof into Daybreaker’s face, sending her flying into the corridor wall instead. A crater formed around her body, even as her horn lit up with magic, and fired yet another wave of fire at him. Godzilla ignored the flames, sprinting forward to slam his shoulder into Daybreaker’s armored chest. 

Daybreaker swiftly retaliated, shoving a hoof into Godzilla’s chest and throwing him into the air, the kaiju flying through a wall and landing on the floor. Godzilla groaned, getting back on his hooves as Daybreaker’s horn flashed. Her body flashed, disappearing… only to reappear in flash, the alicorn hovering in the air for a moment before dive bombing Godzilla. Godzilla shook the cobwebs from his head just as Daybreaker crashed into him, sending them both through the floor, and into the floor one level down… and then the one under that. Pinning him to the floor, Daybreaker snarled. “Yield! And I might decide to sp-!” she started to order, just as Godzilla’s head snapped upwards, his head slamming into her muzzle. Something audibly cracked, and Daybreaker was forced to stumble back from the pain as blood gushed out of her nose. 

“GAH!” she stammered, her mane nearly white in rage. “You… you BASTARD!!! YOU BROKE MY NOSE!!” Godzilla grit his teeth as he stood up, looking at Daybreaker furiously as her blood stained her fur a vibrant crimson. Without giving her a chance to recover, he charged, shoulder checking and carrying them both out of whatever room they were in to crash outside into another hall. Daybreaker snarled, then howled in pain as Godzilla’s jaws clamped down on the meat of her shoulder, bones bruising under his assault as he punched her in the gut repeatedly. 

Daybreaker was beginning to wonder just WHAT this stallion was attacking her, even as she lit up her horn and teleported out of the male’s grip. No mere pony was able to survive her flames, much less ignore them outright as he spun around, catching sight of her. His tail flashed, light gathering in his mouth. Daybreaker threw up a shielding spell, stopping the rush of pure, wild energy from hitting her directly. However, much to Daybreaker’s momentary shock, the attack still made her slide backwards several paces from the impact on her shield. 

“You’re quite the stubborn one aren’t you!” Daybreaker shouted, flapping her wings and rising up into the air, glaring at Godzilla. “Tell me, is your entire family line this rebelliously stupid, or is it just you?” 

Daybreaker wanted to make the stallion’s face implode as he refused to answer. And then she swore in alarm as he threw an entire suit of armor at her, the enchanted golden plates smacking her in the face, aggravating her broken nose and adding a fresh layer of bruises as Godzilla huffed. 

“You talk too much,” he complained. “But if you really must know? My uncle is easily far, far more stubborn than even my sister!” 

“Well then,” Daybreaker spat, throwing the armor off herself as she flared her wings out. “Let’s see how stubborn they can be after I put your head on a pike!” Both alicorn and kaiju snarled at each before charging at each other, a thunder clap echoing in the castle’s halls when their bodies hit each other. King of the Monsters versus Empress of Equestria, not that either knew of the other’s title. As Daybreaker threw Godzilla through a wall, as he blasted her with nuclear fire, burning off her feathers, as his hardened hide was torn, the inhabitants of the castle only had one thought. 

Getting out of the way of the two forces of nature before they killed them in the crossfire. 

[][][]

Gabe groaned, sunlight stabbing through his eyelids. Blinking his eyes open, the soldier hissed at the sight of the midday sun, raising a hand up to block the infuriating globe up in the sky. “Aaaaah, fuck, fuckfuckfuck!” he grumbled, getting back on his feet and taking stock of his surroundings. He was in a wheat field of all things, a small crater under his feet as he looked around. “...this isn’t San Francisco.” 

Gabe looked behind him, spotting a mountain… and what looked to be an entire city hanging off the edge of it’s summit. “Oooooookay, either I’m dead, or this is a really fucked up fever dream,” he muttered. “Cause that’s… that’s not normal.” Gabe raised a hand… and slapped himself in the face. “Goddamn sonuvabitch that hurt! Fuck! Okay, not a dream, not a fucking dream, fucking great!” Looking back over his shoulder, Gabe sighed, tapping his radio mic. “To any receiving, this is Private Monnot from Vanguard Fife-Bravo, does anyone copy, over?” 

He released the mic, listening in for any response. All he got was static. “This is Private Monnot, Vanguard Fife-Bravo, broadcasting to any receiving, over.” More static. Gabe switched to what he knew was the GDF Command channel. “This is Private Monnot broadcasting to GDF Command, please respond, over.” Gabe was starting to worry as with every message sent, all he got was static. “This can’t be happening,” Gabe muttered, tapping the mic again. “I say again, this is Private Monnot from Vanguard Fife-Bravo, awaiting response from any receiving, over.” More static. Frantic, and on the verge of panic, Gabe turned the dial to an emergency channel. “Shit, this is Private Monnot, Vanguard Fife-Bravo transmitting in the blind! Anyone, please respond, over!” 

All Gabe was getting was the wash of static, making him swear in frustration… and slightly rising panic. “Okay, okay, let’s… let’s pause for a sec and think this through. Just… step back, and think on this.” Gabe took a deep breath, pacing around the crater. “Okay, now, uh, let’s uh, let’s go over what we know. We aren’t in San Francisco, cause there’s no way in hell that the geography here is even remotely similar to there. Now, I can’t get a radio signal from my current location… which means that the reception down here is poor, at best.” Gabe looked at the mountain. “So… yeah… this is probably the dumbest idea in the history of dumb ideas.” 

Gabe checked his rifle, looking it over for any sign of damage and sighed in relief. Thank God for small mercies, he thought to himself, slinging the rifle behind him as he checked his exoskeleton. None of the joints looked busted, the power lines seemed intact, and as luck would have it, the rig’s battery was still mostly charged. Slipping back into the exoskeleton, Gabe oriented himself to the mountain and started a fast march towards it, shaking his head. 

“Get stationed back on Kwaj, be an easy posting,” he muttered to himself. “Be a perfect cakewalk, maybe even see a passing kaiju! But nooooo, fucking Spacy had to be all big and bad, and go and fuck up San Fran! Now I’m stuck in God knows where, running to a city on the side of a mountain! Oh, and I’ve lost radio contact with… well, everyone, cause of fuckity Goddamn course! Jesus, Mary, and fucking Saint Joseph, this is not my fucking day!” 

Gabe marched through the fields, taking care to stay relatively low as he moved. It wasn’t until he got closer to the mountain that his radio finally crackled to life. 

“All re-ing units, this is Ma-ns,” the radio hissed, static almost making the message indecipherable as Gabe listened intently to it. “Do - head to-tain, I say- do-head to the mountain!” 

“Yes, finally!” Gabe hissed, tapping his mic. “This is Private Monnot of Vanguard Fife-Bravo, receiving last on ten-two. Repeat last, over!” Any joy he had felt on finally getting a radio contact evaporated as he got nothing but dead air. “Shit… okay. To any GDF units receiving, this is Private Monnot transmitting in the blind. I am receiving message, but communications remain ineffective. I am proceeding to the mountain, and ascending for clearer signal, over.” 

As expected, he got no response. Gabe sighed. “Just my fucking luck…” 

The soldier was quiet as he continued marching. Hours passed, and by the time Gabe reached the base of the mountain, he actually noticed something off about the time. He looked up at the sky. 

The sun hadn’t even moved from it’s spot from when he woke up. Gabe’s mouth dropped. 

“...oh now this is just bullshit…” 

If Gabe was expecting a higher power to answer, he was disappointed. Still, the human rolled his shoulders, looking up the side of the mountain with trepidation. “Actually, I take it back. This might be pure weapons grade bullshit.” Gabe slung his rifle onto his back, shaking his head as he started climbing. “And now I’m rock climbing. Because of fucking course. I’m just a fucking infantryman, I ain’t supposed to be climbing Goddamn cliffs and shit. Hell, trying to climb up Godzilla would be easier than rock climbing! I mean… fuck!” 

Most of the climb was quiet as Gabe focused mostly on not slipping on any loose rock, and when the mountain got steeper, well, he needed both hands to make sure he got up. Every once in a while, he would pause, pulling the nozzle to his hydration pack over his shoulder and sipping a bit of enriched water out before resuming his course. Time continued to pass, and much to Gabe’s distress, the incline was getting steeper with every passing foot. Soon, he’d have to start scaling the mountainside effectively barehanded, a prospect that he was decidedly not looking forward to. 

The hairs on the back of his neck rose up. Gabe stopped, looking around for anywhere to hide. “Oh fuck me!” he groaned, rushing into a crevice and going still. And it wasn’t a moment too soon, as something flew overhead, it’s shadow briefly blocking out the sun as Gabe leaned just slightly to the side to get a good look. What he saw was… unusual, even for him at this point. 

“...is that a pegasus? And… why the fuck is it pink? Or even wearing armor?” he asked himself, dumbstruck as the pegasus in question flew in wide, searching pattern, soon joined by an electric blue colored one before they both flew off out of sight. “Okay, you know what, fuck it, there’s… there’s no fucking way I’m dead, or having a mental clusterfuckup. I’m creative, but I ain’t that creative.” Pastel colored pegasi in armor? What’s next, my happy ass running into the Hyper Gyaos again? 

Gabe slid out of his hiding spot, keeping his eyes up to the sky. Glancing down, Gabe hissed as he suddenly saw just how high up he was now. “Hooooookay, that’s a drop, that’s a long ass drop, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit fuck!” Looking around, the poor soldier searched for an easier way up the mountain and groaned. “Oh fuck me up the ass and back, this is getting more fucked up by the second!” 

Moving along the edge of a shallow ledge, Gabe perked up at the sight of another crevice. This one was a fair bit larger than the one he had hidden in a few minutes ago, but still, it was a good place to at least rest. Shuffling in, Gabe sighed, sitting down on a boulder. A quick deactivation of his rig got him out of the exoskeleton, and his boots pulled off so that he could flex his toes and relax. “Jesus, my fucking feet,” he groaned, massaging a sore foot. “Boot camp is looking better and better by the second. ...and that’s a sentence I thought I’d never say during my lifetime.” 

Leaning back, Gabe tapping his mic again. “This is Private Monnot transmitting in the blind,” he said tiredly. “I am… roughly a third of the way up the mountain. I have visual confirmation of the locals, and… local forces are pastel colored horses with wings. I say again, local forces are pegasi, over.” He let go of the mic, the hiss of static now becoming an annoying friend to his ears. “To any receiving, I will continue to proceed up the mountain to find a clearer signal. Private Monnot, out.” 

He sighed, letting his helmeted head rest against the stone. “God, if it’s not too much to ask… can you give me a little help? It doesn’t have to be much, but… anything to get me the fuck off this damn mountainside would be much appreciated,” he said to the open air. “Just… I just want to see my little brother again, that’s all.” Gabe waited, letting himself rest as the wind blew by his face… into the cave. 

“...okay, message received,” Gabe commented, slipping his boots back on. “Into the creepy ass cave I go. God, I really hope you know what you’re doing.” Getting his rig back on, Gabe turned the exoskeleton back on and started walking, though not before grabbing a loose rock from the floor and scraping an arrow pointing behind him to the entrance. “I really hope you know what you’re doing…” 

[][][]

Halls of the castle were in shambles. Scorch marks were practically burnt into the marble as Godzilla and Daybreaker continued to fight. Another wall burst into clouds and shards of white, Godzilla and Daybreaker crashing through it into the Solar Hall. Skidding along the floor, the two separated, standing back up panting in exhaustion. Godzilla was covered in bruises, his mouth bleeding. Each pant brought with it a searing lance of pain from a few broken ribs, though none had gone so far as to puncture a lung, or other internal organs. 

Daybreaker wasn’t doing much better either. Much of her formerly pristine coat was caked in dirt and blood, some of it Godzilla’s, most of it hers. The feathers on her right wing were blasted off, skin stripped raw and exposing muscle. Her own breathing was labored, her cuirass digging into her side painfully as she glared daggers at him. “You… you fight well,” she said, spitting blood onto the floor. “Far better than most.” 

Godzilla glared at her, the kaiju remaining silent as Daybreaker huffed. “You think the strong silent ploy will rattle me, peasant? I think not.” A rustle of hooves on stone made Godzilla glance around the room, multiple guards filling up the sides of the room, including one horse who was dressed differently than the others. “Now… surrender now, and I will be… amiable to treating you honorably enough, or fight. Your choice.” 

Godzilla grimaced. Neither option particularly appealed to him, but with that glint of savage glee in his opponent’s eyes, well, he figured he only had one real option. Godzilla reared back, firing off another atomic breath at Daybreaker, which would have connected… had a barrier not popped into existence right in front of her and absorbed the blow. A quick glance around showed just who it was casting that spell. The unusually dressed horse, a horn on their head. White coat, golden armor, a flame colored half cape over their shoulders. Godzilla shifted his stance, ready to charge when Daybreaker spoke. 

“STOP HIM!!” 

The guards charged at Godzilla, bodies piling onto him as he struggled to throw them all off. Hooves beat at his sides, adding more bruises. Spells flung by horned horses hit him, some of them sliding off of him as Godzilla fought. Even a few lances got lucky, sharpened tips digging into his flesh. The kaiju roared, stunning several of his attackers in place from the sheer intensity long enough for him to slam his bulk into them and send them flying. 

Suddenly, a lightning bolt impacted Godzilla, momentarily stunning him as he blinked the flash away, ears ringing from the point blank thunderclap. Once more, bodies piled onto him, weighing him down. Godzilla grit his teeth. He let his power surge through him, before forcing the radiation out through his hooves. The nuclear powered pulse shook his assailants off, their armor smoking and melting in chunks as he finally recovered his sight… only to get what could only be a solid gold throne thrown at his face. 

“Kuso!” 

The seat slammed into Godzilla, sending him skidding on the floor for meters as the throne sat on top of him, pinning him down in place. Godzilla waited for some of the pain to subside before attempting to get back up, struggling to lift the throne off his shoulders. 

“Oh Divine Empress… how is he still moving?!?” one of the guards cried out in terror. They were watching in collective horror as the stallion trapped under the giant golden throne of their Empress was lifted off the ground, if only by barely a hoof. Daybreaker grimaced, enlarged canines showing themselves as her horn lit up. 

“BURN.” 

A wave of heat flashed through the room, guards too close to Godzilla turning to ash, armor clattering to the floor only to stick to the marble, melting. Godzilla himself felt the air in his lungs leave him as the attack consumed the oxygen, but worse yet was that the golden throne on top of him wasn’t blown away. It was merely partially melted, and it was now beginning to stick and cool around his body. 

Godzilla would have howled in pain, had he not experienced far worse before in his lifetime. Instead, Godzilla closed his eyes, blocking out the pain as he pulled forth what remained of his energy reserves. His body glowed, flashed, and then the golden slag almost rose off the ground from Godzilla’s nuclear pulse being forced to the floor. Better yet though, the gold around him was still melted, giving the kaiju some room to move. 

Daybreaker could only watch in slack jawed disbelief as Godzilla fired off another pulse. Her throne was still melting on top of him, but with each pulse, he was slowly freeing himself. She snarled, teleporting in close to him and bringing a hoof up. 

CRACK!!

Godzilla’s head snapped to the side as her hoof connected to his face. Godzilla looked up to her eyes, glaring balefully at her as he charged up another pulse. Daybreaker roared in frustration, her forelimbs flying upwards and hitting his face repeatedly. Each punch echoed in the room as the remaining guards pulled the injured away from the vicinity of the enraged Empress, the alicorn’s hooves starting to come away from Godzilla’s face with blood on them. “Why! Won’t! You! JUST! YIELD?!?” Daybreaker yelled, refusing to budge as Godzilla fired off another pulse. 

Godzilla’s face was swollen with bruises, a cut under his right eye from getting clipped by Daybreaker’s hoof. “F-Fuck… you,” he spat out. 

Daybreaker snarled, and then smashed her hoof down on top of his head. Godzilla’s head snapped down, rebounding off his golden prison as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, the kaiju finally going slack as the gold continued to solidify. Shoulders heaving, Daybreaker lifted Godzilla’s head up and dropped it, making sure he was actually out cold. “Captain-General,” Daybreaker stated, grimacing as the adrenaline rush of the fight left her. 

Coming up beside her, Captain-General Shining Armor trotted over and looked at the unconscious stallion with worry on his face. “Yes my Empress?” he answered. 

“Take this one… take this stallion to the dungeons, now,” Daybreaker commanded. “I want him secured as best as we can. Make Grand Magus Neighsay ensure every magical lock and containment spell the College knows is on this stallion’s restraints. If he objects, then tell him he may complain to me personally.” 

“Of course, Your Radiance,” Shining answered. “We will have it done.” He took another look at Godzilla and allowed his expression to soften. “My Empress… if I may, I’d like a moment of your time in private please.” 

With a barely visible twitch, Daybreaker teleported herself and Shining to an empty room. Shining glanced at the decor, noting it to be from the opposite end of the castle from the Solar Hall. “Speak,” Daybreaker said tersely. 

Shining took a deep breath. “My Empress… Daybreaker. Are you okay?” A scornful look from Daybreaker was aimed at him, yet Shining pressed on, moving to her side and looking at her wounds. “I’m just concerned my dear. That stallion… he reminded me of fighting Raishin there for a while. Only, I’ve never seen a unicorn fight like him before, save for maybe Tempest, but even then…” 

Daybreaker sighed. “I was almost defeated by a stallion that literally crashed through our roof,” she commented. “Whoever he is… whatever he is, I want to find out.” She turned her head to Shining. “Shining, before this, there was a storm in the sky, and things fell out of it. Find them. And make sure they pose no threat.” 

“Of course,” Shining responded. Stepping closer to her, he leaned up and kissed Daybreaker on her uninjured cheek softly. “Just rest my Empress. Your Empire will understand the need for rest after fighting an intruder to protect them.” 

“Well, do not dally too long,” Daybreaker added, smirking before grimacing in pain. “Your Empress does have need of your talents after you take care of this issue.” 

Shining nodded. “Would you like for me to help you to your quarters?” 

Daybreaker paused. “...yes. Please.” Shining walked up to her side, letting her drape a wing over him as he supported her weight. Daybreaker’s heart fluttered at the sight of her most loyal servant helping her up to her quarters, the stalwart stallion having earned his place in her heart. From his first deployment in the Savannah, to the debacle in what remained in Gryphus, and in the years after, Daybreaker had come to rely on Shining Armor. Which was why he was currently her Captain-General, and not just some pony serving in her legions. She knew she could trust him with her weakness. 

The pair soon came to her chambers, and Shining helped ease her inside to the bed. “There we go my Empress,” he said as Daybreaker laid down on her bed. “Rest up. I’ll make certain things are secure.” 

Daybreaker smiled at him. “Thank you Shining.” Shining nodded, trotting out of the door and leaving Daybreaker to her thoughts. Now alone, the Captain-General’s face fell, the unicorn making his way downstairs. As he walked, another pony approached him, her soft blue coat barely visible under her armor. 

“Sir, we’ve got th’ big one out of that mess downstairs,” Blueberry Frost reported to him. “He’s en route to the dungeons, and I’ve got a runner going to the College askin’ for Neighsay righ’ now.” 

“Thank Faust,” Shining commented. “What would I do without you Captain?” 

“Mmm, probably be dead many times over I ‘sume,” the Captain snarked. Shining chuckled at his subordinate’s comment, the pair continuing downward through the castle. “Still… any additional orders sir?” 

Shining nodded. “Yes. I want all legions abroad on heightened alert status, lasting indefinitely,” he told her. “I want all Royal Guard units to patrol the walls and double down on all entrances in and out of every quarter, and a curfew.” 

“Time?” 

“1900.” 

“Gotcha sir,” Blueberry commented as they entered the staircase to the dungeon levels. “Now, ‘bout that big fella and that storm thing…” 

“Assemble the legion,” Shining ordered. “I saw a large number of them falling to the Everfree near Ponyville. We’ll start our search there.” The Captain-General paused, humming in thought. “In fact… it might be a good idea to get Mystic Sparkle involved as well, we could use her talents just in case.” Blueberry smiled, chuckling. 

“Y’sure you ain’t just being a tad over-protective?” she asked. Shining gave her a flat look. “Jus’ sayin’ sir, you are a tad protective.” 

“And the last three hundred assassins don’t give me reason to be worried?” 

Blueberry sighed. “Alright, you got a point there sir,” she admitted. “Still though, her goin’ to Ponyville to set up something for the Empress is probably gonna do her good. She needs this sir, whether she knows it or not.” Suddenly, Blueberry blinked. “Ah Faust, Captain-General, what do we tell the ponies about what happened in here?” 

“The truth,” Shining answered. “Just not all of it. The Empress fought an intruder in the heart of the castle, but subdued him, and that she is asking that everypony be on the lookout for anyone strange roaming around. Do NOT mention her injuries.” The pair stopped at the entrance of the dungeon, Shining looking at his subordinate. “Now go. You have your orders Captain.” 

“O’ course sir.” Blueberry saluted smartly, Shining returning and letting the mare rush off to carry out his orders. Sighing, the stallion focused on what was in the dungeon, stepping inside and following the trail of guards and unicorn mages from the College to the most secure cell in the dungeon. 

The cell was unnaturally chilled, both by being deep in the heart of the mountain, and from the sheer amount of mana being pulled into the room by the Grand Magus inside. Shining watched as Neighsay looked over the still unconscious stallion, and took the time to look the stranger over. He was huge, easily the same size as his Empress, though vastly stockier. Beyond his size, Shining took note of the crooked horn atop the stallion’s head, and the odd cutie mark on his flank, a small grey circle surrounded by three curved shapes. 

“Captain-General,” Neighsay said, not looking away. 

“Grand Magus,” Shining replied. “Do you need assistance?” Neighsay huffed, his horn lighting up and bringing up a series of magical wards into view, simultaneously lifting up a massive pillory. 

“I do not,” the pale pony commented, a hint of venom barely heard in his words. “Your assistance would merely hinder.” Shining kept silent as resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

Arrogant bastard, he thought, watching as the wards burned themselves into the pillory, and Neighsay nodded as he cut off the spell. 

“There. It is contained,” the mage stated, making Shining’s posture stiffen. 

“Forgive me Grand Magus, but… ‘it?’ That’s a bit callous, don’t you think?” the Captain-General asked. Neighsay scoffed, trotting away from Godzilla as his cape trailed behind him. 

“I think not,” the mage retorted. “Whatever it is, it is not native to Equestria, nor is it an Elder Kirin, like that-.” Neighsay was cut off as a blade was held up to his neck, Shining’s eyes narrowed dangerously. 

“Finish that statement Neighsay, and you will wish that I turn you over to the Empress to deal with,” he warned. Neighsay’s eyes glanced down at the blade, his pupils widening by a fraction. 

“Hmm. A nullblade. You were planning this?” 

“I am the Captain-General of Her Benevolent Radiance’s Legions, and Lord Commander of her Royal Guard.” The tip of the blade lightly touched the other stallion’s neck. “I would be grossly remiss in my duties to our Empress if I fail to be prepared for any threat. Both outside the Empire, and within.” The air was still, as guardsponies watched with bated breath at the pair of stallions facing off with one another. Neighsay looked Shining dead in the eye, and then sighed. 

“Forgive me then,” he said. “In light of recent events, my mind is sadly… elsewhere. No offense was intended, Captain-General.” 

Not intended my shiny white ass, Shining thought, lowering his blade. “You are forgiven,” he answered with barely gritted teeth. “Now, let us both get on with our duties Grand Magus. After all, in a time of crisis like this, we all need to be united.” 

“Of course. A good day to you, Captain-General.” Neighsay walked off, leaving Shining silently fuming with his guards as Godzilla’s cell door was shut. 

A moment passed. 

“...what a prick,” a guard muttered, the suddenly stiffening up at the comment. Shining chuckled. 

“Private… you have no idea…” Shining muttered. 

[][][]

“...and that’s why I need to get to the Everfree Forest to investigate these myths,” Twilight finished, Comet Shine nodding along with her as they finished talking. 

“Well, I can see how you are concerned about this,” he stated, sipping from a cup of tea as Spike dozed on a chair. “If your fears hold any truth to them, then of course the Empress should be warned about this. After all, the Mare in the Moon is no mere mortal threat.” 

“Exactly!” Twilight jumped out of her seat, pacing across the door of Comet Shine’s study. “If I can verify that the Mare in the Moon is a real entity, then the Empress can prepare for her, and we can make sure that everypony here can be evacuated away from the fight safely!” Comet Shine was about to speak up when the office doors burst open, a guardsmare out of breath and panting. 

“Governor! We have a problem!” she shouted. Immediately, Comet Shine’s face went hard as he stood up, Spike yelping in fright as he was suddenly woken up. 

“What is it?” he asked gruffly, passing by Twilight as she picked up Spike and brought him to her side. “Is it the rebels again?” 

“Yes sir,” the guardsmare confirmed. “They’ve finally hit a major target.” 

“Barracks?” 

The guardsmare shook her head. “Armory. Several mage fire canisters.” Twilight gasped in horror as she moved Spike onto her back. Mage fire was dangerous, extremely so. Even Twilight herself never touched the stuff, seeing as the materials used in it would typically combust by simple exposure to air. “We lost track of the perpetrators, but we know that one of them was that tea shop owner.” 

“Twi? Wha’s going on?” Spike asked groggily. 

“Don’t worry about it Spike!” Twilight pleaded, watching as Comet Shine narrowed his eyes in thought. 

“The kirin? Interesting… Sergeant, have your soldiers round up every pony in the village square, I do believe that now is a good time to snuff out the majority of them here and now. And get the axe-mare as well.” 

“Of course sir,” the guardsmare answered, saluting him before galloping off. Twilight gaped at the Governor. 

“‘Axe-mare?!’ Governor, what in the Empress’ name is going on?!” Twilight demanded to know, following Comet Shine as he began to walk steadily out of his mansion. 

“Mystic Sparkle, as you should no doubt have surmised, this village, despite its proximity to our glorious capitol, is a bit of a haven for those who would be enemies of the state,” he explained. “As such, it is my duty, in the name of the Empress, to find such elements and dispose of them in a manner befitting their crimes. And the punishment for treason, is, of course, death.” Twilight felt Spike’s stubby claws digging into her skin, the young dragon making himself smaller and less noticeable. 

“But a public execution?! Governor, we don’t even know who the guilty pony or ponies are, you can’t just-!” 

Comet Shine spun around, shoving his face into hers. “I decide who is innocent, and who is guilty in this village!” he snarled. “This is my town, my province! MY kingdom! What I decree is law, Mystic, and my patience has been worn thin enough! For too damned long have these ponies plagued me with prank after prank, inciting rebellion and mischief in this village, and now they have gone too far! They will see the consequences of their actions, and no self-absorbed trollop with an above average magical talent, and no true authority in our Empress’ court, shall sway me from this course! Am I understood?!” 

Twilight was frozen in place from the Governor’s rant, her ears folded back against her head as Comet Shine glared at her before grunting. “I shall take your silence as confirmation,” he spat, turning back around. “Now, if you please, follow me. I believe this shall be a good lesson for the Empress’ latest student on how the world really works.” Comet Shine continued walking, Twilight numbly following out of sheer shock and fear. 

“Twi, are… are you okay?” Spike whispered in her ear. A distant, more rational part of Twilight’s brain noted that despite the words of comfort, Spike was utterly terrified as well, not that she could blame him. 

“I’ll be okay Spike,” she answered, plastering on a fake smile. “It’s… it’s going to be okay, I’m sure.” Spike let out a nervous chuckle as the trio stepped outside. Unlike the relative calm from hours ago, Twilight saw soldiers everywhere, rounding up innocent ponies and forcing them to move around, several getting struck across the head or flank with the butts of their spears. Up above, Twilight saw a few armored pegasi flapping around, keeping a watchful, hawk-like eye on the proceedings on the ground. 

It took a couple of minutes, but they finally made it to the village square, where both Twilight and Spike gasped in horror. Ponies were crowded inside the square, all facing a raised stage in front of what was likely the mayor’s office. Said mayor was there, and Twilight gulped, recognizing the pale brown mare standing there. Her eyes drifted over to the side, and the unicorn’s blood ran cold at the sight of the pale clad pony, the cold steel of an executioner’s axe glistening in the sun alongside the pair of guards standing there. 

The town made a path for Comet Shine, Twilight meekly staying quiet as eyes fell on her, judging her. They made it to the stage, Comet Shine stoically stepping up as Twilight stood off to the side, watching the proceedings with dread. Once the crowd settled, Comet Shine cleared his throat. “Citizens of Ponyville!” he called out, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. “It has come to my attention that several of you have performed acts of treason against the Empress of Equestria! Acts that, while heinous in and of themselves, only serve to divide us more on the eve of our greatest celebration!” Comet Shine smirked, a facial expression better suited for a snake than any living pony. 

“Tea Song, step forward.” 

Twilight and Spike were momentarily surprised when a kirin of all beings started to approach the stage, the kirin mare’s movements graceful and flowing despite the situation. Huh, Twilight thought. She must be a kirin from Carrea. Her antlers must be the closest approximation to a baseline kirin’s horn, and she has far more in common with Raishin in terms of overall body structure and physical characteristics. If she survives, I’d LOVE to talk with her about her sub-species of kirin! Tea Song finally stepped onto the stage, her eyes narrowed at Comet Shine. 

“Governor Shine,” she said, hints of her native country’s accent peppering her speech in soft, lilting tones, “How may I be of… assistance to you?” Comet Shine huffed. 

“Stand there please,” he ordered, pointing a hoof. Tea Song glanced to where he was pointing, and sighed, reluctantly moving over to a spot next to the guards. “Now, I have confirmation that you were near this village’s armory, and that several containers of mage fire were taken. All I want to know is… who else was involved, and what are your plans for it?” 

“Governor Shine, please, this is wrong!” Twilight called out, stepping forward as she set Spike down. Spike’s eyes widened in terror as the unicorn stepped closer to Comet Shine. “This isn’t legal, and you know it! Every pony has the right to a fair trial, you can’t simply just accuse her of-!” 

SMACK! 

Twilight’s world span around for several seconds before she registered the pain of the back hooved slap to her face. And another second still to realize she was on the floor of the stage, laying on her side with her saddlebag filled with ink bottles and parchment digging into her side. Twilight’s chest rose and fell in panicked breaths as Comet Shine spat in her direction. “Shut up Mystic,” he snarled, “You have no authority over me, or over these proceedings.” Spike rushed to Twilight’s side, helping her up as he continued. “Now, Tea Song. You will confess to the identity and motives of your accomplices, and in return, I shall spare that which I know is precious to you.” 

Tea Song frowned. “Like you’ve spared that poor, innocent couple you accused of thievery three weeks ago?” she countered. “I think not. Besides, I can always move elsewhere for my shop. You have nothing on me.” 

Comet Shine chuckled. “Oh, I don’t hmm?” He looked at several guards in the crowd. “Bring the child and her parents.” 

Tea Song gasped in horror, moving to stop the guards before the two next to her restrained her, holding her back as a pair of ponies were dragged onto the stage, a young filly clutched between them and kicking against her captors angrily. “No! No, please, let them go! Nwajwo, goemul a!” she shouted, a mix of Common Tongue and Carrean peppering her speech as a guard dragged the filly’s father to the block. 

“Names, Tea Song,” Comet Shine quipped, almost sounding bored as he looked at her. “Names, and I shall let them go.” 

“And what assurances do I have that you’ll keep your word?” Tea Song pleaded, glaring daggers at him. 

“Hmm, what indeed,” he mocked, looking back over his shoulder to Twilight. “Pay attention Mystic, this is very important.” He turned back to the stallion on the block, the axe-mare holding her weapon at the ready. “Ready.” 

Twilight heard the stallion’s mate cry out in terror, kicking and screaming as guards held her back, the filly wordlessly staring as the executioner raised the axe up. “Governor, please, no, don’t hurt them!” Tea Song shouted, the crowd on ponies fidgeting nervously in place. Had she not been so focused on what was in front of her, Twilight might have heard dull shouting from beyond the crowd from an unfamiliar voice. Comet Shine scoffed, twitching his hoof. 

The axe began to fall. 

The stallion braced himself for the pain. 

And in a heartbeat, Twilight saw something jump from the top of the government building, land on the stage, and stop the swing of the axe with one limb. It was minotaur shaped, two legs, two arms, and yet she didn’t see any sign of horns or fur, not with the amount of fabric and armor plating on its limbs. It looked at Comet Shine, the grisly visage of a skull staring into his soul. 

“Engage.”

All Tartarus broke loose as several guards had their heads snap backwards, their brains flying out as even more strange bipeds emerged from the shadows, bowgun like weapons held in their hands. The one on stage with them threw the axe upwards, exposing the axe-mare to getting shot at with the not-minotaur’s own weapon. Twilight never saw a projectile leave the weapon’s muzzle, and yet hoof-sized holes perforated the mare in less than a second, her body ragdolling backwards with each hit. Twilight looked back over at Comet Shine, who was frozen in stunned horror before he attempted to get his wits about him. 

“What are you waiting for?!” he shouted, “Kill them! K-Kill all of them if you have to!” 

“What?!” Tea Song looked to the other ponies on stage, Twilight following her line of sight to the filly rushing to her mother, and up on the roof of another building, she saw the tell-tale glow of unicorn horns powering up. “Mystic, please, save them!” Tea Song begged before Comet Shine kicked her in the face, the stallion in a blind panic fleeing. 

Twilight shook her head, getting to her hooves as she saw the not-minotaur look at where the mages were. It pointed its weapon at them, even as Twilight took a moment to recall a general use shield spell and cast it over them as the unicorns launched a multitude of fireballs at them. The Mystic grit her teeth, her horn itching as each spell slammed into her shield, draining the mana powering it and forcing her to keep her focus. 

Suddenly, something flew over the horizon, a trail of smoke following it before smashing into the rooftop with the mages on it, consuming them in a ball of fire and knocking everypony flat on their asses to the ground. What surprised Twilight though was that she could see the direction of the smoke trail, and it… it was from outside Ponyville’s borders. 

They can fire over the horizon like that?! the unicorn thought, letting go of her spell. Not even the best mages can do that! Twilight saw Tea Song rush across the stage, the kirin pulling the ponies into an embrace as the alien in front of them opened fire, bringing a pegasus skirmisher crashing to the ground. 

“Shit, watch out!” another alien cried, pointing behind them. Twilight looked, yelping as a desperate guard jumped up onto the stage with a lance and stabbed it forward to the alien’s gut. The alien grunted, clutching the shaft of the weapon as it failed to get out of the way in time. Bile rose in her throat as Twilight saw the armor on the back of the alien bend outwards, and it was almost certainly a fatal wound, no pony could- 

“That’s cute,” the alien grunted. “My turn.” 

It dropped its weapon, throwing its right arm out while a blade of energy snapped into existence just over its wrist. It brought its hand up, cleaving through the lance and separating it from the weapon that had not even seconds ago impaled it before taking a massive step forward and punching into the guard’s face. 

“Whoa, that’s-!” Spike exclaimed in amazement before Twilight interrupted him, pulling his face to her side and burying it in her fur as she stared in horror at the smoke coming from the dead guard’s face, the body falling limply to the side as the alien stepped back. 

“Ah, fuck,” it grunted, grabbing onto the lance tip and then pulling it out, bits of flesh and armor still attached to it while the creature dropped it onto the floor. Twilight caught a glimpse of the wound as it turned to face the melee down below, and was stunned to see the wound already healing, organs and tissues knitting themselves back together the violence seemed to settle down. “Vanguard, this is Old Dog, sitrep, over.” 

“Twi, what’s going on?” Spike asked, pulling his face away to stare at the alien as she desperately pulled him alongside her. “Who’s, or what is that?” 

“That is trouble Spike, and we are leaving!” Twilight snapped back, moving to the stairs before she heard the alien speak up loudly. 

“Miss Twilight Sparkle… I don’t think you’ll be leaving anytime soon,” it said. Twilight looked back, terrified as the alien reached up to its face… and removed what was, in retrospect, a helmet as it’s flat face looked at her sternly. “Not before I find out just how in the everloving hell Equestria turned into a damn hellhole.”
> Friendly Chats
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hong Kong Shatterdome 
Time Plus: Five Hours Post Dimension Tide 

It didn’t take a psychic to know that Stacker Pentecost, military commander of the Global Defense Force, was furious. If one knew where to look, then the tense neck muscles, narrowed gaze, and stiff posture of the British combat veteran were akin to an air raid siren at full blast. General Gordon himself was careful to stand a few feet away, leaning ever so slightly away from the man as Pentecost stared daggers at the members of the UN Security Council on the wall monitors. 

“Marshal, we understand your reluctance to have used the Dimension Tide System,” the Secretary of State for the United States announced, glaring at Pentecost. “But the chance to eliminate key kaiju that presented the greatest threat to humanity was too good to pass over.” Off to the side, Miki Saegusa shuffled away from Pentecost, her expression pained. 

“Mister Secretary, I am well aware of the status of SpaceGodzilla and Destroyah in the Mutant leadership,” Pentecost drawled, his eyes looking over the council dangerously. “I am also aware that when you voted, I cast my vote against using the Dimension Tide. Several others voted against it in fact. So please, explain to me why you thought it best to not just authorize the weapon, but to fire it where we still had soldiers and civilians in the blast zone.” 

The Council was silent for a moment before the Mysterian representative spoke. “Marshal Pentecost,” Spokesman 480 stated, “We are aware of your hesitance on the matter. But the greater good of Terra was, and is, at stake. The lives of a few people who would have died regardless are-” 

“One hundred and sixteen.” 

480 looked at Pentecost, confused. “...excuse me?” 

“A hundred and sixteen people were caught in ground zero alone, dumbass,” Gordon stated in annoyance. “Most of them were soldiers, yeah, but from what we can gather from a few reports coming in, about twenty or thirty of them were civilians. Civilians that we could have saved, had you dumbasses waited a few more fucking minutes!” 

“General,” Pentecost warned with a low growl. Gordon shut up, letting the Marshal have the floor again. “The General is mostly correct, crass as he said it. A hundred and sixteen souls, in exchange for two Mutants, is not a price I would consider as fair. Nor would I consider the losses of Anguirus, Mothra, Zilla Jr., Raiga, and more importantly, Godzilla himself, to be worth the deployment of the Dimension Tide.” 

“Pentecost, thousands of people are dead!” the US Secretary snarled. 

Pentecost snapped his head at the Secretary, eyes narrowed in fury. “AND HOW MANY MORE WERE WE ABLE TO SAVE?” he bellowed, silencing the room as his staff flinched. “We sent in an entire task force! Fourteen guided missile destroyers, twelve frigates relegated to anti-air defense, two carriers! In naval assets alone, we lost close to eight thousand personnel!” Pentecost pointed to a map of San Francisco, his expression stern as he continued. 

“On the ground, we sent in well over three hundred armored support platforms, along with maser tanks and various armored vehicles to aid in civilian extraction. Members of the California National Guard and fresh recruits who were enroute to deployment in the Pacific. I don’t know the specific numbers yet, but they suffered at least fifty percent losses. And despite all of that, councilors, they and the Defenders saved hundreds of thousands of others. So please, enlighten me on how you justify the loss of another one hundred and sixteen souls that we could have saved.” 

The room went quiet, both from those present, and from the council. From behind them, Tendo Choi cleared his throat nervously. “M-Marshal?” he said, making Pentecost look at him. “Umm… I hate to be the bearer of worse news, but… Major Hopkins was… he’s not among the last group of survivors.” The mood in the room plummeted like a stone as everyone looked at Pentecost, the man clearly stunned at the news. 

“...damn,” he swore. The Marshal walked over to a nearby table and leaned over it, his expression grim. “Terra just lost her best defenders. And the only ones to blame are us.” He sighed. Damn. First the loss of Godzilla, now Hopkins? Christ, can this day get any worse? 

“Marshal, we just got Wylder on the line,” Choi reported. “He… doesn’t sound happy.” Pentecost closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the incoming migraine. 

I had to say it, didn’t I? “Council members, a moment please.” Pentecost clamped his fingers in the air, the speakers of the Council shutting off as they were muted. “Mister Choi… put him through.” Choi nodded, and at once, the room was filled with the rants of a more… independent member of the Council. Pentecost waited for the other man to take a break in his rant before finally speaking. “Mister Wylder. I understand that this call is not in good faith, is it?” 

“No fucking shit it’s not!” To the side, members of Pentecost’s staff tried to keep calm, even as the speaker continued. “I knew the situation in San Francisco was bad, but really Marshal? REALLY?! You fired the Dimension Tide on the city, and you didn’t even call me to get my fucking vote?!? What the fucking hell?!” 

“Mister Wylder, as furious as you are at me and the Council, I am in no mood to pander to you or anyone else in the Council at this time.” For the first time, a hard edge had entered Pentecost’s voice, cutting any possible resistance off. “Right now, I have to look over the casualty reports of this disaster, and find a way to tell the world that Godzilla, Mothra, and various other Defenders, are gone because a few politicians with more money than sense got scared. On top of that, we just lost an Omega Black strategic asset. Now, you and Langoud can either assist in the recovery however you see fit, or you can stay out of the way. Am I clear?” 

The room was dead quiet as everyone processed the rant that the normally composed Pentecost just let out. “...I’m sorry Marshal Pentecost. I… may have reacted a bit too harshly,” Wylder said finally. “I didn’t bother to think of how you were holding up. I’ll have Langoud assist in post-battle recovery wherever we can. Wylder out.” The line clicked, and Miki cleared her throat. 

“Sir… the Council?” she inquired. 

“...we can continue this discussion later,” Pentecost replies after a moment. “Right now, I have no desire to deal with politics.” 

“Amen to that,” Gordon commented, picking up his katana and following Pentecost as he left the room. “Still, that Omega Black asset… what the hell is it?” 

[][][]

Equestria 

Hopkins resisted the urge to sigh, even as the pony in front of him paced back and forth while Twilight Sparkle sat on the side, the baby dragon next to her and looking at him in awe. “Okay, look,” he said, grabbing the attention of the equines, “Let’s just start from the top, and go from there. Cause you’re panicking, the purple one is about two seconds away from a panic attack, and the dragon is looking to start an unhealthy fascination with trying to emulate me and my soldiers.” Hopkins paused, shifting in his seat before hissing in pain. “Oh, and I have a hole in my gut. So, please, let’s get on with it.” 

“Oh, umm… how is that healing by the way? Shouldn’t you have a healer look into it? what’s the typical healing process for your species and-“ Twilight started to rattle off before Hopkins held up a hand to quiet her. 

“Miss Sparkle, in the order of questions, better than normal, no, and usually not any faster than you,” he told her. “But what I want to know is why in the fuck a pony was ordering executions in full view of Canterlot, and why has the sun not bothered going down in the last five fucking hours.” Twilight looked at the cream colored mare, confusion clear on her face. Spike sighed, face palming. 

“Well, Mister Shine was trying to find some rebels, and he was like, waaaay out of line when he hit Twilight!” the dragon said, jumping off his seat and going to hug Twilight. “And I don’t know, maybe Daybreaker’s in one of her moods, I can’t say for sure, cause-!” 

“Spike!” Twilight admonished. “Language!” Spike pouted, even as Twilight turned to look at Hopkins. “I’m sorry, my little brother here is… sir?” 

Hopkins had paled, looking at Twilight in stunned horror. “Did… did you just say Daybreaker? As in, crazy cackling bitch mare with a literal mane of fire, poor impulse control, and a ‘holier than thou’ attitude? THAT Daybreaker?!” Twilight looked to the other and nodded, slowly as Hopkins swore. “Oh sonuvafuck!” The human stood up, clutching his side and hissing in pain. “We all need to leave, now.” 

“What? Why?” Twilight asked before the other mare stepped forward. 

“You… you know of the Empress?” the older mare asked, suddenly fearful. Hopkins held up a finger. 

“I know of her,” he corrected. “Reputation only. And what I got isn’t all that good.” Hopkins raised a hand, finger pressed against his earpiece. “Sergeant Hatake, rally all forces in the square, I need to do a head count, now!” The mares and dragon watched as Hopkins nodded, then stiffly went to collect his weapon off the wall. 

“And what about us?” the older mare asked, stopping Hopkins in his tracks. “What will you do about us?” 

He turned around, looking at her. “You… wouldn’t happen to be a civil official here, would you?” 

The mare nodded. “Mayor Mare, yes. But please… can’t you help us? You took on Governor Shine’s forces, surely… surely you can fight back against the Empress?” Twilight gawked at the hopeful look on Mayor Mare’s face, only for her heart to twist in her chest at how fast it fell in the face of Hopkins’ resigned sigh. 

“...we can’t,” he said simply. “I wish we could, but… there’s a difference between a surprise attack on an unsuspecting garrison, and taking on a physical goddess in direct combat. I’m sorry, but the only course I can recommend to you Mayor is the same I’m taking. To get as far away from Daybreaker as possible, and hide.” He looked at Twilight, eyes narrowed. “And I know of you by reputation as well. Hell of a smart mare, socially awkward, you think time with other beings is time wasted on not researching the intricacies of magic and getting the approval of your teacher. In this case, Daybreaker. How close am I so far?” 

Twilight stood there stunned, even as Spike chuckled. “Heh, wow, you’re really well informed!” the young dragon commented. “Tartarus, he’s pretty much got you filed away like your books!” Twilight’s horn lit up, lifting Spike off the ground with a cry of protest before depositing him on her back. 

“Okay, I don’t know where you get all that from, but that’s just… it’s absurd!” Twilight protested weakly. “I’m a proud attendee of the Empress’ galas after all!” Hopkins gave her a look that even Twilight, socially inept as she was, knew was pure disbelief. 

“Uh huh. And the fact that you got slapped in the face by an asshole shows how much of a social butterfly you are,” Hopkins deadpanned, walking to the door. “But I digress. Mayor Mare, my suggestion stands. Get as many villagers out here as possible, and run as far as you can.” 

“She can’t, considering that the Empress’ legions are all over the known world, with garrisons in Carrea, Neighpon, the Aegean Isles, and in the Griffon Lands,” Twilight stated on reflex, Spike facepalming in annoyance. 

“...Twi, I don’t think that’s helping,” he said, much to Twilight’s annoyance. Twilight opened her mouth to retort before Hopkins cleared his throat. 

“In any case, leaving here before it gets nuked off the map would be a good idea,” Hopkins commented. “That said, Miss Sparkle, you’re staying with us.” 

“Oh sure, I mean, you- wait what?!” Twilight exclaimed. Hopkins put his helmet on, heading to the door. 

“Miss Sparkle, I’m not dumb enough to let an asset like you gallop off and warn Daybreaker,” Hopkins said. “You’ll be treated with respect of course, but rest assured, you will be watched like a hawk.” 

Twilight frowned, trotting behind him as they stepped outside. “But, I’m the personal student of the Empress!” she protested. “If I don’t let the Empress know where I am or how I’m doing, she’ll send out her agents for me, if she doesn’t come herself!” Turning a street corner, Twilight would have continued had she not caught sight of what was now in the town square. Beyond the remaining gaggle of ponies all over the place, Twilight noted that there were more bipedal creatures like Hopkins, many of them less armored than he. In the back, she saw what were superficially carriages, only she saw no ponies or signs of a steam engine that could operate them. Mana-driven, maybe? 

The ground shook, and then Twilight stopped, Spike staring alongside Twilight at the metal colossi strolling into town. “Holy Faust,” Spike said aloud, and Twilight couldn’t bring herself to correct him as her brain went into overdrive, looking at the new arrivals, trying to file the details away for proper research later. Each of the mechanical titans were shaped much like her new captors, two arms, two legs. Twilight didn’t see any heads on them, but the odd, swiveling lights kept sweeping from side to side, almost like proper eyes. One of them stomped over to Hopkins, and Twilight flinched away from it before with a hiss, it’s chest opened up and revealed another one of Hopkins’ species inside it. 

“Sergeant, please give me some good news,” Hopkins said, looking over the square. The other soldier shook his head. 

“Sorry Major, wish I could,” they said, Twilight assuming male from the voice. “But we got only about seventy-four boots, and about ten of them are drivers for the armor. And sir… we’re missing boots.” Hopkins swore, Twilight leaning away from him as Spike watched, fascinated. 

“Shit… well, keep channels open, see if we can’t get anyone on the air,” Hopkins said. “With any luck, they haven’t dropped too far off from us.” Hopkins tapped Twilight on the shoulder, making the mare jump, nearly making Spike fall off. “Miss Sparkle, if you please?” She nodded, trotting beside him as Hopkins walked through the crowd to the podium where Twilight had almost been blown up. The trio got up, Twilight and Spike stopping at the stairs as Hopkins took the stage. In moments, the entire square was looking at him expectantly, and the human sighed. 

“Alright, listen up, all of you,” he yelled. “None of you can stay here. From what I’ve been told from your mayor, Governor Shine is on his merry way to Canterlot where he’ll spill his guts to Daybreaker. And even if he doesn’t, I’m willing to bet a fair chunk of pocket change that any pegasus worth their wings saw the shit we just did not too long ago. So our best, and only course of action, is to get the hell out of here before shit comes down on our heads.” 

Twilight saw a pegasus, either one of the town’s militia or a weather pony based on the storm resistant garb, fly up to Hopkins’ face. “What? We can’t just leave!” the mare cried out, rolling her eyes and brushing a lock of her prismatic mane away. “You have your… things! You could totally kick the flanks of any of Daybreaker’s losers in like, five seconds flat! Why the Faust are you guys turning tail?!” 

“Because we are in no way, shape, or form in any capacity to engage an entire empire for longer than a skirmish,” Hopkins said coldly. A deathly stillness went over the square. “What’s your name?” 

“Rainbow Dash, the best damn flyer in Equestria, and I ain’t leaving Ponyville just because some hairless monkey is afraid of a good fight!” the pegasus declared, doing a loop proud and crossing her forehooves over her chest. Hopkins grunted, visibly facepalming. 

“Dash, look around you. How many soldiers do you see?” Hopkins asked. Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, only for him to cut her off. “Now, imagine the number of soldiers in a legion. At best, my forces are outnumbered maybe about… ten or twelve to one. Actual odds are closer to twenty or thirty to one.” 

“But you have those super awesome cool things!” Dash pointed out, several townsponies murmuring in agreement. “Can’t you just kick their asses with that?” 

Hopkins grimaced. “...no.” A collective gasp from the town echoed in the square as Hopkins continued. “We don’t have the munitions in place to do so first off. And that’s not even getting into the fact that we physically cannot maintain our equipment for longer than a week at best. Miss Dash, and every other pony here, let me spell it out for you. My men and I absolutely can NOT stay here and engage Daybreaker’s forces. From a tactical, strategic, and logistical level, it’s outright impossible. And, looking over everyone here, I’m going to guess that you have maybe less than two hundred ponies in some sort of auxiliary militia, right?” The square was dead silent. “Then I wish you the best of luck. I recommend you get out of town within the hour.” 

The assembled ponies murmured to each other, many of them clearly uncomfortable with the idea of just running away. Mayor Mare stepped up onto the stage, clearing her throat. “The Major is right,” she said, silencing them. “If they can’t fight the Empress’s legions, then we can’t either. Grab whatever you can fit in a saddlebag, and then start leaving! Maybe to Apploosa.” Mayor Mare looked at Hopkins. “And… where will you go?” 

Hopkins pointed to where the Everfree was clearly visible. “There.” 

“What? Why?!” Twilight asked, alarmed. 

“Well, maybe they live there,” Spike commented, making Hopkins chuckle as the human shook his head. 

“We don’t,” he answered, another mechanical construct slowly walking over to him. “That said, I do have an idea of what, or rather, who is in the Everfree.” The construct stopped next to the stage, chest opening up and Hopkins jumping in. Twilight saw glimpses of some kind of apparatus around the seat before the hatch closed, the thing standing up just a bit straighter. “With luck, it’s someone who actually stands a chance against that bitch up there,” he added, pointing at Canterlot. 

Mayor Mare, Spike, and more importantly, Twilight, all looked at him stunned. “Wait, you mean… the Mare in the Moon? You know where she is? Oh Glorious Radiance, what do you know about her, how comparable is she to the Empress, Spike, make a list, we need to archive EVERYTHING where was I oh right and how doyouknowwheretheMareintheMooniswhenalltheothermagesinthecollege-!” Twilight found herself silenced by a metal digit very gently pressing itself against her mouth. 

“I have an idea of where to find her, and as for everything else… that’s need-to-know.” 

“But… but… but the academic understanding!!!” Twilight whined, pointing up at the sky with her hooves. 

“Twi, give it a rest will ya?” Spike sassed, laying on her back. “Faust knows we’ll run into something.” 

“Language young drake,” Hopkins said a full second before Twilight could interject. “You can swear when you’re older.” Spike paused, looking at Hopkins for several seconds. 

“...I’m older now.” Hopkins chuckled, stepping away as he shook his head. 

“Hehe, well played, well played.” Spike grinned cheekily as Hopkins looked over the crowd. “Miss Sparkle, you will be staying close to Staff Sergeant Foley over there, the soldier standing next to that post over there.” Twilight looked over and saw a soldier with darker skin, talking with two more soldiers before checking some kind of list in their hands. 

“Umm… is this because I know the Empress?” she asked nervously. 

“Yes. That, and you’re the smartest pony in this village by far. We run into anything, we have an encyclopedia and a mage at the ready.” 

“But, but, I don’t know how to fight!” Twilight stammered. Hopkins chuckled as he started to walk away. 

“Could have fooled me with that shielding spell earlier,” he said. “Anyway, report to Sergeant Foley. We move out in thirty.” Hopkins walked away, checking his ASP’s systems as Julian’s avatar popped up on his screen. 

[Big risk taking her along, you know that right?] Julian asked. 

“No worse than some of the other shit we’ve done,” Hopkins retorted. “Look at Sarah for fuck’s sake.” 

[Gabe, she’s a hybrid on the same threat scale as you,] Julian pointed out as Hopkins checked the background radiation. [That, I can handle. Being in magical sugar colored horse land with a physical god controlling it? That, I don’t like.] The ASP stopped at the edge of the square, turning and looking back over the crowd. [Besides, wasn’t Luna crazy when her sister sealed her into the moon?] 

“Yeah, but that was in the show,” Hopkins pointed out. “Here, Daybreaker’s in control. There’s no telling which version of Luna is in the Moon, but I can almost guarantee that between her and Daybreaker, I’d rather deal with Luna.” Julian sighed. 

[One of these days your guesses are going to bite you in the ass, flesh bag.] 

“Oh, so you do care after all,” Hopkins teased, much to Julian’s visible irritation, considering the glare his avatar fixed him. 

[Shitbag.] 

“Love ya too, you digital shit-puppet.” Hopkins sighed. “So… Count all IFFs, see who we got, and then try to get the stragglers on the horn. We need something to get through all this fucking static.” 

[Fair enough. And Gabe… your injuries.] 

“Hmm? What about it? Can barely feel it now, so I know it’s healing well enough.” 

[Gabe, you heal from that in normally three days. You’re almost healed now.] It was silent in the ASP as Hopkins looked at the ragged hole in his armor. 

“...okay. So, what, best guess is the air here agrees with me then?” Julian chuckled. 

[Maybe. Processing power is limited in this thing after all, but I can guess that your access to whatever it is that gives you psionics is vastly easier here than on Earth. Other than that? Who the hell knows. That said…] 

“I know, I know,” Hopkins said as he leaned back in his chair, Julian taking control of the ASP. “We’ll need to be careful with the inhibitor. Christ, things were so much easier years ago. Didn’t have nearly all this shit to handle.” 

[Well, you still have me to bitch slap some sense into you, celibate bastard.] 

“Mhmm.” Hopkins sighed, reaching to a small pouch on his chest and pulling out a hand rolled cigarette. “Damn, so damn tempting…” 

[An Elerium cig this early?] 

“Oh come on, I hunt monsters for a living. Cancer is the very least of my worries.” Julian chuckled at the macabre joke Hopkins pointed out, one that was true in more than a few ways. While Hopkins enjoyed the bitter taste of the cigarette, Julian went to work. A cursory check of the ASP’s systems showed that the reactor core was stable, holding at 87 percent draw. A few armor panels had suffered minor structural fatigue, but it was nothing that would completely compromise the integrity of the combat vehicle. All told, the inspection of the ASP’s hard and software took Julian a grand total of 0.0067 seconds, and then he was bored. 

The AI then went and used the ASP’s IFF reader to do a headcount on the assembled soldiers, only to freeze for a full half second. Then he checked the roster another twelve times, each time narrowing his criteria. Each result in the span of the five seconds it took to complete each scan came up the same. There were only eighty-three soldiers present, and of the thirteen missing, only one of them raised an immediate red flag for the AI. If he were capable, Julian would have gulped. This… is problematic. 

There was a commotion outside of the ASP, and Julian focused the ASP’s optics onto the source of the issue. [Oh fuck, Hopkins, we got a Code Pink.] Hopkins sighed irritably, blowing the smoke of his cigarette out. 

“Pinkie getting into Twilight’s face?” 

[Mhmm.] 

“Probably about to burst into a musical number with too much cheer for where we are?” 

[Oh come on, it’s fucking PINKIE PIE.] 

“Mmm.” Hopkins took another drag of his cigarette. “Good point. Well, let’s have Pinkie have some fun before we crack down on her.” Julian’s avatar nodded, before the AI sighed. “...Julian?” 

[Gabe… we might have a problem.] 

“Might?” 

There was a solid five seconds of pause. Five seconds in which Hopkins was now completely focused on the AI’s avatar. “Jule?” 

[...I can’t locate Private Monnot on the local IFF sweep.] There was dead silence in the cockpit as Julian continued. [It’s… possible that he may have died, or is just out of range. Either way, I… I’m sorry.] 

“No, no he’s got to be alive,” Hopkins said, sitting up and about to extinguish his cigarette. “He’s a tough kid, he can make it back.” The hatch opened up, letting him flick the still smoking butt out. “Okay Jule, keep an ear out on the comms, see about getting a message out to anyone within normal range. Keep it on a loop.” 

[Consider it done,] Julian said as the hatch closed up again. [Just… just don’t keep your hopes up. He’s not like you, you know that.] 

“I do,” Hopkins replied in agreement. “He’s going to be better.” 

[][][]

Twilight was wondering just how in Tartarus she was in this situation. This morning, she had been on a train to come to this little town to supervise a festival, and to indulge in a bit of research for the betterment of her Empress’ empire. Now, she was not only held captive by creatures calling themselves ‘humans’, but was also being dragged around the town by a hyperactive bundle of… pink shaped like a pony. That in itself wouldn’t have annoyed the young Mystic too much. No, what was annoying her was being forced to mingle with ponies who looked at her with undisguised disgust, or in rare cases, gratitude. For what though, she had no clue. 

“Whatcha ya thinking about?” 

“GYAH!” Twilight exclaimed, nearly ‘porting out of her coat as Pinkie Pie got in her face. Sucking in panicked breaths, Twilight had to reel in the desire to hit Pinkie in the face with a basic shove spell, the still grinning earth pony looking at her expectantly. “Empress of all, what is WRONG with you?!” Twilight said, trying to back away from Pinkie. 

“Well, a short answer is that I’m a happy pony in a grimdark universe created by a jaded, cynical entity!” Pinkie explained, looking up at the sky. Twilight looked over her shoulder, not seeing a thing as Pinkie continued. “Long story, I was born in a-!” 

“Okay okay, I don’t need the life story!” Twilight shouted, slamming a hoof over Pinkie’s mouth. Twilight felt the pink earth pony still talking, and then against her better judgement, removed her hoof. 

“-so I went to my parent’s room, where I saw them-!” Twilight immediately slammed her hoof back on Pinkie’s mouth, groaning. Around her, other ponies were giving her looks of… was that sympathy? Her hoof slipped off the still rambling Pinkie, leading her to say, “...then I was involved with a tribe of cannibal pygmies, who made me their chieftain with a giant-!” 

“Oh come on, I said I didn’t need the life story!” Twilight begged, trying to shut up Pinkie. “Just… take me back to the scary bipeds!” 

Pinkie shook her head, pulling away from Twilight. “But I didn’t even get to tell you about the time I was engaged to a griffon who was part cockatoo!” 

Twilight sighed, hanging her head down as Pinkie beamed at her with a wide grin. “Miss Pie, please,” Twilight started to say before Pinkie interrupted her. 

“Call me Pinkie, all my friends do!” Pinkie explained. “And everyone’s a friend, even the ponies and the griffons and miniature giant monsters and trigger happy humans and-!” 

“PLEASE, FOR HARMONY’S SAKE, JUST STOP!” Twilight begged, letting herself fall to the ground in despair. A pair of orange legs came into view as the unicorn tried not to have a mental break. 

“Wow, that was mighty rude there.” Twilight looked up and saw another earth pony, this one with an orange coat and wearing a wide brimmed hat. “Ah mean, Pinkie here can be a bit… much, no offense there Pinkie-” 

“None taken!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing on her hooves as the other mare continued. 

“-but that ain’ no reason at all to treat her like that, miss city mage.” Twilight groaned, standing up and keeping her head down. 

“Well Miss… umm, I’m afraid I don’t exactly have the privilege of knowing your name,” Twilight pointed out, gesturing to the hat-wearing pony with her hoof. “I mean… everyone in town already knows who I am.” 

“Between them fireworks at the square, and Pinkie, can’t say that I blame everypony for knowin’ you better than you know us.” The farm pony held her hoof out. “My name’s Applejack. You’ve already met Pinkie, and you saw Dash a few minutes ago arguing with the weird two-legged one.” Twilight took Applejack’s hoof in hers, and then stifled a yelp of surprise at the unusually strong grip that the farmer gave her. “And now that we all know each other, please, for Faust’s sake, apologize to Pinkie for being a horse.” 

Twilight looked at Pinkie and gulped. “Umm… look, I’m sorry I was so… y’know. Angry,” Twilight said to her, feeling Applejack’s eyes practically burn a hole through her coat. “I’m just a little caught up in what’s going on here and umm… look, it’s no excuse, but-”

“Apology accepted.” 

Twilight blinked, stunned at how fast Pinkie had accepted her apology. “...say what?” 

“We’re all friends here, and arguments happen all the time!” Pinkie explained cheerfully. Twilight felt her eye twitch at how unnatural it seemed for the pony to be THAT chipper. “So don’t worry about Twilight, I’m not mad at all! Not everyday that the stability of Daybreaker’s empire goes belly up like a dead fish!” Twilight nodded, then froze, gaping at Pinkie. 

“Wait, what?! What do you mean the empire’s stability is falling?!?” 

Applejack snorted. “Oh come on there Miss Twilight, ya gotta admit,” she said, turning Twilight in place to look at the giant bipedal constructs walking around. “Ya really think that’s normal?” 

“Well… no, but-” 

“And then there were all them falling lights, one of which hit Canterlot for sure,” Applejack continued. “Another almost did, but that one didn’t look like it landed more than a mile away a’ most.” Twilight looked at the castle nervously as Applejack stepped away. “Plus, let’s face it. Everypony knows Gov’ner Shine’s all horseapples and brown nosing. He’ll do everythin’ to try and get us all killed anyway.” 

“But… the Empress… I mean, she has a temper, but she’s not…” Twilight tried to say, her body quivering as she looked at the distant capitol. “She… she’ll listen to me, she, she… she has to, I’m her student…” 

“And she always listens to you?” Applejack’s question cut through Twilight with a quiet chill. “Are ya sure you can get her to not turn us into another Neighpon?” Pinkie tapped Applejack on the shoulder. The farm pony looked at her and saw a surprisingly serious look on the normally upbeat mare’s face. Applejack stared at Pinkie, alarmed at the glare she was getting as Pinkie went and stood next to Twilight. 

“Hey, it’ll be fine,” Pinkie told her. “Besides, know what I think the Empress is doing right now?” 

Twilight looked at Pinkie morosely. “What?” 

Pinkie smiled at her. “I’m betting that she’s face first in one of those giant cakes!” she whispered conspiratorially. “Aaaaand… she’s totally acting like a silly filly doing it while nopony is watching!” The mental of Daybreaker, regal, composed, and always ready with a scathing retort acting like a filly with a giant cake flashed through Twilight’s mind. And then, unable to hold it in, she let out a laugh. And then another laugh tore it’s way out of her throat as the stress of the last couple of hours leached out of Twilight. Pinkie smiled, reaching over and holding her still as the Mystic laughed, tears coming down her eyes as Applejack watched. 

Soon, Twilight managed to compose herself, wiping her face clean of the tears running down her face. “Thank you, I… I think I needed that,” she said, glancing over at Pinkie with a tired smile. “I… Goddess, it’s been a day so far, and I just…” 

“You’re welcome,” Pinkie told her sincerely, cutting her off. “Everypony needs something to cheer them up and laugh! And make the scary things look not so scary.” Twilight nodded, looking back at the still stern expression on Applejack’s face. 

“Umm… I’m sorry for freaking out at Pinkie Pie, really,” Twilight told Applejack. “And… and I’m sorry that you’re all being forced to leave your village. I never thought that… I didn’t…” The young mage looked away, tucking her legs up against her chest in shame. “I didn’t want to think that any one like Governor Shine could be so cruel.” 

“Well, there are,” Applejack commented dryly, moving to bite into a loaded saddlebag and slinging it over her back. “But… Ah’ll be honest, you at least are a wagon load better than he is.” Finally, Applejack cracked a small smile at Twilight. “You did go and help save Gentle Leaf and her folk.” 

“But… the Major, the uh, you know… he did all the saving,” Twilight muttered, looking at the humans wandering around and getting their equipment ready. “I just cast a shield spell my brother taught me.” 

“One buck of a brother,” Applejack commented as she guided the unicorn back to the square. The trio reached the square, avoiding a walking machine as it strode by, its ‘head’ looking left and right carefully. Spike spotted Twilight and ran up to her, Applejack holding Pinkie back from rushing over to grab the young dragon, latch on tight, and apply far too much pressure in an enthusiastic hug. 

“Twi, Twi!” Spike cried out, hugging her forelegs. “You gotta see about getting a ride on the walking things! It’s just so cool!” Twilight smiled, just as Hopkins walked over to them. “Hey Major, I was just telling Twi about riding your thingamajigs!” The ponies saw Hopkins chuckle at Spike’s exuberance. 

“Well, being in an ASP is pretty cool,” he agreed, looking at Twilight and then Pinkie. “I see you met her. My sympathies.”

“Wait, how d’ya know about Pinkie?” Applejack asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Hopkins shrugged. 

“Ask me later when we’re not in imminent danger,” he answered, just as Spike looked quesy, holding his stomach. “Hey, you okay?” Spike nodded, and then loudly belched out a jet of green fire, a sealed scroll coming out and hovering in the air for a moment before Twilight quickly took it in her magic and tore it open. “The fuuu-uuudge?” Hopkins swapped out at the last second as he watched Twilight read the scroll. “What is it?” 

“It’s a message from my brother!” Twilight said automatically, pacing back and forth as she read the missive. “Something happened in the castle, the Empress… she’s… recovering?” A cold silence dropped onto the others as she read on. “Anyway, Shining’s got all the legions and the guard on high alert, and he wants me to return home as soon as I can, but-.” 

“Shit!” 

The ponies looked at Hopkins, who looked at the direction of Canterlot. “You can’t be fucking… fuck!” The walker looked at him in visible alarm as Hopkins brought a black box on his shoulder close to his mouth. “All units scramble, we have… we may have battalion strength hostile forces inbound shortly. I want all assets heading to the forest now!” he ordered sternly, hopping into his machine. 

Twilight watched in confusion as the humans all started to leave the square, waving for the ponies around them to follow, most of whom were.

“What’s going on? You’re leaving already?”

“We are leaving missy,” one of the humans near her said, waving his weapon slightly. “And you probably should come with us, especially if you wanna keep asking questions.”

“She’ll have to,” Hopkins said, the walker’s hatch sliding shut. “I am not wasting that brain of hers.” Twilight blinked, unsure as to whether she should have been complimented or offended when a pearl colored unicorn ran up to Applejack, fear splattered all over the former’s face. “Ma’am, is there a-?” 

“Sweetie Bell, Scootaloo, and Applebloom are missing!” Twilight saw Applejack flinch in terror, even as Hopkins winced. 

“...oh fuck.” 

(Break) 

Xenilla had very little experience with trees. Mostly, they were simply things that were underfoot as he battled the humans, the Defenders, and of course, his icka’brod. He knew they were green, and pointy sometimes. He did not know how big they could be until he had been shrunken down to… whatever it was he and his lieutenant were now. It also came to no one’s surprise that the normally hundred meter tall crystal/Godzillasaurus hybrid was also unprepared to be the size of the very beings he usually gave not a single concern about. 

“What’s that thing?” he heard Destroyah asked, forcing Xen to sigh and look where she was pointing.

“That’a bird. I believe a blue jay, given the color.”

“Think it tastes good?”

Stars have mercy on me. “Des, we don’t even know what your current body has for a digestive tract, but if I were to guess I would say that your usual method of eating likely won’t work. Not without me constantly patching you back up.”

Des snorted dismissively, sending a small ball of micro-oxygen at the creature, which fluttered away as its former seat was eaten away. “Wasn’t hungry anyway,” she said petulantly.

“Of course,” Xen allowed, returning his focus to the path ahead. What that path was… he was still deciding. He paused as he heard a shrill cry in the distance, feeling his new ears actually changing orientation to track the sound better. “Hmm… seems we aren’t alone out here.”

Des perked up at that, a smile full of sharp teeth appearing on her face. “Think it’s any of those Defenders? I’m itching for round two, even if we’re shrunk or whatever.”

“If it is then certainly, but I shall ask that you hold off if it is not,” Xen said quietly, moving through the brush towards the sound. “Until we know more about our situation violence should not be our first answer to new situations.”

Xen ignored her annoyed snort, as he knew she would listen to his orders, even if she didn’t like it. She trusted him that much at least, which was… oddly heartening, now that he thought about it. She’s about the only one that does…

The two marched through the wood, ears on a swivel as they moved, up until Xen entered a small clearing and found himself with three smaller bundles of limbs and fur crashing into his side. “I do believe we-,” Xen started to say before he heard several deep snarls come from the direction the three small things came from. He looked up, spotting a pack of eight canines made of tangled knots of wood, grass, and dirt… and one big wolf with green, baleful eyes dripping with bestial malice. 

“...Des.” 

“Violence, got it.”

On the ground, Sweetie Bell, Scootaloo, and Applebloom watched as the two larger adult ponies did battle with the Timberwolf pack. The stallion with the fork-shaped horn stood like one of the older apple trees on the farm, his horn glowing just a bit. Two of the timber wolves sprinted to flank them, only for massive crystals to erupt from the ground and skewer the canids through the torso, lifting them up off the ground to struggle uselessly. The others had to contend with the closest thing the trio of fillies had ever seen to the Empress herself. Massive, built even wider and stronger than even Big Mac, and with a mouth full of… 

“Eeeep!” Sweetie Bell squeaked as she grabbed her friends and pulled them close, watching in terror as the giant of a mare lunged forward and literally grabbed a timber wolf with her mouth, and then whipped her head back and forth. The magical canine stood no chance, its body flying off into the brush as its head fell from Destroyah’s maw, the kaiju grinning darkly as a deep rumble echoed in her chest. 

The remaining timberwolves bolted, leaving their crumbling comrades behind with frightened howls and yips. The giant red mare spat out a bit of remaining with and put on a ferocious victory grin.

“Weak, but fun to destroy. I think I like it here.”

The unicorn turned to look down at them, the girls staring at his weird crystal horn and deep red eyes.

“Hello young ones. My friend and I seem to have gotten ourselves lost. Since we just protected you from those… monsters, I am guessing, would you be kind enough to help us by answering our questions?”

“Uuuuuh….” Applebloom, sweet little filly that she was, could only utter a single, stretched out syllable of awe mixed with terror before Scootaloo stepped up, her diminutive wings stretched out in an attempt to make herself ‘bigger’. 

“And how do we know you won’t do something worse to us?” she asked hotly, trying to ignore how badly she was shaking in fear. “Kinda suspesh… sus… uh…” 

“Suspicious, and I suppose you have a point.” Xen glanced at his partner, who appeared exceptionally bored now that the action was over. “Myself and my friend do seem to… stand out somewhat around here. That being said, you have my word that no harm shall come to you just by answering our questions. We simply desire some information, and we can part ways from there should you like.” He paused, a smirk creeping onto his face. “That said, splitting up might not be for the best, for what if those monsters should return, hmm?”

“Y’know, he’s got a point there Scoots,” Applebloom commented shyly, looking up at Xen. “He and his… uh… mare friend migh’ be our only chance outta here.” 

“But what if he’s lost too?” Sweetie Bell asked, unaware that the others could easily hear her ‘whispering’. “We’re still stuck in the Everfree, and we don’t have any exploration Cutie Marks! We’d be stuck here forever!” 

“The forest can’t be that big if you came from somewhere outside of it,” Xen said. “Unless you mean to tell me you’ve been wandering in here for days?” The girls collectively shook their heads. “Alright then, so we find a vantage point and attempt to gather our bearings. And based on my previous observations…”

He let his voice fall away as he turned to point towards what the Sun - which oddly hadn’t moved at all even in the short time they’d been here - seemed to suggest was East.

“The land seems to slope downward from that direction, suggesting that there may be hills or mountains we can climb to get a view outside of the forest, and from there we can determine our next destination.”

Sweetie and Apple Bloom seemed impressed at the reasoning, but Scootaloo took a second look at the large mare with a confused expression. “But, uh… can’t she just fly up and look herself?”

Four pairs of eyes turned to Des, three confused, one amused. Des looked back at them all with a sneer and rolled her own eyes. “Don’t wanna.”

“But…”

“Don’t wanna, not gonna.”

“As she says,” Xen said, as if that was enough. “Now then, let’s get moving. Want to be able to see something before the sun eventually sets.”

“Sets?”

Xen felt a prickle on the back of his neck as he turned back to look at the bewilderment on the childrens’ faces. “Yes… the Sun does eventually settle beyond the horizon, removing our ability to see save for the rare nights when the moon is near fully waxed.”

The girls looked at each other, each shrugging in turn to show they didn’t know what to say. “Uh… we don’t know what you mean, mister,” Apple Bloom said slowly. “The Sun… is always up. Never goes down all the way.”

Des barked out a laugh as she was suddenly in Applebloom’s face. “Doubt it,” she said. “Sun always goes down. And night time makes the fighting better.” 

“...you hit your head or something?” Scootaloo asked, tilting her head. “Cause ain’t no way you can’t know about Solus Primus and Secondus. That’s like… you HAVE to learn that in school, right?” 

“Scootaloo, you ditched that class, remember?” Sweetie Bell told her. “I had to explain it to you.” Scootaloo pounded as Xen raised a hoof to stroke his chin in thought. 

This world is drenched in magic as it is, so the possibility that the celestial bodies operate differently can’t be discounted. I need more information.

“Come girls, we should move swiftly. I have questions for you and we have a lot of ground to cover.”

“I think we should just head that way,” Scootaloo said, pointing in the opposite direction Xen had pointed. “I know Ponyville should be lower down than Everfree, so if we go that way we can get home quicker!”

Xen’s smile grew just a bit strained and a bit of energy played over his crystal horn. “Oh, but your home isn’t where I want to go, as I doubt its answers will be as interesting as the place I am seeking.”

“Y-you’re not gonna let us go home?” Sweetie asked in a whisper.

“You’re free to leave,” Xen assured them with a false grin, “So long as you wish to take your chances without the two of us. I plan to see just what kind of strange magic is hiding deep inside this forest. If you could perhaps give me a hint of what that is I might be willing to lend you aid in returning home after it is thoroughly explored.”

“...well fuck.” 

Scootaloo and Applebloom both looked stunned at Sweetie Bell’s utterance. “Sweets! Language!” Applebloom exclaimed loudly, even as Scootaloo looked between Xen and Destroyah. 

“Bloom, hate to tell ya, but I think we should just, you know… do what the unicorn says,” the Pegasus filly pleaded. “I don’t want to be timber wolf chow…” 

“Or a manticore’s scratching post,” Sweetie Bell added. 

“Or turned to stone by a cock’trice,” Applebloom added in turn, making Xen’s eye rise up even higher in both curiosity… and sheer befuddlement. 

“I want to fight all of those,” Des declared suddenly.

Xen waved her down from her typical aggression. “In due time. For now, let us move. The sooner my questions are answered the sooner these… children can go back to their homes under our protection.”

Des grumbled to herself as she fell into step behind Xen, both moving off through the underbrush at Xenilla’s lead. The crusaders had to scramble to catch up, throwing looks back and forth between their supposed ‘guards’ and the direction they thought was towards home, but not daring to say a word in protest.

“For being a princess and her guard they’re really kinda mean,” Sweetie said under her breath.

“Better a mean princess than a bitchy evil queen,” Scoots said back to her.

“True…”

“Language.”

“Oh shut up AB!”

“Make me!”

Xen tuned out the childish squabbling behind him, while Des looked over her shoulder with the smallest of appreciative grins.

A nexus of magic exists at this location ahead. One that may explain just how we came to be here… and hold the key to returning to our home. Once that’s secured…

Xen closed his eyes, feeling that faint connection he had to the one thing in life he would throw everything away for, no matter how dire or confusing.

It will be time to search for Icka’brod…
> Behind the Lines
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gabe was wondering how much more tunnel he was going to be stuck walking through before the battery to his rig died. “Christ, this is gonna be a pain,” he muttered, turning a corner and spotted a ray of light coming into the tunnel. “Oh thank fuck, finally!” Gabe hustled to the exit, glad to get out. “Maybe I can-!” 

The soldier came to a skidding stop as he heard voices from the other side of the hole, the teen holding his laser rifle close to his chest. Struggling to control his breathing, Gabe looked down at his weapon’s ammo counter. Full battery, sixty shots in total, provided he didn’t adjust the settings. Gabe patted the ammo pouches hanging from his belt and chest, checking to see if he had any spare batteries. Luckily for him, the soldier had grabbed far more than he had probably needed back in San Francisco, so the twenty-three extra batteries were more than welcome for him. Slowly, he shuffled closer to the exit, the voices getting clearer as he approached. 

“Hear the rumors about the castle?” a rough, female voice asked. Gabe listened intently as he kept his finger off the trigger, his thumb firmly pressed against the edge of the safety. 

“Nah, I ain’ heard nothin’,” another said, equally feminine yet rough. “But with considerin’ all the guards are on edge, it don’t take no unicorn to tell that something’s up. I mean, you heard the announcement, same as everypony else. All the borders closed, and the city gates are shut except for official business an’ all them horseapples.” 

Fuck! Gabe thought as he bit back a frustrated groan. This is not my day… 

“Yeah, well, come on Maple, we still got another couple o’ crates to move down here, and that’s after we get that hole patched up,” the first voice said. “And after that, we can head down to the pub and get drunk real proper. Heard there’s a new brew from that backwater down at the base of the mountain.” 

“Sounds good to me.” 

Gabe waited as he heard the distinctive sound of hooves clapping on stone before they went up what sounded like a creaky wooden staircase. Gabe peeked over the edge of the exit and caught sight of a pair of ponies, both an earthen, pastel color before they went through a door. “Shit… and I was really praying that it was just coconuts I was hearing,” Gabe complained as he stepped out, looking around the room he found himself in. He was in some kind of storage basement, crate upon crate stacked on the walls and labeled in a script that Gabe could only describe as gibberish written by a drunkard. 

“Okay, uh, let’s think this through Gabe,” he muttered to himself, heading to the staircase carefully. “You’re in some kind of hollow ass mountain, and you’re in a basement. The place is infested with talking horses, and I have only one frag, a pair of flash bangs, my laser rifle, a bit of ammo, and a rig with…” Gabe turned the inside of his forearm to read the screen. “About seventy percent charge on it. And I have no food, and very little water. And let’s not forget, my radio reception has been complete shit. So… yeah, I’m fucked. Probably not angry drill sergeant in my face fucked, but definitely fucked.” Gabe went up the stairs and pushed the door open slowly, peeking out and holding back a whistle. 

Wherever he was, it was fancy as hell. White marble floor tiles covered the floor, several crimson red tapestries on the walls providing contrast as he stepped out into the hallway and listened for any signs of movement. Okay, hallway, two points of entry, excluding basement behind me. No sound of talking horse things, but… He went right, following the hallway down and pausing by each door he passed. Each room he glanced into simply made his eyes widen at the sheer opulence in each of them, numerous knick knacks and artifacts lining the walls, windows, shelves, and almost every other surface in the house. 

“Jesus…” Gabe entered a larger room, a vast study of sorts from the looks of the gigantic wooden desk and multiple sofas. An equally giant fireplace that was thankfully not lit was on his left, flanked by two just as massive bookshelves stuffed with leather bound tomes and scrolls. “...that’s a lot of book.” 

Suddenly, voices came from behind him as a door opened, then slammed shut. Gabe spun in place, trying to find a place to hide as hoof steps grew closer and louder. “Shit shit shit, where the fuck can I-! ...oh fuck me.” Gabe dashed to the fireplace, letting his rifle hang on by its sling as he checked the inside of the chimney. “God, your sense of humor is shit,” he complained, climbing up the chimney and just out of sight as the ponies stepped inside. 

“Forgive the short notice Duchess Shadow, but I demand to know what in Tartarus is going on up in the castle!” Gabe bit his lip, listening to a haughty woman bitch to whoever was following her. 

“High Adjudicator, there was a break in at the castle. A stallion crashed through the ceiling of the Autumn Hall and then proceeded to attack the Empress unprovoked.” Whoever this new speaker was, Gabe was impressed with how commanding it was, as well as how oddly familiar it sounded. “Thankfully, the perpetrator has been apprehended and contained in the dungeons, with both the Grand Magus and the Captain-General ensuring he stays put.” 

“And why in the Empress’ holy mane does that trumped up-!” There was a pause as Gabe heard the first speaker, the ‘High Adjudicator,’ take a deep calming breath. “I mean, why has your dear husband gone over my head, and ordered the city gates shut to all traffic? Why the closed borders?” 

‘Shadow’ scoffed. “Considering that our beloved Empress was assaulted by a stallion that didn’t immediately turn to ash from being struck by her power, I could only assume that legally speaking, the Captain-General of her Guard and Legions is more than capable of assuming control of the empire in all manners pertaining to its security and defense in times like this. Or has your grasp on the law gotten rusty?” 

“Spare me your barbs,” the Adjudicator spat. “Unlike you, I am completely focused on my duties to our Empress. I still remember the fiasco your husband created when reforming the Guard, and I recall the political shitstorm that occurred when you and the rest of those… lovely mares started having foals.” Gabe grimaced as he heard the two trade veiled insults at each other. 

Yeesh… these two are a couple of vicious bitches… 

Gabe was sure he heard Shadow start to move angrily towards the Adjudicator when bells rang from outside, the horse no doubt stopping. The bells tolled for another thirty seconds before falling silent, and judging from the way his neck hairs were going up, Gabe could almost see the look of rage on Shadow as she spoke. “We will discuss the civil powers of the Captain-General later. I have more pressing matters to attend to. Good day to you, High Adjudicator.” 

“And to you, Duchess.” Gabe heard a set of hooves exit the room, Shadow no doubt leaving. Meanwhile, the Adjudicator huffed, stepping towards her desk and pulling a drawer out. Gabe listened as papers were shuffled, a thick book dropped onto the table before the horse huffed angrily. “That bitch… adopted daughter of the Empress or not, she can only hide behind Her Radiance for so long. And I at least know her leverage.” Gabe looked at the fireplace and slowly shook his head. 

Oh hell no I ain’t going to Crazy Town. Well… not any further hopefully. He waited for the Adjudicator to make noise before adjusting his grip on the walls of the chimney, and as he heard an ancient, vintage style record player start going, he took his chance. Inch by inch, he shuffled up the chimney, pausing to raise a bandana over his mouth and nose before climbing up through the built up layers of ash. Jesus Christ lady, clean your chimney! he thought, making his way halfway up the chimney before pausing, looking down to make sure he hadn’t been compromised. 

The music was still playing, and the horse hadn’t lit a fire under his ass. So, he was probably still good. Gabe kept climbing, eventually seeing sunlight up above him. The soldier frowned as something dawned on him. Wait a sec… I’ve been hauling ass for hours, why isn’t it getting dark out? Gabe finally reached the top of the chimney and poked his head out, sucking in a breath of fresh air as he took in the sight of the city around him. The architecture was vaguely European in nature, with grand arches and gothic spires dotting the landscape until it reached a castle, and Gabe almost swore as he spotted the multiple pegasi flying around the battlements. 

“Shitfuck!” he hissed, pulling himself out of the chimney and onto the roof. “Need cover where’s cover fuck fuck fuck!” Gabe looked over the side of the roof and two stories below was a fairly large bush. Looking past that, Gabe plotted a path from his vantage point on the roof to the ground, across the vast, open green lawn that would have made any landscaper weep, and then to the stone wall separating property lines. “Ah fuck, not much of a choice,” he grumbled, slinging his rifle behind him as he climbed onto the side of the roof. Gabe eased his weight down onto the side of the building… until the roof under his fingers cracked. 

“Oh no.” 

The roof fell apart in his grasp, Gabe plummeting to the ground and landing in the bush back first, his rig taking the brunt of the impact. That, and the soft soil the bush was planted in had apparently been watered recently, making Gabe’s crash a soft landing. The soldier still groaned in pain as his back ached, the suit servos whining as he rolled onto his feet. “Fuck, shit, shit fuck fucking shit!” he hissed, patting his back as he checked his rifle for damage. Luckily, it wasn’t, barring a smidge of dirt in the barrel aperture. Gabe heard movement from inside the building. “Shit!” 

He got onto his feet and started running, taking cover behind hedges and flower pots as he raced to the wall. Gabe reached the wall, hugging it as he turned around to see if any of the horses had seen him moving. Seeing not one talking horse chasing him, much less a pegasus dive bombing him, Gabe turned back to the wall and bent his knees… and then jumped. The rig’s tiny jump boosters fired, propelling him several extra feet higher, high enough that Gabe could grab the edge of the other side of the wall and pull himself over. Gabe chuckled as he rolled over the edge of the wall. 

“Yes! FreedoooOOOOH FUCK!” Gabe fell off the wall and into a small pond, splashing into it loudly. Gabe quickly got his bearings, getting out of the pond and into cover behind a flowering bush as he tried to keep his panic down, again. “Shit shit shit!” Gabe hissed, shaking his rifle and getting as much water out of it as possible. “How can my luck be this bullshit?!” He looked up into the sky and saw that there was a flying thing heading towards his position. “Fuck!” Gabe looked at the bush and saw that there was a space under the branches just big enough for him to squeeze into, a space that he very quickly occupied as he took cover. 

“This is Private Monnot of Vanguard Two-Fife, broadcasting to any receiving GDF unit, please respond, over!” he said into his radio. Gabe groaned as he got nothing but static in reply. “Goddammit, come on!” Gabe looked out of the bush, wondering what to do when he caught sight of the home next to his position. Two stories, and decidedly less old fashioned mansion. And luckily for him… there was an open window on the ground floor. 

“...fuck it.” 

Gabe crawled out of the bush and headed to the window, taking care to stay low as he approached it. Pressing himself against the wall under it, Gabe gathered his wits and quickly peeked over the edge to see a fairly sparse guest room with a bed in the corner. “Better than nothing,” Gabe muttered as he hauled himself into the room, his boots only making a little extra noise due to his rig. “Soft bed, limited access… finally some luck.” 

Shutting the window behind him, Gabe went over to the bedroom door and closed it as quietly as he could before stepping away. Turning off his rig, Gabe got out of it before going around it, checking it for damage. “Oh thank fuck… nothing too banged up. Might need to replace the battery housing though…” 

Satisfied that the light exoskeleton wasn’t going to fall apart on him anytime soon, Gabe took the pack he had taken with him from Edwards containing his hydration pack, and more importantly at the moment, his field journal. Pulling it out, Gabe pulled out the pencil from its holder and opened it, taking a deep breath. “Okay, so…,” he said to himself as he started writing. “Today was a giant clusterfuck of a day. I passed AIT a week ago, and was on my way to getting posted on Kwaj when Space Godzilla went and attacked San Francisco. So, guess who got his ass drafted into bunker evac?” 

Gabe sighed, writing a bit more in his journal. “Then I grouped up with survivors in Oakland, only to get shot by a black hole gun. Only, instead of getting ripped apart I ended up in a land full of talking technicolor horses with wings. God, I must be going crazy, but… I don’t think I’m imaginative enough to make a delusional shit fest this real.” Gabe looked at the door, and then wordlessly pointing the barrel of his weapon at it. 

“My current situation is currently this; I’m alone, with no support or capacity to resupply. Ammunition is good, though again, problematic with the lack of resupply. I have one fragmentation grenade, two flash bangs, and a G-5 rig that will get me yelled at by any supply sergeant that sees it. I also am unable to contact any possible surviving Army and GDF units. So…” Gabe paused as he was forced to contemplate the harsh reality in front of him. “I… may have to consider that I am the only active unit in the area. So, crunch time. I have no idea on the local population or political structure, save that there is an empress of some kind here. So, current priority is for me to gather any and all viable intelligence, and then form a plan after that, as well as ensure that I don’t get captured.” 

Gabe shut his notebook with a huff. “Christ, no fucking pressure on going from infantry to fucking Delta Force shit,” he complained to himself. “Well, first thing’s first, I need to find a better place to rest than a damn spare bedroom.” Gabe began to repack his bag when he heard hooves approaching. 

Fuck! Gabe rushed through the rest of his packing, sticking the bag back onto his rig before getting it strapped on and powered up. Grabbing his rifle, Gabe looked at the window and then the door. “Crap!” he hissed as he hurried to a corner of the room hidden from the door, holding his breath in dread. Whatever was coming towards him, it was definitely smaller than the other horses he’d run into. 

“Think Dad’ll be okay?” a young girl’s voice asked. Gabe gulped as he heard another voice speak up. 

“El, Mother and Father have gone through worse,” this one, a decidedly male voice, said. From the tone, Gabe had to guess prepubescent, though he had to push down the urge to suddenly smack a snotty brat in the face as the two voices came closer. “Whatever situation this is, they will deal with it.” 

“But… that weirdo hurt Auntie Day,” the first one said. 

“Well…” The boy sounded worried as they came to the door. “It is kind of… odd, that she’s recovering. That usually never happens, ever.” 

“Yeah, and… wait, why is this door closed?”

Oh fuck. 

The door opened, and two small horses trotted in, both of whom were vastly different in color. One was white, with bands of barely visible gold in their mane and sides, and the other was a bright, electric purple, with teal green eyes looking around the room. Gabe simply didn’t wait for them to see him, rushing forward and moving past them out the door. “Sorry!” Gabe called to them, pushing them aside and running down the hallways in a blind panic. 

“What the-?! AUNT RAI! HELP!!” the young boy shouted out. 

“Christ, how many aunts these kids have?!” Gabe blurted out, turning a corner and skidding to a halt in fright. “Oh shit!” 

The horse in front of him was big. Easily a head and half taller than he was, the horse had a spiraling blue horn that had arcs of electricity dancing along its length. Ruby red eyes stared him down, and Gabe more than felt the static building from where he was scrambling back onto his feet. “Oh crap oh crap oh crap, uh, shit, uh-!” Gabe stammered, the horse taking a step forward towards him, even more electricity dancing on its fur. 

“Aunt Rai!” The purple horse raced to the giant equine’s side, looking at Gabe angrily as its sibling followed. “It was in the spare bedroom, is it a monster, a real one?” 

Gabe let out a panicked laugh, the three horses looking at him intently. “Monster? Kid, you don’t have a damn fucking clue about monsters…” 

“Language,” the massive horse growled, a low commanding growl as she (cause clearly, if the tiny horses called it ‘aunt’, that certainly limited the gender options) glared down at him. “Not in front of the children.” Gabe gulped, then froze as he thought about the way the horse’s voice sounded. 

“You… you sound Japanese,” he said, sliding back to a wall and keeping his rifle pointing to the side, muzzle away from the children. “Why do you sound Japanese, because this is getting to be waaaay above my pay grade…” 

The giant… unicorn cocked her head at him, the electricity seeming to step down in intensity. “You seem… familiar to me,” she said, taking several steps closer to him as Gabe felt the batteries on body begin to heat up. “As if from a memory…” 

Why are the batteries heating up? They’d only heat up if you try to overcharge th-, Gabe thought before he gasped. “Stop, stop stop stopstopstop!” he pleaded, holding a hand out at the unicorn. “Please, don’t come any closer! You’re making my equipment heat up too fast! If it heats up too much, it’ll-!” 

“Explode?” 

“Yes, and-!” Gabe paused, shutting his mouth as he looked at her. “Wait… how the fuuuu-dge, did you know that?” he asked, swapping out the word at the last second as he saw the horse’s eyes narrow dangerously. “Actually, no, before that, uh, who the crap are you, and uh…” Gabe pointed at the two children, confused. “Who the crap are they? No offense, but you three look about as related as a hawk does to a pigeon.” 

“Huh?” the boy muttered, confused. 

“He means we don’t look the least bit alike Stormy,” the white horse told him, nudging him with a shoulder check. “Well, my name is Elinah, I’m twelve summers old, and this is Stormy, my brother!” The purple one groaned in annoyance as Gabe chuckled nervously under the older unicorn’s gaze. 

“Okay, yeah, you two, definitely related.” 

“How would you know? And for the last time Elinah, my name is Storm Shield!” The purple one glowered at his sibling as he lifted a forelimb and proceeded to break every sane law of biology that Gabe knew by pointing at a… lightning bolt superimposed over an iron cross? 

“‘Storm Shield?’ That’s… different. I want to guess that in whatever half baked saccharine coated nightmare fest this place is, that your name is either figurative or literal,” Gabe commented. “Like, what, you make magic shields based off of electrical currents, thus creating a one horse electrostatic field capable of deflecting most forms of electromagnetic radiation?” The room was silent as Storm Shield stared at Gabe in dumbstruck awe as the human added, “Also, I have a sibling who’s thirteen years my junior, I know sibling relationships when I see it.” 

“But… but how… how did you guess Stormy’s Cutie Mark so fast?!” Elinah asked, the young girl jumping close to him. On reflex, Gabe’s rifle was trained at her, Elinah freezing in fear as Raishin stamped her hoof on the floor, a thick trail of electricity wrapping around her limb. 

“Lower. Your. Weapon,” the unicorn growled darkly. Gabe gulped, slowly setting the rifle down as he looked at Elinah apologetically. 

“I’m… I’m sorry, really, I am,” he told her. “Just a little twitchy. I’ve been running for my life this morning, I almost got eaten, I was shot at by a singularity, and then I climbed up this mountain and snuck into your neighbor’s house by accident before I came… here. I’m tired, alone, and I can’t get in contact with anyone else like me.” Elinah nodded slowly, her aunt silently judging Gabe like a hawk before the child spoke. 

“Kinda like how Dad acts sometimes when thinks me, Storm, Garnet, Asuka, and all our other friends aren’t looking,” she told Gabe finally. “He thinks we don’t notice when he flinches at fireworks he can’t see, or when he’s being waaaay too careful with the knives…” 

“So…,” Gabe paused, looking at the horses in confusion. “Their dad is a soldier? Long time veteran I take it?” Raishin’s grimace finally fell, the unicorn chuckling in amusement. 

“One could say that,” she admitted. Then she narrowed her focus on him again, asking, “What manner of being are you, and why are you here?”

“Me? Umm, uh, shiiii-iiitake mushrooms, yeah, that, uhh…” Gabe gulped, suddenly looping from beyond terrified to back to being scared out of his wits. “My name is Private Gabriel Monnot, United States Army, serial number GM-45634-78561, attached to Task Group Vanguard Two-Five,” he told her. “And I’m a human.” 

The mother horse’s eyes widened, her jaw going slack in shock, but the kids both seemed confused.

“What’s a human? Never heard of them before.”

“Maybe they’re from some really far away land and Auntie Day started fighting them recently.”

Both children gasped and looked at each other in sync.

“Are we going to get a new mommy?!”

“...I’m sorry what,” Gabe said flatly after a moment of awkward silence. “I really hope that y’all aren’t implying what I think you’re implying, cause uhh… how can I put this gently, umm…” Gabe groaned, finally removing his helmet and running a gloved hand through his hair. “Look, we humans uhh… we don’t have talking equines back home. Nor do they have the same… colors you do. Or horns, or wings.” 

“Huh?” Elinah uttered, confused. 

Gabe groaned. “...our horses and ponies back home are literal animals,” he told her bluntly. 

The kids didn’t seem to get it, but the adult huffed. “A different world indeed. And no, children, I don’t think your father is in the market for any more lovers.”

“...yay?” Gabe slowly stood up, amazed at the height differences between him and the equines. Storm Shield and Elinah both only came up to his hip, if just slightly over judging by the spiraling unicorn horn Gabe was only just now noticing. And their aunt was… well, huge, more akin to a full grown horse proper. Although… “Wait a second, horses don’t have scales on their faces,” he said, pointing at Raishin. “Or… anywhere else really. I mean, I can’t really complain, I’m trapped in crazy talking horse land, but still-!” 

The horse leaned down in his face, just far enough away he could spot the smirk on her lips. “I am not most ponies.”

“Ma’am, you’re already six foot ten, easy,” Gabe deadpanned. “Seven foot six with the horn, and I’m pretty sure the average pony still only comes up to maybe about four foot ten.” Gabe then gestured around her, fingers wiggling about. “That and all that lightning stuff. That’s… different.” 

“Auntie Rai is an Elder Kirin, she’s super awesome!”

“Yeah, she is… pretty cool,” Storm Shield said sedately compared to his sister. “She’s only tied for second toughest mare I know.” 

“Hey, Mama is just as tough too!” Elinah protested, smacking her brother on the shoulder. “Mama Tempest is just really really strong!” 

“Uuuh…” Gabe looked confused as the siblings bickered, the two soon devolving into wrestling each other on the floor, Elinah clearly winning as Storm protested loudly. “I am so confused here…” 

“We are as well,” Raishin ‘comforted’ with a smirk. “Now… what to do with you…”

“Don’t electrocute me?” Gabe asked, leaning back away from her. “I mean, uhh, look, I really have no idea what’s going on in this country, world, universe thingy, and I just want to get back home, so maybe if I just, uh, slip out the back door and leave, we can forget we ever saw each other… please?” He watched as Raishin scoffed at the suggestion, shaking her head.

“Leaving is not in your interest. Anyone else who saw you would report you straight to Daybreaker, while I… shall not. And neither shall any of my children, isn’t that right?”

“Yes Auntie Rai!/Wait, what?” came the mixed replies from Elinah and Storm respectively, the girl somehow holding her brother down on his side with only one hoof. Gabe blinked, trying not to gawk as Storm protested. 

“But, Mother and Father need to know!” he said. “And if he’s polite, and Father talks with her before hoof, maybe Aunt Day will be a little less judgemental?” 

“Oh for God’s sake, who the hell is this Aunt Day you keep mentioning?” Gabe asked, slightly annoyed. “This someone else in this crazy extended family I just dove into from a side window?” 

“She is our ruler, and if she knew of your presence after what has happened recently she will either kill you out of hoof, or torture you for information.” The kids frowned, but both nodded together in confirmation.

Gabe grimaced, and then he recalled what he’d overheard not even half an hour ago at this point. “Wait… is she an Empress?” he asked them. “Recovering after some intruder crashed through her ceiling and, I quote, ‘attacked her unprovoked’? That… is your other aunt?!” Gabe took a step back, his vision swimming as his head suddenly felt light and dizzy. “Oh sweet merciful God, I’m…” The trio watched as Gabe’s body wobbled, then dropped to the floor in a dead faint with a heavy thud. 

“Bound to happen eventually,” Raishin said with a sigh. “Children, help me carry him to the spare room. And remember, tell no one outside the house he is here.”

“What about Mother and Father?” Storm asked, going over to collect Gabe’s weapon with a telekinetic spell while Elinah grabbed Gabe’s legs. “Or Gale? Should Galahad and Yuki know too?” 

“Only if they promise not to say anything.”

And for their sake, I hope they never find out. Where humans appear, change ALWAYS comes, and oftentimes, for the worst, Raishin thought to herself as she lifted Gabe’s upper half with her magic, her niece helping her drag the human into the spare bedroom closest to them. I can only pray to Harmony that this human won’t destroy this family, through his action or Hers… 

[][][] 

Shining was back in the dungeons, walking resolutely to the most recently occupied cell. Beside him, a griffin hen kept pace, a saddle bag full of quills, scrolls, and inkwells on her back. “So, you plan to chat with him for how long?” she asked, looking at the unicorn’s stern expression. “Cause the scuttlebutt among the staff is that the Adjudicator is pissed.” 

“Well, that’s the High Adjudicator’s problem,” Shining commented dryly. “Neighsay’s already on my shit list, I don’t have the time nor luxury of indulging in courtly red tape, not when I have an entire empire’s worth of military assets, nobleponies, and assorted scribes demanding to be told why I’ve sent everyone into lockdown.” The griffin let out a melodic chirp as they turned a corner. 

“And ponies wonder why I fell for you.” The pair soon came to a heavily secured door, a pair of Ella armored Solar Guard standing silently beside it. 

“Captain-General Shining Armor, with personal aide,” Shining told the two. “Here to interrogate the prisoner.” 

The guards both nodded and stepped to the side, one pushing the door open for them after a long process of unlocking it. Together, Shining and Gale stepped inside, and both of them had to shudder. The prisoner may have been the sole occupant of the room, but the number of chains, stocks, and binding devices strapped onto him was enough to secure an entire wing on its own. And Shining had to deal with the dull throbbing of his horn as his connection to magic flickered. 

“Gryphus be damned… isn’t all of this overkill Shining?” Gale asked, pointing at the various chains. “You have chains on him meant to restrain minotaurs, at the least, and some of those are magic draining locks. The fuck did he do to deserve all this? I mean, he can’t have punched our Empress that hard, could he?” 

“He nearly knocked her unconscious,” he said simply, which drew an aghast expression from Gale. “You know how tough she is, so anyone who is able to do that with pure physical strength is NOT to be underestimated.”

“Oh shit…” The griffiness looked at the restrained stallion in dread. “This guy kicked her ass? Alone? Did he have any relics on him or whatever it is that our Empress freaks out over?” 

“He had nothing. Only the fur on his back as he crashed into the throne room and assaulted the Empress soon after. And nearly won.” Shining’s eyes roved over the still unconscious stallion, trying to guess what it was about this being, aside from his unusual size and remarkable strength that made him special. And a threat.

“Damn… built like a brick shit house from the looks of him.” Gale circled around him, a scroll in her talons as she took down notes. “Cutie Mark is… well, who knows what that thing is,” she said, pointing at the odd three flanged symbol on the stallion’s flanks. The griffin reached the front and checked the horn, humming in thought. “Horn’s bent like a Neighponese Kirin, but the direction’s all wrong. And…” She pulled back his upper lips and whistled. “Sweet Harmony Shining, check out the teeth on this bastard!” 

Shining approached, crouching next to Gale and seeing what she was talking about. “What the-? Who in Tartarus has pointed teeth?” he asked, staring at the stallion’s canines in shock. “I mean, kirin have weird teeth, sure, but not like this!” He paused, sharing a look with Gale. “Please, do not tell Raishi I said that.” 

“Consider that done, and be as it may, this guy does have a very pointy set of chompers. Now I want to wake him up!” Gale exclaimed. “I wanna know what the hay he’s expecting to eat with teeth like that!” 

“That can be arranged,” Shining pointed out. Stepping back, Shining summoned what water he could out of the air, condensing it into a freezing cold ball before tossing it into the stallion’s face. He expected it to wake him, but the stallion stayed resolutely asleep.

“Uh… maybe something… harder?”

“Like what, a hoof to the face?” Shining quipped, looking at her. “I’m no earth pony, and I’m not bringing in another soul in here that doesn’t need to know about this.” Gale huffed, rolling her eyes as she started to walk over to him… only for the prisoner to groan, the charcoal grey pony trying to stand up on all limbs. Shining and Gale watched as only the sheer weight of the restraints kept the stallion pinned, Gale excitedly scribbling notes as Shining got in front of the stallion. The pair waited and watched as the prisoner’s eyes blinked open, the stallion’s burning orange eyes looking around the cell before settling on Shining in front of him. 

“...who are you?” 

Shining felt himself tremble at the stallion’s voice, the stranger’s deep rumbles making him shake in his armor. Taking a mental breath, Shining cleared his throat. “I am Captain-General Shining Armor, of Her Radiance’s Guard. With whom am I speaking with?” 

The larger stallion snorted, testing his bonds with a shake of his body. “Godzilla,” he answered bluntly, catching sight of Gale. “...what’s a cat bird doing here?” Shining took a step back in shock as Gale took a moment to process the insult and then proceeded to laugh her tail off. 

“Oh Gryphus’ tail, I like this guy Shining!” Gale wheezed out after a moment, clutching her sides in laughter. “He’s so damn clueless it’s hilarious!” Godzilla looked at Gale, mildly confused as Shining recomposed himself. 

“As I was saying, I am Captain-General Shining Armor,” Shining repeated, stepping into Godzilla’s line of sight. “You are currently imprisoned, by order of her Glorious Radiance, the Eternal Empress Daybreaker of the Equestrian Empire.” Godzilla looked up at Shining, rolling his shoulders and making the chains and locks on his restraints rattle. “...I have questions for you.” 

“I’m sure you do,” Godzilla answered, sass and annoyance dripping from his voice as Gale giggled off to the side. “And I can suppose the first question, or something close to it, is ‘why did I come crashing through the ceiling of your castle, and then attack everyone in sight?’” Shining and Gale looked at each warily as Godzilla huffed. “It’s an obvious question.” 

“Right… so then, why did you crash through our Empress’ ceiling, start fighting with the guards, and then end up fighting our Empress herself?” Shining asked. 

“Would it surprise you to know that it was completely unintentional?” Godzilla drawled. “I had been fighting someone else when I was… delivered here, for lack of a better term here. One moment, I’m fighting. The next, I feel a great void around me, followed by falling through the sky again to crash through your ceiling.” 

“You were already figh- how does…?” Shining stopped, taking a deep breath as Gale stepped forward. 

“What I’m sure the Captain-General means to ask is, where are you from?” Gale inquired, letting her chest feathers puff up in excitement. “If we know where you came from, then we could try and open a diplomatic channel where we can-!” 

“No.” Both Shining and Gale flinched as Godzilla interrupted them, his expression flat as he looked at Gale sternly. “There will be no ‘opening of diplomatic channels’ with your Empress,” he added. “I’ve fought too many like her. Overblown ego, delusions of godhood, and a tyrant. I will not allow her to find where me and my family come from.” 

“There’s more of you?” 

Godzilla’s eyes widened at the question, and Shining knew that, however unintentionally, the enemy pony had just given him more than critical intelligence. “There are, aren’t there? Those falling streaks, those were more of you coming into our world, which means…” Shining looked at Gale, the normally cool stallion replaced by the Empress’ Captain-General. “How many of those were spotted?” 

“From last count? Well over a hundred, and if we include him…” Gale’s thought trailed off as she hummed in thought. “I’d estimate a hundred and twenty or so.” 

“That means that there are at least a hundred and nineteen others just like him roaming the Empire,” Shining said, turning to the door. “Guards!” The door burst open, the guardsponies coming in with lances lowered. “Guards, run a message to the Mages College and the governors of all provinces to be on heightened alert status! Gale, where did most of them fall?” 

“South of us, towards Everfree,” Gale answered, Godzilla behind them keeping pace with the discussion with his eyes moving between the two. “Closest settlement is Ponyville.” 

“Still, that’s a majority of a hostile force that is far too close to Canterlot to be considered safe,” Shining commented. “And you, find Captain Frost, tell her to ready the Phoenix Company for immediate deployment! Go!” 

“As you order Captain-General,” the guards responded, turning tail and leaving the room. The moment the door shut, Shining turned back to look at Godzilla. 

“How many of them are like you?” 

“...,” Godzilla remained quiet, blowing out a puff of glowing blue mist from his nostrils. 

“At least a name then,” Shining offered. “A name for who else could be leading them.” 

Godzilla grunted, shaking his head dismissively. “Don’t need to.” 

“Don’t? Or won’t?” 

“You’ll find out soon enough Captain-General. I guarantee it.” Godzilla chuckled, smiling in amusement. “If who I think it is is by this… ‘Ponyville’ of yours? You’re going to need more soldiers.” 

“Is that a threat?” 

“It’s a fact.” 

“Captain-General Armor is a brilliant tactician, I’m sure whatever your friend can think of, the Captain-General can counter,” Gale cut in, standing beside Shining proudly. Godzilla leaned his head out as far as it could go before sniffing the air and grunting. 

“You’re still going to need more soldiers, no matter what your mate’s skills are,” Godzilla deadpanned. 

Shining huffed, shaking his head as irritation rose in his chest. “If this is how this is going to go, then we are done here. I’ve done my part in being civil. If and when we next meet, I assure you Godzilla, your interrogation will not be nearly as civil.” 

“Uh huh,” the bound stallion grunted, almost boredly as he watched Gale and Shining head for the door. “And Captain-General? I wish you luck.” 

Shining paused in the doorway, looking over his shoulder even as Gale tugged at his armor to no success. “Excuse me?” 

“Luck. For when you meet him.” 

Shining’s eyes narrowed as he stepped out of the cell, Gale exiting behind him just as the stallion shut the door. “Shining, don’t let him get to you, you know that’s what he wants,” the griffon hen told him, watching as Shining took a deep breath to calm himself. 

“I know, but Gale, come on, he took on the Empress and survived everything she threw at him!” he pointed out. “If there are others out there, others like him, we HAVE to take action, and take action now! That the bulk of them landed near the Everfree is a miracle, means that the forest itself can deal with them before we even get there.” Shining motioned for a guard to come closer. “Get Archmage Neighsay to send in the best mind mages he has, tell them to get ready to interrogate our latest guest.” 

“Shining!” Gale snapped as the guard nodded, galloping off to the Mage’s College. “Are you seriously going to just-?!”

“Just what?” Gale came to an almost skidding halt as Shining whirled on her, now firmly in ‘Captain-General Mode’. “Lady Gale Everwing, I am not going to let my personal feelings get involved in this situation! There are over a hundred unknown threats to our people, and I cannot afford to be polite and civil with all of them!” And in a split second, Gale saw the pony she fell in love with shine through. “I just… I just can’t. Not when I have so many to protect.” 

Gale sighed, wrapping a wing around his barrel as they started down the hall. “Captain-General… Shining, you know you have us, right?” She gave him a small smile, trying to lift his spirits. “You know we don’t take shit, and you’ve got the rest of the Phoenix Company too besides.” 

Shining took a deep breath, letting it out with a smile to her just as a messenger ran down the halls towards them. “Dammit, now what?” Gale hissed, annoyed as Shining straightened up, his face shifting into Captain-General mode. 

“Report,” Shining commanded. 

“Captain-General, Governor Comet Shine of Ponyville just arrived in the main hall, demanding to speak with the Empress,” the messenger reported, looking at Shining and outright ignoring Gale. “We attempted to inform him that the Empress was not available, but he insisted. Kept saying that metal minotaurs were attacking the village, and that the Magus Sparkle was in danger.” 

Gale sucked in a terrified breath as she could feel Shining freeze up. There was a moment of silence before Shining looked sternly at the messenger. 

“Where is he?” 

“Still in the main hall Captain-General.” 

“Good. Take me to him. Gale.” Gale looked at Shining, and this time, the only stallion she saw was Captain-General Shining Armor, Commander of the Phoenix Company, and consort to the Empress herself. “Tell Frost to mobilize the Phoenix Company, prepare for immediate deployment. We’re heading for Ponyville.” 

[][][]

Gabe came to with a groan, his vision blurry as he came to his senses. The last thing he recalled was talking to some giant white horse, and for some reason, it had sounded Japanese of all things. Gabe yawned, trying to get up from his resting position only to feel his arms and legs bound to a chair. Gabe’s eyes snapped open, suddenly more than wide awake enough to look around. Looking around, Gabe saw that he was in a small room, walls bare of anything that would indicate just what the room was actually used for. 

A door opened behind him, and Gabe could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise from static. His eyes watched as the odd unicorn from before stepped into view, her expression blank and imperious as she trotted in front of him before pulling up a seat of her own. Gabe gulped, shifting nervously in his bonds. For several long, awkward, and drawn out seconds, silence hung between the two of them. Finally, the unicorn spoke. 

“Who are you?” 

Oh. This, Gabe could do, the training still relatively fresh in his mind. “Private Gabriel Monnot, United States Army, like I told you earlier,” Gabe answered after taking a breath. He looked the unicorn in the eyes next, trying to keep a straight face as an ear twitched. 

“Why are you here?” 

“For the purposes of reconnaissance.” 

“So you’re a scout for an advance force?” 

Gabe was only just able to stop himself from raising an eyebrow in confusion. She doesn’t remember that I said I was alone? Or that if there are any survivors, we sure as fuck aren’t in a position to attack? Interesting…, he thought. “No,” he answered instead. 

The unicorn - Elder Kirin, if Gabe recalled correctly, now that he thought about it - clearly didn’t believe him as she scoffed. “Then you have no idea as to why the borders to the Empire are shut then?” 

“No.” 

“Well then, if you are not a member of a vanguard, then how and why are you here then?” 

At this, Gabe couldn’t resist shrugging. “Like I told you before I passed out, I was sucked into a black hole and shat out here,” he quipped. “No my fault your memory is bad.” A sudden spark connected between him and the Kirin, making him yelp in pain as the mare’s eyes narrowed. 

“If you do not tell me the truth, I will-,” she started to say before Gabe cut her off. 

“Torture me until I spill my guts? Yeah no, we both know that’s not going to work,” Gabe snapped. “Besides, if you were serious about this interrogation, wouldn’t you bring in your uh, husband into this? You know, the ranking military officer?” The Kirin blinked, suddenly finding herself on the backfoot. 

“I’m sorry, what?” 

Gabe saw his opening, and he took it. “The kids, foals, whatever, they mentioned their father was a ranking officer in your empire’s military. If that was really the case, then why am I not in a dungeon right now getting my brain magically picked over? Or, hell, why isn’t this ‘Daybreaker’ here herself to ask me this shit?” he asked. “I’m no expert on technicolor horse prisoner of war etiquette, but even I know that this?” He gestured with his head between the two of them. “This is about as normal as a vegetarian Gyaos.” 

The mare paused, seemingly contemplating electrocuting him again for the hell of it before she sighed. “You are… more aware of the situation than you seem. I can respect that.” 

“Thank you. And I likewise respect you for not electrocuting me again.” Gabe took a breath and cleared his throat. “And look, I know this kinda dumb, but uh… may I ask what your name is? You know mine, which leaves me at a very distinct disadvantage.” 

The mare chuckled. “O yurushi kudasai,” she said, bowing her head to him. “I am Raishin. And you have already met one of my nieces and nephews.” 

Gabe chuckled. “Yeah, I… wait, what? You mean there’s more of them?!” The soldier could only groan. “Christ, how many kids does this guy have? I mean, for fuck’s sake, where the fuck am I, crazy pony Mormon land?” 

“What is a ‘Mormon’?” Raishin asked, momentarily taken aback. 

“Crazy door to door Bible pushers who went west on the orders of a guy on drugs,” Gabe said, rolling his eyes. “Utter fruitcakes really. Most of them are apparently nice though.” 

Raishin could only nod along as she narrowed her eyes. “Earlier, you aimed your weapon at the children. Would you have used it against them?” Immediately, Gabe looked at her with a look of utter horror and revulsion. 

“Wha-?! Would I-? Are… are you fucking-?! Are you out of your Goddamn mind?!?” Gabe hissed. “Absolutely the fuck not lady! One, that’s illegal, two, why the fuck would I do that, and three, I have a fucking kid brother, you honestly think I’d have the fucking depravity to just shoot a kid in cold fucking blood just to get away?! No, fuck that shit!” 

“And what if you had no choice?” Raishin asked coldly. “If you had no other options to you? If it were between you, and say, your brother, would you-?” 

“Finish that question, I fucking dare you.” Raishin was taken aback at the fire in Gabe’s voice as he leaned over to her, glaring at her furiously. “I fucking DARE you to ask me who I would chose between me, and my little brother.” 

“...who?” 

Gabe’s glare hardened. “My life for my brother’s. I’d kill fucking Ghidorah himself if that bastard ever looked at him wrong. I’d beat the shit out of any bastard that hurts a kid. Doesn’t matter who or what the fuck they are. How’s that for an answer?” Gabe continued to glare at her, studying her scaled face for a reaction before, shockingly enough, the mare let out a sigh of relief. “...are...are you okay?” 

“Hai,” Raishin answered, standing up, horn glowing. Gabe tensed up in fear, only to relax, confused as his bindings went slack. “I am placing much faith in you, Private. Betray that trust, and you will not live to see the dawn,” she told him. Gabe could only give her a flat look in response. 

“Ma’am, I haven’t seen the sun budge so much a damn inch the entire time I’ve been here,” he complained. “If there’s a dawn, then I ain’t seen it.” 

Raishin chuckled humorlessly. “No one since the time of even my own mother has seen a proper dawn, much less a true night. Not since Daybreaker ascended and cast the Mare in the Moon to her banishment.” Gabe could only tilt his head in confusion as he stood up, rubbing his wrists as she reopened the door. “Now, come. I shall find you a room to hide in while my mate and sisters remain here in the city.” 

Gabe nodded, following after her as they navigated through the hall of the house. “So… out of curiosity, how many uh, well… how many partners is he with? Including yourself?” Raishin could only laugh aloud at the question as they reached a flight of stairs. 

“Officially? Only one, and that is to Duchess Tempest Shadow,” she told him, completely missing the look of shock on Gabe’s face. “Unofficially, and because everyone else who has argued the point with the Empress has met a very quick retirement, there is also myself, Mahiri, Gale, and Shining is, one supposes, the consort to the Empress herself.” Raishin looked over her shoulder and saw Gabe’s mouth hanging open in stunned silence. “I know, it is a lot for most ponies to comprehend as well, but, well, he is quite the dashing stallion when he wants to be,” she added, blushing under her fur as they reached the bottom of the stairs where a ball of blue-white fluff was looking up at Raisin. 

The ball of fluff immediately started to babble in Japanese, it and Raishin conversing far too fast for Gabe to have a hope of understanding as he stood there on the stairs. However, as he looked at the foal in front of him, Gabe could only help but feel the strange desire to rush forward and hug the ball of fluff and gush over it like an idiot. Oh God, this place is going to drive me batshit faster than I thought, he mentally noted. Slowly, he raised his hand to his mouth and cleared his throat, catching both Raishin and the Fluffball’s attention. “Miss Raishin, err… Raishin-san, who is this?” he asked, pointing to the Fluffball. 

“This is my daughter, Asuka,” Raishin introduced, beaming proudly as she showed off her foal to Gabe. Now that the foal was still, Gabe could see that Asuka was almost a near carbon copy of her mother, save for the brilliant red mane running down her neck. “Asuka-chan, say hello.” The child babbled cutely in Japanese, even as Gabe stood there, waving weakly to her. 

Oh God, she bears the name of the redhead from that one giant robot show… wait a sec, isn’t white the color of death in Japan? ...oh fuck me sideways. “Well, hello there Asuka-chan, I umm… my name’s Gabe,” he told her, just as the foal dashed forward and wrapped her forelimbs around his leg. “What the-?!” 

“She’s a hugger,” Raishin explained, turning to continue down the hall. “Follow me please.” Without much of a choice, Gabe went after the much larger equine, his gait slowed by the happy kirin foal clinging to his leg. Dragging the unnaturally adorable ball of fluff along, Gabe followed Raishin into what looked like a common room, a long table close to one wall where the zebra filly and purple colt sat at, sheets of paper in front of them. Surprisingly enough though, there was also a vaguely equine avian… thing, sitting right next to them, as well as a light pink filly with the most anime of twin ponytails on their head that Gabe had ever seen. “Children, this is Private Monnot,” Raishin greeted, two of the four reacting in surprise at seeing him. “He is a guest here. And for the love of Harmony, do not tell your father or Tempest about him.” 

“And we aren’t telling Dad about this… why Aunt Raishin?” Storm Shield asked, narrowing his eyes at Gabe. 

“Hey, I don’t want to be here either Sparkplug, but I’m in no position to argue the fact,” Gabe sniped. At the table, the children all giggled as Storm Shield’s cheeks grew red. 

“Heh, ‘Sparkplug,’ Elinah commented, drawing an annoyed look from her brother. 

“Not a word!” he snapped, even as Raishin sighed. 

“Children.” Immediately the table went quiet. “Right now, Private Monnot has been separated from his people, and has no place to go.” 

“So, he’s a prisoner?” Storm Shield asked. 

“I have your sister latched onto my leg, trust me, it’s effective enough,” Gabe commented as he slowly made his way over to the table. “Though I think what your aunt… or mother, or… oh f-,” he glanced over to Raishin who gave him a disapproving look, “-ffudge this, this is gonna be a pain in the bullocks. Look, think of this as an unwilling and surprise cultural exchange program. Deal?” 

“Fine.” Storm Shield looked down at his paper, scribbling away at it as the pink and double pigtailed filly scooted closer to him. “Careful Mariner, he might be contagious.” Gabe opened his mouth to protest, only for him to think about it and then nod. 

“...okay, yeah, I’ll give him that, but then again, considering what crap I’ve been through today, I’m pretty sure getting an infectious disease would be the least of my problems.” 

“And what did you go through today?” This time, it was Elinah asking him, her gaze fixed on him as ‘Mariner’ bounced up and down in her seat. Gabe leaned away from the pink filly as he took a deep breath. 

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” 

“Mister, my aunt is an Elder Kirin, and the Empress is one of my other aunts,” Elinah stated. “Reason doesn’t really exist in my family anymore.” Off to the side, Raishin had to suppress a snort of laughter as Gabe nodded. 

“Point. Okay then, well, woke up this morning expecting to be deployed to a tropical garrison in the middle of the ocean, only to be redirected to civilian evacuation efforts in a major city due to an attack by giant monsters. I have been almost crushed by debris, stepped on, eaten, sliced in half by sonic blasts, and blown up more times than I can count in the span of three hours, only to then be hit by a black hole and dropped off right at the base of this mountain here,” Gabe said, lifting his fingers at each point. “I then proceeded to climb up the side of the mountain, trying to get a signal from any other survivors, and have thus far failed to do so. And on top of that, I snuck into the home of someone called the Adjudicator through their basement, snuck out through their chimney, and then snuck into your house. And I think that about covers it really.” 

The table had fallen silent, everyone looking at Gabe with various expressions of awe and disbelief. “You were fighting kaiju? Like… REAL DAIKAIJU?” Mariner asked, leaning close with a wide smile on her face. “HOW BIG WERE THEY? WERE THEY SUPER SCARY? HOW MANY OF THEM DID YOU ACTUALLY BEAT UP AND-!” 

“Chibi, come on, there’s no way some dweeb like him fights giant monsters!” Storm Shield protested. “He’s too… well…” The colt gestured to Gabe in confusion as the human narrowed his eyes at him. “Just there’s no way he could beat up a giant monster from whatever dumb stories you have in Neighpon!” 

“Hey, the tale of Gojira isn’t stupid baka!” Chibi protested, and that one familiar word Gabe grabbed onto like a lifeline. 

“Wait, you have a Godzilla too?” 

At that, Raishin could not have been more surprised than if Gabe had proclaimed himself to be the next incarnation of Harmony herself. “You… know of Gojira?” she asked. Gabe snorted. 

“Who doesn’t?” he retorted, leaning back in his seat. “There was the 1954 Tokyo Attack, then the 1984 attack, then, well… let’s just say the late Eighties and early Nineties were very busy. And then there was the whole Final War mess, and nothing but random kaiju attacks since about six years ago. My personal favorite out of the whole group is Zilla, mostly ‘cause he’s US born and raised.” Gabe smiled proudly as Chibi squeed in delight while Raishin looked at him in horror. 

“You… you have managed to repel Gojira, yes?” Raishin asked hesitantly. Gabe waved a flat hand in a ‘so-so’ motion. 

“Depends on which one you’re referring to.” 

“Gojira ga fukusu arimasu!?” Chibi squealed, making Gabe wince on reflex as he tried to duck under the table. “Um, sorry?” 

“No no, my bad, reflex,” Gabe assured her as he sat back up. “But uh, what did you say? I um… I can’t speak Japanese.” 

“What’s Japanese?” Chibi asked. Gabe opened his mouth to answer, only for, of all ponies, Asuka to answer. 

“Nay-pon!” the foal squeaked, looking up at him through the massive amounts of fluff surrounding her face. The human blinked. 

“Oh. Umm… I don’t speak Neighponese either.” 

“What the young one was asking is… is that do you truly have multiple Gojira?” Raishin was dreading the answer, only for her blood to run cold as the human nodded. 

“Mhmm. Got the one from ‘54, then there was Godzilla Senior, then Junior, Zilla from ‘98 and Zilla Junior, and I guess technically Biollante? I’ve heard rumors of another one kinda lurking near Bikini Atoll, but no one’s caught sight of it yet,” Gabe said, pointedly looking away from Chibi’s look of pure delight. “Out of all them, ‘54, Senior and the first Zilla are dead, and from what I’ve read, Junior was dead.” 

“Really? What happened?” the avian looking one asked. 

“Oh, he got better.” Gabe’s amused smile faded as his expression grew grim. “Wait a minute… he was… he was right on top of us when it came down. Him and Spacey, Mothra too. Oh shit…” 

“What?” Raishin really wanted his next answer to be positive, her hopes quickly dashed as Gabe stood up, pacing the room as Asuka continued to cling to his leg. 

“If I was able to get here, after getting sucked up by that black hole, then… oh. Oh shittake mushrooms, then the disturbance at the palace would be…!” Gabe came to a halt as he swore. “Shit! Godzilla’s in the damn palace! Shit, I’ve got to go and find him, I-!” 

“Are you fucking stupid?” Storm Shield remarked, causing both Raishin and Gabe to whirl about to look at him. 

“LANGUAGE!” the pair shouted in sync, making the other child laugh as Storm Shield winced. 

“Okay okay! But come on, you said it yourself, you’re alone in the middle of Canterlot!” the colt pointed out. “Just getting here was a fluke!” 

“Yeah, and Dad has guards all over the place right now. Unicorn mages, pegasi skirmishers, everypony really,” the avian added. “I don’t think you’d even make it to the market district without getting spotted, let alone close to the castle.” 

“Yeah, and even if you get in the castle, well, that’s the domain of the Phoenix and Solar companies, and they’re the best of the best!” Elinah remarked. “Dad leads the Phoenix, but the Solar ponies are hoofpicked by Aunt Day herself. And the chances of you reaching the dungeons are… well…” 

“Crap.” Gabe groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in growing irritation. “So what, I just wait in your house, and twiddle my thumbs up my… crap.” He sighed, sitting back at the table next to Storm Shield as the smaller colt shifted away from him. “Well, I’m screwed.” 

“Kinda,” the kids all said in unison. “Besides, hard to invade a castle with a crossbow with no bow, and no bolts,” Storm Shield said with a smirk. “Or magic.” 

“Humans can’t use magic,” Gabe said tiredly. “At least, most can’t as far as I know. Only one who regularly uses magic is Mothra, and she got sucked into the black hole too.” 

“No complaint about your broken crossbow?” the avian said. Gabe gave him a flat look. “Sorry, my name’s Garnet, I’m a natural hippogriff.” 

“Ah. That explains the beak.” Gabe huffed. “And no, it’s not a crossbow, it’s an E-40 Individual Combat Laser System.” He was met with black stares from around the table. “...it shoots extremely high powered pulses of light to make miniature explosions.” 

“Sugoi…,” Chibi uttered, stars almost shining in her eyes as Gabe tried not to think about how that was possible. “Could it beat Godzilla?” 

The question made Gabe blink for a moment before the question finally processed in his head. And then he bowled over, laughing. “HAHAHAhaeheheha… Hoooo God no!” he exclaimed, wiping a tear from his eye. “Shoot, I don’t think there’s anything in the entirety of the GDF arsenal that can actually cripple Junior, not that we want to mind you! The last and only time conventional weapons actually killed a Gojiran entity was with Zilla back in 1998, and even then, that took the poor gal being caught up in the support cables to the Brooklyn Bridge to get a clear shot in!” 

“Wait, conventional weapons? You mean like, trebuchets and ballista, right?” Storm Shield asked. 

“Umm… no? We haven’t used those in a serious conflict since… crap, I don’t know, the 1400s? 1500s at the latest,” Gabe answered. “Started using cannons by then.” 

“Cannons? Really? Those things? Those things take forever to load, and we’ve seen Dad drill an entire artillery legion on those,” Elinah commented. “Spells and weather control were so much faster.” Gabe snorted in amusement, holding up a hand to collect himself before talking. 

“Oh, we haven’t used those types of cannons since about the late 1800s,” he said. 

“Wait, what year is it for you?” Chibi asked, confused. “Because you keep saying these dates like they’re all history for you.” 

“That’s because they are. The year for me is 2013.” 

“But then, that means you first fought Gojia… umm…” Chibi struggled to do the math in her head before Gabe softly chuckled. 

“About sixty years ago for us, yeah,” he confirmed. “I was actually four years old when Zilla was killed.” 

“Okay, but, if you don’t use black powder cannons, then, what do you use? You can’t have a period where you DIDN’T have cannons!” Storm Shield protested. 

“Oh, we still had, and do have, cannons,” Gabe explained. “They’ve just changed over the years. We just keep them on destroyers and battleships in the navy, or we got maser cannons that we use for when we gotta get a kaiju’s attention.” 

“What’s a maser cannon?” Garnet asked. 

Gabe paused to think about it. “Think giant cannon that shoots lightning.” The foals all let out sounds of awe at the mental image of a lightning cannon. “I know, pretty nice to think about, right?” 

“Yeah! Hey, you see any of those in action?” Chibi asked. Gabe gave her a flat look, gesturing to his still filthy uniform. “Oh, heh, right, umm…” 

“Hey, it’s fine. Still, I have seen a few of those cannons in action. Used a couple myself in training,” Gabe explained gently. “Heh, actually, before I got here, I uh, I was volunteered to pilot an ASP with a pretty decent chaingun to help with evac ops, and I got to take out plenty of kaiju with that.” 

“You piloted a snake?” 

“No, an… crap do I explain this, umm…” Gabe patted himself down, letting out a ‘aha’ as he pulled out a notebook. “This is an armored support platform,” he explained, pulling a photo out and passing it over to Chibi. “We call them ASPs for short. We have those to help contain outbreaks of smaller kaiju in cities, or when we can’t exactly get things like Jaegers or Kiryu out in time.” The foals all crowded around Chibi, Raishin even leaning in to look at the photo of the bipedal war machine. “Don’t ask me how it works, I don’t know, and I wouldn’t be at liberty to say anyway if I did know,” he added. “But yeah, I was briefly in the chair of one.” 

“What happened to get you out?” Storm Shield asked. 

“Well, as is the norm in giant monster attacks, there was a big one,” Gabe said. Sensing a story, the foals went silent, huddling close together as Gabe continued. “I was in the ASP, providing covering fire for my platoon and evacuating civilians when we ran into… the Hyper Gyaos. One hundred meters of flying fury, and she was looking for people to snack on! So, in a moment of bravery, and sheer stupidity, I shot her in the face!” 

“And she noticed that?” Storm Shield asked, almost in disbelief. 

Gabe nodded. “Oh yeah, she noticed. She took one look at me, and decided that I was going to have to go. I made a strategic advance away from my platoon, leading the Hyper Gyaos away so they could complete the mission, when I almost get stepped on by an even bigger kaiju!” He smacked a palm against the table, briefly startling them with the story before Gabe chuckled. “Well, the other monster briefly sent me flying, but I managed to land without totally destroying the ASP. And then… well…” 

“Well what?” 

“And then, with a terrible roar, the Hyper Gyaos LUNGED at me, snatching me and the ASP into her jaws!” Gabe declared with a wide grin. “I saw my life flash before my eyes, and I knew the end was upon me!” 

“Asp die?” Asuka asked, the much younger kirin foal looking up at Gabe with wide, awestruck eyes. 

“Yes, the ASP died… but I lived! Mostly by pulling the ejection handle and letting the ASP explode in the Hyper Gyaos’ mouth,” Gabe told them. “Fell a few stories, landed in a shopping mall. My rig took the brunt of that fall. From there, I walked my happy butt back to where a few other soldiers were holding out, and then… then I arrived here,” he finished with an annoyed huff. 

“How?” Elinah asked. “It couldn’t be easy, right?” 

Gabe sighed. “We had ten seconds of warning. Then they deployed the Dimension Tide right on top of us.” Gabe looked around and saw looks of confusion staring back at him. “The bigwigs in the fancy chairs that send people like me onto the field decided to drop a dead star on our heads.”

“A dead star!?” Chibi gasped, “Wha-how!?” 

“I’m a soldier, not a doctor of theoretical and or applied quantum physics,” Gabe deadpanned. “All I know is, they dropped a singularity on us that by all rights, should have killed us. The only thing I can imagine stopping it is a magical or maybe psychokinetic barrier of immense magnitude, but the only things capable of that kind of crap are kaiju, and even then, those are only the category fives that can do it.” 

“Wazzat mean?” 

“It means that mere mages alone could not have cast that barrier spell,” Raishin cut in. “Only an entity such as Gojira could have, but not a single tale has mention of Gojira being magically inclined.” 

“So, you have no way of getting home then?” Garnet asked, bewildered. Gabe shrugged. 

“Unless you know where I can find a spare black hole, a field of four leaf clovers, and the mother of all barrier spells, then no.” 

“So, what about the one you called ‘Junior’?” another child asked, “The one you said was in the palace?” 

“Oh, that would be Godzilla Junior,” Gabe said, making Raishin’s eyes widen in shock. “Yeah, I can tell you right now, he’s got not a single magical bone in his body. Great monster though. Tries to keep damage to a minimum, and definitely doesn’t attack people. Then there’s Mothra, and she definitely IS magical. I mean, come on, how the hell do you survive dozens of giant monster fights looking like a giant fuzzy pillow with rainbow wings?!” Gabe rolled his eyes as he continued. “Who else probably came through, umm… Anguirus for sure. He looks like someone took an armadillo and covered it in spikes, you can’t miss him. Spacey got hit, and so did that… thing…” 

“What...thing?” Chibi asked, keenly aware of the fear in Gabe’s voice. 

“It… it was first encountered in 1995, about a year after I was born,” Gabe said slowly. “It quickly racked up a kill count, and when it attacked a major city, Godzilla Junior went to intercept it. He… died. Then his old man showed up, and in conjunction with the JSDF, killed it. Or at least, we assumed it was dead, because it was back up and raising all kinds of Cain when Space Gozilla came back around 2002. We call it… Destroyah.”